Alaska & the Arctic,
up close.
An expedition cruise isn't about watching the scenery go by from a balcony. It's about getting into it: stepping onto the shore, floating beside the ice, and spending your days with people who know these places well. Smaller ships, fewer guests, and a lot more time outside.
A different kind of sailing.
Small ships
Usually under 200 guests. You land where big ships can't, and you never wait in line for a tender.
Zodiac landings
Most days you step off the ship and onto the shore, the ice, or the water itself.
A flexible route
The captain follows the wildlife, the weather and the ice. The plan is a starting point, not a script.
Naturalists on board
Biologists, geologists and photographers who travel with you, and know what you're looking at.
What your days actually look like.
Zodiac cruising beside tidewater glaciers
Engines off, close enough to hear the ice crack and see a wall of blue calve into the sea.
Brown bears in Katmai and the Inside Passage
Quiet shoreline landings with guides, watching bears fish and graze at a respectful distance.
Polar bears, walrus and the pack ice of Svalbard
The ship noses into the ice edge and everyone heads to the bow with binoculars.
Kayaking quiet fjords
Paddle out from the ship into still water, with seals and seabirds for company.
Midnight sun and Arctic communities
Long golden evenings in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic, and visits with Inuit communities who call it home.
Evening talks with the expedition team
A recap over drinks: what you saw, what it meant, and what tomorrow might bring.
From wake-up call to midnight sun.
- 6:30Wake-up call
The expedition leader comes over the speaker: whales off the starboard side.
- 8:30Morning landing
Zodiacs to shore for a guided hike across the tundra.
- 12:30Lunch on the move
The ship repositions while you eat, eyes on the window.
- 15:00Afternoon on the water
Kayaks or a Zodiac cruise along the glacier face.
- 18:30Recap and briefing
The team shares photos and stories, then sketches out tomorrow.
- 22:00Still light
In summer the sun barely sets. Many guests are back out on deck.
Southeast Alaska
Inside Passage fjords, glaciers, humpbacks and brown bears.
Svalbard
Polar bears, walrus, and the edge of the pack ice.
Greenland
Icebergs the size of towns, and small Inuit settlements.
Northwest Passage
A rare crossing of the Canadian high Arctic.
- You'd rather be outside than at a show.
- Wildlife and landscapes matter more than nightlife.
- You're happy with a flexible plan that follows the weather.
- You can step in and out of a Zodiac with a hand from the crew.
- You want casinos, big pools and many restaurants.
- You need a fixed day-by-day itinerary.
- You're travelling with very young children.
- A big-ship Alaska sailing might fit better. See the Alaska guide.
The right ship, the right cabin, the right weeks.
Expedition ships vary a lot: size, ice class, how many Zodiacs, the size of the expedition team, and how many days are spent ashore. Janna compares them for you, matches the timing to the wildlife you most want to see, and finds the cabin worth the money.