Hondius巡游游船, 北极

Good for money

The food were fantastic. The expendition team are knowledgeable. We saw polar bears.

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Food, polar bear, team members

Unforgettable cruise around Svalbard

Getting up to almost 81st north and to have sailed in the middle of the ice. Saw the bear both on land and on ice at sea. The thrill of zodiac cruises. The enthusiasm with which the guides explained to us the different aspects of nature that we observed

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The enthusiasm and preparation of the guides, the ability to involve all participants and the will to show the most interesting aspects of Svalbard

An adventure in fairy land

1.The poler plunge 2. Being on the pack ice. 3. The zodiac excursion.

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1. The unique landscape. 2. The teams professional attitude. 3. The zodiac excursion.

Un viaje inolvidable

Los paisajes y animales que vimos. Sobre todo el mar de hielo y los osos polares

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Una organización magnifica

Fabulous trip as far north as you can go.

Watching the pack ice at a distance of 1100 km from the north pole. Watching polar bears from a distance. Hiking on snowshoes.

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Experiencing the Arctic from the comfort of a modern ship. Knowledgable guides. Cruising the fjords on zodiacs.

Svalbard at its best

Hondius is running its first season which could have been a double-edged sword having huge potential without the experience to fulfill the promise... Well, the ship and crew went beyond our expectations on several fronts. The ship is incredibly silent, no engine noise even in economy cabins, very stable running smoothly in choppy sea conditions. The plan was to circumnavigate the archipelago, but ice conditions blocked 10 % of the perimeter of Svalbard. Instead of saying that we cannot follow the original itinerary and shortening our journey, Hondius took us to the limits of the ice block from the north and also from the south basically doubling the length of the originally planned route. Members of the expedition team pushed themselves very hard to make the journey unforgettable and safe. We encountered polar bears, males, females with cubs, on the ice , on shore and swimming close to the ship. Zodiac cruises and hikes provided sightings of arctic foxes, incredible birdlife, and a colony of walruses among others. The crew on the ship is very efficient in finding and preserving wildlife, the ship is perfect for navigating through the ice to maximize chances for good photography and videos, such a silent ice breaker helped us to enjoy blue and fin whales. Being an expedition ship, the food compared favourably to big cruise ships according to my experience. With one or two exceptions, lectures were enjoyable and informative, most of us felt that we really learned something. Rafael, the expedition leader is probably the most knowledgeable person on arctic matters I had the privilege to meet thus far, and his charisma was helped effectively by other guides to keep the behaviour of multinational passengers in accord with the wildlife around us. One needs to be patient when waiting for the zodiacs fully dressed (140 people takes time to board), but overall we had a highly enjoyable and memorable trip.

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arctic animals, smooth running ship, crew effort