Arctic Adventure Cruises: Quark's icebreaker expeditions to the Arctic and Greenland start in Resolute, a remote town on Canada's Cornwallis Island that sits well above the Arctic Circle at nearly 75 degrees north. At the start of the trip, passengers meet in Ottawa, Ontario, for an overnight stay at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Quark charters a plane for the next morning's flight to Resolute, and passengers embark on the Kapitan Khlebnikov or a similar ship, the Akademik Ioffe, that afternoon. At the end of the cruise, passengers are flown back to Ottawa for a final night at the Château Laurier.
Rates: Rates for the High Arctic Explorer cruise for 2008-09 range from $4,890 to $8,990. These rates are per person in U.S. dollars "based on twin or triple occupancy." Single-occupancy and suites are extra. The prices given include flights from Ottawa to Resolute and return, the Ottawa hotel nights, the cruise itself including food (but not alcohol), helicopter flights and other expeditions during the cruise, lectures by onboard naturalists, historians and artists.
About the icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov: All of the ship's 54 cabins and suites have a private toilet and shower, large windows instead of portholes, desk and closets. As for shipboard entertainment, besides regular lectures and briefings, there's a pleasant library, a theater, an exercise room and sauna, and a "heated indoor swimming pool" that, in truth, feels more like a shark tank (without the sharks). You can send and receive e-mails from the ship and there's a doctor aboard in case you slip on a patch of snow.
What to pack: Arctic cruises take place during months when the ice is most navigable, and though temperatures during the day may call for only a sweater or light jacket, conditions can change quickly. Quark provides all passengers with a "polar parka" with a detachable fleece lining that can be zipped out and worn alone. Items to pack include: gloves, a hat and scarf, waterproof pants, wool socks, a thin pair of polypropylene socks (to wear beneath the wool pair), hiking boots, sunglasses and a small backpack.
Contact info: Quark Expeditions, 1019 Boston Post Road, Darien, CT 06820; phone: 1-800-356-5699; fax: 1-203-655-6623; e-mail: enquiry@quarkexpeditions.com; website: www.quarkexpeditions.com.
PETER MANDEL
