Lesley
South Africa
Customer
Rating
9
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?”
Lesley's Trip Date:
18th Jun - 27th Jun 2025
What was your most memorable moment?
Seeing 2 polar bears on shore [from the ship] - where we'd just been earlier! Then 3 more the next day, and another on the pack ice on our 3rd day. Amazing!
Which of the following best describes your adventure?
Great holiday
On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?
9 out of 10
Tell us about the Ocean Albatros
Loved being on the same ship in the Arctic that we'd been on for our Antarctica trip 18 months ago! It's had some changes - crew [restaurant, bar and housekeeping] was great. This captain didn't have the 'open bridge' policy that we'd had before, but it didn't affect us. Food was ok but wasn't as good - and the selection/quality of vegetarian food was disappointingly erratic
Tell us about Zodiac excursions
Good, band generally well organised but often too short
Tell us about the expedition team
Most were excellent, as we'd experienced before - both in educating/informing [lectures], and their input on zodiac excursions. A few though seemed a bit disorganised or disengaged [possibly as their duties included translating for the big chinese and german groups] Standout members of the team were Avi, Lisa, Ben, Xiao, Marc
Something Else?
We were told [by an expedition guide] that the chinese group were meant to be english speaking and self sufficient - BUT as it turned out they need translators, both Xaio and Canis had to add translating to their duties which then affected the time they spent on guiding duties. This was noticeable [although Xaio is amazing, needs a medal!]. There should also be clear instructions re how to behave when there are wildlife sightings [quiet]. And if they do not understand the language of instruction for activities, and do not have a translator, they should not be able to do it - 2 of our group went kayaking and said a lot of time and focus went on some chinese guests who had never kayaked before and did not understand the instructions. This is not only a safety issue for all guests but affects their enjoyment of the activity
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to The Arctic?
Be prepared for changes to planned activities, due to weather, sea ice, polar bears and make sure you can understand the language of the trip
Would you consider another trip to the Arctic with Swoop?
No
Would you be interested in travelling to Antarctica with Swoop?
Yes
Would you be interested in travelling to Patagonia with Swoop?
Yes
