Ships Info

A modern, ice-strengthened research vessel, built in Finland for the Russian Academy of Science. Converted for passenger use and ideally suited to expedition cruising in polar areas. She complies with the highest international safety and environmental regulations, as well as the Arctic and Antarctic shipping guide-lines. The ship carries a full complement of Zodiac crafts, for both cruising and landing ashore. Usually on our voyages the Chef will organize a Polar barbecue on deck. Surrounded by an impressive landscape and accompanied by your fellow-travellers, staff members and the Russian crew members, this event is one to remember.

Cabins

The passengers are accommodated in twin or superior cabins. All cabins are ‘outside’ and most cabins have private facilities All cabins have a a sofa, desk, chair and windows/portholes that open. Superior cabins 407, 409 and 420 have a double bed ensuite and one sofa bed, VCR and monitor, refrigerator, coffee and tea maker, and windows. Twin with private facilities have one porthole, one upper and one lower berth and a bathroom with shower and toilet. Twin without private facilities have one porthole, one upper and one lower berth and a wash-basin with shared facilities. There are ample showers and toilets located on Deck 3.

All cabin floors are carpeted. Each cabin has a loudspeaker for general announ-cements. There is ample storage space under the bed/berths to store most lu-ggage. If not, passengers should alert the cabin stewardess who should be able to store it for the duration of the voyage. Soap and shower gel are available in each cabin. All cabins will be cleaned on a daily basis by the Russian atten-dants. Towels will be changed as desired but, for environmental reasons, we ask passengers to change towels only if necessary. Bed sheets will be changed once during the trip. There is no cabin food or drink service available.

Public Areas and Bridge Visits

The public areas include a dining room which also act as lecture room. There is a cosy bar with reference books and fresh coffee and tea available at all times. The doctor can be visited in the assigned doctors-cabin. The vessel is equipped with a sauna that can hold up to five passengers. The sauna is normally open through-out the day on a self-use basis and not supervised. Passengers use of the facility is of their own volition and at their own risk. The best viewing places on board for spotting wildlife are the bridge and the open-deck areas. As often as maritime regulations and weather conditions allow, the Bridge is open for visits. This is an excellent place to watch ship operations and maintain a lookout for wildlife. To enable our officers to navigate the ship, we ask that passengers stay clear of the working areas and do not eat or drink.

Electrical Current

The electrical supply on board is 220 volts, 50 hertz. The electrical outlet sockets are the standard European two round pin system. Passengers coming from coun-tries with a different system will need to bring a suitable adapter.

Medical Facilities

The vessel is equipped with a medical cabin with an adequate supply of western medicines and equipment. There will be a Western physician on board. We cannot guarantee to have every drug or piece of equipment for every medical pro-blem. If passengers are under regular treatment for any ailment, they must bring a more than adequate supply of medicines for the duration of their voyage. We cannot accept responsibility for not having a specific brand or type of drug on board. If passengers suffer from any potentially serious illness, they should inform us prior to the voyage so that we can alert the doctor to their condition.

Communication

The vessel (radio room) is equipped with both direct satellite M phone and facsimile systems. There are also email facilities on board but no access to the internet. Full details on contacting the ship will be included in passengers' final documents. Although very reliable, the system can be slow and charges for tele-phone calls are quite expensive. At some latitudes, service may be temporarily unavailable. The radio officer answers all incoming calls and receives and distribu-tes any email messages. In general, passengers receiving calls/messages will be paged and the caller is often requested to call back at a time when they are aboard.

Shop and Souvenirs

There is no shop on board, however, the bartender will have a limited stock of souvenirs (T-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, stuffed animals, films, drugstore items, sweets, etc.) on sale in the bar. Payment for items purchased can be made by cash or added to passengers' shipboard accounts.

Laundry service

Laundry service will be available, similar to that of a hotel, provided by the cabin attendants. Laundry request forms and bags will be in each cabin and laundry is collected each morning. Generally it will be returned in 48 hours. A complete laundry list with prices will be provided on board. Ironing services are also avai-lable at a minimal charge. There are no facilities for dry cleaning or a self-service laundry.

Dress on Board

In keeping with our expedition atmosphere, the dress code on board stresses informality. Passengers should plan to bring comfortable, casual clothing for all inside activities.

Payment System and gratuities

Upon embarkation, an account will automatically be opened for each cabin for purchases aboard ship. This will include bar services, laundry, postage, communication charges and purchases made at the bar/shop on board. If passengers are sharing a cabin and would like separate accounts, they must advise the Hotel Manager immediately. A 'chit' system will operate for on board payments and any bar, wine, communication charges, laundry, etc., should be signed for. An account for payment will be presented on the final day of the voyage. Final payment can be made using cash, or major credit cards - Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club or American Express. All prices are in Euros. Personal checks are NOT accepted on board. As the customary gratuity to the ship's personnel is divided amongst the entire crew/hotel staff, the following is suggested as a guideline for our passengers convenience: US$7 to US$9.00 per person, per day. As stated, this is only a guideline and the amount passengers wish to give is at their discretion.