Highlight was kayaking alongside a humpback whale in stunning scenery. Both clients and staff/crew on board were very friendly and the big surprise was the amount and quality of the food.

This was an absolutely spectacular trip. We booked for and achieved all of the activities and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in fantastic weather.

Yes

We were well advised about the ship and the trip generally (by Loli). It was suggested on the website that our cabin (518) had restricted views but this was not the case. Communication with Swoop prior to the trip and the trip planner was excellent.

The trip exceeded our expectations (good weather helped). One criticism we have is that the booking system for activities on the first day was rather disorganised which resulted in some clients being unable to participate in the activity that they wanted. We had signed up for activities when we booked 2 years prior but this gave us no priority. This resulted in some clients having back to back activities on the same day. The activity which we feel failed to deliver was the photography workshop, this comprised a 1 hour on board lecture open to all but no group outings were offered despite this being in the trip notes.

All arrangements made by Swoop were satisfactory however, accommodation in Ushuaia at Hotel Las Lengas merits some comment. The hotel foyer/lounge was beautiful and the staff were helpful however, we had booked superior rooms but on arrival we had what appeared to be a standard room. On our second visit we had a much better room but on the third visit we were shown a room which was not up to standard. The receptionist quickly sorted us with a much better room but it was rather "tired". Travel documents were all adequate.

The expedition staff worked extremely hard to get the best experience for us and it was good that we were moving around twice a day with landings on most occasions. Highlights: Port Lockroy Kayaking (with whales probably the biggest highlight) Mountaineering Polar plunge Wildlife generally

Expect bad weather and hope for good weather. Take massive memory cards! Take every opportunity to go up to the bridge and even on the days through the Drake passage, go outside if possible to take in the whole experience. Allow travel time to allow for any problems with flights/luggage, we did not have any but some slack in the programme made this less stressful.

We were on the ship for new year and were provided with drinks at 12 o'clock in engraved glasses which we were given to keep along with chocolate in our cabin. There were other little extras along the way which enhanced our enjoyment of the trip. The ship's crew and the operator's staff were brilliant.