Reviews

Great trip

Everything was nearly perfect! I wanted to see Polarbears in their real habitat - we saw 1 mom with 2 cups, 1 thin male (hope he will survive!) and 1 male in very good constitution! And a lot of wildlife by sea and land! Many thanks to Sarah and her great team of guides. Special thanks to Misha for his wunderful recap of this week! Also thanks to the crew of Ortelius, which have been made this trip so comfortable and sure!

Wat een geweldige trip hebben gemaakt met dit keer de Hondius, alles wat we gezien hebben en de ontzettend vriendelijke en gastvrije bemanning maken het tot een onvergetelijke trip. De enige opmerking die ik heb, dat ik verbaast was dat er een aantal zeer jonge kinderen aan boord waren. Ik vind dit namelijk geen reis voor jonge kinderen en de mede reizigers die ik er over sprak vonden dit ook vreemd.

It was an amazing cruise/expedetion with great staff, well trained guides and amazing wild life spotting

Birding is my passion but the Arctic scenery , Polar Bears and Walrus stole the show.

An absolutely amazing trip with a super friendly and expert team of guides who are passionate about the wildlife and landscape they are immersing you in from the start to the end of the trip. I had a wonderful week aboard the Ortelius; everyone from the captain right the way through the team were so welcoming, the hospitality and food was great, the ship is spotless and modern, and the excursions were so well thought-out to allow me to experience as much variety of wildlife (fauna and flora as well) as could humanly be possible - never a dull moment!! There were Zodic cruises and land hikes where you can choose a level to suit you - when the conditions changed one day, the expedition leader Sara and her team altered the itinerary seamlessly and we had a brilliant day on the alternative plan - plan B doesn't mean second best on this ship! The team strike just the right balance of getting guests close to nature without bothering animals, and it's evident that conservation awareness is at the core of their expertise, both of which are important for me. This is the best trip I have ever taken in my entire life and I would 100% recommend it to anyone who wants to explore the Svalbard region.

Beautiful scenery and amazing wildlife. Great staff. Comfortable accommodations. Food served was often too unusual and the process for obtaining dairy free meal was not smooth. Both my husband and I got sick on the boat and missed a day of activities. Overall, very interesting and awe inspiring trip.

A fantastic expedition on a ship with the most knowledgeable crew, each with their own specialism. Highly recommendable.

I won’t forget this incredible experience here in Svalbard! Out of world and deep inside wildlife! We spotted polar bears and bow head whales!

An unforgettable journey in "North Spitsbergen Explorer - Versatile landscapes, sea ice and wildlife" from 13 to 20 of June. The boat was very comfortable, food was really good and the staff is very professional and kind, always smiling. The program was well prepared and the weather was just great. Excursions with Zodiacs are lots of fun (and splash sometimes :D) and they organize different levels of hiking. If you don't want to take part at the hikes you can easily stay onboard. All guides are excellent and full of knowledge and you can see from their eyes how happy they are to show these incredible landscapes to every new tourist that join the cruise. They still get emotional and I think this is really great. The pack ice seems unreal. We saw lots of wildlife (polar bears, whales, birds, arctic foxes, reindeers..). Definitely recommend it!!

Overall, the voyage was well planned and executed. The guide staff and ship staff were excellent. We say any number of varieties of wildlife from either the ship or zodiacs. The guide staff was always attuned to our safety when we were in zodiacs or on land. A great trip!

Français partis en famille, du 13 au 20 juin 2024 sur le MV PLANCIUS, nous revenons plus que ravis. - Circuit bien étudié, nous avons vu : des ours, des bélougas, des baleines, des oiseaux, des renards, morses, phoques, dauphins, des glaciers, des icebergs, la banquise. Nous avons aussi profité de nombreuses sorties en zodiac, de randonnées (3 niveaux de difficultés) ... sans parler d'une super surprise dans le nord : rien ne manquait ! - une équipe vraiment sensationnelle, à l'écoute, pro, et fort sympathique - de très bon repas Par contre il est vraiment préférable de maitriser l'anglais Nous donnons un 20/20 à ce prestataire

it was overwhelming; the arctic scenery, the wildlife, the ship. the expedition staff said we were very lucky to sea so much wildlife in one trip.

hallo! Diese Reise (10.6. - 17.6. ab Longyearbyen) war die Reise meines Lebens. Da hat einfach alles gestimmt. Die Crew, alle Kategorien, perfekt. Nur manche Passagiere haben mich schockiert. Wie respektlos mit dem ausgesprochen gutem Essen umgegangen wird. Hier sollte man nachdenken wie man Bioabfall zumindest reduzieren kann. Mir ist bewußt das, das nicht einfach ist. Aber es wird nichts verändert wenn man nicht darüber nachdenkt. LG Gottfried Archan

Everything was very good.