Life onboard an Arctic cruise ship

Arctic cruise vessels might be dwarfed by the type of cruise ships most people are familiar with, but when it comes to adventure, they go super-size. These are expedition cruises, so while the ship and cabins are perfectly comfortable with all the amenities you will need, don’t expect a selection of bars, nightclubs and rows of glittering gift shops that you really don’t. On an Arctic cruise, you are always focused outwards rather than inwards, either on the observation decks or exploring the area by smaller Zodiac boats and on foot, really aiming to make the very most of your limited time in an incredible location. Hours may pass with not much happening when you’re travelling, but just soaking up the quiet, the seascapes, the birdlife and the icebergs means boredom is never an issue.

There are different types of ship available including robust vessels that offer more basic amenities, but are suitable for venturing into very remote areas with the ability to break through stiff ice, and state-of-the-art ships that feel a lot more luxurious. Passenger numbers vary between 50 and 250, so it’s very sociable but not the sort of buzzing beehive you get on a mega-cruise. Another incentive to getting to know your fellow passengers is that you can expect to be out of mobile and internet range for long periods of time.

All of our Arctic cruise holidays are operated by suppliers that take a responsible approach to the environment, doing their best to minimise water and electricity use and waste production, but travellers can do their part by taking short showers, ensuring lights in cabins are turned off and not bringing along any excess packaging that then has to be disposed of.

Dramatic, soul-stirring landscapes are par for the course in the Arctic. Expedition cruises sail along deep fjords, through ice floes and narrow channels, along island coasts lined with flowering tundra, basalt cliffs, mountain peaks and glaciers calving icebergs. The wildlife of course is entirely unpredictable, but every ship has expert spotters aboard, giving you the best possible chance of seeing anything from Arctic fox to polar bears and seals.

You will typically spend a substantial part of each day on the ship’s observation decks, which can be open or enclosed, but there will usually be daily activities on land as well. In both instances you will be accompanied at all times by expert expedition staff that have years of experience. Activities are very well organised, with transport by Zodiac rigid-hull boats, and armed guards occupying high ground throughout to keep an eye out for polar bears (if one does approach, guards make every effort to scare it away with flares or gunshots, and groups return to the ship if they can’t).