polarguest

POLARQUEST

Arctic, Antarctic, Spitsbergen

ORIGO
Passenger Capacity: 24
Built: 1955, in Stockholm for the Swedish National Maritime Administration.
Former Names: Kalmar, Virgo
Length: 40 metres
Beam: 8.8 metres
Draft: 3.5 metres
Officers: Swedish
Staff and Crew: 10, Swedish

Photos

Itinerary: In the summer there is an 8-day and an 11-day cruise around Spitsbergen. In a typical cruise the group meets in Oslo, flies to Longyearbyen for overnight at a hotel furnished as a traditional hunter's cabin with driftwood, slate, and furs. The cruise begins in Longyearbyen. There usually are visits to Ny Ålesund, the world's northernmost settlement, Danes Island, Moffen Island, Prins Karls Forland, and wilderness areas. The ship mostly stays off the beaten track and concentrates on finding polar bears, walrus, seals, and other wildlife in the pack ice in the eastern part of the Svalbard archipelago. They try to land at White island, the easternmost island of Svalbard, and on the longer cruise might circumnavigate the whole island of Spitsbergen. The exact itinerary depends on weather, ice conditions, and wildlife encountered, mostly exploring the eastern and least visited parts of the archipelago, with maximum time in the pack ice. PolarQuest also charters ships from other companies for expeditions to Antarctica.

Cabins: 12. Cabins are outside. All cabins except for the superior cabin have upper and lower berths. The superior cabin has two lower berths. The superior cabin and two cabins on the main and lower deck have private bath; all other cabins on lower deck have shared facilities.

Dining: Seating is open with a single seating in a dining room on the main deck. There are two Swedish chefs.

Dress: Dress is casual, although passengers might dress up for the farewell dinner. Special clothing needed ashore: rubber boots (preferably insulated), thermal underwear, ski/rain pants and warm jacket, hat, gloves, and sunglasses.

Facilities and Activities: There is a dining room/lecture hall that has TV, VCR, and slide projector. Briefings and re-caps are held there daily, as well as slide-illustrated lectures on wildlife, culture, and history. Languages spoken are Swedish, English, French, and German. There is a bar, a small library and a reading lounge. On the shorter trip, scheduled earlier in the season, you will see Arctic flora in full bloom and sea bird rookeries teeming with life. The longer trip goes further east with a good possibility of landing on Spitsbergen's easternmost island, White Island, where very few people have ever set foot. Being later in the season, you will have better light for photography on this departure. Wildlife includes seabirds, such as Ivory Gulls, Guillemots, Little Auks and Puffins, beaches covered by walrus, seals, and possibly whales and polar bears. Each day there are one or two landings with zodiacs. Passengers go ashore once or twice a day in zodiacs to look at walrus, hike to look at scenery, visit historical huts and graves, and see birds on bird-cliffs. Because the ship is so small it is often possible to get close to bird cliffs, glaciers and walrus/polar bears on the ice. There is an open bridge.

Typical Rates and Special Deals: Rates on the 11-day cruise range from US $3,950 to $5,450 depending on cabin category. Rates on the 9-day cruise are US $3,350 to $4,750. All cabins are available for single occupancy at 1.7 times twin share rate. Rate includes airfare Oslo-Longyearbyen, airport transfer, all shore excursions, and port taxes. The whole boat charter rate is USD $6,750/day.