Waking up the first morning on the ship to see icebergs out to w window and the sound of whales over the ship’s loudspeaker. It was clear that we had arrived in another world.

Life changing

Yes

They were terrific. The best experience was passing through the Lemaire straight in the zodiac - amazing to see the towering ice and many animals (seals, penguins) floating by.

I can’t say enough to praise Ashley the expedition leader. She was astonishing. Her knowledge, communication style (open, candid), sense of humor in the face of many challenges all made me feel informed, safe and engaged. Liz, who tried valiantly to deliver kayaking opportunities in the face of many challenging conditions, was terrific, as were Eloisa and Neri who supported her. I was nervous about kayaking, and they were encouraging, positive, helpful and so knowledgeable.

It’s a beautiful ship, far more luxurious than I had imagined. The cabin was spacious and comfortable (a full king bed!), and I loved having the balcony, which a full wall of windows. It was as spacious as many hotel rooms I’ve stayed in - much bigger than expected. The food was excellent and varied. As someone with dietary restrictions, I appreciate the range of offerings. They could have done a better job of letting me know that more options were available upon request (signage would have helped that, ie “ask us for more gluten free options”). But I appreciated the fresh vegetables and fruits, healthy grains (oatmeal!!) that we’re part of every meal. If I were to do another cruise I’d happily choose the Greg Mortimer again.

Be prepared for variability. I don’t think I understood just how changeable conditions - and therefore the itinerary - would be. Bring a wide range of pharmaceutical options for dealing with seasickness (and almost everyone will need something at some point). Follow the gear recommendations from Swoop - I felt very prepared and used pretty much everything I brought.

Seeing Antarctica - and meeting the other people who chose to travel to Antarctica - opened my eyes to greater adventure travel possibilities. I feel a greater sense of urgency to see more of the natural world, especially as climate and human threats escalate.

I appreciate the positive attitude that was part of our planning experience. Chloe with the Patagonia team in particular was very knowledgeable and put together an itinerary that we just loved. What didn’t work as well for us was the difficulty in reaching the support team when it looked like the cruise might be cancelled. We were facing the prospect of an empty week, and the emergency contact didn’t have as many specific options to offer us as I would have expected. And it took a couple of days even to reach her when time felt very tight.

I felt both prepared and excited. Part of why we booked the trip was to have something big to look forward to coming out of the pandemic. It delivered that for sure!

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Yes

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