Bewertungen

Excellent crew and organisation

This was undoubtedly an exceptional trip with fewer than half the expected guests due to travelling difficulties, great wild life viewings and a ship Captain, Crew, Hotel staff and Expedition staff that went above and beyond to make our visit to the Arctic one that will forever be remembered.

Once on the ship, all was very much OK

Led by knowledgeable and enthusaistic expedition leaders and staff, this expedition around the coast of Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet was a feast of polar experiences. From active glaciation through tundra to the diminutive plants in the polar desert we got a very good taste of the polar regions of Svalbard. MV Plancius was a comfortable and quiet ship crewed by a very good team who went the extra mile to accommodate the needs and comfort of the passengers. For those who have hesitated to join these expeditions I urge them to go. It is most certainly value for money.

Fantastic trip onboard Plancius. Excellent and friendly staff. I was upgraded to a twin room w single occupancy. Food excellent with good selection at each meal. Expedition staff very knowledgeable and we had some good lectures on rocks, ice and wildlife. Captain was a great spotter of polar bears and we saw 4 on our trip. An amazing once in a lifetime experience to go to 80 degrees north and explore the remote and beautiful Arctic.

It was our first time in the Arctic. It was a wonderful expedition. The small ship Plancius makes the whole trip very familiar. The tour was led by a phenomenal expedition team, whether it was the Zodiac Cruise, hikes, subsequent recaps and educational lectures, every single guide made this a unique experience. Many thanks for that. The excursions were very well prepared, you always felt safe with the team. Also on the ship you have enjoyed only the best service, the whole team was extremely friendly and the food super delicious, has exceeded my expectations. However the operating on the ship could be more sustainable in total, especially in nower days and the focus on polar bears creates wrong expectations. Therefore one star less.

My husband was not excited about traveling to Svalbard , Norway to see Polar Bears, but because I was so anxious to get there he agreed to participate. We were both overwhelmed by the beauty and experience to be in such a unique part of the world. Not only did we see Polar Bears but also walrus, seals, Puffins and numberous other birds. The passing scenery with the green glacial colored water, the blue tinted ice, the dark volcanic mountains partially covered with snow was magnificent. But what added most to our journey was the collective knowledge and friendliness of our guides, each with their own special interests and enthusiasm. We so enjoyed riding at water level in the zodiacs and kayaks, and with each outing we learned alot about the animal life, the geology and history of the area. There is nothing like encountering a seal at the tip of your kayak paddle. The ship and its entire staff were wonderful and truly made it feel like an expedition.

Absolutely great trip, but you blew it at the end. You dropped off bus loads of people, including old and sick with Covid in the Longyearben shopping mall in a rain storm. No instructions were given. There was no place to get in a building to get out of the rain. None of the stores or buildings opened until 10:00. So we stood in the rain for over a half an hour!! Before we left the ship we watched the men put out a very large tarp on the ground because it was pouring rain. As they unloaded our luggage from a net on to half of the tarp to keep the bags from the muddy ground the other half of the tarp accumulated large amounts of water from the continuing rain. Then they folded the soaked tarp over the pile of luggage and absolutely drenched all our bags. Everything up to these moments was great. Please better plan the next passengers exodus. Thanks.

My wife wanted to see/photograph polar bears in the wild. We researched all of the options and settled on Oceanwide Expeditions from Svalbard. We were NOT disappointed. We saw polar bears and more, rode in zodiaks, and kayaked. But we were so very impressed with the professional, friendly and fun staff from many parts of the world, from the captain, to the guides, to the ship crew/staff. A special thanks to Alexis, our kayak guide, for his expert guidance! And we loved the Plancius. We felt it was just the right size for a trip like this. We are now thinking about an Oceanwide trip to the Antarctic.

I've seen so many polar bears in zoos that I thought seeing them in the wild would not be too exciting. I could not have been more wrong. We had an amazing long and close encounter with a mother polar bear and her two cubs. We also saw Bowhead Whales, which is something I was not expecting but very much appreciate. Lots of wildlife. I also really enjoyed spending time on the bridge, learning about ship operations. The crew were very kind and answered all of my questions.

I have to say that I never expected the cruise to be so perfect. The whole crew and guide team were amazing, very knowledgeable (shared a lot of different information regarding the nature there), very nice and friendly. The food was way over my expectations, it was a really good food, like a five star restaurant . And to sum everything up, I felt like the whole crew did everything in their power to make us feel happy, comfortable and to see as many wildlife as possible, will definitely recommend it to everyone!

All of the crew, staff and guides were very kind, the ship was comfortable, and the food was excellent. Amazing landscapes. Zodiac cruises looking for wildlife and landings made me feel like an arctic explorer :). An experience that I will repeat, without any doubt.

Trip was 1 to 2 days too long because there was not much more to see; kayaking was overbooked hence durations were halved and this for a very expensive price; food and crew was good

Great in every meaning !

a wonderful trip