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ARCTIC
HIGHLIGHTS by GAP Aventures |
| SEPTEMBER
2009: Visiting Svalbard, Greenland and Iceland on this amazing
Arctic tour! |
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My
Pictures of the Arctic Highlights Tour (flickr)
About
the ship - MS Expedition
WILDLIFE
SIGHTINGS on trip
Sept 06-21, 2009
**Expedition
Trip Log from the ship**
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| A
BIT ABOUT MY TRIP |
I am extremely pleased to have taken part on the inaugural
of the MS Expedition through the Arctic with GAP Adventures.
This being the very first sailing of the MS Expedition on
this route, there were some new GAP members on board, as well
as some very experienced ones that operated on the MS Explorer
for years. I was pleased to see some staff as well as some
passengers that took part on my Antarctic adventure in 2007.
As always, the staff and crew were great!
Since
I’ve been on the MS Explorer, I’ve expected
the new ship to feel and look pretty much the same, as from
the outside – it was very similar. To my surprise,
this ship was not only bigger but also better in many ways.
(The Explorer however, had a history and was quite a little
ship for sure!!)
Click
here for info on the ship
Let
me first say that we’ve had an amazing trip and more
luck than we could ever hope for!
At one point the number of sightings we’ve had just
became comical and everyone wore a permanent smile on their
face.
We all knew we were super lucky to get such great weather
and see so much wildlife, as in the Arctic, you never know.
The staff kept their eyes and ears open 24hrs, making sure
we do not miss anything.
Some
of the most memorable, to me at least, were the northern
lights - which were spectacular and visible two nights in
a row... as well as the polar bears - which we’ve
seen on three different occasions!! The all magnificent
ice around us... the glaciers and icebergs. Ahhhh! Whales,
dolphins, hares, walrus,and so on, just to name a few:)
Closer
to the end of our trip, we spend a morning in Itoorqqoortomit,
an Inuit village in East Greenland.
We had a short and fast glimpse of the local lifestyle and
the way it is for most people in that part of the island.
It is cold (very cold!). They have a few cars, but most
homes have a jetskii parked by the entrance.
At this time of year, they are getting ready for the coming
winter.... but when you look around, there are already icebergs
everywhere... and it makes you think a bit of how cold is
the winter going to be?!
One
thing I love about the Arctic, as well as the Antarctic,
is the fresh air and the peace.
Dressing well and just looking at the water passing by from
somewhere on the deck is a great feeling.
You sit there and hope to see some whales swim by, but in
reality, everything around you is so overwhelming that it
doesn't matter...
My diary is full of ahhhhs! oooos! and wows! from this expedition,
but I will leave you with this.
The
trip is very well organized and I would recommend GAP Adventure
many times over when it comes to expedition trips. If you
have any questions regarding my trip, feel free to contact
me by email.
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| About
the MS EXPEDITION |
CABINS
Cabins
on the MS Expedition are pretty big for an expedition ship
- with a lot of storage space.
We booked a triple cabin and figured that we were going
to be squeezing around each other, however, it was very
comfortable (and note, my husband and cousin are both around
190cm and “not too skinny”!)
The cabin has three separated closet units, a mirror desk
with plenty of storage space and enough room under the beds
for a few suitcases.
Bathrooms are small but very well equipped. Showers have
a removable showerhead and are separated with a shower curtain
from the toilet area.
Clean towels are provided in the cabin daily.
All
cabins have a port hole.
There
is a ‘no key’ policy aboard the ship. If you
have any valuables that you are not comfortable leaving
in your room, you can ask them to store it for you at the
front desk.
In every
cabin, you have speakers (with adjustable volume!) where
meal announcements are made, as well as wildlife sightings
through the day. If you are sea sick or just tired and don’t
feel like getting up from bed – you will at least
know what is going on at all times:)
PICTURES:
tripe cabin // twin cabin // superior // suite
Suite
Bedroom Area
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Suite
Livingroom Area
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Showers in Suites
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Triple Room bed and port hole
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Superior Cabin
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Twin
Cabin
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More
Pictures of the MS Expedition
Expedition
cabin layout and info on GAP Adventures
Aboard
the ship there are many amenities, but keep in mind that
it is an expedition ship not a cruise ship.
DINING
ROOM
There
is one main restaurant where all breakfast, lunch and dinner
are served.
Breakfast and lunch are buffet style and dinner is served
a la carte.
There are dining tables of all sizes, from four to ten people
and you are encouraged to switch from time to time so that
you can meet new passengers and introduce yourself to others.
The food is excellent and the waiting staff is very accomodating,
so if there is something that you'd like
and is not on the menu, just ask.
POLAR
BEAR BAR
Bar list // price list (click here)
Open until 12:30 am
FORWARD
LOUNGE / LECTURE ROOM
This is the room where the staff holds all briefings with
the passengers, as well as the daily lectures.
Every night, there are movies or short ducimentaries being
played in the lounge.
Here, you can find coffee and tea 24hrs and they sarve snacks
at around 17h.
MUD
ROOM
This is where you put your life vest on and exit the ship
when boarding the zodiacs.
If you are in the triple room, you will most likely be next
to the mud room (which I found to be good!)
SAUNA
Next to the mud room. Very, very useful for after you arrive
from an excursion with frozen feet!!
It has to be turned on 1hr before you want to use it.
LIBRARY
The library is stacked with Lonely Planet Guides of all
destinations, including Greenland and the Arctic (which
I couldn’t find back home and was too late to order).
International News, USA Today highlights are issued daily
and left in the library. You are not allowed to leave with
any books or articles.
GYM
Small but functional. Has a view on to the sea, so you don’t
miss anything.
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There
are several places around the ship where you can just sit
and enjoy the view. The deck on the back of the ship is
where there are benches and a wide area from which you can
enjoy the surrounding.
There is a smoking section here.
My lap
top battery died and I couldn’t use it unless it was
plugged in.
There are power outlets in the forward lounge/ none in the
library.
STORE
The hours are very flexible. It will be announced on the
speaker when the store is open. You can buy souvenirs from
the MS Expedition such as jackets, pens, postcards, hats
and shits. Also, you can get sunscreen, batteries, etc.
There are no CF cards for sale on the ship, so make sure
you have enough memory with you.
FRONT
DESK and AREA
At
the front desk is where you can find staff if you need them
and a large flat screen with up to date details of where
you are currently going, along with the temperature, altitude,
latitude, etc.
In the front section, all daily updates are posted.
You can find a map with penned in routing of the ship, a
list of possible mammal and bird sightings (and check list
of the ones seen), a daily schedule and a many more things
relevant to the area you are in.
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| Wildlife
Sightings |
Here are some of the wildlife sightings and interesting
things I saw during my trip.
(for a day by day DETAILED
LIST of all wildlife sightings, click
here)
DAY
1 – Longyearbyen and Islanfjord
DAY
2 – Magdalenafjorden:
Blue Ice // Glaciers // Ice shelf
breaking and re-emerging
Vasahalvoya:
3 Polar Bears (fin whale crevasse)
Bearded Seal
DAY
3 – Sorgfjorden:
Dutch cemetery sight // Long Walk along the beach
Longoya:
Polar Bear and number or walruses
(together)
At Sea - White nosed dolphins
DAY
4 and 5 – At Sea – from Spitsbergen to Greenland
Whales
DAY
6 - Greenland
Snow / Muskox
DAY
8 - Blomsterbogten
Arctic Fox / NORTHERN LIGHTS
DAY
09 - Green Bay
DAY 10 – Antarctic Havn
4 Polar Bears (mother and 3 cubs),
whale crevasse + another 2 Polar Bears and 2 Muskox
Arctic Falcon
Carlsberg Fjord
DAY
11 /12 - ITOOQQORTOMIT, Inuit Town
Arctic Hare
DAY 13/14 - at sea from Greenland to Iceland
Dolphins
Minke Whales
Blue Whale
Killer Whales
(for
a day by day DETAILED
LIST of all wildlife sightings, click
here)
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Book
this tour or any other ARCTIC or ANTARCTIC expedition
by GAP Adventures
and All Seasons will give you an
additional 5% OFF
Call us today at 905.545.5900 or
email anita@allseasons.org
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