Poseidon Expeditions Solar Eclipse 2021 Voyage to Antarctica

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On the morning of Dec. 4, 2021, passengers and crew aboard the M/v Sea Spirit, Poseidon Expeditions’ 114-guest polar expedition ship, will be on deck as a solar eclipse plummets Antarctica into sudden darkness.

This event occurs on Day 14 of a 23-day voyage that departs the world’s southernmost city, Ushuaia, Argentina, on Nov. 20 and returns there on Dec. 12 after firmly fixing in memory place names from history books – South Georgia, the Falkland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula itself. The per person rates are from $16,556 (triple occupancy) and $21,866 (double occupancy).

Poseidon Expeditions' Sea Spirit in Russian Arctic first

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Poseidon Expeditions' Sea Spirit on Wednesday received the first permit to cruise into the territorial waters of Franz Josef Land without initially calling at a mainland Russian port.

The unprecedented voyage began July 3 in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, and headed into the Russian High Arctic a few days later, navigating northeast through seasonal sea ice. The authorization was granted July 8, marking the first occasion in history that a non-Russian, foreign-flag vessel entered Franz Josef Land territorial waters without first stopping in a large port such as Murmansk or Arkhangelsk.

The current voyage, with 106 passengers and invited guests aboard, is scheduled to make stops at Alexandra Land, Northbrook Island, Hooker Island, Rudolf Island, Champ Island and other historic or wildlife-significant areas of the uninhabited polar archipelago, sea ice permitting.

The region consists of nearly 200 islands, with much of the terrain covered with glaciers. The archipelago served as a jumping-off point for notable attempts to reach the North Pole during the Heroic Era of polar exploration in the decades of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Nikolay Saveliev, president of Poseidon Expeditions, was pleased and excited to be aboard for the occasion. 'A lot of behind-the-scenes effort by many employees and shipboard staff went into this achievement,' he said. 'Speaking as both a company official and as a passenger, I truly appreciate the hard work that everyone put forward to make this happen, all designed to give our guests a truly unique polar expeditionary experience that was previously unattainable.'

Saveliev also commended the Russian authorities for their cooperation in making the 'incredible polar landscape of Franz Josef Land more readily accessible to visitors.'

Sea Spirit was built in 1991 as Renaissance V, then sailed for a decade in Alaska and worldwide as Spirit of Oceanus. The ship underwent technical improvements for polar cruising in 2010, and has been providing expedition cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic under its current name the past five years.

North Pole expeditions on again

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Despite fears that North Pole voyages will no longer operate after this year, Poseidon Expeditions has announced three departures in 2016. The 14-day polar expeditions will be aboard the 128-passenger, nuclear-powered icebreaker named 50 Years of Victory.

The voyages to 90º North — the geographic North Pole — take place at the height of the summer season: July 10, July 21 and Aug. 1, 2016. The programs also include Franz Josef Land, an infrequently visited region in the Russian High Arctic. Rates range from $26,995 per person for a standard stateroom to $41,995 for the Arktika Suite.

In early 2014, it was feared that North Pole expeditions would end this year after the 50 Years of Victory stopped operating passenger voyages in favor of more lucrative work clearing the way for cargo and scientific ships in Arctic waters. But in October, Poseidon announced that the owner of the icebreaker, Atomflot, decided once again to operate passenger voyages through 2018.

“We are pleased that our partner in this venture — the vessel’s owner, Atomflot — has decided to continue making this unique vessel available to tourism with departures in 2016 and beyond,” said Poseidon President Nikolay Saveliev. “Fortunately, Atomflot’s earlier plans that summer 2015 would be 50 Years of Victory’s swan song insofar as carrying passengers to the North Pole did not materialize.”

The company said it was “happy” to resume the North Pole program. For a taste of the reaction, check out this lip dub video produced last August during the final North Pole cruise of 2014.

Since 2001, Poseidon has operated 29 voyages carrying more than 2,750 passengers to the North Pole aboard the 50 Years of Victory and the nuclear-powered Yamal.

In addition to the newly announced voyages, limited space is still available on this year’s departures on July 19, July 30 and Aug. 10. Per person rates start at $25,995 for the 2015 season.

The North Pole adventures begin and end with overnight stays at a deluxe hotel in Helsinki, Finland. Charter round-trip flights then take the travelers to Murmansk — headquarters for the Russian icebreaker fleet — to board the ship. All departures feature presentations by the expedition staff, excursions onto the sea ice and ashore via Zodiac landing craft in Franz Josef Land, helicopter flightseeing, and other activities.

First and foremost a working vessel, the 525-foot 50 Years of Victory still accommodates guests in comfortable staterooms with private facilities and exterior views. Public spaces include a dining room, an aft salon, a bow-facing bar and lounge, library and lounge, and a gym, two saunas and swimming pool with heated seawater. The ship has a clinic and physician.

“The beneficiaries are the many intrepid travelers who haven’t yet had the opportunity to stand on Arctic Ocean sea ice at the literal top of the world, to explore Franz Josef Land and to experience traveling aboard an incredibly powerful ship that can crush ice up to three meters thick,” Saveliev said.

Source: THERESA NORTON MASEK - Travel Pulse

Poseidon Expeditions Acquires Sea Spirit

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Poseidon Expeditions will begin operating the 114-passenger expedition vessel Sea Spirit in May 2015. Founded in 1999, the company was a pioneer in icebreaker cruises to the North Pole, and has more recently broadened its offerings to include Antarctica aboard the Sea Spirit's sister ship, the 114-passenger Sea Explorer.

With the acquisition of the Sea Spirit, Poseidon will offer a full range of polar cruises, beginning with a May 2015 14-day voyage from the Netherlands to Scotland, the Faroe Islands and Iceland. This will be followed by:

• A Circumnavigation of Iceland, June 2, 2015, 11 days
• Iceland, Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen, June 12, 12 days
• Around Spitsbergen, June 23 and July 3, 11 days
• Franz Josef Land, July 13, 25 and August 7, 13/14 days
• Spitsbergen Explorer, August 19, 11 days
• Spitsbergen, Greenland and Iceland, August 29, 14 days
• East Greenland, September 11, 13 days
• Iceland, Faroe Islands and Shetland Islands, September 23, 15 days

The vessel will then position to South America to commence a series of expedition cruises to the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands during the 2015-16 austral summer season.

In addition to the new Sea Spirit Antarctic departures, Poseidon will continue to offer Antarctic cruises aboard the Sea Explorer. With that vessel, the company is operating Antarctic programs during the current 2013-14 season, and will offer 11 different departures during the upcoming 2014-15 season. Starting with the 2015-16 season, Poseidon will offer Antarctic cruises on both vessels, making it one of the leading providers of expedition cruises to the Antarctic.

The Sea Spirit and Sea Explorer were built in 1991, originally operated by Renaissance Cruises. Since then, they have been upgraded for expedition cruising, including ice strengthening and other technical improvements appropriate for polar environments.

Both vessels feature luxurious all-suite accommodations, restaurants that can accommodate all passengers in one seating, well-stocked libraries, comfortable multi-purpose presentation lounges for educational programming and entertainment, and ample outdoor deck space to enjoy the passing scenery. Activities are directed by a team of seasoned polar guides and educators, and include Zodiac excursions, hiking ashore and optional kayaking, as well as informative presentations aboard.

Poseidon Expeditions takes safe and environmentally responsible polar travel seriously, and is a member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO). It also actively supports the efforts of Polar Bears International and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

With offices in the US, UK, Russia, China and Japan, Poseidon Expeditions is a leading provider of polar expeditions in the cruise industry. In addition to offering polar cruises aboard the Sea Explorer and Sea Spirit, the company provides guests with the unique opportunity to travel to the North Pole aboard the 50 Years of Victory, the largest and most modern nuclear-powered icebreaker in the world. Three 14-day Top-of-the-World programs are scheduled for the upcoming 2014 summer.