By David Barclay | October 9, 2024
While an Antarctic cruise is on many cruisers’ bucket lists, sailing the ice filled waters of the Northern Hemisphere can provide an equally thrilling experience. Among the frozen tundra and ice flows, guests on an Arctic cruise are likely to see a variety of wildlife. Most arctic cruisers hope to spot a polar bear, the king of the ice flows. But sailing on an arctic cruise can also bring guests close to numerous types of whales, walruses, seals, arctic foxes, reindeer and other animals that have adapted to this frozen region. Travelers can also visit remote human outposts and learn how humans adapted to survive in such harsh conditions.
While Antarctic cruises focus on bringing travelers to the same small region off the Antarctica coastline, the Arctic region is vast and offers numerous different cruise experiences. Guests may sail to the northern most regions of Norway and up to Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. Or they can sail around Iceland and Greenland, exploring the rugged coastlines and traveling ashore to places few travelers ever get to see. They can also travel above North America and navigate the Northwest Passage, traveling all the way from Alaska to Greenland. And for a bucket list trip even more impressive than visiting Antarctica, it’s now possible to sail to the geographic North Pole, a place that very few people have visited and something sure to provide bragging rights for years to come.
Arctic cruises typically run from May to September, when the summer warmth thins the polar ice enough to allow ships to explore this remote region. Arctic cruises also vary in length, from shorter 7-10 day trips that might give guests just a sampling of the Arctic by sailing around Svalbard, to longer multi-week sailings that cross vast swaths of the Arctic.
Below are a few example itineraries from some of the best luxury expedition cruise lines. This is just a sampling of cruise options in the Arctic to show you the variety in itineraries available. If you don’t see a cruise itinerary that looks perfect for you, reach out to me and we can discuss other options.
Seabourn (Seabourn Venture)
10-night Scenic Svalbard
May 19 – Jun 8, 2025
An example of a shorter Arctic cruise, focused on exploring the western coast of Svalbard. Similar to the Drake flyover itineraries for Antarctica, this Arctic itinerary saves time by flying guests from Edinburgh up to the largest town on Svalbard, Longyearbyen.
This sailing is aboard the Seabourn Venture, the first of two purpose-built expedition sister ships that Seabourn recently added to its fleet. In addition to being fitted out for Arctic and Antarctic cruising, the Venture boasts two small submarines, allowing guests to explore both above and below the Arctic waters.
Silversea (Silver Endeavour)
15-night Churchill, Manitoba to Nuuk (Godthab)
Jul 25 – Aug 9, 2025
Exploring the norther regions of Canada and the western coastline of Greenland, this roughly two-week cruise is sure to bring many Arctic animal sightings. Guests will embark in Churchill, famous for having a Polar Bear Holding Facility, better known as the Polar Bear Jail. They will then sail for Walrus Island, an uninhabited island home to Atlantic Walruses. As guests travel further into the Arctic, they will see many seabirds, ducks, seals, maybe even sighting some Atlantic Puffins or the rare Sabine’s Gull.
The Silver Endeavour is the latest expedition ship to join the Silversea fleet. Designed to provide the highest levels of luxury while still providing an incredible expedition experience, it holds the record as the most expensive cruise ship build to date (on a cost per berth basis).
National Geographics – Lindblad Expeditions (National Geographic Resolution)
22-night Northwest Passage
Aug 4 – 26, 2025
This roughly three-week cruise travels the far northern coastline of North America, all the way from Greenland to Alaska. During the voyage, guests will visit UNESCO World Heritage sites, visit a small Inuit community, observe a plethora of Arctic wildlife, and see the remains of historic dwellings left over from the one-booming whaling industry.
Lindblad’s multi-decade partnership with National Geographics has made it a powerhouse in the expedition cruise world. The NG Resolution is the second of two polar-class expedition ships recently added to the Lindblad fleet. Unique to these ships, guests can reserve a night in one of two glass igloos perched atop the aft section of the observation deck. And like all Lindblad ships, the Resolution has a resident National Geographic Photography Expert to help guests improve their photography skills. Guests can also borrow some of the latest photo gear to try out on loan from the Photo Gear Locker.
Ponant (Le Commandant Charcot)
15-night The Geographic North Pole
Aug 6 – 21, 2025
What has more bragging rights than visiting Antarctica? Traveling to the geographic North Pole! Once limited to ice breakers and explorers, adventurous cruisers can now travel to the geographic North Pole in complete luxury. Guests will fly to Longyearbyen on Svalbard and from there travel to the Arctic ice sheet where the captain & crew will navigate a path through the ice flows where the ice is thinnest. Variations of this cruise itinerary let guests travel to both the geographic and magnetic North Poles.
Ponant is the only luxury French cruise line and is known for its expedition focus. In 2020, Ponant launched the first luxury Class-2 ice breaker yacht. Capable of cutting through up to 8 feet of ice, it’s the only expedition cruise ship capable of reaching the North Pole. To learn more about Ponant and Le Commandant Charcot, please see my blog post Getting to Know Ponant Cruises.
David Barclay
Owner, Barclay & Company Travel
Thanks for visiting the Barclay & Company Travel blog! If you’re new here, check out Our Story, learn about the Value we provide, or Contact Us to start planning your next adventure.
Check back often for new posts and if you haven’t already, please subscribe to our newsletter!