Managing Director at SixStarCruises, Alison Earnshaw, recently travelled to Norway to embark on an Arctic expedition aboard Seabourn Venture. Learn all about her experience from excursion highlights to her top tips for travelling on an expedition sailing with Seabourn…
It is genuinely a challenge to know where to begin when reviewing my Luxury Expedition Cruise to the Arctic with Seabourn – a unique trip of a lifetime which I would highly recommend!
Our voyage started in Tromso, North Norway, a lovely town focused on its gateway to the Arctic location with lots to offer for a few nights pre-cruise, including the Tromso Polar Museum, Cathedral of the Arctic, local boat tours, souvenir shopping and an amazing range of traditional yet modern bars and restaurants in a stunning Fjord setting.
Pictured: Oslo and Tromso, North Norway
If you are a regular cruiser, the first thing that will strike you is how much of an expedition itinerary is ‘open’ and rather non-specific. In our case, out of an 11 night voyage, only 2 ‘ports’ were outlined – Storsappen Island (for the North Cape) and Bear Island. The rest of the days were tantalisingly described as either ‘At Sea’ or ‘Svalbard Experience’. That is part of the joy and excitement of an expedition, not quite knowing what you’ll encounter! It is also where the daily Recap/Briefing sessions on-board come in – the exceptionally experienced expedition leader and expedition team provide daily information of where you will sail the following day with timings for zodiac trips and/or landings, as well as fascinating history, potential experiences and wildlife or environment sightings in the location.
Our itinerary experiences:
Hornvika and ‘The North Cape’ – our first zodiac outing on a moody and misty morning brought home our first experience of a dramatically unique environment and fuelled anticipation of what was to come. We were surrounded by hundreds of Atlantic puffins and also spotted a few white-tailed eagles flying overhead. The afternoon brought our first landing and we made the historic hike up the northernmost cliff on mainland Europe to Nordkapp / the North Cape, for amazing views, history and reindeer.
On Bear Island – originally (and rather more appropriately!) named Bird Island, we explored the shoreline and its’ caves by zodiac, viewing thousands of guillemots, black-legged kittiwakes, northern fulmars and gulls amongst the cliffs, and once again felt fully immersed in rare and fascinating nature.
Pictured: The North Cape
Venturing further north and further into Svalbard, the landscape changes again, feeling more and more remote, with more snow patches on land and the odd small iceberg appearing in the waters.
Throughout the whole voyage, the expedition team were always on the lookout, highlighting wildlife sightings and providing knowledgeable insight and stories. We regularly saw a plethora of seabirds and whales including humpbacks, fin whales and minkes and once a school of white beaked dolphins bow surfing.
Gnalodden was our next landing, where we explored the shore with its old trapper’s hut, spectacular cliffs, pebble beach and stunning views.
Alkhornet on day 6 was our opportunity to kayak up to and around the shoreline, a unique and highly recommended way of seeing the local landscape and wildlife – you don’t need to be a kayaking expert and are allocated a full drysuit for the experience. The afternoon in Poolepynten provided another wildlife highlight with a strip of beach favoured by walrus. In small groups we quietly approached these impressive mammals to the permitted, policed distance, so as not to disturb them or affect their environment. We were also lucky enough to see one of the group swimming in the ocean nearby.
Pictured: Kayaking at Alkhornet, Svalbard and walrus at Poolepynten
Glorious sunshine on day 7 of our expedition coincided with our first glacier visit – A truly breathtaking moment. We also had a landing at Julibukta, with its towering bird cliffs, hanging gardens and sheltered rock site, where one step takes you into a natural phenomenon of all sound being lost in a cliff side crevice – dramatic around such noisy seabirds! Here we also had the unexpected delight of a gregarious Arctic fox catching and eating its prey in unusually close proximity to us.
The next day saw us sail ‘Above 80 Degrees North’ and being surrounded by Pack Ice was possibly one of the most ‘other-worldly’ experiences of the expedition and my life! The ice formed from freezing seawater provides an essential platform for numerous Artic mammals and seabirds and truly highlights the scale of our world. The vastness of the polar region environment acts as a stark reminder of what we must protect.
Pictured: Icebergs and Pack Ice ‘Above 80 Degrees’
Our remaining days included more once-in-a-lifetime hiking and zodiac sailing experiences amongst some of the world’s most rugged and remote scenery and held two more expedition highlights:
A Seabourn Moment at Texas Bar – named after a hunter from the 1930s, the trappers hut provided the historic backdrop for an impromptu Seabourn Bar ashore serving glühwein, whisky and hot chocolate! Expedition team member, Laura, wowed us with a spontaneous guitar and singing set – what a moment in such a setting.
Pictured: Texas Bar
And the best was saved until last – a mother polar bear and her 2 cubs were sighted ashore and then began swimming together in front of our ship for a reasonably lengthy period. The whole ship watched thoroughly mesmerised (and a touch emotional) until it was time to leave them unwatched in their own environment. Words or photographs really cannot describe this, the sight is one which will be forever engrained in my memory. A privilege to see and experience.
Pictured: Wildlife throughout the Arctic voyage captured by the ship’s photographer
Delectable Dining
Seabourn Venture offers dining excellence in terms of range, themed options and quality. The Colonnade and The Restaurant provide the main dining options, supplemented by a comprehensive in-suite dining menu available 24 hours a day and freshly prepared sushi served in The Club bar daily between 6.30 and 9pm.
The Colonnade provides informal dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast and lunch are both buffet style and dinner is an excellent 3-course menu choice following daily themes from Spanish and French to local Norwegian fayre. Breakfast consists of all the buffet style continental and cooked options you could ask for including fresh fruit, juices and smoothies, pastries and cooked dishes. You can also order freshly prepared daily specials, as well as eggs benedict, pancakes and brioche french toast.
The Restaurant is more formal, though relatively relaxed based on the Expedition environment. In traditional cruise style there are 2 menus to choose from – one which changes daily and one classic menu featuring a range of always available dishes, both consisting of starter, salad, main and dessert. For Seabourn afficionados you’ll be pleased to know that the 6-course Seabourn Signature Dinner is served onboard Expedition ships.
Pictured: Two courses from the Seabourn Signature Dinner and one of the Food and Drink Stations on deck
My On-board Experience
Naturally the whole emphasis of a Luxury Expedition Cruise is seeing, experiencing and learning about the wonders of the environment, its history and inhabitants. Aside from the daily briefings, all activities are hosted by the Expedition team experts for real time explanations and education. For more in-depth sessions Seabourn Conversations with the Expedition team are scheduled throughout the voyage where you can learn more from various specialists within the team on topics like environmental research in the area, whale and bird species and Svalbard’s history, as well as the fascinating personal stories and experiences of the team.
There are 4 hot tubs, a small infinity pool, shop gym and wellness spa facilities onboard, as well as several bars and lounges. Entertainment consists of a singer and a singing duo who rotate around the bars each evening performing themed sets, daily quizzes and a cinema showing in the Expedition lounge.
Pictured: The Restaurant, one of 4 hot tubs on deck and The Club
My Top Expedition Tips
- Invest in gloves – this is pretty much the only outdoor item not supplied
- Pack layers – it wasn’t as cold as I expected most of the time so flexibility is key
- Take a good eye-mask – this is the land of the Midnight Sun, it never goes dark!
- Take a spare pair of binoculars if you are travelling as a couple – a set are provided in your suite for use on your voyage but 2 people can’t use them at the same time!
- Visit the Studio at the end of the voyage to take copies of all the photographer and videographer’s content of your voyage to share your everlasting memories – can be saved to your phone/tablet or on a USB stick
- Follow your journey, daily blog and photographs during and after your trip via the Seabourn Voyage Tracker website https://www.seabourn.com/en/gb/experience/voyagetracker/index.html
My trip was everything I expected and more. Whether you have cruised before or not, if you have an interest in our planet’s nature and history or simply are looking for an experience like no other, a polar expedition is something I can’t recommend enough!
If my experience has inspired you and you’d like to embark on your own once-in-a-lifetime voyage, you can give us a call on 0808 239 5860 to book a consultation with our knowledgeable expedition specialists who will be more than happy to assist.