Nicole
United States Of America
Customer
Rating
0
Customer Rating On return from their adventure we ask customers: “On a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?”
Nicole's Trip Date:
5th Jan - 17th Jan 2017
Nicole's Ship:
Akademik Sergey VavilovOverall, how was your trip?
The highlights were all the penguin chicks at Petermann island and going through the Lamaire channel. The wildlife was amazing, especially the penguins and crab eater seals. I had a wonderful roommate and met several nice people, with whom I will keep in touch with. I was shocked how the ship operator's staff allowed the other passengers to be agressive and bully others when trying to take photos.
In one sentence, what did you think of Antarctica? Did it live up to your expectations?
Antarctica was a majestic, emmence, beautiful force of nature. The scenery and wildlife exceeded my expectations.
Would you visit again?
Maybe
How was the service that Swoop provided?
Swoop did a great job and I am glad I booked through them. They were helpful with all of the paperwork and follow up prior to the trip. I would definitely recommend them!!!!!!
How were your experiences on the zodiac excursions and shore landings?
We saw both humpback and minki whales from the zodiacs. It was truly amazing. I especially liked cruising through the ice floes and seeing all the lounging seals. The only downside were the aggressive photography enthusiasts who were always pestering people to get out of the way of their shot.
How would you describe {vessel.title} if talking to somebody potentially interested in going to Antarctica, and what tips would you pass on?
The food was delicious and exceeded my expectations. I do not eat meat and was pleasantly surprised at all of the options I had. The Russian servers and cleaners were very pleasant. They did a great job of quickly cleaning the rooms and it was a nice surprise to come back from breakfast the first day and saw that the rooms were already cleaned. I also really liked that the lounge area had the viewing deck. I could have coffee or tea and watch the scenery. It was also easy to quickly get out to catch a whale sighting. I spent a lot of time up there during the trip.
If Swoop arranged some of your travel before/after your voyage. How did we do?
I stayed at lancolet hotel because it was much less expensive than cabo de hornos. It was easy to get to cabo de hornos in the morning to meet up with the other passengers for the trip. I received all of my travel documents as expected.
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to Antarctica?
Always dress in layers because the weather can change quickly. It is easy to take off a layer when the sun comes out so it's best to dress with more than what you may nedd. To keep my bag weight low and reduce the amount of what I brought, I only had 3 setsa of base layers that I had laundered on the boat.
Anything else? Tell us anything you’d like to share that we forgot to ask! It’s ok to leave this empty too :-)
I am interested in going to the Arctic, but not with the same ship operator.
