Bewertungen

My trip was absolutely amazing thanks to the tireless work and unbridled enthusiasm of everyone on board. Every day felt intentional and designed to maximize fulfillment, adventure, and joy. I greatly appreciate the care that was given to crafting such an extraordinary journey and the effort made by the expedition staff and Ortelius crew to execute a complex logistical dance every day so flawlessly. I will never forget my brief visit to this magical, sacred place and I have tremendous gratitude for the staff and crew, without whom this experience would never have been possible. I have nothing but superlatives to say for everyone involved, but I wanted to call out two people in particular.

First, the expedition leader, Sara. She demonstrated peerless leadership in shuttling us from activity to activity, giving us the opportunity to see wildlife, and making us feel trust and comfort that we would have an amazing experience every day; boundless energy, for always having enthusiasm, no matter what time of day or night, that was absolutely infectious and really helped enhance the trip even when I was feeling tired or down; and operational genius, for coordinating among multiple cruise ships, multiple landing sites, passengers wanting to do all sorts of activities, weather (good for us luckily but still unpredictable!), and myriad other factors to deliver amazing shore excursions, activities, and experiences for us every day. Truly words are not enough to express my gratitude and admiration for the amazing job she did, and I would be hesitant to do any sort of similar tour again without Sara at the helm.

And lastly Shona Main, the ship doctor, who I think was not technically part of the expedition staff but participated just as fully and enthusiastically as any staff member. Beyond her medical duties which she performed superbly (I didn’t get seasick despite usually getting quite motion sick!) I witnessed her assisting passengers multiple times to ensure we had a great and safe experience (one example that stands out is helping out an older passenger who had mobility issues get ready for the polar plunge, and do it safely - what an amazing experience that wouldn’t have been possible for that person without assistance!). Each day she greeted us cheerfully at the gangplank as we departed for the Zodiacs, ensuring life vests were equipped, cards had been swiped, and that we could descend safely. I saw her on every shore excursion engaging with guests and sharing her knowledge and experience. And lastly, something special and unique for me - I had a lot of complex feelings on this trip - it was overwhelming in many ways, and at times I felt it kind of difficult to take it all in. Shona exhibited a lot of empathy, listening to me talk about some of the feelings during one of the meals, and suggesting I share with other passengers who might have been feeling the same way. I did share with my roommate which definitely helped me process some of the feelings from this trip. I wanted to call out this trait which I felt uniquely from Shona. For such a powerful and moving trip it can be difficult to process in the moment, and having someone on the staff who is empathetic and can relate to your feelings and help you process them was really helpful. I was very grateful that she was there and I think she would be an excellent expedition staff member for future voyages.

I couldn’t have asked for a better Expedition team or set of activities. We had variety every day, delicious food and interesting lectures. The team, especially the leader and the doctor, were particularly kind and accommodating.

The trip was very well organized, professional and friendly staff, and perfect attention to the passengers. Also we didn't feel treated as simple tourist, we had the feeling that the organization also enjoyed the expedition with us. That's important to make a difference and to improve the experience, because normally, the profile who chooses this kind of trips is not a person who is interested in feeling like a sheep. Also the food quality was very good. Honestly, there are no complaints.

I met many new friends from all over the world. Together we enjoyed the amazing animals and environment God gave us. The weather was put of our control but in a way added to our experience. The guides and staff were a blessing. There knowledge of the antartic was amazing and they kept us safe throughout the expedition. My favorite part was seeing the penguins and my disappointment was not seeing any orcas. I guess I'll have to go again.

Excelente viaje en un barco de expedición con un equipo inmejorable.

We had a pretty rough trip with multiple storms with high winds. This made it extremely challenging for the expedition team to get us landings. But I am extremely confident they got us ashore as often as possible, in the best places available in the conditions, and kept us safe. Great job Team!

It's difficult to sum up this trip as it was so full of wonderful experiences. I had never visited any of the destinations before and I had no pre-conceptions. We saw such a range of wildlife and visited some really remarkable places. Staff were highly professional throughout, placing appropriate priority on safety, and also on ensuring minimum disturbance to wildlife. Staff were very generous with their time and were engaging.. They were widely knowledgeable and I found I learnt a lot about the polar environment, polar history and the wildlife we were seeing. The weather was quite challenging on the trip which resulted in a need to curtail or miss some landings. Staff always explained why this was clearly and I fully understood the need for changes. Thet were also quick to put on additional talks if required, to use additional time at sea positively. The stars though of course were the wildlife and the environment. Memories will stay with me for the rest of my life. Not all customers were as happy as I am with the trip. These people, in my opinion, demonstrated a lack of knowledge and appreciation of the polar environment- they were treating the trip as a visit to a theme park!

Fantastic trip. Just what I wanted. We got to see most of what was planned. The only things we didn't do were because the weather was bad and it would have put the passengers and crew in danger. The staff went above and beyond in giving us a wonderful experience. There were several obnoxious passengers on board the ship and they made the crew and other passengers lives difficult, complaining about everything, but otherwise brilliant. The food was great as was the accommodation. The trip was a credit to Oceanwide.

Our expedition was one with challenges from beginning to end with those being primarily high seas and wind. Then too there some passengers who didn't seem to read the fine print that they weren't traveling on Carnival Cruise Line and that the Southern Ocean is a wild place. The Oceanwide staff from Day 1 was not just professional, they were personable. They made lemonade so often out of the lemons sent us by Mother Nature, that the trip that could have been a disaster remained an adventure with more seen that one would have expected under the conditions. Their presentations were extremely well done and informative so to complement the journey well. The logs of our trip that they sent us was Amazing! Thanks! They dealt with folks who should have been thrown overboard with professional response and never showed outwardly that those people bothered them. The Hotel staff was extremely attentive and learned our names and preferences early- and none of us wore name tags as they did. The ship's crew did a great job from Captain Ermesto on down in rough sea conditions, and it was appreciated how they were so accommodating up on the bridge with questions and visitors. Thank you Oceanwide!

thousand thanks to the great expedition team and also to the ships crew, who were always friendly, although it was the last trip of the season.

We came back because we enjoyed our trip on Ortelius to Svalbard. Again we had a fantastic experience with Jan and the team. Can't praise it highly enough. Great attention to detail, especially with my vegan diet.

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😍👍❤️

Tolle Crew, wunderbare Erlebnisse.

Not only was this a great trip with great expedition crew, but we were lucky enough to have fellow passengers from the Scott Polar Research Institute/Cambridge on board who were gracious enough to provide lectures on various topics including geology, glaciers, etc. A super extra bonus was having John Shears on board with the Scott Polar Research group, and he gave an awesome presentation on being the expedition leader that just recently discovered Shackleton's Endurance under the ice in Antarctica.