Expedition cruising puts luxury first in cabins, spas and dining
Expedition cruising has come a long way since the days when passengers had to rough it on a research vessel.
Think of it as Porthole Class cruising. Back in the proverbial day, early adventure travellers sometimes found themselves aboard old Soviet-era survey ships that had been tricked-up to accommodate “capitalist” passengers willing to pay well to see Antarctica and other exotic shores.
Former bunk rooms were hastily converted to guest cabins while the Russian crew was crammed god-knows-where, sometimes even in a shipping container welded as an afterthought to the ship’s stern. Meanwhile, for guests down in the four-passenger share cabins, sheer luxury was scoring the bunk near the single porthole. True, you had a slice of daylight but the view was akin to a drowning man’s, a relentless slosh of grey, waterline waves.
Three decades on, expedition-style cruising has quantum-leapt from Porthole to Caviar Class. Today’s purpose-built vessels bristle with toys ranging from helicopters and hovercraft to mini-submarines. It’s a given that your cabin, aka stateroom, has full-length windows plus satellite TV, phone and internet. Your Zodiac driver/guide may well be a PhD who speaks three languages. There are butlers, infra-red saunas and celeb chef-anointed menus. Roll over Shackleton and tell Amundsen the news.
“Never run from a bear. But if you do, make sure you’re with someone who runs slower than you,” advised Sergey, our guide on a cruise in Far Eastern Russia’s bear-thronged Kamchatka Peninsula. From Kamchatka to Asmat, Abrolhos to the Black Sea, expedition cruising has come a long, exotic way since Lars-Eric Lindblad took the first tourists to Antarctica in 1966.
When I visited the white continent in 1996, 15 ships had arrived that season and landed about 5000 passengers. Concerns were already growing that more visitors might be unsustainable. No one guessed what was just around the next iceberg. Antarctic visitation exploded. In 2019-2020 (the last full, pre-Covid season), 408 ship voyages landed an astounding 55,164 visitors.
Fortunately, the world is wide and, travellers being an insatiably curious lot, Antarctica doesn’t bear the full weight of expedition cruising. Almost anywhere you go today among the planet’s most fabled backwaters and storied archipelagos, don’t be surprised to find an expedition cruise.
What defines an expedition ship? Very loosely, a ship that goes to unusual places. And with passengers who’ll take a similar dive into the unusual, getting actively among nature and local cultures. The ships are mostly smaller, boutique vessels, never mega-tubs. Two hundred passengers are company, three’s a crowd. On-board casinos are out, as is heavy fuel oil pollution. Hybrid power, green credentials, daily excursions and expert guidance are in. Beyond that, there are endless differences between ships and their offerings. One even boasts a semi-surreal complement of “marine biologists, anthropologists, musicians and magicians”.
What intangible quality, if any, sets the expedition experience apart from traditional cruising? Forget the recent onset of caviar and bling spas, it’s hard to top Captain Mike Taylor’s insight. Some years ago as he navigated the beautiful little Orion II through Papua New Guinea’s Trobriand Islands, I heard him reckon, as only a lyrical, literate Irish seafarer might: “Expedition cruising is like a series of haiku poems – each one a perfect moment captured in time.”
The return of cruising, post-Covid, has seen a new crop of boutique expedition ships launched, including the following.
Sylvia Earle
The newest ship from Australia’s Aurora Expeditions, the Sylvia Earle packs plenty of creature comforts ranging from interconnecting staterooms, a two-level glass atrium lounge at the bow (with extraordinary views) and a dedicated Citizen Science Centre. The 71-cabin vessel features the distinctive inverted X-Bow for more stable sailing. With the major trip emphasis being on off-ship exploration rather than opulent on-board indulgences, there are four sea-level loading platforms by which the 130 guests can efficiently embark on specialist-led excursions. All cabins have ocean views and almost all feature private balconies.
Fridtjof Nansen
Norway’s Hurtigruten line lays claim to having established expedition cruising back in 1896. Its newest ship Fridtjof Nansen (recently named “world’s safest and most sustainable cruise ship”) and its twin, Roald Amundsen, are among the first expedition vessels to employ hybrid battery propulsion. Custom-built for Antarctica, Alaska and the Arctic, Nansen accommodates 300 passengers, although often carries fewer. As well as ample luxuries and excellent dining, there is a brilliant Science Centre for guest involvement. Multilingual lectures on polar exploration and marine biology set the context for excursions, including sea kayaking amid icebergs and camping ashore in Antarctica.
Seabourn Venture
The Seabourn Venture has been designed for the ultra-luxury expedition market. Among its 132 all-balcony staterooms, the top-shelf offering is a huge, two-storey Wintergarden Suite. With an ice-strengthened hull rated to Polar Class Six, the Venture will operate in a range of marine environments, from tropical to polar. Two custom-built submarines allow unique perspectives on these destinations while a fleet of 24 Zodiacs uniquely permits all guests to be on excursion at the same time. Venture will launch mid-year and cover the waterfront from the Amazon and Antarctica to Greenland and the Caribbean.
Scenic Eclipse
Billed as “the world’s most luxurious discovery yacht”, Scenic Eclipse validates the claim with, for starters, two helicopters and a seven-person submarine. Its complement of 228 passengers (or 200 in polar regions) in all-suite accommodation can choose from 10 dining outlets or 24-hour in-cabin grazing. Temporarily resisting these seductions, guests disembark via a sheltered marina portal on Zodiac excursions or to launch kayaks and SUPs. Dynamic positioning allows the PC6-rated Eclipse to hold station without causing anchor damage to fragile seabeds. Another bonus is the oversized stabilisers, which compensate in heavy swells.
Viking Octantis
The 378-passenger Viking Octantis claims larger staterooms and suites than other expedition ships. Those staterooms (with balcony) start at 20.6sq m and feature floor-to-ceiling ocean-view windows, plus direct-dial satellite phone. A huge Owners Suite comes with books, wine and music curated by no less than the cruise line’s own chairman. The vessel features heated swimming pools, library, cafe, a citizen science centre and twin six-person submarines. At the stern is an enclosed marina, the Hangar, which allows passengers to board excursion craft via a stable deck within the ship.
Le Commandant Charcot
Ponant’s premium new ship Le Commandant Charcot is the first expedition vessel to employ hybrid-electric power generated by LNG. With a formidable PC2 ice rating and carrying up to 245 guests, it can reach the geographic North Pole and Antarctica’s Weddell Sea. Scientific research is a strong focus, and it’s the first expedition ship to have dedicated laboratories for marine scientists. For regular passengers, there are participative science activities and a heated outdoor pool along with Ponant’s traditional gastronomic delights and superior staterooms. Specialised excursions aboard 14 Zodiacs are complemented by polar diving and ice-fishing.
Emerald Azzurra
This 100-passenger expedition yacht will initially cruise the Adriatic, Red Sea and Mediterranean. Visiting ports that are often inaccessible to larger cruise vessels, it carries three tenders and two Zodiacs to facilitate landings in these smaller harbours. At the stern is a spacious marina from which guests embark on excursions, and launch SUPs and kayaks. Among the on-board pleasures are an infinity pool, infra-red sauna, gym, observation deck and a la carte dining. The accommodation range covers six cabin and suite categories with balconies in almost all.
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