Clients’ comments

“A very enjoyable trip and the ship was very good particularly the enormous cabins! I thinki I sailed on one of her sister ships some years ago. I also enjoyed meeting Peter your other client who had many interesting tales to share!”
Sheila Westwater, Across the Arctic Circle

“First of all, thank you for arranging on my behalf the trip from Aberdeen to Longyearbyen earlier this month. It was a very good trip indeed and most enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was different from last year’s – which is what I wanted. I felt that I was well-served by you and on the whole, the trip went very well indeed. Jan Mayen is an experience – you have to believe it. What weather!”
Stephen Mott, Arctic Ocean, Aberdeen to Longyearbyen

“Once we finally got past the ridiculous amount of changes, problems and hurdles that seemed to beset us before we went, we had an amazing holiday. In my previous two trips, I’d seen one polar bear per trip, distant. Two arctic foxes that almost ran past me and disappeared on the first trip, none on the second. Never seen a beluga. Well, this time, we had five bears, two really close. More arctic foxes than I can count, with gorgeous cubs coming incredibly close. Three to five belugas. The weather was mostly very kind to us. Most activities went to plan and, even on the day that a bear stopped us walking, he hung around to sleep and chill out, allowing us to get fabulous views from the zodiacs. The upgraded cabin was really nice, as was the lounge with the lovely large, low windows, perfect for wildlife watching in comfort.”
Sue Henning, Around Spitsbergen on Hondius

"Yet again thank you for making the travel arrangements to and from Sea Spirit so easy. Another educational and enjoyable trip. Including time spent in this part of the world in the early 1960s it must be about my 20+ time to have crossed 66°30’N.  After about an hour from sailing we came across a feeding frenzy which included whales (Humpback), dolphins, gannets and other sea birds. Yet another amazing sight to add to the list."
Peter Wright, Crossing the Arctic Circle on Sea Spirit

“The trip went very well thank you. Our time for landings and zodiac cruises was maximised extremely well and the entire trip was very well organised and managed. We even saw the Northern Lights on the last night in Kangerlussuak and many whales. A great experience overall.”
Sheila Westwater, Greenland Explorer

“I had a wonderful holiday. We saw the expected multitude of icebergs, plenty of glaciers, a couple of distant polar bears, several foxes including a blue, and some musk oxen and we visited a couple of little auk colonies and a kittiwake cliff. The food on board was very good although there was no choice. Shore excursions usually lasted for three hours and there was a long walk and a so-called shorter walk. When we were in the far north the two guides each carried a rifle (in case of polar bears) and we were required to keep up with them and stay together. This was not always easy, the terrain was often difficult and some of us, including me, were not in the first flush of youth! As to future holidays, I will certainly recommend Arcturus and Greenland. I had been to East Greenland on three occasions and it was interesting to contrast East with West, they are certainly very different, both very interesting in their different ways.”
Elizabeth Lonkhurst, Sail West Greenland

“Ship was very comfortable, lovely food, waiters and cabin stewards did a grand job. Good selection of talks and entertainment. It was a privilege to be welcomed into the Inuit and Newfoundland communities. A unique, once in a lifetime experience that I’ll look back on with great pleasure.”
Christine Lord, Wild Labrador and Greenland

“The holiday was fantastic. Favourite aspects were the wonder of the Scoresby Sund fjord under clear blue skies, the northern lights and the icebergs. In Iceland the bus drivers, both male and female, were all very courteous. The B&B was excellent, very clean and friendly staff. I chose you as you offered en route accommodation and return flights – definitely a point in your favour.”
Sandy Lawson, Scoresby Sund

“Pre-departure the service was very helpful and friendly. The whole trip was wonderful and friendly and everything went like clockwork. We enjoyed it all.”
Pat Gellion and Margaret Moore, Scoresby Sund (Professor Molchanov)

“Thank you for arranging our trip to the Arctic. We found Fiona to be extremely helpful and very knowledgeable about the destination. We had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the Arctic experience. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to friends and would certainly use Arcturus again.”
Gillian and Neville Ham, Spitsbergen and NE Greenland

“I had a splendid holiday, I liked the Polar Star very much. Nansen Fjord was superb, at last we had sunshine. That night there was a good display of the aurora, the first time I had seen it. I had never been to the Westmann Islands and I found the harbour at Heimaey delightful. The arrangements you made for me were very good and I recommend Arcturus to all.”
Elizabeth Lonkhurst, Steam to Ice (Polar Star)

Fiona’s travel tips

WHAT TO WEAR: Dress in layers with a wind and waterproof outer layer. Fleeces are great underneath. It can still be cold sailing in the middle of summer so a hat, scarf and gloves are sensible if you feel the cold.

BRING WITH YOU: Insect repellent and antihistamine as mosquitoes are around in summer.