Reviews

We spent 8 wonderful days (20–27 June 26) on the Hondius … Unfortunately, our luggage got stuck at Oslo Airport, which was all the more unfortunate as it could only be delivered to Longyearbyen a day later. We contacted Oceanwide straight away and were informed very quickly that we should enjoy our day in Longyearbyen, that they would collect the luggage from the airport themselves, and that the ship would not leave the harbour until the luggage was on board. We did buy a few warm items just to be on the safe side …, but in the end everything worked out perfectly and with such discretion that none of the passengers noticed a thing … The trip was perfect from start to finish and everything was organised very professionally … nothing to complain about. As well as seeing plenty of other wildlife, we were also lucky enough to observe a pair of polar bears relatively closely for quite some time from the safety of the ship … Wonderful memories …

Het was een geweldige reis!! De tijd heeft voor ons stilgestaan,alle ruimte hebben wij gekregen om van al het moois te genieten.Het team heeft er alles aan gedaan om ons met de allermooiste herinneringen naar huis te laten terugkeren.En dat is gelukt!!Een ijzersterk team met zoveel kennis en passie niet in woorden uit te leggen.Ook het restaurant was geweldig...de passie van de kokwas terug te zien en te proeven aan het eten.De kamer was prima en ook heel belangrijk ...we hebben heerlijk geslapen. Wij willen jullie allemaal nogmaals bedanken voor deze mooie reis. We genieten er nog elke dag van na.

This trip was superb from beginning to end. We were told it wasn't a cruise but an "Expedition" and how right they were. The Hondius is a fantastic ship with all the comforts a great crew, hospitality and expedition leaders team that were so helpful, educated and made it a fantastic trip. After crossing the Drakes passage which was relatively smooth we visited Wihemina Bay & Neko Harbour. We were soon out in the Zodiac boats exploring the Bays seeing Humpback Whales & Killers Whales. The ice conditions allowed us to cross the "Antarctic Circle" with Petrals, Albatrosses & Fulmars following us. We had a spectacular ship cruise through the "Gunnel" towards Marguerite Bay a place I had heard alot about and it was fantastic with incredible icebergs and Peninsular beauty in the background. We visited Stonington Island and with old USA and British Antarctic Bases, what a piece of history, very interesting. Moving back up the west coast of the Peninsular we also visited Salpetiere Bay and Peterman Island. Back in the Zodiacs again to explore and most days we were out in them morning and afternoon. Back for lunch in-between and superb dining. More Whales spotted at Foyn Harbour & Cievra Cove and visited the Guvernoren Shipwreckand old Whaling Ship. We also saw the old Argentinian Primavera Base on a rocky outcrop. We then visted eEephant Point and walked along the beach by the massive Elephant Seals, what a sight. At Whalers Bay and Deception Island we went on land again and joined the "Antarctic Swimming Club" Wow ! what an experience. This was a great end to the Antarctic Peninsular and then out run a hurricane to cross the Drakes Passage again back to Ushuaia and through the famous Beagle Channel. Incredible trip balanced with very knowledgeable lectures on the Ship and light entertainment it truly was a trip of a life time and good value for money; highly recommend. Thank you OceanWide, the crew, the expedition leaders (circa 20 of them) and the ship's hospitality team.

We had booked fully paid for our adventure to Antartica in MV Plancius and they cancelled the trip literally 4 days before departure. Waited a whole year to go on that trip So disappointed, how can we trust them again. Still waiting to go to Antartica and step on the beautiful continent.

I was so lucky to join the amazing tour for two weeks and it was just a wonderful experience in total! We got such a warm welcome on board from the whole team. We felt very quick kind of home and enjoyed it so much, that it's hard to explain in words. I can just recommend to join a tour of these company! We had a fantastic time outside in the Antartica with such experienced and high knowledged guides, such a joy to listen to them. I made a great choice with Oceanwide and would always go again! We have been blesses with a lot of beautiful wildlife and enjoyed every single moment together! I was sad to leave, but I'll come again! Biggest thanks to the whole team for such a perfect time together! Best wishes for the whole team and always great tours in this special regions of this world! Best, Kathrin

Meine highlights auf dieser Reise waren das Weiß, es ist alles weiß auf dem Kontinent und die Kaiserpinguine zu sehen trieb mir Tränen in die Augen. Die Karte, mit der diese Reise 2026 angeboten war, führte auf dem Rückweg vom südlichsten Punkt entlang der Küste der Peninsula zurück. Bereits bei der Einführung wurde uns mitgeteilt, daß dies nie möglich ist wegen der Eisverhältnisse und diese sehr weit umfahren werden muss, fast identisch mit der halben Hinfahrt. Oceanwide war dies bekannt. Dies hatte nichts mit Expedition sondern sales marketing zu tun. Es gab Beschwerden und die Karte für die 2027-Reise wurde nun der Durchführbarkeit angepasst. Dh man muss wissen, daß man 4 Wochen ohne nennenswerte Bewegung auf dem Schiff ist, es sehr viele Seetage gibt. Daher mein Punktabzug, da ich diese Reise nicht gebucht hätte, hätte die aktuelle Karte dem Angebot zugrunde gelegen.

We saw so many beautifull animals and surroundings! It feels unreal when you are there. Very happy we also did the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Great expeditionteam and hospitalityteam on the ship.

Most of the time it was enjoyable, there were a few instances where I was hurt or it was really unpleasant.

Wonderful experience .. I wonder why I didn't do it before !!!! Expecially in nov-dec you can find many nesting species and chicks . Great treatment on the ship : you will learn so many things ...

Die Reise startete super, da wir viel sagen auf den Falklands und in Südgeorgien. Aber dann kam der Hammer. Wir führen anstatt in die Antarktis, was natürlich der eigentliche Grund für die Reisebuchung war, zurück nach Ushuaia wegen Motorschaden. Der Clou an der Sache war, dass wir erfuhren, dass das Schiff bereits aus der Reperatur kam, die vorhergehende Reise bereits ausfiel und die Reise davor auch abgebrochen wurde. Na und nun ist das Schiff wieder kaputt, wie ich von Mitreisenden erfuhr, die erneut buchten, um den Verlust der ersten Reise zu minimieren. Mir tun alle Beteiligten leid, egal ob Passagiere oder Besatzungsmitglieder. Mein Fazit: Nie wieder. Mein Lebenstraum wurde zerstört

We took the 19 days tour to Falklands/Malvinas, South Georgia and Antarctica and it was a great experience. The crew, the expedition team and the services staff was outstanding. The Ortelius is a nice small ship that was our cozy home for these days. But, even though the tour was advertised as English speaking there were more than 50% of the passengers that were Mandarin speakers, of which only a handful was able to speak & understand English. Unfortunately there were not enough interpreters on board to deal with that imbalance which led to situations where during zodiac cruises not all people in the zodiac understood what was said. Even though there was only one „little issue“ with this situation during a landing where due to lack of language understanding a person feel into a river, this feeling of insecurity was always around when being of board. While the expedition team did try to overcome the problem by organizing Mandarin speaking only zodiacs it didn’t fix the problem completely as there were not enough interpreters. And frankly, to imagine what would happen in case of a real emergency where people don’t understand what’s being said is very scary and dangerous.

ongeloofelijke ervaring

WOW! This voyage exceeded my expectation. When my husband booked the expedition ship, I was concerned about the comfort of the cabins and common area, and even more nervous about the meals. I had no reason to be nervous - the ship is very modern, the cabins and common area swell appointed. The lounge was were we spent most of our free time mingling with fellow travels. (When we weren’t on deck or in the bridge). The small ship environment really fostered mingling with both staff and other guests. The food was plentiful, varied and of excellent quality and taste. The cruise staff couldn’t do enough for us - they accommodated my dietary restriction beyond what I expected. There was a nice BBQ on deck one evening (in snow flurries….but there was mulled wine to warm us up). Another afternoon there was hot chocolate spiked with rum. Every afternoon there was nice snack brought up. The best part of the trip was the expedition team. Led by expedition team leader Pippa and assistant leader George, the entire team entertained us with great lectures when they were not taking us on outings. We saw plenty of wildlife daily. Weather prevented us from flying to the emperor penguin colony,, but the team took our safety seriously and we appreciated that. We got to visit other penguin colonies, sometimes viewing from the zodiac, and on most days landings and a walk on ice.The small ship size allowed us to to off ship daily, including 2 scenic helicopter flights. The staff paid attention to details even for this - each flight every passenger had a window seat. The helicopter pilots were very friendly and made the flights very memorable. If you are considering an Antarctic trip, I highly recommend doing it on a small ship like the Ortellius.

I don't think I can quite put into words how amazing this trip was! To start, the entire oceanwide team was excellent - dining services memorized everyone's needs/preferences (and names!) within the first day, the expedition team's excitement and expertise enhanced every moment off the ship, and all other staff were warm and friendly! I was so happy how much time we were able to spend off of the ship either on landings or Zodiac cruises. I was a little hesitant that Zodiac cruises would be "boring" but there were some of my favorite moments of the trip! Nothing can quite compare to circling icebergs, approaching seals napping on icebergs, or basking in the magnificence of breaching whales meters away from your Zodiac! If you want feel like you are on a true expedition and spend most of your time off the ship, I cannot recommend Oceanwide expeditions enough!

Best company, best trip and best wild life ever! We will book again with OceanWide!