Reviews

A truly wonderful trip on M/V Hondius which is a great ship with an amazing crew. We had a number of exciting encounters with the close view of the Polar bears the stand out experience. Highly recommended trip for all who love wildlife.

A must for every adventurer! Oceanwide and the onboard team know exactly how to make an adventure happen! From the early morning wake up calls, beautiful scenery, off ship excursions and wildlife, they made it happen! Safety was the number one priority on board and then came the fun! I almost forgot the variety of different meals they provided each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Did I mention the late afternoon tea snacks, etc...:-) I don't want to spoil the splendour by writing about everything as this is a journey you need to make and that's when you realise that there is a bigger place out there! Let your adventure start with Oceanwide!

Thank you Oceanwide Expedition for this amazing tour on the Rembrandt van Rijn. A very welcoming captain (Joachim) and crew and experienced guides (Jan and Chloé) ensured us a great week. Our main wish was to meet Orca’s and Humpback Whales, searching and feeding the herring in the fjords of Troms and this has been fulfilled. We really recommend a tour like this because it is such a privilege to see these majestic animals in their natural habitat and to leave them likely undisturbed thanks to the considerate manoeuvres by the captain. We had everything the weather can provide in January, frozen rain, snow storm, heavy winds, and sun! Yes, we were the lucky folk who could say hello to the sunlight after a long wintertime period without daylight. But we had not really cleary nights, so The Northern Lights were easily visible in 2 nights. So we will come back!

perfekte organisatie en bijzondere reis

Being on the first expedition since covid-19 got hold of the world, one feels privileged, very privileged. One could sense the happiness of the crew and staff to be at sea again with guests. We had mostly (very) good weather and, therefore, many landings. It gave us the opportunity to watch penguins and seal from very nearby. Plenty of pictures were taken, as well as video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_0xiP2WffA). Almost every day, one or more high level lectures were given on a variety of subjects. Amongst others, about whales, astronomy, space flight (we had an astronaut on board), birds, adaptation of animals to cold (Why penguins don’t wear socks) and many more. A special of the trip was the total solar eclipse on 4 December. We had to get up at 3 a.m., drinks and snacks were standing ready for us in the bar. We experienced the eclipse in almost ecstasy. There was only one tiny detail: cloud coverage was 100 %, but it did get dark. Food, let's not forget food. We were astonished that for breakfast, lunch and dinner, there was always fresh, crispy salads and a wide variety of types of food. The chef and his crew did a terrific job.

1 What a fine crew this was. And this goes from the expedition leader Adam Turner and the whole staff to the ship crew and the many servants for room service and food services. Simply a crew that Oceanwide could be very proud of! 2 The custom to have crew members join passengers at meal time was a great way to get more personal contacts and at times more insights about the way things were organized. 3 Food is always an important part, of course, but we felt this kitchen was extraordinary! We particularly appreciated the fact that there was such a rich selection of salads and vegetables. 4 The weather was definitely in our favor from what we heared from Plancius passengers. But a very important part for the success was due to the flexibility our expedition team demonstrated to get the most out of it.

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Eine Reise ,die uns fasziniert hat, einmal von der Landschaft und vor allem von der Tierwelt. Wir sind sehr dankbar, das wir die Antarktis erleben durften. 2017 durften wir schon mit der Plancius Spitzbergen umrunden, dabei konnten von der Eis Welt nicht loslassen. Nochmal ein Dankeschön an die gesamte Besatzung, es war super !!!!

The trip of a lifetime. The ship and it's crew were wonderful and we all became one big happy family on a joyous adventure. This trip was worth the wait and all the extra testing and paperwork due to Covid-19 restrictions. The ship was the perfect size and well appointed. Excursions and lectures were well orchestrated and fun. The meals were well prepared and there was always plenty of choices for even the pickiest of diners. Getting to know the other intrepid travelers on this journey really helped to make this a truly unforgettable experience. The only question now is .. where to next?

Great trip, the best landscape I have ever seen and kayaking was really amazing!

We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to visit the Antarctic Peninsula on the Hondius and most importantly with the Oceanwide team. Our group consisted of 7 travellers aged 7 to 70 years old and we all had an amazing time thanks to the incredible expedition team led by Sara, as well as ALL the staff who worked on the ship who were always smiling, friendly and upbeat! The expedition team was a unique bunch with extremely varied experiences & areas of expertise - it was a perfect combo! As I know that perhaps it is not as common to bring children, please know that our children aged 7 to 11 LOVED the trip - the landings & hikes were all easily done (one of ours even tried the polar plunge activity!) and they loved hearing the varied talks about Antarctica and the wildlife by the expedition staff. A truly extraordinary experience for them. They are asking us to book the next trip ASAP, but they want us to make sure that it will be with Sara and her expedition team, as well as the same restaurant & boat team. I think that says it all! We booked this as a "trip of a lifetime" but after this experience, we won't be able to leave it at that! Thank you to the whole Hondius team!

The Hondius staff and crew really know how to deliver! Flawless Zodiak to land transfers with incredible views. Instant flexibility when a pod of ~40 humpback whales surrounded the Hondius while feeding and spy hopping to watch us watching them! Antartic camping (without a tent) is not for the faint of heart but was too cool (no pun intended) not to try! With our intrepid expedition leader Sara Jenner and Scottish expedition guide and artist "Super Jim" Smith, we all got the fullest of experiences possible. Excellent educational sessions on the wildlife and habitat. Please go and SEE! This is an absolute must do before 2048 when the Antarctic Treaty expires, Countries may then start to mine and decimate it. Help to preserve this global treasure.

We had an amazing experience in the Antarctic Peninsula aboard the Hondius. The Expedition Team, led by the wonderful Sara, worked to make sure that we encountered wildlife up close as much as possible. The team was comprised of friendly people with varied backgrounds and knowledge and a passion for their work. They're enthusiasm and professionalism really made the trip extra special. The ship was beautiful, spacious, clean, and the crew was very attentive. The food was wonderful and plentiful, even for vegetarians. I highly recommend Oceanwide Expediitions and we plan to take future trips to the Arctic and Alaska.

Incredibly well organized... so much to learn about and wonderful experts to share it all with accompanying slide shows. Highly recommend this trip. Just one recommendation... please add some map books to the library collection that will show ALL of the Antarctic continent AND peninsular and maybe a full map displayed somewhere in a public hallway. All of the locations where we stopped need to well marked on the map.

Thanks for everything! It was amazing...