Out of the Northwest Passage
11-26 September 2016
In May 2015, I looked at the possibility of doing a polar cruise, and like many others, my first thought was to go to the Antarctic. However, with a little research, I found a selection of Arctic cruises offered through Eldertreks and operated by Adventure Canada.
Adventure Canada offers a number small ship cruises throughout Eastern Canada and the Arctic. Since I’ve seen penquins at numerous sites throughout the southern hemisphere, the prospect of seeing polar bears, visiting northern communities and seeing a part of my own country that I’ve never seen before made the Arctic cruise more attractive to me than the Antarctic.
Another factor that sold me on this cruise was the availability of single cabins on the Ocean Endeavour. For me, that meant no single supplement which can be a significant cost for a solo on any cruise. I was too late to snag a single cabin for the 2015 season, so I booked Out of the Northwest Passage for September 2016.
It was a long wait but well worth it. This was the trip of a lifetime, and I have to admit, I was like a kid in a candy store.
This cruise had a bit of everything – stunning scenery, hikes on the Arctic tundra, visits to communities and historical sites, wildlife sightings, northern lights, both rough and calm seas, incredible sunsets, immense icebergs and glaciers, a great on-board program and an amazing staff and crew that brought it all together into an unforgettable package.
For this tale, I’ve decided to forgo my usual format, and rather than present the tale as a day to day experience, I’ve concentrated on the ship, the landings and the sea days. This is a detailed review of the cruise and some or all of the information here could be useful to anyone taking an Adventure Canada or Ocean Endeavour cruise.
You can start with Life Aboard the Ocean Endeavour or navigate to individual pages from the Table of Contents.
All my photos can be found on my flickr page.
Enjoy!
🙂
Hi, we have recently booked back to back Adventure Canada expeditions “out of the NW passage and Greenland and Wild Labrador” and then my wife came across your travelogue.
Thank you so much for your time and energy to create such a comprehensive document of your voyage!! I know that in many ways it will help us prep for the adventure!
We have travelled a bit our selves and now that I am retired we will do some more – I will dig into your other travelogues.
Thanks again
Darryl and Tina
Calgary
Alberta
Hi Darryl!
Always nice to know the tales are helpful! You’ll have an amazing experience! 🙂