The ice was the best part. The wildlife of course was super fun, like the baby penguins and hundreds of humpback whales feeding, but to see ice so blue, so vast, so grand - breathtaking.

Life changing

Yes

Pro tip - bring snow goggles, as they’re super helpful just for the rides. Super fun, only wish I could wear my own boots (I’m a part of the giant-leg-calves committee), on the days that we weren’t going on land, as the muck boots were a bit tight (had to sacrifice warmth with removal of an extra layer of socks for comfort).

100% hands down best. I couldn’t pick a best lecture, Falcon Scott’s historical ones were top notch, and the wild life ones were amazing. Best zodiac rides were with Nate Song the expedition lead (very knowledgeable and passionate) and Santiago Arias (great sense of humor, very knowledgeable).

The boat was great - I don’t know much about cruise boats other than folks telling me it felt a little older but was in great condition. Shout out to Captain Neno for the expertise in leading the crew and ship.

Only got worried due to weather preventing us from kayaking days 2-3… but we had a great time, Marty and Zack were a ton of fun (Marty’s got an infectious hearty laugh that you can hear for miles!).

Did not get to camp this round, due to weather. Just means I need to come back…!

I’m not sure why Polar Plunge wasn’t more widely promoted before, but that was a ton of fun! Leonie from the crew going out for 4+ min… impressive! Shout out to Dana, our housekeeper, Pepito and Sherwin for always getting us good seats for meals (not saving them, but just always looking out for us), Jomarc and Helen and Lea and Nino from the bar crew with drinks (cocoa and alcoholic) always filled, and the amazing talent showwwwww omg one of the best parts, I never laughed so hard. Also, shout out to the translators on our trip, Echo and Darwin! So much fun! Overall, one of the best trips I’ve ever done of my life, would gladly do again.

The pro-tips of: - snow goggles, for the zodiac rides (not the ones to land, but the days we are just driving around for wildlife) - sunscreen and chapstick - I had some, and I shared, but I saw some folks get severely burned - the jacket provided is waterproof and wind proof, your “fluffy” layers are varied for some days being warmer (I’d wear a vest) to other days being colder (I’d wear 2 fleeces), no need to go cray (I had heard only at the end of the trip that the reason there was a thinner jacket and not one with lining was due to previous surveys of guests; i did not find that on the website for Swoop or Polar Latitudes, but that would have been good to know beforehand, to better influence my upper clothing gear) - thermal pants - 3 pairs, 1 to wash 1 to wear 1 to spare. They’re thin anyway, so they should take up minimal space in your bag. - birkenstocks or slides! Most days, in between the morning and afternoon treks, I’d just slide on these, so I could keep my socks on, and then when it was time to dress for the afternoon outing, easy peasy. - do it all! Do the polar plunge, the kayaking (even if just once, like I did), the camping, and unless severely ill/disabled, do every single landing! You will have no regrets. - download google translate, and if you can some offline languages, so helpful in talking to other guests! - our ship was fortunate to have data and Starlink. starlink is amazing! But it was also just as nice to disconnect. We got 500 MB free, and it’s been a while since I’ve ever measured my data, but you can burn through it very quickly. Some folks complained about the speed, while I marveled at how it could be feasible in this day and age to use any of it at all.

I learned a ton about the ice and about how Antarctica impacts the ecosystem. I’m looking more into the Antarctic ambassador program (shout out to Jeannine, Lori, and Kristi for influencing that).

No complaints - would do again, hoping to work with Swoop again for a Patagonia trip in a couple of years!

I had a ton of work, and we had a ton of cancellations, this trip was 9 years in the making for my family friend and me, so honestly, it didn’t feel real until we were in the plane on our way, and then felt REALLY real boarding the boat in Ushuaia. Prepared - well, like most, over prepared - would have taken a few less items, but glad I had options.

Yes

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