Reviews

Diese Reise war für mich in jeglicher Hinsicht excellent. Das ist natürlich zum einen das Erlebnis Antarktis als solches mit seiner ganzen Flora und Fauna, aber zum anderen auch alles "drum herum", das einfach gestimmt hat: hervorragendes Schiff, klasse Crew, tolles, aufregendes und abwechslungsreiches Programm (Landgänge, Zodiacs, Kayaking, Leben, Vorträge, Unterhaltung und Verpflegung an Bord, etc.). Die unmittelbare Einbindung der Hondius in die Suchaktion der abgestürzten C 130 Hercules hat einem direkt vor Augen geführt, wie nahe sich Glück und Unglück sein können.

The ship, the food, THE CREW, the expertise, the activities, the polar plunge, THE ENVIRONMENT, all together made me right sized and humble. Left with a great respect and awareness of our wondrous planet and the need to protect it.

This trip of a lifetime is not cheap but then again its worth every penny! The expedition team is superb and try to make your trip the best depending on the circumstances. All the staff on the boat are highly professional and I especially want to compliment Szuszanna, Anna, Charlotte and Raquel.The food was truly divine, surpassed all my expectations (as vegetarian it really was good, lots of variety). I did have issues with the heat in the room though, it really was suffocating at times (heater was off). The bed is nice and shower is perfect. I was surprised by how old the audience on our trip was and in some cases their lack of fitness. As this trip certainly is not without risks and I feel there was not done enough to keep the other guests sticking to these safety rules (eg no slippers and wildlife rules). Fortunately we had no incidents but I believe this is mainly due to the great weather conditions and luck. I recommend a more strict policy towards guests on safety as they may endanger the trip for others. Internet in the form of wifi is not working correctly, 100Mb gone in 1 day where the phone indicated not even 1/4 used. Also entertainment system was offline whole trip.

Everything about this trip was top-notch, from the accommodations to the staff (expedition, hotel, crew), I have nothing but praise for the entire experience.

A Must, do it, you would miss a unique, overwhelming, excellent and highly interesting experience! Outstanding and highly motivated, helpful staff! Awesome activities, best equipment, delicious meals, every day a highlight, memorable lectures, all in all far more you would expect! Thanks Hondius and team!

Como mi inglés no es el más correcto para expresarme, lo haré en español. Para mi hay dos cosas que creo que deberían de mejorar, la primera es lo seco que es el ambiente del aire acondicionado, durante todas las noches del crucero, sufrí unas pequeñas hemorragias nasales debido a la sequedad de los conductos. Lo segundo es la posibilidad de poder tener traducción al español de las conferencias que dan los guías.

I was blown away by the beauty of Antarctica, but also by the outstanding service of all the crew and staff of the Hondius. They literally went the extra mile and truly care for these pristine environments. The food (vegetarian) was first class and so were all the activities. Flexibility is key, but that's part of the adventure of not knowing exactly where you're going. This truly was an adventure of a lifetime. Thank you for sharing the secrets of this wonderful part of the world.

This trip is easily the most beautiful trip I have ever taken. When sharing my experience with family and friends upon returning home, I find that words fail to describe the beauty and stillness of the Antarctica and all its inhabitants! The guides worked so so hard to provide us with the best possible experiences every day and they were very knowledgable and passionate about their field of work. I also really enjoyed the workshops that were more science related, with two researchers who were doing actual research on bioacoustics on the Antarctica. This was informative and inspired me for my own studies as well :-) The photography workshops given by the two photographers were also really nice and made me much more confident in taking wonderful pictures. Lastly, the ship and its crew deserve a big big thank you for being so tirelessly hospitable and warm to all the guests.

I chose this trip, because I was looking for a very active trip. It did not disappoint. Activities from camping, kayaking, and mountaineering were fantastic. Even regular landings had a great hike to a viewpoint. Not only were the activities and sights remarkable, but the staff and expedition leaders were extremely knowledgeable, accommodating, and helpful. They really were the ones who made the trip incredible!

Thanks for a memory for life. Truels and his friends together with Captain and crew made us feel very well and took us to places that we never will forget. A fantastic journey. Thanks for everything.

I and my family's three ladies, my wife and two daughters, joined the Ortelius Nov 3-14, 2019 expedition. The trip was a life-time experience, not just the rough Drake Passage that kept me on bed for almost one full day, but also the lovely penguins, sea birds and seals that accompanied us throughout the trip. While we missed our camping night due to bad weather, we were so lucky to have Captain Yury, Expedition Leader Claudia and their dedicated team to lead us through the rough seas and exciting excursions, from mountaineering, kayaking, to zodiac cruising and walking on sea-ice. The only regret is we lost our photo memory card somewhere on our way, which has many of our lovely memories. If anyone happens to find it (a 32G SD card with Amelia's trip photo downloaded in it) somewhere (we stayed in cabin 337, the room next to the lecture hall) and let's know, it would make our trip perfect.

Best Cruise, expedition, and excellent Staff.

We had dreamt about our Antarctica trip for so long and when we finally embarked on our expedition Oceanwide exceeded all our expectations. From the moment we stepped onto the ship we felt a warm, welcoming and friendly vibe from every crew and staff member that lasted throughout the entire trip. We chose the Plancius as we wanted to be part of a smaller group with around 100 passengers, the ship itself is well looked after, sparkling clean and all the equipment we were given to use was high quality and well maintained. The food was delicious, a good variety was available and we loved the home baked bread and afternoon cakes that were a treat to come back too after an expedition in the cold! The on shore landings and zodiac tours we did were interesting and varied, and though the weather was mixed, the expedition crew were efficient in changing plans and coming up with an activity for us to do at the last minute, which was very impressive. Daily talks were given helping us to understand more about Antarctica and the chance to try kayaking and camping was a highlight which made the trip feel like a real adventure, giving a unique view of Antarctica which we will remember forever!

Of the 25 voyages we have taken, this was the best. The ship's crew and staff were outstanding, friendly and caring. The food was the best we've had on a ship. Although every ship we've been on has provided for our vegan no/oil diet, this was the best food we've experienced on any ship. The chef went out of his way to prepare exceptional meals and at every dinner the other passengers had at least three choices for dinner. I heard nothing but compliments for the food. Every expedition leader was an expert in some aspect of Antarctica, from animals to icebergs to early explorers and their lectures we very interesting and informative. Each stop in Antarctica was interesting and fun. It was especially nice to be given a copy of the slide show the crew/staff produced of our expedition featuring stunning photos of this expedition and of the passengers on the expedition. Highly recommended.

It was the perfect holiday. I wanted to see the king pinguines ... and we saw a lot ... The crew was the best. The captainn did his best ... the kitchen was perfect and the guides did the best that we see everything. This trip was better than I expected !!!!