Lois : 𝙽𝚘 𝙲𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕

Day Four on National Geographic Resolution started a little blurry eyed.
The whole ship had been up beyond 0100 admiring our very first polar bear, however nobody was particularly sorry about the lost sleep!

We set an alarm for just before the 0800 announcement from Expedition Leader James and went for a later breakfast.
Breakfast is served in Two Seven Zero from 0800 to 0900: fruit, yoghurts, breads, pastries, omelettes, a continental selection, and an ever changing set of hot options.
There is plenty of everything, and as with every meal on board, the quality is excellent.

From there it was up to the Ice Lounge for the first lecture of the day, all about walruses. Coffee, tea and soft drinks are available in the Ice Lounge throughout the day, and every drop of caffeine was welcome this morning.

Sleep can wait until we are home.

A quick tip: bring your parka with you to the Ice Lounge. If a wildlife sighting is called from the Bridge, the lecture pauses immediately and you head straight outside, warm and ready.

After the walrus session came a brilliant historical lecture on the Arctic explorers, and then lunch.

Afterwards we were back in the Ice Lounge for a lecture on polar bears. As if scripted, halfway through came the call from the Bridge.
A polar bear had been spotted on our port side. The lecture paused, parkas on, and out we all went.
One of the great joys of a ship with so few guests is that there is genuinely space for everyone to have a front row view. The bear was close to us, picked up just as we happened to be passing. We watched for around an hour before heading back inside to finish the lecture.
The most fabulous interruption.

High tea followed for anyone still hungry, but we passed. Later we headed up to the Ice Lounge for the daily recap, with drinks and canapés that change every single day. Lovely touch.

And then, just as we had all settled in, another announcement from the Bridge. A polar bear and her cub had been spotted in front of the ship. What followed was the politest, nicest stampede of polar explorers you have ever seen, all heading for the bow. With three levels of viewing decks at the front of Resolution, there was once again room for everyone.

I made for the observation area on Deck 6 and spotted them straight away. The cub was gorgeous, mirroring his mother, sniffing the air, standing up on his hind legs. We watched them for around an hour as they padded across the ice, dropped into the water to swim, then climbed back out onto another floe.
Incredible is doing a lot of work in that sentence.

Dinner followed in Two Seven Zero, and the service and food remain impeccable. I am usually someone who loves a table for two, but on this ship it is a real pleasure to share a table. Everyone aboard is a wildlife loving, polar adventurer, and the fellow guests and the National Geographic team are wonderful company.

After dinner we headed up to the Bridge, which is fast becoming our evening routine. We tend to walk up via the outside observation deck on Deck 5, through my favourite sheltered bow observation area on Deck 6, then up to the outside door of the Bridge on Deck 7.
You can also enter inside via Deck 7 directly.

We had a lovely chat with the officer of the watch, who talked us through our route, our speed, and the different types of sea ice. If you have a question, just head up and ask. The team are warm, generous with their time, and the views from up there are exceptional.

At 22:00 we are due to enter another area of dense pack ice, with hopes of more polar bears. Four sightings today including the one at 0100.
I am feeling lucky and quietly hoping for more, but if today was our lot, what a day it has been.

I will let you know tomorrow how we got on.

What would you do first, head up to the Bridge or stay rooted to the bow?

#PolarBears

#NatGeoResolution #LindbladExpeditions #polarexpedition

#expeditioncruise