Reviews

Een reis van mijn "to do list" om nooit te vergeten. Wat een super mooie bijzondere natuur tref je daar aan. Ook het aanschouwen van de grote hoeveelheid dieren die daar leven zonder achter een hekje te staan. Adembenemend. Wij hebben aan alle activiteiten deelgenomen om zijn elke dag twee keer aan land geweest om te genieten van de pinguïns en de mooie omgeven en ijsbergen c.q. schotsen. Een pluim voor de enthousiaste crew en staff. Er werd veel kennis gedeeld met de passagiers om nog meer te genieten van wat je ziet en beleefd. Ook alle medewerkers van het hotel, keuken en bediening was onwijs vriendelijk en behulpzaam. Kortom top!

We have just returned from the most amazing adventure in Antarctica aboard MV Plancius. The crew and expedition leaders were fantastic and ensured we had a safe, exciting and informative time in very comfortable surroundings. It was great opportunity to see wildlife up close and get ashore on the icy continent. Most days we undertook two main activities (a landing or a zodiac cruise) which was supplemented during the trip with half day sessions of kayaking and mountaineering plus a night's camping under the starry sky (all included in the cost). Thanks to everybody who created such a great atmosphere, shared their wealth of knowledge and made this adventure possible. We are already looking to book our next trip!

We have just returned from the most fantastic voyage of discovery in Antarctica aboard MV Plancius. The crew and expedition leaders were exemplary in ensuring we had a safe, exciting and informative adventure in very comfortable surroundings. It was great opportunity to see wildlife up close and get ashore on the icy continent. Most days we undertook two main activities (a landing or a zodiac cruise) which was supplemented during the trip with a half day session of kayaking and mountaineering plus a night's open bivouac (included in the cost). We can't wait to book our next trip. Thanks to all who made this possible.

Our cruise was extraordinary, more than expected. The knowledge combined with the crew covered all questions asked. The information and lectures was intertaining and educational. The landscape and wildlife was breathtaking. The staff in the kitchen served the best food ever and the cheerfulness of the waiters was a delight. I have just one thing that I would like them to add. For the overnight camping, they need sleeping gear for people higher that average. Just 20 cm more would make a difference.

I had an absolute blast on the Basecamp trip. The crew were great, food was top notch, service 10/10 and the sights were amazing! The activities were awesome and i cant state enough how much fun and how amazing the trip was. Dont hesitate , get your ass to Antartica!

I will recommend this trip to any person who is wanting to visit Antarctica. Everything was so well planned out and communicated efficiently. Every person on the staff was incredible and informative. I still don’t have words to describe everything that I experienced, but I do know it will be a trip I will remember forever.

Fascinated with Antarctic exploration from childhood especially Shackleton and with a long term friend who came from the Falklands we chose this trip because it was advertised as an expedition ship with just over 100 passengers meaning we could all go on every excursion. It seems we were very lucky with the weather and so our excursions and sightings were much better than average. Got to know the birders who spent most of their time on deck glued to binoculars and were remarkably generous with sharing their knowledge of the birds that flew around the ship and those we saw on land. The whale sightings were frequent, most notable were the two prolonged sightings of killer whales, the first when a pod of 20-30 literally played around the boat for an hour and the second a “David Attenborough” type experience when a similar size pod surrounded a fin whale with the intention of hunting it for its 2000kg tongue. The landings just seemed to get better as we progressed. The Falklands was a great start, Georgia had great scenery and huge penguin colonies, anchoring off the site where most of Shackleton’s men were left behind on Elephant Island was a good stop even if it was too rough to get ashore but entering the Weddell Sea and the pack ice was for me the highlight. Other reviews of this trip lament that we were unable to make a landing on the subarctic continent although this was the aim but was prevented by the ice conditions and restrictions on a couple of landing sites due to avian flu, so we had to land on the islands instead. Adding another day on the trip so longer could be spent in this region would perhaps be optimal. It was a pleasure being on a boat with such a happy and helpful crew. Ali’s leadership skills should be complimented but all the guides were knowledgeable and helpful, the hotel crew were fabulous hosts, the food was amazing, what a chef, and our cabin staff were particularly lovely. I should add that the bar and wine prices were more than reasonable and the laundry was much cheaper than most hotels. We are unlikely ever to afford a repeat trip as it is expensive to get to the Antarctic but are so pleased that this was the company, boat and itinerary we chose.

A breathtaking landscape, impressive wildlife encounters, lectures and landings with a professional expedition team, a very comfortable ship, excellent food and a great crew. An unforgettable trip, could not habe been better!

Such an awe inspiring trip, seen loads of wildlife and stunning scenery. Staff were incredible so knowledgeable, helpful and friendly.

I booked the expedition to the Flaklands islands, South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula. There were also Orkney islands in the itinerary, they were skipped. The expedition fulfilled just 2 points from the promised 3 main itinerary points. The peninsula was completely skipped without any official explanation or apology. They were bringing us to The Shetland islands instead. On exactly same days I had friends who were on the Antarctic peninsula with the other company. The weather could not be a reason. Most probably they didn't book the necessary slots for the peninsula landings. This was very disappointing as it is a very expensive trip which you can do only once in your life, it requires also a lot of time. I chose this itinerary as all 3 points were covered in it and especially to set the foot on the 7th continent. There must be at least partial refund for not doing the peninsula landings. In fact we had only 1 chance actually to see the continent and it happened at 3 a.m. It was not properly explained that it was the only chance at least to see the continent. The ship passed by the Brown Bluff at 3 a.m., why didn't it stop there? Even I read in the previous group log that they made a landing in Brown Bluff but actually were supposed to have full peninsula itinerary for 3-4 full days. On the Drake passage the ship was extremely slow as we could come to Ushuaia 1 day earlier if it went normal speed. They did quite well on South Georgia but Antarctic experience was an absolute disappointment. Other down sides: very old cabins, very little space in the restaurant and the bar. You barely can find any seat when you come 5 minutes later. In general, everything is very basic. No entertainment, just lectures and security briefings. Comparing my experience with the videos from the other companies I got even more disappointed. I paid a huge amount of money for the basic single cabin and I don't feel that I got what I paid. But everything would be not so important if the program would be fulfilled and we would step on the Antarctic continent. From the positive: very attentive excellent crew, most of the expedition guides were good and knowledgeable. Very long landings on the islands where we could go around and observe the wildlife not in a hurry. I expect at least the partial refund and explanation why the peninsula was in the program and why it was not fulfilled. The weather conditions can't be a reason as there were plenty of ships on these days there and even my friends were enjoying the daily landings on the exact same days.

What can I say about the trip of a lifetime? The trip far exceeded my expectations. It was the combination of the spectacular wildlife, the islands and locations we visited. Undoubtedly the weather helped, with a beautiful sunrise in Antarctic Sound. The expedition staff were excellent and knowledgeable in their fields of expertise. The living quarters were excellent and the hotel staff couldn’t be faulted. The food was outstanding, with its quality and variety, even if soup wasn’t always served owing to the sea conditions. I give full marks to the chef and his team for producing such quality food on a moving vessel. I would have been very happy if I only saw half of what we did see on this trip, it was truly outstanding.

Sehr gutes, relativ kleines Schiff in gutem Zustand und in guten Händen. Tolles Expeditionsteam, das viel weiß und freundlich und immer um die Gäste bemüht ist. Unschlagbares Wildlife.

Amazing trip . Above expecta. Great food. Just frustrated, as everyone, since we never got to touch or see the main land or antartic peninsula as the program promised.

This is an excellent cruise to take if you are an adventure lover with passion for wild lives. It was a dream come true for me.

We had a fabulous time on board. The facilities were excellent, the food was delicious, the service was impeccable and the expedition guides and staff were delightful and friendly. We do have one or possibly two regrets. We got to spend less than 24 hours around the peninsula amidst icebergs (compared to 3+ days around S Georgia), so it definitely wasn't enough time in Antartica to enjoy the landscapes and the mesmerising beauty of the icebergs and perhaps enjoy more of the wildlife. It would have also been nice to do a landing on the continent. Considering that Antartica is the main goal of most, if not all visitors, this should be what every trip should be focussed around. We (and many other passengers) felt similarly and were disappointed by this one aspect of the trip. I understand that the itinerary is subject to weather conditions, but it also sounded like we were unable to go to the western side of the peninsula due to 'traffic'. I do not wish to sound ungrateful for the experience but I felt it was important that this sentiment is honestly relayed. I hope that this feedback is taken in the spirit that it is intended.