Reviews

Die fabelhafte Crew hat die Reise unvergesslich gemacht! ich werde von den Erlebnissen in dieser grossartigen Natur noch lange zehren

Alles bestens!

We had an excellent trip on Plancius! Due to unexpected amounts of ice for the season in the north of Svalbard we could not do the routing that was originally foreseen for the Polar Bear Special. However, the expedition team and captain went out of their way to come up with alternative solutions and - clearly based on their extensive experience in the area - changed the plan frequently in order for us to see polar bears in other areas and also otherwise to make the absolute most of our trip. Plus, the entire crew was very warm and welcoming, we felt absolutely comfortable on board and were sad to leave the ship. We will be back!

Fantastic trip Antartica is the probably the travel of a lifetime On the Plancius. Unfortunately we staid only 3,5 days on the peninsula and the continent. 10 days of cruise includes: Departure day (departure at 6 pm from ushuaia) Arrival day (arrival at 7 Am in Ushuaia) Based on a supposed rough weather on the way back, the expedition guide decided to leave the peninsula half a day earlier.... In fact the weather forecast had not announced any storm......and we had a flat sea on the way back Finally we had time to go round the Cap Horn, that is interesting but....is not a polar cruise at all (you can go and see the Cap horn without paying such a high level price) We finally didn't get the cruise and the locations we had bought That had been VERY DISAPPOINTING regarding the price of the cruise I would recommend to be very vigilant with the commitments of Oceanwide, unless you intend to go there several times. I understand that whatever happens the can use the pretext of a bad weather to shorten your cruise in the peninsula (they explain that, in this area it is not possible to have a realistic forecast ........)

This 19 days cruise could have been much more interesting if one of the 7 guides had been a biologist. Only 3 of them were scientists ( physics, geology, glaciology), but none was competent at ornithology. This is totally abnormal in such an expensive cruise, in a region where bird life is so important. For charity, we don't mention the presence aboard of a supposed "mammologist guide" whose level was so poor that we prefer not to comment it more...

Once in a lifetime memorable trip. The Oceanwide expedition staff was excellent and kept all the passengers informed of daily activities as well as provide seminars and presentations on whales, seals, penguins, and Antarctica wildlife. Each staff member was easily approachable to ask questions. The zodiac tours and landings on the peninsula and the continent were excellent and safety of all was number one! The scenery and the incredible wildlife was just spectacular. The meals on board were excellent... you felt like you were in a 5 star restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and supper and served by a fantastic set of waiters and waitresses. And if this was not enough, the people you met from various parts of world were friendly and enjoyable to have fun with when not engaged in other activities. If you want to enjoy a once in a lifetime vacation, strongly urge you to take this trip and book with a very experienced Oceanwide Expeditions!

We really appreciated life on board, how things were organized, what we did in disembarking, your qualified team and so on. Our only regret is that it is a pity to stay on the spot for only 3 and a half days when the total approach time from Paris is four days. A couple of days more disembarking or moving around would be right, even at a cost. Thanks so much.

Excellent trip. Great that there are so many excursions. Friendly crew. Professional guides. Solid good food. No complaints.

We were standing in the midst of thousands of penguins, seeing seals, sea-leppards and sea-elephants. Whales, close to touch and birds who were not afraid of humans. In the storm, we were seasick before we could be astonished at house-high bizarre icebergs. We entered the 6th continent and it became the journey of our live. The crew consisted of young people who had a good understanding and enjoyed together. Nobody simply practiced an job. All follow their vocation and live their dreams and ideals. This makes the decisive difference between a good trip and a successful expedition. The leader was David Berg. The man out of the ice! He has often shown on this tour that he always has the right instinct. Thank to the team from Caroline & George.

Outstanding 19 days. Fabulous expedition leader David Berg and Assistant Katja Riedel. All the expedition guides gave of their all with hugely informative lectures, great zodiac cruises and careful attention to safety and also respect for wildlife and the environment. The hotel team on board were delightful - imagine that all the cabin staff and dining room staff knew all guests' names from the start. The Hungarian chef oversaw the provision of really excellent food. When we were threatened with a perilous storm near the S Orkneys Mr Berg, Expedition Leader, courageously changed all the plans and took us south along the peninsula early, and found three days of pure sunshine and magical vistas, breaching whales, and breathtaking sunsets. Even the Drake was calm and we got to see Cape Horn too. We were blessed with exceptional wildlife viewing. Hundreds of thousands of King Penguins at Salisbury Plain in South Georgia, an albatross colony at Saunders Island in the Falklands, Fin whales, Orcas, Peale's dolphin, diving and spy hopping humpback whales off Enterprise Island and a leopard seal kill at half Moon Island. The trip was outstanding: it touched our souls.

Excellent trip to Antarctic!

The Antarctica Peninsula was a spectacular destination, with beautiful landscape of glaciers, icebergs, mountains, channels and intriguing wildlife. We were fortunate to have witnessed three prolonged sitings of humpback (2) and Orca (Killer) Whales (1). But the exceptional aspect of our trip was the crew of the Plancius, all of whom went out of their way to provide for our desires. I am 86 years old and my balance is not what it once was, but the expedition staff cheerfully lent a hand boarding and getting off the Zodiacs and climbing on the rocky surfaces on land. Special diets didn't bother the dining staff. The captain turned the ship around twice so we could be close the the whales, and maneuvered so we were able to change landing sites when necessary. Our return through the Drake Passage was rough (Beaufort Scale = 9) but staff were helpful to make sure everyone was safe. This was an exceptional expedition and the Plancius' staff deserve lots of credit

Unsere Reise zum anderen Ende der Welt - tolle Adventure-Crew, viele und gut ausgewählte Informationen, sehr gute und auch individuelle Betreuung, alle sorgten für das Wohl und hohe Erlebnisqualität der Passagiere, riesiges Glück gehabt mit dem Wetter, viele und ausgedehnte Tierbeobachtungen, Eisberge, Zodiacfahrten sehr gekonnt, Verpflegung an Bord sehr gut, frisch und abwechslungsreich rundum ein einmaliges Erlebnis, alles bestens. Viel mehr Tiere gesehen als die Auswahlmaske zulässt , es waren noch dabei: Königspinguine, Eselspinguin, Macaronipinguine, Magellanpinguine, Seeelefanten, Seeleoparden, Küstenseeschwalben, mehrere Albatrosarten uvm.

One of the best trips of my life. Pure beauty and strength of mother nature. The weather was very kind to us and we fully realize how blessed we have been. Perfect organization, excellent team (guides, ship crew, hotel staff), very comfortable ship and of the perfect size. We have seen lots of wildlife - penguins (Gentoo, Adelie, Chinstrap and 1 Macaroni), seals (crabbier, wedded, leopard), orcas and whales (in particular very close encounter with feeding humpbacks), birds (albatrosses, sterns, skuas, kelp gulls, cormorants, petrels, ...) - but landscape here is as important as wildlife. Thank you Oceanwide for making this possible.

We had the most amazing adventure travelling to Antarctica with MV Plancius. A great, small expedition ship, with a brilliant sailing crew and wonderful expedition staff. The trip was meant for active travellers who like adventure and it did not disappoint - with people aged 11 to 82, everyone had the same sense of wonder at the Antarctic continent, which is breathtaking - as well as fun and excitement on the many shore excursions and activities. Meeting them was as much part of the trip as going to Antarctica. There is always lots to do, even when sailing to and from the continent - with talks on everything from Antarctic wildlife to the great explorers, as well as excellent activity briefings. The ship is a floating hotel as well and we found the accommodation to be really good, the food excellent and the service was outstanding. I can't recommend an expedition holiday and this ship highly enough.