Opening the drapes in my cabin the first morning and seeing Antarctica

Average

Total dud. Split into 2 groups and, for some reason or luck of the draw, the other group got the TWO decent kayak opportunities while my group got what I would call “pity paddles”. Not recommended for the price.

Didn’t occur for weather reasons but the ship should have had a robust back up / alternate plan, and they didn’t. It wasn’t too expensive so if someone is willing to gamble $300 they should sign up.

Most of the expedition team was great, friendly, and knowledgeable. Stand out members were Paul (his history talks were really interesting), Sergei in the restaurant; Nicole (paddling) stood out for negative reasons: she said they didn’t have my size (US 14) left in gear (they did), threw some size small at me then took off. She blew me off multiple times after that until I found another guide willing to exchange the gear. She seems invested in doing the absolute minimum required in favor of swanning around the boat and promoting her brand.

Very well organized. Food was plentiful and good although a bit repetitive. Cabin was comfortable except for the mattress on my bed, which left me feeling like I’d been on The Rack all night. Nasty odor of sewerage midships, port, when I went outside. I would likely try a different ship next time though.

Very efficiently run. Loading smooth. Drivers were helpful. My most memorable cruise was the one when wind whipped up and we were whitewater rafting back to the boat. Bonus activity!

I would have liked to have seen a better variety of penguins (it was almost always Gentoo penguins). Saw a few whales (mostly backs and flukes). Saw elephant seals on the last day. Would have liked to have seen more seals.

Mine the tour operate for information and don’t rely on the promotional materials provided in their web site. Ask hard, pointed questions and don’t let them sidestep (as I did). Make sure they can deliver the trip you want.

Frankly, it was just an OK trip, in sum. The landscape and the way most of the crew went out of their way to make it a meaningful experience was a big plus. Everything else was just something to get through.

Swoop is a travel agent, not the tour operator, so I give the Swoop team some slack for not having key bits of information. They sales team tried very hard to close the deal and provided information I thought I needed at the time. After that it was pretty routine. The Zoom was not a good use of my time since I read the web site; it would probably be good for people who didn’t read the site.

I’d Swoop could have gotten more accurate information from the tour operator and then shared that with me, pre purchase, it would have been helpful. Then they wouldn’t have closed the sale, so competing interests there! Also just a note: the Maritime / Prison museum recommendation. Was spot on but it cost over 6000 pesos, it the 600 listed in your Ushuaia guide.

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