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:
13th Dec - 29th Dec 2024
What was your most memorable moment?
Zodiac cruise with multiple whales, one popped up just a couple feet away
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: Antarctic Peninsula in Focus?
10 out of 10
Were Swoop right to recommend Swan Hellenic?
Yes
Tell us about the SH Vega
Enjoyed the all-inclusive nature, there was nothing that cost extra that I would expect to be included (like special bottles of wine and haircuts), and more included that I would have expected (minibar and room service for no charge, sauna free to use without a spa pass, parka / water bottle / dry bag). Loved the food, almost every lunch was a different cuisine which was exciting to try new things (Mediterranean, South American, Asian, American, British, French, Italian are what I recall). Staff offered wine throughout lunch and dinner, as well as coffee / tea for breakfast. As a vegetarian, there was always something I could eat on the dinner menu (at the very lease entree, salad and dessert, often an appetizer course as well) and it felt on par with the other entrees (Eggplant Parm was better than most I've had in restaurants; beet risotto was great; the truffle souflee appetizer was awesome). I would absolutely consider this ship for a future cruise.
Tell us about the expedition team
Very friendly and knowledgeable. The wildlife watches were a nice way to chat a little and causally learn. Presentations were well thought-out and detailed (especially the historical ones). Mariam was great keeping us updated on the plans and changes as expedition lead. Michael, and Alexis / Dali were great guides for snowshoeing and kayaking. Loved Sue's tips for living longer lecture, as well as all the penguin and bird facts :) Rayann's photography lesson is single-handedly the reason why I have amazing pictures (as somebody who has never touched a setting on the camera, the overview of how to adjust for the snow and light saved me from all my shots being just solid white)
Tell us about Zodiac excursions
Always felt safe, loved them. Absolutely incredible to do a water cruise with whales on every side - someone is shouting to look left, someone else sees one to the right, and there's 2 more behind the zodiac. They got right up to the SH Vega and right in front of our zodiac (slightly scary, but really crazy experience). We got to kayak in the snow around icebergs, which was definitely memorable. Enjoyed the snowshoeing because we got some great vantage points of the research base. All the zodiac landings were well organized. It was really cool to see Armstrong Reef (great detour), where there wasn't a recorded landing since 2015. The polar plunge at Deception Island was neat, since we had to run into the water and brace it as we go. And we can say we've polar plunged twice in Antarctica.
Something Else?
I'm not sure I would have found and booked SH Vega if I was searching on my own (since I had never heard of the company before). I am so glad that we picked this tip
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to Antarctica?
It's not always as cold as you'd imagine (for snowshoeing, we ended up down to just our thermal shirts because it was sunny and getting hot from moving around), bringing a variety of clothing for fall-winder could be helpful both on ship and off - you're not always going to need multiple sweaters, and the ship runs hot. I wish I brought more t-shirts / lighter tops and non-thermal leggings, especially for around the ship. Take dramamine the night before if bad weather / waves are expected the next day, morning may be too late. The sunscreen warnings are no joke, you will burn if you don't reapply. Bring Argentina currency, in addition to US, for tipping before and after (we assumed USD was good enough, but it gets difficult to break the bills with the exchange rate). Check what the ship specifically provides; we didn't realize that dry bags and poles were provided and could have used the space in the luggage for less-warm clothing.
Has your experience changed your perspective in any way?
Appreciate how tough it is for researchers and volunteers to live and work in the area, it's crazy how remote the area truly is. Really made me interested in reading more books on the history of Antarctic expeditions after the lectures.
How prepared and excited for Antarctica did you feel?
There was nothing we needed and didn't pack. We were so excited for the trip from the day we put our deposit down.
Do you have any recommendations for Swoop, or feedback about the team?
The packing guide was helpful, but may be worth a small note to check with specific ships to see if anything will be provided. We didn't think to ask about that and ended up packing things that we didn't need to (hiking poles, binoculars, dry bag) - wasn't a big deal, but could have saved space in the luggage. I really appreciated the hotel recommendations around Buenos Aires, it gave a lot of piece of mind to know that we were choosing from a list that was vetted; definitely felt safer than choosing any hotel in the city given we didn't know the area at all
Would you consider another trip to Antarctica with Swoop?
Yes
Would you be interested in travelling to Patagonia with Swoop?
Yes
Would you be interested in travelling to The Arctic with Swoop?
Yes
