Polar Latitudes vs Oceanwide Expeditions: which is better?

No score and no verdict of ours: what Polar Latitudes and Oceanwide Expeditions each publish on their own websites, read 9 November 2026, topic by topic, each line linked to the page it came from.

Polar Latitudes vs Oceanwide Expeditions: which is better?

Neither is better for everyone: Polar Latitudes takes 80 to 178 guests per ship and includes a jacket to keep, while Oceanwide Expeditions sails four ships and lets solo travellers share at no extra cost; both price Antarctic voyages online, from US$11,395 on 22 November 2026 and from US$10,150 on 23 November 2026.

What is each line?

Polar Latitudes runs small-ship expedition cruises as Polar Latitudes Expeditions, which it says joins Polar Latitudes and Albatros Expeditions. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions runs polar expedition voyages in the Arctic and Antarctica on its own fleet and says it began in 1993 from a university research programme in the northern Netherlands. Source

Which ships does each line sail?

Polar Latitudes lists four ships as its fleet, Ocean Albatros, Ocean Victory, MV Discoverer and Ocean Nova, without saying whether each is owned or chartered. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions sails m/v Hondius, m/v Ortelius, m/v Plancius and the sailing vessel s/v Rembrandt van Rijn; it has signed a letter of intent for two eco-sail expedition vessels from 2029. Source

How many guests are on board?

Polar Latitudes carries from 80 to 178 guests per ship, with a maximum of 80 on Ocean Nova; it gives no maximum for each of the other ships. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions does not publish this on the pages read.

Where does each line sail?

Polar Latitudes sells named voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula and the Antarctic Circle, the Falklands and South Georgia, Svalbard, Greenland, Norway's Lofoten, the North Atlantic isles and Patagonia's Chilean fjords. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions sells named voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula, the Antarctic Circle, the Weddell Sea, the Bellingshausen Sea, South Georgia and the Falklands, Svalbard, Northeast and East Greenland, Iceland and the North Sea. Source

What ice class are the ships?

Oceanwide Expeditions says Hondius holds Polar Class 6 and Ortelius UL1 (both equivalent to 1A-Super) and Plancius ice-class notation 1D; it calls Hondius the world's first-registered Polar Class 6 vessel. Source

Polar Latitudes does not publish this on the pages read.

Who leads the landings?

Polar Latitudes' expedition team has one member for every seven to eight guests and averages a dozen years' experience, with marine biologists, environmental scientists and ornithologists among them. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions puts an expedition leader in charge of naturalists, scientists and guides, with one mountain guide to every 6 to 8 skiers on ski mountaineering voyages. Source

How much time ashore?

Polar Latitudes takes guests off the ship twice daily, weather permitting, for an average of six hours each day; it does not say how many go ashore at once. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions includes all shore excursions and Zodiac activities, with hikes of about 2 to 3 hours and long hikes of about 6 hours. Source

What can you do off the ship?

Polar Latitudes includes the polar plunge and hiking; camping, Discover Kayaking, Immersive Kayaking, snowshoeing and the Immersive Photography Program cost extra, with a free photography coach on every voyage. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions includes camping (8 to 30 campers), kayaking, snowshoeing, mountaineering and a photo workshop free on Basecamp voyages; snowshoeing and hiking carry no surcharge, diving costs extra and select Ortelius voyages use helicopters. Source

What does a voyage cost?

Polar Latitudes prices Antarctic Peninsula: The Pure Expedition, 10 days/9 nights on Ocean Victory from Ushuaia departing 4 February 2027, from US$8,817 per person. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions prices Antarctica Basecamp on m/v Hondius, 12 nights round trip from Ushuaia, 23 November to 5 December 2026, from 10,150 USD per person in a Quadruple Porthole cabin. Source

What does the fare include?

Polar Latitudes' fares include all landings and Zodiac cruises, all meals, beer, wine and soft drinks with dinner, a waterproof expedition jacket to keep, boots on loan, 1GB wifi and taxes and landing fees; flights, optional activities, gratuities (it suggests USD 20 per person per day) and the mandatory insurance are extra. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions' fares include all meals with snacks, coffee and tea, all shore excursions and Zodiac activities, lectures, free use of rubber boots and snowshoes on Plancius, Ortelius and Hondius, port charges and taxes; airfare, insurance, wifi, bar charges and gratuities are extra. Source

What do solo travellers pay?

Polar Latitudes pairs solo travellers in a shared cabin with another of the same gender, or charges the per-person cabin rate times 1.7 to stay single; MV Discoverer has three Solo Vista Staterooms with no single supplement. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions charges single occupancy at 1.7 times the Twin or Superior cabin rate, or lets solo travellers share a Twin, Triple or Quadruple cabin at no extra cost in male-only or female-only berths. Source

How much is the deposit?

Polar Latitudes asks a 20% non-refundable deposit to confirm a booking, with final payment due 120 days before departure. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions does not publish this on the pages read.

What happens if you cancel?

Polar Latitudes charges $1,250 USD per person to cancel 181 days or more before departure, loss of the 20% deposit from 180 to 120 days and 100% of the total cost under 120 days. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions does not publish this on the pages read.

What insurance do you need?

Polar Latitudes requires travel insurance bought at the time of booking, with at least $150,000 USD cover for medical expenses, evacuation, emergency repatriation and pre-existing conditions. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions strongly recommends baggage, cancellation and personal insurance, which its fares do not include. Source

Can children come?

Polar Latitudes takes children from 12 years old as a rule, with ages 8 to 11 considered case by case with prior approval and a parental waiver; under-18s must room with a guardian over 21. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions gives children under 16 sailing with parents a 40% discount in Grand Suite, Superior, Triple and Quadruple cabins on request, with some voyages excluded. Source

When is each not the fit?

The limits below are published by each line on their own websites.

• Polar Latitudes: not the fit if you use a wheelchair: it says its vessels are not built to be wheelchair accessible, though Ocean Victory and Ocean Albatros have accessible cabins. Source
• Oceanwide Expeditions: not the fit if you count on camping or kayaking on any departure: each needs a minimum group (8 campers, 4 kayakers) and camping is capped at 30. Source

How do their reviews compare?

Their figures per platform, read 9 November 2026, each from a listing under the line's own name; a whole-company profile is marked. Figures are never added together.

• Polar Latitudes: Google: 4.1 out of 5 from 7 reviews; Trustpilot: 4.7 out of 5 from 189 reviews, newest 8 November 2026. Read 9 November 2026.
• Oceanwide Expeditions: Google: 4.5 out of 5 from 66 reviews. Read 9 November 2026.

The lines at a glance

One card each, as on every Uncompromised Travel expedition page: what each sells, why to choose each, what to ask for and the limits each publishes.

Richard Jasinski · Uncompromised Travel · written from Valencia · first published 9 November 2026 · updated 9 November 2026