Reviews

The birding part was probably good but it was not my main intention. Not enough information given before the trip and during the trip.

Schneebedeckte Berge, wunderschöne Fjorde, ein toll konzipiertes Schiff (mit nur 80 Passagieren bei dieser Fahrt) und wunderschöne (Schneeschuh-)Wanderungen machten die Tour Ende Mai/Anfang Juni 2022 zu einem Erfolg. Wenn man sich vor Reisebuchung darüber im Klaren ist, dass gem. AECO Expeditionsschiffe einen Abstand von mindestens 200 m zu den Eisbären halten müssen und Zodiacausflüge nicht stattfinden, wenn ein Eisbär im Wasser ist, dann hat man mit Oceanwide-Expeditions einen kompetenten Partner.

Kaum an Bord habe ich mich schon irgendwie wie zu Hause gefühlt. Die komplette Crew hat mir den zehntägigen Aufenthalt sehr angenehm gemacht, und das gilt für alle, egal ob Expeditionsteam, Servicepersonal (Restaurant, Kabinenservice, Rezeption) oder die sonstige Crew. Auch wenn wetterbedingt Anlandungen ausfielen, war es für mich eine schöne, interessante und erholsame Expeditions-Kreuzfahrt. Höhepunkte waren natürlich die Eisbären und am nächsten Abend das Barbeque mitten im Packeis - total verrückt, aber genial.

het was een geweldige ervaring, crew was geweldig. in 1 woord doe deze cruise !!!!

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!

Thank you Oceanwide Expedition for this amazing tour on the Rembrandt van Rijn. A very welcoming captain (Joachim) and crew and experienced guides (Jan and Chloé) ensured us a great week. Our main wish was to meet Orca’s and Humpback Whales, searching and feeding the herring in the fjords of Troms and this has been fulfilled. We really recommend a tour like this because it is such a privilege to see these majestic animals in their natural habitat and to leave them likely undisturbed thanks to the considerate manoeuvres by the captain. We had everything the weather can provide in January, frozen rain, snow storm, heavy winds, and sun! Yes, we were the lucky folk who could say hello to the sunlight after a long wintertime period without daylight. But we had not really cleary nights, so The Northern Lights were easily visible in 2 nights. So we will come back!

perfekte organisatie en bijzondere reis

Being on the first expedition since covid-19 got hold of the world, one feels privileged, very privileged. One could sense the happiness of the crew and staff to be at sea again with guests. We had mostly (very) good weather and, therefore, many landings. It gave us the opportunity to watch penguins and seal from very nearby. Plenty of pictures were taken, as well as video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_0xiP2WffA). Almost every day, one or more high level lectures were given on a variety of subjects. Amongst others, about whales, astronomy, space flight (we had an astronaut on board), birds, adaptation of animals to cold (Why penguins don’t wear socks) and many more. A special of the trip was the total solar eclipse on 4 December. We had to get up at 3 a.m., drinks and snacks were standing ready for us in the bar. We experienced the eclipse in almost ecstasy. There was only one tiny detail: cloud coverage was 100 %, but it did get dark. Food, let's not forget food. We were astonished that for breakfast, lunch and dinner, there was always fresh, crispy salads and a wide variety of types of food. The chef and his crew did a terrific job.