Quick comparison table

If you just want the headline differences before you read on, this is the short version. Everything here is unpacked in detail further down.

Company overview

Oceanwide Expeditions traces back to 1993, growing out of a Dutch university research programme that used a former oceanographic vessel to run some of the first civilian voyages to Spitsbergen. Three decades on, it's one of the few polar operators that self-owns and operates its entire fleet rather than chartering ships from third parties — a structural difference that shows up in consistency of crew, onboard culture, and how tightly the company controls its own operations from Vlissingen, the Netherlands.

Polar Latitudes Expeditions is a genuinely new company for 2026, though not a new idea. It's the result of Polar Latitudes — a US-based operator founded in 2010 with a loyal following built on smaller, classic-style ships — merging with Albatros Expeditions, the Danish operator that's been running polar voyages since 1986 and built the modern X-BOW ships Ocean Albatros and Ocean Victory. The combined company is led by Patrick Shaw, previously CEO of Quark Expeditions, and the two brands are transitioning to a single operational structure through the 2026 season. In practice, that means more fleet variety and a broader destination list than either company had alone, but also a business that's still settling into its new shape.

Both are IAATO and AECO members, both run small, expedition-first ships built around Zodiac landings, and both depart most classic Antarctic Peninsula voyages from Ushuaia. Oceanwide is the steadier, more established name; Polar Latitudes Expeditions is the bigger bet on a newly combined operation — not necessarily the wrong bet, just a different kind of confidence to buy into.

Fleet comparison

Oceanwide's Antarctic-going ships — m/v Hondius (170 passengers), m/v Ortelius (108), and m/v Plancius (108) — are all ice-strengthened, conventional-bow vessels rather than the newer X-BOW hull style. Hondius, launched in 2019, was the world's first-registered Polar Class 6 passenger vessel and is the flagship. Ortelius carries the fleet's most distinctive hardware: on select Ross Sea departures — voyages that, notably, often depart from New Zealand rather than South America — it operates with helicopters on board, giving access few other operators can match. Plancius is the line's longest-serving ship and still one of its most popular. A fourth vessel, the three-masted sailing schooner Rembrandt van Rijn, carries just 33 guests and works exclusively in the Arctic, threading the fjords of Svalbard and Greenland rather than heading south.

Oceanwide's fleet: Hondius, Ortelius (with helicopters on select Ross Sea trips), and Plancius.

Polar Latitudes Expeditions inherits a wider spread of ship styles from its two parent brands. Ocean Albatros and Ocean Victory, both from Albatros Expeditions, are modern Infinity-class ships built on the Ulstein X-BOW platform — the same inverted-hull design Aurora Expeditions pioneered — carrying up to roughly 186–189 guests with pools, spas, and multiple dining venues. Discoverer, carrying around 140 guests, and Ocean Nova, the smallest at just 80 guests, are more classic, conventional-bow expedition ships carried over from the Polar Latitudes side of the business. That's the widest passenger range of any operator we cover in this series — a single trip on Ocean Nova feels like a different category of travel to a trip on Ocean Victory, even though both now sail under the same brand.

Polar Latitudes Expeditions' fleet: Ocean Albatros, Ocean Victory, Discoverer, and Ocean Nova — from X-BOW modern to classic small-ship.

Expedition experience

Day to day, both run the same core rhythm: Zodiac landings, twice-daily excursions when conditions allow, evening lectures, and itineraries that flex around weather and ice rather than a fixed script. Neither operator runs onboard entertainment in the cruise-ship sense — the landscape is the programme.

Where they diverge is consistency versus range. Oceanwide's three Antarctic ships share a similar ice-strengthened, no-frills expedition character, so the experience feels broadly the same whichever one you're on. Polar Latitudes Expeditions' fleet spans two very different eras of ship design — book Ocean Nova and you get a tight-knit, 80-guest classic voyage; book Ocean Victory and you get a considerably larger, more amenity-rich modern ship. Neither is wrong, but it's worth being deliberate about which ship you're actually booking rather than assuming the brand name guarantees a single kind of experience.

Guides and staff

Oceanwide runs a guide team of 8–13 per ship depending on vessel size, which works out to roughly one guide for every 13 guests fleet-wide — a solid, industry-standard ratio, though not the tightest on the market.

Polar Latitudes Expeditions markets a considerably tighter ratio of 7:1 to 8:1, with an expedition team that averages around twelve years of polar experience. That's nearly double the attention per guest compared with Oceanwide, and it's one of the clearer, more measurable differences between the two operators rather than a matter of style.

Activities: kayaking, camping, diving

Oceanwide runs one of the broadest activity menus in the industry: kayaking, snowshoeing, mountaineering, ski mountaineering, camping, and scuba/polar diving are all offered across the fleet, plus photo workshops and, on select Ortelius Ross Sea departures, helicopter flights to sites no Zodiac can reach. Its "Basecamp" itineraries on Hondius and Plancius are worth calling out specifically: kayaking, camping, and mountaineering are bundled into the fare at no extra charge, rather than sold as paid add-ons the way most operators — including Polar Latitudes Expeditions on standard departures — typically handle them.

Polar Latitudes Expeditions covers the same core ground — kayaking, camping, snowshoeing, photography with award-winning coaches, and a well-established citizen science programme — plus a few things Oceanwide doesn't offer at all, like the polar plunge as a signature event and an active weddings programme for couples wanting to marry in Antarctica. Its Arctic-side activities extend further too, including flightseeing over Ilulissat's ice fjord and backcountry ATV trips near Sisimiut, reflecting the Arctic-heavy DNA it inherited from both parent brands.

Ice camping, citizen science, and kayaking — core activities across both fleets.

The polar plunge — a signature moment on Polar Latitudes Expeditions voyages.

Food and accommodation

Oceanwide runs a buffet breakfast and lunch with à la carte dinner service, and the bar keeps coffee, tea, and hot chocolate available all day as standard. It's a straightforward, well-reviewed programme — the line holds an average 9.7/10 rating across more than 1,300 customer reviews — without the multiple specialty restaurants you'll find on larger ships.

Polar Latitudes Expeditions' dining and cabin experience now varies more by ship than by brand, which is the natural consequence of combining two different fleets. Ocean Albatros and Ocean Victory bring the amenity level you'd expect from modern X-BOW ships — multiple dining venues, a pool, gym, and spa, and cabin categories running up toward suites with private balconies. Discoverer and Ocean Nova are more modest, classic-style ships with simpler public spaces. Drinks inclusions also appear to vary across the merged fleet rather than following one fixed policy, so it's worth confirming exactly what's included for your specific ship and departure before you book.

Pricing and value

Both operators sit in a similar overall bracket, generally positioned as better value than the large, comfort-first lines, though pricing swings hard on ship, season, and how far out you book. As a rough guide, Oceanwide's classic 10–11 day Antarctic Peninsula voyages have started from around USD 10,000–12,000 per person in recent seasons, with combination itineraries into the Weddell Sea, Falklands, or South Georgia running higher, typically USD 11,000–12,000-plus.

Polar Latitudes Expeditions' pricing spans a wider range, which tracks with its wider fleet: shorter Arctic voyages have started as low as USD 6,500, an 11-day Antarctica departure from around USD 9,900, and longer combination voyages into South Georgia climbing well past USD 20,000. Which ship you're quoted for matters more here than with Oceanwide, since a fare on Ocean Nova and a fare on Ocean Victory for a similar itinerary length can differ substantially. Polar Latitudes Expeditions also runs Fly & Cruise departures that skip the Drake Passage crossing on the way south — see our guide on whether a fly-cruise is worth it if that's a priority for you.

Treat any figures you see online, including ours, as a starting point rather than a quote — pricing changes constantly with season, ship, and cabin category. For the full picture on what an Antarctic voyage actually costs once flights, gear, and extras are factored in, see our guide to what an Antarctica expedition cruise actually costs in 2026.

Which traveller should choose Oceanwide?

Oceanwide tends to suit travellers who want a settled, self-owned operation with more than 30 years of continuous polar operating history and a fleet that behaves consistently ship to ship. It's also the stronger pick if remote-access activities are the priority — the Ross Sea helicopter access on Ortelius, the free-included kayaking and camping on Basecamp voyages, and reach into rarely visited South Atlantic islands like St Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha are all territory Polar Latitudes Expeditions doesn't currently cover. Travellers who want scuba or polar diving as part of the trip also have more options here.

Which traveller should choose Polar Latitudes?

If a tighter guide ratio matters more to you than which specific ship you're on, Polar Latitudes Expeditions' 7:1 to 8:1 ratio is a meaningful step up from Oceanwide's roughly 1:13. It's also the stronger fit if you want genuine ship-style choice within one brand — a modern, amenity-rich X-BOW ship on Ocean Victory or Ocean Albatros, or a smaller classic vessel on Ocean Nova, depending on what kind of trip you're after. Its destination reach outside Antarctica is broader too, with a growing North Atlantic programme into Ireland, Scotland, and the Faroe Islands that Oceanwide doesn't offer. The trade-off is booking into a company still mid-merger — worth going in with eyes open about which legacy brand and ship your voyage actually traces back to.

Final verdict

Oceanwide and Polar Latitudes Expeditions are both credible operators, but they represent different kinds of bets. Oceanwide is the known quantity: a self-owned fleet, three decades of consistent operating history, and some of the broadest remote-access activities in the business. Polar Latitudes Expeditions is the bigger, more variable proposition — a stronger guide ratio and real ship-style choice, wrapped inside a company that's still merging two distinct fleets and cultures into one. Neither answer is universally right; which one fits depends on how much you value consistency versus range, and exactly which ship within either fleet you'd actually be sailing on.