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FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

All rates are quoted and payable in EUR and we accept payment by wire transfer. Payment by credit card can be arranged upon request.

A booking is considered secure when a deposit has been received along with the completed Booking Form.

For Northern Norway, the deposit per person is 5000 EUR for the Classic Suites, and 7500 EUR per person for the Captain and Owners' Suites.

For Svalbard and East Greenland, the deposit is 7500 EUR per person for the Classic Suites, and 10,000 EUR per person for the Captain and Owners' Suites.

The remaining balance is due 150 days before the expedition departure date.

You can cancel free of charge up to one year before the departure date.

Cancellations between one year and 150 days prior to the departure date will result in a forfeiture of the full deposit amount.

Cancellations less than 150 days prior to the departure date will result in a 100% forfeiture of the expedition fare.

All cancellations must be submitted in writing to info@minimalimpactcruises.com

Included in the price is:

  • Shipboard accommodation with regular housekeeping for all nights onboard
  • One night prior to embarkation in a hotel
  • Transfer from airport upon arrival
  • 3 meals a day onboard throughout the voyage
  • All beverages, including alcohol, with the exception of selections from our private cellar
  • Communications from the vessel
  • All shore landings and excursions per the daily program with your guide team (zodiac cruising, polar plunge, hiking, stand up paddleboarding…)
  • Formal and informal presentations by the Expedition Team

Not included in the price are the following:

  • Any airfares to the departure port/city (except a charter on the Greenland departures)
  • Passport and visa expenses
  • Government arrival and departure taxes
  • Baggage, cancellation and medical travel insurance
  • Excess baggage charges
  • Gratuities (guest's discretion)

You can absolutely book as a solo traveler. If you are comfortable sharing with another solo traveler of the same gender, we will pair you with someone to share your cabin.

If you prefer to have a cabin to yourself, the single supplement rate is 1.8x the regular per person rate. Please note there are limited single supplement cabins available on each departure.

We require a minimum of 150,000 EUR in medical evacuation insurance given that we are traveling in more remote areas, as well as trip interruption and cancellation insurance.

We also suggest you look into ‘cancel for any reason’ (CFAR) insurance just to be extra cautious in case something comes up between the time you book and the date of sailing. 

The motto of this unique ship is "no set itineraries." So while we will start out with a general plan, your Expedition Leader, along with the Captain, will adapt the route to the elements, the weather conditions, and real-time tips regarding incredible sights not to be missed. This flexibility allows us to keep the spirit of true exploration and adventure while delivering you a truly unique experience.

Fortunately the Captain Arctic is large and wide (70 meters long / 14 meters wide), equipped with a keel and anti-roll fins for increased stability. If you do happen to get seasick, there will be medicine available to help alleviate it. However we always recommend you bring your own medication for motion sickness as recommended by your doctor if you are worried about feeling unwell. One bonus of having a flexible itinerary is that it allows us to avoid bad weather as much as possible.

The water onboard is potable. We recommend you bring your favourite water bottle to refill from the various outlets.

The ship is equipped with wifi, however it is only available in one part of the vessel…not in the cabins or general public areas. This is part of the ship’s ethos to offer the luxury of disconnection. A digital detox if you will. 

There is a messaging service, similar to a telegram, so you can stay in touch with loved ones, and there is an emergency line if needed. 

The ship is equipped with two round pin European outlets (220V / 50Hz). Please bring an adapter if your devices require different power.

Yes, you'll receive a packing list when you book with us. You can also email us and we'll send you our tried-and-true guide.

Considering the nature of expedition travel, a reasonable level of mobility without any need for assistive devices is required to safely join these expeditions. 

If you have an impairment unrelated to mobility and would like to join an expedition with us, please get in touch.

Please note there is no doctor nor dedicated infirmary on board Minimal Impact Cruise voyages and therefore you are responsible for bringing any and all medications you require for the duration of your trip. 

The Captain Arctic is unique in its sustainability in that it operates with close to zero emissions using renewable energy. Furthermore, the ship is silent which minimizes impact on marine wildlife, she releases no polluting waste, and she is not an icebreaker and therefore does not damage the sea ice which so many species in the Arctic rely on.

With only 36 passengers, wildlife observation is controlled and non-intrusive. Not to mention, this small group size helps limit impact on flora when we take guests on shore landings. 

And finally, the ship’s owners fund scientific programs and pollution cleanup efforts, serving a greater purpose beyond tourism.

Flights to your starting destination are not included except for the Greenland itinerary where the flight from Iceland to Greenland is included. If you would like help with your international flights to get to your trip departure port, we’d be happy to put you in touch with our travel booking partner.

Please ensure that you have any necessary visa required based on the passport you'll be travelling on to enter the countries listed on your expedition, be it Norway, Iceland, or Greenland. 

We recommend you check the websites of the consulates in your country to ensure all of your travel paperwork is in order well in advance.

Yes! If you are interested in chartering the full vessel please contact us to find out what dates are available and we’ll take it from there.



Message from Heather

Hello, fellow entrepreneur!

First, let me say how much fun it was to be on How I Built This with Guy and Tariq. I really appreciated their thoughtful advice.

Every once in a while you come across an idea that just won’t let you go. It becomes the thing you think about every waking and sleeping hour. The feeling that you can see how the future can look, and you know, deep inside, that you need to be a part of making it happen. In this case, it was when my friend Sophie, a brilliant polar ice captain, floated the idea of building a fleet of next generation wind-and-solar powered expedition ships to totally transform the way travelers experience the Arctic.

As someone who has been working in the polar industry for a decade and a half, who had witnessed a lot of ‘sustainability initiatives’ that were mostly lip service (and felt strongly that there had to be a better way), Sophie’s vision hit me in the deepest part of my soul.

It was a crazy idea, but not an impossible one.

I jumped in to help her with the layout and design of the ship from an expedition guide’s perspective. We changed the configuration of the cabins, we moved the mudroom to a more user-friendly location, and we shared our visions of what it would feel like to sail the (yet to be named) Captain Arctic through remote polar waters with just a few dozen adventurous guests. 

Imagine this:

Overhead, the northern lights pulse from horizon to horizon. It’s a spectrum of light that delights you visually, but you swear you can feel the energy in your chest – an invitation to connect with the universe and marvel in the magic of Nature. No photo or video ever taken comes close to the feeling of experiencing the northern lights – they’re more profound than you can imagine. The show above is yours alone and will never be seen by anyone the same way again. 

When you start to feel a chill, you scoot back inside to enjoy a snack and a drink in our cozy lounge, followed by a healthy gourmet meal. After dessert, you enjoy an encore from the Aurora through the picture window of the sauna, or from the bridge as you chat with the Captain, followed by the best polar sleep of your life.

The next morning, you wake with the light and marvel that the first thing you see are towering snow-covered peaks, a welcome change from an overflowing inbox. Gliding silently into a secluded fjord, we discover a pod of belugas, unbothered by our visit and curious to see our vessel. As we move along the fast ice, a polar bear and her cub glimpse the Captain Arctic for the first time. We are respectful visitors, close enough to recognize one another, but far enough to be neither threat nor prey. 

In the afternoon as we float around a point of towering basalt cliffs on a nearby island, thousands of little auks swoop above, one of the largest breeding colonies in the Arctic. We launch kayaks and paddleboards in the calm waters of a nearby bay –  the only noises here are the hisses and pops from the melting ice. You can see 10 meters straight down through crystal clear water, to a sea floor that only sees full sunlight a few months a year.

What makes all of these experiences even better is who you’re sharing it with. Like you, the travelers who have already jumped in to join us are seeking a deeper understanding of the Arctic while maintaining an active, exploratory spirit. Our guide staff are the best of the best – expert naturalists, photographers, scientists, and historians, who are as much fun to hang out with as they are to learn from.

It’s easy to unplug completely if you want to, with wi-fi limited to just one small section of the ship. Disconnecting from the digital world to intentionally connect with Nature and your partner, family, friends or your team is what Minimal Impact Cruises is all about. (In fact, the Captain Arctic is where I will be celebrating my 50th birthday, phone-free, with all of my favourite people!) 

Speaking of being onboard, I will be on each one of our departures and would be thrilled to have you and your friends join me. I love to talk with fellow travelers and entrepreneurs like you and am incredibly passionate about our vessel and our destinations. Send me a direct message below if you’d like to connect and we can have a conversation.

Thanks for being among the first to experience what Minimal Impact cruising is all about. I can’t wait to meet you!