Reviews

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.

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!

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!

Enjoyed all the destinations. Very good food. The bar and restaurant are tight. The 4-p cabins are tight as well, too less space to store your stuff. Cabins at deck 3 became very hot during the trip. Information during the trip was good. The staff does his job well.

Best choice: the trip from february to march, at the end of antarctic summer. We reached Ross Sea and McMurdo Sound, we got to McMurdo Antarctic Station by helicopter, we went shopping there and had coffee and cookies in the bar. And we visited the southernmost church in the world, Chapel of the Snows. We reached mars-like Taylor Valley with helicopter, visited 2 historic huts and 2 summer stations, watched table icebergs at dusk ... We visited Vernadsky Station from where we could send postcards. Very beautiful: Penola Strait and Lemaire Channel. Bright weather, scenic flight with helicopter in Andvord Bay - fascinating. And many penguins, seals, orcas ... Fantastic. Excellent trip. Very interesting lectures, nice films. Nice cabin (twin window) on Deck 5.

Dear all The trip was good and we will not forget all this impressions. The crew of the hotel was just amazing and we were heard bei theme. We had a very cold cabine and they changed us the next day. Food was excellence and the service just amazing. The landing was very over scared. Over all the crew there also was nice and supportable. There is just one thing - when we got the Creditcard invoice last week from our bank in Switzerland - we were really disappointed as you charged us 4 % from 8000 USD, that means 400 USD more as we were expecting. The travel agency in Ushuaia (where we booked) did not tell us about that surcharge. This is not ok. I would like you to check this again and would appreciate to get back these USD 400.00. Best regards Thomas Kaegi

So, I was lucky enough to win Oceanwide's contest for the Spectacular Ross Sea - an epic 30 day expedition across Western Antarctica. I knew it was going to be amazing. On paper, it sounded like the trip of a lifetime. However, those expectations were modest, at best. The experience with Oceanwide was beyond anything I expected; it was mind-bending, life-altering, and, frankly, unbelievable. I was privileged to see historic huts, dry valleys, research stations, isolated islands and a landscape teeming with life and dripping with ice. We saw so much wildlife - Western Antarctica is swarming with life. We saw mountains choked with glaciers and friendly research scientists and thousands of curious penguins. And being able to see all of this from our ship, and through zodiac and helicopter excursions...it was enough to make me feel like an adventurer. Most important is the staff and the accommodations. Ortelius is a very comfortable ship. The crew and expedition staff are knowledgeable, experienced and dedicated to making sure your experience is one-of-a-kind. Book your trip now! Antarctica is calling you.

This trip exceeded my expectations in every way. I expected the destination to be fantastic, but being in Antarctica was more dramatic and beautiful than I had ever imagined. The ship also was more comfortable and nicer than I had expected - with very good food and excellent hospitality services. Finally, the expedition crew did a fantastic job trying to balance the expectations/hopes of the passengers with weather and safety - we made most of our landings, and the lectures and other activities were wonderful. I'm hooked now and already hoping to return to Antarctica! Thanks Oceanwide!

Having previously travelled to the Antarctic Peninsula, my wife and I wanted to return to more distant parts of this gorgeous and fascinating place. The Ross Sea tour, with its abundance of natural wonders and great historical significance, had the ideal itinerary. I can say that all of our high expectations were met, and often even exceeded. With fortunate weather (especially some well-timed sea-ice breakups) and the diligent efforts of both ship and expedition crews, we had one rare and unforgettable experience after another: the rich wildlife of the Southern Ocean, the huts of the great explorers, a tour of McMurdo Station, and the otherworldly beauty of the continent, especially the shimmering blue of the ice. In our trip planning, we evaluated several tours, and the fact that the Ortelius had helicopters emerged as a compelling argument in its favor. This proved out, especially with a landing in the Taylor Dry Valley, an awe-inspiring experience that is otherwise almost impossible. We can't say enough about the crews. They were genuinely committed to providing the best experience. We immediately came look upon them as friends, colleagues, and mentors.

It's so hard to put words to my experience. Of course there were things that i wanted to do that were canceled due to weather and ice, but that is the condition under which you go down there so I was prepared for that. I was also prepared for the endles journey to the peninsula. Not everybody was so maybe you should clarify that on the webpage. I'm very happy about Rolf as expeditionleader. Whenever it was possible he would give us an extra option. For instanser the wonderful zodiakcruise in the ice in the ross sea. The rest of the crew and staff were also very friendly and competent I had a very good time with the other passengers when we met for a coffee in the bar although the coffee was lousy Good Food and cakes otherwise

Dear fellow-travelers, My wife and I had the extreme prevelage to join countless Oceanwide expeditions during the last 20 years, resulting in thousands of new " free-off-costs" images for the Int. Imagebank of the WWF- headquarters in Switserland. No doubt this unforgatable expeditions to Svalbard ( 18 times) north-west Greenland, North east Greenland (dept. Svalbard towards the Frans Joseph Fjord) Scoresby Sund ( 3 times) Frans Joseph Archipel, Falklands ( 3 times) South Georgia ( 2 times) Weddellsea and the Antarctic peninsula ( 3 times) have changed my wife's and my life completely. Not only the breathtaking beauty become clear to us day after day, but also this planet's vulnarability. So, together, let's do our utmost best to save this world for the children of our children ! And many, many thanks to you, Oceanwide, to offer me your ever lasting helping hand ! I hope to see you again and again and look forward to be your silent guest once again. wim van passel