Silversea Endeavour R/T Pond Inlet 8/10-20/2023

[spinnaker2]

Faux

Great news about your travels and fingers crossed for the rest of the cruise!

[highplanesdrifters]

1 hour ago, FauxNom said:

I'm on the ship currently and absolutely love it. With a beautiful ship, terrific crew, and only 66 passengers, what's not to like (other than the weather)?

 

We all feel lucky that we got out of Iqaluit on the appointed day. There was a lot of suspense as we waited for fog to lift so we could fly. The problem was not taking off but the fact that the people disembarking the ship had nowhere to go. Flights couldn't land in Iqaluit so Silversea wasn't about to drop us into a crowd of stranded folks in Pond Inlet, which has minimal airport facilities.

 

After about 6 hours' delay we got permission to travel. The only problem with our flight was that we had to circle for 25-20 minutes because the tarmac was crowded with stranded planes. We cheered as we watched the disembarking passengers take off, headed to Iqaluit. 

 

We've since experienced 4 days of mixed weather but some great excursions. All but 1 were zodiac-only; a hoped for hike was cancelled because the clouds were too low to allow for polar bear scouting. Yesterday we had a beautiful walk on shore, mainly admiring the tundra but also checking out the remains of a Thule village/camp. 

 

We've seen a goodly number of polar bears, pods of narwhals and beluga whales, seals, and birds of course. 

 

Our cruise is 16 nights -- I think a longer cruise is a good insurance policy when traveling an itinerary where changes are inevitable. I can heartily recommend this cruise.

I was just thinking about you!  Thanks for the report.  Very jealous of the Narwhal sightings.   Not surprised your eagle eye found them.  Wishing you fair winds for the rest of your journey.

[FauxNom]

Thanks @spinnaker2 and @highplanesdrifters!

 

The narwhals are super hard to spot so I take no credit! If I'm being honest I saw only the bubbly aftermath of their surfacing. But it was fun to charge around in the Zodiac following their trail!

[highplanesdrifters]

20 hours ago, FauxNom said:

Thanks @spinnaker2 and @highplanesdrifters!

 

The narwhals are super hard to spot so I take no credit! If I'm being honest I saw only the bubbly aftermath of their surfacing. But it was fun to charge around in the Zodiac following their trail!

Thanks.  Keep the highlights coming!