Cruises to the South Shetland Islands

I booked the expedition to the Flaklands islands, South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula. There were also Orkney islands in the itinerary, they were skipped. The expedition fulfilled just 2 points from the promised 3 main itinerary points. The peninsula was completely skipped without any official explanation or apology. They were bringing us to The Shetland islands instead. On exactly same days I had friends who were on the Antarctic peninsula with the other company. The weather could not be a reason. Most probably they didn't book the necessary slots for the peninsula landings. This was very disappointing as it is a very expensive trip which you can do only once in your life, it requires also a lot of time. I chose this itinerary as all 3 points were covered in it and especially to set the foot on the 7th continent. There must be at least partial refund for not doing the peninsula landings. In fact we had only 1 chance actually to see the continent and it happened at 3 a.m. It was not properly explained that it was the only chance at least to see the continent. The ship passed by the Brown Bluff at 3 a.m., why didn't it stop there? Even I read in the previous group log that they made a landing in Brown Bluff but actually were supposed to have full peninsula itinerary for 3-4 full days. On the Drake passage the ship was extremely slow as we could come to Ushuaia 1 day earlier if it went normal speed. They did quite well on South Georgia but Antarctic experience was an absolute disappointment. Other down sides: very old cabins, very little space in the restaurant and the bar. You barely can find any seat when you come 5 minutes later. In general, everything is very basic. No entertainment, just lectures and security briefings. Comparing my experience with the videos from the other companies I got even more disappointed. I paid a huge amount of money for the basic single cabin and I don't feel that I got what I paid. But everything would be not so important if the program would be fulfilled and we would step on the Antarctic continent. From the positive: very attentive excellent crew, most of the expedition guides were good and knowledgeable. Very long landings on the islands where we could go around and observe the wildlife not in a hurry. I expect at least the partial refund and explanation why the peninsula was in the program and why it was not fulfilled. The weather conditions can't be a reason as there were plenty of ships on these days there and even my friends were enjoying the daily landings on the exact same days.

What can I say about the trip of a lifetime? The trip far exceeded my expectations. It was the combination of the spectacular wildlife, the islands and locations we visited. Undoubtedly the weather helped, with a beautiful sunrise in Antarctic Sound. The expedition staff were excellent and knowledgeable in their fields of expertise. The living quarters were excellent and the hotel staff couldn’t be faulted. The food was outstanding, with its quality and variety, even if soup wasn’t always served owing to the sea conditions. I give full marks to the chef and his team for producing such quality food on a moving vessel. I would have been very happy if I only saw half of what we did see on this trip, it was truly outstanding.

Amazing trip . Above expecta. Great food. Just frustrated, as everyone, since we never got to touch or see the main land or antartic peninsula as the program promised.

We had a fabulous time on board. The facilities were excellent, the food was delicious, the service was impeccable and the expedition guides and staff were delightful and friendly. We do have one or possibly two regrets. We got to spend less than 24 hours around the peninsula amidst icebergs (compared to 3+ days around S Georgia), so it definitely wasn't enough time in Antartica to enjoy the landscapes and the mesmerising beauty of the icebergs and perhaps enjoy more of the wildlife. It would have also been nice to do a landing on the continent. Considering that Antartica is the main goal of most, if not all visitors, this should be what every trip should be focussed around. We (and many other passengers) felt similarly and were disappointed by this one aspect of the trip. I understand that the itinerary is subject to weather conditions, but it also sounded like we were unable to go to the western side of the peninsula due to 'traffic'. I do not wish to sound ungrateful for the experience but I felt it was important that this sentiment is honestly relayed. I hope that this feedback is taken in the spirit that it is intended.

I believe the Oceanwide team did everything possible to give us the best possible expedition. When plan A could happen pan b c or d were on a par or better. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this trip to anyone.

The Plancius is a ship for those serious about sailing arctic waters. It lacks all the amenities of most cruise ships (with the exception of some pretty good eating). What it does have is an expedition crew serious about maximizing your interactions with wildlife and landscapes while minimizing your impact on them. They also have a breadth of knowledge which they are eager to share. There were 2 lengthy landings or zodiac tours each day when we were at a destination and 3-4 lectures each day while at sea. The ship's crew was quite accommodating about meeting our adventure needs, whether passing by the world's largest iceberg or spending unscheduled tine creeping up on the sole emperor penguin of the trip.

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