Poseidon Expeditions Avis 591

Schon der Ausgangspunkt dieser Reise ist etwas ganz Besonderes. Wir waren sehr froh, etwas Zeit in Longyearbyen zu haben, um die Stadt zu erkunden.

Während der Umrundung von Spitzbergen konnten wir eine unvergleichliche und abwechslungsreiche Landschaft sowie eine einzigartige Tier- und Pflanzenwelt entdecken.
Die Bezeichnung für die Reise heißt zwar „Arktis Expedition intensiv und Eisbären-Safari“ aber wer glaubt beim Buchen schon daran, dass man viele Eisbären sieht. Unsere Erwartungen wurden jedoch bei Weitem übertroffen. Wir haben sehr viele Bären gesehen und kamen ihnen mit dem Schiff und auch dank der Zodiacs recht nah. Es waren immer ganz besondere Momente und wir werden diese Eindrücke nie vergessen. Aber auch sonst haben wir viele Tiere gesehen. Große Gruppen von Walrossen, Robben auf Eisschollen und im Wasser sowie Rentiere, die ohne große Scheu waren. Und natürlich fuhren wir mit den Zodiaks zu Vogelkolonien und konnten so aus der Nähe tausende von Vögeln beobachten.

Und auch wenn es kaum vorstellbar ist, auf Spitzbergen gibt es eine Vielzahl von Blumen. Diese arktische Flora zu finden und zu fotografieren hat uns viel Spaß gemacht. Eduardo aus dem Expeditionsteam hat sich über jede neu gefundene Pflanze mitgefreut und alle Fragen geduldig beantwortet.

Wir haben auf dieser Reise auch viel über die Geschichte von Spitzbergen erfahren. Mit sehr interessanten Vorträgen wurden wir über das Leben in der Arktis und die verschiedenen Expeditionen zur Eroberung des Nordpols informiert. Ein Highlight war die Buchlesung von Sandra Walser, die ihr Buch „Auf Nordlandfahrt“ vorgestellt hat und viele Fragen beantworten musste.

Während der Recaps erfuhren wir auch, dass sich die Sea Spirit dem AECO angeschlossen hat und sich damit gegen die Plastikverschmutzung der Meere einsetzt. Deshalb wurden wir gebeten, bei den Anlandungen Plastikmüll zu sammeln und so mitzuhelfen, die unbewohnten Inseln von Plastik zu säubern. Wir waren entsetzt, wie viel verschiedenen Plastikmüll wir gefunden haben und meinen, das ist eine sehr gute Aktion.
Wir werden sicher noch lange an diese Reise denken, auch an die tolle Betreuung an Bord und die netten aufgeschlossenen Menschen, die für unser Wohlergehen gesorgt haben..

Ina und Dietmar

Excellent route, skilfully optimised by tour leader and crew, taking into account wildlife and weather conditions. MV Sea Spirit is the Goldilocks sized boat, generously equipped with zodiacs, yet small enough to be friendly. Very impressed by staff, food, wildlife, trekking. Highly recommended.

Dies war unsere erste Reise in die Arktis und auch zum ersten mal waren wir mit Poseidon Expeditions unterwegs. Es waren wunderschöne 12 Tage an Bord der Sea Spirit. Das von Anja geführte Expeditionsteam hat uns die Reise zu einem aussergewöhnlichen Erlebnis werden lassen.
DANKE! Wir kommen wieder!

Sehr schönes Schiff,gute Guides,interessante Route, Anlandungen und Tierbeobachtungen,fantastisches Gourmetessen, sehr freundliches,hilfsbereites Team,Crew etc

Das wichtigste vorweg: die Reise, die Expeditionen/Anlandungen und die Crew waren super, sehr gute Organisation. Bei den Expeditionen /Anlandungen sehr wertvolle Informationen in der deutschsprachigen Gruppe.
Die Küche war auch sehr gut und abwechslungsreich.
Einen Wermutstropfen gab es: die Reise war uns als ausschliesslich Deutschsprachige Reise verkauft, auch noch nach der Verschiebung wegen Covid. In der Realität waren über die Hälfte der Passagiere englischsprachig. Deswegen wurden die Recaps und Vorträge in Englisch gehalten und eine Simultan Übersetzung versucht. Das war nur bedingt erfolgreich, einerseits konnten die Übersetzer manchmal nicht folgen, andererseits wegen der Technik mit dem kleinen Gerät fürs Deutsche und gleichzeitig das Englische aus den Lautsprechern. Ergab im Resultat ein unverständliches Durcheinander. Andere Passagiere hatte die gleichen Probleme. Vorschlag: Recaps und Vorträge jeweils abwechselnd auf Deutsch/Englisch halten, so jeder abwechselnd die Infos in der Muttersprache.

Just returned from an amazing trip around Svalbard. This was our first cruise and we didn't expect the level of quality that we received. What they do for you is beyond what I ever expected. We had one luggage case arriving (after not making it on our flight) and it was picked up and transported onto the boat (which re-organised departure time) and left outside our door. From this gesture alone, we knew Poseidon really actually did go above and beyond and they showed it during the rest of the cruise. The expedition crew, service crew, everyone, was always on hand to do anything to make your day a bit better. The experiences were amazing (seeing polar bears, whales, reindeer, kayaking among walrus etc.) and the food was top notch.

Back in 2020 I started to think about going to Arctic and went to Dr. Google first. And I knew immediately that will be an amazing experience (the cruise around Svalbard). Although this cruise was postponed for 2 years because of covid, it was worth to wait! Here are some things I would like to emphasize:
1. Excellent work of Ms. Tanya Strikanova. Always smooth and quick, always helpful.
2. Extremely thorough organization. Everything was clear and understandable - embarkation, excursions, tours etc etc
3. The food at the restaurant was just great!
4. All the expedition team did excellent, marvellous work on preparation. Everything was well planned and clearly communicated (I liked the recaps!). Chris, Fabienne, Aaron, Kevin, Eloiza, Eduardo, Jevgeni, Piet - you all are wonderful guides!
5. We visited magnificient, amazing places I would never even dreamed of. We heard stories of polar expeditions and hunters/trappers. We hiked and enjoyed the Arctic nature. We saw a lot of birds, walrus and POLAR BEARS!

So, if you are interested in history of Svalbard and Europe, if you love hiking, if you love nature and polar bears - this is your cruise.

Had a great trip with Poseidon on the June 21, 2022 cruise around Svalbard. We saw five polar bears, lots of walruses and seals, and spectacular scenery. There were so many beautiful spots--any one of which would be a major national park if located in the U.S. or Europe. There were so many highlights: watching a bear looking for seals on the polar ice cap; fantastic outdoor barbecue on the deck surrounded by sea, mountains, and glaciers; watching swarms of birds at a bird cliff while directly under their nests; riding the zodiac while looking at a polar bear on one side and keeping a watchful eye on the other side of a group of walruses that could potentially attack our zodiac; etc.

We were very impressed with the Poseidon staff, starting with the person that I dealt with to book my cabin. She was extremely helpful, especially given the stress and uncertainties related to booking a cruise trip during COVID. I had lots of worries, but she was very accommodative to all my concerns. The waiters were very attentive to our dietary preferences and the food was great, with lots of different choices. My room attendant was extremely helpful and I enjoyed talking with her.

The expedition guides were super. They took us out on the zodiacs and told us what to look for. I was amazed by how they could spot polar bears from a far distance that looked like just a rock to me! In the Oceanus Lounge, they gave great lectures on various subjects. It was nice having geologists, bird experts, and various wildlife experts to explain what we were seeing--so this trip was very educational.

Our favorite part of the trip was the hike, where we could stretch and exercise our legs, play on the snow, take pictures, and enjoy the scenery. We wish the cruise included more hikes, but understand that others may want a more relaxing vacation.

The cabins were great. My kids loved their triple and said they look forward to going back to their same cabin on the Sea Spirit for a future vacation. I enjoyed my spacious double and had a great balcony.

At the end of the trip, the photographer gave us a beautiful video and some great pictures of the trip, including footage from a drone. It was nice having a professional photographer who could record our memories and take shots much better than our own.

If I have a chance, I would definitely consider booking another cruise with Poseidon!

The expedition team were enthusiastic, flexible, polite, friendly and knowledgeable. Everyone on the ship was there working to make our trip, one of a lifetime. The captain and team went out of their way to give us the best chance of spotting wildlife. The USB slideshow of the trip’s highlights given to every passenger as a parting gift was a lovely touch. Ship M/V “Sea Spirit” was very comfortable and the food was delicious. The team dealt with a very tricky situation (SAS strike) in a calm, professional manner. Keeping everyone informed at all times and being as accommodating as possible

Overall, the trip was good. The ship, food, staff, and activities exceeded our expectations. The expedition staff was very good and helpful. However, problems began when they announced COVID was on the ship. We had brought tests with us and tested ourselves and discovered, we were positive. We thought the responsible thing was to report it to the ship's doctor and hoped he would have antiviral medication available for us since one of us had underlying medical conditions. He did not. All he could offer us was a drug like Tylenol and tell us not to worry and we would be fine (I am still suffering from the effects of getting COVID on the ship 3 weeks later). For the remainder of our trip (2 days) we were told to stay in our room, which seemed reasonable. Excellent food was brought to us. However, the room did not have windows that opened. There was no option to get any fresh air or exercise. There was no entertainment offered except for one very bad movie channel. We were not offered books to read. We were not informed of the ship's activities or post-briefing activities. We were pretty much ignored and were uninformed of anything that was going on the ship.
While everyone one on the ship needed to be vaccinated and test negative before embarking on the expedition, there didn't seem to be any plan to help those that tested positive for COVID. Some suggestions to improve the safety for passengers regarding COVID are:
- have antiviral medication onboard the ship for anyone testing positive for COVID, especially since there were many older passengers and people with medical conditions onboard.
-everyone should be tested once or twice during the trip. There were many people walking around the ship coughing that likely had COVID.
-stagger dining times between two groups so there would be more opportunity for social distancing.
-have a room held open for anyone that tested positive that allows some fresh air and the opportunity to exercise.
Overall, the trip was good, but we did not feel the safety of passengers was adequate if they came down with COVID. It was a very expensive trip and we were really disappointed with the treatment we received on the last two days.

we were

What a fantastic experience this was. The staff were superb throughout, everyone from the course director, expedition staff, kayaking team, restaurant, admin and hotelling team.

The efforts they made to locate our lost luggage and get it transferred to the ship went way beyond what could be reasonably expected.

The daily expeditions and recaps, kayaking, polar bears, walruses, seals and other Arctic wildlife will stay long in the memory.

A wonderful trip with a dedicated team once around Spitsbergen. The kayak tours were also great fun, thanks to the highly motivated team. We want to book the next trip with Poseidon soon, towards East Greenland.

To be in the Arctic was exciting. The fjords, glaciers and vistas were unending and spectacular. The staff and crew were attentive, thoughtful, experienced and inviting. Thank you to Poseidon for such a memorable experience.

The cruise was the best trip we had for a long time. The team of the expedition was friendly and knowledgeable and they did the utmost to make us happy. Also the team of the restaurant and the team of the hotel made us feel at home.

We went on a Polar expedition around Svalbard this summer. Years ago we went to Antarctica with them, and the Kayak Guide, Ida, recommended we try Svalbard. It took five years, but we made it up there and her recommendation was on point. We had a great time kayaking around the ice flows. We saw large glaciers and amazing wildlife. The ship, ship's crew, and expedition staff are all amazing. The food is great. The ship is a nice size, not too many people, but not too small, either.
We'll go on another expedition with Poseidon in a couple years.

What an "expedition" cruise should be! There truly was no fixed agenda where we had to be at a certain place on a certain day. The expedition leaders were always checking conditions for wind, weather and wildlife and that was a winning combination. When they knew we would not be able to fully circumnavigate Svalbard, we ventured farther north to find the edge of the pack ice, a magical thing to witness and where a polar bear awaited us. The ship itself was very nice with comfy staterooms, meeting room, bar, etc. The presentations by the naturalists, photographer, etc. were impressive and made you realize what a bright and enthusiastic group they were. And the food was exceptional. Totally recommend!

A very beautiful experience

Really great from the second we got onto the boat. Had an absolutely unforgettable experience, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them. However, very bad pre boat experience.

It has been the best experience of my life!

Expedition staff and crew are excellent. Thye work hard to provide each passenger a good experience.