We went in Feb. 2009 on the "Crossing the Circle" itinerary. Echoing prior reviews, it's a pretty well done expedition. The crew is Russian, but the naturalists and guides are mostly American, Canadian, and Australians/New Zealanders. We booked directly with Quark. One annoying thing was that we were hit, subsequent to booking, with a significant fuel surcharge, notwithstanding that fuel prices ultimately plummeted before our trip. Ultimately, we negotiated a resolution, but it was a little irksome. I can't really compare Quark/Ioffe to other ships, but I would definitely recommend the experience to others. I'll also note that there were some on the boat who literally showed up in Ushuaia just days before the expedition left and got some sweet deals. But that's obviously a bit risky.