Sharlene
United States Of America
Customer
Rating
5
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?”
Sharlene's Trip Date:
21st Feb - 8th Mar 2023
What was your most memorable moment?
Hard to pin down one, seeing all the adorable penguins was nice, the majestic scenery when ship was sailing, some of icebergs and glaciers with the blue in it, the polar plunge (although that was about 15 seconds), waiting in Punta Arenas for two days due to bad weather before we could fly over to King George Island,
Which of the following best describes your adventure?
Great holiday
On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?
5 out of 10
On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your trip: Fly & Cruise the Antarctic Peninsula?
9 out of 10
Tell us about the Snorkelling
Didn't see much, one red starfish after six snorkeling trips. Didn't see any penguins, seals, etc swimming in water.
Were Swoop right to recommend Aurora Expeditions?
Yes
Tell us about Zodiac excursions
Great. I did feel safe at all times. We saw several leopard seals floating on ice floes. Saw and heard two icebergs calve. Fun driving though all the ice floating on the sea.
Tell us about the expedition team
They were friendly. Howard stood out as totally calm, there was just something about him. We didn't have many lectures, wish we would have had more.
Tell us about the Sylvia Earle
Cabin was great, food was great, I would definitely chose this ship again. It was brand new, first season. We liked the hot tub on top. Used it a couple of times. All the crew was helpful, if we asked for something got it quickly.
How prepared and excited for Antarctica did you feel?
I was very stressed before going because we had five people, flying in, and all had to have negative PCR tests. We spent almost $100,000 and it would have ruined things if someone had tested positive. But no one did, so it worked out fine. It did cause me a lot of worry and stress before we went. We took too much. I guess I was prepared, but it's always hard until you go there. The layer lecture Swoop gave is what you hear no matter where you go (same lecture when climbing mountains, etc. ). I already mentioned this but we were told to take water bottles, but it wasn't necessary. They were provided. We were also told to take poles, again, not necessary because they were provided. Swoop even make it clear the poles couldn't have ski baskets, but the ones Aurora provided all had ski baskets which were very helpful when walking through snow. I was told to take ski goggles and I was very glad I did. It was cloudy every day and they were handy.
Do you have any recommendations for Swoop, or feedback about the team?
I already mentioned, but the contact person changed too many times, the one for Patagonia was different than one for Antarctica, and communication was slow. Zoe was amazing and found us a plan B when our flight over to King George Island was delayed due to weather. It made waiting so much less stressful. I am grateful Swoop hooked us up with Sylvia Earle and Aurora, they were great.
Would you consider another trip to Antarctica with Swoop?
No
Would you be interested in travelling to Patagonia with Swoop?
No
Would you be interested in travelling to The Arctic with Swoop?
No
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to Antarctica?
Soak in the nature, it's all so amazing. You get to walk among animals in their world.
Has your experience changed your perspective in any way?
Not really. It made great memories for our family and it was nice to share this amazing place together.
