Longyearbyen, anyone ever cruise there with PCL before?

[Ken the cruiser]

We’re planning our 2024 summer cruising schedule and have always wanted to cruise to Longyearbyen because it’s as far north as we can imagine cruising to. Has anyone cruised there before with Princess and, if so, what did you think? Is it a part of the world worth visiting?
 

BTW we’re not interested in an Expedition cruise, but rather a cruise with either PCL, HAL or NCL.

[shellbeachjim]

We went to Ny-Ålesund (also on Spitsbergen) on the Ocean Princess in 2010. Brrrrr. I found it fascinating, but there really wasn't much to do other than wander around the town. I did enjoy this sign near the edge of town.

 

[AE_Collector]

Been to both those places on two separate Princess cruises. Glad we did and can say we’ve been there! Both times on the small Princess ships that are no longer a Princess ships unfortunately. Ocean Princess in 2015 and Pacific Princess in 2017. 79.x degrees north! Much further north and we would have been back home in Canada. It was June so summer solstice time. The sun didn’t set for 11 consecutive days out of the 16 day cruise. Very Cool….(but NOT Cold!)

[patrickmoran]

Looks like Honningsvag (for North Cape), Norway is as far north anyone goes these days.

[caribill]

2 hours ago, patrickmoran said:

Looks like Honningsvag (for North Cape), Norway is as far north anyone goes these days.

 

I read that Princess has cancelled Longyearbyen for this year and that the government is trying to limit the size of ships going there.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2022/02/26/norway-set-to-introduce-more-restrictions-on-cruise-ships/

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, caribill said:

 

I read that Princess has cancelled Longyearbyen for this year and that the government is trying to limit the size of ships going there.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2022/02/26/norway-set-to-introduce-more-restrictions-on-cruise-ships/

 

This is the quote from the article mentioned -

 

"Because emergency preparedness becomes more difficult the farther north cruise ships sail, the commission’s report recommended several more restrictions, including a capacity limit of no more than 750 on cruise ships sailing in Svalbard waters."

 

There are lots of ships that have a capacity of <750 people that are probably still visiting Svalbard.  It just that none of them are Princess ship.  If you really want to visit Svalbard, there are many alternatives.

 

DON

[Ken the cruiser]

Good to know. Thanks! It will be interesting to see what itineraries PCL offers, if any, in 2024. Here's the 2023 cruise I was using as an example.

 

Cruise Details - 14-Day Land of the Midnight Sun - Princess Cruises

 

[coo359a2]

35 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Good to know. Thanks! It will be interesting to see what itineraries PCL offers, if any, in 2024. Here's the 2023 cruise I was using as an example.

 

Cruise Details - 14-Day Land of the Midnight Sun - Princess Cruises

 

We are on the Sky Princess June 2023 for 38 days going around these ports.  Our first time was on the Ocean Princess and it was one of favorite cruises.  Went all the way north to Murmansk, Russia.   Did get to Longyearbyen.

Edited June 1, 2022 by coo359a2

[coo359a2]

12 hours ago, shellbeachjim said:

We went to Ny-Ålesund (also on Spitsbergen) on the Ocean Princess in 2010. Brrrrr. I found it fascinating, but there really wasn't much to do other than wander around the town. I did enjoy this sign near the edge of town.

 

We might have been on the same cruise - 7 June to 13 July 2010 - Ocean Princess with Captain Stefano Ravera. Neither rain, sleet, snow or icebergs kept up from getting into   ports.  We for sure followed the rules to keep from meeting up with any polar bears.

Edited June 1, 2022 by coo359a2

[shellbeachjim]

5 hours ago, coo359a2 said:

We might have been on the same cruise - 7 June to 13 July 2010 - Ocean Princess with Captain Stefano Ravera. Neither rain, sleet, snow or icebergs kept up from getting into   ports.  We for sure followed the rules to keep from meeting up with any polar bears.

Yes, that was the one. Captain Ravera loved his ship - "The Beautiful White Lady". Norway is amazing and it should be on everyone's short list.

[generichandle]

I also went on the Ocean Princess. Walked out a bit, and THINK I spotted a polar bear. Did not wait to confirm, walked back!. I also saw those elves in a pub. Sent my order north. 

[Ullerbuller]

Why is Princess cruises still offer Longyearbyen Svalbard as a destination !?

Isn’t this false advertising!?

[Ken the cruiser]

4 minutes ago, Ullerbuller said:

Why is Princess cruises still offer Longyearbyen Svalbard as a destination !?

Isn’t this false advertising!?

Why do you say that? There are quite a few cruise lines scheduled to visit Longyearbyen and Svalbard in 2023 with Oceania, Viking, and Aida already securing port reservations for 2024?
 

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/longyearbyen-spitzbergen-cruise-ship-schedule-2023.html

 

[StrawberryHill]

4 minutes ago, Ullerbuller said:

Why is Princess cruises still offer Longyearbyen Svalbard as a destination !?

Isn’t this false advertising!?

This year they changed the itinerary 4 weeks before the cruise.  Lots of folks cancelled after that.  We ended up cancelling because of a positive test and re booked for next year.  Not holding out hope for this stop next year because the Norwegian Coast Guard has not changed its policy

[Ken the cruiser]

8 minutes ago, StrawberryHill said:

This year they changed the itinerary 4 weeks before the cruise.  Lots of folks cancelled after that.  We ended up cancelling because of a positive test and re booked for next year.  Not holding out hope for this stop next year because the Norwegian Coast Guard has not changed its policy

If I might ask, what policy are you referring to, and would it be possible for you to provide a link to that policy? Also, what itinerary changes are you referring to?

 

Edited October 12, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Mark36]

Hi all.  Booked Island Princess for July 2023 when first available. From what I have read so far I am concerned that: Longyearbyen could be cancelled and this is the main reason we booked. Forbes article says that all ships using bunker oil are banned ???? Does Island use bunker oil ?????????.

 

 

[Mark36]

7 minutes ago, Mark36 said:

Hi all.  Booked Island Princess for July 2023 when first available. From what I have read so far I am concerned that: Longyearbyen could be cancelled and this is the main reason we booked. Forbes article says that all ships using bunker oil are banned ???? Does Island use bunker oil ?????????.

 

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2022/02/26/norway-set-to-introduce-more-restrictions-on-cruise-ships/

[Ken the cruiser]

5 hours ago, Mark36 said:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2022/02/26/norway-set-to-introduce-more-restrictions-on-cruise-ships/

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, you have to have a subscription to read the article. Would it be possible for you to post the main paragraph or two which talks about bunker oil? This is the only similar article I can find on the subject.

 

Protesters in Norway Target Cruise Ship Emissions - Ship & Bunker (shipandbunker.com)

 

[Mark36]

Hi the link works ok for myself. See below copied from link.

Changes ahead for Svalbard cruises

New regulations have already been proposed to limit the environmental impact of cruise traffic in the fragile Arctic ecosystem around Svalbard.

Cruise ships in the Arctic waters around Svalbard will soon be subject to new regulations.

VW PICS/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Because emergency preparedness becomes more difficult the farther north cruise ships sail, the commission’s report recommended several more restrictions, including a capacity limit of no more than 750 on cruise ships sailing in Svalbard waters.

The recommendations are likely to prove controversial among the travel industry and the 2,500 local residents on Svalbard. As coal mining has all but disappeared, the main settlement Longyearbyen largely relies on tourism to drive its economy. Cruise ships fueled by heavy bunker oil have been banned from Svalbard since the turn of the year.

A “solid base” for future work

Despite the importance of the tourism industry, Norway has a track record of introducing restrictions on cruise ships. The country previously adopted a resolution to only allow zero-emission cruise ships and ferries to sail in its UNESCO World Heritage listed fjords (Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord) by the mid-2020s.

How many of the commission’s recommendations are introduced remains to be seen. “I am aware that we must have a solid preparedness both at sea and on land. This analysis gives us a solid knowledge base for developing emergency preparedness further, said Norway’s minister of justice and emergency preparedness Emilie Enger Mehl, when receiving the 164-page report.

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

7 minutes ago, Mark36 said:

Hi the link works ok for myself. See below copied from link.

Changes ahead for Svalbard cruises

New regulations have already been proposed to limit the environmental impact of cruise traffic in the fragile Arctic ecosystem around Svalbard.

Cruise ships in the Arctic waters around Svalbard will soon be subject to new regulations.

VW PICS/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Because emergency preparedness becomes more difficult the farther north cruise ships sail, the commission’s report recommended several more restrictions, including a capacity limit of no more than 750 on cruise ships sailing in Svalbard waters.

The recommendations are likely to prove controversial among the travel industry and the 2,500 local residents on Svalbard. As coal mining has all but disappeared, the main settlement Longyearbyen largely relies on tourism to drive its economy. Cruise ships fueled by heavy bunker oil have been banned from Svalbard since the turn of the year.

A “solid base” for future work

Despite the importance of the tourism industry, Norway has a track record of introducing restrictions on cruise ships. The country previously adopted a resolution to only allow zero-emission cruise ships and ferries to sail in its UNESCO World Heritage listed fjords (Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord) by the mid-2020s.

How many of the commission’s recommendations are introduced remains to be seen. “I am aware that we must have a solid preparedness both at sea and on land. This analysis gives us a solid knowledge base for developing emergency preparedness further, said Norway’s minister of justice and emergency preparedness Emilie Enger Mehl, when receiving the 164-page report.

 

 

Thanks. It will be interesting to see what happens in the months to follow as all of the cruise ships scheduled to stop in Longyearbyen in 2023, except for those owned by Phoenix, have a capacity of more than 750 passengers. 

 

Longyearbyen Cruise Ship Schedule 2023 | Longyearbyen Cruise Port Schedule 2023 (cruisetimetables.com)

 

[Bill B]

On 10/13/2022 at 5:07 AM, Ullerbuller said:

Why is Princess cruises still offer Longyearbyen Svalbard as a destination !?

Isn’t this false advertising!?

 

Yes. They entice you to book and then change the itinerary cancelling Longyearbyen/Svalbard (after final payment) citing environmental regulations they have known about for years.

[shorne]

Last month, Princess cancelled the stop in Longyearbyen on the 33-night cruise that is going to start a month from now. «Updated regulations» were cited as the reason, but it turns out that Princess had cancelled the stop in Longyearbyen on cruises for the same reason in each of the two previous years.

 

As Bill B said above, the timing of the cancellation—soon after final payment was due—seems suspicious, to say the least. The excuse about «updated regulations» also appears not to be true.

 

Princess substituted a stop in the Lofoten Islands and one in Edinburgh. It also gave us $50 each in on-board credit. To me, none of this makes up for what was to be the highlight of the trip. In the Lofoten Islands, the ship arrives at a remote wharf that can be reached only by tender; there seems to be no transportation near the wharf, and the nearest town is several kilometres away. Even now Princess has not announced any excursions. Some people on the trip took the initiative to arrange a tour by bus, and even to have two additional buses brought in so as to accommodate as many people as possible. I am not ordinarily interested in tours of that kind, but I am taking it because the best alternative (and I have done research in Norwegian as well as English) seems to be to remain on the ship. The Lofoten Islands are well worth visiting, but in just a few hours there is not much that one can do. As for Edinburgh, I have been there before and do not particularly want to go there again.

 

I can only conclude that Princess deliberately deceived us by advertising Longyearbyen when it had no intention of going there and indeed knew that its ship would not be allowed to go there. I would not have taken this cruise—I generally dislike cruises—if not for Longyearbyen. I am unlikely to use Princess again, and as a shareholder of the parent corporation I am annoyed enough to want to dispose of my holding.

 

I wrote a pointed complaint to Princess. A thoughtful and courteous person there who called me about three weeks ago seemed understanding and sympathetic; she mentioned that my complaint had been sent right to the top of the corporation and that a number of other people had also complained. She pointed out, correctly, that those of us who join relatively exotic and expensive cruises such as this are likely to do so for the itinerary and will therefore feel aggrieved over questionable changes. She could not do much, but she did increase the monetary compensation. Princess should be grateful to have an employee who knows how to treat customers.

 

All of the evidence that I have seen leads me to agree with a couple of previous posters that this is a case of false advertising. I advise against trusting Princess to take you to Svalbard.

 

[Nicole&Pete]

Just now, shorne said:

Last month, Princess cancelled the stop in Longyearbyen on the 33-night cruise that is going to start a month from now. «Updated regulations» were cited as the reason, but it turns out that Princess had cancelled the stop in Longyearbyen on cruises for the same reason in each of the two previous years.

 

As Bill B said above, the timing of the cancellation—soon after final payment was due—seems suspicious, to say the least. The excuse about «updated regulations» also appears not to be true.

 

Princess substituted a stop in the Lofoten Islands and one in Edinburgh. It also gave us $50 each in on-board credit. To me, none of this makes up for what was to be the highlight of the trip. In the Lofoten Islands, the ship arrives at a remote wharf that can be reached only by tender; there seems to be no transportation near the wharf, and the nearest town is several kilometres away. Even now Princess has not announced any excursions. Some people on the trip took the initiative to arrange a tour by bus, and even to have two additional buses brought in so as to accommodate as many people as possible. I am not ordinarily interested in tours of that kind, but I am taking it because the best alternative (and I have done research in Norwegian as well as English) seems to be to remain on the ship. The Lofoten Islands are well worth visiting, but in just a few hours there is not much that one can do. As for Edinburgh, I have been there before and do not particularly want to go there again.

 

I can only conclude that Princess deliberately deceived us by advertising Longyearbyen when it had no intention of going there and indeed knew that its ship would not be allowed to go there. I would not have taken this cruise—I generally dislike cruises—if not for Longyearbyen. I am unlikely to use Princess again, and as a shareholder of the parent corporation I am annoyed enough to want to dispose of my holding.

 

I wrote a pointed complaint to Princess. A thoughtful and courteous person there who called me about three weeks ago seemed understanding and sympathetic; she mentioned that my complaint had been sent right to the top of the corporation and that a number of other people had also complained. She pointed out, correctly, that those of us who join relatively exotic and expensive cruises such as this are likely to do so for the itinerary and will therefore feel aggrieved over questionable changes. She could not do much, but she did increase the monetary compensation. Princess should be grateful to have an employee who knows how to treat customers.

 

All of the evidence that I have seen leads me to agree with a couple of previous posters that this is a case of false advertising. I advise against trusting Princess to take you to Svalbard.

 

We were interested in this cruise and also a similar cruise on the Sky Princess. We would have chosen Island on the basis of the visit to Spitsbergen, but I had a feeling they would cancel it like last year. I emailed Princess earlier this year and they specifically told me they planned to go there and I even emailed the port to ask if they were expecting the ship, which they were. However I still thought they would cancel it and opted for the Sky Princess.
 

I am jealous that you get to go to Lofoten though as that is somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit! 
 

Interestingly, whilst Holland America cancelled this port in January this year for their summer sailings, it looks like the Norwegian Star is still planning to go there in June.

 

 

[Mark36]

Hi I cancelled my 14 Night booking Island Princess as reason for booking was longyearbyen,

The change in itinerary at the time was 5 days in the north sea with a stop in Newcastle.

No thank you.

Disappointed. I lost £100 deposit. Booked PO Arvia to the med September instead.

 

I feel the same that Princess had no intention of going to Longyearbyen. 

[Ken the cruiser]

For those interested here’s a link which lists by months through 2025 which ships are currently scheduled to stop at Longyearbyen. From what I can tell NCL, Viking and Oceania are the only larger non-expedition cruise lines stopping there. Once the screen comes up, select the Schedule option.

 
https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/longyearbyen-port-897

Edited April 26, 2023 by Ken the cruiser