I can echo Ralph's comments and we were on the same cruise (which actually circumnavigated Svalbard.) If you are on land for a short stop and a polar bear is spotted, even more than a mile away, they get you right back into the zodiacs. You view bird colonies and ice floes from the zodiacs. The only long stop where you do a lot of walking is Longyearbyen where you are docked and can wear shoes.
