Reviews

My husband and I had a fabulous trip from Aberdeen to the artic circle. Our trip began with more than a little concern when the ship was not in dock, thanks to excellent communication between the ship and people on the Quayside we learnt that the ship was not allowed into the harbour as it was too foggy.. QWe were kept informed that negotiations were on going and eventually the ship sent the zodiacs into the harbour to collect us...what an exciting way to get on board. The accommodation was good: very comfy bed, good shower and heated towel rail which we put to use.. We found the food on board excellent and ALL the staff knowledgeable, helpful and extremely friendly. The guides were terrific providing lectures on their areas of interest when at sea and taking us out on the zodiacs when conditions permitted. We were blessed to see a mother and male cub polar bear ( that was bigger than her!) very close by, we had a lovely encounter with walrus and a further more distant polar bear siting. It was definitely the experience of a lifetime. Thank you

A wonderful trip for anyone wanting to see life in the Arctic. It was definitely an expedition and not a cruise.

The entire expedition was a joy. One of the guides, Sarah, gave me a good bit of advice the first night by telling me "You will not regret turning off your email and internet" She was more than right and I thank her for her encouragement to be fully present in the Arctic. The entire staff was talented, kind, entertaining, skilled and professional and personable. The expedition leader, Eduardo, exhibited that rare combination of kindness with empathy, education with enlightenment, project management with team work, directives with humor, expertise with humility and was delightfully friendly. Each person of the entire staff, from the moment we boarded, were helpful, interactive, open, honest, entertaining, hospitable, skilled and professional. My experience with all aspects of the expedition; the ship, the guides, the activities, Captain and bridge , food, accommodations, and equipment exceeded my every expectation.

the highlight of the trip was seeing the polar bear although it wasn’t expected at all. This made the trip so much better. Although its a birding focused trip, i still expected more excursions and better arrangement of backup plans just how I experienced things in previously taken Plancius

The expedition was superb. The captain and his team, all the expedition team and hotel services were all exemplary. The knowledge of the expedition team was excellent and Eduardo led a great trip for us despite fog in Aberdeen and too much wind at Fair Isle to land.... So many wonderful memories, especially polar bears and walruses. Thank you for the experience and everyone's effort. I will now be saving up for another trip with Oceanwide Expeditions!

FANTASTIC EXPEDITION EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS. ALL STAFF VERY FRIENDLY AND EXCEPTIONALLY KNOWLEDGEABLE.. THE CAPTAIN AND CREW EXCELLED THEMSELVES TO MAKE OUR TRIP AS MEMORABLE AS POSSIBLE.

A truly wonderful trip on M/V Hondius which is a great ship with an amazing crew. We had a number of exciting encounters with the close view of the Polar bears the stand out experience. Highly recommended trip for all who love wildlife.

A must for every adventurer! Oceanwide and the onboard team know exactly how to make an adventure happen! From the early morning wake up calls, beautiful scenery, off ship excursions and wildlife, they made it happen! Safety was the number one priority on board and then came the fun! I almost forgot the variety of different meals they provided each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Did I mention the late afternoon tea snacks, etc...:-) I don't want to spoil the splendour by writing about everything as this is a journey you need to make and that's when you realise that there is a bigger place out there! Let your adventure start with Oceanwide!

1 What a fine crew this was. And this goes from the expedition leader Adam Turner and the whole staff to the ship crew and the many servants for room service and food services. Simply a crew that Oceanwide could be very proud of! 2 The custom to have crew members join passengers at meal time was a great way to get more personal contacts and at times more insights about the way things were organized. 3 Food is always an important part, of course, but we felt this kitchen was extraordinary! We particularly appreciated the fact that there was such a rich selection of salads and vegetables. 4 The weather was definitely in our favor from what we heared from Plancius passengers. But a very important part for the success was due to the flexibility our expedition team demonstrated to get the most out of it.

The trip of a lifetime. The ship and it's crew were wonderful and we all became one big happy family on a joyous adventure. This trip was worth the wait and all the extra testing and paperwork due to Covid-19 restrictions. The ship was the perfect size and well appointed. Excursions and lectures were well orchestrated and fun. The meals were well prepared and there was always plenty of choices for even the pickiest of diners. Getting to know the other intrepid travelers on this journey really helped to make this a truly unforgettable experience. The only question now is .. where to next?

Great trip, the best landscape I have ever seen and kayaking was really amazing!

We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to visit the Antarctic Peninsula on the Hondius and most importantly with the Oceanwide team. Our group consisted of 7 travellers aged 7 to 70 years old and we all had an amazing time thanks to the incredible expedition team led by Sara, as well as ALL the staff who worked on the ship who were always smiling, friendly and upbeat! The expedition team was a unique bunch with extremely varied experiences & areas of expertise - it was a perfect combo! As I know that perhaps it is not as common to bring children, please know that our children aged 7 to 11 LOVED the trip - the landings & hikes were all easily done (one of ours even tried the polar plunge activity!) and they loved hearing the varied talks about Antarctica and the wildlife by the expedition staff. A truly extraordinary experience for them. They are asking us to book the next trip ASAP, but they want us to make sure that it will be with Sara and her expedition team, as well as the same restaurant & boat team. I think that says it all! We booked this as a "trip of a lifetime" but after this experience, we won't be able to leave it at that! Thank you to the whole Hondius team!

The Hondius staff and crew really know how to deliver! Flawless Zodiak to land transfers with incredible views. Instant flexibility when a pod of ~40 humpback whales surrounded the Hondius while feeding and spy hopping to watch us watching them! Antartic camping (without a tent) is not for the faint of heart but was too cool (no pun intended) not to try! With our intrepid expedition leader Sara Jenner and Scottish expedition guide and artist "Super Jim" Smith, we all got the fullest of experiences possible. Excellent educational sessions on the wildlife and habitat. Please go and SEE! This is an absolute must do before 2048 when the Antarctic Treaty expires, Countries may then start to mine and decimate it. Help to preserve this global treasure.

We had an amazing experience in the Antarctic Peninsula aboard the Hondius. The Expedition Team, led by the wonderful Sara, worked to make sure that we encountered wildlife up close as much as possible. The team was comprised of friendly people with varied backgrounds and knowledge and a passion for their work. They're enthusiasm and professionalism really made the trip extra special. The ship was beautiful, spacious, clean, and the crew was very attentive. The food was wonderful and plentiful, even for vegetarians. I highly recommend Oceanwide Expediitions and we plan to take future trips to the Arctic and Alaska.

Incredibly well organized... so much to learn about and wonderful experts to share it all with accompanying slide shows. Highly recommend this trip. Just one recommendation... please add some map books to the library collection that will show ALL of the Antarctic continent AND peninsular and maybe a full map displayed somewhere in a public hallway. All of the locations where we stopped need to well marked on the map.