Growing up in the landlocked state of Montana, my boat experience was limited to lakes and rivers. I didn't know what to expect in terms of what sleeping on a ship would be like, what a a cruise schedule was like or what exactly an expedition cruise would entail. The Sea Spirit was beautiful, and had recently been refurbished. The cabins were large and comfortable. The staff were all incredibly friendly and helpful. Haley and I enjoyed getting to know many of them during our 11 days together.

Many people have a preconceived notion of what a "cruise" looks like- and this was nothing like that. Although, I did eat a lot (I tried to limit myself to one dessert per day), and I did take full advantage of the jacuzzi, overall the experience was incredibly active and I went to bed exhausted every night.

Our typical daily schedule on the Sea Spirit:

8am: Wake up call. One morning we were awoken with the announcement that there was a "pile of walrus waiting for us." Best wake-up call ever!
7am-8:30am: Breakfast served in the dinning room. -an amazing buffet spread, always an option for fresh cooked omelets or the daily special (ie scratch made pancakes with blueberry compote)
9am: First group loaded onto zodiacs. With 99 passengers, we were split into two groups in order to limit time waiting in lines.
930am: Second group loaded onto zodiacs.
9:30-12: Morning activity. Depending on physical comfort level passengers could choose between a walk or more strenuous hike -often times visiting a historical site or glacier.
12-2pm: Lunch. Always a large buffet selection of delicious food. Occasionally, there was also a bbq lunch option on the upper-deck.
2pm-5:00pm: Afternoon activity (hike or walk, zodiac cruise, etc. )
6pm: Debriefing in the lounge. An overview of what we did/saw that day and proposed itinerary for the following day
7:00pm: Dinner served in dining room. A three-course selection off of a menu.
9:00pm: Entertainment in the Club. Time to relax and listen to our incredible on-board musician, Randy.

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Adventures in Svalbard

Want to Go?

destination

Spitsbergen

destination

Svalbard

country

Norway

TrustScore 4.8 | 174 reviews

TrustScore 4.8 of 5

Based on 174 reviews on

1 day ago

The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent. Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio. In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day. Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took. Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.

Kenneth Dropek

2 days ago

Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.

Tina

3 days ago

Rapid response.

kym

3 days ago

Jess and her non pushy salesmanship!!!!!

Cristen Crawford

3 days ago

Mary Curry. And AL’s discount policy.

Customer

Ship Life

Want to Go?

Spitsbergen

Svalbard

Norway

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