What does the expedition cruise sector have in store over the next two years?
From the Arctic to Antarctica, and every expedition destination in between, TTG cruise editor Harry Kemble identifies the opportunities for agents wanting to sell more adventurous cruises in 2024, 2025 and 2026 – as well as some of the potential barriers they need to be aware of.
It’s fair to say that expedition cruising is sometimes viewed with trepidation by travel agents. After all selling expedition sailings can often be a tricky task for the trade.
Why? Well, agents have to learn about new destinations far away from the popular ocean cruise ports in the Med or the Caribbean, understand the product differences and more often than not build new relationships with brands they may never have heard of before.
To make things a little easier, we’ve picked out some highlights in the expedition cruise calendar that we think agents need to know about.
Think: breathtaking itineraries, must-visit destinations, tweaks to legislation designed to protect the environment and the ships coming into the market in the years ahead.
August 2024
New fees for foreign visitors entering the Galapagos National Park come into effect. The fees will jump from $100 (£77) to $200 (£155) for international visitors.
November 2024
Quark Expeditions will debut its new ship, Ocean Explorer. The 138-passenger vessel will sail a 20-day Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica: Explorers and Kings itinerary. Aranui Cruises – the longest serving cruise line in French Polynesia – celebrates its 40th anniversary with a special cruise.
December 2024
Quark Expeditions will begin its fly-cruise programme allowing passengers to navigate the Drake Passage by air to embark World Explorer.
January 2025
Ponant ship Le Commandant Charcot will operate a 12-night sailing along the Saint Lawrence River for the first time. The North American river is not accessible to traditional ships in winter. Elsewhere, new legislation will be introduced in Svalbard banning ships carrying more than 200 passengers from visiting parts of the archipelago.
February 2025
National Geographic Delfina joins the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic fleet before National Geographic Gemini enters service for the same line the following month. Both vessels were acquired from Celebrity Cruises.
June 2025
Heritage Expeditions claims to make cruise history when Heritage Adventurer becomes the first expedition vessel to visit Polilio Island in the Philippines en route to Darwin, Australia.
July 2025
Following a new strategic partnership with Air Greenland, Hurtigruten Expeditions guests will fly directly into the capital for three Grand Greenland departures onboard hybrid ship, Fridtjof Nansen.
August 2025
Starting on 20 August, Silversea’s Silver Cloud will sail a 75-day Grand South Pacific Expedition itinerary featuring 58 destinations in 11 countries. Prices for the sailing, which departs from the port city of Fremantle and ends in Valparaiso, start from £47,800pp.
September 2025
Viking will operate a new 87-day expedition cruise from Nuuk, Greenland, to Ushuaia, Argentina. Prices start from £62,190pp.
October 2025
Swan Hellenic ship Vega will take a four-day detour down the Amazon for the first time during a 19-night Exploring South America from Barbados to Brazil itinerary.
December 2025
AE Expeditions will launch its third purpose-built vessel, Douglas Mawson. The ship will operate its maiden season in eastern Antarctica – the first time the Australian-owned expedition line has operated in the region for 15 years.
August 2026
Passengers onboard Scenic ship Scenic Eclipse’s sailing departing 4 August 2026 will have the opportunity to see a total solar eclipse. Fares lead in from £15,822pp.
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