Twenty of the people on Zodiac are on a Brown and Keene waitlist for a 2014 August voyage that will most likely be from Reykjavik or Greenland to Churchill. We assume similiar to this voyage in 2013 of course we do not know exactly what the itinerary will be in 2014. This sold out almost immediately once released. My plan is to be ready to book the second the cruise opens.
http://www.silversea.com/expeditions/destinations/plan-expedition/?voyage=7318 Greenland is all about scenery and fjords very few animals. The northern Canada area is all about polar bears, walrus and wildlife.
Marc, Arlene and I spent about 45 minutes talking to the Silver Explorer expedition leader Robin West. He said that the glaciers and scenery in Greenland is even more dramatic than Antarctica. That seems hard for me to believe but I have not been there so what do I know! There are a LOT of Polar Bears in the northern area of Canada. The Akpatok Island is where polar bears become stranded and he said on one zodiac ride he saw 15 bears. AMAZING!
The best way to see polar bears in the wild? Having done Churchill and the Arctic cruise it is hard to compare. Both have their merit.
What is nice about Churchill is the photography aspect as you get really close to bears as you have the protection of the tundra buggy. You see males challenging each other that is neat. Negatives are the tundra is not particularly attractive and it is VERY cold and does not offer a high standard of accommodation or food.
On a cruise you have to see the bears from a zodiac. You cant walk on the land to view the bears they would eat you - not good. However they are in a more scenic and natural environment. You also have the chance of seeing a lot of other wildlife as well, walrus, whales etc. Then you have the fully inclusive cruise ship as your home and that is a lot nicer than the motel and Gypsies Cafe in Churchill. Plus a great expedition team who are an incredible wealth of information.
So if any of you want on the waitlist post here or email me - your preference. Study the trip for 2013 on the Silversea web for the prices and details on the various cabins to see what cabin you want to waitlist. Also check out the link about the cabins on the Silver Explorer on my web.
I am adding cabin numbers at the time you waitlist in the hope that we will be booking so early that we will get the cabin numbers we want. It happened on Antarctica but this is always a challenge. I will be totally on top of this opening and do my best.
Link to the cabins on the Silver Explorer
http://www.bksilversea.com/2012%20Prince%20Albert%20Cabins-Antarctica.htm
