West greenland and disko bay

There are not many posts on Greenland or its cruises in detail in this forum, aside from Keith's excellent photos in one post. We have just returned from a 12-day cruise to West Greenland and Disko Bay on the Poseidon Expedition's Sea Spirit. I have written a review that can be found on the following link. I have included information on each of the ports that we visited in Greenland. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=625244

Harbormaster,

Thank you for the link to your interesting review. As you noted, there is scant info on Greenland on CC so every little bit of info helps. We will shortly be heading there as part of a 24 night cruise from Reykjavik to Montreal on a small cruise ship ( well, not as small as yours - the Seabourn Quest with 450 passengers). We will have six ports of call in Greenland - Qaqortoq, Paamiut, Nuuk,Manitsoq, Sisimiut, and Illulissat. From there we head to the Nunavut territory of Canada where we are hoping for polar bear sightings. When you were on your trip did you see much wildlife - such as whales?

Also you may have seen the story on the news this weekend about the huge iceberg (300 feet tall, 650 feet wide and 11 Million tons) that threatened to creat a tsunami near the village of Innaarsuit. Luckily it appears the iceberg has changed course and is heading north.

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Hi Chairsin. Thanks for your kind comments. Your Seabourn cruise sounds fantastic. They are our favorite cruise line. We saw whales, bowhead and humpback. Also musk ox. Did not see Narwal which we had hoped for. Polar bears are usually further north, although our flight attendant on Air Greenland told us her brother had shot a polar bear threatening their sheep herd south of Nuuk. But that is unusual.

Ilulissat was our favorite city. The Knud Rasmussen museum and art museum are worth a visit. The city is surroundd by icebers and if you have a chance to take a small boat excursion through them on the way to the glacier, do so. It is breathtaking! Also good place for shops with Inuit crafts. Nuuk is the biggest city and the museum is good. It is a shuttle ride from the port to the city. Also loved Sisimuit. A small friendly town where you can see the Greenland sled dogs. Have always wanted to see Nunavit so we envy you. Will be interest to hear how your trip is. Greenland now is on our list of favorite places. Liked it better than Antarctica because of the lovely people and amazing sites. Enjoy!

Wow - better than Antarctica! That is really saying something. DH and I have taken some great cruises but still say that the Antarctica itinerary (which included South Georgia Island) was our favorite. Looking forward to meeting some of those lovely Greenlanders of whom you speak.And fingers crossed about good wildlife spotting. I will certainly come back here post cruise to report.

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Wow - better than Antarctica! That is really saying something. DH and I have taken some great cruises but still say that the Antarctica itinerary (which included South Georgia Island) was our favorite. Looking forward to meeting some of those lovely Greenlanders of whom you speak.And fingers crossed about good wildlife spotting. I will certainly come back here post cruise to report.

I have also heard people say that they liked Greenland more than Antarctica, so it has been on my bucket list since my first trip to Antarctica. (In fact, my second trip to Antarctica was actually booked on the spur of the moment when I happened to see a good offer while researching Greenland trips!) I particularly wanted to visit northeastern Greenland, because it's a favorite of several Antarctic expedition staff I've met. I finally made the trip last year, and perhaps it was all those years of anticipation, but while it wasn't a disappointment, I definitely like Antarctica more.

Greenland is far better for culture and human interaction, for plant life, for hiking, and for geology (The geology is admittedly incredible! Amazing folds, incredibly old formations, and lots of exposed stratigraphy!). However, it all comes down to personal preference. For wildlife, I think there's more variety in Greenland, but it's spread thin so you don't see as much in one place as you do in Antarctica.

For me personally, the thing that draws me back to Antarctica is the ice in all its varieties and enormous scales. There are some beautiful glaciers and icebergs in Greenland, but I think Antarctica wins the ice competition hands down. The only thing is that there's so much of it in Antarctica that I think it's hard to appreciate it all! I'm glad I made the trip to Greenland, but for future trips I think I'll be heading back to Antarctica.

(I might be singing a different tune if I'd been lucky enough to see a narwhal!)

You are right. Both are excellent and great trips. I guess it was the people as well as the amazing scenery that tipped it for us. Vut we did love Antarctica as well. We are so fortunate to have done both.