They are not the only ones. Crystal Cruises “Serenity” is, right now, in the Beaufort Sea above Alaska. It left Seward, Alaska 2 weeks ago and plans to be in New York City on Sept.16th. The 32 day passage through the Northwest Passage is hardly going to be roughing it as this deluxe ship is quite posh(*)! The thing that I do wonder about is if the outdoor pool and spas are getting much use?
While the special preparations for the trip include systems to detect ice, two Canadian ice pilots and an escort ship in case of trouble, some skeptics and conservationist criticize this effort. With up to 1,600 passengers, an emergency evacuation would be a nightmare even with a required $50k insurance on each passenger. The conservationist decry the voyage as being harmful to the delicate environment that the passengers signed up to see!
Lets see if this mild gamble pays off. FYI: (*) Posh was (apocryphal) an acronym for the best accommodations on round trips from England to India [Port Out, Staboard Back] to stay in the shade. With a west-east transit through the Arctic, I wonder if the sunnier, starboard cabins went first?
While the special preparations for the trip include systems to detect ice, two Canadian ice pilots and an escort ship in case of trouble, some skeptics and conservationist criticize this effort. With up to 1,600 passengers, an emergency evacuation would be a nightmare even with a required $50k insurance on each passenger. The conservationist decry the voyage as being harmful to the delicate environment that the passengers signed up to see!
Lets see if this mild gamble pays off. FYI: (*) Posh was (apocryphal) an acronym for the best accommodations on round trips from England to India [Port Out, Staboard Back] to stay in the shade. With a west-east transit through the Arctic, I wonder if the sunnier, starboard cabins went first?
A neighbor is on this cruise.
The Crystal Serenity location is mapped here -
http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=C6SY3
And bridge webcams are here -
http://www.kroooz-cams.com/serenity/serenity1.php
Right now you can see the Ernest Shackleton Antarctic ice breaker (the escort ship referenced above) just ahead of it in clear water.
It looks pretty ice free, but it is the peak of the ice free period and there are even freighters delivering stuff to the remote hamlets around the Canadian Nunavut area. The ship passed Barrow AK and I believe that is almost always ice free for a few months in summer.
A smaller French cruise ship is doing the same as the Crystal Serenity but in the opposite direction -
http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=FLTU
Zoom on this map to see the Greenland area cruises -