Anonymous
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?”
Anonymous' Trip Date:
21st Dec - 10th Jan 2024
What was your most memorable moment?
There were two - setting foot on the main continent of Antarctica during sunset and experiencing the sheer size and scope of the wildlife on South Georgia (especially seeing the playful personalities of the Gentoo penguins and seal pups).
Which of the following best describes your adventure?
Life changing
On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?
10 out of 10
On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your trip: Discover South Georgia, Antarctica and Falklands?
10 out of 10
Were Swoop right to recommend Aurora Expeditions?
Yes
Tell us about the expedition team
All members of the E team were extremely well qualified. Their knowledge and comments while on the excursions were great and the lectures were very informative and topical to what we saw that day or were going to see soon.
Tell us about the Sylvia Earle
The ship was nice, new and clean. The food was always very good with lots of different options available. We would absolutely cruise on the Sylvia Earle with Aurora again.
Tell us about the Paddling
We loved the pace of the paddling excursions. Our guides Tim and Matt did a great job of finding amazing sites for us to see - from deep blue icebergs to penguins and seals swimming close to the boats and even whales (at a safe distance).
Something Else?
The different excursion options offered by Aurora (sea kayaking, paddling, snorkeling, snowshoeing) weren't clear when we were booking. I think we ended up choosing the correct one for us, but we were somewhat surprised when we got on the ship and learned more about what was involved with the sea kayaking program - that each of the excursions were actually optional and you could choose to zodiac instead if you wanted to skip kayaking a day and paddling program - that there would actually be multiple opportunities to paddle instead of just one). We also didn't know that snowshoeing was an option, but I believe pretty early on we said we were interested in kayaking, so that may be why that wasn't mentioned.
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to Antarctica?
The Antarctic air and spaces on the room were dry - bring a humidifier and creams/lotions to keep your skin moisturized On our boat, the bathrooms had strong heated floors, so it was easy to do a small load of laundry by hand and let it dry in the bathroom during dinner or overnight It's worth having a larger (13L or 20L), thicker waterproof bag with a strap for all of the zodiac rides. We brought a smaller one to fit inside of backpacks, but given the ocean spray and salt it would have been better to just have a large one to take instead of a backpack. The rules for Avian flu made it very important to pack carefully. We weren't allow to set anything on the ground - bags or any part of our bodies - so having a bag with straps that was easy to get things in and out of, or to have everything on straps and worn on the body - was a huge help given how hard it was to take things in and out of the bags while on land.
Do you have any recommendations for Swoop, or feedback about the team?
The Swoop team did a great job - all the resources online were very helpful and the questions we asked were answered promptly and accurately. We were very pleased with our choice to use Swoop and thankful to have such knowledgeable experts for such a big trip with so many logistic considerations.
How prepared and excited for Antarctica did you feel?
Very.
Would you consider another trip to Antarctica with Swoop?
No
Would you be interested in travelling to The Arctic with Swoop?
Yes
Would you be interested in travelling to Patagonia with Swoop?
No
