What was really special was having some of the crew and guides from our previous trip. There were crew members whom we had no day-to-day dealings with and they would call us by name!!

A simply brilliant team looking after us, all complimented each other and extremely knowledgeable and great funit was such a happy ship!

Although there was a significant amount of attention paid to photography (Richard is an enthusiastic amateur), it appeared to us that this area of focus did not detract from the enjoyment of the trip by those who were not so “into” photography.

The staff was consistently first rate, possibly the best staff which we’ve had on this type of trip.  Every member of the staff was super-enthusiastic about his/her area of expertise and did an excellent job at explaining things to use mere mortals.

We were interested in this trip because it included a return visit to Spitsbergen, in quest of polar bear sightings, as well as the opportunity to visit rarely visited areas of Russia.  We also thought that the expedition staff sounded great. 

Memorable parts of our expedition(s) included the following:

Visit to the monastery and churches in the Solovestsky Islands, in Russia. This is an extremely important religious site for the Russian Orthodox Church but also served, during Stalin’s time, as the first camps of the Gulag.

Several expedition stops in Franz Josef Land, Russia, as well as several encounters (always from the safety of the ship) with polar bears and a zodiac cruise amongst a large group of walruses.

Interaction with expert photographers on the expedition staff, each of whom were willing to freely share their knowledge, and the interaction with Paul Nicklin, a National Geographic photographer, who was a delight.

Without disparaging the outstanding contributions of any of the others, I'd mention particularly Brad and Guy, who were exceptionally patient with those who perhaps didn't move as quickly on hikes as some others. Food was excellent. The ship itself and its physical condition was first-class.

We had always been interested in doing an "expedition-type" trip, but had found them too expensive for our budgets. We had already booked a similar trip with a major "big-ship" cruise line, but when it happened that the price for your voyage was something we could manage, we changed our plans and went with you.

Our only real negative was that for some unexplained reason, our iPad would not stay connected to the ship's wi-fi system. Several pax also had iPads, and all found the identical problem. I don't know why iPads wouldn't connect properly - they do in every other wi-fi environment I've ever been in - and curiously, Apple laptops had no trouble with connections. Go figure! If this is to be a continuing problem, I'd suggest that ExpeditionTrips (and G Adventures) warn their pax in advance not to bring iPads.

The trip met all my expectations. Everyone on the ship was great! The hotel manager did an amazing job along with our waiter. The photographers worked very hard to make sure we got out of fog and got to see an amazing world and do all we expected. The Explorer is a beautiful ship. I really had enjoyed the Endeavor but they out did themselves with the Explorer. There are lots of windows in the library and lounges for those who stayed in. I was always in the bridge or bow. I also really liked the addition of a mud room for your boots for each cabin.

The most memorable moment of the trip was a polar bear coming within 100 feet of the ship on the pack ice just sniffing us and trying to decide whether he should come closer (we had perfect weather conditions with this and everyone got photos of the bear reflected in the water). Also, that midnight sun is just amazing!

The staff, guides and crew were excellent as ever and the Naturalists were always at hand to point out animal activity and explain ice, geological and botanical features. The new ship was surprisingly luxurious and very comfortable with improved facilities for access to the Zodiacs.

Access to the bridge was easier than on Endeavour and the Captain and his officers managed to get the ship remarkably close to the ice and the wildlife. I was also impressed by enthusiasm and ingenuity of the two teachers who helped to keep the younger passengers on board happily busy and constructively entertained!

I decided to take the trip after hearing about it from a number of passengers on my trip to South Georgia and reading about it in the promotional material. I think the most memorable parts of the trip were the sightings of polar bears and whales... and the ice cliffs of the Austfonna Icecap.

The only slight disappointment was that the number of shore excursions were rather fewer than I expected, but I understand that the opportunities were perhaps more limited than in the southern polar regions and we saw plenty from the ship and zodiac cruises.

We felt like close friends or associates by the end of the trip with everyone from the Captain to the servers at dinner. The open bridge policy was wonderful and we spent every early morning with the First Officer and a few of the naturalists. The naturalists were incredibly knowledgeable and friendly and really appeared to love sharing their information about wildlife, flora, etc. with others. One of the guides spotted a polar bear five miles away with the naked eye! The National Geographic photographers were awesome and shared their insights and experience freely. They readily helped my husband with some technical lens issues and were absolutely wonderful on the tundra suggesting different shots and lighting. The staff made the trip perfect!

Our ExpeditionTrips experience was fabulous again-definitely a 10.

We booked the trip for 2 primary reasons: 1) We had such a great trip to Antarctica we decided to try for another 'exotic' trip; and 2) The price was right. I think the most memorable part of the expedition was seeing a Polar Bear slide half way down a patch of snow on a mountainside on his back and then turnover and continue on his stomach.

The only request would be for more lectures on the large animals--there was only one. They had other lectures on the vegetation, geology, and history which were all good. However, I would have preferred more on the bears, foxes, etc.

We were a little disappointed in the quantity of wild life (4 bears, 2 foxes, 2 small groups of walrus, glimpses of 3 seals and 2 whales). We understand that our expectations may have been unrealistic-we were hoping for about twice as much. Also we were kept at a VERY SAFE distance, which may be necessary but made viewing without binoculars almost impossible.

We had perfect weather throughout which enabled us to really appreciate the magnificent Arctic scenery. And, the National Geographic Explorer exceeded our expectations. The naturalist staff members were on the whole knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.

We had a long term desire to go to Svalbard; Carl being a Norwegian, combined with the opportunities the expedition trip with the Silver Explorer gave us. Although from the beginning, we would have liked a smaller ship, however, we very much liked the Silver Explorer and the size and possibilities that it gave us.

We were very impressed by the nature at Lifdefjorden and the wonderful sight of the Monaco glacier and peaks when the sun made the remainder of the fog disappear. Some more memorable aspects were the sighting of a polar bear mother with her second year cub and the ice cruising in the zodiacs.

The staff, guides and crew did their utmost at any time. We had hoped to be able to circumnavigate Spitzbergen, but unfortunately it was not possible. There was too much ice after we had days with strong northerly winds. Apart from that, everything met our expectations by far.

The National Geographic Explorer is a beautiful ship. It would have been nice to have some younger families, though.

The guides, staff overall, were excellent, especially Larry! But, I would have liked more didactic lectures, rather than just 'wrap up' of the day. I thought the ship was great.

The staff, guides and crew were all very knowledgeable in their field, and made us feel welcome. The bridge was open to visitors most of the time. If we had any issues with our cabin, they tried to address them promptly.

We enjoy trips that enable us to see animals in their natural habitat, and also trips that include incredible scenery. Because this trip had both in abundance, it's difficult to say that any one aspect was more memorable than the other. One piece of advice for people traveling out of Longyearbyen, especially if you book your own flights: Make sure you at least book the transfer package between the Longyearbyen airport and the ship (both ways). There didn't seem to be many taxis there, and you wouldn't want to get that far and miss it.

This was also my first upscale cruise and it was far more luxurious and comfortable than I had ever expected (or experienced). The guides, staff, and crew were fantastic without exception. I have always ventured to the far north for vacation and Svalbard has been on my go to list since I lived in Norway back in the late 1960s. Zodiac riding through the drift ice at 80.07 N under bright skies and calm seas is a memory that will last a lifetime. Awesome!

I don't have any specific examples, but I had the feeling from day one that I was among friends! Unfortunately, global warming was the main reason for taking this trip. I wanted to see the beautiful wildlife and landscape while it's still roughly intact. Also, I loved the ice and isolation so much when I went to Antarctica that I wanted to experience more! My expectations for this trip were completely met. Nothing to be improved upon. The only things I wished were different were more animal sightings, but that's nothing that can be planned... just luck!

The only thing that was a little uncomfortable was the emphasis on dressing up on a few nights.

There was actually less wildlife than I had expected, and it could have been improved by spending more time in the ice way up North. The staff were superb, and Stefan's sense of humor was a highlight.

I was inspired to take this trip because as a science teacher, my students study the Arctic and are concerned with global warming. I also love polar bears!

All around, the staff, guides and crew were top notch - they were consistently excellent! We have several other trips in the works with ExpeditionTrips; as Ashton knows, our appetite for adventure travel is pretty much without limit!

We had previously sailed on a trip aboard the Kapitan Klebnikov to the high arctic of Canada and Greenland and had been disappointed by the lack of ice and polar bears. This trip was our second attempt to spend time with polar bears, whose days on planet earth may very well be numbered.

It was our first group expedition and in particular our first trip on a ship, so we really did not know what to expect. However, the ship, service and food were excellent. The staff, guides and crew on the National Geographic Endeavour provided a very high level of service. The crew was very efficient and helpful and the guides were very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife. We felt we got a response to all the questions we may have had. The activities were fun and interesting. The arctic is an unusual destination for a honeymoon but we choose to take this trip to live an unforgettable adventure together - a once in a lifetime exciting and unique trip in such a rich environment. Witnessing the hunt and catch of a ring seal by a polar bear was the most memorable part of our expedition.   

Our experience working with ExpeditionTrips was fine, and we appreciated the voucher for the Trip Video. There was a mix-up about the day we needed to fly out, so we got an extra day in Oslo. Not a great heartburn, but we had already set up our hard-to-get flights and didn't dare change them. I was inspired to take this trip because I have always wanted to see the Norwegian Fiords; and the Arctic portion was a bonus. It was so much more beautiful than I imagined. The highlight was photographing a huge walrus up close and personal!

We would most certainly recommend this trip to others. This trip should be made by all! And, we would certainly book again with ExpeditionTrips. It has a great reputation and provides what it promises!

The most memorable parts of the trip were the animal sightings and land excursions:
Ice Bears, walrus herd, reindeer herd, bearded and other seals up close, a fantastic glacier waterfall, as well as ice caps, floes and icebergs, whales galore. The last day en route back to Longyearbyen, we saw arctic flowers, tundra, birds by the jillions (including the Snow Bunting, which everyone enjoyed because of my last name), outstanding food, delicious beer, and 24-hour daylight didn''t bother us. The cabin was very nice; small but quite adequate. All in all...WONDERFUL TRIP! Thanks for your help all along the way.

Ashton, many thanks for the surprise bottle of wine awaiting us on The Endeavour! That was most thoughtful of you, and we enjoyed the wine very much.

This voyage with the Origo was a perfect journey -- and I wish to include everyone and everything, even the weather, but especially the team leaders, the captain Jan, the crew, the kitchen, the entertainment, lectures, library etc. and, of course, the landings and above all, the wonderful and amazing walks and explorations on land and sea. What a difference with the larger vessels from all points of view (except perhaps in a real gusty storm.)

Please give my regards to Tom (by the way, a marvelous person too) and tell him that the two species of mushrooms seen on land at 2 - 3 different locations are as follows: 1. An ear-like brown mushroom: Arrhenia (Leptoglossum) lobata; 2. The small, brown mushroom-like species: Galerina pseudomycenopsis.

Once again many thanks and best regards!

Per Magnus and Adam did a very good job. Glen and I especially appreciated the trip summary that Adam prepared, because we'll be able to get all the various place names straight.

And it was a wonderful trip despite major sabotage at the beginning. Our 9:15 p.m. flight got to Longyearbyen, but it was fogged in. So we flew around for a while, and it was still fogged in, so we headed to Tromso. We landed just long enough to refuel the plane, which was needed in Oslo the next morning (and besides, fog had already forced 2 other planes to stay in Tromso, and they were out of hotel rooms). So at about 6:30 a.m., we got back to Oslo. We were put up at the SAS at the airport, but we'd lost a full night's sleep and didn't get into bed until almost 9 a.m.. Before we went to bed, we were told to expect an announcement of plans at 1 p.m. the next day, so we had to be up by then. At 2 we were told about our 7 p.m. flight. We then flew out the next evening at 7 p.m., and were on the boat at 11 p.m. and unpacked and in our bunks by about 12:30 a.m. So that was 4 hours sleep in 48 hours.

The Origo crew was awesome. Typically a boat will have at least one person with a somewhat negative attitude, but not Origo. Every single person was friendly, helpful, and cheerful.

The fact that there were 4 English speakers and 18 Scandanavian speakers was generally not a problem. Many of the Scandanavians spoke excellent English, so we weren't too linguistically isolated. Per Magnus and Adam usually did a great job of saying stuff first in one language and then in the other. Only once did Per Magnus slip up, and that was near the end of the trip when everybody (including him) was beat. We were at the Lilliehooks glacier, and afterwards I was talking with some people in Adam's zodiac who were commenting about the harp seals. Darn, I said, we didn't see them. Yes, we did, said one of the Swedes in our zodiac. Well, Per Magnus had pointed them out in Swedish, but not in English. In his defense, he had his hands full, as we were very close to the glacier and it was merrily calving away. But since those were the only harp seals we saw on the whole trip, it was a small disappointment. To the best of my knowledge, though, that is the ONLY time that the English-speakers missed out on anything in the 8 days we were together.

So on a 1-10 scale, I'd rate the trip as a 9.5. And would do it again in a New York minute!

On a personal note, a special thanks for urging me to bring my North Face 700 down jacket. Per Magnus noted that I could have probably paid for the trip by selling it during a particularly cold and windy stretch as we approached Moffen Island and N80 -- and nobody was going to miss out on their free champagne! When we were anywhere near ice, it was great. And you were right, too -- it was so easy to grab it when something was spotted out on deck.

We also enjoyed the Rica Oslo hotel after the cruise. It was exceptionally convenient and very pleasant, too. I had tried to book it for the couple days we had in town before the cruise, but nothing was available. We wound up at the Comfort Hotel Borsparken, and liked it very much, too. If people are looking for a good low-budget choice (less than $100/night), you can feel comfortable recommending it.

And as we had a 10 a.m. flight the next day, we spent our last night out at the airport (an old friend, unfortunately!). It, too, was very comfortable and, glory of glories, air-conditioned!!! It was in the high 70s, day and night, and very humid -- not too good for sleeping under a quilt. But we both slept very, very well in our cool SAS room.

I'm also very pleased with the service that Expedition Trips provided, and have it book marked. No doubt our paths will cross again. Thanks for your part in a wonderful adventure.