Sailing on the Noorderlicht was superb.  I had no idea that the ship would be so romantic and beautiful.  The information I had received gave me the impression that the accommodation was fairly basic and that we would be expected to help a lot with sailing. None of this was true. The ship is actually quite luxurious.  The crew were absolutely spendid; tremendously professional, friendly and helpful.  We felt very safe and well looked after. The food was amazingly good - a very varied menu always served on time, freshly baked bread and cakes served each day. Jan, the leader, clearly enjoyed his work and conveyed his knowledge and enthusiasm to everyone.
 
Some of the walks were quite taxing - more so than I had expected. We climbed one very steep mountain, much of it covered in scree.  The view was breathtaking. We often had to walk over very sharp stones - you need really good, thick soles for this. The highlight was of course the polar bear posing for us on an ice floe in front of a glacier. Another strong memory is the eerie atmosphere as we brushed against ice floes in the fog. The bar in N.Alesund was great fun - blacked out and lit with candles.  We emerged at 1 am to bright sunshine again.
 
There was a tremendous camaraderie on board; something that you just couldn't achieve on a large boat.  I really miss the people who became my friends.
 
Julia B.
England