Reviews

A wonderful overview to the Antarctic acessible from the sea.

This was an amazing trip, my first to Antarctica and something I'll remember forever. The wildlife sightings from deck, the zodiacs and on the land were just brilliant and much more than I was ever expecting. The ship was comfortable and spacious with nice facilites such as the coffee machine on tap! All of its crew were so helpful, patient and friendly throughout. The Expedition team, led by Martin and Pippa were also very friendly, and so well organised, knowledgeable and full of enthusiasm, they really made the trip special. Thanks everyone, from someone who never wanted to go on a cruise before, ( due to fear of sea sickness and formal dinners) I will definitely consider one to the Arctic with Oceanwide in the future. Thank you so much.

Trotz einiger NATURBEDINGTER WIDRIGKEITEN, die durch die Crew (in allen Bereichen) für mein Empfinden gut kompensiert wurden, war die Expeditions-Reise ein LOHNENSNSWERTES , SPANNENDES, BEWUSTSEIN ERWEITERNTES u. dadurch zum NACHDENKEN anregendes Erlebnis !!!!!!!!!!!!! 2015 habe ich mit der PLANCIUS eine SPITZBERGEN-UMRUNDUNG gemacht - GROSSARTIG !!!

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A really fabulous adventure to Antarctica, South Georgia Island, and the Falkland Islands aboard the Plancius. The boat is a perfect size for our 100 passenger voyage. The staff is very personable and helpful. Each day they give presentations about climate, geography, wildlife, a daily recap and plans for the next day. We had ample onshore excursion and zodiac tours of various islands and inlets in the Antarctic peninsula. After several days here, we moved on to South Georgia Island. This seems to be the Galapagos of the South Atlantic, with wildlife that is extremely approachable. The rugged mountainous terrain is breathtaking, and we all visited Grytviken to see the old whale processing station, the museum, and visit Shackleton's burial site. Our final stop on thje voyage was the Falkland Islands to visit the Magellanic penguins and the town of Stanley. All along the entire voyage there was so much to experience!

The most amazing lifetime experience. Great ship, brilliant crew and wonderful wildlife seen so close on the zodiac landings and cruises. Life on board was great with excellent food and nothing too much trouble for the crew. If you make one trip in your lifetime make it this one!

Amazing trip, great sceneries and amazing wildlife encounters! Fantastic guides, loved it!

Zunächst die positiven Aspekte: Ein altes Schiff ist ganz nett. Und wenn dann gesegelt wird, hat es seinen speziellen Reiz. Die Crew war sehr aufgeschlossen, stets ansprechbar und hilfsbereit. Wir haben Wale und Nordlichter und tolle Landschaften gesehen. Soweit wurde das Reisekonzept eingehalten. Damit dann die negativen Punkte: Nur Wale und Nordlichter? An Bord war ein Zodiak, - es wurde nicht benutzt. Wir sind jeden Abend einen anderen Hafen angefahren, Kontakt zu den Orten, den Menschen oder zu Sehenswürdigkeiten oder Besonderheiten? - Fehlanzeige. Wanderungen als Highlight? Ich hatte ehern den Eindruck, dass der Reiseleiter die Aufgabe hatte die Zeit bis zum Abendessen zu füllen. Das soll nicht seinen Einsatz schmälern. Es ist das Konzept... Noch ein Wort zur Versorgung: es ist eine niederländische Reederei , folglich sind die verfügbaren Lebensmittel mitgebracht, das Frühstück erhält holländische Züge, norwegische Einflüsse sind nicht wahrnehmbar. Elchwurst, Geitost oder andere typisch norwegische Speisen trifft am nicht an. Wobei anzumerken ist, der Koch ist gut, aber er kann nur verarbeiten, was bereitgestellt wird. Und da sind wir wieder bei der Reederei.

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.