Jill & Family
United States Of America
Customer
Rating
10
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?”
Jill & Family's Trip Date:
19th Dec - 8th Jan 2018
Jill & Family's Ship:
Island SkyOverall, how was your trip?
We had a one day delay due to weather but once we got to Antarctica we couldn't have asked for more. Gorgeous weather for most of the trip and the views were sublime! Paddle boarding was our most favorite activity, but every single landing and zodiac ride had something amazing to offer. The crew is phenomenal - so smart, so fun, and so very friendly you can't help but have fun with them!
In one sentence, what did you think of Antarctica? Did it live up to your expectations?
One word for the icebergs, the penguins, the whales, and the ship - AMAZING!
Would you visit again?
Yes
How was the service that Swoop provided?
Swoop was so helpful every step of the way. John helped pick exactly the right cruise for us and the details that were sent to us over the next few months were exactly what we needed to be prepared for our trip. And we loved our surprise we received in the mail before departure - it was the perfect addition to our winter gear!
How likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend?
10 out of 10
You chose a/an experience. How was that experience?
We were on the Island Sky - it was a beautiful ship! Our rooms were really large and even though we were on the bottom floor it was still an amazing room. The food was delicious for every single meal and the entire crew on the ship was so friendly. It's the perfect size ship to get to know pretty much everyone!
If Swoop arranged some of your travel before/after your voyage. How did we do?
All of our travel plans were nicely laid out for us on a spreadsheet, even the travel plans that we made for ourselves before and after the cruise. The lodging in Punta Arenas is really nice, but if you're there longer than a day (as we were), the food gets old really quick (and the town gets boring really quick). But getting on the ship made up for it!
How were your experiences on the zodiac excursions and shore landings?
Paddle boarding was AWESOME! Definitely the most fun activity we did. I would've thought that the zodiac rides might be a little boring, but I was so wrong on that one. The guides on each boat are so knowledgeable and fun. And then the landings with the penguins were really great - it's easy to just sit and watch them for hours!
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to Antarctica?
After you've packed your bag for your trip, go back and take out about a third of it. We never wore any halfway dressy clothes on the boat so that was wasted space, and we likely could've gotten away with fewer base layers (definitely didn't need more than two). And it really wasn't necessary to have a lot of warm upper body clothes - the parka is really warm so we typically only had one base layer on underneath and maybe one other light shirt. But bring enough so you don't have to do laundry - the price on board was pretty crazy ($1.80 to wash my underwear? What??)
Anything else? Tell us anything you’d like to share that we forgot to ask! It’s ok to leave this empty too :-)
Go to Patagonia after you cruise! It's incredible!
