• Itinerary: In the summer there is a 7-night cruise of  Spitsbergen. In a typical cruise the group meets in Oslo, flies to Longyearbyen for overnight at a hotel. From Longyearbyen there usually are visits to Ny Ålesund, 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. A 9-night-voyage  goes to White island, the easternmost island of Svalbard. The exact itinerary depends on weather, ice conditions, and wildlife encountered, with maximum time in pack ice. PolarQuest also charters ships from other companies for expeditions to Antarctica.
• Cabins: 12. Cabins are outside. Most have upper and lower berths; one has two lower berths. That cabin and two other cabins 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.
• Dress: Dress is casual, although passengers might dress up for farewell dinner. Clothing needed ashore: insulated rubber boots, thermal underwear, ski/rain pants, parka, hat, gloves, 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 small library and  reading lounge. On trips scheduled earlier in the season you will see Arctic flora in full bloom and sea bird rookeries teeming with life. Later in the season you will have better light for photography. Wildlife includes seabirds, such as Ivory Gulls, Guillemots, Little Auks and Puffins, beaches covered by walrus, seals, and possibly whales and polar bears. Passengers go ashore once or twice a day in zodiacs to look at walrus, hike, visit historical huts and graves. Because the ship is so small it can get close to bird cliffs, glaciers and walrus/polar bears on the ice. There is an open bridge.
• Recent Fares Reported to Us:  US $3,950 to $5,450 which includes airfare Oslo-Longyearbyen, shore excursions, and port taxes.

  For current fares and itineraries of Polar Quest, click on this direct link

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