One of the obvious perks of doing what we do is that we occasionally get to visit the wonderful places that we talk about with our clients each day. However trips to Antarctica aren’t as frequent as we’d like, so when one of the vessels we work with is passing through Europe we seize the opportunity to check her out, and most importantly meet her expedition leader team.
So in the last 3 weeks I’ve had the pleasure of travelling to Aberdeen to inspect a polar expedition vessel, on two separate occasions. This time I was aboard the Polar Pioneer.
The Polar Pioneer is run by an Australian company and, at risk of making crass generalisations, the whole experience feels quite Australian: very relaxed, informal, familial but very purposeful and adventurous in spirit. The senior expedition leader, Gary, is highly experienced in all things Polar, conveying a wonderfully calm and deeply knowledgeable confidence about the extreme environment of Antarctica.
The great assets of the Polar Pioneer beyond its expedition team are the Bridge, and its two top decks. The Bridge is larger than other vessels, meaning that passengers can spend plenty of time in there without feeling like they are in the officers’ way. A wonderful room with great views and an intriguing mix of very modern technology and some fascinating artefacts from her days as a Russian ‘research’ vessel during the Cold War.
With capacity for just 54 passengers this as familial an atmosphere as you’ll find on any Antarctic Cruise, and with a large proportion of passengers coming from Australia you can expect a positive and entertaining mood.
One of our English customers, Emma, travelled with them in November 2012 and I think her comments reiterate the sense of camaraderie that the Polar Pioneer and her team create:
I just wanted to let you know that the Antarctic expedition was absolutely fantastic, far better than I ever imagined it could be (and I have high expectations). The places we visited, obviously, are completely unbelievable, but we were so lucky to be with a company that had thought so carefully about what is and is not worth doing, and how we could get the best out of our time there, and who also took the ethics of our travel really seriously.
The staff on the trip were in every instance extremely knowledgeable, highly professional, and really, really nice people. There was a great sense of camaraderie and community and the staff had a central role in fostering that.
I absolutely have had the experiences of a lifetime, and I’m really grateful to you and the Polar Pioneer for your professionalism in every respect (especially as I’m a demanding customer!).
I wanted to share one other thing that I thought captured the atmosphere of the Polar Pioneer – an example of the daily update that is provided to all passengers. This was for an Arctic trip, but I think the tone will give you a good feel for what their trips are all about.
It also happened to be the day that Andy Murray fought his way through the Wimbeldon quarter finals…great to be in Scotland to watch him in the final set!
If you have any questions about the Polar Pioneer, her expeditions, or indeed Andy Murray’s performance in the quarter final please do get in touch.