Going places: Expeditionary cruising satisfies desire for discovery, adventure

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Going places: Expeditionary cruising satisfies desire for discovery, adventure

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Expeditionary cruising is as different from the mega-ship cruise experience as hiking is to a spa vacation in a five-star resort. Expeditionary cruising is about education, exploration rather than entertainment, about active, engaged, immersive experiences, close-up encounters in otherwise hard-to-reach, definitely off-the-beaten track places with an emphasis discovering and interacting with the natural world and local people. And for all these reasons, there has been an explosion in this segment of the cruise market that has such appeal for younger, more active, more adventurous travelers with a yen to experience even a fraction of the sense of discovery the early explorers experienced, albeit with a level of luxury and comfort the explorers could never have imagined, befitting the high per diem (averaging $1000/per person/per day).

There are expeditionary cruises to the far reaches of the planet – the Arctic, the Antarctic, the Galapagos, and completely new destinations that are surprisingly close to home, like the East Coast.

Some of the expeditionary cruise companies to the Arctic, for example, have modified or replaced itineraries because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – either because they utilized Russian icebreakers, or because they penetrated into Russia’s waters.

Lindblad Expeditions has announced five new voyages to replace their itineraries impacted by the Ukrainian invasion. The new itineraries were designed to go farther and deeper into remote wild places only reachable by small expedition ships. The new voyages include: Epic Coastal Alaska (National Geographic Orion); Extraordinary Alaska: Misty Fjords to the Hubbard Glacier (National Geographic Orion);Iceland’s Wild West Coast to East Greenland (aboard the new National Geographic Endurance); A Journey from Nome to Tokyo: Ring of Fire to Ainu Culture (National Geographic Resolution); Coastal Japan: Imperial Dynasties (National Geographic Resolution).(Lindblad is offering 25% off select 2022 departures of the five new itineraries for bookings made by June 30.)

Meanwhile, Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic has unveiled the newest addition to their award-winning fleet, National Geographic Islander ll. With just 48 guests, and the spirit and soul of a private yacht, the all-suite ship will make her inaugural voyage in the Galápagos on August 18, 2022 for year-round expeditions in the islands. Choose from two itineraries: the 7-day Wild Galápagos Escape and 10-day Wild Galápagos & Peru Escape. The ship features 26 light and airy suites, and new expedition amenities including a marina and Science Hub. Guests traveling on National Geographic Islander ll will receive complimentary roundtrip air between Miami and the Galápagos on all 2023 departures for new bookings made now through May 31, 2022.

Lindblad is also bringing its immersive expeditionary style to the American East Coast that few realize exists and even fewer will ever experience. Starting this fall, Lindblad Expeditions is launching seven new itineraries for 2022 and 2023 designed to explore the most ecologically and culturally diverse destinations along the East Coast, uninhabited islands with wildlife refuges and abandoned forts and castles, many of which are unknown even to locals. Ranging from six to eight days, the itineraries will feature Maine, Cape Cod, Georgia, South Carolina low country, New York’s Hudson Valley, and the Chesapeake area off the coast of Maryland. Set aboard the 62-guest National Geographic Sea Lion, the intimately scaled ship will explore secluded coves and barrier islands on wholly unique expeditions that would be impossible to replicate without a private yacht and an army of experts. From the windswept sand dunes of the South to Mid-Atlantic estuarine backwaters and island villages in the North with no paved roads, these exclusive journeys will take guests into little-known American wilderness, history, and culture.

To celebrate America’s wild places on both coasts, Lindblad Expeditions has a special offer for guests who join a US expedition—travel on any US West Coast (Alaska, Pacific Northwest, or Channel Islands) 2022 expedition and receive 20% off any US East Coast Expedition in 2022 or 2023.

Excitement is high for Alaska’s epic wildness and wide-open spaces this season and Lindblad Expeditions is offering guests an extraordinary selection of itineraries. After recently adding National Geographic Sea Lion, the small ship expedition cruise line has just announced that National Geographic Orion will also embark on two expeditions this summer that will take guests into and beyond Alaska’s Inside Passage to untrammeled, hard-to-reach spots along the gulf coast Both itineraries will offer guests a comprehensive exploration including their most sweeping coastal expedition ever of southeast and southcentral Alaska, and a remarkable Bering Sea adventure exploring the Pribilofs, Katmai and Kodiak.

For guests looking to reconnect with friends and family in Alaska this summer: book three full-paying guests and bring a fourth person free on select departures of ‘Epic Coastal Alaska’. Or take advantage of a complimentary hotel night and special air savings on ‘Bering Sea Wilderness’.

For reservations or additional information on Lindblad Expeditions voyages visit www.expeditions.com, call 1-800-EXPEDITION (1-800-397-3348) or contact your travel advisor.

Poseidon Expeditions Replaces 2022 Programs to Russian High Arctic, North Pole

Limassol, CYPRUS – Poseidon Expeditions also canceled its summer 2022 polar programs in Russian territorial waters because of the Russian invasion into Ukraine. The news affects a total of seven voyages, three aboard the Russian icebreaker that Poseidon has chartered and marketed since 2001 and another four aboard the 114-passenger expedition ship Sea Spirit. The rest of the summer expedition cruises aboard the Sea Spirit remain unchanged.

The expeditionary cruise company has re-designed itineraries on four upcoming Arctic programs aboard the Sea Spirit. These 14-day voyages will continue to operate roundtrip out of Longyearbyen, Svalbard, on the same dates in July and August, but will not venture into the Russian territorial waters of Franz Josef Land. Instead, the program will provide guests with an in-depth exploration and circumnavigation of the Svalbard Archipelago or a voyage to the Northeast Greenland National Park, depending on the departure date.”

For inquiries and reservations, contact the company’s North American sales and reservation office at [email protected] or by telephone at 347-801-2610, https://poseidonexpeditions.com/.

Quark Expeditions Launches Industry’s First Inuit Culinary Experience

Quark Expeditions, a global leader in polar adventures, has launched “Tundra to Table: Inuit Culinary Experience.” The expedition industry’s first exclusive Inuit culinary experience is available on select Arctic 2022 and 2023 voyages, in which Inuit chefs in the Arctic can showcase their cuisine and culture of Greenland and Nunavut and share stories of their people through food.

Guests also will have the opportunity, on select voyages, to accompany Inuit chefs as they forage in the wild. During select hiking excursions led by Quark Expeditions team members, Inuit chefs will accompany the group and share foraging insights, talk about Arctic plant species, and explain how they’re used in traditional Inuit cuisine. The chefs will collect small amounts of plants and herbs to use in the onboard Inuit dining experience.

Quark Expeditions has unveiled a robust Antarctic 23-24 season with nine itineraries designed to empower travelers to tap into their inner explorer during the most immersive polar voyages available in the expedition industry.

“With our Antarctic 23-24 season, we want more than ever before to take travelers beyond the predictable and the ordinary during their polar voyage,” says Thomas Lennartz, Vice-president of Sales for Quark Expeditions. “Quark Expeditions has always explored Antarctica differently from other operators, and in the Antarctic 23.24 season we’ll heighten our efforts to take our guests to explore like never before. Guests just don’t want to see things. They want to experience them. They want to venture farther than most others dream of, and to discover nature at its rawest.”

Quark Expeditions’ Antarctic 23-24 itineraries (50 departures) range from 8 to 23 days and include Antarctic Express: Fly the Drake (8 days); Antarctic Express: Crossing the Circle (11 days); Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent (10, 11 or 12 days); Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent plus Cape Horn & Diego Ramirez (13 days); Crossing the Circle: Southern Expedition (14 days); Essential Patagonia: Chilean Fjords and Torres del Paine (15 days); South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula: Penguin Safari (16 days); Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica: Explorers and Kings (20 days); Epic Antarctica: Crossing the Circle via Falklands (Malvinas) & South Georgia (23 days)

Specializing exclusively in expeditions to Antarctica and the Arctic, Quark Expeditions® has been a leading innovator of polar adventure since 1991. With a diverse fleet of specially-equipped small expedition vessels and icebreakers—some of them equipped with helicopters—Quark Expeditions delivers deeply immersive polar experiences—and is able to take guests deeper into the Polar Regions than anyone else. Seasoned expedition teams include scientists, wildlife experts and researchers. (www.quarkexpeditions.com)

Kontiki Expeditions Launches Luxury Small-Ship Cruises Along Coastal Ecuador

(Manta, Ecuador) Kontiki Expeditions is offering an eight-day exploration of the seldom-visited Ecuadorian coast, allowing for a rich cultural adventure and an exclusive voyage. With only nine staterooms and excursions to sparsely populated coastal ports, social distancing on the 132-foot M/S Wayra is the norm rather than the exception. Kontiki Expeditions is the first water-based member of Small Luxury Hotels and a proponent of sustainable, “neo-luxury” travel.

Kontiki Expeditions is a new concept in luxury ocean cruises focusing on conscious travel and immersive water and land experiences. Carrying a maximum of 18 guests, the superyacht M/S Kontiki Wayra sails two routes along the Ecuadorian coast, The Toquilla Expedition and The Spondylus Expedition, immersing guests in the country’s wealth of birds, animals, flora, fauna, indigenous foods and cultural traditions while adhering to a “neo luxury” philosophy of sustainability and giving back to the communities visited. The yacht’s small size and routes allow access to smaller ports and villages starting from or ending in Manta or Guayaquil. Guests visit small towns and nature reserves while experiencing the adventure of an expedition cruise.

For more information, visit www.kontikiexpeditions.com/en, call +5933984364149; email [email protected]. For a sample of where Kontiki Expeditions will voyage, visit https://vimeo.com/376273581/a70b344db1.

Le Ponant, Iconic 3-Mast Sailing Yacht, Redefines Expedition Cruises

A new itinerary tailored by expedition leaders and naturalist guides deploys PONANT’s expertise in the Seychelles. A total of 11 departures are planned (with French gastronomy), including two new ports of call as unique as they are secret, namely the African Banks north of the Amirante Islands and Thérèse Island. Fringed by white sandy beaches, these islands are uninhabited, creating an exhilarating Robinson Crusoe sense of being the first to discover them. Only 16 staterooms per sailing can now be reserved for the 2022-2023 winter season.

Other new PONANT itineraries: At the Genesis of the French Polar Expeditions and Discovering the Northeast Greenland National Park. PONANT has cruises throughout the world. (us.ponant.com, 877-719-7769)

Atlas Ocean Voyages Realigns Inclusions to Provide Lower Cruise Fares for Luxe-Adventure Cruises

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. – Atlas Ocean Voyages announced three new Western Europe voyages aboard World Navigator. The new Norwegian Fjords and London, Holland, and France voyages depart in August and September 2022 and feature multiple overnights in culture-rich ports, which provide opportunities for guests to opt for extensive tour options. Because of her small size, World Navigator will navigate up narrow waterways and rivers to dock in the center of Amsterdam, London, Antwerp, and Bordeaux for convenient access to each city. Travelers can take advantage of up to $6,000 savings per suite or stateroom aboard these new voyages, or any 2022 and 2023 voyages and expeditions, when making a new deposited booking from now until June 30, 2022. Launched in August 2021, World Navigator features 98 suites, solo suites with no single supplements, and staterooms and is the line’s first newly constructed small expedition ship, which can reach smaller, authentic and exclusive locales where larger ships cannot reach.

World Navigator will cruise the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and Iceland, Greenland and The Arctic in summer 2022; Central and South America in the autumn; and return to Antarctica for her winter 2022-23 season. Atlas’ second ship, World Traveller, launches in November 2022, with three additional sister ships, World Seeker, World Adventurer and World Discoverer, to join the fleet by 2024.

Expanding its selections of luxe-adventure voyages to remote and captivating destinations around the world, Atlas Ocean Voyages announced 34 new summer and autumn 2023 voyages aboard the line’s two newly constructed, luxurious small ships, World Navigator and World Traveller, Atlas’ new season begins on March 26, 2023, and covers four continents on seven- to 21-night itineraries.

World Navigator will sail Africa, and the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, while World Traveller will cruise Central and South America, the Caribbean, Western Africa and Western Mediterranean, Ireland and the British Isles, the Norwegian Fjords, Iceland, Greenland, and the Arctic. Atlas adds 60 new destinations for the season and features overnight stays in 46 individual ports, delivering more immersive experiences in small and off-the-beaten-path destinations unreachable by larger ships.

Atlas Ocean Voyages, the luxe-adventure expedition line, is now offering its voyages independent of included air travel and shore excursions, for departures from April 24, 2022, and beyond. Atlas remains an all-inclusive cruise, and, with the new set of inclusions, travelers enjoy more competitive cruise fares, as well as more convenient options for air travel and more personalized, shoreside adventure options in small and authentic ports, a hallmark of Atlas’ distinctive itineraries.

For more information about Atlas Ocean Voyages, visit www.AtlasOceanVoyages.com. Travel Advisors can call 844-44-ATLAS to book.

Photo: Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic is launching a 48-passenger National Geographic Islander ll in August for year-round expeditions in the Galápagos (photo courtesy Lindblad Expeditions)
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© 2022 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com, www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karen-rubin, and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Send comments or questions to [email protected]. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

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