Length
12 days
Departs
Vlissingen (NL)
Price
On quote
Sails
mid-May – Sep
12 days from Vlissingen in the Netherlands to Spitsbergen, sailing via Aberdeen, Fair Isle, and the volcanic island of Jan Mayen aboard a Polar Code-compliant expedition vessel under the midnight sun. You leave from the continent and reach the Arctic entirely by sea, past seabird cliffs and across open ocean where dolphins and whales appear. Zodiac landings happen where conditions allow.
This is the full North Sea passage: a longer run than the Scotland departure, with a continental start and a port call at Aberdeen before the latitude climbs. The appeal is the same — watching the sea turn Arctic over twelve days rather than skipping the journey by plane.
The route
| Leg | Waters | What you’ll likely see |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vlissingen (NL) | Board ship, North Sea departure |
| 2–3 | North Sea | Seabirds, shipping lanes, gannets |
| 4 | Aberdeen | Port call, Scottish coast |
| 5 | Fair Isle | Seabird cliffs, Zodiac landing |
| 6–7 | Norwegian Sea | Dolphins, whales, open-ocean birds |
| 8 | Jan Mayen | Volcanic landfall, Beerenberg, seals |
| 9–11 | Northbound crossing | Whales, drift ice, first Spitsbergen fjords |
| 12 | Longyearbyen | Disembark, transfer to airport |
Life on board
The vessel meets the Polar Code for ice-affected waters and carries about 57 crew, including 15 polar specialists and an onboard physician. All meals are served on board, and naturalist lectures carry the sea days — seabird identification, ocean ecology, navigation, and the volcanism of Jan Mayen. Zodiac excursions run at the landfalls, conditions allowing. Expect open-water motion; this is a long passage, not a fjord cruise.
Wildlife odds, honestly
The wildlife is mostly marine: continuous seabirds, good chances of dolphins and whales across the open legs, and seals around Jan Mayen, with walrus likely as Spitsbergen nears. Polar bears belong to the Arctic leg, not the North Sea. None of it is promised — ocean wildlife is scattered, and weather can shorten or cancel a landfall, Jan Mayen most of all. The naturalists watch the water throughout and make the most of what shows.