Recensies

Had a fantastic time. Never been on a cruise, but the boat was great. Nice room, plenty of places to spend time, and always great views. Loved the food, and really good vegetarian options. Activities were fun, especially the snorkeling, though a bit too tame for me. They threw in a few surprises that took it to another level and made it unforgettable. The staff are universally great and tried hard to help us have the best time possible.

We just got back from Norway and I just want to say how satisfied I was with Oceanwide Expeditions for a fantastic cruise of Spitzbergen on the s/v Rembrandt van Rijn sailing ship where we chartered the ship for our Spitzbergen expedition cruise from June 9th to June 16th, 2017. The ship holds 33 passengers plus 12 crew. My experience on that sailing expedition was that they run a first-class well-run company. For a beautiful sailing “tall ship” that was originally built in 1924, the ship was in first-class condition and updated for modern comforts. Although the cabins are small and all have bunkbeds, they were quite adequate. In fact, most of the cabins had a bottom bunk that was a small double-bed. There is plenty of lounge space, a bar, lots of windows and portholes, and plenty of deck space. We loved the sails that were put up on our last full day of the journey when there was finally a breeze in the air. From the ship’s captain, Ali, to Lars, the ship’s chef, to Bogdan, the hotel manager, to Jordi, our expedition leader, to Ali, our assistant expedition leader, and to the rest of the crew that many times were unseen but working hard, they gave us a wonderful journey.

Es war eine wunderschöne Reise, und auch das Team auf der Plancius war toll und hat uns gut über die Natur sowie alles informiert. Auch das Küchenpersonal darf man nicht vergessen es hat uns wunderbar bekocht das Service Team ist immer freundlich und nett zu uns gewesen. Danke nochmal für die schöne Zeit an Bort.Beate und Werner

Sehr interessante, erlebnisreiche Reise. Der Kapitän fuhr sogar durch das Packeis sehr vorsichtig in etwas größere, angemessene Nähe an die Eisbären heran. Viel Zeit für Tierbeobachtung. Ausgesprochen nettes und kompetentes Personal, das immer für Fragen offen war.

Great trip. Polar bears up close. Walruses up close and they don't smell as bad as people say. Reindeer. Huskies. Rinie is the perfect trip leader and all the staff were excellent

Es war ein grandioses Erlebnis die Arktis zu erleben, Tiere in einer fantastischen Landschaft beobachten zu dürfen, begleitet von einer Crew, die man sich nur wünschen kann. Herzlichen Dank an Alle die die Reise zu einem Erlebnis gemacht haben das einmalig war

Fantastic expedition, wonderful wildlife sighting, very well organised, cabin comfortable, food tremendous and guides & crew outstanding.

Die fabelhafte Crew hat die Reise unvergesslich gemacht! ich werde von den Erlebnissen in dieser grossartigen Natur noch lange zehren

A trip on an expedition ship? The Ortelius isn't a luxury cruiser, but she's a comfortable vessel, our cabin (a superior twin) was excellent, with lovely touches like Mars Bars and wine in the fridge. Unlike some cruises, bottled water was provided with lunch and dinner. There's a reasonably priced wine list and Rolando mixes a good negroni (and other cocktails). Our friendly and efficient servers were Jay and Noelle who learned our names very quickly. And the food - a great variety, well cooked and much, much better than anticipated. And the wildlife? Minke and blue whales (the first within an hour of leaving Longyearbyen), walruses, harp and bearded seals, arctic foxes, Svalbard reindeer and polar bears. One bear came so close we thought he was trying to board the ship and share our dinner. The crew, officers and staff are all approachable and the "open bridge" policy means you get the chance of panoramic views of the ice - and the wildlife - ahead. The expedition team - led by Rinie - are excellent. As a birder, I was thrilled with close avian encounters with little auk, arctic tern, ivory and glaucous gulls, black and Brunnich's guillemots, and more An amazing trip!

Alles bestens!

We had an excellent trip on Plancius! Due to unexpected amounts of ice for the season in the north of Svalbard we could not do the routing that was originally foreseen for the Polar Bear Special. However, the expedition team and captain went out of their way to come up with alternative solutions and - clearly based on their extensive experience in the area - changed the plan frequently in order for us to see polar bears in other areas and also otherwise to make the absolute most of our trip. Plus, the entire crew was very warm and welcoming, we felt absolutely comfortable on board and were sad to leave the ship. We will be back!

Das Gesamtpaket, Schiff inclusive Besatzung und Servicepersonal, Speisen und Getränke, Expeditionsteam waren top. Alle unsere Erwartungen wurden erfüllt bzw. übertroffen. Nochmals nachträglich ein Lob an Alle und vielen Dank für die fantastische Reise mit den vielen unvergesslichen Eindrücken.

Voor mij was het de 2de maal dat ik deze reis maakte. En deze keer was nog perfecter en fantastischer dan de eerste! Ijsberen, Walrus, vinvissen en Ross' meeuw waren de toppers! De begeleiding van Oceanwide is super, het schip en zijn staff uitmuntend vriendelijk en behulpzaam! Kortom: een aanrader!

De reis van Vlissingen naar Spitsbergen was prachtig. Veel mooie dingen gezien. Veel lezingen over onderwerpen m.b.t. de reis. Lezingen van gepassioneerde gidsen. De beleving van het hoge noorden, wat we gezien hebben, Spitsbergen maar ook Jan Mayen eiland was om nooit te vergeten. Prima eten aan boord. Gezellig inforeel contact met de bemanning. Wel wat te krap in de eetzaal en rond het buffet. En te warm in onze hut. Het schijnt dat een renovatie voor de hutten in die gang nog niet rond was. While I was on the shore at the edge of the water waiting to go to the walrusses, two of them came swimming towards us. The cam as close as 5 meters and I stood more or less face to face with one of them. I tould him what a wordefull trip I had so far. He nodded and swam off!

Bijzondere reiservaring. Veel wildlife gezien. Zeer deskundige Ocean Widelife staff. Dank aan Jan Belgers, Bob, Bill, Arjen, Sandra, Ian, Alex en natuurlijke DJ, Lilian and.... the Captain!