Surreal continent, real experience
by Isabel Robertson
Departure in February 2018
Wonderful small boat, with lots of decks. Amazing Filipino staff, great food (a little too many herbs maybe), bread, cheese, vegetables. Exceptional: Andrew Bishop, Beau Preneau, Dr. Rogier Burggraaff, Capt. Nazarov. Landings: only 50 people at a time meant more penguins than humans every time. Thank you Andrew! The bridge was another big plus. Camping was not as expected. Suggestion: allow passengers to practice after demonstration, with a guide present to answer questions. The majority of us would not do it again! Kayak: my biggest disappointment. I abided by indications on your website: Plancius not being a basecamp voyage, I didn't sign up because I have no experience and your site states clearly: "On these non-basecamp excursions our guides do reserve the right to refuse you access to a kayak if it’s clear you don’t have any experience". Once on board I found out that several completely inexperienced beginners had signed up and went kayaking several times. Some even offered me their place but understandably Louise Adie could not take me along (insurance, etc.). I thank Andrew and crew for my two Polar plunges: they were very real experiences of Antartica.
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Comment from Oceanwide Expeditions
Dear Isabel, Thank you for your comments. They are much appreciated and has let us to review procedures on board and with pre-trip preparations. It has now been emphasized to our camping guides, that a camping set should be demonstrated along with the camping briefing. In this way our guests will get a better understanding what it is they will get involved with. Despite the challenge to make oneself comfortable during a night out in the snow in Antarctica, we get an overwhelmingly positive response from our guests who try it out. Concerning the kayaking. We have also here worked to strengthen our procedures so that guests with no kayak experience will not be allowed to go kayaking on trips where a supplement is paid. Those trips are indeed meant for more experienced people so that the level of ambition on any given kayak outing can be somewhat higher than on our basecamp trips, where limited experience is enough to try out the activity.