Crystal Cruises, the company behind the journey, has taken safety precautions. Accompanying it on the trip as a first responder, if needed, is the RRS Ernest Shackleton, a ship designed for high ice and crewed by sailors with years of experience in polar conditions. It carries two helicopters and supplemental safety equipment.

Still, plenty of maritime experts have voiced their concerns about the voyage, and others like it that might follow. “All it takes is a single appropriately sized lump of ice to be in the wrong place at the wrong time for the wrong ship in the summer Polar waters,” Bjarne Rasmussen, an experienced ice navigator, told Maritime Executive. “Then we face the potential for a ship disaster with many deaths and major marine pollution.”

Intrepid vacationers don’t seem concerned. The voyage is sold out, with passengers paying between $22,000 and $120,000 for the journey. They were also required to purchase $50,000 in evacuation insurance. Crystal Cruises has already announced it will sail the route again next year.

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