There were so many great moments, although the first day when the weather cooperated was truly the best day! Walking among our first gentoo colony and seeing how clumsy they are on land but graceful they are in the water - and the sun was shining, it felt so warm that everyone was stripping off their layers! And later that day, we kayaked through an ice graveyard and the water was so smooth, and our guide let us jump into the freezing cold water at the end of our paddle!

Great holiday

Yes

This was a must-do! Although travellers should be prepared that they will kayak FAR less than our Swoop agent told us we would. When we were sold the package, we were told that we would have the opportunity to go out every time there was an activity, so up to twice a day. However, they split the kayak group so you only have the opportunity to go out max 1 time per day, and it's always weather permitting. We ended up only paddling twice, when we were expecting to paddle between 5-10 times.

The weather did not cooperate, so we very sadly didn't get the opportunity to go camping. We are expecting a refund.

If you can afford the longer trip or the trip during peak time, do it. Once you arrive in Antarctica, you will really want to soak it all in, so getting that extra day or two, or increasing your odds of good weather and better wildlife sightings can really make a difference. Also, don't stress too much about packing for the cold - follow the Swoop guidelines and bring a couple pairs of thermals (you will wear them over and over), fleece mid layer, and waterproof outer layer, and just make sure to have inner gloves and outer warmer gloves. However, I do recommend packing a few outfits for the ship - we assumed that given the "casual" ship dress code that most people would just be wearing their thermal or mid layers around the ship, but we were surprised to see that people brought real outfits - jeans, nice pants, blouses, some even brought skirts or casual dresses. We got sick of our clothes by the end of the trip.

Just made me want to go back!

It would be great if Swoop coordinated more closely with Polar Latitudes and the Seaventure to provide more details of exactly what gets provided on board, to ensure that travellers who like to be very prepared, like me, didn't over-prepare. There were small things, but some of the materials said to bring biodegradable shampoo, but then the ship actually provided really great shampoo, conditioners, soap, and lotion. The ship also provides lots of seasickness medication, so there is no need to prepare that in advance. Travellers should be warned to NOT purchase hand and foot warmers - they will be confiscated by the airline on the way down the Ushuaia and the ship has literature posted recommending that people do not use them because of the bad environmental impact. Lastly - the ship has a shop on board! This would have been great to know, as it would have relieved a bit of the stress of "what if we get there and we forgot something!?!".

Yes

Yes

Yes