James Shillinglaw, Mar 24, 2021 Shared from Insider Travel Report
Hurtigruten, a world leader in exploration travel, revealed a new flagship sailing for the 2023 season onboard the MS Roald Amundsen, the world’s first battery hybrid expedition cruise ship. Guests will travel over the Northwest Passage following in the footsteps of famous Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.
The “Northwest Passage-In the Wake of the Great Explorers” is a 26-day itinerary taking guests from the Gold Rush town of Nome in Alaska through the Bering Strait, Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea and the Amundsen Gulf before arriving at Halifax, Canada. The onboard expedition team includes experts covering biology and wildlife, a professional photographer, an archaeologist, and one or more Inuit cultural interpreters.
The MS Roald Amundsen will navigate the ice floes and islands of the stunning Northwest Passage, known as one of the most challenging stretches of water to navigate. The ship’s expedition team will bring to life the local history and culture of the surrounding area. The team will choose locations along the route to arrange escorted landing, small boat cruising for onshore exploration, and opportunities to spot wildlife in its natural habitat, including whales, seals and, on the rare occasion, polar bears.
“This is one of our most ambitious and adventurous itineraries to date, offering our guests the chance to become true explorers as we navigate one of the most challenging stretches of water in the world,” said John Downey, president Hurtigruten Americas. ” We believe in delivering truly life-changing and memorable experiences for our guests and navigating the Northwest Passage is certainly a once in a life-time experience. Following a year of lockdowns, we know from our customers that their appetite for exploration certainly hasn’t dwindled, and we look forward to welcoming them onboard for their next adventure with us.”
Hosting around 500 guests, MS Roald Amundsen is a state-of-the-art battery hybrid-powered expedition cruise ship, the first vessel of its kind in the world. Specifically designed for expedition cruising, the ship features a revolutionary battery hybrid propulsion system, together with other green technology to reduce fuel consumption and cut CO2 emissions by 20 percent.
Guests can expect a welcoming and comfortable environment in the public spaces and personal cabins and have plenty of options to dine, with restaurants Aune, Fredheim and Lindstrøm serving Norwegian and Nordic tradition, as well as international cuisine and local inspiration.
On all Hurtigruten expedition cruises, guests encounter a handpicked expedition team, a dedicated group of experts that help them discover and better understand each destination. Experts in marine biology, arctic survival, photography, oceanography and more deliver lectures which delve into the history of the destinations visited and bring that knowledge to life by leading activities on the excursions.
Guests can experience the ship’s Science Center, join talks, go wildlife spotting and participate in experiments with onboard scientists and expedition teams. They also can contribute to research through Citizen Science projects around the world. The  Science Center is the heartbeat of MS Roald Amundsen staffed by Hurtigruten’s handpicked expedition team and packed with state-of-the-art technology and high-tech gadgets.
The 26-day “The Northwest Passage-In the Wake of the Great Explorers” cruise departs Aug. 18, 2023 from Vancouver, visiting Nome, Ilulissat, Sisimiut, Red Bay, Corner Brook and Halifax. For more information, visit www.hurtigruten.com.
