Cruise the Arctic Northwest Passage

There are not many places in the world  that you would find difficulty travelling to, however the Arctic North West passage is one of them.   Even now it is only a very small number of ships that can undertake a North West passage cruise and only a privileged few who can experience the wonders of this wild and remote region. Now that climate change has reduced the pack ice, this Arctic shrinkage has made the waterways more navigable.

Crystal Cruises have announced their ship, Crystal Serenity will make its virgin Arctic voyage in August 2016, this will be a 32 day sailing and the largest expedition through the Northwest passage ever made!  Sailing from Alaska into the Beaufort sea, the Canadian Arctic archipelago, onto Greenland and finally finishing in New York.  Only around 200 ships have ever sailed the whole length of the passage. What a fantastic and wonderful experience it must be to see such amazing Arctic wildlife such as humpback and beluga whales, seals, walruses etc!

These are the toughest Arctic waters in the world so it goes without saying it’s not without its risks. The area is served by seven icebreakers, operated by Canada’s coast guard but rescues can be lengthy due to the sheer scale and remoteness.  The Serenity will travel with a support vessel which can break channels through the ice, and has a helicopter pad and facilities for towing and evacuations.

The readers of Conde Nast traveller consistently vote the Serenity as the number 1 cruise ship in the world. It is all inclusive and all gratuities are included. With only 900 passengers on this voyage, the ratio of crew versus clients will give you even more exceptional service! Of course it is not going to be cheap, but when you consider you are travelling on a 5 star cruise ship to one of the most remote areas in the world, well, it may just persuade you to part with your well earned cash!