Antarctica Delivers Stunning Scenery, Countless Whales, Penguins

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Days 26-29, 2026 Grand World Voyage

Thursday to Sunday, Jan. 29-Feb. 1, 2026; Antarctic Peninsula.

Antarctica is simply stunning. I have no words, so I’ll let my photos carry this post.

One of the first questions I asked myself when contemplating my first cruise to Antarctica was would I be satisfied with scenic cruising and not stepping on land. Only expedition ships typically with 200 or fewer passengers are allowed to raft passengers ashore. I decided that a “drive-by” cruise would be good enough for me and haven’t regretted it.

This is my third cruise to Antarctica, each with four days of cruising the Antarctic Peninsula. We typically have one day of bad weather, and this year it was our first day. Our plan was to start with Elephant Island, where members of the Shackleton expedition awaited rescue. I wrote about it in 2023. Alas, with heavy fog this time we couldn’t see a thing, so sailed on south. The expected crowd in the Crow’s Nest disappeared.

With the day of bad weather out of the way, we were rewarded with three days of beautiful scenic cruising, led by a captain who loves to snuggle up close to giant icebergs and – yes – “burn donuts” as he spins the ship to share the views.

I set my Pocket Earth Pro app to track our journey as the captain, ice pilot and Antarctic expert on board chose the best cruising each day. It’s amazing to see how little of the peninsula we explored in four days.

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My days started as usual early in the Crow’s Nest, but this time I had company. As the day went on lots of passengers came and went. The disadvantage of the Crow’s Nest is the water spots and streaks on the windows – my camera focuses on them rather than the stunning scenery. It’s a quick trip to one of the several outside decks – either behind the Crow’s Nest for side views, or forward-facing balconies on decks 6 and 8.

We also had the sea view deck looking aft and the entire bow of the ship facing forward.

Our third day began with light snow flurries – especially delighting the crew — and later heavier flakes that blanketed the windows.

During the afternoon, they prepared the unheated Sea View pool for the Polar Plunge, led by the captain. (I passed.)

By today, I admit that I no longer jump up to look when a voice from the bridge announces whale sightings to port or starboard. We must have seen 50 or 60 over the past three days. I didn’t get any great photos, but simply enjoyed watching them.

The penguins provided endless entertainment.

Amazingly, we sailed by the Chilean base on Paradise Bay on the exact same day we passed by six years ago. I headed to the ship’s bow just in time to replicate two of my photos from 2020. Somehow, I doubt it’s the same seal and penguins.

This was my first time passing by Palmer Station, one of three year-round U.S. research stations on Antarctica. In 2020, the impending pandemic caused the Palmer Station team to cancel its plan to come aboard Holland America’s Amsterdam for an afternoon visit. Today we just sailed by, and they sent us their photos of the Volendam.

Not far away was the WHY, a 60-foot scientific sailboat exploring the seas “Under the Pole,” as they describe their mission. I can’t imagine sailing here.