FIVE THINGS ABOUT CRUISING THE PASSAGE

1 THE FIRST TRAVELLER

The Northwest Passage, a series of waterways connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans sandwiched between the coast of the Canadian mainland and the Arctic archipelago, was first traversed by the explorer Robert McClure between 1850 and 1854. McClure abandoned two ships in the ice and completed part of the journey aboard a sledge.

2 TREND SPOTTING

The Crystal Serenity cruise will only be the latest in a growing category of civilian Arctic expeditions. In its 2013 tourism strategy document, Nunavut anticipated an increase in both the number of visitors and their spending. By 2018, 35 per cent of expenditures by cruise ship passengers will be on goods and services other than transportation,” the report read. A 2007 United Nations report warned that, travel to the polar regions is “raising concern amid worries that the fragility of some polar environments may be compromised by the number of visitors and the activities undertaken.” And since no cruise ship as big as the Crystal Serenity has ever traversed the Northwest Passage, the exact impact of such an expedition remains unknown.

4 HIGH HOPES

In an interview with News Deeply, Inuit activist Aaju Peter said that voyages in the area “could be even more beneficial if each community that is visited knew they are going to be visited a year ahead of time.”

5 INSURANCE

Although Crystal Cruises is confident that the Northwest Passage expedition is safe, passengers are being asked to take the extra precautions and are required to prove to the cruise operators that they have at least US$50,000 of “Emergency Evacuation Repatriation insurance” 90 days before the ship leaves Alaska.