Poseidon Expeditions Blog - Posts with tag "Expedition cruise"

Passengers returning from their Antarctica cruise are sometimes surprised by the pleasant lack of seeing other ships during their adventure to the White Continent. Upon arrival in Ushuaia, these travelers sometimes marvel at observing eight or even ten ships of all sizes tied up alongside the long dock on “turn-around day” – that’s industry slang for disembarkation/embarkation and re-supply day – at the same time. And, most travelers have read that there are more expedition ships visiting the Antarctic Peninsula than in past years.
But, once these visitors get to Antarctica, where did all the ships go? Some guests report that they enjoyed an entire week without seeing another vessel once they left port.⁣

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One of the key benefits of any polar expedition cruise is knowing that you’re on an ice-class vessel designed to safely operate in icy waters. Depending on the classification of the ship, you’ll be able to travel through slushy ice and bergy bits at a minimum, brash ice and possibly even thicker first-year ice.

Comparing the ice class of one ship to another can sometimes be challenging, as a variety of national and international registers exist, each with its own nomenclature and designations. You can do the research, but rest assured: your captain or ice master is experienced in the waters through which you’ll be traveling, and fully knows the capabilities and limitations of the ship that he’s commanding.

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The Arctic is home to a wide variety of animals - from polar bears to Arctic foxes, muskoxen, walruses, whales, reindeer, and many other species. Our expedition leader Christian Bruttel will unveil the world of Arctic wildlife, including common myths and the real stories behind them.⁣

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To many of our expedition staff, who have traveled numerous times to and from the Antarctic Peninsula, the journey across the Drake Passage from the tip of South America is a not-to-be-missed prelude to actually visiting the White Continent. On the journey south, which takes the better part of two days, there’s ample time for orientation, the IAATO Briefing, informative presentations and the natural growing anticipation of visiting one of the most remote spots on earth.

But the journey is in other ways a celebrated portal to the Peninsula, crossing through the Antarctic Convergence. This is a magical yet mostly invisible doorway to the land of penguins, seals, glaciers and icebergs. What exactly is the Antarctic Convergence?

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Exploring the polar regions can certainly be a great adventure, but how adventurous can it get? Polar kayaking and camping are a great chance to bring your expedition cruising experience to a new level!

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Choosing the right polar expedition ship is an essential stage of planning your cruise to the Arctic or Antarctica. You may think the vessel is just something to get you to all the amazing places in the polar regions, but that’s not entirely true. Outdoor activities and landings aside, you’re going to spend time on board, so your ship choice can make a big difference in the memories you take home with you. It comes down to finding the right balance between feeling comfortable and well taken care of on one hand, and keeping the expedition side of the voyage fun and educational on the other.

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You say you love to travel and you’ve been all over the world, even to Antarctica, the Seventh Continent. Oh, a member of the Travelers’ Century Club, are you? You’ve been to all the capital cities of Europe, to game reserves in Kenya and Tanzania. Places filled with culture, restaurants and museums on one hand and, on the other, remote environments where wildlife reigns and mere mortals pay homage to Mother Nature.

After all of that, “Why?,” you say. “Why would I want to go to the North Pole?” You’re not the bucket-list type, you add, and you really don’t see the point, when you’ve already experienced Arctic wildlife in Svalbard and seen massive icebergs in East Greenland.

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When you hear the word “penguins”, your mind might jump straight to Antarctica and its snow-covered mountains and valleys. However, several penguin species disagree with that assumption! They prefer a milder climate and believe there is nothing wrong with laying eggs in tussac grass or muddy ground rather than rocks and snow. Who could these unconventional rebels be? Of course, we mean the king penguins, and given the name, they are rightfully entitled to their opinion. Indeed, these species inhabit the subantarctic islands – the Falklands and South Georgia – rather than the continent of Antarctica.

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I’ll let some science nerd give you all the geological facts and figures about Svalbard’s glaciers in another blog post. But, since I’m writing this one, and because I come from an entirely different side of Poseidon’s polar expedition cruise business – marketing and sales – I’d like to write about this subject from a different perspective…

… the perspective of being on the water in St. Jonsfjord in a sea kayak with my older and wiser brother Tom, surrounded by brash ice, with a massive glacier face looming in front of me.

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Because of current global travel restrictions and other coronavirus-related challenges, our May 2020 British Isles cruise has been rescheduled to next year. But we can still explore the isolated villages with architecture dating back thousands of years and wild cliffs where birdlife is abundant – with a virtual journey. Read on to learn about the top experiences of a British Isles cruise and to get a feel for this incredible voyage without leaving the house.

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