Longyearbyen, Svalbard RT

[ilv4cruising]

Hi folks,

 

I hope this is the correct forum to post this in.

 

We are considering booking Longyearbyen Roundtrip cruise for next year. Our interests would be Polar Bears, Whales, Walrus and Seals and other wildlife.

 

Has anyone done a similar cruise)? Just looking for information on what to expect for doing this type of cruise in August and if it worth the cost.

 

Thanks,

[Hezu]

Some years ago I took a short cruise around Svalbard on Hurtigruten's MS Nordstjernen. We did see a polar bear, several different whales, seals, few walruses, Svalbard reindeer and number of birds. Most of the wildlife was seen from some distance, but of course that might be a safer option, especially regarding the polar bears. On the landings we made, there was always few guides with rifles on watch to ensure that polar bears did't attack us. Our trip was in June, so I don't know if it would be vastly different in August - maybe then there would be even less snow and ice on some places and maybe the first migrating birds may have left Svalbard and already heading back to south. And of course, since we are talking about wildlife, there is never absolute guarantee that you will see all the animals you would like to see, although on certain places like some bird colonies should be quite reliable locations to see something.

I think this sort of cruise offered quite good look on the Svalbard and its flora and fauna, although of course you might see even slightly more on a longer and more expensive photography oriented expedition cruise on even smaller vessel (being quite old, Nordstjernen isn't exactly a massive cruise ship either), but for price the offering was fairly good value.

Edited October 13, 2022 by Hezu
Minor editing

[kaisatsu]

Which company are you planning to travel with? There is quite a wide variety of service levels among the different expedition ships, though all polar expedition companies largely operate in similar ways. Have you done a polar expedition elsewhere (Antarctica, Greenland, etc) or is this your first polar cruise?

 

I have done a late-August expedition in Svalbard, and by that time of year the bird colony at Alkefjellet had mostly cleared out. We still saw a few polar bears, plenty of walrus, etc.

 

if you’ve never done a polar expedition cruise, keep in mind that it is not very similar to traditional cruising. The itinerary (beyond embarkation and disembarkation) are merely guidelines, and the actual places you visit are determined by conditions. The ship’s captain and expedition leader will try to make the best choices possible, but nothing is guaranteed. A typical day will include one or two operations which may be a landing or a zodiac cruise, and on ships with 200 passengers, these may be done in rotations. Onboard activities are typically wildlife and history lectures.

 

If you’ve done a polar cruise elsewhere, there are also a few differences in Svalbard. For polar bear protection, no landings are possible if a bear has been spotted in the vicinity, and landings are tightly controlled. Spotters will usually search the surrounding area, and groups will either be limited to controlled spaces near the shore or kept in tight groups (accompanied by armed guides) when traveling further inland.

 

If you are keen on nature and wildlife and not necessarily looking for the bells and whistles of a traditional cruise ship, it can be a very rewarding experience, and it’s one of the only ways to explore Svalbard beyond the few settlements.