We are currently sailing up the East coast of Ellesmere Island (still in Nunavut Territory) so I thought I’d take the time to show you a little bit of what this ship, the National Geographic Explorer, is like.  Compared to any commercial cruise liner it is very small and built for education and research and reaching little out-of-the-way places like the Arctic and Antarctica.  The National Geographic Explorer is a state-of-the-art, ice-class expedition ship that accommodates 148 guests plus the crew.  If you want to know more here’s a LINK.  Speaking less-technically… it’s a lovely ship with great stabilisers so the roll of the ocean is minimised quite a bit… tho’ anti-nausea medication is generously provided 🙂 In addition to the basics like cabins and a dining room there is a library, a computer room, a “chart room” where you can usually find a map that shows where the heck we are, a “lounge” which is where all the presentations are given (and there are a lot of presentations/talks on every imaginable subject to do with life in the Arctic: animals, ice, geology, archaeology, undersea studies, botany and more), a shop and very small gym.  Here are a few images to give you some idea of what it’s like to live on this incredible ship.

Each life boat (the orange things) can accommodate 60 people and is stocked up with provisions and communication equipment… just in case 🙂 The black zodiacs take us from ship to shore.

The lounge which is the hub of activity around the ship. There are 6 large video screens around the room.

Our cabin… very comfortable.

A tiny bit of the food storage on the ship.

Library with a view.

Chart room.

Anchor mechanism.

The Bridge.