Oceanwide Expeditions

Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego)

Antarctica

South America

Argentina

Falklands

Arctic

Excellent

Poor

Hondius

Ortelius

Plancius

Rembrandt van Rijn

Stunning

What an amazing vacation-the scenery was magnificent, weather was gorgeous, wildlife was abundant, and people were friendly.  We had an amazing time, even in the midst of the Covid pandemic.  We were tested often, but it did not interfere with our enjoyment of the cruise. At one point, we were surrounded by about 45-50 humpback whales feeding and investigating us.  The boat stopped so we could enjoy the view!  We sailed into Neptune's Bellows on Deception Island at 5 in the morning, and it was broad daylight!  We saw gentoo, adelie, and chinstrap penguins, birds (albatross, petrols, shags, and skuas), several types of whales (fin, humpback and minke), as well as weddell seals, crab-eater seals and even a leopard seal close up!  The food was tasty, fresh, and varied.  The expedition staff was knowledgable and friendly, the ship was well maintained, and the voyage was unforgettable.  Even the Drake outdid itself, as we had 84 knot wind gusts on our return voyage!

We were excited to return to Antarctica, S Georgia and the Falklands, with the added bonus of the eclipse, on this relatively new ship (2019), after having really enjoyed our 2007 trip on Orlova (old Russian ship) to the same destinations.

A lot has changed since 2007 in terms of being able to get to shore, walk where you'd like without disturbing the wildlife, and the attitudes and skills of some of the key people on this ship were very poor.

In 2007 we had 4 zodiak rides landings/day whenever we were near land and the skills of the zodiak drivers was very high--further, we were able to ride with drivers who shared our interests, such as photography, birds, mammels, geology, etc., and go where we liked once ashore as long as we stayed at least a meter from the wildlife.  On this cruise, we were limited to a maximum of 2 trips/day, assigned one of 4 color groups, had to go when group was called, no choice of driver, and the team put out red poles on the few landings we did have that we had to follow and could not cross, no matter what happened with the conditions and wildlife ashore.  Some of the expedition team were poor/inexperienced or hotdog-style drivers, and this was dangerous and uncomfortable for those in their boats.  In addition, we were stuck twice for over an hour when the outboard engine of one of the boats failed (same engine both times).  Drivers weren't keeping safety switches on their arms, excessively bouncing the boats on purpose while people in the front were being tossed and claiming they were great drivers (I fell and got a mild concussion from hitting my head on the camera of the man next to me and the woman who'd had back surgery was in severe pain after our last trip ashore), falling in the boats while trying to get us on and off, calling "go" when it wasn't the right time to board the ship (my friend had to reach up 2 feet and hurt her back).  Some of the expedition staff were condescending, lewd and rude, as was the hotel manager.  Many of the expedition staff seemed much more concerned about getting their own (copyrighted) photos and time at landings and zodiac rides than ensuring we had a good trip.  They said out loud that they were going to be extremely strict with us so that we wouldn't get hurt and ruin their trip.

I certainly would recommend you choose a different line.

Disappointing (and dangerous) Zodiak/land excursions, blocked view cabin at full price, mediocre food and surly hotel manager

The expedition was a long held dream. We were so pleased to be on a comfortable new and  very environmentally friendly ship. The shell doors meant very speedy zodiac loading.

The expedition leader and  team  epitomised the spirit of exploration by ensuring we landed safely at amazing scenic and remote places. We enjoyed wonderful land encounters with penguins and seals. A highlight was going very far south to 68.14 degrees to see a beautiful part rarely visited.  Not only the breathtaking scenery but the historic aspects at South Georgia were wonderful.   visits to current and  historic research stations on The Peninsula were another highlight..

The excellent lectures from highly qualified expedition staff gave a deeper understanding of the special environment we were visiting.

There is a lot of deck space for marvellous wildlife and scenery viewing.

The service and catering was very high quality.

An exceptional adventure we will treasure for the rest of our lives, highly recommended.

A Superb Antarctic trip

We left from Ushuaia and traveled to Antarctica on the Hondius in February of 2020.  We had 2 days at sea, followed by 4 days of exploring the Antarctica, and finished with 2 more days at sea.  The guides were excellent and very professional and friendly.  They were always pointing out wildlife and interesting information about the area we were in.  

The boat had just the right ratio of staff to guests. There were about 160 guests and about 70 staff.

The food was tasty.  

We had a suite with a balcony which was nice when there were dolphins or whales to see.  I would encourage anyone to try this company and this location.  The staff really tried to get us off the ship as much as possible.  We were in Zodiacs to travel from ship to shore and to cruise around.  My husband even got to camp out on land one night.

What an adventure with so many great photos!

Suggestions: This cruise is really only for people who are in fairly good physical shape.  I don't believe there was an elevator on board and getting in and out of the Zodiac boats required some balance.

What a BLAST!

Life long dream to go ice breaking in the Arctic and look for polar bears! Hondius did not disappoint! We saw 5 polar bears, Arctic Fox, blue whales and many more amazing animals! The glaciers were amazing. The crew was extremely knowledgeable. Cabins were gorgeous and the food was first class.  The educational talks were very well done. Excursions were varied with lots of hikes and animal settings. One day we went out on an ice flow which was amazing.  

The crew was fantastic and took care of all of our needs. Dinner service was very nice with great choices. Lunch buffet was good and different every day. Amazing how they were able to have fresh fruit and veggies all the time. 

I would highly recommend this ship and itinerary if you are looking for a real adventure. I hosted 8 other people on this cruise and they all loved it. Thank you to the hondius  crew for making my dream come true!

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