December Reviews

We loved the excursions, especially kayaking. The age range onboard made it fun to hang out with other passengers, and the expedition crew was out of this world.

We experienced everything from close encounters with whales (while kayaking), playful penguins and seals, crumbling glaciers, to the roar of mother nature when the wind went from calm to more than 50 knots in less than five minutes. The staff was superb, and the ship and service impeccable.

We had a one day delay due to weather but once we got to Antarctica we couldn't have asked for more. Gorgeous weather for most of the trip and the views were sublime! Paddle boarding was our most favorite activity, but every single landing and zodiac ride had something amazing to offer. The crew is phenomenal - so smart, so fun, and so very friendly you can't help but have fun with them!

The only land with no country ,no human being living there, only wild life and breathtaking landscape. No pollution , and when not windy the fantastic sound of silence. But how long will it last untouched ? So it is been a privilege to be there while still pure .

It is almost impossible to describe Antarctica in a few simple sentences. We were treated to her best - spectacular weather, amazing wildlife, surreal scenery. Having spoilt us, Antarctica decided to throw a tantrum and fog delayed us somewhat at King George Island. This just added another dimension to our trip and we got to sail the Drake. (Sof got her wish!) Highlights - way too many. Cruising through the ice to the Antarctic Circle in glorious sunshine, Kayaking with Humpback Whales - literally! They were that close we got caught up in their bubble nets. Watching the kamikaze penguin come face to face with a Leopard Seal. (Have you ever seen a surprised penguin? He loved!) Feeling so small, insignificant and wanting to desperately protect the fragility of this amazing continent as we listened to calving ice and absorbed the silence of the glacial splendour that is one facet of Antarctica. The ship operator's staff were amazing. They worked really well together as a team. As Kayakers we were exceptionally lucky. Great group, great guides, awesome experience. A great group on board - even with the Chinese. I think the delay and Drake Crossing highlighted how well the dynamics between crew, staff and passengers worked. We felt very protective of the staff when we finally left the Vavilov. Antarctica was a surprise, the fog was a surprise. Epic. Just epic. The whole trip was epic! Biggest surprise - our upgrade and that bottle of wine.

Incredible! Every day was surprising, filled with adventure. Highlights: seeing gentoo and chinstrap penguins in a snowstorm, crossing the Antarctic circle, seeing humpback whales up close, and watching penguin parents tend to their hatchlings. I traveled solo and met plenty of like-minded fellow travelers. I would encourage anyone considering it but who might be nervous to go for it! It is the perfect trip for solo travel. The ship operator's team was just phenomenal - great energy, positive attitudes, fun, and generally just good humans. We weren't able to fly back on schedule because of weather conditions but for me this just added to the spirit of adventure. It is not for everyone though! You need to be able to let go of control and roll with unforeseen circumstances.

The stark beauty of Antarctica really opened my eyes to this part of the world. We were able to see numerous types of penquins, two types of whales, many seals, etc. And seeing the chicks was a highlight for me. The biggest surprise for us is that we made record time crossing the Drake Passage..as it was truly the DRAKE LAKE in both directions! We got lucky.

There were several highlights. The day that we cruised the Lemaire Channel and visited Port Charcot (the "iceberg graveyard"). When three humpback whales swam up next to the cruise ship. Camping on the snow overnight.

The highlight of the trip was being able to camp on the continent. The landscape and wildlife was great. We hoped to see orcas and didn't. But we did see several seals, penguins species, and a few humpbacks. The travel experience on the boat was mind boggling, so many great stories and interesting people and backgrounds. A few surprises we had were the bottle of champagne in the room, (THANKS LOLI!!) one day with no wind, and the BBQ dinner and dance on the stern of the boat.

Polar plunge and SUP were the highlights. I wish there was more wildlife activities. It felt limited sometimes since we can only walk on small paths and there were 100 people together all the time. We had an unfortunate mix of people on board where 1 huge group of tourists (almost half the boat) besmirched the experience for all other guests because of their rudeness but that's not Swoop or the ship operator's fault. The only criticism of the operator's trip is that the dining room was too small to accommodate all guests eating at the same time which is a big fail.

I really enjoyed meeting my fellow travelers, who all seemed to enjoy exploring our world and traveling as much as possible. It was nice being in a small group and getting to know everyone in the 12 days we had together. I'll be keeping in touch with quite a few of them. I really enjoyed the amount of time I spent walking around amongst the penguins, seals and birds. There were times where I would just sit on a rock (or in the snow!), close my eyes, and absorb everything. I'll never forget the feeling of the first time I stepped on land and saw the penguins, nor will I forget stepping onto a small iceberg and one of the staff taking a jumping photo of a few of us (while wondering if the iceberg would tip over once we landed - it didn't).

Our trip was so wonderful! The ship, people, service, excursions, food and the entire experience were just top notch.

Highlight was the wildlife and the ship operator's staff! We learned so much and had so much fun. The only surprise was that we were delayed in Punta Arenas for 2 extra nights, as the weather on King George was not safe enough to fly out. This was disappointing, but we know there is nothing that could be done, and it's part of the adventure of getting there.

Landscape, Wilde Life

- seeing the land scape and the animals. - simply unmatched, unperturbed, unadulterated, and pristine. - every society has some jerks. 90% were very mannered. - do not miss the chance to visit antártica. - the drake passage was abominable.

Loved how close we could see the animals. Wish we had two days of shore excursions instead of one day.

Lemaire Channel was outstanding unable to land but the resultant cruise around left me speechless (not a common problem). Again no camera can do justice to the omnipotence of Antartica it is humbling, penguins were cheeky, seals were unphased and the whales / Orcas gave hope that we haven't destroyed the planet YET. Most fellow travelers were warm, friendly and shared their photos / films. The 'ladies" I shared with were individuals who shared a joke, welcomed you and we have formed firm firm friendship despite our disparate ages interests and nationalities. Only Antartica.

I have only answered No above because there are still several places on my bucket list that I need to get to while I am still able to travel long distances, including the Arctic! There was no one single highlight, there were many and the whole trip was a highlight in my advancing years. The landscapes and wildlife unique and I felt privileged to be able to see it all. The people on the trip from young to older were all very friendly, and good company, with several nationalities, but we all got on and quickly gelled, all having one common purpose. What have I told my grandchildren? A lot for kids to take in but they will always have my photos! Hopefully one day they will have the ability and the desire to go too. Surprises? The colour of the snow and the icebergs and the overall impression of all shades of blue. And the delicious chocolate cake I was presented with on my birthday!

The trip was exceptional! One of the things I most enjoyed and was a surprise to me was hearing a leopard seal singing into an iceberg underwater! I didn't know they did that, and it was such a beautiful sound. The expedition team is phenomenal and went above and beyond to ensure we had a wonderful time and were well-informed. Even when it was "time to go back to the boat", when magical moments happened (which was often... like the singing leopard seal), they stopped the zodiac - we were never rushed through experiences, and in fact, we were encouraged to experience as much as possible. I appreciated the PA announcements about sunsets, breaching whales, and other amazing sights - they didn't want us to a miss a thing. It's typically hard for me to sit still and therefore I can find "talks" challenging, but this team was so engaging and entertaining, I went to every single talk. I loved that the talks happened at the end of the day and related to experiences we had or things we saw that day. The wildlife and landscape was breathtaking. The boat was outstanding as was the crew. I felt like somebody was there with anything I could have needed, before I had to ask.

Incredible with truly memorable experiences, ranging from watching icebergs roll to cuddling with a baby elephant seal.