Reviews

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.

My trip to Antarctica on the Plancius 2016/17 was the most wonderful trip of my life. I love the Plancius, have also been to Spitsbergen on her. It is an excellent ship, homey yet graceful, the crew and the meals really first class. I fell in love with all the male crew.. especially the younger ones and our wonderful leader Andrew Bishop, but everyone of the crew was so friendly and the lectures were very interesting.. And also the passengers looked after me with with a pat on the back when I managed something difficult, like camping or kajaking or trudging through the snow. And the Chinese were also so nice: every one would ask me: Where you come from? Vienna, Austria. What your name? Luise. You all alone? Yes I came all alone. How old are you? So I will tell you now: On March2, 2017 I will be 80. And thank you all for my birthday present of Antartica.

The voyage was way more fantastic than I had anticipated in terms of majestic beauty, ambience on board, friendly staff and crew, accessibility to the Peninsula with 10 landings, the maximum possible, close proximity to whales, seals, penguins, and birds, and the staff's attentiveness to questions and zodiac safety. The seas were luckily very cooperative as was the weather on all our landings. The meals were surprisingly excellent as I did not expect such unusual attentiveness and variety and fantastic cuisine. The lectures on board during down times were excellent and informative. On just my iPhone, I was able to capture countless and priceless photos worthy of placement in National Geographic, because the scenery was breathtaking. The fact that all passengers could fit at the same time in the lecture space and the dining area was a big plus. One seating meant we all got to share our stories of the day. This also marked my clown performance there, which made me First Clown to Perform on All 7 Continents in History. I could go on and on, but the choice of the Plancius and the voyage we all shared was simply exquisite.

I cannot say enough good words about this trip, including what I saw, experienced and learned, and about the Captain, crew and all the staff who made it n amazing experience. The Captain always found a way for us to see the best of scenery, animals, scientific and the remains of whaling stations that weather and other factors allowed. I found the crew and staff always friendly, courteous and vey helpful. I very much appreciated the call from the bridge telling us wildlife was close by and the slowing of the ship to allow viewing and pictures. The rooms were small but very adequate and the lounge comfortable although I suggest that it would be good to have video screens both at the front and the back as the chairs face both ways. The food was more than adequate and plentiful and served by amazing people who manage even in tumultuous seas, and how do they remember so many names and so quickly. I found all the crew and staff always friendly, courteous and vey helpful. I applaud all the staff and crew in very position as there hard work and expertise of keeping us safe and contributed immensely to an incredible journey that I will never forget. Thank you.

We were lucky in having good weather the whole trip. The morning of our arrival the scene was breathtaking and only got better from there on. We keep telling friends that to look at pictures or video is only 20% of Antarctica. Even while under power the solitude and tranquility is unbelievable. We had a great group of passengers who seemed to hit it off well and we met people from Russia to Israel; from Canada to New Zealand, from Germany to China. The staff is incredible. Our dining room and lounge staff knew our names and room numbers after just a few hours., and could not have been more accomadating to any requests. The expedition staff were knowledgable and efficient as well as friendly. At one point we had a conflict going to a site since another ship was already there, so we picked a new spot and quickly set sail. Over the 6 days we had 11 landings and 1 kayak trip with all of them being memorable as were the zodiac tours along the coastline or through the growlers and icebrgs. Camping in the snow without tents was incredible. We have seen much of the world but this trip has to be the 'icing on the cake' for adventure adicts.

The grandeur of Antarctica is beyond any words or pictures. In the undisturbed tranquility, isolated to the notion of timelessness, I was in awe of its magnificence and our insignificance, and my mind become like ice: clear, crystalline and uncluttered. From the over 40 countries I visited nothing compares to this. The magic can't happen without our incredible crews and staffs! All the adventurers activities, insightful workshops, attentive service and thoughtful programs never ceased to amaze me. The trip was beyond my wildest dreams, passengers all over the world bonding in the vast wilderness. Special thanks to: Andrew, Michelle, Beau, Chris, Marijke, Bruce, Cube, Mal, Louise, Nacho, Jerry, Karen, Johnny, Katie and all the rest 40+ staffs on board. I loved and miss every second of the this adventure, and can't wait until my next expedition with Oceanwide! (Damn it, Polar Bug!)

The trip far exceeded our expectations. The staff and crew were professional and knowledgeable. Andrew Bishop and his team took great care of the passengers and ensured that we had the opportunity to land as often as safely possible on the various landing sites. We were particularly pleased that the crew/team cared about the environment and explained the many effects of poor environmental policies and undertakings in their lectures. The hospitality staff and the dining room staff were exceptional. The food was too much and very good. I still want to know how the wait staff knew our names from day 2 of the trip!! Unbelievable. This will be a trip that we will not forget.

Everybody I spoke to on the trip agreed it would be impossible to find the words to describe Antarctica - you've just got to go!

Great trip,great sea sick hahahah great weather.staff very very kind loved every minute of it just the drake passage was a little bit rought on the way to antartica but perfect on return with the pacth of doctor Hans we would love having a longer kayak ride,,,,would love kayaking before dinner since the sun was still high in the sky

I had the most amazing time in the entire world on my Antarctica trip!!! :) I am very grateful for the opportunity to travel with Oceanwide Expeditions and can't wait to tell the world all about it. The Plancius vessel quickly became home and all the accommodations were in great shape — I was in the quadruple room and we had plenty of drawers and closet space to keep our things in. Loved our porthole view, the bunk beds were comfortable and the individual curtains around each bed made the room perfect and cozy. Antarctica changed all of our lives and it was the most spectacular trip of a lifetime. I can't say enough amazing things about Oceanwide Expeditions -- from the most incredible staff, to the constantly helpful expedition guides, to the delicious food and snacks, and of course the basecamp adventure activities! We had magically perfect weather and every moment was special -- I even loved the Drake Passage too! We had the best basecamp activity passenger crew and had so much fun together, definitely the best choice I could have made for a very memorable and active trip to Antarctica.

Wir buchten ein aussergewöhnliches Programm, in einem Teil der Welt, der noch weitgehend unberührt ist, in klimatischen Verhältnissen, die für uns neu waren und in einer Landschaft, die zum Teil atemberaubend ist. Dass unsere Erwartungen erfüllt wurden, verdanken einer ausgezeichneten Schiffsbesatzung & dem höchst professionellen Expeditions-Team. Gewissenhaft, verantwortungsbewusst und mit der immer wieder geforderten Flexibilität führten sie uns an die Naturschönheiten Spitzbergens heran. Wenn die Bedingungen für Landungen nicht günstig waren, wurden keinerlei Risiken eingegangen - das Programm wurde kurzfristig umgestellt und stattdessen wurden sehr interessante Vorträge zu verschiedensten Themen mit Bezug zur Arktis, bzw. Spitzbergen angeboten. Es wurde immer nach der für uns Kunden bestmöglichen Lösung gesucht. Diese kundenorientierte Haltung schuf auch Vertrauen. Hervorzuheben ist ausserdem das sehr hohe Umweltbewusstsein des ganzen Teams, sowie das gute Essen. Eine solche Leistung ist nur mit einem hohen Teamspirit denkbar. Der war spürbar und war Voraussetzung dafür, dass die Reise für uns zu einem einmaligen Erlebnis wurde

It shouldn't have happened in 2016! My daughter, Siân and myself had decided that 2017 would be the year we would both head North to circumnavigate the Svalbard Archipelago. However, work bookings intervened so a hasty decision was made. "Damn it, let's go now!" Fortune smiles upon the impetuous. Not only did we end up with excellent cabin mates and travelling companions, we enjoyed first-class hospitality and witnessed some remarkable sights. The majestic scenery, with jagged peaks and blue-hued glaciers, the opportunity to take a stroll on the sea-ice at 81 deg N coupled with numerous sightings of polar bear going about their business, walrus sporting in the Arctic swell, mighty humpback whales feeding around the ship and reindeer grazing on the tundra kept the camera shutters constantly clicking. The experienced and knowledgeable expedition team, together with our resourceful skipper and the ship's crew and hospitality staff kept us safe and increased our knowledge of all aspects of the Arctic as well as our waistlines! We returned, not just satisfied travellers, but as passionate ambassadors for the vast and beautiful fragility we had been privileged to share.