Kapitan Khlebnikov - comments

Kapitan Khlebnikov

This 20 year old Russian icebreaker is under long term lease by Quark Expeditions who may either run trips themselves or sublease to other groups.

The Khlebnikov is an adventure/expedition travel ship that is designed to go to places -- high Arctic into the ice in the summer, Antarctica in (our) winter -- that few if any other ships can reach and to get passengers ashore with zodiacs or helicopters. Therefore, it should not be considered solely a “cruise” ship where sailing on it is an end in itself. Please keep that in mind and view their web site when reading the following:

Cabins: The standard cabin is compact but with adequate storage space. The premium priced suits are spectacular.

Food: Buffet at breakfast. Choice of 2/3 entries at lunch/dinner. Plus multiple buffet salad/side dishes. Good to very good but not “gourmet”. Unlike some ships that use between-meal coffee as a bar profit center, coffee and tea are always available and pastries are frequently set out. Nobody goes hungry.

Service: While the crew/passenger ratio is lower (worse) than some, service is very efficient. Many of the staff have been with the ship for years. Cabins are clean; meal service is quick; laundry is next day.

Ship Interior and facilities: Minimal public space. Good tiered lecture hall. Great open bridge/bow/deck areas for viewing. One elevator serving passenger decks (not bridge) that does not operate in bad weather. Long outside staircase to reach zodiacs. Should be no problem for anybody with normal mobility. We were told that the ship can roll extensively in foul weather. Ship noise was very low except when crunching through ice.

Other comments: Helicopters - 2 x 5 passenger from rear deck... Fantastic. Bar/wine etc... OK and reasonably priced. Medical – full time Russian doctor on board (for crew) and, we believe, most trips carry US doctor for passengers. Dress is very informal (no jackets/ties).

Conclusion: While several ships can go to the ice, the Khlebnikov can actually cut through it for up-close wildlife viewing.

We will be watching the upcoming trips and plan to sail on it again.

I just saw a special on Discover HD and it showed this ship. I never considered an expedition cruise before... but this show had me so drawn in. It looks like even the lowest fares are higher than the HIGHEST on mainstream lines. What type of room did you have, were you comfortable in it?

We had one of the forward facing (as opposed to the corner) suite which was the largest cabin that we have had on any ship. But there are only a few of these and they are premium priced. The standard cabin is compact.

But this ship isn't about the cabins, food or public space (or even the lowest possible price). If these are very important to you, then you probably should pass. The KK is about destinations, usually in the ice, and it or a similar ship is the only way to get to certain parts of the world (unless the ice melts!).

And remember, ALL shore excursions (which can mean one or even two landings per day plus helicopter rides) are INCLUDED in the price. We know what conventional ships charge for shore excursions.

We have done a lot of expedition cruising. There are only a handful of ships that do these kinds of trips and the ships are usually chartered to a tour group or groups for one or more trips. The quality of the group and its leaders becomes very important. (However, Intrav owns its ships and sometimes runs its own groups and sometimes charters them out...in our experience, they are only mediocre managers and others do a better job using their ships).

Expedition cruising usually means zodiac landings; all inclusive shore excursions; an expedition leader; several lecturers; zodiac drivers; etc. all of which cost money which is one of the reasons these trips are expensive.

I suggest that you check the web sites for Zegrahm Expeditions and Tauck, probably the two best expedition tour managers.

Reply if you have specific questions.

One more quick note on adventure travel excursions.

Most of these trips include all shore excursions. Depending on the destination, there can be two/day (with repositioning during lunch) or it can be one long excursion including lunch. And a local bus. And local guides. And gratuities. And, if required, a zodiac trip ashore and back. And ship's lecturer (s). And naturalistrs.

Depending on the variables, excursions can easily have a "retail" value of, say $75-$200 pp / day (except days-at-sea when the lecturers take over). On the KK where excursions included several helicopter rides, the retail value would have been even higher.

And a really good excursion leader will work with the ship's captain to develope a "plan B" or even a "plan C" when the weather mandates a change from the published itinerary.

So there is a certain added value to adventure travel that needs to be figured into the price charged.

From what I understand, ending its run as a tourist vessel after this season and currently stuck in the ice:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33988286/ns/travel-news/

Cool Cruiser, did you actually cruise on the Kapitan Khlebnikov, and if so, when? My clients are very upscale and did not balk at the cost of the suites for their 2016 Arctic expeditions, but they are hesitant on the "quality" (in perspective that it is an expedition ship and not a luxury vessel). They will only go in a suite. Do you have any further details on the service level, ability to communicate in English, amenities, food quality for American tastes? I can't find any other posts on this ship.

Thanks for anything you can provide.

Cruise Navigator.

Cool Cruiser, did you actually cruise on the Kapitan Khlebnikov, and if so, when? My clients are very upscale and did not balk at the cost of the suites for their 2016 Arctic expeditions,

maybe they would prefer Ponant ships they are more upscale or the Silversea expedition ship (not sure of the name )

Either one you need to be able to get into/out of the zodiaks

Cool Cruiser, did you actually cruise on the Kapitan Khlebnikov, and if so, when? My clients are very upscale and did not balk at the cost of the suites for their 2016 Arctic expeditions, but they are hesitant on the "quality" (in perspective that it is an expedition ship and not a luxury vessel). They will only go in a suite. Do you have any further details on the service level, ability to communicate in English, amenities, food quality for American tastes? I can't find any other posts on this ship.

Thanks for anything you can provide.

Cruise Navigator.

I did the final two KK Antarctica 30 day voyages in 2010 and 2011/12. Love this icebreaker to bits and if it returned to Antarctica I would not hesitate to be aboard.

Your clients need to understand the difference between luxury cruising and an expedition. I would describe the KK cabins as sturdy and functional and comfortable. They are not swish and luxurious aka Le Boreal or Orion etc. The money that is being spent on this kind of trip is 100% for the functionality of an icebreaker that can take you where the other ships cannot. It also has the benefit of helicopters to get to even harder to reach destinations.

If you can't find posts on this particular forum board - head over to the Antarctica forum here or the one on Trip Advisor where plenty of us were posting about it for years until its retirement in January 2012.

<<<<the service level, ability to communicate in English, amenities, food quality for American tastes?>>>>>

Quark is a Canadian company and the expedition team is a mix of Australian. New Zealand, Canadian, American and British. The bridge team is generally Russian. The hospitality team (and food) differs depending on who is contracted. You can easily email Quark staff for specifics on that.

Amenities ? as in what specifically ? Each cabin has its own bathroom. Rooms are cleaned daily and turned down for evening. There are 2 dining rooms on board, a lounge, bar and library. Large auditorium for lectures. Sizable bridge for 24/7 viewing - generally only closed in extreme waves.

People that go on this icebreaker (its not a ship!) generally do so because they are fans of the breaker itself and its abilities to get them where others cannot. I have met some of the wealthiest people in the world on board and also the most well travelled - none are expecting fancy luxury.

Plenty more info on the Quark website.