Bucket List Biggie – The G Adventures G Expedition

This probably isn't all of us, but it's most! Scott and I are in the middle by the bell

When looking for companies going to Svalbard, I was happy to come across G Adventures. Not only were they less expensive than a lot of other tours (and, no matter how you slice it) going to Svalbard ain’t cheap), but I had traveled with them before. Back in 2017, Caty, Becca, my sister Linda, three of Becca’s friends and I did an absolutely wonderful private tour of South Africa with G Adventures.

I started poking around considering a trip when I discovered that most of the rooms in the class  I wanted were booked. No time to think it over. Just do it! After all, I wanted to go and I wasn’t going to get any younger, the Polar Bears weren’t going to get easier to see and the trip wasn’t going to get any less expensive.

Polar Bear at Fjortende Julibukta

So, I booked and figured out my before and after scenarios. We started in Amsterdam and finished in Tromsø, Norway, and Iceland.

This and the next I-don’t-know-how-many-yet posts are about the actual G Adventure cruise.

Zodiac touring at Fjortende Julibukta

Here's how trip materials described it:

From close-up encounters with icebergs and glaciers to the region's plentiful wildlife, this is a voyage of non-stop highlights. 

Always on the lookout for wildlife that live in this polar wilderness, you'll explore this landscape not only by ship but also on foot and via Zodiac. 

Roaming Polar Bears, lounging Seals, grazing Reindeer and colonies of birds all co-exist in this harsh land we dare only to explore a few months of the year. 

Not only will the G Expedition steer you closer to some of our planet's most amazing places, our professional and highly skilled team of on-board experts offer keen insight, unique perspectives and hands-on attention not found in a guidebook. 

Walrus in Brepollen

Make your next tour a voyage you'll remember the rest of your life. Return home a different person than when you left.

Lilliehöökbreen

 In retrospect, that’s pretty darn accurate.

G Adventures G Expedition at Magdalenefjorden

Ship

Our ship was the G Expedition, a former ferry that had been converted for arctic cruising and is rated at “Ice Class 1B.” The rating reflects a thicker hull and more scantlings (aggregate of girders, beams and bulkheads for stronger structural integrity) than non-rated boats. Sea chests (openings in the hull for seawater intake) are arranged to ensure that they do not become blocked with ice and bulkheads must have stronger waterproofing. 

G Adventures G Expedition at Fjortende Julibukta

1B ships are not icebreakers, but they can travel in moderate ice conditions. We could travel among icebergs and brash associate with glaciers and we could skirt the edge of the pack ice without having to worry about occasionally hitting some of the ice floes.

G Adventures G Expedition at St. Jonsfjorden

Completely refurbished in 2009, the G Expedition can hold up to 134 passengers; we had 115.

Touring Gnålodden

Our private cabin with an en-suite bathroom was small (160 square ft), but not cramped. The bed was comfy and every room has a porthole or window. 

Typical cabin; Photo: G Adventures

View from our cabin

I was in the room so seldom that the window ended up not being too important, except to give me a chance to occasionally marvel at the brilliant Midnight Sun. 

The room has ample storage and some hooks on the wall for jackets. One thing I missed was hooks outside the door like we had on a ship we cruised on in Alaska years ago. That was good for damp clothes. 

There is twice-daily cabin service; more than really needed.

G Adventures also offers option for solo travels to be paired with other travelers in double-, triple- and quadruple-rooms. I was surprised at how many people I encountered who were traveling alone and were sharing rooms with strangers.

Food on board was good; not extraordinary, but ample and tasty. All food was included, with no upgrades or special dining options, except for alcohol purchases. We were on an arctic expedition; there was NO dressing up. Open-toes shoes were prohibited, although there were a few passengers who just couldn’t follow that rule. And, I noticed a few people, probably frequent cruisers, who did dress every night for dinner.

Bar crew; Photo: G Adventures

Service was good with a cheerful, primarily Filipino cabin and dining room staff. The hotel/dining room manager was Hungarian, the Captain and most of the ship’s crew were Eastern European, Russian and Ukrainian. Our Expedition Guides were American, Canadian and Chilean. A truly international team.

The ship had a large meeting room with a bar that was nice for meeting up with people or just relaxing. Throughout the cruise, a number of educational lectures were also held there.

Captain and crew; Photo: Rosemarie Keough, G Adventures Photographer

The Polar Bear Pub featured another bar and live entertainment by members of the crew. I missed the Monkey Eating Eagles, which comprised members of the dining and housekeeping staff, but I did catch a few songs by Shawn, entertainer by night and Zodiac driver by day. 

Shawn's dual life; Left Photo: Scott Stevens

The bar had a smoking area that we sometimes had to walk through the access different decks. Yuck.

While onboard, we could view the scenery and wildlife from either the front or the back of the boat. I spent most of my time on the front. Because it has high ferry-style sides, it’s not ideal for photography, but it does keep you from getting wet.

Deck panos

Zodiacs

Practically every day, we ventured off the boat by Zodiac, so that is an important part of the ship set up. We disembarked and embarked from the ship of the ship via a mudroom, where we stored our Expedition-provided and incredibly comfy gumboots and lifejackets (fortunately, a very slim, non-bulky style – you would most likely freeze before you drowned anyway).

Mudroom how G Adventures advertises it; Photo: G Adventures

Mudroom in real life

Made with an inflatable buoyancy tube and a rigid hull, Zodiacs combine the advantages of traditional inflatable boats – security, stability, portability and ease of use – with those of rigid-hulled boats – comfort, agility and speed. The buoyancy is distributed on the sides, the center of gravity is very low: this makes it much harder to capsize the vessel.

Zodiac touring

Zodiac inflatable boats are commonly used by the U.S. Military, but were brought into American popular culture in the late 1960s. 

They were ubiquitous in the popular television documentary series, The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.

I was originally worried that they would be rough or wet. They were neither. In fact, I loved the Zodiac touring and will look for that on future trips.

The brochure advertised a kayak package that you could sign up for for a pretty significant upcharge. Apparently, it was not available on our trip, although I never heard why.

The ship has a gift shop. I never went, but Scott bought me a nice water-resistant backpack there when it became clear that carrying my gear in the roll-top waterproof bag I brought just wasn’t going to work because it left me with no hands free to do things like get on and off the Zodiac or hold on in rough water.

Atlantic Puffin, photographed from a Zodiac

Fortunately, we had calm water, so boarding the Zodiacs was pretty easy – the staff provides required two-handed assistance with a strong double-wrist grip. With any chop, which I have heard they often get, the Zodiacs might have been a thrill ride. In our case, they were just pleasant transportation and up-close-and-personal tour vehicles.

Scott Zodiac touring at Brepollen

More on the Ship and the Parka

There is also a medical clinic (didn’t use it), manned by a doctor who appeared to be about 18; a sauna (didn’t use it); a gym (didn’t use it); and a computer room (based on my last cruise experience, I did not purchase Internet service; I heard it was terrible just as I had predicted). 

Trip Journal

I ended up using the computer to upload some photos that other people wanted and what a pain! I have a MAC and it was a PC. I had to reformat my flash drives to make it work. I was also able to download a few photos (such as the group photo at the top of this post) while onboard.

I think I went back and forth from my room to the computer room about ten times to get it done. Thus, no need for a gym. The G Expedition is strictly stairs; no elevators; I wouldn't have taken an elevator if there were one.

After the trip, G Adventures also provided us with a trip journal and slide show. The journal appears to be a joint effort of the Expedition team; the slide show was put together by the G Adventures photographer.

As I said, the ship had 115 passengers, most in our age range. There was only one child, a girl in her early teens with her dad, that I recall. And, there were some people with physical limitations that made the outings a bit difficult. The landings we made required walking through, at different locations, ice and snow slush, bogs, scree and large round rocks. Some trails were steep and every landing required stepping out and in in water. One more reason to do this kind of trip now when I can.

Scott in the parka

The tour includes a very nice, bright red G Adventures Expedition parka. I took another jacket with me, but didn’t really need to. The G Adventures parka was quite warm, which was great while on deck of the ship or skirting glaciers in the Zodiac. 

I found it a bit too warm for some of the shore trips and, on two occasions, I wore my lighter jacket. I could have just as easily taken the liner out. With the number of cameras I carry, changing out while on the shore is too tricky.

Providing a jacket is a brilliant idea. First, it ensures that everyone has adequate weather gear; second, it makes it easy to spot everyone quickly; and, third, it makes for great group photos.

Red-jacketed travelers scale the hill at Gnålodden

One group, who had gotten jackets last year on a G Adventures trip to Antarctica, requested and received a refund for not taking the new jacket. I mean, how many of those do you need?

G Adventures also provided a very nice water bottle for each passenger.

Itinerary

Here’s a quick look at our planned itinerary (in G Adventures’ words), which I will cover in detail in subsequent posts:

Day 1: Longyearbyen/Spitsbergen

Transfer from Longyearbyen to the G Expedition for a late afternoon embarkation.

Magdalenefjorden

Chart: G Adventures

Days 2-7: Spitsbergen

Ice and weather conditions permitting, we can explore near sea ice, through fjords that lead to glaciers and icebergs, and discover bird nesting colonies, all from the platform of the ship. Alternatively, (we will) hop in a Zodiac to explore more closely or be brought to land to visit historical sites and experience the tundra. We are always on the lookout for wildlife, ranging from endangered and rare polar species to sea mammals and birds.

Fjortende Julibukta

Day 8: Spitsbergen/Longyearbyen

General disembarkation from the vessel is at approximately 8:00 a.m. Due to restrictive airline schedules for flights departing from Longyearbyen, we offer an early morning disembarkation and transfer to the airport for those passengers with flights departing Longyearbyen around 2:30 a.m.

Dovekie (Little Auk) at Ingeborgfjellet

We left Longyearbyen in the afternoon, so we got off the ship after 8:00 a.m. and explored Longyearbyen a bit before flying out. Many tour-mates were on that 2:30 a.m. flight.

Leaders

Our expedition leaders were fabulous. Most (if not all) had extensive arctic experience and advanced degrees in areas such as geology, glaciology, marine biology, history or ornithology (including a couple of Ph.Ds). Many are researchers or college professors when not guiding. 

Tom telling us about pack ice

And, guiding requires a mixed bag of skills. They must be able to prepare and deliver programs, drive Zodiacs, scout, lead hikes, provide on-the-ground commentary, answer questions and handle firearms.

Scott with leaders, Shawn and Keith

They take safety pretty seriously. Before every Zodiac expedition, they send an advance team to scout, primarily looking for Polar Bears. Then, they post armed guards around the perimeter of the area we are visiting. Still, sometimes they get surprised. But, you’ll have to wait to read about that.

Polar Bear guard

Every day, we were provided (via bulletin board) a write-up about the next day’s activities. After the trip, they provided an electronic copy of the programs, which is very helpful for identifying photos and blogging.

So, let’s look at where we went and what we did.

G Expedition at  Fjortende Julibukta

Trip date: June 15-July 4, 2019