My sister and I went on a cruise in the Arctic Circle. With 24 hours of daylight, we had to 'create' nighttime in our rooms.

Gail AbramsSep 22, 2024, 18:02 IST

The author and her sister took an expedition cruise to the Arctic Circle.Courtesy of Gail Abrams

My sister and I went on a two-week expedition cruise in the Arctic Circle.
Every day was an adventure.

In June 2024, I embarked on an extraordinary two-week expedition cruise throughout the Svalbard Archipelago in the Arctic Circle on the beautiful Sylvia Earle. It's one of Aurora Expedition's two eco-friendly, purpose-built small ships that explore wild and remote regions of the world.

My companion was my sister, Diane Ross, a travel advisor who specializes in river, ocean, and expedition cruises. We have both taken many cruises but this was our first expedition cruise. Although we had some preconceived notions of what this region of the world would look like, we had no idea just how majestic and other-worldly it would be.

We started our journey with two overnights before getting on the ship

The author and her sister spent a night in Longyearbyen, the northernmost town with a population larger than 1,000, before embarking on their cruise.Courtesy of Gail Abrams

Every day was an adventure

The author and her sister stayed on a ship named after renowned marine biologist and oceanographer Sylvia Earle.Courtesy of Gail Abrams

Expert guides took us exploring on Zodiacs

The author's favorite iceberg.Courtesy of Gail Abrams

We saw walruses sunning

They saw wildlife like walruses and polar bears.Courtesy of Gail Abrams

We silently watched polar bears so as not to disturb them

Polar bears were also frequent sights.Courtesy of Gail Abrams

We got to make a rare visit to Kvitøya, or White Island

The author at the monument on White Island.Courtesy of Gail Abrams

We experienced a once-in-a-lifetime hike

The author saw an expeditioner's hut across an expanse of water.Courtesy of Gail Abrams

We didn't see the northern lights and had to "create" nighttime in our rooms

The author and her sister saw the "Lion's Head" iceberg.Courtesy of the author

The ship was homey, and I loved the experience

Expert guides took them out in Zodiacs to explore glaciers and icebergs.Courtesy of Gail Abrams

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