Life Aboard the Ultramarine

Our expedition with Quark began once we arrived at the Radisson Blu Oslo Airport hotel. After checking in with the Quark pre-departure team, we were provided with our charter flight timing and luggage instructions for the morning. The trip included roundtrip charter flights from Oslo to Longyearbyen, the tiny capital of Svalbard, and our embarkation port. This is something to always consider when looking at options for visiting Svalbard. There are very limited airlines and flights that will service the island Archipelago, so if your voyage already includes these legs, it is ine less piece of the puzzle to have to think about later. Svalbard is about a 3-4 hour flight from Oslo and is the farthest north that you can possibly fly by commercial airline

From the flight, we spied our first glimpses of the snow covered mountain ranges of Svalbard. No matter how many photos you see of these snowline peaks, seeing them with your own eyes for the first time will take your breath away. As we touched down at the tiny airport, we could see the famous and mysterious Global Seed Vault glinting in the sunlight on one of the hillsides facing the runway. A giant underground vault that houses millions of seed for over 900,000 species of plants from around the globe, protecting and preserving the world's biodiversity as our climate changes. We were quickly shuttled through baggage to collect our items and bussed straight to the pier for embarkation aboard our new home away from home, the Ultramarine. 

The Ultramarine holds just under 200 passengers and is Quark's new ship, custom designed and built to operate specifically in the polar regions. It is sleek and silent in the water, with a very shallow draft allowing the ship to tuck into tiny coves and bays that larger ships cannot access. (AKA better polar bear spotting!).  The ship also normally carries two twin engine helicopters, however these were not housed on the ship for our voyage as helicopters are not allowed in Svalbard's airspace. This is to minimize noise disruption for the wildlife that inhabit the archipelago. Settling in on the Ultramarine started with receiving our identification cards that would allow us to check in and out of the ship for excursions, followed by a safety drill and muster and finally a big lunch in the stunning Balena Dining Room prepared by the incredible restaurant team on board. 

Days quickly became routine aboard the Ultramarine, each morning started with Coldplay's "Paradise" blaring through the speakers followed by a wake up message from our expedition leader on the loudspeaker, inviting us to a hearty breakfast before giving us a run down of the days timing and excursions (of which I will detail in my next post). There was also much to be enjoyed on ship, including the excessive and delicious meals, which were made to order breakfasts, buffet lunches and full 5 course a la carte dinners (always complimented by beer or wine and the option of many many desserts). Don't plan on dieting while on this ship. 

If the food alone is not enough to enjoy, you can find a full spa on board with a Sauna that has floor to ceiling windows, so you never miss a view. The gym is always available, when you feel you may have over indulged. We were in a balcony suite and had ample cabin space and access to our own private balcony for sipping coffee under the midnight sun (see photos below of our cabin). The ship also boasts a fully stocked polar library to read from when craving a bit of context for the historical artifacts and building we came across, as well as my favorite feature, a full mudroom and locker room to store your boots, parka and wet gear, allowing everything to dry in your personal locker, away from the clean areas in your cabin.