This voyage required a good deal more preparation compared to any previous cruise we have taken. This included determining the quantity and variety of outdoor clothing that will be needed along the way. CLOTHING: Although we have sailed cold weather itineraries on other voyages, this voyage requires additional clothing given forecasted temperature and wind. Crystal Cruises collaborated with a company that specializes in expedition clothing and that was a big help to us. Everyone on this voyage will receive a Northwest Passage Jacket. In addition, we ordered several items from the company that Crystal sourced with. We had the choice of having the items sent to our house or having them sent to the ship and we went with the latter. Items we ordered included: Boots (this was the one and only item we rented) Thermal Boot Socks Expedition Top and Bottom Gloves and Glove Liners Neck Gaiter Duckbill Hat Hand Warmers Foot Warmer Insoles Nano Puff Jacket Waterproof Backpack Leakproof Seal Bags We already had several other items that were recommended that we are taking with us including: Hiking Polls Hiking Boots Waterproof Pants Thermal Underwear Thermal Tops and Bottoms With all of these items, we will need to do another expedition cruise. These are just not items that will come in handy while at home. NORTHWEST PASSAGE RESEARCH: We did a lot of reading about the history of the Northwest Passage and each port of call. This provided us with a strong foundation about this voyage and also aided us as we selected our excursions for each port-of-call. We booked all of our excursions with Crystal Cruises in February. We have seven excursions planned for the NWP voyage and two booked for the voyage which precedes this one. In each of the NWP ports, Crystal offers a complimentary community visit tour. We booked one of those. We booked several other tours that involve hiking, along with a scenic cruise and even a tastings tour. TRIP INSURANCE: Due to the remoteness of the Northwest Passage, Crystal required that we purchase $50,000 per person in evacuation insurance in case emergency evacuation should be required by aircraft. We have two plans that provide amounts significantly above this amount. OTHER ITEMS: Other items that we took care of include typical items including preparing a packing list, booking shore excursions, reserving pre and post hotels, flights, transfers, restaurant reservations along with other arrangements to maximize our enjoyment of this trip. This was a copy of a letter that we received from Crystal Cruises eight months prior to the start of the NWP voyage that we found to be very helpful as we prepared for this adventure. NWP Letter This is from the Crystal Cruises Web Site where there was a special section about clothing for this adventure. Keith & Anne Marie
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