Reviews

At the age of 82, my wife and I are experienced travellers and have seen many beautiful parts of the world, but this trip was exceptional, a marvellous experience in all respects. The organisation of the trip and the care given by all the staff was exemplary. One really felt welcome and part of the expedition - as the tour leader once said, it was an expedition rather than a holiday.

I enjoyed the nature very much, glaciers, the sea and the wildlife. The crew was wonderful and the staff the expedition team handled everything in a professional manner without being apart from us“normal“ passengers.

excellent adventure

My wife and I spent 2 consecutive dates - ORT 04 + 05 in cabin 521. The cabin was really spacious and comfortable, however, there was a problem with the smell in the bathroom during the entire cruise, when even the air purifier that we had in the cabin from the beginning did not help. After the end of the first term, I described this deficiency in the form, but there was no improvement. For this reason, I did not fill out the next form after the end of the second trip. In other respects, I cannot complain about the cleaning. The cruise itself was pretty good, we saw almost everything we came for. Disappointingly, although we booked long hikes, not a single real one took place. This was not due to the weather, but rather to long and frequent downtime. We rarely left the ship at the appointed time. Zodiac guides often went out for so-called scouting only at the scheduled boarding time of the passengers. The whole thing often had the effect of deliberately shortening the time away from the ship. Although gateways were opened on both sides of the ship, boarding was restricted to one side, causing additional delays. Under these circumstances it was not possible to organize a full day long hike. On the other hand, I have to say that most of the guides including the leader Claudio were great people, professionals in their place. Unfortunately, this was greatly spoiled by one exception, especially his incorrect and often incomprehensible behavior. The catering and management of the hotel were absolutely fine, everyone was welcoming and helpful. I apologize for the above criticism and thank you for the opportunity to comment, otherwise we really liked the cruise and would like to repeat it in the opposite direction - to Antarctica.

fantastic crew, very experienced guides, fine food, choice of the landings perfect, visitors of the cruise like a family...

I sailed with a private hire which was brilliant and extended the trip to navigate around Svalbard with Oceanwide which was very different but also brilliant. fantastic team and captain Per and Sarah as manager. Everyone so professional. Food outstanding

We enjoyed the amazing wildlife as the polar bear nearby on the shore. But also the beautiful flora, the incredible calving glaciers (Monaco Glacier was very active). The zodiac cruises were an great adventure and the expedition team was excellent. Also the captain (Peer) and the whole staff on board did an excellent job. We can fully recommend the lovely Ortelius and the trip to Svalbard.

Great Esploration, very professional and reactive to any weather conditions changes , also in the shortest time, great support by the staff and crue members, familiar athmosphere. Wish to do some other trip with the same staff and trip leader.

We set out to see polar bears in their natural habitat - and we did get to see them, and so much more. Great experience on a great ship with a fantastic team and crew. Highly recommended!

What an adventure! Extremely friendly, welcoming and well trained crew that fulfilled all wishes (well, almost ;-) ) - enthusiastic guides who were very empathic. Wonderful flora and fauna that were explained to us in the lectures on board as well as on the zodiacs. Excellent food served by a very friendly staff. Thank you!!!

The very best!

It was a great experience and we will never forget it. We can recommend it for everyone who wants to do an action vacation. The guide team around Marcel made a tremendous good job to make this trip to a great experience.

The whole trip was very exciting, which gave me a deep understanding of the Arctic scenery and wildlife. The speed of glacier melting also shocked me. I hope each of us can protect the earth well

For anyone who has dreamed of travelling to the Polar regions, Oceanwide Expeditions is the (only) company to go with. From start to finish the quality of service was impeccable. I felt well taken care of. The value for money is indescribable. The memories are priceless. Oceanwide sets the bar extremely high, upholding a strong focus on sustainable adventure tourism.

Astonishing nature (cliffs, rocks, glaciers, tundra, beautiful plants, mosses, fjords). Arctic silence (except for a few moments completely offline), the sun that never sets. An international crew that thinks along. A fantastic expedition leader Jordi and captain Ismael, 27 pleasant fellow travelers and 2 bird guides. Animals in their own habitat, such as polar bear, walrus, seal, bearded seal, arctic fox, reindeer, graceful belugas, minke whale, colonies of auks, kittiwakes and puffins. History of Svalbard, whaling, mining, the science centre, information about past expeditions to the North Pole, geological background etc. etc. too much to mention. Good food and good weather!