Hondius

Is Hondius a good ship for Antarctica?

Yes, for travelers who want a modern, ice-strengthened small ship at a mid-budget fare. Hondius is the newest and largest ship of Oceanwide Expeditions: built in 2019, 107.6 m (353 ft) long, Polar Class 6, with stabilizers and room for 170 passengers in 80 cabins.¹ Its 2026-27 Antarctic fares start at $7,800 per person for 11 days in a shared four-berth cabin, about half the $14,895 that Quark Expeditions was asking for its cheapest 11-day departure on the same day, a triple that had already sold out.²³

Two things to weigh before booking. With 170 passengers, Hondius carries more people than IAATO allows ashore at one Antarctic site at a time, so landings are split into groups.⁴ And in April and May 2026 it was the site of an Andes hantavirus outbreak: 13 cases, three of them fatal, among people who had been on board.³⁷ Dutch health authorities cleared the ship on May 30 after disinfection, it returned to service in June with an entirely new crew, and the World Health Organization declared the outbreak over on July 2.⁶¹⁵ We have not sailed on Hondius; this page draws on Oceanwide's specifications and fares, IAATO rules and public health reports.

What are Hondius's specifications?

Hondius is a purpose-built expedition ship registered in the Netherlands, and Oceanwide describes it as the world's first registered Polar Class 6 passenger vessel.¹ Construction started at the Brodosplit yard in Croatia in November 2016 and the ship was delivered in May 2019, according to a trade profile.⁷

Polar Class 6 is the second-lowest of the seven polar classes; Transport Canada's summary defines it as "summer/autumn operation in medium first-year ice, which may include old ice inclusions."⁸ That makes Hondius ice-strengthened, not an icebreaker. Oceanwide says the ship meets the mandatory requirements of the IMO Polar Code, the international safety rules for ships in polar waters.¹⁹ Its voyage pages give an average cruising speed of 10.5 knots.¹⁰

Passenger numbers differ between sources. We use Oceanwide's 170, which is exactly the number of beds in its published cabin list: 80 cabins, from four quads to six two-person grand suites.¹ IAATO's vessel directory lists Hondius at 196 passengers without explaining the basis, and an undated Ship Technology profile gave 174 passengers in 83 cabins with 72 crew, a layout that does not match Oceanwide's current cabin list.¹¹⁷ IAATO's preliminary estimate for 2026-27 has Hondius making 11 Antarctic voyages with 1,650 passengers, an average of 150 a trip by our arithmetic, so not every departure is expected to sail full.³⁸

What happened on Hondius in 2026?

In April and May 2026 Hondius was the site of an outbreak of Andes hantavirus, a rodent-borne virus from South America and the only hantavirus known to pass, to a limited degree, between people. The WHO's final count was 13 cases, 12 laboratory-confirmed and one probable, including three deaths, all among people who had traveled on board.³⁷ The voyage had begun on April 1.¹² These are the main dates from Oceanwide's press updates and the health agencies:

In its final report, on July 2, the WHO said the initial cases were likely infected on land before boarding, although the exact source and route of exposure remain undetermined, and that the virus then spread from person to person on board.³⁷ It found the epidemiological and genomic evidence consistent with a single source, an infected animal or person, followed by limited chains of person-to-person spread, with no evidence of sustained transmission.³⁷ The median age of the cases was 65, similar to the passengers on board.³⁷ Oceanwide's CEO said its pest-control inspections during the voyage found no evidence of rodents.¹²

Is Hondius safe to sail on now?

Health authorities have cleared it, the outbreak is over and the ship has been sailing since June, though no one can promise any ship is free of risk. Every identified contact completed 42 days of follow-up with no further cases, and the WHO's final assessment is that the outbreak no longer poses a public health risk and no further related transmission is expected.³⁷ In Rotterdam, a 13-person team from the biosecurity firm EWS Group disinfected all eight decks, the ship was declared rodent-free by third-party professionals, and the GGD said it was free from infection and contamination.¹⁴ Every crew member from the affected voyage left the ship; its next voyage was scheduled to leave Longyearbyen on June 13, and on June 20 Oceanwide said Hondius was operating in the Arctic as scheduled with an entirely new crew.¹⁴⁶

Andes virus itself remains endemic in South America, mainly in Argentina and Chile, where people usually catch it from contact with the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents, most often in rural places such as forests, fields and farms.³⁷

What you can control is cover. Oceanwide requires insurance for medical evacuation and repatriation of at least 100,000 USD per person in Antarctica and 50,000 in the Arctic, and strongly recommends cancellation cover, listing pandemics and other public health measures among the reasons a voyage can be delayed, changed or canceled.¹⁶ Check that your policy meets both before you pay.

How do landings work with 170 passengers?

A full Hondius cannot put everyone ashore at one Antarctic site at once, so passengers land in groups while others cruise in Zodiacs. IAATO members may have no more than 100 visitors ashore at one site at the same time, not counting staff and fewer where a site's guideline says so, with at least one actively guiding staff member per 20 visitors.⁴ Hondius carries 13 guides, and its two gangways and indoor boarding area are designed to speed up Zodiac operations.¹ Oceanwide says it aims for two outings a day.¹⁷ With 150 passengers, the average IAATO expects per Hondius voyage in 2026-27, about two-thirds of the ship can be ashore while the rest cruise in Zodiacs.³⁸⁴

In Svalbard, ships calling in the national parks are limited to 200 passengers, and tourist landings in most protected areas must use mapped sites with a guide, so Hondius fits within the rules there.¹⁸ If landing with everyone at once matters to you, Oceanwide's 108-passenger Ortelius and Plancius come closer to the IAATO limit.¹⁹

Which Hondius cabin should you book?

For most couples the twin porthole is the value choice: it is the cheapest two-bed cabin and, with 27 on board, the most common.¹ Hondius has eight cabin types; these are the per-person fares with two sharing (one berth for the quad and triple) on a peak and a late-season voyage:

Cabin counts are from Oceanwide's ship details.¹ Three things in that table are easy to miss. Twin window cabins are smaller than twin porthole cabins but cost more; the premium buys a window instead of portholes. Junior suites are slightly smaller than superior cabins. And some windows are partly blocked in their lower half by a gangway, which Oceanwide warns about on its ship page.²⁰²² On the December 27 voyage most cabin types were sold out when we checked.¹⁰

Only the six grand suites on deck 7 have balconies, so if a balcony matters, read our balcony guide before you book.¹ Solo travelers either share with a guest of the same gender at no extra cost or pay 1.7 times the per-person twin rate for a twin cabin alone: $16,405 for a twin porthole on March 17, or $20,230 on December 27.²³²¹¹⁰ The fare includes 1.5 GB of Wi-Fi per person per day.²⁴

What activities are included on Hondius, and what costs extra?

Zodiac landings and cruises and lectures are included on every voyage, along with loaned rubber boots and snowshoes; kayaking, camping and diving cost extra, except on Basecamp voyages, where all the activities offered are free.¹⁰²

Hondius takes 4 to 28 kayakers on its regular voyages, twice the maximum on the smaller ships, and its indoor Zodiac area can be used to launch kayaks.²¹ Divers need cold-water drysuit experience and a group of at least eight.¹⁰ None of the Hondius voyages we checked offers helicopter flights; Oceanwide brings its helicopters on select Ortelius cruises.¹⁷

Where does Hondius sail in 2026-27 and 2027?

In the 2026-27 austral summer Hondius sails Antarctic voyages from Ushuaia, crossing the Drake Passage by sea both ways, and in summer 2027 it sails around Svalbard from Longyearbyen.²²⁷ The cheapest fare on each Antarctic trip type, read October 14, 2026:

In Svalbard, the 8-day North Spitsbergen Explorer starts at $4,800 on June 1, 2027, and the 10-day Around Spitsbergen starts at $6,250 on June 29, 2027.²⁵²⁷ Hondius sails that trip only on June 29 and July 8, when a full loop is unlikely: Oceanwide puts the odds of completing a circumnavigation at about 30% in the first half of July, rising to 90% to 95% in August, and its August departures of the same trip are on Plancius and Ortelius.²⁷² Oceanwide bills the polar bear as the star attraction of Around Spitsbergen.²⁷ For how the months compare in the south, see best time to visit Antarctica.

How does Hondius compare with its sister ships and rivals?

Hondius is the largest and newest ship in Oceanwide's fleet, and it has no sister in service: the second ship of its class, Janssonius, was due in late 2021 but has sat unfinished at Brodosplit since construction was reportedly suspended over financial problems. A September 2026 Cruise Industry News report, citing the Croatian site Jutarni.hr, put it near 70% complete and said the yard is pursuing a plan to resume work.¹⁹²⁹ Oceanwide's planned 146-passenger eco-sail ships, due from 2029, are described as a development of the Hondius design.³⁰

Pick Hondius over Ortelius and Plancius for a newer ship, stabilizers and more cabin choice; pick the smaller pair if you want fewer people at each landing or the Ortelius helicopter trips to the Snow Hill emperor colony. Ultramarine and Sylvia Earle cost far more for a similar Peninsula trip. Quark's 12-day Antarctic Explorer on Ultramarine starts at $15,590 in a triple (March 10, 2027), a fare that includes a hotel night in Buenos Aires and the charter flight to Ushuaia, which Quark values at $1,295; Aurora's 11-day Spirit of Antarctica on Sylvia Earle started at $19,995 in a triple on its December 29, 2026 departure, already sold out; an 11-day Hondius trip starts at $7,800 to $9,650 in a shared quad.³³⁵²

Who should pick Hondius, and who should not?

Pick Hondius if you want the most modern ship Oceanwide sails at fares that start well under $10,000 for 11 days, a choice of eight cabin types, or the Basecamp trips with camping and kayaking included.² It suits active first-timers, couples on a budget and solo travelers who are happy to share.

Skip it if you want to fly over the Drake, since every Antarctic Hondius trip crosses by sea, or if you want a balcony without paying for one of only six grand suites.²¹ And if the 2026 outbreak still worries you after reading the health agencies' findings, Oceanwide's smaller ships sail similar Peninsula routes at similar prices, such as Plancius's 10-day whale-watching trip from $7,050;³⁶ see the operator page or our guide to choosing an Antarctica cruise.