Bewertungen

Trip and ship were good, there are concerns. 1) Although passengers were cautioned to be quiet while observing wildlife, at the bear-eating-seal site, a dozen or more guides were on the bow talking and laughing very loudly. 2) Never received a straight answer regarding whether or not we would have access to our luggage on the dock after deboarding. I wanted to know if I could wear waterproof etc. gear on the zodiac but ditch it in my luggage on shore. 3) Some of the guides were unwilling or unable to maneuver the zodiac so both sides could see. Twisting and turning was awkward at best, giving me sore neck and back for duration of journey. 4) Neck-breaking life jackets. Heavy weighting on neck made it difficult to hold head up. Did not seem to be a problem on large/tall people. Maybe a smaller version for shorter people? One size does NOT fit all. Life jacket was one of the major reasons I canceled upcoming Antarctic trip with Oceanwide . 5) Not pertinent directly to ship but...why did you choose a dark background with white lettering on preliminary material about ship and packing? Hard to read and used an unnecessary amount of ink to print it.

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.

We enjoyed every minute of this unique holiday. we saw 6 polar bears, walruses, seals reindeer and numerous birds, including a black kite. All the activities were well regulated, sometimes challenging, and always fulfilled our expectations. The whole crew were exceptional.

This was one of the best trips I've ever been on! The scenery is absolutly spectacular, the feeling of being completly off the grid with just a couple of fellow travelers and awsome guides was amazing. This truly beautiful place is phenomenal and especially being in the packice was a dream come true for me. Another highlight were of course the Polar bears. The fantastic guides made this trip even more special and thanks to the great crew we had a perfect home on the ship. For anyone that loves pristine nature, cold weather and rare wildlife, this is the perfect trip. Can't wait to go on another journey with Oceanwide!

Knowledgeable and friendly guides and crew, marvellous food, comfortable boat - and a lot of effort put into seeing an exciting range of wildlife and land/seascapes. For me I would have liked more time on excursions and less time scheduling around meals - hence the 4* rather than 5* rating.

Outstanding ship, staff and crew

Great trip

Eine Expeditionsreise, die meine Erwartungen voll erfüllt hat. Mitternachtssonne, arktischer Sommer(beginn). Gletscher, arktische Tierwelt. arktische Flora, Packeis, tolles Schiff, ausgezeichnete Guides, hochwertiges Essen, gute Crew und Mannschaft.

This expedition with Ortelius was absolutely amazing. We have seen so much wildlife in Spitsbergen, with highlights such as the king eider, polar bears (!), and plenty of different whales, walrus, reindeer and let alone all the different bird species. The expedition team was very professional and each leader with his own knowledge and expertise and all very nice and smiling. The hotel and facility staff very service oriented. The landscape was overwhelming beautiful. I feel very very happy and privileged to have experienced this journey that will leave its legacy forever in my mind. As an Arctic embassasor I will spread the word on the beautiness and also on the side effects that we have seen (climate change). We all can and need to act!! Thanks to all the staff and to Oceanwide.

Not really a basecamp

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.

What a great trip that was! A cruise near Spitsbergen. For us as a couple a first time that we experience such a trip. Everything was perfectly arranged. Activities every day. Delicious food. In the evening a drink in the bar. We really enjoyed it and gained so many new impressions. The views were fantastic and the wildlife was even better, Definitely recommended to do such a trip with Oceanwide!