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Polar Pioneer, Aurora, AVOID THIS SHIP


polarcruiser999
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I have traveled to Antarctica three times, and the high Arctic 2 times. I can honestly say that i am qualified to give my opinion on why you should avoid the Polar Pioneer. I've been on several different expedition style ships and while some are better than others, the polar pioneer from Aurora is simply horrible. This is a company that does not care about its passengers in almost any way and they are only about profit.

 

While I usually don't find it necessary to trash talk a company, when passengers spend an average of $10,000 per person for a trip of a lifetime, they should be getting treated like royalty.

 

This is an Australian ship, perhaps Australians aren't used to customer service and putting the passenger first because several of the Australian passengers thought the ship was fine. ALL the other nationalities found it very lacking and some even became very angry by the conditions.

 

I shall start at the beginning and evaluate every portion of the journey. The booking process is somewhat disorganized. They do not accept American Express unless you want to pay an extra charge. While it's understandable that it does cost them a bit more to process American Express, that's just part of doing business in today's cashless world. It should not be charged to the customer and that was the first sign of disrespect that i found. The remainder of the booking process was low stress and handled in what seemed like a small staff office, perhaps 3 or 4 people in the office at most i imagine. It was personal but lacked the large corporate structure that should be portrayed by a company selling tickets of such a high dollar amount.

 

Upon arriving in Ushuaia, Argentina, we were expected to find our way on our own to the ship and board at a specific time. No ground transportation was arranged. While everyone was an adult and did find our way there, i found it unprofessional to just say "show up here."

 

We boarded the boat, now, they do advertise it as a non luxury ship and a working expedition ship. That should not mean run down, shabby and worn out. I had a double room which i shared with another passenger, this is standard practice. The room itself was an acceptable size, the beds were too tiny however for someone that is 6'1 to lay down and stretch out. the mattresses were very thin, about 2 inches thick. The linen was clean. The room had a shower but you are only provided with ONE bar of soap for the entire voyage and no hair care products. Please, again, we are paying a high price for these tickets, cutting corners like this is just unacceptable. if we asked for more soap we could have gotten more, but we shouldn't have to ask for the privilege of being clean.

 

The cleaning staff was very good, i don't have anything bad to say about them, but the expedition staff was snobby, egotistical, and even many times rude. It seemed like high school popularity competition. If you were not cool enough to hang out with them, then you were treated politely but mostly ignored. This was not the case with me because i'm a very loud outgoing person, but i did see this happen to several other passengers.

 

The russian crew that drove the boat were completely ignorant of the passengers. They did not want to interact with us in any way and they didn't hide their dislike of us. I've never run into that problem with other russian crews so i can only think this has something to do with the cruise line's policy for them.

 

Food, This is where my greatest complaints arise. The "chef" and i use that term lightly, has been onboard the ship for a long time, several years and it's obvious he is worn out and does not care one bit anymore.

The menu is basically non existent. While it is different food each NIGHT, there is ZERO choice. You either eat what he is serving, or you do not eat at all. Breakfast is somewhat a limited buffet with seldom enough of a quantity of food to satisfy everyone. If you are a vegetarian, which i am, there was a possibility of getting a vegetarian meal but again, It's what he chooses, or you don't eat at all.

The foods are very very heavy on carbs and they attempted to save money by reusing things from previous meals (leftovers disguised as something else) There were also many large vegetables used in soups as a "filler" to make it seem there was a lot of content when there was in fact very little.

 

Between meal snacks consisted of oreo cookies, or chocolate chip store bought cookies. Some other varieties also. Each afternoon however he did make one homemade snack which was usually a cake or some other sugar type snack. Also fresh fruit was available apples, bananas, oranges.

 

The food was simply a horrid experience, some meals were acceptable, some were horrible. There was this fish patty thing that very few passengers could stand but we all had to eat it or again, "go hungry."

 

Shore excursions were fine, no real problems there, that's pretty standard with all ships however. We aren't on shore for the crew or the boat, it's simply wonderful Antarctica. Never a single complaint about Antarctica

 

There are so many better ships out there. Avoid this one and show them that poor customer service and ships cutting corners on food and soap are not the way to treat passengers paying such high premiums.

 

I would expect this service to be on par for a ship that would charge $4000 per person for 10-12 days. Any more is just an insult and shows it's all about the money.

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I have traveled to Antarctica three times, and the high Arctic 2 times. I can honestly say that i am qualified to give my opinion on why you should avoid the Polar Pioneer. I've been on several different expedition style ships and while some are better than others, the polar pioneer from Aurora is simply horrible. This is a company that does not care about its passengers in almost any way and they are only about profit.

 

While I usually don't find it necessary to trash talk a company, when passengers spend an average of $10,000 per person for a trip of a lifetime, they should be getting treated like royalty.

 

This is an Australian ship, perhaps Australians aren't used to customer service and putting the passenger first because several of the Australian passengers thought the ship was fine. ALL the other nationalities found it very lacking and some even became very angry by the conditions.

 

I shall start at the beginning and evaluate every portion of the journey. The booking process is somewhat disorganized. They do not accept American Express unless you want to pay an extra charge. While it's understandable that it does cost them a bit more to process American Express, that's just part of doing business in today's cashless world. It should not be charged to the customer and that was the first sign of disrespect that i found. The remainder of the booking process was low stress and handled in what seemed like a small staff office, perhaps 3 or 4 people in the office at most i imagine. It was personal but lacked the large corporate structure that should be portrayed by a company selling tickets of such a high dollar amount.

 

Upon arriving in Ushuaia, Argentina, we were expected to find our way on our own to the ship and board at a specific time. No ground transportation was arranged. While everyone was an adult and did find our way there, i found it unprofessional to just say "show up here."

 

We boarded the boat, now, they do advertise it as a non luxury ship and a working expedition ship. That should not mean run down, shabby and worn out. I had a double room which i shared with another passenger, this is standard practice. The room itself was an acceptable size, the beds were too tiny however for someone that is 6'1 to lay down and stretch out. the mattresses were very thin, about 2 inches thick. The linen was clean. The room had a shower but you are only provided with ONE bar of soap for the entire voyage and no hair care products. Please, again, we are paying a high price for these tickets, cutting corners like this is just unacceptable. if we asked for more soap we could have gotten more, but we shouldn't have to ask for the privilege of being clean.

 

The cleaning staff was very good, i don't have anything bad to say about them, but the expedition staff was snobby, egotistical, and even many times rude. It seemed like high school popularity competition. If you were not cool enough to hang out with them, then you were treated politely but mostly ignored. This was not the case with me because i'm a very loud outgoing person, but i did see this happen to several other passengers.

 

The russian crew that drove the boat were completely ignorant of the passengers. They did not want to interact with us in any way and they didn't hide their dislike of us. I've never run into that problem with other russian crews so i can only think this has something to do with the cruise line's policy for them.

 

Food, This is where my greatest complaints arise. The "chef" and i use that term lightly, has been onboard the ship for a long time, several years and it's obvious he is worn out and does not care one bit anymore.

The menu is basically non existent. While it is different food each NIGHT, there is ZERO choice. You either eat what he is serving, or you do not eat at all. Breakfast is somewhat a limited buffet with seldom enough of a quantity of food to satisfy everyone. If you are a vegetarian, which i am, there was a possibility of getting a vegetarian meal but again, It's what he chooses, or you don't eat at all.

The foods are very very heavy on carbs and they attempted to save money by reusing things from previous meals (leftovers disguised as something else) There were also many large vegetables used in soups as a "filler" to make it seem there was a lot of content when there was in fact very little.

 

Between meal snacks consisted of oreo cookies, or chocolate chip store bought cookies. Some other varieties also. Each afternoon however he did make one homemade snack which was usually a cake or some other sugar type snack. Also fresh fruit was available apples, bananas, oranges.

 

The food was simply a horrid experience, some meals were acceptable, some were horrible. There was this fish patty thing that very few passengers could stand but we all had to eat it or again, "go hungry."

 

Shore excursions were fine, no real problems there, that's pretty standard with all ships however. We aren't on shore for the crew or the boat, it's simply wonderful Antarctica. Never a single complaint about Antarctica

 

There are so many better ships out there. Avoid this one and show them that poor customer service and ships cutting corners on food and soap are not the way to treat passengers paying such high premiums.

 

I would expect this service to be on par for a ship that would charge $4000 per person for 10-12 days. Any more is just an insult and shows it's all about the money.

 

I traveled on this ship in 2009, before it switched ownership. Had not thought about the negatives because well, we were in Antarctica!!! But you nailed it about the food and the cliqueyness of the staff. No complaints about my cabin. You were right about the mattresses. The Russian crew I was in love with and found them very knowledgeable and personable. If we made the trip again, we would choose another company. Thank you for the review.

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As an experienced expedition cruiser, you probably have taken cruises on some of the more upscale lines - Silversea, Ponant, Lindblad, Hapag-Lloyd, etc. What drew you to a cruise and line that seemed to promise (and apparently delivered) a much more basic trip than available elsewhere at a comparable (or even lower) fare for a much more pleasurable sailing?

 

Thanks.

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While I usually don't find it necessary to trash talk a company, when passengers spend an average of $10,000 per person for a trip of a lifetime, they should be getting treated like royalty.

 

wow is that all ? I would consider that a seriously cheap polar voyage given mine have been upwards of $50k.

 

This is an Australian ship, perhaps Australians aren't used to customer service and putting the passenger first because several of the Australian passengers thought the ship was fine. ALL the other nationalities found it very lacking and some even became very angry by the conditions.

 

It may be that the Aussies on board were aware it was an expedition and were not expecting any finery. I cant judge as I havent been on this specific ship - but I know many people who travel on it annually for the past decade without complaint so they must like it.

 

They do not accept American Express unless you want to pay an extra charge. While it's understandable that it does cost them a bit more to process American Express, that's just part of doing business in today's cashless world. It should not be charged to the customer and that was the first sign of disrespect that i found.

 

This charge has nothing to do with respect of disrespect, nor is it specific to this company. ALL businesses in Australia charge extra for the use of American Express cards. It costs them considerably more to process AMEX than any other card so those costs have to be made up somehow.

 

Upon arriving in Ushuaia, Argentina, we were expected to find our way on our own to the ship and board at a specific time. No ground transportation was arranged. While everyone was an adult and did find our way there, i found it unprofessional to just say "show up here."

 

This is pretty standard with my cruise companies (polar or non polar) around the world. While I have travelled with some that organise a transfer - the majority dont. Its not like anyone could get lost in Ushuaia finding their way to the wharf.

 

 

The room had a shower but you are only provided with ONE bar of soap for the entire voyage and no hair care products. Please, again, we are paying a high price for these tickets, cutting corners like this is just unacceptable. if we asked for more soap we could have gotten more, but we shouldn't have to ask for the privilege of being clean.

 

Why didnt you pack your own ? wouldnt you usually for a holiday ? Perhaps the staff assumed you packed your own as you neglected to request the additional bar of soap ?

 

but the expedition staff was snobby, egotistical, and even many times rude. It seemed like high school popularity competition. If you were not cool enough to hang out with them, then you were treated politely but mostly ignored. This was not the case with me because i'm a very loud outgoing person, but i did see this happen to several other passengers.

 

That is a shame as most companies pride themselves on the people skills of the expedition teams.

 

The russian crew that drove the boat were completely ignorant of the passengers. They did not want to interact with us in any way and they didn't hide their dislike of us. I've never run into that problem with other russian crews so i can only think this has something to do with the cruise line's policy for them.

 

My opinion and experience in this regard is that these staff have a busy and important job to do and being a "cruise director social organisor" is not part of their role. I find for the most part on my voyages that they are polite and busy.

 

Food, This is where my greatest complaints arise.

The foods are very very heavy on carbs and they attempted to save money by reusing things from previous meals (leftovers disguised as something else) There were also many large vegetables used in soups as a "filler" to make it seem there was a lot of content when there was in fact very little.

 

I have been on trips with awesome food and ones with woeful food and agree it can make a big difference to your trip. Did you send direct feedback about this to the CEO ? The reusing of leftovers is common practice - the galley has to make to best of everything they have - its not like they can pop out to an island and restock mid cruise. The types of longer lasting vegies are the ones that will make repeat appearances - especially in soups.

 

 

I too am curious as to what ships you have previously travelled on - as a comparison. I have done the very perfunctory icebreaker Khlebnikov and the "luxurious by comparison" Sea Adventurer. But I know that people who have done ships such as the Le Boreal would probably consider the SA far from luxurious. So I guess a comparison has to be based on what you have experienced previously.

 

Importantly tho - there are quite a few points you have made here that I feel its very important for the CEO to be advised about - so I would assume you have already communicated with them ?

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$10,000 does seem an awful lot for this basic experience. We paid under £9000 but that included all air fares (from the UK), 2 overnights in BA, tour in Ushaia and then 16 days in a 5 star expedition trip where the cabins and food was better than Cunard. And 3 landings a day in Antarctica. I think you should have shopped around a bit more.

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I have cruised with Aurora Expeditions twice, once on the Polar Pioneer in Antarctica and then on her sister ship in the Russian Arctic. I honestly don't know what your problem is, most of the cost of a cruise like this is in fuel... The more days at sea, the more the cost BUT at all times I only saw professionalism from the Expedition staff who went out of their way to make sure everyone was included as much as they could. Ok, I'll give you the one about the food, it was a little ordinary but hey, this is a budget cruise, you should not expect cordon bleu chefs!! As for toiletries, surely you travel with your own? Wow, have only ever used the ones supplied out of desperation if I run out... As for the Russian crew, they were amazing and incredibly knowledgable...

 

 

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  • 1 year later...

Well, I too feel qualified to comment. Having travelled with Aurora on this ship in Svalbard in 2010, I would still rate it as one of my best trips of all time. I've also travelled with Lindblad twice, Silversea, Ponant, Quark, Orion, Coral Princess, G Adventures, APT and others. Everything is a trade-off in this type of voyage. You want caviar and champagne, butlers and room service? Then don't go with Aurora. Instead I enjoyed kayaking among the icebergs, decent energetic hikes with superb expedition staff and great enrichment. Okay, food was plain by comparison to other vessels and I'm glad I wasn't in a shared facility cabin, but hey, it was a proper, expertly conducted expedition cruise. I think you had badly mismatched expectations more akin to a regular cruise ship passenger and some of your criticism are just plain unreasonable. Here's my story if you want to read it.

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  • 1 year later...

Maybe things have changed since you went polarcruiser999 but we have just returned from an amazing trip around Spitsbergen on Polar Pioneer. She is definitely an expedition ship & not a cruise ship, basic but very comfortable. What made the trip for us was the small number of passengers (maximum 54) & the expedition team who ensured we had the best experience possible. We saw a lot of wildlife 'up close & personal' & learned a lot about the area

 

We have also been on other expedition ships around Greenland, Iceland & Antarctica

 

Will be posting a review shortly...

 

cheers,

G&G

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Maybe things have changed since you went polarcruiser999 but we have just returned from an amazing trip around Spitsbergen on Polar Pioneer. She is definitely an expedition ship & not a cruise ship, basic but very comfortable. What made the trip for us was the small number of passengers (maximum 54) & the expedition team who ensured we had the best experience possible. We saw a lot of wildlife 'up close & personal' & learned a lot about the area

 

We have also been on other expedition ships around Greenland, Iceland & Antarctica

 

Will be posting a review shortly...

 

cheers,

G&G

 

Very glad to hear you enjoyed your trip you two !!

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