Too many to mention. People, experiences. Face to face with a humpback, penguins, fur seal, leopard seal, in the sea with penguins. Amazing people who will be life-long friends.

Great holiday

Yes

I did not do all the excurstions because I dove. I loved the ones that I did. My spouse had some issues, but that was due to other passengers who did not have situational awareness and blocked him from seeing some of the sights and animals. The ONLY thing that could have made it better would have been for him to have fewer people on the zodiac. Which he would have gladly paid for.

The dive lecuture was my favorite! Actually, each one offered different insights, education and learning. All the guides went above and beyond in their presentations, obviously passionate about their fields of expertise and excited to share. I interacted most with the dive team. I learned so much from each one of the team: Michael, Nicki, Lorenzo, and Sid. My diving abilty went up at least two levels, knowedge about equipment, keeping warm, zodiac diving. Each of them shared their knowledge, their experiences, and several drinks with the divers. We had seven divers, and ended up eating many meals together, editing photographs together and laughing and sharing stories and experiences. I cannot speak highly enough about the dive team.

Viktor took care of our cabin, Rose, the restaurant manager, knew my name the morning after we boarded. The Hondius had not received my allergy to garlic and onion, so she immediately brought out the head chef Bawa and we talked. He prepared most of my meals himself and did not make me feel like an incovenience. In the dining room, Camille, Loren, Damien, and Aljun took until the second morning. I would walk in for lunch and dinner, and they would greet me. Loren or Damien would wave and let me know my soup would come shortly. Talk abou making a person feel like an empress! Rose oversaw everything. Knew every single person's dietary requirements, ALWAYS had a smile, a hug, and kind words. She worked hard, as did every member of her staff. I cannot say enough about the staff. I would go on the Hondius again in a heartbeat. The only non-positive thing I could say -- the dining room echos and as the volume rises, conversations can become a bit difficult.

Already have and will continue to do so. The team made this one of the most special things ever. Taught me so much. I swam with a leopard seal! And dolphins. And penguins. How many people can say that? Well, in the case of Edinburgh Hill, 9. According to the dive team, no one else has recorded a dive there. So I am one of 9 people to dive there. How cool is that!

Make sure to read all the documents. Warm ship shoes, fingerless gloves, extra batteries for cameras, and waterproof casings for phones, and a sense of adventure and flexibility. Ginger candies and seasick pills. Balaklava to cover nose, and 100% windproof outergarments.

Diving -- yes. I will be bolder about diving with others, change my equipment, and carry and share my sense of wonder with everyone I meet. Ok -- I do the later anyway.

Make sure 1. You actually pass on the information from Oceanwide, and not just the waterdown blurbs from Swoop. 2. Actually pass on dietary information to the ship. 3. If you switch agents in the middle of a trip, REVIEW via phone call or chat all the elements BEFORE the clients leave for a new country.

I thought we had everything, felt prepared and beyond excited!

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