Oceanwide Expeditions: the polar fare with the extras left out
A Dutch line that grew out of a university research program in 1993 and now runs three expedition ships and a schooner. The fares sit at the low end of the polar lines we’ve priced — and the Basecamp voyages put camping, kayaking and mountaineering inside them.
Oceanwide sells the landing, not the lounge. Its ships are small and plain by luxury standards, its fares leave out drinks and tips, and its Basecamp voyages include the activities other lines charge for.
That makes it one of the best-value ways to do something active in the ice. In Svalbard its per-day fares sit under most rivals we’ve priced and level with HX. In Antarctica the gap closes — HX’s sale fare, flights included, works out lower per day than Oceanwide’s twin cabin.
Book it for the activity, and price the flights before you compare.
Basecamp: the activities are the fare
Tap a card for the limits. Each one comes from Oceanwide’s own voyage pages and rate sheets.
The ship parks, you go out
The ship stays two or three days at a location and works as a hub. Camping, kayaking, hiking and snowshoeing, mountaineering and the photo workshop come in the price of the berth. In 2026–27 Antarctica, Basecamp sails on all three ships, 12 nights from Ushuaia.
Same ships, activities à la carte
Landings and Zodiac cruises are included. Kayaking, camping, diving and snorkeling are often sold separately, at prices printed on the rate sheet — $280 to camp and $300 for a kayak try-out on Hondius’s December 27 departure, for example.
Basecamp runs at both ends of the world. In Antarctica it’s the Peninsula, with camping and mountaineering on the menu. In the Arctic it’s North Spitsbergen on Ortelius, with kayaking, hiking and a photo workshop included.
Weather decides the order of the days — and sometimes whether an activity runs at all. The activities are a plan, not a promise.
The 2026–27 Antarctic Basecamps are priced alike on Hondius and Ortelius: $12,500 per person in a twin porthole cabin. Plancius’s January and February Basecamps run higher, at $14,250.
Tell us which activity matters most. We’ll check the places left on that departure before you pay the deposit.
The Oceanwide year, departure by departure
Dark cells are core months. Pale cells are the first and last departures of a run.
Where the four ships are
Built from Oceanwide’s 2026–27 Antarctic and 2027 Arctic USD rate sheets. Tap a month for the departures that fill it.
The fleet follows the light. From late October to early April it works out of Ushuaia; by late May it’s in Svalbard, and Greenland follows in late summer. Rembrandt van Rijn stays north the whole time, from Svalbard ski trips in spring to Iceland in October.
Two regions are missing on purpose. Oceanwide publishes no Galápagos, Kimberley or Alaska season — for those, start with our Galápagos, Kimberley and Alaska expedition guides.
Choose the region, then the month. Our Antarctica, Arctic, Greenland and polar bear guides explain what each month trades away.
Start at the berth, then add the rest
Price an Oceanwide voyage
Pick a departure. Tick what you’ll add and change any amount. Published supplements are filled in; the rest are yours to estimate.
Fares are Oceanwide’s published USD prices per person in a twin porthole cabin (Twin Private Inside on the schooner), before flights, as published on November 1, 2026. Oceanwide shows discounted fares on some departures and changes rates often. Rows at $0 have no published price; we’ll quote them for your dates.
The tip line is the one most buyers forget — small per day, not small by the end. At Oceanwide’s suggested $10 to $15 a day, a couple on a 13-day Basecamp hands over about $260 to $390 at the end.
Flights are the bigger unknown — and the one the rate sheets leave out entirely. Get the Ushuaia or Longyearbyen fare first, then compare totals rather than headlines.
What a day with Oceanwide actually costs
Svalbard is where Oceanwide’s value shows most. In Antarctica, compare the shared-cabin fare and what each line folds in.
Inside the fare, and the bill at the end
Bold means it’s in the fare. Everything else is on you.
| Item | Antarctica 2026–27 | Arctic 2027 | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meals, snacks, coffee and tea aboard | Included | Included | Rate sheets |
| Zodiac landings, lectures, expedition staff | Included | Included | Rate sheets |
| Rubber boots and snowshoes | Included | Included (snowshoes only on the schooner) | Rate sheets |
| Basecamp activities | Included on Basecamp voyages | Included on the Ortelius Basecamp | Basecamp page |
| Port charges, service taxes | Included | Included, plus AECO fees | Rate sheets |
| Wi-Fi | 1.5 GB a day on the Basecamp page we read | Ask us | Voyage page |
| Bar and beverages | Extra | Extra | Rate sheets |
| Crew gratuity | Extra, $10–15 a day suggested | Extra, $10–15 a day suggested | Tipping FAQ |
| Laundry and telecom | Extra | Extra | Rate sheets |
| Flights and insurance | Extra; insurance required | Extra; insurance required | Terms |
The list is short. It’s also clear. You get the ship, the food, the landings and the guides. The bar, the tips and the laundry go on a bill — settled by card on the last day, per Oceanwide’s FAQ.
That’s the honest trade behind the lower fare — a smaller fare, not a smaller trip. A line with an open bar and tips folded in will look dearer before you add those back.
Add your own drinks estimate to the calculator above. Then put it beside the all-inclusive quote.
A Dutch line that grew up in Spitsbergen
A research ship
Oceanwide began as part of a university research program in the north of the Netherlands, and says it was first to offer civilian trips to Spitsbergen.
Hondius arrives
Brodosplit hands over Hondius, which Oceanwide calls the world’s first-registered Polar Class 6 ship.
Hantavirus on Hondius
Three people died in an Andes-strain hantavirus outbreak on an Argentina-to-Cape Verde voyage. Dutch health officials cleared the ship on May 30; WHO later declared the outbreak over.
Two eco-sail ships
A letter of intent, signed in March 2026, for two 146-guest ships with hybrid sail propulsion, based on the Hondius design.
Oceanwide is run from Vlissingen, in the Netherlands, and its CEO is Rémi Bouysset. Its fleet reads like a family history: a former Dutch Navy oceanographic ship, a former Russian research ship, a herring lugger turned schooner and one purpose-built polar ship.
Expect a mixed group aboard, not an all-American one. The rate sheets list English, German and French departures, plus language-assisted ones alongside English.
The 2026 outbreak, briefly. The first death aboard was on April 11, and WHO was first notified on May 2. WHO figures reported in July put infections at 13 or more and deaths at three.
Oceanwide’s position is that the virus was introduced from a source in South America, not the ship. The Rotterdam-Rijnmond health service cleared Hondius to return to service on May 30, and WHO declared the outbreak over in early July.
The details, ship by ship, are on our Oceanwide fleet guide. Read it first. Then choose a hull.
Twenty percent down, sixty days to the balance
The clock is short. Oceanwide’s terms take 20% of the total at booking and the balance 60 days before departure. That’s later than HX’s 90 days or Lindblad’s 120, among the lines we’ve priced.
The fees step up fast — two jumps in thirty days. Cancel up to 90 days out and you lose 20%; from 89 to 60 days, 50%; from 59 days, all of it.
Insurance is required, not recommended. The terms make medical, accident and evacuation cover mandatory. The insurance FAQ sets the floor at $100,000 of evacuation cover for Antarctica, $50,000 for the Arctic and $300,000 for the Ross Sea.
Some rate sheets still say “strongly recommended”. Go by the terms. They’re binding. Compare plans in our expedition insurance guide before you pay the deposit.
Share a cabin, or pay 1.7 times
The share option is the draw here, not the cabins themselves. It’s why budget-minded solo travelers look here first. It costs nothing to ask.
Ask us to hold a shared berth early. The quad and triple cabins are few, and several 2026 Basecamp categories already show a waitlist.
Families. The minimum age is 3, and Oceanwide’s FAQ advises against children under 8. The rate sheets offer 40% off on request for under-16s sharing certain cabins with parents.
That discount can make a triple or quad porthole a low-cost family cabin. Ask which departures exclude it.
Pack for Oceanwide, or pick another line
Built on Oceanwide’s published fares and terms. The verdicts are ours.
You want to camp, paddle or climb
Basecamp puts those in the berth price. Most lines sell them one by one, if at all.
You’re solo and happy to share
A shared berth costs the per-person fare, with no supplement, on both rate sheets.
Svalbard is the goal
Four ships, June to September, from about $830 a day in a twin porthole cabin. Read our polar bear guide for the odds.
You want the bar and tips in the fare
Lindblad includes drinks almost everywhere, and Ponant is worth pricing for the same reason.
The questions we get about Oceanwide
Are Basecamp activities really free on Oceanwide?
On Basecamp voyages, yes. Oceanwide's Basecamp page says camping, kayaking, hiking and snowshoeing, mountaineering and the photo workshop come in the price of your berth. The limits are in the fine print: camping is one night per voyage, mountaineering places are limited, and every activity depends on weather and ice. On other voyages the same activities are often sold as supplements, such as $600 for kayaking or $280 for camping on some 2027 Plancius departures.
Are tips and drinks included on Oceanwide?
No. Oceanwide's 2026-27 and 2027 rate sheets list the bar, beverages, laundry and telecom charges as extras, along with the end-of-voyage gratuity. Its tipping FAQ suggests 10 to 15 euros or dollars per guest per day, given in cash as a pooled envelope at the end of the voyage. Meals, coffee, tea and snacks aboard are included.
How much does an Oceanwide Antarctica cruise cost?
On the 2026-27 USD rate sheet, the lowest Antarctic fare is $7,050 per person for a berth in a shared quadruple cabin on Plancius's 9-night whale-watching voyage in late March 2027. A twin porthole cabin on a 12-night Basecamp voyage is $12,500 per person. Fares are per person before flights to Ushuaia. Oceanwide lists euro rates for sales within Europe and dollar rates for sales outside it, so U.S. travelers pay the dollar fare. Basecamp voyages in the 2027-28 season, starting in November 2027, list a twin porthole berth at $13,650 on Hondius, so expect the fare to move from year to year.
Does Oceanwide require travel insurance?
Yes. Oceanwide's terms say travel insurance covering medical costs, accidents and repatriation or evacuation is mandatory, and cancellation cover is strongly recommended. Its insurance FAQ sets minimum evacuation and repatriation cover per person: 50,000 euros or dollars for the Arctic, 100,000 for Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands, and 300,000 for the Ross Sea.
When is final payment due, and what does it cost to cancel?
Oceanwide's terms ask for 20% of the total price at booking and the balance 60 days before departure. Cancel up to 90 days out and the fee is 20% of the total price. From 89 to 60 days it is 50%, and from 59 days to departure it is 100%. The terms in force are dated December 6, 2022, and your confirmation can set other terms.
What does a solo traveler pay on Oceanwide?
Either 1.7 times the per-person twin or superior rate for a cabin to yourself, or nothing extra if you agree to share a twin, triple or quadruple cabin with another guest. Both options are printed on Oceanwide's 2026-27 Antarctic and 2027 Arctic rate sheets.
Can children sail with Oceanwide?
From age 3, though Oceanwide's FAQ advises against bringing children under 8, and there's no upper age limit. Its rate sheets list a 40% discount, on request, for children under 16 traveling with parents in certain cabins; some voyages may be excluded.
Weighing Basecamp against a classic voyage? We’ll price both, flights included.
Tell us the region, the month and who’s coming. We’ll check activity places, shared berths and the supplements on your departure, then set the total beside one or two other lines.
- Camping, kayaking and mountaineering places left
- Shared-berth and child-discount availability
- Flights to Ushuaia or Longyearbyen, priced
No fee, no obligation. You pay the cruise line’s own fare. A real advisor replies, usually within one business day.
Ask about Oceanwide
Answers come straight from this guide.
Answers come from our guides and are general information. Confirm details with us before you book.
Every figure, and where it lives
Fares, supplements, inclusions and terms are Oceanwide’s own published figures on the date shown; the other lines’ fares come from their own sites, as logged for our line guides. The per-day costs, the tip estimates and the fit verdicts are our arithmetic and judgement, not Oceanwide’s. Rates change often, and your confirmation governs.
Next stops
The voyage, the gateway night, and the cover that matters out there.
Expedition trips have more moving parts than a Caribbean week: a charter flight, a night in a gateway city, gear lists and an evacuation clause the line sets for you. We book them together and check that the dates and the fine print agree.