Reviews

Trip far exceeded our expectations. The expedition guides and the Doctor Moniek were very knowledgeable, patient, kind, and wonderful. We got to know them fairly well. it was hard to say goodbye at the end of the trip. The places we went , the scenery we saw, hiked over and through, was truly new unspoiled, uncharted territory. Best ever trip and I share the experience with everyone and recommend this trip and others that Oceanwide offers

Congratulations to everyone at Oceanwide for providing a superbly well run expedition on a marvellous ship. The Hondius is a world-leader in its eco credentials and superb for its operating environment. Everyone on board - the sailing crew, hotel team, expedition staff - contributed to a trip that will live in the memory. The itinerary, including the decision to head as far south as Stonington and skip the ravaged Northern Peninsula, covered all the Jewels in the Crown in this part of the World. The pre-departure and return measures taken with regard to COVID-19 were impressive and most effective. We could write reams of praise and appreciation on the expertise and judgement of E/L Adam Turner, assistant E/L Sara Jenner and the team of excellent guides that made this trip so special. The wildlife put on a special show every day - who will forget our time at The Gullet with the orcas, humpbacks, seals, penguins, seabirds, plus the ice and the Sun and the Moon?? Point Wild was also a very special experience. We have made around a dozen Polar expedition trips North and South and when we think of our next one we will always think of Oceanwide first.

This was dream trip of a lifetime. We are very please that we chose the Hondius. The hotel staff were superb , friendly and very helpful , the food was excellent and the facilities appropriate for an expedition ship. The expedition staff, lead by Adam and well supported by Sara, were superb. Their enthusiasm, the range of their knowledge and expertise and their ability to share it made the trip memorable. They should also be complemented on making the excursions and Zodiac trips memorable and enjoyable. We enjoyed it so much that we may consider a trip to the Artic sometime in the future preferably with Oceanwide Expeditions.

An outstanding trip which was everything we hoped for and more. The passionate Oceanwide Expedition leader who , with his team epitomised the spirit of expedition by ensuring, (whether permitting!) we landed safely at amazing, scenic and remote places. A personal highlight was going south to 68.14 degrees. We enjoyed wonderful land based encounters with penguins and seals and historic sites. The stunning 40 minute encounter with a humpback whale diving between our zodiacs was a moment to treasure. Capped by hot cider and a tot of rum from the 'zodiac bar' ! Excellent lectures from our highly qualified expedition staff helped us appreciate the environment we were in even more. Hondius was an excellent, comfortable vessel, with a lot of deck space for wildlife and scenery viewing, plus shell doors for speedy zodiac loading. Service and catering were high quality, we felt well looked after. We especially enjoyed 'On Deck BBQ Night', complimentary drinks, and dancing into the night surrounded by icebergs! An exceptional adventure we will treasure for the rest of our lives... Thank you

The Oceanwide Expeditions Basecamp Antartica Cruise was amazing on every level! I couldn’t have asked for a better Antarctica experience. The expeditions, lectures, meals and excursions were outstanding. The entire staff and crew were dedicated to creating a once in a life time experience for each and every one of us. I will never forget our first day in Antarctica, and our very 1st Zodiac ride. How exhilarating it was to float with the Humpbacks, patiently watching the water to see where they would surface next. The sound they made with their blowholes is something I will never forget. The knowledge and passion of all the expedition leaders was truly inspiring. Oceanwide has a special place in my heart not only for the Antarctica experience but also for how they safely navigated getting us home during the Covid19 crisis. I am forever grateful for the leadership at Oceanwide Expeditions. Their level headed behind the scenes support was certainly critical to the success of our safe journey home. I highly recommend them for a trip you will never forget. I hope to cruise with Oceanwide Expeditions again.

My wife and I have travelled extensively but this was the trip of a lifetime and unlike anywhere else we'd ever been, exceeding our expectations and leaving us wanting more. Our first Zodiac cruise set the tone with Leopard Seal, and Snow Petrels gliding silently around us through the ice canyons. The staff were brilliant and just as enthusiastic about the wildlife as we were, with the emphasis on conservation, safety and just marvelling at the sheer splendour of it all. It was great to see them 'lose it' when we connected with a pod of Orcas having a feeding frenzy. We are not great sailors but will definitely be joining Oceanwide for another adventure as soon as circumstances allow. Brilliant.

Our mother/daughter trip to Antarctica truly was one of the most unique, fantastic experiences of my life. The guides, excursions, wildlife sightings, and meals surpassed my expectations. The expedition guides, each with a disparate expertise, were eager to share their knowledge on each zodiac expedition and landing on the continent. On one particularly special experience, we were boarding a zodiac to leave a fantastic landing on one of the Orne Islands (having seen a colony of chinstrap penguins and several fur seals), and our guide Pippa spotted humpbacks in the distance. She detoured the zodiac, boating through a series of icebergs to watch a pair of mothers and babies lunge feeding. While watching, she kept a respectful distance and explained all about the feeding practice and the whales. The Expedition Leader, Iain, also went out of his way to have multiple plans for each day in case bad weather deterred us. In the end, we kayaked next to a sunken ship, mountaineered on a glacier, were playfully pecked by baby penguins (who approached us, not the other way around), hiked next to whale bones, ate tasty food by chef Charlotte, and generally had a fabulous time.

North Norway - Showshoe(hike) - Aurora Borealis

This was truly an amazing adventurous trip with Oceanwide on the Rembrandt van Rijn. This classic three masted sailing ship was compact but comfortable with a very welcoming captain, crew, guides, and group on board. The scenery on this trip was truly breathtaking with snowshoe excursions an excellent opportunity to see the fjord country up close. The guides (Bergit Lutz and Beau Pruneau) were extremely knowledgeable, personable, and thoughtful. Bergit provided a great presentation on the arctic environment and restoration efforts. Some of the highlights of the trip were seeing the northern lights (4 nights), visiting the small villages, sitting out on the deck and enjoying the incredible views of the northern fjords, and putting up all the sails to ride the wind. I would highly recommend this trip, especially for someone with a more adventurous spirit.

I can't properly express to you my gratitude (and those of my fellow shipmates) at the care the Plancius crew (and the Home Office) took of us during our extended Antarctic cruise (March 9-26). The statement that the Home Office relayed to us, though our incredible crew, that WE WOULD NOT BE STRANDED in any port (all while we were trying to make connections home) lifted the despair that so many of us were beginning to feel (when Argentina closed its borders). You kept us on board at no extra expense to us (and what had to be a huge amount for the company- in food stuffs, time, crew salaries, internet usage, etc). I'm sitting here "safe" at home in Des Moines, IA., (practically in tears) because of your company's generosity. I JUST CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!! (PS: I'm already planning to take an Arctic trip with Oceanwide, when we can travel again.)

The Plancius is a really cool ship. The entire crew: Expidition, Technical, and Guest Services is AMAZING and easily the best part of the operation. This is not a criticism of anyone on the boat. But from a corporate and marketing standpoint, they sell this as an adventure / expedition cruise. The advertise things like "snowshoeing, camping, kayaking, mountaineering." What happened was all camping was cancelled due to weather. All snowshoeing was cancelled due to weather. "Mountaineering" was cancelled half the time. If you got to do an activity it was one time for about 2hrs. Not much activity for 2 weeks on a boat. They sell higher expectations than they deliver.

The Captain and Crew were extremely professional in their duties. As was the Ships Doctor. The Expedition Staff were very knowledgeable in their respective fields. All of the above were very friends and would take the time to answer any questions that had arose. Before being allowed to embark we were given medical screenings and our temperatures were taken. Otherwise the journey had started off as normal as could be with a looming global pandemic. The journey to the continent was pretty uneventful. Once arriving in the area of the continent the views of snow covered granite peaks and glaciers were breathtaking. During our expeditions the close encounters with the wildlife were amazing. It was great to be within yards of Whales, Seals, and Penguins living in their natural environment. The weather was mostly overcast, very windy, and the temperature was usually around freezing. I guess that is to be expected, after all it is Antarctica. This trip was well worth every penny. And I hope to do it again someday. I would also like to thank everyone at Oceanwide Expeditions for their behind the scenes work too. Everyone went above and beyond the call of duty.

Due to COVID our ship was at sea for 5 extra days, during which the staff and crew went above and beyond to make our time aboard the Plancius as comfortable, safe, informed, and FUN as possible. From trivia to movie nights, camping on deck and a pirate costume BBQ, a scavenger hunt and game tournaments, they really pulled out all the stops. Antarctica was pretty amazing too!

I wish to share our great respect and appreciation for the crew and staff of the Plancius during both the spectacular expedition cruise and the challenging second phase of our extended voyage - seeking a port at which to dock. I wish to single out the tireless work of the expedition leaders and staff, particularly Iain, Pippa, Steffi, Rustyn, Mal and Celine, with great support from Dorette, Felicity, Dave and Tom. At all times Iain and the team ensured that communication was swift and complete, that the passengers were fully informed and were getting the information, assistance and support they needed from the start of the trip through each challenging phase. I know that they did not consider their work complete until assured that every member had a plan to return home. Iain, as expedition leader, served as the perfect representative of Oceanwide in the demonstration of positive communication and support skills, transparency, and temperament. We would be remiss not to commend all of the hotel, dining, and cabin leaders and teams for their excellent work and positive attitudes as well from start to finish.

This trip was my 7th continent and 100th country and I couldn't have even imagined this experience would surpass ALL of my dreams and expectations. The ship was comfortable, the food was outstanding, the hotel staff was very accommodating. Most of all the Expedition Staff were incredibly skilled, knowledgeable, friendly and made the trip a great experience. We Kayaked and Ice Climbed - even though we had no prior experience. The shore landings were fun and the zodiac rides amazing. The Expedition Leader, Iain Rudkin was amazing, and led the staff and passengers with humor and grace. We were expertly lead through an extreme storm coming home through the Drake Passage and then Iain led us through a week delay in finding a port after the COVID-19 virus shut down all the ports in Argentina. We all were able to fly home through Uruguay. The staff kept us feed and entertained with additional lectures and games. This expedition was truly a life-changing experience and I will be forever grateful to the entire crew of the Plancius and how Oceanwide took care of us on the ship until we all were able to get home.

The trip to Antarctica was great - I really enjoyed seeing all the wildlife, the informative staff and guides, and the overall experience. One thing that really demonstrates a group of people leadership skills is when disaster strikes. Our trip was during the Covid-19 pandemic and our boat was denied docking into our port at Ushuaia. The boat staff and Oceanwide in general really stood up to the challenge. The kept us informed throughout, helped with flights, and prepared us for our journey in Montevideo to the airport and beyond. Thank you all for a great experience in Antarctica and for your leadership during the end of the trip