North

Next stop? Cambridge Bay: Crystal Serenity cruise to anchor in Nunavut

On Monday, the cruise ship will anchor in Cambridge Bay, a Nunavut community with a population of about 1,500, nearly four times higher than the population of Ulukhaktok, N.W.T., where the ship visited Friday and Saturday.

Cruise will also stop in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, then continue on to Greenland and the U.S.

A look at the titanic Crystal Serenity Friday night on the water near Ulukhaktok, N.W.T. (Priscilla Haogak)

It's day 13 on the Crystal Serenity, the largest cruise ship to attempt to cross the Northwest Passage, and it's on to another remote northern community prepared for a flood of tourists.

On Monday, the cruise ship will anchor in Cambridge Bay, a southwestern Nunavut community with a population of about 1,500, nearly four times higher than the population of Ulukhaktok, N.W.T., where the ship visited Friday and Saturday. 

People in Ulukhaktok spent months preparing for the ships arrival; from planning tours of the community to stocking up on local products and art for the tourists to buy.

And then, it was time.

Ulukhaktok was the fifth stop on Crystal Serenity's cruise, which began in Alaska.

The ship continued through the Northwest Passage, the once-frozen path between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans that European explorers were obsessed with for centuries, towards Canada. 

After its stop in Cambridge Bay and Pond Inlet, Nunavut, the ship will continue on to Greenland, finally arriving in the U.S. in September, making New York City its final stop.