Poseidon ExpeditionsReviews of poseidonexpeditions.com

This was our first cruise with Poseidon. We have traveled on cruise lines where the emphasis is on on-board lifestyle, and others where the emphasis is on expedition style with landings scenery and wild life, and we much prefer the latter. Poseidon is just the sort of experience we love, with a diverse team of nature experts, team leaders and just overall fun people.

afgelopen juli een prachtige reis gemaakt met Poseidon naar de geografische Noordpool. met een Russische nucleaire ijsbreker vanuit Moermansk. Alles was zeer goed georganiseerd en de staf was zeer enthousiast, vriendelijk en kundig. Het was een onvergetelijke reis. We hebben meteen geboekt om met Poseidon ook naar Antartica te gaan.

professional expedition arrangement and very nice service, good job!

It was a great trip to the north pole, and I met many passengers on this trip with very interesting stories.

Wonderful trip...every member of your team was outstanding

I had been aware of the opportunity to travel to the North Pole on a Russian nuclear ice breaker for about four years. Finally, I went with my son, who is in his mid-twenties, and we loved it. We saw at least a dozen polar bears, and in two cases they approached right to the ship, one time with a cub. We also saw walruses from the Zodiac. The basaltic columns covered with birds at Rubini Rock were amazing. I fell in love the ship itself, all 25,000 tons of steel and uranium, painted orange and green like a Great Pumpkin. My son and I prowled every (allowed) inch of it. The pool was fun, since the salty water made me so buoyant. The engine room tour showed us cathedrals of dials and turbines. The head engineer was on the very first ship that went to the pole. We brought our Geiger counter along, and only a glow-in-the-dark radiation sign on deck made it tick slightly above background level. I was slightly anxious about the motion in the ice, but turned out to enjoy it. The reactor throws off loads of heat, so you can keep your portholes open for lots of fresh air if you like. Our trip started on July 8th, and it was hot in Murmansk, and only about freezing at the pole. We never needed our many layers of arctic gear. At the pole, we especially enjoyed swimming (the “polar plunge”) and a short hike. A baby seal climbed out of our swimming hole! My son had fun doing some Citizen Science with Lauren and Alex. Seeing the ship from the ice was very impressive. (This is the one occasion that they allow you to fly a drone.) Captain Oleg, cracking a smile for once, performed a marriage ceremony for a Thai couple at the pole – what a great idea. Before the trip, I watched some movies on YouTube and wondered if I would get bored spending over a week crunching through ice. Not a bit of it. You never get tired of looking at the light, or watching the two-meter-thick chunks of blue ice flip over, plunge and rise again. Cracks sometimes radiate in front of the ship, and other times floes smash together and water or ice fountains up. Several times we saw fogbows. There were 113 customers, and about three-quarters were Chinese. This meant you could always get congee for breakfast, and (weirdly) miso soup for lunch, as well as occasionally jiaozi and so on. Lunch and dinner offered a selection of (Western) main courses and desserts. Alcohol is extra but not extortionate: about $35 for a bottle of wine (all ship prices are in US dollars). There was always a nice salad bar, although it grew overly familiar after nearly two weeks. There was also teatime with cakes but we managed never to succumb. We liked all the staff, whether they were lecturing, managing excursions, or sitting with us at dinner. James Balog showed us his award-winning movie “Chasing Ice”, as well as his newest film “The Human Element”. Huw Lewis-Jones, who has authored 18 picture books, had lots of interesting images and anecdotes to share, sometimes impromptu on deck. Alex Cowan spoke well about wildlife, and one of the rangers showed his amazing photographs. Heddi Siebel led art sessions and lectured about various expeditions. Lauren Farmer gave photography advice. (By the way, there is no need for a tripod, really.) Jan Bryde was a funny emcee. It would have been nice to have more excursions: we had only one helicopter ride and only one landfall (at Tikhaya Bukhta). The weather was to blame. Some passengers who had been on the Poseidon ship “Sea Spirit” explained that a purpose-built cruise ship can launch more zodiacs in higher winds than possible on the ice-breaker, where access to zodiacs is via a very long steel stairway. So it is a trade-off. I really really liked the zodiac and going ashore, when we managed it. Neither my son nor I had been on a cruise before, and it all felt a bit too sedentary, although we did work out in the gym. On the Nordic machine I could look out a porthole and scan for whale spouts and dolphins while exercising, although I did have a tendency to hit my head on the steel ceiling. Before booking the trip I tried to compare the two operators Quark and Poseidon. Each was coy about the other. Quark laid on a charter flight from Helsinki to Murmansk, but it was overpriced imho. I did feel a bit of stress applying for my visa and booking flights. I allowed five weeks to get my (three-year) visa, which was just as well as it took four. The head of Poseidon called up the visa expediting company and gave them a hard time, for which I was grateful. In the end I chose Poseidon through the recommendation of a friend. On the day of arrival, if you arrive early enough, you get a good amount of time in Murmansk, which was more fun than we expected. Lilacs were blooming. We scored a geocache at the Alyosha monument, and persuaded a taxi driver to take us to a wooden monastery that we had spotted from the road. The waterfront is worth visiting to see the coal and cranes and Lenin icebreaker museum (alas closed Mon & Tue). The city museum had funny taxidermy and interesting history (Murmansk was the second most bombed Russian city in WWII). And finally the food and drink (in our case at “White Rabbit” and “Tundra”) were extremely good and very cheap. We also lucked into some sort of concert and barbecue at the nearby stadium, where we ate huge skewers of pork. The Azimut hotel was very nice. My family might well go on an Antarctic cruise with Poseidon in the future. After our trip I did look at a “ski the last degree” tour to the North Pole, which would certainly be more athletic (seven days skiing), but there would be no walrus sightings, and polar bear sightings would be a lot more stressful, if they occurred at all. Finally I would reiterate Huw’s advice after each of his lectures: go outside! And stay outside. That is what you are paying for, the amazing experience of 24-hour arctic light and scenery. It is definitely a trip of a lifetime, although I spoke to one young Chinese woman who was on her fifth voyage on this icebreaker! My thanks and best wishes to everyone involved.

I have just returned from a voyage to the North Pole on the Russian nuclear icebreaker, 50 Let Pobedy. I booked the trip 16 months prior to travelling. Throughout that period, the office staff were excellent. They regularly kept in touch, gave great advice and guidance, and were extremely friendly and helpful - particularly with help in obtaining a visa for Russia. The voyage left from Murmansk, and prior to boarding the vessel all guests had a very informative and helpful pre-boarding briefing. The reason for this becomes apparent when having to enter the nuclear facility for boarding the vessel. Thanks to the Poseidon staff, all went smoothly. On board the vessel, which is a working icebreaker, the Poseidon staff were at all times friendly helpful and approachable. The Expedition Team were superb, and during the entire voyage entertained us, educated us and gave us memories which will last a lifetime. The Poseidon hotel staff on board the vessel were exceptional. Whatever the situation, we were always greeted with warm words and a huge smile. The galley staff were superb, and produced food worthy of a 5 star restaurant. Quite an achievement. The Russian ship staff were also excellent, being at all times friendly, helpful, approachable and very professional. The voyage itself was a life changing experience. After sailing from Murmansk we headed north, passed through Franz Josef Land archipelago, and on to the North Pole. Return to Murmansk was again via Franz Jozef Land. There are continual wildlife viewing opportunities, and we were so lucky to see a number of polar bear, a real privilege. Standing on the bow of the vessel while breaking through the ice was a tremendous experience, as was the helicopter flight high above the vessel to witness this from the air. The day spent at the North Pole was unforgettable. The Poseidon staff did so much for us to make this a life changing experience. I cannot praise them highly enough. If you are considering any trip to the Arctic or Antarctic, I would highly recommend that you travel with Poseidon. During my 40 years of travelling around the world, this was without question the best experience I have ever had.

Really wonderful staff, always ready for all the plans and marvellous activities!!!