Polar Cruise Trips

It’s really difficult to say whether I’d recommend the NWP trip. Our trip was extraordinary in terms of weather, sea and animal sightings. You couldn’t get better. Narwhals, beluga and musk-ox. And 8 polar bears including mother with two cubs. The trip that went from east to west from Greenland saw much less than we did and believe it or not couldn’t get into Ilulissat as too much ice - a Greenland highlight. 7 ships made it into Pond Inlet this season - Sylvia Earl twice and Greg twice. So even today the NWP is a serious challenge.

Anyone considering going on this trip needs to think about why they are going. If it is for wildlife eg. birds, they need to investigate the best time of the year to go, taking migration into account etc. I had a wonderful time on this trip. Whilst the wildlife were not particularly co-operative, or the weather, the Expedition Team did their best at all times to fulfil the itinerary and give us the best opportunity to see the expected wild life. Whilst many whales were missing, we had the unusual bonus of seeing six Polar Bears and 17 Narwhals! You win some, you lose some! The M/V Greg Mortimer is an impressive ship, keeping the rocking and rolling across Baffin Bay, to a minimum. Inside it is extremely comfortable, all the 'hotel' staff are friendly and very professional. The rooms were kept spotless and serviced twice a day. There was a very large choice of good food at all meals. Two meals are buffet and the evening dinner, a served meal. The lectures on board, given by members of the Expedition Team and some guest lecturers, were linked to the programme and additional ones added where particular interest was shown by passengers. They were of a high standard. I am very happy to recommend this trip to those who are prepared to be flexible, both with the itinerary and daily programme. One day we started on Plan A and ended on Plan E thanks to the weather! It should not be considered as a cruise but a truly exploratory trip, getting into zodiacs a couple of times a day to go and get close up views of icebergs, bird nesting cliffs, glaciers: anything that may be of interest.

The captain and expedition team really pushed the limits to ensure that we visited as many interesting places as possible and saw a wide range of scenery and ecosystems. The crew were very friendly and helpful, and the expedition team was extremely knowledgeable and experienced in both the Arctic and Antarctic. The ship was very comfortable with a fantastic library and other good facilities, and our cabin was wonderful - peaceful, comfortable and beautifully furnished.

First two days due to strong winds we were exploring unexpectedly fjord near Kangerlussuaq airport in Greenland. This affected the planned itinerary and expedition team worked hard to resolve various issues. It was a very memorable experience with 18 nights on board of Ultramarine. We have visited places where no other expedition ships have been or only visited on rare occasions. We were lucky with clear skies on the first 6 nights and the Aurora Borealis was better and better on each night. Glaciers, icebergs were nice backdrops on many photos and experiences were enhanced with helicopter flights over magnificent landscapes of Baffin island (Sam Ford fjord especially) and Greenland. Wonderful autumn colours of tundra and rock formations were explored on many hikes in addition to the visits to archeological sites. Introduction to Inuit culture and history was during visits to Itileq, Ilulissat, Uummannaaq, Nipisat island and Pond Inlet. It was enhanced by performances of local artists and visits to Inuit colourful homes. Although the wildlife of Arctic is not so plentiful as in Antarctica, we managed to have wonderful observations of numerous polar bears (12 in one day!), seals and birds. We also followed somewhat the footsteps of Franklin's expedition and reached the Beechey island where the expedition has spent the winter in 1845/46 and where are some graves of the sailors. Expedition team members presented many interesting lectures on history, geology, birds and bears. It was also a nice culinary experience of Greenlandic cuisine: Tundra to Table.

The ship and staff for the journey provided enthusiastic, effective and patient support, with a well-executed itinerary that I'd trust for future trips. Food and accommodation were excellent. Waters were very calm once reaching Antarctica, to relieve anyone's seasickness. Mountain and Glacier landscapes were great. The wildlife in the area is plentiful, where we saw at least some whales, seals and penguins every day we were in Antarctica and probably 20ish whales overall. The animals aren't afraid of humans and so at worst ignore you as you get fairly close. Extra downtime filled with interesting presentations about history, animals, current antarctic science and recent environmental issue affecting it. If you absolutely must have Emporer penguins, elephant seals or Orca, check the season you're going as we saw just a few but they were unusual and not to be expected at the time/places we went. I'd recommend this trip to anyone I knew going to Antarctica who hasn't been there before and doesn't have extremely specific desires for wildlife that I didn't mention. It's fun, comprehensive, and the minimum commitment required for the adventure it offers. This trip took place on the Ocean Endeavor, in early-mid February, on the West side of the Antarctic Peninsula.

I am very happy to complete my travel wishes to Artic 10 years ago and now Antarctic with my 2 daughters and my wife with the team from this tour operator Great experience