Embarkation Day to Bear Island

 July 27 - Embarkation Day

 

Check-in for the Seabourn Venture was moved to the Clarion Edge Hotel and was open at 1000.  We arrived at 1030 and were cleared to go into the holding area awaiting shuttle busses to the ship, which was only about 300 yards away, but due to security at the dock, we were required to ride the shuttles.  The room gradually filled, there were 15 tables with room for 8 at each table.  Champagne was served, and there was also coffee and fruit.  There was access to restrooms, which became important when Seabourn announced a delay in starting the shuttle service.  The shuttles were taken table by table and we were on the 10^th table.  We did not get onto the ship until after 1500, a wait of 4 ½ hours.  By then, it was a mad rush to get something to eat, go to the mandatory zodiac safety briefings and watch the mandatory ship safety video.  The room TV was locked until you had completely finished the video.  Our parkas were also not in the room as promised, so we had to go to another area before departure and get fitted for them.

 

Our stateroom is large, for wheelchair access, but has some limitations in the number of chairs, no dining table and also a number of inoperative wall outlets.

 

Seabourn Venture at dock in Tromso

Seabourn Venture departed on schedule at 1700 and we had just time to go to the “sailaway” celebration in the Constellation Lounge on deck 9, followed by an Expedition Team briefing at 1830.

 

Dinner service begins at 1900 and we met Brenda and Brian in the main Restaurant where we enjoyed a good meal before calling it a night and retiring to our suite.  We were too tired to even tour the ship, which appears to be beautiful.

 

July 28

 

The ship rolled a little all night, and when we got up at 0530 we saw why.  The seas were on our beam at 12+ foot swells and 6 foot wind chop on top of the swell.  The stop at Storestoppen Island was cancelled after zodiacs were launched and it was determined that it was not safe for passenger operations.  The ship proceeded to Hornvika, where once again the seas were too rough, so some of the shore excursions were cancelled.

 

After several hours rolling motionless off Hornvika the ship headed to Scarsvag, where the Zodiacs were finally launched and Miriam and I headed ashore for a included excursion to North Cape.  The weather was pretty gruesome as we approached Nordkapp by bus, with winds to 30 knots and rain, heavy at times.  Since we had been there before, we just waited in the tourist center until we could re-board the bus for the return to Scarsvag and the ship.  By the time we returned, it was nearly time for dinner, so we changed and headed quickly down.  Dinner was not all that good, with overcooked lamb and undercooked fish, but it is very early on a new ship with a new crew.

Patrick at Nordkapp Globe

Part of the “children of the earth” sculpture 

At the entrance to Nordkapp visitor center

 

The internet is still not working, very frustrating, but at least they finally fixed the power outlets in the suite.  We still have no table for room service, and they have no plan for addressing the problem, again, very frustrating.

 

We knew there would be teething problems on a new ship, We understand they have an issue with the stabilizers and the thrusters, which could explain why the ship is moving around so much.  We are currently sort of circling around North Cape, not yet headed to Bear Island and Svalbard, no explanation given.

 

July 29, 2022 – At Sea

 

Today is a “sea day” and sometime after midnight the ship left the North Cape area and headed to Bear Island.  This distance is not far, so the ship was only doing 7-9 knots, with no stabilizers.  We now know that the stabilizers retract a slow speeds.  The weather ranged from overcast to fog and the seas were about 2 meters at 7 seconds on average.  Winds persisted at 15-20 knots.  Tonight was the Captain’s reception and the first “formal” night.

 

July 30, 2022 – Bear Island

 

Seabourn Venture arrived at a small protected bay on the southeast tip of Bear Island or Bjornoya Island.  We arrived in fog, which persisted for most of the day, with some clearing at times.  The island is about halfway between Nordkapp and Svalbard, in the middle of the Barents Sea.  The island was “discovered” and named by by a Dutch Explorer Willem Barentz in 1596.  The name came from an encounter with a solo Polar Bear involved in a dramatic fight between Barentz’s team and the bear;  the bear lost.

 

Patrick was on the first kayak excursion at 0715, and then on an 1100 zodiac tour.  Bear Island has large bird colonies on the cliffs, with puffins, kittiwakes, fulmars, guillemots, gannets and even some northern skuas.  The southern cliffs are pieced by many caves and arches created by the severe weather pounding against the limestone.

 

Puffins from kayak

Inside one of the sea caves at Bear Island

Seabourn Venture at anchor Bear Island

“Fogbow” leaving Bear Island

After recovering the zodiacs, about 1430 Seabourn Venture continued on to Svalbard.  Immediately we were back into a thin layer of fog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tromso Interlude

 Tromso

 

July 24, 2022

 

We were exhausted after the nearly 24 hour journey, and after doing our Covid testing to board the ship decided not to go out for a meal.  We were not all that hungry anyway, so Patrick walked up to a local Burger King and brought back some fish and chicken sandwiches for a light supper.  Since it was Sunday, most shops and many restaurants were closed.

 

Since Tromso is some 400 miles north of the Arctic Circle, for a few more days the “Midnight Sun” never sets.  Tomorrow evening it will still be 5 degrees above the horizon at it’s lowest point.  Getting up late this evening (midnight) it was interesting to see a a colorful sunset/sunrise that lasted for hours.

 

July 25, 2022

 

Today will be another day relaxing and exploring the old town.  There is a chance of rain, but at 0500 the sun was shining and the winds were calm.  We have a few last minute items to purchase, including sunscreen.

 

The buffet breakfast was a zoo when we went down early due to two large tour groups trying to get food before their tours departed.  Many of the people were pushing and practicing poor buffet behavior even if there was no Covid.  We should have waited 30 more minutes because all of a sudden the breakfast area was deserted except for ourselves and two other couples and there were no line and plenty of food.

 

During the night the room had gotten very warm and we discovered the AC was not working.  The sun shining into the room warmed it up so it was uncomfortable, so we called maintenance.  The staff was unable to fix the AC, and the only other rooms had high tub/shower combinations rather than walk-in showers.  The step into the tub was too high, so we were given fans, which definitely helped.

 

Patrick walked around the old town and took a few photos of the scenic wood houses, statues to Roald Amundsen and other polar explorers, as well as the very modern public library, and whaling guns outside the Polar Museum.

Arctic Cathedral

Unique Manhole Covers from Tirpitz Salvage

Interior of Arctic Cathedral

Entrance to Arctic Cathedral

One of many statues to Roald Amundson, Polar Explorer

Whaling guns outside the Polar Museum

Tromso Public Library

Waterfront warehouses now restaurants

 

We enjoyed an early dinner just 2 blocks from the hotel, at Pastafabrikken, an eclectic mix of soups, pasta and pizzas, with a few sandwiches thrown in.  The choices were broad, portions were huge and the flavors were spot on.  We shared a large Caesar salad, then Miriam had a mussel soup, Patrick a fresh mushroom soup and we finished with a Gorgonzola Tagliatelle.  There was fresh bread, but we could not even begin to finish the dishes.  We were offered “takeaway” boxes, but where would we store the food?  Service was good and our server had been to Seattle and worked on Seabourn ships in a variety of roles.

 

In the middle of the night we got an email from Seabourn changing the boarding location and process, still trying to understand what it meant.

 

July 26, 2002

 

After Miriam and Patrick had a good (and uncrowded) breakfast Patrick met our friends, Brenda and Brian, who arrived the night before.  We decided to take a taxi across the bridge to the “Arctic” cathedral, actually a parish church, and then up the aerial tram.  Following that, we walked back 1.5 miles across the bridge connecting Tromso to Tromsdalen where the tram and cathedral are located.  Wandering through the old part of the city where our hotel is located we stopped and made reservations for dinner at “Fiskekompaniet” restaurant for all four of us.  We also checked out the revised boarding location at the Clarion Edge Hotel, about 600 feet from the Radisson Blu.  The rain that was predicted held off until we were back to the hotel, but the air smells of moisture, so rain is on the way.

 

The air conditioning is still not working in our room and it is nearly 80 degrees from the sun shining on our side of the building.  The hotel staff brought a second fan.  Apparently global warming has hit Tromso also, since the taxi driver said the last snow was May 17, Norwegian Independence Day, and they usually have snow even later.  In 2017 we had snow in June just 200 miles north at “NordKapp”.

 

 

 

 

 

Svalbard Adventure Begins

 The Svalbard Adventure Begins

 

At 0300 Saturday morning the Bayview Limousine arrived and Miriam and I headed to SEA airport to begin the journey to Tromso, Norway where we will board the Seabourn Venture for a 25 day cruise to Svalbard, Greenland and Iceland.  We arrive in Tromso about 24 hours after departing our house in Bellevue.

 

Our first task will be to take a monitored rapid antigen test to show we are negative for Covid, a requirement for boarding the ship.  We arrive several days ahead of ship departure to allow for lost luggage and trip delays.

 

When we arrived at SEA at 0330, the check-in gates were not yet open, so we waited in a long line until the United staff arrived, about 0345.  We had ordered a wheelchair for Miriam, but those were not available until 0400.  TSA pre-check was also not available until after 0400, but by the time we had checked in, the wheelchair arrived and the security screening process thru pre-check was a breeze.

 

Miriam and I headed to the United Lounge where we had a breakfast snack until it was time to board.  The lounge opens at 0415 and we entered at 0417, so the entire process took less than one hour, a far cry from what we were expecting based on the local news reports.

 

We have been tracking the ship progress on MarineTraffic.com, and the Seabourn Venture is now underway from Rotterdam, showing Tromso as the next destination.

 

The flight began boarding at 0535 and we departed essentially on time.  The Cascades were visible, all the way from Mount Baker to Mount Hood.  About one hour into the flight we started to encounter moderate turbulence and the seat belt sign was on for most of the rest of the flight.  However, even with spectacular thunderheads all around us, the winds aloft were favorable and we touched down at Newark 40 minutes ahead of schedule.  The outside temperature had soared to 97 degrees, but the terminal was comfortable.

 

The wheelchair arrived after most of the passengers had deplaned, but we chose to take the United shuttle bus between Terminal C where we landed and Terminal B, where SAS flights depart.  The shuttle is fast, but no elevator at the Terminal B shuttle stop, so Miriam had to climb 40 steps up to the departure floor.  The SAS lounge was still relatively empty, so we were able to get decent seats and boarding passes for the next two flights.  Within 30 minutes, the lounge was crowded, but not as bad as outside the lounge, where even empty seats were scarce.  The perils of summer travel, we guess.  There was a reasonable selection of snacks and beverages, free wifi and a lot of children, noisy and excited.

 

Arriving at the gate with Miriam in a wheelchair we found the gate changed and no plane.  The gate was changed again, and then again.  The crew was waiting just like the passengers, until finally a plane was towed to the stand and flight preparations began.  We were supposed to leave at 6:55 pm and ended leaving at 7:45 PM, then sitting pushed back for another 20 minutes.  Our Apple Airtags showed our luggage had made the connection and was on the aircraft.

 

Business Class on the A330 was excellent, very nice individual pods with lay flat beds and large flat screens.  The two meals, dinner and then continental breakfast before we arrived in Oslo were both good, with a selection of entrees and appetizers.  After dinner the crew dimmed the lights and asked if we wanted to be awakened for breakfast or sleep until the last minute.  Both Miriam and I slept for about 4 hours.

 

Business Class Lobster Appetizer

Main Course was Chilean Sea Bass

 

Business Class Pods

With the late departure from Newark, our connection time in Oslo had shrunk to 40 minutes, but the wheechair service took shortcuts to the head of the lines for both immigration and security screening to enter the domestic flight part of the airport.  When we arrived at the gate the plane was nearly all boarded and departed about 15 minutes after we arrived.  The plane was a Boeing 737-800 in an all-economy configuration with 6 across seating and totally full.  The only concession for business class was complimentary beverages and a small snack.  Our Apple Airtags in our luggage were active and showed the luggage was also on the flight.

On the SAS flight to Tromso

 

In two hours we touched down in Tromso and were parked on the tarmac.  No jetways, just airstairs which Miriam had to negotiate.  The wheelchair was at the foot of the stairs and Miriam was wheeled onto the bus for a ride to the terminal and baggage claim.  Our bags showed mup on the carousel in less that 3 minutes after arriving.  Heading to the taxi stand there was no line and by 12:15 PM we were walking in the door of the Radisson Blu hotel near the waterfront and close to the cruise ship terminal.  Our room looks down the street to the terminal, only about 500 feet away.

 

View from our hotel room to the cruise ship terminal

After much needed naps we logged on to the Emed.com website, took out our Seabourn approved Emed Covid test kits,

and completed our video monitored Covid testing.  As expected, we both tested negative and have the official test results to show Seabourn in two days.  Had we tested positive we would have had to return home after 5 days of isolation.

 

We are now ready to board Seabourn Venture with all required testing, vaccination requirements, and health assessments complete.