Reviews

A once in a lifetime trip. We saw so many polar bears, walruses, seals, whales, arctic foxes, reindeer and birds of all kinds. A special thanks to the expedition leader Claudio and to all his staff and also to the commander and the crew of the Ortelius: they made this experience unforgettable!

Exciting journey. Very good guides, very good ship crew, fantastic kitchen. See you later again.

Thank you to Oceanwide and the incredible crew and expedition team on the Ortelius. The trip exceeded all expectations and every day was a highlight. The experience and knowledge of the expedition crew really stood out and make this trip extra special. I can't wait to try a new destination next year! Thank you! Michael and Jorge

It was like an absolute dream! The activities were action packed, flexible, and we always felt incredibly safe. The ship and hotel crew were incredibly kind and helpful, catering to our every need. The guides were amazingly knowledgeable, personable, and friendly. I would like to highlight two specific guides - Jakub Malecki and Hazel Pittwood. Hazel's enthusiasm for wildlife truly enhanced our experience, to the point that we were always seeking her out to ask questions and discuss the days activities. She was always welcoming of our questions and excited to talk with us. Jakub introduced us to the amazing world of glaciology. His knowledge of glaciers gave us an intimate look into a whole new world and really made our experience feel like an adventure. His passion for icebergs, glaciers, and the like was truly enamoring. We always hoped Jakub would be our days hiking guide or zodiak pilot so we could soak up every word and each amazing insight. Jakub hooked us early in the trip when we saw a glacier calve together. He looked at us and said, "that is the ice saying hello". My wife and I will always be thankful for meeting Jakub and consider him to be a lifelong friend.

The boat and room was comfortable but the activities and cruise was terrible. They were suppose to announce when they saw any wildlife but the only announcement was when a bear was far away. The boat did not attempt to find wildlife and the landings each day was to see a lone flower growing. I met people who took the same cruise the same days on a different boat and they saw such more wildlife. I had waited 2 years (original trip was to be July 2020) for this cruise hoping to see wildlife but there was none.

Wonderful Arctic experience with Oceanwide Expeditions on MV Plancius around Spitzbergen. So much more than we had hoped for. Highly recommended.

Myself and my 11 yrs old twin boys went on this trip. Words can not describe how fantastic it was. I was a little bit apprehensive that the boys were a bit young but they had a fantastic time. I can not fault the trip in any way. All the expedition guides were amazing. The crew and hotelier staff were so friendly, kind, helpful and happy. They made our trip even more special.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip to a destination one can only dream of. The dream was realized thanks to the exquisite organisation of Oceanwide. The ship, the crew, everything and everybody went the extra mile to make this journey unforgettable in every aspect. Thank you!

Abundant wildlife, including 4 polar bears, 2 blue whales, 40+ belugas, arctic foxes, reindeer, ivory gulls, king eider. Very spectacular zodiac cruises near glaciers. Beautuful hikes. Excellent staff. Great views from the Plancius.

Good expedition with seeing beautiful arctic wildlife

My husband and I were on the Rembrandt Van Rijn cruise that left Longyearbyen on June 16, 2022. We wanted to send you a quick note to tell you what an incredible experience we had. In particular, we wanted to tell you how much we appreciated our guides Jordy and Fritz. They truly made our trip into something special that will remain with us for a long time. Fritz was incredibly knowledgeable about birds and even sparked in us a new interest in birding. Jordy had a great sense of humor and we learned so much from his almost uncanny knowledge of the geography, geology, and wildlife of Svalbard. He was also generous enough with his photography skills to make a trip log for us that we will treasure. We left the ship hoping that we will be able to have another polar adventure with Jordy and Fritz sometime soon!

We had an absolutely fantastic experience with the Oceanwide crew. So knowledgeable, enthusiastic and friendly! Went out of their way to give us a great trip. And succeeded!!! Thanks so much!

Excellent crew and organisation

This was undoubtedly an exceptional trip with fewer than half the expected guests due to travelling difficulties, great wild life viewings and a ship Captain, Crew, Hotel staff and Expedition staff that went above and beyond to make our visit to the Arctic one that will forever be remembered.

Once on the ship, all was very much OK