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What travelers are saying

"Horrible horrible customer service! Or should I say non-existent?! As a world traveller, I have encountered all types of crappy, parroting, cookie-cutter, idiotic answers from customer services over the last decade; however, I have never EVER had a company ghosting customers let alone one whom we have paid tens of thousands of Euros! The pre-booking phase was just fine and smooth, the laid-back attitude of welcoming on the ship without x-ray machines and asking for passports was amazing. But the nice part ended there. The meals, lectures and general service was mediocre at best. The more important thing is the missing of Kvitoya, which was the main point of the cruise for us. Basically the captain did not want to go there, they used the weather as an excuse because the way the expedition leader put it was: “It would be very uncomfortable and we'd be missing a day and a half of activities.” ! So it wasn't that the weather made it impossible, it was a “choice” by the captain. Mind you, it's no longer possible to visit Kvitoya from January 2025 on due to new regulations, so there is no way to make up for this. So it is a huge huge loss for us. Then, comes the worst part. They wrote a logbook with NO MENTION of missing Kvitoya at all! The only place you find Kvitoya in the logbook is in the name of the voyage! Incredible... Then of course comes the even more incredible part: As Kvitoya was the highlight and the main reason why we booked this voyage, we asked for a partial refund. Mind you, the cruise without Kvitoya is much cheaper than what we have paid for. And what did they do?? They basically did not answer at all! After two weeks, I wrote reminding them our request. We were told that we'd be getting an answer, but within 6 weeks. So we waited six weeks, nothing. 7th week, still nothing. In the end, I wrote again and got an apology from the reception desk “for the inconvenience”! Still 5 more days passed and the Arctic Director deigned to answer. It probably would have been better if he hadn't! It was an indignant answer saying how rightful they were, how it took time to “investigate” (as if they're investigating a murder case!), that the trip was overall successful apart from not getting to Kvitoya (Duh! That's the point of the voyage, it's in the name: “Around Spitsbergen and Kvitoya”), apologizing “nevertheless” (implying there was no need for an apology but he was still apologizing!) and offering us a 20 % discount on a future trip stating specifically that it was valid only for “non-discounted” voyages, that is basically trying to sell us yet another trip which would get money in their pockets, not compensating us the least! Not even offering the difference between the voyage without Kvitoya, that is the one we paid for and the one we got. I naturally replied with a refusal of their offer, and legitimately criticized the response. Well... It's been a week now and no answer. So basically, we are ghosted! Never in our lives did such a thing happen that the customer service did not get back to us after 2 months, not even with small companies let alone a company who has charged tens of thousands euros! And being ghosted??! STAY AWAY from Oceanwide! It's easy to be a good company when things go fine. The calibre and quality of a company shows in the proactive way they solve problems and Oceanwide failed miserably on this!"

What travelers are saying

"I had a simply marvellous and memorable experience aboard St Hilda with the Mull Odyssey cruise. Christophe and Kerry were fantastic, helpful , lovely people. Everybody was great company! The land and seascapes were quite amazing, the light and shade effects wonderful. I know and love the West Coast of Scotland, and this is a wonderful way of seeing it. Highlights were the peace of Iona, the puffins within a couple of feet on Lunga, the fantastic mountains of Mull reflected in the water.... I could go on for ever! Quite the best holiday of my life!"

What travelers are saying

"everything is perfect from start to finish just back from Baltic cruise on Braemar , it was amazing."

What travelers are saying

"I had a simply marvellous and memorable experience aboard St Hilda with the Mull Odyssey cruise. Christophe and Kerry were fantastic, helpful , lovely people. Everybody was great company! The land and seascapes were quite amazing, the light and shade effects wonderful. I know and love the West Coast of Scotland, and this is a wonderful way of seeing it. Highlights were the peace of Iona, the puffins within a couple of feet on Lunga, the fantastic mountains of Mull reflected in the water.... I could go on for ever! Quite the best holiday of my life!"

What travelers are saying

"Tour is advertised as an "active" tour. However, YMT sold the tours to seniors and others who were unable to walk more than 1/8 mile, unable to navigate stairs or had to walk with the aid of walkers. As a result, 80 percent of the "explorations" were to visitor centers, look out points, stores or washrooms, that were within 100 feet or less of the bus. This tour should be categorized as "relaxed". A big disappointment! The bus driver was friendly and accommodating and drove us safely from one site to another. He sold water to the guests in small bottles for $1 each. I think YMT should be more conscientious of the environment and at least offer bottle refills, especially since the guide practically demanded that each person drink one gallon of water per day. The tour guide was marginally knowledgeable about the area and spent too much time telling us about her private life and friends. She led one hike, but talked mostly about how the rains had changed the landscape. One day she left two guests at the hotel and wanted the people on the bus to take responsibility for not letting her know that people were missing. We were encouraged to find hikes to take on our own, which I felt compromised safety, especially when we had an hour or so to "explore" - there was no safety or backup plan, especially if something untoward happened on a hike. She opted out of taking us to the sunset tour of the Grand Canyon telling us that it was raining and we wouldn't be able to see anything. So a couple of us went to the site on our own and it was possibly one of the best experiences I had on the entire tour (and not a drop of rain!). I often felt bullied into purchasing lunches or meals "offered" by the guide, who made it sound like there were no other options. It was difficult to listen to her brag about how well she was doing and how happy everyone was, when many people were complaining that the tour was not what they expected - mostly because it was too active!!! The accommodations were mostly good - a couple of anomalies (one with a plugged sink and no hot water for a shower, another with a pervasive bad odor). The excursions offered at the time of booking were mostly unavailable later (except for the over-priced meals). Another disappointment because I booked the tour partly because of one of the excursions offered at the time of booking. I would not recommend this tour, because I don't think it is advertised correctly."

What travelers are saying

"I had a simply marvellous and memorable experience aboard St Hilda with the Mull Odyssey cruise. Christophe and Kerry were fantastic, helpful , lovely people. Everybody was great company! The land and seascapes were quite amazing, the light and shade effects wonderful. I know and love the West Coast of Scotland, and this is a wonderful way of seeing it. Highlights were the peace of Iona, the puffins within a couple of feet on Lunga, the fantastic mountains of Mull reflected in the water.... I could go on for ever! Quite the best holiday of my life!"

What travelers are saying

"I would steer clear of Backroads until Covid is over. We were on the Costa Rica tour when a fellow traveler tested positive. The guides refused to require that all travelers and staff wear masks or be tested. They kept repeating that they were following CDC guidelines, but this was not the case. CDC guidelines state that after an exposure, one should wear a tight fitting mask for 10 days when interacting with anyone and should be tested starting 5 days after exposure. Our group of six was appalled by their policy and left the tour returning to the US. Also be aware that their biking equipment was very substandard. We were riding in the rain with bikes that were difficult to stop on steep slopes, as they were not equipped with disc brakes. They also were not equipped with mirrors or lights. The front derailleurs were also very poorly adjusted as most of the riders threw their chains during the ride. Meals and the hotel were very good. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html Two calls to Backroads have not been returned."

What travelers are saying

"I was very excited to support a Canadian company, but unfortunately, this trip was anything but blissful. The tour guide was unprofessional, incompetent, and inappropriate. He was reported in the middle of the trip because of how vulgar he was being with the girls on the tour. Guided tours are supposed to be a haven for young, solo travelers and, unfortunately, this tour was the nightmarish opposite. If you plan on booking a trip with this company, please dig into who your guide will be, how many trips they have done, and what kind of reviews they have had. Additionally, the accommodations, activities, and transportation included in this trip cost a sliver of what I paid. I completely understand the additional cost of paying the full-time guides, and the price of convenience that comes from a trip being planned for you, but unfortunately, I did not get my money’s worth with LBW. Following my friends and my dissatisfaction with the tour and the inappropriate guide, LBW’s customer support team was unfortunately slow to respond, disorganized, and inconsistent with their suggested solutions. Please, save your money, and book with another company."