Sebastian
Denmark
Customer
Rating
8
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?”
Sebastian's Trip Date:
21st Jul - 3rd Aug 2023
What was your most memorable moment?
Seeing so many polar bears in their natural habitat and extremely close is unforgettable.
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?
8 out of 10
On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your trip: Spitsbergen Circumnavigation?
10 out of 10
Were Swoop right to recommend Aurora?
Yes
Tell us about Zodiac excursions
Most of them were great, and the guides were really good in explaining things and talking about wildlife and geology. One trip was a bit of a bummer: we knew there were polar bears, but the team first let us look at walruses for some time, and when we got to the site where polar bears were seen, they were long gone. The driver on that day also seemed a bit inexperienced and read waves a bit incorrectly.
Tell us about the expedition team
Outstanding (and that's still the understatement of the year): starting with Mario (leader) to Isabelle, to Samantha, to Heidi, to Sigurd, to Marcos ... all we simply exceptional and did their best to keep everyone happy. The best lectures were truly from Heidi, but all others were also great.
Tell us about the Greg Mortimer
Well ... we didn't have this ship due to a broken propeller, so we ended up on the Ocean Explorer (a sister ship to the Sylvia Earle). It was a fantastic ship (even better than the Greg Mortimer as I remember it from Antarctica) and our cabin (with an upgrade) was simply perfect. The food was excellent, and I would certainly choose this ship or the Greg again and again.
Something Else?
First, it was a fantastic trip!!! There were two things I wasn't too keen of: 1. The handling of Aurora regarding my companion's knee surgery. It was really poorly handled, in a way that we couldn't really look forward to the trip until one week before departure. The communication was poor (not stating clearly what was required, and claiming we couldn't get on board otherwise), and when I then see other passengers, who had walking aids, couldn't get up from their knees on their own, etc. I wonder why all that hassle was required. We might as well just not have been honest on the medical self assessment, and none of this would have been a problem. Being honest doesn't always pay off. 2. This is the second time where I requested additional nights in the hotel prior to the trip start through Swoop (the last was for the Antarctica trip in November 2022), and in both cases, it took ages to even get a quote. While for the Antarctica trip, the reason seemed to be the slow response of the hotel, this cannot have been the case for the one on Svalbard. It's a Radisson, and when I want an answer, I'd get this in minutes. For this price tag, this should be handled better. Nonetheless, this has been an amazing trip, and if we were to do it again, it wouldn't be able to match the one we just had :).
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to The Arctic?
I go with what our onboard photographer said: put the camera aside every now and then and take it all in.
Has your experience changed your perspective in any way?
I've become even more environmentally aware. It's sad to see where glaciers have been and where they are now. It's sad to see receding sea ice with the majestic polar bears on it, so I'd say it has changed my view even more to be mindful of our nature.
Do you have any recommendations for Swoop, or feedback about the team?
As stated previously: hotel extensions should be handled a bit better, but other than that you're doing a great job :).
Would you consider another trip to the Arctic with Swoop?
Yes
Would you be interested in travelling to Antarctica with Swoop?
Yes
Would you be interested in travelling to Patagonia with Swoop?
No