Ancestry DNA test - has anyone done it?

Should add, I'm particularly interested in origins, since a dd has quite Mediterranean olive-creamy skin, unlike anyone else in the family. I've long wondered about washed-up Armada sailors! - since two sets of greatgrandparents came from areas where they could easily have ended up.

Yes, I had mine done and it’s proved very useful in tracing ancestors.

I have and found my American airman and discovered a huge family I didnt know I had. Been corresponding with my 1st cousin who put me in touch with my half brother. I am 74 and sadly my father died in 2011 at 94. It has been amazing.

I would love to do this. Is it expensive?

This question, different poster, is also on the Genealogy Forum, so more answers on there.

I would like to have this test for myself and my two sisters who are also interested. I have a feeling that some of our pre-conceived ideas would be completely shattered! Does the test include both paternal and maternal ancestors?

Have now bitten the bullet and ordered the kit. There was a reduced price but I was surprised to find that the postage cost was £20 which seems a lot even for the Royal Mail.

My DH got me a kit for Christmas, even though I had said it appeared to me they aren't specific enough (he didn't listen, or he had no idea of what to get me more like!). I knew already that there was some kind of "foreign" blood and the result confirmed what we already knew, but nothing more. I am 52% English, 40% Western European and 8% other bits and pieces, but not at all specific in that Western Europe is huge and covers many countries, and doesn't say if its on the maternal or paternal side or both. Pointless as far as I'm concerned tbh as I also declined being added to their register to find long lost relatives that if I don't know already have no need to.

I did both Ancestry and the 23andme kits. Both of these are in the US as far as I know, so that may be the reason for the steep postage. The reason I did two was because the results of the first 23andme surprised me so much. When the result of the Ancestry one came through, again surprises but similiar results. Since then I done a little research on how the whole DNA business works. I am a little wiser, but on the whole a lot more confused. This is basically what I understand: the results from these tests will be different if you are male or female. Everyone gets 50% DNA from your mother 'mitochondrial 'and then HER mothers line, then her mother, etc. then 50% from your father 'Y' DNA..then if you are female you only get his DNA through HIS mother's female line. Males get the Y chromosome from their father, then his father, etc. and then their 50% from their mother's, mother, mother's etc. Some people take it very seriously and get their relatives to do the test then compare, so as to get a clearer, more in depth idea of their origins. The 23andme one says it goes back to ancestors about 500 years ago. I have done my known documented family history back to 1600s, but results say I have a French/German ancestor in 1800s. I can't understand that as my paper trail doesn't show that, but there are a couple of gaps, so who knows. The Ancestry one states I have 17% Scandanavian DNA, but this test goes back further; 1000s of years. It compares your DNA to groups from various group regions around the world and thereby gives indication where your ancestors were from. I have lots of Western Europe, as well as British, Irish, Scandanavian etc., but as these result reportedly go back 1000 years say, thinking of the British Isles history, viking, Norman invaders, etc., It did show that my ancestry line in England was southern England. On first reading the results I really thought it must be wrong, then when I looked and found a shared DNA relative (someone else in the family had down the test) and saw that it was a 2nd cousin, and saw shared DNA with names of people I didn't know, but know from paper results are 4th or 5th cousins, so I was relieved to discover it's not fake as such. It's not in depth, more a general insight into origins and I think most people would be surprised learn how we are made up from all sorts of places. I think it would make a fun gift, but be aware, on the 23andme forums many people have found that they are not the result of the parents they thought they were.
Also, some nice stories of people making connections to family they were trying to find.

I did it and was very disappointed as the results were so vague. I haven’t met any long-lost relatives as a result of doing the test.

Wotnot, did you give permission for your own details to be passed on? This is what I don't want - random people contacting me. I have enough bonkers relatives as it is - I don't need any more!
I forget who asked, but there's a 'Mother's Day' offer at the moment - £63 but I think postage is extra.

The test we had done years ago basically just showed direct-line ancestral origins, plus how much Celt, Anglo Saxon, Viking, etc. you were. Our shared paternal ancestor, IIRC, originally came from the Middle East around 20,000 years ago. Dh's maternal one came from SW France, slightly later IIRC, and my maternal one was the oldest - 45,000 years ago, NW Greece.

Bellasnana, I think that may be because the site is US based. I have only recently noticed it being marketed to UK market. You can do the Ancestry UK where it's tracing family tree, and likely make more connections there. The Ancestry DNA is for those people that do DNA test and make connections through those others who've done the spit test.. Not as many people know about/or are interested in doing this. My 2nd cousin has been doing her family tree for donkeys years. I got to know her through making connection on Ancestry UK, we were able to share gaps of family history. It's been a really interesting project. Family scandals, lot of interesting stories, and complicated to explain, but made me more comfortable with my own family history. My other cousins have absolutely no interest. Some thing of interest was I found was a family illness, vitamin B12 dificiency, I was able to trace this back to a family line. You can join the Ancestry UK site and do your family tree, that's what I did several years ago, they run free join ups occasionally to lure you in. The Ancestry DNA spit test is newer, I just made contact with a 3rd cousin whose family emigrated to Canada. I've been able to help her fill in her UK ancestors family origins.

Witzend, you can make your information private. You can use a username name and keep your tree private. I didn't do this in the past on the Ancestry tree and posted lots of family photos. Then I found a photo of my late father attached to other peoples/strangers trees. I was particularly annoyed when I found some US people had randomly taken people from my tree and attached to theirs. There was obviously no family connection and I just can't begin to understand the point of doing that. Laziness or lack of attention to detail or just plain weirdness, don't know but I then made it private and am careful about how I put information on there.