The most memorable moment for us I think was the night of my birthday, while having drinks at the bar with some fellow passengers we witnessed no less than 15 whales right outside our windows. The whales were eating and coming out of the water with their large mouths. I can't believe how close to the ship they were and then a leopard seal floated by in a pool on an iceberg. I had told the guides I wanted to see a leopard seal for my birthday and then at 11pm here one just floated on by the window as it just gazed up at the ship.

Life changing

Yes

We only went on one Zodiac excursion because we were in the kayak group, but the one we did was a lot of fun and we saw so much wildlife. You could tell safety was always the top priority and never felt unsafe. The guides also made sure to adhere to all of the distance guidance around the wildlife. The zodiac themselves were comfortable.

The expedition team was wonderful! I can't saw enough about how great the team was. We interacted with some of the staff members more than others because we were in the kayak group so didn't have as many different zodiac guides as the others might have. Santiago Berreuta and Steve Ruskay were both such great kayak guides. Again we always felt they took safety as a top priority and we saw a ton of wildlife on our trips. On our one zodiac excursion we had Yukie Hayashi and she was just fantastic. She made sure everyone was able to see the wildlife and got equal time to take pictures. She also had a ton of knowledge of the wildlife. Annie Inglis and Woody Wood both were the absolute best though! They brought so much excitement and knowledge to the experience.

The Ocean Explorer was such a wonderful ship. The layout was great and all the common were very nice. There were multiple different areas you could go and sit around the boat and be with fellow passengers or find quiet corners to take it all in by yourself. The library was great, as well as the meeting room, and the observation deck and lounge. I also really appreciated the Ready Room to hold all of the expedition gear so you didn't have to store it in your room as each room got their own locker. One of the parts I liked the best was the dining room. There were tables of all sizes so my husband and I usually sat at a larger table and were able to meet so many different people just by having meals with them. This made the trip a lot of fun. The bathroom was also the biggest bathroom on any cruise ship we have been on with a heated floor. That was such a nice touch after being in the cold all day.

My husband was very nervous about kayaking during our trip. He was certain he was going to be eaten by a orca. By the end of the trip he was so excited every time we got to go out in the kayaks. The guides did a wonderful job making sure that we were always safe. Each time we went out we saw so many great sites and wildlife. A whale even came up in between two of the kayaks. I can not recommend kayaking enough to other travelers.

I would also like to thank Swoop for the wonderful birthday champagne that was sent to our suite. This was unexpected and such a fun surprise. I was able to share this bottle with our new friends we made on the trip and I had such a wonderful birthday. I was telling everyone on the ship "Best Birthday EVER!!!". Thank you for helping make that happen!!!

It is hard but don't over pack. I wore the same jogger pants for three days because the ship was very causal and you wanted to be cozy while just lounging around the ship. Everyone was wearing clothing over again and no one cared if you had a different pair of pants on each day.

I felt Swoop did a great job preparing us for our trip including what to pack, airports, and expectations.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Beyond 12 months