Customer Reviews

The highlight has to be the close up sightings of polar bears (all 13 of them!) and also few pods Beluga whales. The real "David Attenborough moment" was watching a large male polar bear walk along the sea shore and amble in between a massive haul-out of around 150 walrus. The walrus were clearly a little concerned and some reared up and bellowed, but that didn't put the bear off. We were mesmerised as we watched the scene unfold from the Zodiacs. The landscape was spectacular. As a geographer in the past, I've read and studied all about these landscapes and features so it was fantastic to be able to explore them up close. The huge expansive glaciers, the majestic icebergs, the sea ice - it was all breath-taking! Another highlight was the walk we did on an actual glacier! Not many of us ventured there but it felt so different from anything I'd done before. There were so many other aspects to the wildlife too - arctic foxes, reindeer, huge haul-outs of walrus and seals (bearded, ringed, harbour and harp seals). The bird life was also incredible. There were too many to mention but the most significant bird experience was the after dinner Zodiac trip we took to view the sheer cliffs with millions of guillemots nesting on tiny ledges. The sky was black with them and we watched them swooping and diving as we slowly made our way along the cliffs.

The highlight was watching a mother polar bear and her cubs feeding on a carcasse at midnight in zodiac alongside fellow travellers and expert guides, all of whom shared the overwhelming experience in reverential silence.That was magical. We loved the fact that there was no set itinerary and that we were taken where the ice, weather and wildlife sightings dictated. The guides were amazing ! Their commitment and passion was second to none and the leadership of Woody was inspirational. We were very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and by the outstanding service of the ship's crew.

Highlight was seeing our first live polar bear, and beluga whales on the same day! Lucky with the amount of wild life we saw, with some spectacular scenery, and beautiful weather throughout. Grandchildren (who live in Australia) couldn't believe the photo of the midnight sun on board the ship, taken at midnight!! Ship was a nice mix of ages and nationalities, although the Australians did dominate and sometimes assumed a "herd" mentality! All the same language though!

The Trip was great. We were lucky with the weather and the wildlife. We must have seen over twenty polar bears, include cubs. The highlight and magical moment had to be Mama and Baby bears swimming right up to the ship to say hello. The landscape was like a mini Antarctica - we did not see the large ice-floats as we did down in Antarctica but the glass smooth sea surface and the reflections of blue sky and milk white glaciers were very photogenic. It is not easy to comment on fellow passengers when there are over 10 nationalities on-board. The inherent different tongues and customs can dampen the moments.

Kayaking in the thick brash ice by a big glacier on a beatutful, sunny day was a highlight....but then again, so was when the walrus popped its head up out of the water right in front of me when in the zodiac....and watching and filming the polar bear that swam around our ship - so close. The swimming polar bear was a surprise, as was all the reindeer we saw up close and the freedom we had kayaking. The wildlife was beautiful. We did see some foxes and a lot of birds. I did not see much of the puffins, but I was kayaking the one day we went to where they were and the weather was not very good (a bit rainy and windy - a lot of wave action). The landscapes were increadible - a lot like Antarctica, but a lot closer and cheaper to get to - and you get to do excursions right away and much better weather than Antarctica. There were many Australians on the trip and I found them delightful - down to earth, very-well traveled, friendly - so wonderful to talk to. The down side is that I felt we disturbed the polar bears more than I would have liked to have. We spent a day in one spot watching a mother with two cubs. She was by a hole, waiting for a seal. I can't help but think a large, smelly ship nearby would not improve her hunting success. It seems to me there should be a limit, say 2 or 3 hours, that you can stay and watch one polar bear - in order not to disturb them too much or interfere with hunting. Also, it was a lovely day and to spend one day on the ship with no excursions, watching once polar bear and cubs was a bit much for me.

The Polar Bear sighting on the morning of the 4th day, and the zodiac cruise along Alkefjellet - a cliff face with hundreds of thousands of birds nesting on it - later that day.

The trip exceeded our expectations since the first day, and it got better and better at every zodiac cruise or landing we made. The organization by the Aurora staff and the Polar Pioneer crew was excellent. We didn't expect to have such experienced and professional guides. Their knowledge of the fauna, flora and environment was outstanding, as well as their communication skills. Being onboard such a small ship means that you are really able to know the rest of the passangers and the staff, who all share the same interest and love for nature as we do. Among the highlights: watching polar bears and their cubs in the ice; the cliffs of guillemots and puffins; the sound of the icebergs popping and cracking; the massive glacier calvings and the waves they produce.

The highlight of the trip was the fjords of Greenland, especially when we explored by zodiac beyond a glacier that seemed to close off the end of one particular fjord. We were extremely lucky to see a number of polar bears, including one close to a shore we had intended to land on. Instead we were able to watch it at close quarters from the safety of our zodiac. Walruses abounded in Svalbard, we saw arctic hares and foxes, and brief glimpses of whales. The musk oxen were plentiful but distant! The landscapes were a revelation: instead of the barren wasteland we expected, there was a tapestry of late summer colour provided by Arctic willow and miniature birch, as well as bilberry and bear berry. The icebergs were truly magnificent, especially when the ship’s captain threaded the ship through them out of Scoresbysund.

I found the 7 days in East Greenland very , very long with fairly uninteresting shore excursions and a general lack of wildlife/birdlife etc. The highlight was seeing 3 blue whales feeding fairly close to the boat in Spitsbergen.Also a polar bear though it was far away. Landscapes were superb in many places - great coastal scenery.Other travellers on board were mostly pleasant, friendly people.The main Expedition leaders I thought seemed a bit weary, serious-faced and a little lacking in enthusiasm(Gary, Roger and Robyn).The photographer Michael was consistently enthusiastic and helpful.

We loved the trip! Wonderful to be back aboard the Polar Pioneer for one of the last voyages as it approaches retirement, and really lovely to spend time with friends and staff we’d met on the previous trip. We consciously tried to avoid the comparison with S Georgia and Antarctica, as we knew it would be a very different experience, and so appreciated Svalbard and the Arctic ice cap for what they offered - amazing landscapes of tundra, mountains, glaciers and ice, and of course the Arctic wildlife. Close-up views of a blue whale on the first evening as we left Longyearbyen was a great start. Fantastic too have sailed beyond 82N into the ice cap; the furthest north our leader Christian had been on this ship, but also a little sobering in the implications for the receding ice.

Can't chose one. Everything was memorable. However, one thing happened that was negatively memorable - My luggage never left Pearson airport. It took about a week to track it down in Pearson. In the meantime, Adventure Canada certainly helped me as much as possible, including an escorted tour of expedition clothing shops of which there were 2 in Sisimut. Now, I have to get all that equipment paid for.

The highlight was the polar bear at 82 degrees North Not much wildlife apart from many walruses. The light was great for landscapes The people were wonderful especially the lectures Every speaker was infectiously passionate about their subject Go to the Arctic before global warming spoils it No surprises but I would choose max 50 people on a ship next time. The max was supposed to be around 134 but we had 116 and even then that was too many people although everything about Quark was superb food , personal etc

Seeing so many polar bears in their natural habitat and extremely close is unforgettable.

It is very hard to choose one moment of the many amazing experiences that we had. I think the greatest highlight in terms of wildlife encounters was having two young polar bear siblings (around ages 1 year 8 months or 2 years 8 months) swim to our zodiacs and spend time looking at us with great curiosity (and we hope not hunger!). We were able to enjoy being near them for a long time. They then climbed back up the bank to find their mom and later we saw them play fighting with one another. It was so lovely to see them in their own environment and looking well fed. We had a lovely encounter with walrus swimming toward us on the shore, again with great curiosity. We had many other amazing wildlife encounters with whales, walrus, foxes, ivory gulls , guillemots, dolphins, and lots of ICE BEARS! Mark turned 61 on the trip and we drank champagne with our lovely "zodiac gang" (mainly from Sweden), who sang their traditional birthday song to him at Diabasodden.

Seeing polar bears with cubs and with kills was great, but the moment that got me was the bird cliffs (Alkegjellet in particular). Just to see such a huge concentration of wildlife in one place was stunning.

Would consider the trip to contain high quality vs a high quantity of experiences. Our trip was highlighted by a half-day observation of lone young female polar bear and a haul-out of a herd/huddle of bearded walrus. One of the benefits of traveling with One Ocean is getting to know fellow passenger. The arctic trip was no exception. Very interesting ship mate from all over the global seeking a unique experience.

Traversing the Arctic Northwest Passage in the footsteps of my Ross explorers ancestors and landing at Fort Ross. The beauty of pristine landscape wildlife will be a lasting memory of a once in a lifetime trip. The Aurora Expedition team and Greg Mortimer Crew were top notch and made my dream come true.

The Torngat Mountains in north Labrador are stunning. We spent 3 days in the area. It was wonderful to be able to hike in this pristine and beautiful area. I have been to Greenland before. The east coast has more spectacular scenery. I wonder if a trip to the Greenland icecap could have been included on this occasion . It would be of general interest. The program included a comprehensive program of visiting the old, abandoned settlement sites and on board this was complemented by presentations about the history of the Inuit and Innu way of life and their history post white settlement. This was instructive and interesting. There was a number of locals who lived in Nain on board and it was great to be able o share their stories and interact with them. Lanse Aux Meadows is a place that I have always wanted to visit. It is well presented and very interesting.

After watching a polar bear feed on land for an hour, the adrenaline from hearing about, then seeing then following another polar bear swimming directly for the first bear, and then witnessing the tense interactions that followed between them as they faced off for the food.

The general highlight was seeing the areas where so many WWII battles were fought. Being older and ex-Navy I knew a lot of people who fought there and it has been a desire for a long time to see them. The one item most memorable was the Island of Malaika. Specifically meeting the two men so instrumental in helping stop a 90 years old war and the opportunity to meet with, and talk to, the indigenous people who were involved. Knowing how we Caucasians have, often unwittingly perhaps, had negative impacts on native cultures it was refreshing to be so close to a positive outcome. As regards to the people I met, all were brand new, many were very interesting and some were people I will keep in touch with. The ship's crew and the Heritage Expeditions personnel were outstanding in every way! I will (and have) recommend the cruise to my friends and acquaintances.