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Adventure Canada: Out of the Northwest Passage

October 25, 2016October 25, 2016 lesleyanne2 Comments

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!

🙂

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Sneak Peek: Out of the Northwest Passage

September 27, 2016October 22, 2016 lesleyanne5 Comments

I am on my way home from Adventure Canada‘s Out of the Northwest Passage cruise, and as it may take me a few weeks to do a proper post, I thought I’d give you a photo preview of some of the stops on this magnificent cruise on the Ocean Endeavor.

Our first landing was at Anderson Bay on Victoria Island where we got an introduction to the rugged Arctic landscape.

We landed at Fort Ross, a Hudson Bay Company’s attempt to set up a trading post at the end of the Bellot Strait.

Within days of the announcement that Franklin’s second ship, the Terror, was found, we made a landing on Beechey Island where Franklin overwintered in 1845-46.

We made a stop at the Baffin Island community of Arctic Bay. A visit to the Northern Store was a lesson on the excessive cost of living in the north.

Rough seas did keep us from several landings but the experience was a reminder of what the early explorers had to deal with.

One landing was cancelled due to a polar bear sighting but we remained in the zodiacs and observed the bear from the sea. Another bear gave us a nice show on an ice pan.

The heavy seas gave way to pristine conditions off Greenland where the bergs were impressive.

Ilulissat, Greenland, sits next to the Icefiord, a UNESCO heritage site and the source of 90% of the icebergs that calf off of Greenland and make their way to Iceberg Alley off of Newfoundland and Labrador.