It's so interesting to read reviews about the same trip, written from other perspectives! To me, this was an amazing voyage, with an excellent expedition leader and staff, great food, and impressive attention given to safety and passenger experience. The food was very good, considering that the ship's itinerary took us into one of the most remote areas on Earth. The beds were super comfortable, accommodations were as advertised and expected of a ship designed for polar scientific research, not for luxury cruising. We enjoyed sitting in the hot tub on the top deck and watching the ice float by!

There were a number of experts on staff, all of whom were personable, knowledgable, and willing to go out of their way to add value to our trip. The team camaraderie was exceptional. Everyone pitched in where needed, whether that was to help wait tables, find answers to our questions, or make sure that we had what we needed in our room. The company provided outdoor clothing and gear that made our shore excursions and zodiak cruises much more comfortable when added to our own gear.

Our trip was beset by several problems. The possibility of itinerary changes was made clear in the company brochures prior to booking. The Arctic is wilderness, remote, poorly charted, with weather and ice conditions that make travel there rather precarious. We were far from easy rescue should a disaster occur. Conditions can differ greatly from year to year, and from day to day. Information about ice and weather conditions, and decisions regarding our itinerary were shared often, with the reasoning that went into these decisions being clear and transparent. Safety and customer experience were at the top of mind in decision-making, and I trusted in the experts leading the trip to make wise choices. If a traveller wants reliable... don't book an Arctic trip. Read more