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Adventure on the High Seas as explorer Sue Stockdale cruises to the Arctic on Balmoral

One of the most exciting and adventurous Fred Olsen Cruise Lines itineraries has been made even more enticing by the inclusion of British explorer Sue Stockdale.

Sue, the first British woman to ski to the North Pole, will join Balmoral’s Arctic Mountains, Fjords & Polar Bears cruise in July next year as part of Olsen’s Vistas enrichment programme.

Sue Stockdale will be guest lecturer on Balmoral’s Arctic cruise in July 2013

After leaving Southampton on July 26, the cruise calls first at Ǻlesund in Norway. This pretty town was destroyed by fire in 1904 and completely rebuilt in Art Nouveau style, and is one of the most picturesque places in the country.

After this call, Balmoral heads far north into the Arctic Circle. She calls at Tromsø, surrounded by snow-capped peaks even in summer, then on up to Honningsvǻg for the North Cape – the very ‘top of Europe’.

The next two ports are even further north. Longyearbyen, Svalbard, enjoys daylight around the clock in the summer months. The town has 1,600 inhabitants and reindeer can be seen roaming the streets. Originally a mining town, it has a museum dedicated to its mining and whaling history. Next port, Ny Alesund, is the most northerly permanent settlement in the world and is home to a scientific research centre.

Balmoral then begins her journey south, visiting Kristiansund, famous for its Klippfish (dried cod) Museum, and, finally, the pretty fjord land village of Olden, before returning to Southampton.

Prices start from £1,879 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside, twin cabin, Grade ‘I’. The price includes all meals and entertainment on board and port taxes. There is no extra charge for taking part in Vistas activity.

Sue Stockdale uniquely combines business expertise with her experiences as an adventurer and explorer. Unlike any other explorer, Sue was a business consultant before she realised her dream of becoming an explorer.

She became the first iBritish woman to walk to the Magnetic North Pole in 1996, surviving temperatures of -40C and pulling 60lbs of equipment for 12 hours a day.

In her richly inspirational presentations, she combines all her personal expertise and wide experiences as a polar explorer with her profound business knowledge.