FUN-travel: Raudfjorden, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 5
September 1, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Raudfjorden, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 5
Day 43 – Tuesday, August 12 – Raudfjorden, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 5 – foggy – calm seas – low 40’s – 24 hrs daylight
What I LIKE
- 7:30 – typical wake up
- 9:00 – scout boats sent to look for polar bears
- 10:00 – 1st expedition in 1st group – zodiac tour
- – see mama bear w/baby bear on shore close to water
- – only 40 yards away!
- 11:30 – return – AWESOME 10+
Mama Bear
- 1:00 – lunch
- Room R & R
- 7:00 – expedition recap & tomorrow schedule in theatre Deck 4
- 7:30 – dinner Deck 2 – mushroom soup, frog legs, salmon – VG!
- 10:30 – swing out w/music in Lounge on 3 – piano, vocals & dancing!
- Get an hour back!
- No satellite coverage – no internet
- – just enjoy being in present w/o distraction
Baby Bear
What I DON’T LIKE
- missed mama bear jumping in water to pull up carcass
- only one expedition – early sail to Greenland
- – no satellite coverage – no internet
- – getting board w/only bi polar documentaries
FUN-fact – Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (16 July 1872 – 18 June 1928) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the Antarctic expedition (1910–12) to become the first men to reach the South Pole in December 1911. In 1926, he was the first expedition leader to be recognized without dispute as having reached the North Pole.
FUN-travel: Alkjefellet & Wahlbergoya, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 4
August 29, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Alkjefellet & Wahlbergoya, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 4
Day 42 – Monday, August 11 – Alkjefellet & Wahlbergoya, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 4 – light morning drizzle – mid 30’s– 24 hrs daylight
What I LIKE
- 10:15 – 1st expedition in 2nd group – zodiac tour
- – foggy low clouds hug shore line jagged hills – drizzle stops
- – 300 ft high cliffs w/high columns caused by erosion jut out of sea
- – filled w/1000’s of black guillemots
- – breeding pairs occupy almost every inch
- – constant frantic activity & squawking – some fighting in ocean
- – baby chicks don’t fly off, they drop off, them swim w/mom
- – their little feet paddling franticly as they learn how to swim – just too cute!
- – fabulous 10+ start to the day!
- 11:45 – return
- 12:30 – lunch Asian/Chinese theme
- Nap
- 3:00 – 2nd expedition in 1st group – wet landing – landscape pretty desolate
- – timber logs dot the coastline
- – from Russian logging caught in Arctic tides
- – there are no trees in the Arctic
- – some patches of colorful moss & lichen
- – a dozen walrus hanging out & warming up
- – get a show when Walter the Walrus rolls himself down beach to water
- – fabulous 10+ end of day!
Momma & Baby
- 4:30 – happy hour – nice Chardonnay Viognier blend
- – in room cheese & salami snacks from lunch
- 6:00 – steam room VG for stiff back
- 7:00 – expedition recap & tomorrow schedule in theatre Deck 4
- 7:30 – dinner on Deck 2
Walter the Walrus
- 10:30 – whale spotting alert – up to deck 7
- – blue whales are the biggest of all
- – see a few spouts – not much fanfare
- 11:30 – to bed
- No satellite coverage – no internet
- – just enjoy being in present w/o distraction
What I DON’T LIKE
- – not as showy as the humpbacks
- No satellite coverage – like having news channels – no internet
FUN-fact – There is no sun from August to March and full sun the other months.
Balmy Summer Day on Walrus Beach
FUN-travel: Andoyane Islands & Monacobreen, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 3
August 26, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Andoyane Islands & Monacobreen, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 3
Day 41 – Sunday, August 10 – Andoyane Islands & Monacobreen, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 3 – full sun w/clouds in distance – mid 40’s – 24 hrs daylight
Andoyane Islands
Black Guillemot
What I LIKE
- 1st group expedition – 8:30 – zodiak tour (no landing) of Andoyane Islands includes:
- – birds include arctic terns, black guillemots, eiders
- – landscape includes mountain ridges of very different shapes & ages
- – alpine summits w/granite & remnant of volcano
- – spot 2 polar bears swimming
- 10:00 – return & 2nd group goes out
- 11:30 – announce that polar bears are on land
- 12:00 – 1st group (that would be us!) gets taken back out
- – mom & cub – pretty much grazing on berries
- – not too much moving & pretty far away
- – Chris has high zoom lens
- 1:00 – lunch features Italian buffet
- – French pizza better than no pizza
- – deck 6 is more casual for dinner & best lunch option
- – always has main hot food item cooked to order
- – outdoor deck seating available too
- 3:45 – 2nd expedition – Monacobreen
- – large glacier named after Prince Albert I of Monaco
- – 3 mile wide glacier main attraction
- – chunks of ice crunch under zodiac
- – navigate around small icebergs
- – lots & lots of ice make for nice spotting – bearded seal resting
- 5:15 – return & happy hour
- 7:00 – expedition recap & tomorrow briefing in theatre Deck 4
- 7:30 – dinner on Deck 2
- No satellite coverage – no internet
- – just enjoy being in present w/o distraction
- Really smooth well stabilized ship
Monacobreen
What I DON’T LIKE
- 6:30 – wake up
- 8:00 – hurry up & wait – standing in line to go out
- Polar bears too far away to really see
- – miss seeing them come out of water & walk onto shore
- Pizza not that good
FUN-fact – Per AECO guidelines only 100 people are allowed to land at one time. The ship has 197 passengers that are divided into two groups for the expeditions. You are either scheduled for the first and the last landing or the second and the first landing each day. To make it fair this rotates every day.
Andoyane Islands
FUN-travel: Ny-Ålesund & Fjortende Julibreen, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 2
August 25, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Ny-Ålesund & Fjortende Julibreen, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 2
Day 40 – Saturday, August 9 – Ny-Ålesund & Fjortende Julibreen, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 2 – full sun w/clouds in distance – high 40’s – 24 hours daylight
What I LIKE
- Brought my eye shades
- *8:30 – Jino makes really hot cappuccino
- 1st excursion – 9:30 – walk off ship in Ny-Ålesund
- – most northern town in the world
- – buy postcards to send to grandkids
- 10:15 – walking tour sights include:
- old railway engine
- Kingsfjordbutikken is the only store
- original 4 room house – 2 bedrooms, kitchen, living room
- Amundsen monument
- air ship mast
- – zeppelin used to fly over North Pole 1926
- 11:30 – all aboard
- 11:45 – mandatory briefing on AECO (the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators) guidelines
- 12:30 – 2:00 – lunch – typical buffet w/salad bar – hot & cold meat, fish, veggies – breads & cheese selections
- 2nd excursion – 2:00 – zodiac to shore, wet landing
- – no dock, why you need waterproof boots & pants
- – to Fjortende Julibreen – translates 14th July Bay
- – named for National Day of France
- – walk on sandy/pebble beach shore
- – main attraction glacier 10 mi long
- – total area of about 75 miles
- 4:00 – return & happy hour
- Nap
- 7:00 – Captain’s Welcome Reception
- 8:00 – Dinner – steak, salmon carpaccio, etc, etc
- – nice table w/couple from Houston – Alice & Bill
- – & San Francisco mother/daughter – Brooke & Gabby
Fjortende Julibreen
Booked the least expensive room – on deck 3
– 200 sq ft & a balcony – close to everything
– all expeditions go from here
– where the main lounge is
Travel motto – you can’t wear an upgrade!
Fjortende Julibreen
- No satellite coverage – no internet
- – just enjoy being in present w/o distraction
- After 11 night night
What I DON’T LIKE
- 5:30 – wake up – too light
- 7:30 – cappuccino not hot
- – it is machine not real
Original House
FUN-fact – Svalbard means cold edge in Norwegian.
More FF – Longyearbyen is home to the world’s Global Seed Vault. There are 1400 gene banks from 100 countries. 6 million seed samples are housed in an underground vault cut into the mountain and each sample contains 500 seeds. The capacity is 4.5 million seed samples with a maximum of 2.25 billion seeds. They are housed here in the case of a catastrophic event like a nuclear war or world war that would destroy them.
FUN-travel: Oslo, Norway to Longyearbyen, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 1
August 24, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Oslo, Norway to Longyearbyen, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 1
Day 39 – Friday, August 8 – Oslo to Longyearbyen, Svalbard – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 1 – full sun w/high clouds – high 40’s – 24 hours daylight
Coal Mining Towers
What I LIKE
- 6:30 – get up
- 7:40 – bus departs
- 8:30 – arrive airport
- SAS charter flight – get United points & lounge access
- 9:15 – lounge has separate Star Alliance Gold
- Lovely lady changes boarding pass to sit together
- 9:45 – head to gate
- 11:00 – takes off – has meal & beverage service @ no charge
- – smoked salmon w/potato salad – brie & bleu cheeses
- 2:00 – arrive Longyearbyen – take bus to cultural center
- 2:45 – lunch – roast chicken & mashed potatoes
- – w/movie about the small town life in all 4 seasons
- 3:50 – bus to museum w/flora, fauna – see stuffed birds, polar bear, and seal from region
- 4:30 – board ship Le Boreal
- No satellite coverage or internet on ship
- – just enjoy being present w/o any distraction
- 5:00 – go to spa to book massage & manicure
- Deck 3 lounge for champagne
- 6:00 – safety drill
- 7:15 – welcome & meet expedition team
- – Janni is same cruise director from Antarctica trip 2009
- 8:15 – dinner deck 6 – opt for the self service buffet
- – same food as deck 2 – more casual & you can control your portions
- 11:00 – night night
- It’s only cold the first day
- – trip includes parkas & backpacks
Polar Bear at Museum
What I DON’T LIKE
- 5:15 – wake up
- Standing in another long line snaking thru airport
- – shouldn’t have to on A&K – seats not together either
- – told we have to change at gate
- 10:00 – supposed to board – more hurry up & wait
- 5:00 – don’t do gel nails!
- – now I’m screwed big time as I have no other options
- No satellite coverage – no internet
- – never let anyone know ahead of time & don’t want them to worry
- – inbox will be jammed full – like to clean it up every day or two
- Rubber boots not included – $80 rental fee or bring your own (requires extra luggage charge)
FUN-fact – Svalbard is an archipelago run by Norway but considered international because 100 countries signed a treaty to do business under their jurisdiction. Longyearbyen is the city with an airport on Spitsbergen which is the biggest island.