Journal
The Arctic & Svalbard journal entries
Ship tourSix Expedition Ships in Four Days: The CLIA Summit in Svalbard
16–20 July 2025 · The Arctic & Svalbard
Sylvia Earle · SH Diana · Ocean Albatros · Le Lyrial · Ocean Explorer · World Voyager
Four days in Longyearbyen at the CLIA Expedition Summit, touring six expedition ships back to back. Three of them share a hull and a shipbuilder, which made the differences between operators unusually clear — the same vessel laid out three ways. Belugas, a walrus and a great many puffins in between.
The Svalbard Express: Longyearbyen to Bergen Aboard the Trollfjord
11–22 September 2024 · Norway · The Arctic & Svalbard
Trollfjord · Hurtigruten
Eleven days from Oslo to Longyearbyen and then the full length of the Norwegian coast to Bergen aboard Hurtigruten's Trollfjord. A polar bear at a glacier before we even boarded, a walrus, reindeer at Ny-Ålesund, and more rainbows than we could photograph. Working ports rather than tourist stops, and the transition from high Arctic to temperate over a single voyage.
Written by your expedition advisor
Chris Commisso · Expedition Expert
Signature Travel Expert
Chris and Erika have sailed ten expedition voyages and toured seven more expedition ships. Favorite explorations so far: Antarctica, Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Alaska, the Galápagos, the Scottish Hebrides, Churchill and French Polynesia.
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