Not many tourists visit the true North Pole each year, yet alone ever. The number is less than 1,000. But French luxury expedition cruise line PONANT makes the seemingly impossible, possible. The operator of the world’s only luxury icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot, is one of the few cruise lines that make the voyage achievable and has done so on 11 occasions since launching in 2021.Over the past decade, the mean number of expedition cruises to the Geographic North Pole is only five voyages, and the annual number of visitors sits around 600 visitors. Le Commandant Charcot has made the expedition three or four times a year, and over the next two years, the 270-passenger vessel will push to make it five times annually.Recently, Annabelle Brown, PONANT’s fearless State Manager for Victoria and Tasmania, had the opportunity to lead a small group of Australian travel advisors to the North Pole aboard Le Commandant Charcot on the 16-night Geographic North Pole & Scoresby Sund.Boarding in Longyearbyen on 26 September with her four travelling companions/travel experts from Asia-Pacific, Annabelle shared details of her North Pole adventure with LATTE.Subscribe to LATTE Cruise’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.Joining Annabelle on this once-in-a-lifetime journey were Kyle Duffield from Home Travel Company and Roland Howlett from Frontier Travel in Australia; Tara Sutherland from Viva Expeditions in New Zealand and Madame Teoh of Sedunia Travel in Malaysia.
LATTE: Annabelle, what a privilege this must have been. We’d love to learn more. Was this your first time in the region, or have you previously travelled to the North Pole or the Arctic?
Annabelle: I knew nothing of the North Pole – just a spot on the map. Longyearbyen, I had heard, was where the world’s seed bank is housed in the side of a mountain – that in itself was really interesting. I explored parts of Greenland last year however Ittoqqortoormiit is the most remote community on the east coast and that was new to me. It’s at the mouth of Scoresby Sund – the largest fjord system in the world. For its remoteness, it possesses great intrigue. Reykjavik, where the itinerary concluded, is magnificently quirky and cool. I was delighted to revisit after having been there last year. The people have their own style and are good-looking! The town itself is colourful with vibrant murals on several buildings and a rainbow pathway “straight up the guts” of the main road to an architecturally incredible cathedral.
LATTE: How were the conditions, and was it what you expected?
Annabelle: I never thought “cold” could be SO cold!! With windchill factor, the temperature was -27 degrees on many days but often with a warm glow which made it all quite surreal.‘Was it what you expected?’ It was far more than I ever imagined! I thought, by the look of the map, it just looked like a whole lot of “blue” (water/ice) and plenty of days where several movies downloaded from Netflix would be consumed! ‘Smoother or bumpier than you thought?’ Prior to reaching the transition, to ICE there was some significant swell, but that to me just made it all the more exciting. By the time we were actually breaking through solid ice (first year ice – never ice connected to habitat or land) it was a very smooth voyage with just the rhythmic varying vibration from the hull which I found really comforting to hear and feel. It wasn’t disruptive…I guess you could almost say it was like feeling your pulse, knowing you’re definitely alive!
LATTE: Describe the destination and landscapes.
Annabelle: Everywhere was the destination. I felt like we were immersed in a labyrinth to infinity! Was it sunset or sunrise as it lay on the horizon casting a magnificent pink, orange blush across the mosaic of tiny pancake-shaped ice tiles that began to join together and create a never-ending tapestry. Blink and the ice became more like velvety snow folds of meringue or shards of glass. This ubiquitous “destination” consumed my every sense. The ever so slight kiss of warmth on my face from the blush on the horizon, the sting of super chilling air in my nostrils, the taste of salt on my frozen lips – all this before we even ventured off the ship! After careful scouting and Expedition team members positioned at various observation points, we were able to disembark onto the ice to explore on skis, play on toboggans, take in the geology of the icy landscape. We hiked a mountain behind Ittoqqortoormiit— no mean feat! — and the views were spectacular. We even caught sight of some Arctic Foxes.
LATTE: Was Le Commandant Charcot’s path a clear passageway north, or constantly changing direction?
Annabelle: Reaching the North Pole is a meandering course to ensure we don’t damage habitat and only break through first year ice. Needless to say, this conserves energy as well when the path of least resistance is sought. It’s important to note Le Commandant Charcot is a hybrid and some of its fuel comes from liquid natural gas and battery power. She is capable of breaking through ice as thick as 15 metres if she needs to. I found it fascinating to realise the North Pole can be elusive to reach. That’s because the ice is constantly moving. As we became closer, we watched the latitude and longitude constantly on the AV screens and discovered it’s a bit like putting (in the game of golf) – one stroke may bring you really close, but you end up on the other side of the green, so you need to adjust and approach from another angle. I grew to appreciate the incredible skill in our Captain and crew. So, you see, it didn’t happen on the first attempt but when we did strike 90 degrees North there was great pomp and fanfare.
LATTE: What marine life and wildlife did you see?
Annabelle: Because Le Commandant Charcot can run on battery power, she can be silent which meant polar bears came right up to the ship’s hull to sniff us out. Their noses are so incredibly sensitive, made even more so when up on their hind legs which made for a really thrilling show on more than one occasion. We witnessed seals basking on small sea ice islands. A pod of killer whales and one very brief glimpse of a narwhal. I’m no ‘birdo’ but there were plenty of different avian species to observe as we made our way along the Greenland coast and further toward Ice Land. Did I mention the Northern Lights?? OMG! Not once but several nights we were summoned ever so gently by the mellifluous tones of our captain seeping into our slumber to encourage us all to step out on deck and witness the wonders of nature. The blues, greens and ultimately magenta began to appear. A million (slight exaggeration), snaps later it was hard to know when to finally retreat to bed – only to rise a little sleep-deprived but keen to curate the next social media post on my adventures!
LATTE: How was your time on the ship and what activities did you get up to on board and off?
Annabelle: For a small class ship, Charcot offers unfussed luxury and plenty to do. Days onboard were easily occupied reclining on day beds in the Winter Garden reading from the variety of books on offer on the shelves of the observation deck lounge. Treadmills, bikes and free weight exercise in the gym. I very swiftly became a devotee to morning stretch classes, early afternoon dance classes, aerobic and weights sessions and aqua dynamics – all hosted by Ivan who also happened to our Latino dance leader. Documentaries and movies in the theatre, enrichment lectures, photography classes for all capabilities. Trivia, cooking demonstrations… oh, and of course – the SPA!! – the list goes on and that’s just during the day! Evenings offered various theatre performances and musicians and vocalists in the alternate lounges, although I found it hard to tear myself away from all the delectable French cheeses on offer post-dinner. I often found myself wandering to one of these choices accompanied by a nightcap digestif. Off ship, once the Expedition team was in place to keep us safe from any danger there were plenty of opportunities to step out onto the ice at various times for cross-country ski treks, freestyle walks to check out the incredible views through the fjord lands, as well as kayaking.
LATTE: What was a major highlight of the destination?
Annabelle: I know it sounds cliché, but every bit of this journey was a highlight. I pinched myself at every moment knowing I was one of the very few who would ever be granted this monumental experience.LATTE: What will stand out the most in your memory for years to come about the experience? The ice plunge?Annabelle: Yes!! The POLAR PLUNGE!! Not once, but twice! There were two versions – our first execution was on (or near) Geographic North Pole. We had to wait for conditions to improve. i.e. outside temperature needed to be -20 degrees or warmer before the doctor would approve the activity. By the way, we all had to supply a recent ECG to be able to participate!The ice was so thick it could not be fully penetrated to create our “plunge pool” so a sizeable ice bath was created. This, in retrospect, was a far more challenging feat to conquer because one had to tediously step out onto the ice pathway and lower oneself, step by step into the water. Well, I’d call it a human-sized slushie! — , but I and several other courageous souls braved the challenge. It is truly indescribable from a sensorial perspective. Suffice to say, the reward is to know I was at the North Pole, and I DID IT!!! But the Captain announced a few days later, once we had all recovered from the shock and were proudly brandishing our achievement; he felt we had been deprived of the true ritual and promised another plunge in more open waters of the ARCTIC in a few day’s time!Whilst I felt it was totally unnecessary, my new-found “polar plunge compatriots” insisted we must stick together and plunged again. This time, without hesitation. Like lambs to the slaughter, one by one, we leapt (in various poses) with blind faith into the icy depths. I have never swum so fast as that swim back to the ladder – I truly believe I would have qualified for the Olympic 50 metre breaststroke, if there were such a category!And why? One might well ask. It’s not as if I were able to return next week, so I say, WHY NOT?!
