Silver Explorer Review
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We decided to book the Arctic expedition on Silver Explorer with 2 other couples we met during our December 2010 Antarctica expedition on Prince Albert II (these are the same vessels). The Arctic expedition was spectacular for many reasons including sailing with friends, itinerary and wildlife, expedition staff professionalism and friendliness, cabin accommodation and hotel staff, dining and food service staff, and the blessing of good weather and timing.
The charter flight from Oslo was well organized and executed. We took a short bus ride around Longyearbyen whilst our luggage was being transferred to our cabin from the SAS Boeing 737. Check-in on Silver Explorer went smoothly and quickly. Following the mandatory safety briefing we headed north fully optimistic that the trip would be everything we hoped it to be.
We were not disappointed as we first found a blue whale. It was huge, the largest animal ever to populate the Earth. It fluked for us 2 or 3 times which apparently is quite a rare occurrence. The whale's blow had to exceed 30 feet. Second, we found ourselves in the midst of a pod of white beluga whales. There were so many of them they could not accurately be counted but they had to number over 30.
Cabin Review
Cabin (or should I say suite?) 411 was not as spacious as 406 that we had in Antarctica. The marble bathroom was well designed but the counter top could have been a little higher. The tub and shower were good and our towels were refreshed daily. There was not much space between the bed and the closet. Binoculars provided in the room are not very good but passable. The always stocked refrigerator was handy. Storage space was adequate for most travelers. We found the bed and pillows to be very comfortable. The flat screen TV was nice but we didn't stay in the room long enough to watch anything. There was a good selection of movies to choose from.