Reviews

Alles bestens, Organisation, Alternativen wegen zu dicken Eises, Wetter,

Der Titel der Reise weckt Erwartungen, die mit dem Antreffen von 2 Bären an nur einem Tag von 7 für mich nicht erfüllt wurden. Es wurde mehr Wert auf den Besuch von Fjorden gelegt als nach mehr Eisbären im Packeis gesucht. Das Hin und Her zwischen Packeis und Fjorden war nicht zielführend, so dass ich den Eindruck hatte, hier wird doch mit gebremstem Schaum gefahren.

Not a complete loss, but for a trip sold as a "polar bear special", we left feeling like we'd just been hoodwinked. A single bear at great distance is hardly special. Similarly, a single blue whale, visible for maybe 2 minutes. Walrus - a dozen, rather than 80 reported on other trips. No beluga. No bowhead. No fin whale. No arctic fox. Hundreds of seabirds rather than thousands. Reindeer - the only species we got a decent look at. No doubt we were unlucky. Wildlife sightings on our trip were significantly less than on other trips, as reported in the various trip logs (up to 26 bears in one case!). But I would expect the crew to know where to find the animals, and to move the ship to where the wildlife is. Yes, wildlife is unpredictable, but others manage to find them. Furthermore - the food on the ship was also well below advertised standard. Edible, certainly, and plentiful, but much closer to "good canteen", and most certainly NOT "fine dining". Finally - many of the guides were uncooperative. The tour leader (in particular) when asked a question would avoid answering, just tell me what a good time I'm having. Will NOT be back.

«Good Morning my Dear Polar Explorers!» was the wake up call we received every morning from our Expedition leader Michael. This kind of expedition was a first time for me and it met all my expectations: the ship was neat, really comfortable and the entire crew was great: amazing guides, crew and a great team of hotel staff; they all worked tirelessly to let us have a great experience, and they did it more than right. Sailing through the ice, landings, strolling with zodiacs in front of glaciers, all made this experience to be worth living. I really had a great time onboard and I hope to join soon on another one!

Tolle Reise! Crew: Supernett und zuvorkommend Expeditionsteam: Kompetent und immer für uns da Kabine: Total in Ordnung Essen: Gut und abwechslungsreich LEIDER: Nur einen Eisbären gesehen...

Had a fantastic time. Never been on a cruise, but the boat was great. Nice room, plenty of places to spend time, and always great views. Loved the food, and really good vegetarian options. Activities were fun, especially the snorkeling, though a bit too tame for me. They threw in a few surprises that took it to another level and made it unforgettable. The staff are universally great and tried hard to help us have the best time possible.

We just got back from Norway and I just want to say how satisfied I was with Oceanwide Expeditions for a fantastic cruise of Spitzbergen on the s/v Rembrandt van Rijn sailing ship where we chartered the ship for our Spitzbergen expedition cruise from June 9th to June 16th, 2017. The ship holds 33 passengers plus 12 crew. My experience on that sailing expedition was that they run a first-class well-run company. For a beautiful sailing “tall ship” that was originally built in 1924, the ship was in first-class condition and updated for modern comforts. Although the cabins are small and all have bunkbeds, they were quite adequate. In fact, most of the cabins had a bottom bunk that was a small double-bed. There is plenty of lounge space, a bar, lots of windows and portholes, and plenty of deck space. We loved the sails that were put up on our last full day of the journey when there was finally a breeze in the air. From the ship’s captain, Ali, to Lars, the ship’s chef, to Bogdan, the hotel manager, to Jordi, our expedition leader, to Ali, our assistant expedition leader, and to the rest of the crew that many times were unseen but working hard, they gave us a wonderful journey.

Es war eine wunderschöne Reise, und auch das Team auf der Plancius war toll und hat uns gut über die Natur sowie alles informiert. Auch das Küchenpersonal darf man nicht vergessen es hat uns wunderbar bekocht das Service Team ist immer freundlich und nett zu uns gewesen. Danke nochmal für die schöne Zeit an Bort.Beate und Werner

Sehr interessante, erlebnisreiche Reise. Der Kapitän fuhr sogar durch das Packeis sehr vorsichtig in etwas größere, angemessene Nähe an die Eisbären heran. Viel Zeit für Tierbeobachtung. Ausgesprochen nettes und kompetentes Personal, das immer für Fragen offen war.

Great trip. Polar bears up close. Walruses up close and they don't smell as bad as people say. Reindeer. Huskies. Rinie is the perfect trip leader and all the staff were excellent

Es war ein grandioses Erlebnis die Arktis zu erleben, Tiere in einer fantastischen Landschaft beobachten zu dürfen, begleitet von einer Crew, die man sich nur wünschen kann. Herzlichen Dank an Alle die die Reise zu einem Erlebnis gemacht haben das einmalig war

Fantastic expedition, wonderful wildlife sighting, very well organised, cabin comfortable, food tremendous and guides & crew outstanding.

Die fabelhafte Crew hat die Reise unvergesslich gemacht! ich werde von den Erlebnissen in dieser grossartigen Natur noch lange zehren

A trip on an expedition ship? The Ortelius isn't a luxury cruiser, but she's a comfortable vessel, our cabin (a superior twin) was excellent, with lovely touches like Mars Bars and wine in the fridge. Unlike some cruises, bottled water was provided with lunch and dinner. There's a reasonably priced wine list and Rolando mixes a good negroni (and other cocktails). Our friendly and efficient servers were Jay and Noelle who learned our names very quickly. And the food - a great variety, well cooked and much, much better than anticipated. And the wildlife? Minke and blue whales (the first within an hour of leaving Longyearbyen), walruses, harp and bearded seals, arctic foxes, Svalbard reindeer and polar bears. One bear came so close we thought he was trying to board the ship and share our dinner. The crew, officers and staff are all approachable and the "open bridge" policy means you get the chance of panoramic views of the ice - and the wildlife - ahead. The expedition team - led by Rinie - are excellent. As a birder, I was thrilled with close avian encounters with little auk, arctic tern, ivory and glaucous gulls, black and Brunnich's guillemots, and more An amazing trip!

Alles bestens!