What is a Polar Cruise like?

So you are thinking of taking an Arctic or Antarctic Cruise...what will it be like?

First of all you are making a great decision to take a voyage to either of these amazing locations.

The Arctic and Antarctic will blow your mind!

Some of the most beautiful landscapes and unique wildlife await you. Taking a cruise on a small expedition ship or icebreaker makes the experience all the more special. You will travel in comfort with expert crew and expedition guides who take pride in introducing you to the wonders of these locations.

Taking a smaller Polar cruise ship expedition is infinitely preferable to choosing a large and more restricted cruise ship. The friendly intimacy with fellow guests and the camaraderie and access to the professional guides, lecturers and specialists who are part of the on-board team are just some of the reasons which make these trips so uniquely memorable and valuable.

Imagine waking up in your comfortable cabin and opening the curtains on another beautiful view. The excitement of each new day has guests eager to bound out of bed and head for breakfast. Already briefed on the location and activities, after a warm and tasty choice of breakfast items, it is time to explore the new destination.

Dress warmly with plenty of layers and pick up the essentials - camera, sun glasses, video camera, binoculars and perhaps a spotter's guide if you are looking at birds. The small zodiac boats will be lowered and the parties will be shuttled ashore.

The zodiac inflatables are a comfortable way to travel. They easily dodge the floating ice and cut through the water channels, lined by impressive cliffs of white ice.

Head out between the uninhabited islands to see glaciers, ice flows and the panorama of wind-sculpted icescapes.

Guests are on the alert for wildlife sightings - a whiskered nose cutting a wake through the water, a movement on the snow of a lumbering polar bear or an Arctic fox quick-stepping along the ice edge with a purpose.

Lunch will be served back at the ship, where a feast of hot and cold food is laid out for guests to help themselves. The afternoon may be more excursions or activities.

Some cruises may offer the opportunity to take a guided ice walk led by one of the expert guides; enjoy a quiet walk-about or a thrilling trip to a glacier.

Join a photography workshop, take a kayak out and explore the bays at ground level, scuba dive below water and ice to see another world, soar high above the area with a helicopter tour.

Back at the ship, lectures, slides and film shows are presented by the on-board specialists to prepare and educate guests to the amazing geology and wildlife of the area. Join in the interesting discussions and debates which follow afterwards.

Help yourself to a hot drink and relax in a chair with one of the coffee table books of beautiful photographs, play cards with new friends or relax amidst the quiet hum of conversation in the bar.

Dinner is served in style and fills the evening as a delicious menu of different courses is a pleasure in itself. Chat with table companions and share the day's experiences before going your separate ways to the bar, to watch TV, head up on deck to enjoy the view or retire to the comforts of your private cabin again. It may be late, but the sun will still be shining!

And if you have opted to try out some ice camping you might be heading off after dinner to set up camp for an unforgettable experience of a night on the ice...and that's just one day!