Expedition cruising is exploding in popularity!
Have you ever thought of taking one?
I’ve done several expedition cruises – and – I can’t wait to do more. I LOVE it!
Expedition cruising is totally different than ocean cruising or river cruising.
Expedition cruising is all about nature and wildlife, and expeditions immerse you in the destination you are visiting. Conservation, and respecting the environment and the people and animals is also key.
This picture above shows me on a shore excursion, just off a Lindblad Expeditions ship. I did a circumnavigation of my home province, Newfoundland, with Lindblad, and had a marvelous time.
Expedition Cruising is going to get you closer to nature. And if you select the right company, it’s going to be more about the wildlife count rather than the sheet thread count. That doesn’t mean there are not creature comforts (and expedition cruising is becoming more luxurious as time goes one). But, the emphasis on an expedition cruise will always be more about getting you to places and the destinations that the big ocean ships cannot visit. With no wharves at some of these remote spots, that also means you have to get into and out of a zodiac to get to the shore. But, that also means that you’re visiting unspoiled destinations. (And don’t worry – there are folks to assist you, as long as you can climb up and down stairs on your own steam, you should be good.)
One of my travel partners refers to adventure travel and expedition cruising as taking you to “places where you can’t buy a t-shirt” – and I really like that. If you’re in the Peruvian Amazon, traipsing through the Galapagos, or getting into a kayak in the Antarctic; odds are there are no t-shirt stands waiting!
Most times you’re with about 100 people on an expedition cruise -not the 6,000+ people travelling city that you might experience on the large ocean megaship cruises.
People dress pretty casually because on expedition cruises too, because that’s the kind of clothing you wear when you go birding or take a nature walks, or snorkel with the coral or fish. People will not be wearing tuxedos (unless you count the penguins in Antarctica). You won’t wear fancy dress and gowns to go to dinner on an expedition cruise, as you might on a large ocean cruise.
Expedition cruises are comfortable, and they are entertaining – but you’re not going to be seeing the latest Broadway show remake onboard an expedition ship, or find casinos or gambling. Expedition cruises are more about what happens OFF the ship rather than what happens on the ship.
You can cruise The Kimberley in Australia, island hop through the Galapagos, step on the 7th continent, cruise the Northwest Passage, have an Alaskan adventure, see the whales in Baja, circumnavigate Newfoundland or see the Torngat mountains, explore Greenland and Iceland, take photos of the Narwhal in the Arctic and the wild horses on Sable Island, or maybe tour Tahiti and Polynesia.
Onboard expedition cruises, you will definitely be with a cohort of people who love nature and wildlife. You will also be with people who have an interest in science. There will be naturalists, historians, and biologists onboard, sharing their passion and knowledge. Their expertise helps you learn more about the destination you’re visiting.
And, depending on the company you’re taking your expedition cruise with, you may also have National Geographic photographers onboard too. You might be travelling with a company that partners with UNESCO. Or there may be all sorts of partnerships that will enrich your travel experience. I work with clients to matchmake them to the proper company, route, and ship that is best for them.
Now doesn’t expedition cruising sound like just a perfect way to cruise to me!
How about you?
#AskSheila #expeditioncruising #adventuretravel #cruisinglife #lushlife contact [email protected]
See more of my blogs about expedition cruising here: https://lushlife.ca/expedition-cruising/
And see some other folks’ articles below to learn more about this hot travel trend, and why it’s become so popular.
Let me know if you’d like to schedule a consultation.
Here’s what Forbes has to say about Expedition Cruising:
Expedition Cruising Is One Of This Year’s Biggest Travel Trends. Here’s What You Need To Know
with quotes:Expedition cruising is a hot trend
Expedition cruising may also be one of this year’s hottest travel trends. After the staycation (2020), the great outdoors vacation (2021) and the domestic vacation (2022), Americans are looking for something more exotic for their 2023 [and 2024] getaways, according to multiple surveys. Expedition cruising checks all of those boxes.
and
“Adventure travel is proving to be the break-out travel trend of the decade,” says Noah Brodsky, chief commercial officer for Lindblad Expeditions. “We’re seeing tremendous excitement from guests across geographies and generations to get that bucket-list trip on the books today.”
Here’s a few snippets from recent Virtuoso Travel articles about the move towards expedition cruising in a big way:
An Expedition Cruise Is the Adventure We Want Now
A Lindblad Expeditions naturalist on the allure of wild, unscripted moments.
Standing calf-deep in crystal-clear waters in the wildlife-rich Galápagos Islands, Lindblad Expeditions expert naturalist and photo instructor Linda Burback remembers the moment she and a small group of travelers wondered who’d be the first to have a penguin swim between their legs.
Cooling off near the shoreline and chatting about the previous day’s sightings, with Baltra Island in the background, they could see small fish swimming around their feet – and then a penguin zipped by. “That’s when we all widened our stance in hopes that one would swim between our feet,” Burback says. “It was a lot of fun, as penguins are very fast swimmers: It zipped all around us as we laughed and called out, ‘Here it comes; there it goes, almost!’” That spontaneity combined with serendipity is one of her favorite parts of small-ship expedition cruises, notes Burback, a former Saguaro National Park interpreter and trained horticulturalist who’s worked with Lindblad for 25 years. Her motto: “Be where you are while you are there.”
Along with Three Cruise Expedition Leaders on Why They Love Their Jobs
https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sheilagallanthalloran/travel/articles/cruise-jobs-silversea
and Expedition Cruising Is Getting Ultraluxurious
It seems like everyone’s talking about expedition cruising lately. It’s the ultimate bucket-list adventure, journeying to some of the world’s most remote reaches to witness otherworldly landscapes, spy rare wildlife, and learn about Indigenous cultures. And while travelers may think expedition cruises can only be rugged, intrepid endeavors, cruise lines such as Seabourn are out to prove them wrong. At the end of the world, there’s a floating five-star resort.
The 264-passenger Seabourn Venture and its new sister ship, the Pursuit, carry travelers to both poles and an array of far-flung outposts in between. Each ship is prepared for epic exploration – with ice-breaking hulls, sea kayaks, Zodiacs, and a pair of ultra-cool submarines – but also features the spacious suites, fine dining, and cushy amenities that have garnered a following for the line’s ocean-going fleet. Passengers can zip through frozen fjords and explore ancient sea ice by day, then order caviar and filet mignon before tucking into Frette linens by night.
and
Which Cruise Style Is Right for You? https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sheilagallanthalloran/travel/articles/which-cruise-style-is-right-for-you
The Trendsetter: Expedition Cruising
Even timeless brands know how to embrace industry trends. Viking entered the expedition cruising chat in 2022 with two new Polar Class, 378-passenger expedition vessels: the Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, which kept heated floors and ocean views in every stateroom and added drying closets for expedition gear. Both ocean and expedition cruises include complimentary dining with an elegant-casual dress code at The Restaurant, serving regionally inspired cuisine (often seafood, steaks, and salads), as well as Italian staples in the dimly lit Manfredi’s, where black-and-white portraits line the walls.
“Expedition cruising is for travelers who have a sense of adventure,” says Hunsberger, who praises the educational value of citizen-science projects woven into the Viking experience. Staff scientists and pros from Cambridge University’s Scott Polar Research Institute and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) invite passengers into their research. Weather balloons launched from the top deck beam info to interactive screens on board, and cruisers can join hands-on projects to help monitor migratory birds in Patagonia or don lab coats and learn to measure microplastics in Antarctic waters from shipboard science labs. A window-lined amphitheater hosts history and science lectures by day, as well as intimate musical performances on occasional evenings.
Let me know if you’d like to learn more about expedition cruising.
We can schedule a consultation to find the best partner, itinerary, and offer for you.
January is the time to catch a wave – especially on an expedition ship!
#AskSheila [email protected]
#expeditioncruising #adventuretravel #cruisinglife #sustainabletourism #luxurytravel