DESTINATIONS CRUISE | EXPEDITION
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Crystal Endeavor; Silver Origin; Seabourn Venture; and Sylvia Earle
SYLVIA EARLE Aurora Expeditions’ follow-up to the Greg Mortimer, which launched in 2019, will feature the same X-Bow design to allow for smoother ocean crossings, reduce emissions and cut fuel consumption by up to 60%. But Sylvia Earle will make even more of that feature with a two-storey glass atrium lounge offering the best-possible views as the ship charts a course through the waters of Antarctica and South Georgia, Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula or the Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat. The atrium is also where passengers will find the
conservation-focused Citizen Science Centre. Book it: Sylvia Earle is due to launch in November with a season of Antarctica sailings, including an 11-day Spirit of Antarctica voyage, starting at £8,750.
auroraexpeditions.co.uk
SEABOURN VENTURE This is set to be one of the most exciting launches for the UK market, given its inaugural sailing is due to depart from Greenwich in December, kicking off a maiden season of Norway and northern lights cruises. The 132-suite luxury ship will carry 24 Zodiacs, kayaks, mountain bikes and its most attention-grabbing feature, two six-seat submarines. That’s complemented by an expedition team featuring scientists and naturalists, and an ‘open bridge
policy’ allowing behind-the-scenes access. Book it: The inaugural voyage, a 12-night Norway, Northern Lights & North Cape sailing from Greenwich to Tromso, starts at £11,999.
seabourn.com
46 21 JANUARY 2021
exper expert ASK THE
edwina lonsdale managing director, Mundy Cruising
Our expedition cruise site, Mundy Adventures, has been consistently up [in year-on-year traffic] and we saw an upward trend in November and December. I think it’s because people book far enough out to believe it will happen, and because they think ‘once I’m allowed out again, I’m going to do those things that are on my “one day” list’, which is very encouraging. Alongside that, we have this extraordinary growth in capacity with 14 expedition ships coming in 2021. If you look at our top five pages for organic traffic, three of them are
Antarctica-related and two of them are Arctic – looking at northern lights and Arctic expedition cruises. That said, the biggest open rate we had on an email this year was for warm water cruising, so people are looking for that. The cruise industry has done such a great job in being proactive and being
ahead of the government recommendations in a way no other sector has, so in the longer term, that will be good for cruising’s reputation.
SILVER ORIGIN Interest in outdoor, nature-based breaks is booming across the board, so Silversea Cruises’ decision to build its first destination-specific ship and base it in the Galápagos seems positively prescient. The line claims the highest crew-to-guest ratio in the region, with a limit of 100 passengers and an expert team staffed by Ecuadorian nationals. Expect all-suite accommodation, some including the line’s Horizon Balconies that feature drop-down floor-to-ceiling windows, plus Ecuadorian-inspired dining as part of Silversea’s SALT programme, an innovative Basecamp lounge with a digital ‘wall’ so guests can view pictures, videos and presentations, plus a fleet of
eight Zodiacs for daily wildlife viewing. Book it: A seven-day cruise from Baltra to San Cristobal starts from £7,740 for a December 4 departure, including flights to Ecuador and onward to the Galápagos Islands.
silversea.com
TW
travelweekly.co.uk
Steve Dunlop
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