Disembarkation in Kangerlussuaq Friday, August 17
One last unpleasant surprise for the disembarkation...
After a third change of airline and schedule for our return flight, which ultimately didn’t arrive on time, another appalling innovation from Rivages du Monde...
We won’t collect our luggage at Kangerlussuaq Airport to check it in ourselves. Instead, we have to put our own "flight" tags on our bags before leaving them in the hallway. We won’t see them again until Roissy CDG. This makes it impossible to transfer our toiletries from our carry-on to our checked luggage in the morning after disembarking.
To work around this, I asked for an extra luggage tag to check my carry-on (with toiletries) at the airport when we left.
The cruise director asked his buddy, the evening entertainment host, to find me one... There weren’t any. This host then explained to me that he knows the airport well—he’s even boarded a plane in Kangerlussuaq before.
With conviction and all his clownish charm, he told me the place is completely remote. So small and in the middle of nowhere that there’s just a tiny shack by the runway for planes. He said there’s no security, the bus stops right at the plane, and you board directly without any checks.
Since we’d never had any luggage checks when boarding the Astoria—neither on arrival nor at any stop—I trusted him.
But he was laughing at me the whole time! At the airport, the terminal was perfectly normal, with the same security checks as any other airport. Of course, my toiletries were confiscated. Thanks for that deliberate, malicious lie.
This is just the latest concrete example of the practices that went on every day during the cruise on this ship. Giving any old answer to get rid of a passenger and their question.
A foggy early morning for disembarkation—I don’t envy the new passengers arriving...
Conclusion
It’s clear that the two canceled stops at the start of the itinerary under false pretenses and the awful surprise in Ilulissat ruined the cruise and spoiled the route.
The organization, based on deception and lies (hiding the duration of excursions, refusing to provide excursion schedules, etc.), is a well-honed scheme to take advantage of passengers. Who would’ve bought a 2-hour boat excursion at 7 AM or 6 PM? Who would’ve bought a cruise with a "stop in Ilulissat" where you’re not allowed to go ashore?
We saw beautiful landscapes in the best conditions, but we’re still disappointed, beyond Rivages du Monde’s shortcomings. Maybe the dream faded with each disappointment? Or maybe we just didn’t see enough? Or maybe there wasn’t much to see?
Apart from the Christian Sund Passage and a quick glimpse of Disko Bay, the "very little" we saw wasn’t all that interesting. No alternative visits outside the ship’s excursions, no taxis, and few discoveries to make on foot within the time limits of the stops. The towns and villages we saw all looked the same—practically deserted, lifeless, like ghost towns. We barely crossed paths with anyone, and it was quite sad.
In the Christian Sund Passage, near the village, there was an expedition ship docked, and passengers were taking Zodiacs to visit the village. Aside from the fun of the Zodiac ride, I wonder what else they saw.
We were very disappointed by the lack of wildlife. The naturalist explained that around inhabited areas, there are no animals left. Even though the Inuit are now settled, they continue to hunt without limits—"shooting at anything that moves," he told us.
That doesn’t stop the marketing materials from generously "selling" invisible, nonexistent wildlife.
The very high prices for this itinerary aren’t justified by the destination’s appeal. Without a doubt, for the same type of cruise, I prefer Patagonia or Alaska.
Practical side, this was the first time we bought a cruise with the flight included. I thought it would be an advantage not to have to deal with anything. In the end, it was much more painful and complicated than booking a flight myself.
The company’s stingy management led to multiple last-minute flight changes. We ended up flying back with a Polish airline I’d never heard of. The numerous changes to airlines and schedules imposed on us for both the outbound and return flights were exhausting.
Our excursions, paid for months in advance, were canceled at the last minute on the ship, and we still haven’t been reimbursed. Yet the bill for onboard expenses was debited the day after disembarkation.
