Crystal Serenity, a cruise ship owned by <a href="http://www.crystalcruises.com/" target="_blank">Crystal Cruises</a>, became the first ever cruise ship to sail through the Northwest Passage. Along its historic voyage, the ship stopped in Bar Harbor.Crystal Serenity, a cruise ship owned by Crystal Cruises, became the first ever cruise ship to sail through the Northwest Passage. Along its historic voyage, the ship stopped in Bar Harbor. Credit: Winston Shaw, via Mount Desert Islander

BAR HARBOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — For the first time in history, a cruise ship sailed through the Northwest Passage. Before it reached its final destination, the ship, “Crystal Serenity,” stopped in Bar Harbor.

“Rising sea levels are a result of melting ice caps, which is the reason why vessels of this size are now able to travel across the Northwest Passage” -Dr. Sean Todd, College of the Atlantic Steven K. Katona Chair in Marine Sciences.

The Northwest Passage is a series of straights and channels that pass between Canada’s 19,000 Arctic Islands and connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

Passengers, Dottie and Gary Johanson signed up for the cruise two years in advance. The couple said they would not have missed it for anything.

“We had no idea how spectacular this cruise would be and how historic it would be,” Mrs. Johanson said.

The couple is originally from Maryland, but they’ve joined 900 people from all over the world on this journey.

Although they have made many friends on the ship during their 32-day cruise, they said meeting the indigenous people throughout the voyage was the most memorable experience.

Mr. Johanson recalled the experience as eye-opening, but this expedition would not have happened if it were not for climate change, according to College of the Atlantic professor Dr. Sean Todd.

“Rising sea levels are a result of melting ice caps, which is the reason why vessels of this size are now able to travel across the Northwest Passage,” he said.

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