Reviews

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

This was the trip of a lifetime and the Crew and Hotel Staff took every opportunity to make that happen. The excursions were the main activities, kayaks moving between the ice or watching out for a whale, patiently waiting in the Zodiak for whale to pass under you or a leopard seal to slide right past your side of the Zodiak, standing still while a Gentoo penguin pecked your leg, the crew can't make these acts of nature happen but they have the experience to know how to give you the best opportunity to be a part of these experiences. The Crew Leader of this Expedition Iain assembled an outstanding team with years of experience and knowledge that was impressive but the way they shared this knowledge is what made the difference to me. They live and breathe what they were imparting to us and therefore it was like sharing knowledge and experience rather than a teacher standing in front of a classroom. When we learned that we would not be able to dock in Ushuaia as Argentina closed their country Iain took his leadership role to new heights by sharing openly what our course of action would be. Since the trip would be longer than expected his team stepped up and went above and beyond.

Every aspect of this cruise exceeded our expectations. The staff were all most welcoming, enthusiastic, very experienced and thought of everything each of us could possibly need or want to make this the most memorable holiday. The food and facilities on board were higher than we had expected; we will never forget that BBQ dinner on deck with the sun setting over those cold antarctic waters. The lectures were always informative and pitched at the right level. They enhanced our experience of these destinations and we have returned home far more knowledgeable. Every day brought new experiences and words cannot express the wonders we saw. The crew and the company were very understanding when advising on the problems we all encountered with cancelled flights due to Covid-19.

Incredible, probably does not describe our trip and I’m not sure any word can. The ship, Captain, leaders, guides, food, wait staff, housekeeping- everyone treated us like royalty. The wildlife just mind blowing, we just feel humble being able to do such a trip. Oceanwide teams should be commended on such an amazing travel experience, every detail and more exceeded our expectations. Thanks so much - Kate and Mark - Australia

Although it's impossible to sum up our Oceanwide trip on Hondius from Ushuaia to The Falklands/Malvinas, South Georgia, South Orkneys, Elephant Island, South Shetlands and the Antarctic Peninsula below the Antarctic Circle to 68.7 deg South Latitude in a few short sentences, I can say that having now traveled extensively on all 7 continents, this journey was filled with as much wonder, wildlife, education, mind-blowing scenery, incredible people and life-changing experiences as any journey I've ever been on. The Oceanwide staff from the Captain to the hotel and galley crew were amazing, without exception. I can't recommend this trip, or Oceanwide with enough enthusiasm in writing. All I can say is, "GO!"

Fantastic and well handled when corona hit

This trip fulfilled a lifetime dream for my spouse, Pat and I. We cannot say enough good things about Oceanwide Expedition's Leaders, Adam Turner and Sara Jenner.  These two individuals are extreme leaders at the top of their craft.  We were always well-taken care of and they made it possible to reach places via zodiac, that at first, we thought impossible.  Very well-planned and executed!  The zodiac drivers, Ben Giunchi, Daniel Hohne, and Gaby Pilson were also awesome! They made us feel safe and took us to unbelievable places to get close-ups of Penguins and Leopard Seals!  Well done!  We also very much enjoyed the many lectures presented by the crew, especially the one on early Antarctic Explorers by Gunilla Lindh. Gunilla is loaded with personality and always makes us smile!  A very special thank you to Rose, Damian, and Will in the dining room for taking such good care of us during the trip.  AND, also a very special THANK YOU to Rajiv and DJ at the front desk.  Rajiv is always SMILING and there for us anytime we needed anything.  Thanks also to Akhil and John  at the bar for making our drinks and sharing travel experiences.  We highly recommend Oceanwide Expeditions!  Also, we enjoyed Massimo Bassano’s and Myriam Casper’s photo and video lectures.

It is not easy to get to Antarctica no matter how it is done! Oceanwide indeed made it worthwhile! We indeed had a journey of a lifetime, and were able to make Antarctica our 7th continent. Based on what other companies charge and provide, we feel we got great value for our money with Oceanwide. We valued the excursions, which were safely run for both the voyagers and the wildlife and the environment. We also appreciated the ship's crews performance and service-first attitude. The expedition crew was top-notch, both during the excursions, and with sharing their expertise during the daily presentations, and more oftern during the day crossing the Drake! Ali Liddle was a remarkable expedition leader who worked with the ship's crew and her team to provide us with the best possible and safe experiences. We felt the food, drink and lodging were excellent and reflected the Oceanwide priorities of value over luxury. We liked the coffee/espresso/tea machine in the lounge,too! We'd highly recommend Oceanwide to friends, family and business associates who are considering a voyage to Antarctica!,