[Worldtrippers home] [2025 Crystal-Viking]
Today was the first sea day on our current itinerary. In the morning, Russell presented his second lecture. In the afternoon, Gail taught her first felting class. For this itinerary, guests will make cute 3D polar bears.
We have always had a challenge registering attendees for Gail’s felting classes. They are enormously popular, but Gail can only accommodate 30 students. We have tried taking advance sign-ups and having Guest Services take sign-ups. The best process is simply to have guests line up at the door before class.
Today, Gail’s class was scheduled for 2:00 pm. When we arrived at the restaurant at 1:15 to set up, there were already 10 guests waiting at the door. The class was filled before 1:30. We had to turn away dozens of guests who showed up later. Hopefully they can get into the second round of classes later in the cruise. We ended up meeting later with both the Assistant Cruise Director and the Cruise Director to brainstorm a better process for next time.
But the big event of the day is that we crossed the Arctic Circle. This imaginary line at 66°33′ north latitude marks the northernmost point where the sun can be continuously above the horizon during summer(“midnight sun”), or continuously below the horizon during winter (“polar night”).
The US Navy invented a ceremony for first-time crossers of the Arctic Circle. “Pollywogs” must undergo a mix of challenges and tasks before becoming “Bluenoses.” On Viking ships, guests may voluntarily submerge themselves into a pool of ice water before receiving a shot of aquavit, a dab of blue on their nose and a certificate.
Our physical crossing happened at 6:00 pm, when we passed the tiny island of Vikingen. The Arctic Circle passes directly through the island, which is marked by a small statue with a globe. We will spend the next week cruising north of the Arctic Circle.
