How do I choose just one moment? Was it being close enough to touch a humpback whale and her calf as they fed? Was it kayaking in a bay, watching penguins "dolphining" as they swam, watching seals lolling on icebergs? Was it taking a Zodiac cruise and seeing an old shipwreck? Was it going on a mountaineering trek and getting the most amazing views? If I have to choose just one moment, I will choose the first time I set foot on the continent--such a thrill!!!--but honestly, the whole trip--each and every day--was made of memorable moments.

Life changing

Yes

We enjoyed the Zodiac excursions very much! We felt very safe and we appreciated the care the crew took to teach us basic Zodiac safety, how to put on the life vests, the fact that they repeated the safety measures each time before we set out exploring. We saw something memorable on every excursion, but the most memorable one was when, during a single excursion, we saw three different kinds of seals, penguins on icebergs and humpback whales that let us get close enough to them that we could have reached out and touched them.

I cannot say enough good things about every expedition team member. Michael Green as the expedition leader was a standout, not only for his knowledge, his daily recaps, but for his dry sense of humor and his patience with my many questions. Alexis as my kayak leader was amazing! I loved that excursion. Koen (the photographer) and the other Koen (who led my overnight camping adventure), Marco (Zodiac excursions), Dave and Masimo (mountaineering, which provided some spectacular views), Valeria (who helped me when I had a cold!), Elke, who led some of my Zodiac cruises--they were all just perfect. There were several lectures that I liked--Michael's lecture on scuba diving in the Antarctic, Valeria's fun and funny lecture on the exploring of the continent, Marco and the other Koen's lectures on the history and the wildlife, Koen the photographer's lectures on, well photography (esp how to edit photos with Lightroom). I'm sure I've forgotten someone, but it's true that I enjoyed all of the lectures.

Yes! I would choose this ship again. The ship itself seemed sturdy and it more than handled the Drake Passage! Fairly well designed, with easy-to-find dining and lounge areas. I loved that it could only carry 110 passengers. The relatively small number of passengers meant we could get to know some of our fellow passengers but more than that it meant we could all get at least one chance to do the add-on activities. The staff, the crew--all so friendly and helpful! Impressive that they knew all of our names within a matter of hours, all the more impressive when I think that at the end of our trip, they need to forget our names and need to learn the names of the next 110 passengers! Food was excellent and I loved our cabin (501). Our cabin was a great size for two people and I liked the fact that there was no deck outside the windows, so we didn't have to worry about people walking by and looking in. The only thing I didn't like about the room was how the bathroom door swung wildly when trying to open or close it while the ship was going through the Drake Passage. Not sure what can be done about that! A special shout out to our dining staff--Jerrica, Prince, Charlotte, Raquel (who does double duty as the bartender) and Kahel; a special shout out to our housekeeper, Menchie; to the hotel staff Ingrid and Alfredo.

I think I've covered everything. This was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime trip that exceeded all of my expectations.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Figure out what kind of trip you want--a drive-by while on a luxury cruise ship, a small-passenger-number expedition trip, or somewhere in the middle. For an expedition trip, you might want to be in decent physical shape, although my personal experience is that no one was left behind, no matter what shape they were in. The right clothes are a must! Follow the recommendations issued by your travel company. You can't have too many wool socks! If you think you don't want to do a certain activity (kayaking, mountaineering), think again! When will you ever get the chance again?

I hope to be more open to new experiences going forward, and I hope to really pay attention and to get involved in more wildlife and habitat conservation efforts, and not just in Antarctica, although having seen what a unique and rare place Antarctica is, I will be devoting more time and money to conservation efforts there.

Overall, Swoop did a great job of steering our group to the right trip for us. Our trip coordinators were friendly and responsive and kept us up to date on when documents needed to be submitted, etc. I have one quibble with the wording of one line of one documents. In the "Itinerary" document, there is a line about tipping that reads: " A collective staff tip of 10-15 euros per person per day per guest per night on board..." Wow! So convoluted and sooo confusing! What is "per person per day?" Does that mean we tip each and every staff and crew member of the ship??? What does "per day per guest per night" mean??? You really need to simplify this. According to Oceanwide's own recommendation about tips, this should read: "A collective staff tip of 15-20 euros per guest per day on board..."

I was very excited for Antarctica, but until I arrived, I wasn't sure how prepared I really was. My main concern is that I didn't bring the right clothes, but turns out I did. As for being prepared for what I saw and what I did, no amount of reading about Antarctica or watching videos of other peoples' trips could have prepared me for the wonders of that most extraordinary continent. This trip exceeded all of my expectations!