Oceanwide Expeditions Avis 

This was the worst expedition cruise experience I have ever had.

1. The company is known for exploration, but in reality it seems to specialize in hiking rather than wildlife exploration. If you choose the more difficult hiking route, there is no time to stop for photography because the guides constantly rush the group. If you choose the easiest route, you end up standing in the cold for two or three hours with very little to do. The activity planning is poorly organized and fails to accommodate different interests.
2. Wildlife spotting was handled very poorly. The expedition team proudly claimed that they had spotted five different seal species during the voyage, yet they never informed the passengers. On one occasion, some passengers spotted beluga whales and alerted the expedition staff, but they ignored the sighting and continued sailing instead of giving everyone an opportunity to enjoy it. For a company that advertises itself as an exploration cruise, they seemed surprisingly uninterested in helping passengers experience the wildlife.
3. Many of the expedition staff were unfriendly, arrogant, and showed little concern for the passengers. More importantly, there appeared to be clear preferential treatment for German-speaking guests. The Zodiac groups were almost always organized in German, announcements and tours were often given in German first, and on several occasions the staff even conducted presentations entirely in German before realizing that over half of the passengers did not speak the language. This made many international guests feel excluded and undervalued.

De sfeer aan boord, de persoonlijke aandacht voor de gasten van het personeel.
En natuurlijk de reis zelf, met zoveel ijsberen, walvissen en vogels

Amazing Arctic voyage in Svalbard and in the pack ice. Probably the best trip I have taken in my life, and I have travelled to many beautiful places.
The pack ice was the highlight for me! That sense of remoteness and seeing a world of ice was just spectacular!
All the staff at Oceanwide is exceptional. They make you feel at home on the ship, the guides have an unparallelled level of knowledge and expertise, they remember your name, the food is plentiful with lots of choice, the cabins spacious and comfortable. I could go on and on.
Unfortunately we didn't see the polar bear on this voyage so there is a piece of the jigsaw missing, but it is wildlife, you cannot predict or guarantee anything. We did see lots of whales though which was fantastic to witness an increase of their numbers in Svalbard.
Overall, I highly recommend Oceanwide Expeditions and M/V Plancius.
Thank you!

Why would I go on a Polar Expedition?
Wildlife? bird watching?scenery?
Oceanwide expeditions turned out to be so much more!
I was thrilled to have all of the above but I wasn’t ready for the camaraderie, the wonder of watching whales, the excitement of seeing something I’d never experienced before, the enthusiastic knowledgable guides, the hiking the flora & fauna. It was an education in itself. Who would guess that plankton could be so awe inspiring! I learned so much! However, to stop & listen to the sounds of the Arctic was nothing short of life changing!
It definitely has to be a visit to the Antarctic next with Oceanwide Expeditions.

This was our 2nd trip with Oceanwide and on MV Hondius. We couldn’t rate it highly enough. We really couldn’t fault the trip. Our expedition guide leader, Marcel, was fabulous and so enthusiastic and motivated to give us the best experience possible of the Arctic. All the other guides were so knowledgeable, keen to keep us safe, keen to keep the Arctic safe and clean, very experienced in the polar regions and so friendly and easy to communicate with. We saw 7 Polar bears, some on the ice and some on land. Far more than my expectations. We saw amazing blue whales and at the same time bowhead whales and also fin whales. We saw many seals, walruses and different bird species. Did 4 big hikes up above the clouds on some. Restaurant staff were beautiful - at the end of the cruise they gave my 15 year old son a postcard signed by all of them. Bar staff were amazing. Rooms were serviced every day and keep really clean by the staff. Food was good. Overall an incredible trip which we don’t think could be beaten. We will return to MV Hondius and Oceanwide when we do our next polar expedition!

Everything was extremely well planed, organized and carried out. The expedition team and the staff of the ship was wonderful and therefore the whole trip was a great pleasure. A large Chinese travel group put everyone's nerves on edge but the staff tried very hard to make everyone happy - and succeeded.

The comforts of the ship, and professionalism of its staff made this a memorable holiday with fabulous shore excursions in Svalbard and an entirely packed day .This ship and its crew exceeded our expectations.

Our Antarctica trip on plancius was cancelled due to ship issues that were frequent in the 2025-2026 season if you Google it
We arrived in Buenos Aries to find out UK tour operator has just been informed.
Oceanwide could have notified earlier and were aware of our flights
Our UK tour operator got us home and a full refund. Unclear what contribution Oceanwide made to their costs
Would warn anyone thinking of making a booking to use a reputable tour company to make up a package from your country of origin.
Booking direct with Oceanwide to me is an unacceptable risk as even if they refunded a cruise they would probably not have to sort out anything else unless they provided a package as defined in EU law
Didn't post a review until now due to ongoing matters with this cruise

An amazing experience on the trip to Antarctica, South Georgia and Falklands. Oceanwide exceeded our expectations. The staff on the ship were great, the expedition guides extremely knowledgable and nice. MV Hondius is a great ship. Definitely recommend them.

Intensive knowledge by staff of Falklands, South Georgia and Antartica Peninsula's wildlife, history, geology, glaciers and sea ice. Staff worked hard to access as many sites as possible safely as local conditions warranted,

That was the best travel I had, with the best team on board.

Superb expedition into Antarctica via Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Highly competent and knowledgeable expedition leaders, with a clear focus on the unique wildlife, geology and landscapes.

We didn't know what to expect, and we're so overwhelmed by the incredible experience.
Crew was fantastic
Zodiac cruises and landings amazing
Sea days were full of information.
Overall guests treated so well .
Looking forward to our next one

A true adventure. Exactly what I was looking for. The ship crew and guides were professional, fun and taught us something new every day. I would recommend to anyone seeking adventure!

The expedition staff were fantastic. They were passionate, knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. The hotel staff and crew were also really great. The food was good and there was plenty of choice. The whole experience was life changing.

Scenery and wildlife was great. Crew was friendly and professional. No complaints about the cruise itself. However, I booked a "Twin Porthole", and was offered an upgrade to a "Superior Cabin". Sounds good, but they reduced the booking price of the Superior to less than what I paid for the Twin. Could have saved over $2k by waiting and booking the Superior directly. Asked about a rebate, and received zero reply whatsoever.

The trip was wonderful because the Plancius was small and had suitable number of persons to an Antarctica.
All the expedition was quick and smooth, and staffs (expeditions and hotel department) are in one team, so we spend a comfortable time.

Goed georganiseerd!
Fijn team van gidsen en begeleiders.Persoonlijk, gedreven en kundig met hart en respect voor de natuur.
Aan boord alles prima verzorgd. Enorme variatie aan eten .
Ook de lezingen waren interessant en sloten aan bij de activiteit en wat er te zien was in de omgeving .
Kortom een onvergetelijke belevenis!

This trip has been amazing, the captain and expedition team made sounding decisions to ensure the weather at each landing site is the most ideal condition for us to explore on land.

I never imagine one day I would have the experience being so close to so many penguins, watching albatross and cormorants feeding their youngs, and witness the magnificent beauty of the antarctic, south georgia and falkland islands. This trip definitely achieve that for me.

I truly grateful for all the crews and staffs on the ship that made our journey so enjoyable by taking care us every step of the way. This experience has exceeded my expectation and I would love to return again one day.

Excellent tour/expedition. Highly recommend Oceanwide to everyone. Couldn’t fault them