Accommodation is always limited on any boat, but it is important that the operator gets the basics right, which for trips to the Arctic is, warms cabins, clean bathrooms and good house keeping. All of these were done to a good standard on my trip in 2008.

A well designed boat provides plenty of communal places, whether you be relaxing at the bar, reading in the library or downloading pictures onto your laptop in the large dining hall. Therefore the cabin is really for sleeping and ablutions, so is a small cabin a disadvantage? Obviously it costs less money which is a positive and it actually keeps the warmth in better than the larger cabins with windows. The important point here is for operators do be very transparent about what the clients are getting for the extra money, so they can then make an informed choice about the best option for them.

Another area I would like to cover is how the boat performs in poor weather and to offer some positive news for people who may not be the best sailors in the world, but who have a lifetime ambition to see the wildlife of the Arctic. The weather in the Arctic is generally less choppy than in the Antarctic but it is not usual to have some ocean swell. If this becomes severe the captain always has the option (as you are always close to land) to move the vessel into a sheltered bay/fjord. This happened once on our trip but generally we had incredibly calm seas and wonderfully clear weather.

Not surprisingly the larger boats have more space available for communal areas and my set of travellers were particularly impressed with the large upper deck dining area that our 80 person boat provided. With its wooden floorboards and large picture windows, there was always the opportunity for some wildlife viewing 'a la carte' and one table was lucky enough to view a breaching Humpback during their after dinner talk. However people looking for that smaller group feel will probably be content with functional dining areas and the chance to get to know their fellow passengers and crew even better.