July 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 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.

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.

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

The polar bears we encountered close to the ship. Especially the ones we met on the sea-ice. To get an insight to their natural life such as hunting, eating, being curious, falling asleep - that is something I will never forget.

Landing on the ice at the northernmost point

The arrival to the Nordauslandet glacier surrounded by icebergs.

Seeing the elusive Polar Bear. The landscapes and wildlife were stunningly beautiful but also very baron. Met some amazing people who we will be in contact with. I will tell my grandchildren that we had a BBQ on the front upper deck and got to 82 degrees north. Surprised how "warm" it was, although the wind chill was pretty cold.

Highlights were whales (including blue whales) & polar bears less than 50 metres away. Beautiful scenery, glaciers and great wildlife sightings Our fellow passengers were great to share our experiences & generally hang out. The ships naturalist team/guides were very knowledgeable, gave great lectures. Crew very friendly & could not do enough for you. We really appreciated being upgraded to the suite. It was good to have access to basic intermittent WIFI Food was average, but not important to the enjoyment of the whole trip

Seeing walruses which are in my view more impressive than Polar bears but seeing a Polar bear for the first time is magical

Seeing a polar bear mom and cub playing together.

Polar bear swimming front of the boat Arctic fox hunting kittywakes Meet amazing people

Ilulissat Ice Fields and dovekie colony

Good fun, guides very good and informed. Very busy with excursions and talks and I'm pleased I've done it now as although the heart is young the knees and hips aren't so and up and down wobbly gangways, rocking zodiacs and rocky shores in wellington boots could be a thing of the past. Landscapes very often lost in mist. Tundra vegetation very interesting. Birds good but fewer species than Id expected. Polar bears in a sad state. Seals few, no doubt due to lack of sea ice.

The best: the wildlife, the landscape, and the people (staff and invited guests).

To observe the Polar bears with cubs

The quiet and peace of a fjord filled with icebergs.