Cruises to Antarctica

Words will not do enough justice or explain how content and excited I am, even after the expedition ends. Everything from boarding the ship to the crew staff, the expedition team, and the activities worked perfectly, and the weather was just amazing throughout the trip. A huge thanks to Sara, our expedition leader, and her team for ensuring everyone gets to do all activities safely. Also, the lectures were so informative and interesting that even the long sailing days felt exciting. Highly Recommended!

Superlatives are thrown sound in society today, greatest, biggest, richest,coldest, highest, applied often to things that do not merit them This trip however deserves the use of every single one that comes to mind and many that don’t A breathtaking and likely life changing holiday location and means of journey decision this seasoned traveler will never regret Do not hesitate to visit whilst its pristine beauty and terrifying extremes remain accessible

Way more than we expected! In terms of the ship, the crew and staff, the service, the wildlife, the surroundings, the food. Everything was in one word excellent. We were really pleased to be on a real adventure, an expedition. Thanks for having us. We so much enjoyed it.

The expedition staff is very energetic and knowledgeable. We went south to 70 degrees latitude. Saw a lot of polar wildlife, icebergs and ice shelf, beautiful landscapes, clear skies, and auroras.

It was the most amazing trip to the Deep South of the Earth. I wasn't well prepared or well read on what to expect but the experience was absolutely unique. The landscapes are out of this world and I will treasure the memory of this pristine natural surroundings and its inhabitants forever in my heart and mind. The team on the m/v Ortelius was the best you could wish for and the size and comfort of the ship was just perfect. Everyone on board could participate in all the activities that were organized. I can only recommend this amazing voyage to everyone with a passion for nature and adventure.

Overall excellent food! Really appreciated the daily selection and quality. Especially appreciated the multiple vegetarian options and the regular appearance of Indian dishes! Yummy! Excellent waitstaff. Please consider better quality coffee beans - while the fancy coffee machine was very good, the quality of the actual coffee was not great. The coffee was very acidic. Cabin Superior Loved it. The only piece of feedback was how dark the closets were, so it made it very hard to see what was in them, especially once clothes were hanging up - please consider adding lights here. Overall, everything was in very good condition. Comfortable bedding, perfect desk, great windows. Sharing - I was disappointed to hear that Oceanwide could not guarantee a non-smoking room to a guest. This is a really serious issue, especially for guests with smoke or allergy sensitivity. I hope there is some way to mitigate this in the future, as it creates a serious barrier for solo, non-smokers. Zodiacs were great tools. However, not all zodiac drivers are equal. Specifically, we had some great drivers and some who were not: too slow, hit/got stuck on rocks, didn’t manage passenger viewing well - i.e., giving each side a turn, mishandling the entrance/exit of Zodiac. This is one of the most dangerous elements that the expedition guides manage. I was dismayed to learn that Oceanwide does not track or share near misses among boats or among staff, and further, there is even an unwillingness among staff to share near-misses, incidents, or accidents for fear of reprisal. This is unacceptable. There are plenty of industries that Oceanwide could look to for guidance and best practices when operating in a high-risk environment: aviation/pilots, avalanche safety, and outdoor high-adventure programs like the US’s National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). These industries have mastered the art of sharing near-misses, and critical incidents and have created a culture of no-blame, which encourages learning from others' mistakes so that everyone can be better and safer. Oceanwide needs to take a very hard look at their current culture around safety if they want to consider themselves a leader in the industry and we recommend getting a risk management audit from an organization such as NOLS. I personally witnessed one of two “near miss” events: while unloading our Zodiac a passenger slipped and tripped at the shell door and wound up in a sitting position where one leg was inside the shell door and one leg was nearly trapped between the pitching zodiac and the hull of the ship (broken leg risk). Only with luck was she not injured. The other event was in another boat that I only heard of later: a Zodiac struck a rock with enough speed that the driver was thrown to the floor and suffered a bruised face. Again, this easily could have been a broken tooth, jaw, arm, etc. A few of the guides mentioned hearing about other Zodiac incidents on other Oceanwide boats. They were frustrated that they only heard about this “through the grapevine” and not through a formal channel that shared learnings and reminders among ALL staff on Oceanwide boats. Bridge - Really appreciated the open bridge policy. Lectures - Excellent and super informative, although they could be more interactive and not just lecturing. It felt like we got a post-graduate level course on the Antarctic! My one point of criticism is that lecturers need to give people HOPE at the end of any lecture, pointing out all of the challenges and threats to the Antarctic. Otherwise, you risk just sowing seeds of despair and hopelessness. You have to give people a reason for hope AND give them ways that they can personally make a difference- telling them they are now Antarctic ambassadors is not enough; need more tangible actions (donate, voice concerns on regulations and policy issues, eating responsible seafood, climate change actions, etc.). Gear - I rented a pack and insulated waterproof pants. Both were excellent and the process to get them was easy. I needed to exchange my waterproof rubber boots twice before I was able to get a pair that did not leak. Maybe there needs to be a better system of tracking/repairing/retiring any boots that leak? Social - We enjoyed meeting the other guests on the ship. There were good events on the deck, and in the lecture room that allowed time for socializing. It would be GREAT if the Expedition Leader or someone could help guests get to know each other early on in the trip. Maybe create a game or space for guests to ask each other questions, or “conversation starter” cards on the tables at meals. Another suggestion might be to allow guests to post short bios about themselves (like what the ship does for its staff) so guests can see who everyone is.