Svalbard

 

Last year when the Ocean Princess visited the Land of the Midnight Sun, we had a nice stop in Ny Alesund, after our visit to the Magdalena Fjord.

The itinerary this year is a little different. After the ship left Tromso on June 12th, it has been sailing across the Norwegian Sea towards Magdalena Fjord, arriving there on Monday, June 14th. There are no ports in the fjord and no opportunity to leave the ship. South of the Magdalena Fjord is Ny Alesund, where we stopped last year. On this year's itinerary, however, they will be sailing on by, cruising until Wednesday, June 16th, when they finally reach Honningsvag, jumping off point for Nord Kapp, the official most northern point in mainland Europe. I have been in touch with people on board the ship. They have really enjoyed the northbound ports of Stavanger, Flaam, and Tromso. They seem to have encountered some gusty winds, which this ship handles well. This photo is typical of the Svalbard island type the passengers are seeing as they head southward to Honningsvag. This cold land mass has an astonishing variety of birds, reindeer, and a very large population of polar bears, as well as a variety of blooming arctic flowers. Ice coverage is approximately 60% in this area.