Reviews

Very nice trip . Service and food on board very good. Special thanks to Ralf ( Head Chef ) and his team. Very experienced and sympathic guides and many lectures with a lot of information. Housekeeping Service very good. Crew always very friendly. Only thing that would be nice is something like a "anti slippery mat" ( sorry for my bad english ) in the shower. The floor is a bit slippery in the shower, especially if the ship is a bit rolling.

The trip to the Antarctic Peninsula on the MV Ortelius was a trip of a lifetime. The ship was smaller than my previous voyages. The cabins were comfortable. The food was of exceptional quality, The staff and crew were fabulous. The initial Drake Passage was calm and without trauma. The stops on the islands near the Antarctic peninsula and the peninsula itself, and Shetland Island stops were spectacular. The Gentoo penguin colonies were a sight to behold. The staff did an excellent job preparing us for the landings and they were very knowledgeable on land as we viewed our surroundings. The zodiac trips were well managed and excursions about the bays were full of delightful scenery. The return passage through the Drake Passage to Ushuaia was a bit rough, but the crew and staff handled it quite well. Overall, a fabulous journey to the outer world.

'Want to go to Antarctica?" My friend said yes and then did all the research. He did a good job... Small ship so far fewer passengers than the bigger ships. Outings planned for twice a day (other ships it was once/day) and the outings were all landings when conditions permitted, not just Zodiac rides (which are great, but still!). And, we could sign up for among other things, kayaking, mountaineering, camping out!!! All that plus great food and an enthusiastic, knowledgeable and engaging staff. I can't recommend Oceanwide highly enough. They are GREAT.

For those who live an andventure, basecamp is the trip to choose! Amazing activities, great staff and delicious food!

Staff were experienced, knowledgeable and charming. Captain was able to navigate ship into beautiful channels for excellent photo opportunities. However, many planned activities were canceled due to poor weather conditions, meaning that we were unable to snow camp and only had one chance to kayak. Kayaking tended to follow same route as zodiacs, thus not quiet and serene as one expects. Only two shore landings on entire cruise. Weather was blamed, but for high price of “expedition” cruise, perhaps they shouldn’t offer cruises this early in season. Excuses don’t make up for lack of opportunities! Food was excellent with varied selection. Dining hall was way too loud, like a noisy nightclub. Very off putting, as there was no alternate quieter place to eat. Bar/lounge upstairs was as loud at all hours. Some sort of sound muffling materials need to be installed in metal walled dining room. Same applies to Suites: we had most expensive superior suite, yet we plainly heard our neighbors talking loudly and listening to tv in their superior suite until well after 10 pm. For $2,000 a day, soundproofing between Suites ought to be added. This is no longer a Russian icebreaker!

Als je eenmaal het Noorse virus te pakken hebt raak je het nooit meer kwijt . Andermaal heb ik met volle teugen genoten van deze prachtige Walvis / Orka Safari , aan boord van zeilschip, De Noorderlicht . Tot ziens , Joes.

Good staff and crew, excellent food. Because of the weather many landings were cancelled (wind) Despite that the staff made the best of it. They did a very good job.

My husband and I greatly enjoyed our visit to the Antarctic Peninsula and the Southern Shetland Islands. We found the staff very professional and approachable. The lectures were given by subject experts. We saw many Gentoo penguins courting, mating and making nests. A wonderful time of year to see the lives of these penguins. Whenever whales, dolphins, or seals were seen, the crew would let the guests know. We did a bit of snowshoeing since the snow was deep. However, we thinking going later in the year, one could encounter sloppy conditions. We snowshoed to where we would get wonderful views of the area. Just beautiful. The meals were varied and good. Birthdays were celebrated with fun. In the lounge area, there was a wonderful hot beverage machine. Finally, the crew was always safety conscious. A big example was by leaving the peninsula a little early to avoid a big storm coming to the Drake Passage. We still rocked and rolled but not as bad as it could be. We were very thankful for their concern.

Es war eine schöne Expeditionsreise mit vielen Highlights aber leider auch enttäuschenden Aspekten. Hier eine kleine Aufstellung, wahrscheinlich unvollständig ;-)

+ Crew: alle sehr hilfsbereit, gut ausgebildet, mit viel Hintergrundwissen, höflich und zuvorkommend

+ Kabine: Ich das in einer 3-Bett-Kabine mit 2 Personen: sehr geräumig, sauber, Bad top, bei uns mit Bullauge (das leider aus Sicherheitsgründen bei der Überfahrt der Drake Passage geschlossen werden musste)

+ Essen: der Wahnsinn!!! sehr zu empfehlen. Abwechslungsreich, Buffet beim Frühstück sowohl warm als auch kalt, Mittag- und Abendsessen bestehend aus 3 Gängen mit Auswahlmöglichkeit - lecker! frisch, vitaminreich, ausgeglichen

+ Atmosphäre: familiär, ich habe mich gleich wohlgefühlt, ich konnte jeden fragen, wenn mich etwas interessiert hat (Alle Crew-Mitglieder hatten Funkgeräte.-Was der eine nicht wusste, konnte der nächste beantworten) 

+ Brücke: Zu vielen Zeiten konnte ich die Brücke besuchen, von dort aus das Treiben beobachten, Infos zur Tierwelt bekommen oder auch Wissenswertes über Nautik etc.)

+ Schiff ORTELIUS: gemütlich, mit nur ca. 100 Gästen übersichtlich und kein Massentourismus, Gefühl einer wirklichen Expedition, kein großer Schnick Schnack + Sicherheit (viele Checks, Einweisungen, Kontrollen...)

+ nachhaltiger Tourismus: Regeln werden eingehalten, bzw. Gäste rechtzeitig daran erinnert: eigene Kleidung reinigen, desinfizieren, um nichts mit in die Antarktis einzuschleppen, Min.-Abstand zu Kaiserpinguinen

+ Helikopterflug

+ tägliche Recals und Fachvorträge - Tauchpaket: Ich konnte nur einen (!) Tauchgang machen, und das war der Check-TG am Sandstrand von Deception Island - ohne jeglichen Eisberg. 

- Verhältnis: 6 Tage Transfer vs. 4 Tage vor Ort (wetterbedingt hat die Überfahrt hin und zurück jeweils 3 Tage gedauert) - Kombi: Tauch- und Helikopterpakete: Man konnte entweder nur das eine oder das andere anbieten, da die Ortelius nicht dafür ausgelegt ist, beides parallel anzubieten. - So kamen viele Gäste mit unterschiedlichen Vorstellungen zu kurz. (Es gab nur 1 Heli-Flug.) - Angebote vor Ort: Dank des Wetters nur 2 Aktivitäten innerhalb der 4 Tage: 1xHeli, 1xtauchen mit Anlandung am Strand - Habe einen leichten Bootskoller bekommen, da man nirgendwohin konnte und auch nicht immer raus, dank des Wetters - hatte mir erhofft, mehr Tierarten zu sehen (außer Kaiserpinguinen und Vögeln)

Outstanding Trip of a lifetime Excellent and well trained staff. This is not an easy trip, but the staff made it enjoyable and safe. The expeditions were informative, respectfull of the environment and well organized Couldn’t have asked for more.

Even if we had much WEATHER our amazing Expedition leader and the guides made every day unique. Beautiful penguine and seal encounters and the stunning landscapes made this trip unforgettable. I have travelled 5 times with oceanwide now and I would do it again.

siehe auch Beurteilungsbogen vom Schiff

Dreamed about going to Antarctica for years. Dreams do come true! Antarctica is the most beautiful place I've ever been. South Georgia was like being inside a David Attenborough wildlife documentary - never seen anything like it in my life - just superb. However, when I booked it, it was an English speaking voyage, and it then later became a bi-lingual voyage as half the passengers were German speaking. Most of the time they had German lectures in the dining room or a German translation of an English lecture. BUT, sometimes their guide would talk in the lounge where we all were and we couldn't understand and we were asked to be quiet, which I thought was very rude. They should have booked a German speaking voyage, not turn an English one into a bi-lingual one. Beware!

I did the base camp trip to the Antarctic Peninsula and I could not recommend it enough. Every single staff member was amazing from the cleaning crew, to the wait staff, the expedition guides, Rolando the bar tender, hotel management! Amazing service, amazing food, amazing experience. I will I was going again on their next boat tomorrow.

Diese Reise war einmal , die Expeditionsleiterin Ali und ihr Team waren einmalig , kompetet und besorgt ,fürsorglich, fachkundig, man könnte diese Reise nicht besser machen. Ich bin 79 Jahre alt und konnte die Reise gut mitmnachen nur habe ich keine sehr guten Aufnahmen gemacht, da gab es fachkundigere Teilnehmer. Die wissenschaftlichen Vorträge und die Ausflüge ergänzten sich großartig. Ich bin sehr dankbar, diese Reise auf die Falklandinseln, Südgeorgiern und die Antarktische Halbinsel auf der Plancius gemacht zu haben.