Reviews

I am thoroughly impressed with this trip and its realisation by Oceanwide, and I consider myself very lucky to have been able to experience Antarctica this way. We booked through our local travel agent to get flights included in the package, and read through all the descriptions and reviews, but this trip exceeded our expectations in every way. We understood that once in Antarctica, the possibilities in trip was heavily weather dependent, but we didn't expect that the staff and guides would be so invested in giving us the best experience possible in the conditions, and didn't realise that they had the freedom and a wealth of experience to change the itinerary and make the best out of every day. We did end up having the best weather we could have had, and enjoyed every moment aboard Plancius - except the Drake Passage, where even with medication, I vomited for a day and half straight. I can't say enough praise for Pippa, George, Koen, Steffi, Carina, Marco, Brian, Tanja, Patricia, Owain and Dave for their wealth of knowledge, dedication, and friendliness. There was a wonderful vibe on the ship from all staff. To make the most of it, the trip can be truly fantastic with the right attitude

Everyday was filled with excitement one way or another. I enjoyed every second of the voyage. The operation was seamless. The activities, camping, kayaking and mountaineering, were exciting and memorable. The landing and Zodiac cruise were well executed and enjoyable. The Expedition Leader Pippa was flexible and effective. Her decision on changing the plan so all passengers could observe two large groups of killer whales gave us a once in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy the beauty of killer whales swimming in the ocean. Her bonus offer of a Zodiac cruise in Spert Island on the New Year’s Eve enabled us to enjoy the fantasy world filled with mesmerizing icebergs and rocks. All the Expedition Guides were friendly, knowledgeable, and skillful. All the lectures were fascinating and educational. The Christmas and New Year Eve celebrations were especially cheerful. All the meals were delicious. The ship was clean, the staffs were friendly, the Lounge was well equipped with books, games, cards, drinks, and snacks. I love the voyage and would highly recommend it to others.

Beautifull landscapes, excellent people, We were very lucky looking at the wild life (polar bears a lot).

The trip was absolute perfection. The staff are wonderful and the excursions are fun. Really not a single complaint about that aspect of the trip. The one complaint I do have is that they don't test for Covid and someone clearly had it on our ship because the last day I contracted it and now the whole family is suffering. It wouldn't be too much to ask to test 150 people since it's a cruise that lasts two weeks.

We had an absolutely outstanding expedition to the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica on the Plancius. The ship was perfect for this style of adventure. The crew were all outstanding, and the meals were spot-on day after day. The expedition team were excellent, superbly led by Ali. They genuinely cared about giving us every possible opportunity to experience everything that the area offered. My expectations were very high leading into this trip and to be honest my expectations were exceeded. The wildlife encounters were unbelievable, the scenery absolutely stunning, and the overall experience was unforgettable.

Words just cannot describe how amazing, absolutely stunning and awesome this trip was, from wildlife spectacles nowhere else on the planet to jaw dropping scenery and expedition leader and guides that were professional, friendly and ensured every single person had the very best experience.

Allthough due to local circumstances we were only able to explore part of South Georgia, we had a great time seeing such diverse and numerous wildlife. The sea days to cross from Ushuaia to South Georgia were quit rough, but the experience on the island was really worth it

This trip would have been adequate except that we did not visit the Prion island albatros colony which was the highlite of the trip, but it was closed for 5 years and we were not told about it. That was a great disapointment. Had they advised us of this, I would choosed another trip. Otherwise this trip was satisfactory.

A wonderfull journey with guides, who had a lot to tell in a very good atmosphere

We had a wonderful experience with your Plancius crew during our recent Cheeseman Antarctica safari. The service was exceptional and the food was great! In fact, the food was better than I had on my Viking River cruise last October from Lyon, France to Avignon. Viking may have had a fancier presentation, but the chef on the Plancius presented food that tasted better and looked beautiful. The Chef’s food selection was great and I appreciated his innovative use of ingredients. I also want to compliment the dining room staff on their incredible service, attention to detail and thoughtfulness. Jerrica, Judel, Angelina, Charlotte and Prince elevated the entire experience for us and made it a joy to eat. The fact that they learned all our names so quickly was impressive. The entire dining room experience speaks highly to their management by Alex. My husband and I were very pleased with our overall experience on the Plancius. It may not be the fanciest ship, but its dedicated and experienced crew made some tough landings that elevated the trip for us. We’ll done!

Landscape, wildlife, guides, board service, food, ship and everything I haven't listed - I was totally thrilled. Maybe this trip was my childhood dream and now it has become a lifelong dream come true. My greatest wish came true, I saw polar bears in their natural environment. The landscape impressed me and was beautiful. The small, the delicate flowers, and the large, the icebergs and colorful mountains. I would like to thank everyone again for the great trip: the captain for the good journey, the guides Frigga, Michelle, Melodie, Chloé, Irene, Pierre, Ross and the expedition leader Rinie with their noticeable enthusiasm for nature and its exciting and highly interesting lectures. Not to forget the ship's doctor Veronique. Not needed by me, but knowing that she is there to look after me. All I can say is that I want to come back and always wish you a safe journey and always a hand's breadth of water under your keel! Kind regards Brigitta

Fantastic trip to a remote West Greenland area with beautiful colors and exiting wild life. Impressive icebergs and glaciers. My first expeditiontrip on a fantastic (silent) ship. All the staff was like a warm family. Really delicious meals!

It was a wonderful tour. Even though the Plancius is a somewhat older ship, it is still perfect for such tours, as there is only room for a maximum of 108 passengers. This makes it very familiar and things like landing with Zodiacs are very fast and there are not so many people on land. The cabins are not as stylish as on the newer ships, but totally maintained, functionally furnished and space-wise completely sufficient, since one is there anyway almost only to sleep. The entire team on the ship, from housekeeping to the kitchen and service staff in the restaurant, to the expedition team, always made us feel that everything was being done to ensure that we had a perfect trip. Everyone succeeded in this one hundred percent as well. That we were lucky enough to see polar bears three times on their way through the pack ice was of course the absolute highlight.

I am fully satisfied with the tour. We had excellent guides, Bridge, Crew. We have seen much wildlife. The only missing, we didn't land in Kvitoya.

I want do a standing ovation about crew, staff and guides of Plancius, for the Cruise from 11 to 20 August 2023 in the artic Sea. I was passenger of cabin 302 and I appreciated a lot of things during my trip. The crew had was every day, and in every moment, smiling, kindly, professional, efficient... The guides and staff too, and all of them were be very patient and take care of us. The capitan did for us any "Mission Impossible", like came inch by inch close to wild life and spectacular glaciers. Also the meals had taste and smell delicious and were very generous. Thank's to all them my vacation was very unforgettable and I know that the good weather had be important, but them did the difference, trust me. I'm very very very grateful and so thanks thanks and again thanks. Tiziana