Sheryl
New Zealand
Customer
Rating
9
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?”
Sheryl 's Trip:
Active Antarctica: Ski, Snowshoe & KayakSheryl 's Trip Date:
2nd Nov - 6th Dec 2017
Sheryl 's Ship:
Akademik IoffeOverall, how was your trip?
Kayaking among the icebergs, looking at penguins.
In one sentence, what did you think of Antarctica? Did it live up to your expectations?
The trip actually exceeded expectations, thanks to the superb organisation and energy of the crew, combined with a relatively small and friendly group of passengers in such a spectacular place.
Would you visit again?
Maybe
How was the service that Swoop provided?
Really appreciated Swoop's help in getting us on board, despite our taking two months to get to Ushuaia. Sometimes Swoop's internal communication didn't quite keep up with our whereabouts (but neither did we - almost!). We got the occasional advice on packing for our trip when we were already six weeks into it. The ship could not be bettered, and we should mention our delight with the Russian crew who provided the platform on which the ship's operator did such a splendid job.
How likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend?
9 out of 10
If Swoop arranged some of your travel before/after your voyage. How did we do?
Swoop helped us after the trip, when we found that bookings on the Patagonia Torres del Paine 'W Trek' accommodation had filled up six weeks before we went. It was nice to have Swoop's help and attention on those sporadic Skype calls to enable us to put the icing on the cake of our South America sojourn. No problems at all were encountered with documentation. Everything went really smoothly, and we appreciated the night's accommodation in Ushuaia prior to the trip (a very good idea to get passengers together), and enjoyed Swoop's bottle of wine in our cabin. Very thoughtful and thorough. (We've got one for you when you get to NZ, John.). Incidentally, we did need to get to Ushuaia a couple of days early, since we travelled from Quito faster than our luggage.
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to Antarctica?
I don't think we could improve upon Swoop's instructions and advice. I tend to suffer from cold hands, and the solution I eventually used for kayaking was to use plastic bags secured with elastic bands over my mittens. (...have to be really careful not to let any rubbish blow away. )
Anything else? Tell us anything you’d like to share that we forgot to ask! It’s ok to leave this empty too :-)
Patagonia, as I said, was the icing on the cake. So reminiscent of New Zealand mountains, but on steroids! Happy to share photos. We've only been home a fortnight and I see month's work sifting through our collection. The ship's operator produced a very nice mp4 souvenir, which you have no doubt seen (probably all too often, since there is one produced for every voyage.) Thanks again, Swoop team. Happy to stay in touch if you wish. Have a wonderful Christmas. Thinking of cold UK from our sunny beach in Auckland.
