Around Spitsbergen 2022

by ESTHER GROSS

Departure in July 2022

Region: The Arctic

Destinations: Svalbard

Ship: m/v Plancius

The boat and room was comfortable but the activities and cruise was terrible. They were suppose to announce when they saw any wildlife but the only announcement was when a bear was far away. The boat did not attempt to find wildlife and the landings each day was to see a lone flower growing. I met people who took the same cruise the same days on a different boat and they saw such more wildlife. I had waited 2 years (original trip was to be July 2020) for this cruise hoping to see wildlife but there was none.

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Comment from Oceanwide Expeditions

We’re sorry to hear you did not enjoy certain aspects of your voyage. Our focus is always on wildlife sightings, and that was no exception on this trip. Unfortunately, we have no control over whether or not wildlife will appear. Your EL, Philipp, gets consistently good reviews, and the trip log shows that we searched extensively for wildlife, as usual.

We also studied the questionnaires received from other guests and found they were pleased with the bear, walrus, and reindeer sightings as well as with the landscapes, flora, and glaciers. We are surprised, then, that your review so deviates from the majority opinion of other passengers. All the same, we appreciate your feedback and will keep it in mind for future voyages.

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