Arctic Cruise Expedition to Svalbard

When traveling in extremely remote regions, your Expedition Team must consider the sea, ice, wildlife, and weather to guide the route and itinerary details. This itinerary is a tentative outline of what you may experience on this voyage; please be aware that no specific itinerary can be guaranteed. By the same token, wildlife encounters as described are expected, but not guaranteed. Your Expedition Team will use their considerable experience to seek out wildlife in known habitats, but the presence of any particular species of bird or marine wildlife is not guaranteed.

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of €1430.00pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

A visa is not required for your trip to Norway. To enter Norway your passport must; have a ‘date of issue’ less than 10 years before the date you arrive and have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave. Sources of information include; https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.

Further advice should be sought from the applicable tourist authority for other nationalities and for general queries. We strongly advise you check your destinations’ Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up-to-date guidelines regarding passport validity.

Please note that final flight details will be confirmed on your final documentation which will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure. Check in baggage is included with your flight. A printed E-ticket is no longer required at check-in, all you need to do is present your passport to the staff at the desk and your boarding pass will be given to you.

All customers must have travel insurance for this tour. You need to be insured in the unlikely case of medical evacuation/repatriation. Coverage of Arctic tours a minimum of EUR/USD 50,000pp.
To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0800 781 4237 and quote 'WK830' for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24-hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, www.travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

All our tours feature a “Tour Pace” to help find the right holiday for you. To travel on any of our tours requires unaided mobility and the ability to stroll around the sights, climb stairs and get on and off coaches and boats. The tour pace is rated Intermediate. A good level of fitness is required as you may be on your feet for several hours per day, though this will be interspersed with regular breaks and will vary from day to day. You will be walking around the sights, and may be getting on and off boats and coaches.

On board your ship refreshments from the bar, souvenirs and Wifi will be charged to your cabin. The day before departure you can settle your bill with the Ship’s Manager and pay by credit card Visa or MasterCard only or cash in Euro or Dollar only. The price and standard currency on board the vessels is Euro. There are foreign exchange offices and cash machines available at the airport However It is important that you budget carefully and ensure you have the right form of currency before you arrive in the country.

As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.

You will need to take money with you to cover any personal purchases such as souvenirs, laundry, any meals not included in the itinerary as well as drinks and any additional snacks. Approximately £300 per person will be sufficient for the duration of the tour.

Tipping

It is customary for you to tip both your crew and guide. We would recommend to tip approximately $10 per person per day. This is a blanket contribution at the end of the voyage which is divided among the crew. It is better for the crew, if you can tip them in US Dollar.

The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 1. If we are not able to operate your departure date, then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

Please note: your cruise is shared with international clients from other companies.

Excursions during your cruise are in shared services, meaning that these excursions are not exclusive to Mercury Holidays customers, you will have a English-speaking local guide present during these excursions ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times. This guide will only be available during excursions.

Please note: your cruise is shared with international clients from other companies.

Mercury Holidays has visited and inspected all cruise ships to ensure that they meet the high standards of service which we require for our clients. If the ship detailed is not available, an alternative will be used of a similar standard. Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs.

Breakfast Lunch and Dinner will be eaten on board the ship. There are a variety of foods on board from around the world.

Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Vegan, vegetarian options are available, all meal requests need to be sent over to our suppliers before travel.

In keeping with our expeditions atmosphere, dress on board is informal. Bring casual and comfortable clothing for all activities. Keep in mind that much of the spectacular scenery can be appreciated from deck, which can be slippery. Bring sturdy shoes with no-slip soles and make sure the parka is never far away in case of the call "Whales!" comes over the loudspeaker and you have to dash outside. Wear layers since it is comfortably warm aboard the ship - and often cold on deck.

On your arrival in Longyearbyen, you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Happy Tours, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/Oceanwide Expeditions. representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your national guide will be on hand 24 hours a day should you have any queries.

Getting on board Arctic voyages

Embarkation is between 4:00 - 5:00pm on day of departure; Transfers from Longyearbyen airport (LYR) to your port are included. If you have booked your own flights, you should make your own way to the port on day of embarkation and to the airport upon disembarkation. You are not allowed to board the ship before 4:00pm as the crew is getting the ship ready for their arrival.

Disembarkation on day of return to port is after breakfast. All passengers must disembark by 9:00am so the crew can get the ship ready for incoming passengers.

Emergency contact information Please find below the emergency contact details.

Email: info@oceanwide-expeditions.com

European head office:

• +31 118 410 410 • WhatsApp message to: +316 156 770 68

USA & Canada office:

• +1 800 453 7245 (calls within USA) • +1 281 741 2372 (international calls) • WhatsApp message to: +1 281-732-4238