Silversea Endeavour R/T Pond Inlet 8/10-20/2023

[Catlover54]

13 hours ago, PAllinson said:

Due to starting from Ilaquit because of ice at pond inlet, we lost all but one of our Greenland stops.Due to fog as we worked our way north we lost several excisions and have only been off the ship 3 times since boarding. On a clear day they did not launch the zodiacs due to a couple of polar bears over a mile away from the ship. Today we did not launch zodiacs because the seas were too rough, they seem to be overly cautious.  No Greenland ports due to starting in Ilaquit, they cleared customs offshore in Greenland at cape York but we were not allowed to get off the ship, entire itinerary was FUBR. Most of the passengers asking for a refund.  

 

I am so sorry you are having bad luck with the foggy weather and rough seas, and are frustrated.  Cruise lines specifically protect themselves against having to give refunds when weather is bad, but if there are factors they *can* control, (e.g., in logistics, or response to bad weather) they may give some future cruise credit. 

 

DH and I were on the Endeavour back when it was the Endeavor and owned by Crystal, in 2021.  We had also thought the ship was beautiful (though unfinished at the time and with some teething problems ), and had terrific food and service.  

I would be interested in hearing your opinions about the food and service on this cruise now under SS (and in the context of whether or not the ship is at capacity, which can influence both).

Has the on-board experience been good, bad, or so-so, especially when compared with other expedition cruise ships?

Do you know if any of the dining room staff that had been on Crystal had stayed on when the ship was bought by SS? 

Thanks in advance.

[PAllinson]

There were 126 passengers out of a capacity of 220. Staff was wonderful, food, excellent, and we did not notice any problems with the ship. Most of the time they were running between 12 and 14 kn. The problem started When they repositioned the departure port from pond inlet to Iqaluit. Initially we were supposed to go north of the 80th parallel, visit multiple fjords, noted for their high animal density, and have three stops in Greenland. Out of 10 days of expedition sailing, we were out on the zodiacs a grand total of three days from anywhere from 1 to 2 times a day. The original departure and arrival port, the pond inlet and Greenland that's why we picked the screws. We did not find out about the change in itinerary until we were in Iqaluit awaiting departure for the ship. I can understand one or two problems related to weather, but not changing the entire itinerary. We had a total of two sunny days . The rest of the days were overcast. Almost all of the passengers were not happy with the itinerary that they provided. 

[highplanesdrifters]

23 hours ago, spinnaker2 said:

I guess I don't understand. Why would most of the pax ask for a refund? Its an expedition isn't it? How can Silversea or any other cruise line for that matter, control the weather or other conditions. It isn't like going to Disneyland with artificially created hazards one can turn off and on.  

 

I have to agree. Any travel to the polar regions is fraught with weather related issues. It is especially relevant given that expedition cruises are pushing the boundaries of what is regularly possible, especially during shoulder season. Is their marketing bordering on false advertising?

 

  Not thinking (my superpower) I almost booked a trip back to Greenland for next June. Its hard to get into some of these places in August. June would be iffy at best. For example, last August Scoresby had just opened up, the ship before us couldn't get through.

 

So do the cruises lines have a bigger responsibility (other than fine print) to warn folks that these weather cancelations can and do happen all the time? A good TA would.

[highplanesdrifters]

On 8/19/2023 at 5:09 AM, PAllinson said:

Due to starting from Ilaquit because of ice at pond inlet, we lost all but one of our Greenland stops.Due to fog as we worked our way north we lost several excisions and have only been off the ship 3 times since boarding. On a clear day they did not launch the zodiacs due to a couple of polar bears over a mile away from the ship. Today we did not launch zodiacs because the seas were too rough, they seem to be overly cautious.  No Greenland ports due to starting in Ilaquit, they cleared customs offshore in Greenland at cape York but we were not allowed to get off the ship, entire itinerary was FUBR. Most of the passengers asking for a refund.  

I'm so sorry that your trip has been less than ideal. I have often questioned the reasoning behind expeditions being canceled and wondered what the real reason was. If it makes you feel any better, there are strict rules about entering a polar bear zone.  If you question the launching of Zodiacs, go down and look at the zodiac platform.  You can then see for yourself how dangerous it might or might not be.

 

Wishing you better luck in the following days.

[HappyLadyTravels]

Hi. We are waiting here in Iqaluit. Stuck with fog. What's going on with you??

[HappyLadyTravels]

Are you on the ship? We here in Iqaluit are awaiting word if we are staying here tonight.

[PAllinson]

We are on the ship, still, waiting for planes from Iqaluit to arrive. No real information from the expedition leader or staff   The entire cruise has been a mess 

[spinnaker2]

3 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

I have to agree. Any travel to the polar regions is fraught with weather related issues. It is especially relevant given that expedition cruises are pushing the boundaries of what is regularly possible, especially during shoulder season. Is their marketing bordering on false advertising?

 

  Not thinking (my superpower) I almost booked a trip back to Greenland for next June. Its hard to get into some of these places in August. June would be iffy at best. For example, last August Scoresby had just opened up, the ship before us couldn't get through.

 

So do the cruises lines have a bigger responsibility (other than fine print) to warn folks that these weather cancelations can and do happen all the time? A good TA would.

All pax should read the contract of passage that they enter into, especially paragraph 15.

 

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by spinnaker2

[highplanesdrifters]

@HappyLadyTravels & @PAllinson

Hoping all is well and transfers happened without too much chaos.  Hopefully you'll share the experience.

[HappyLadyTravels]

Endeavour is incredible, service outstanding, food mostly good. Exercise room is nice. All good. Awaiting better weather but no control over it.

[PAllinson]

Disembarking was another cluster f that contained the confusion. Luggage out before Mn, out of suites bey 0800, then waited to 5 pm till we actually left the ship, some day rooms were made available, unplanned lunch in the grill was served to all passengers, the seas and winds were as bad or worse than those stops that were too extreme for the szodiacs to launch, when we got on the bus to the airport had to wait inn the bus as there was no room in the building, plane caught on fire during the landing , hotel fire alarm went off during breakfast, it was due to the WiFi. 

[PAllinson]

1 hour ago, HappyLadyTravels said:

Endeavour is incredible, service outstanding, food mostly good. Exercise room is nice. All good. Awaiting better weather but no control over it.

Good luck. 

[labrasett]

On 8/19/2023 at 11:09 AM, PAllinson said:

Due to starting from Ilaquit because of ice at pond inlet, we lost all but one of our Greenland stops.Due to fog as we worked our way north we lost several excisions and have only been off the ship 3 times since boarding. On a clear day they did not launch the zodiacs due to a couple of polar bears over a mile away from the ship. Today we did not launch zodiacs because the seas were too rough, they seem to be overly cautious.  No Greenland ports due to starting in Ilaquit, they cleared customs offshore in Greenland at cape York but we were not allowed to get off the ship, entire itinerary was FUBR. Most of the passengers asking for a refund.  

Dont you know how fast polar bears can cover a mile?   Very sad that you were all so disappointed but safety is paramount and an expedition is man expedition with very few guarantees.   You have to go with the flow.   You may be lucky and get an FCC to compensate for your disappointment.

 

[spinnaker2]

Good grief! You had an adventure for sure! The memories you now have to share!!! 

Bottom line, the weather makes the rules in Greenland and most other places.

 

And from the internet, the answer as to how fast a polar can run…

 

And they can swim 6mph

Edited August 22, 2023 by spinnaker2

[Dolcevita Diva]

37 minutes ago, PAllinson said:

Disembarking was another cluster f that contained the confusion. Luggage out before Mn, out of suites bey 0800, then waited to 5 pm till we actually left the ship, some day rooms were made available, unplanned lunch in the grill was served to all passengers, the seas and winds were as bad or worse than those stops that were too extreme for the szodiacs to launch, when we got on the bus to the airport had to wait inn the bus as there was no room in the building, plane caught on fire during the landing , hotel fire alarm went off during breakfast, it was due to the WiFi. 

After reading the latter part of this, I had to check. Yep, Mercury retrograde begins tomorrow. 
 

So sorry for your experience and hope that somewhere down the road, these tribulations can turn into a tale that you can laugh about. 

[Tothesunset]

56 minutes ago, PAllinson said:

Disembarking was another cluster f that contained the confusion. Luggage out before Mn, out of suites bey 0800, then waited to 5 pm till we actually left the ship, some day rooms were made available, unplanned lunch in the grill was served to all passengers, the seas and winds were as bad or worse than those stops that were too extreme for the szodiacs to launch, when we got on the bus to the airport had to wait inn the bus as there was no room in the building, plane caught on fire during the landing , hotel fire alarm went off during breakfast, it was due to the WiFi. 

But apart from that... 

[HappyLadyTravels]

6 minutes ago, Tothesunset said:

But apart from that... 

The passengers awaiting departure on August 20th were miserable as we arrived to board Endeavour. I feel for you all. Stuck in that information building. So far, passengers have already had two Zodiac tours with another one avail possibly this afternoon. Wonderful service, food, cabin etc on this cruise.

[PAllinson]

Plane caught on fire landing inIqaluit, fire alarm went off at breakfast due to the WiFi getting overloaded, and our luggage did not make it to iqaluit from Pond inlet but did get to Montréal. 

[HappyLadyTravels]

What a mess you guys had. That is terrible!!

[PAllinson]

Just now, PAllinson said:

Plane caught on fire landing inIqaluit, fire alarm went off at breakfast due to the WiFi getting overloaded, and our luggage did not make it to iqaluit from Pond inlet but did get to Montréal. 

Ship is beautiful, comfortable, great service food excellent, a great classic cruise not an expedition cruise, 

[highplanesdrifters]

@PAllinson

Oh My! 

[vjt]

I would like to share my thoughts regarding the current state of Arctic cruising.  We did a circumnavigation of Iceland about seven years ago and have recently come back from a three week cruise departing  Reykjavik cruise to Greenland  to go north along the East Coast of Greenland, then, direct to Svalbard, where we spent a bit over a week.  Due to the nature of the ship (an icebreaker/cruise ship), we went through several bodies of water and a circumnavigation of the Nordauslandet that were simply not safe  travel for other expedition ships.  I am not saying that being limited in geography is a bad thing, but to emphasize that many ships and cruise lines are pushing the seasons and the locations beyond their ability to promise or to keep the kind of schedule or logistics they are trying to.  Of course, every expedition has its disappointments as others have pointed out. For example we had to spend a full day hiding from a really nasty storm that was pushing ice towards us in a very high wind.  The main thing I wanted to share was that we encountered ships from two cruise lines, and heard about another that were not able to accomplish what they needed to do, in one case messing up immigration to Greenland...all due to ice denser and deeper than they expected.  We also saw several others hovering at entrances to places our ship was designed to visit.  In that regard, it is not like Antarctica where visibility and wind are the main limitations in the summer.

 

Having lots of time and a reasonable amount of retirement money, I would not discourage anyone from going.  The sights, sounds and culture are worth any aggravation.  However, if there are time constraints or a celebratory sailing, I would pass on these for the moment.

[highplanesdrifters]

16 hours ago, vjt said:

I would like to share my thoughts regarding the current state of Arctic cruising.  We did a circumnavigation of Iceland about seven years ago and have recently come back from a three week cruise departing  Reykjavik cruise to Greenland  to go north along the East Coast of Greenland, then, direct to Svalbard, where we spent a bit over a week.  Due to the nature of the ship (an icebreaker/cruise ship), we went through several bodies of water and a circumnavigation of the Nordauslandet that were simply not safe  travel for other expedition ships.  I am not saying that being limited in geography is a bad thing, but to emphasize that many ships and cruise lines are pushing the seasons and the locations beyond their ability to promise or to keep the kind of schedule or logistics they are trying to.  Of course, every expedition has its disappointments as others have pointed out. For example we had to spend a full day hiding from a really nasty storm that was pushing ice towards us in a very high wind.  The main thing I wanted to share was that we encountered ships from two cruise lines, and heard about another that were not able to accomplish what they needed to do, in one case messing up immigration to Greenland...all due to ice denser and deeper than they expected.  We also saw several others hovering at entrances to places our ship was designed to visit.  In that regard, it is not like Antarctica where visibility and wind are the main limitations in the summer.

 

Having lots of time and a reasonable amount of retirement money, I would not discourage anyone from going.  The sights, sounds and culture are worth any aggravation.  However, if there are time constraints or a celebratory sailing, I would pass on these for the moment.

 

 

Extremely well said, I completely agree.

 

Although I will admit that I have made a note to reconsider embark/debark out of Pond Inlet.  There are plenty of other ports to explore the Arctic with less risk of being mucked about for days just getting on and off the ship.  Having experienced charter flight hell, it's never a good time. 😁  However it is the nature of expedition travel.

 

Thank you @PAllinson your reports have been very helpful.

[PAllinson]

On 8/22/2023 at 12:36 PM, HappyLadyTravels said:

The passengers awaiting departure on August 20th were miserable as we arrived to board Endeavour. I feel for you all. Stuck in that information building. So far, passengers have already had two Zodiac tours with another one avail possibly this afternoon. Wonderful service, food, cabin etc on this cruise.

Did you see any wildlife? We saw very few within photo range with my 140-560 or even my 800mm lenses. Any polar bear we saw was over a mile away. 

[FauxNom]

I'm on the ship currently and absolutely love it. With a beautiful ship, terrific crew, and only 66 passengers, what's not to like (other than the weather)?

 

We all feel lucky that we got out of Iqaluit on the appointed day. There was a lot of suspense as we waited for fog to lift so we could fly. The problem was not taking off but the fact that the people disembarking the ship had nowhere to go. Flights couldn't land in Iqaluit so Silversea wasn't about to drop us into a crowd of stranded folks in Pond Inlet, which has minimal airport facilities.

 

After about 6 hours' delay we got permission to travel. The only problem with our flight was that we had to circle for 25-20 minutes because the tarmac was crowded with stranded planes. We cheered as we watched the disembarking passengers take off, headed to Iqaluit. 

 

We've since experienced 4 days of mixed weather but some great excursions. All but 1 were zodiac-only; a hoped for hike was cancelled because the clouds were too low to allow for polar bear scouting. Yesterday we had a beautiful walk on shore, mainly admiring the tundra but also checking out the remains of a Thule village/camp. 

 

We've seen a goodly number of polar bears, pods of narwhals and beluga whales, seals, and birds of course. 

 

Our cruise is 16 nights -- I think a longer cruise is a good insurance policy when traveling an itinerary where changes are inevitable. I can heartily recommend this cruise.