Expedition Cruise Diary

EXPEDITION CRUISING
EXPEDITION CRUISING
WHAT TO PACK
POLAR REGIONS
• Wellington boots and waterproof trousers are a must for
Antarctica as you invariably have to step into the sea to get from
the landing craft to the beach. Most cruise lines have boots for
hire, either for free or a small charge.
• Cruise ships might be in Antarctica in summer but it is still very
cold so passengers will also need warm jumpers, woolly hats,
scarves and gloves.
• The Arctic isn’t as chilly but it is still cold so warm clothes are
needed, as well as stout walking shoes and waterproof trousers for
trips ashore.
• Most cruise lines provide complimentary parkas for passengers
sailing in the polar regions.
THE MERGUI ARCHIPELAGO
The Mergui (pronounced mer-gwee) Archipelago is a scattering of
800 islands, many of them deserted, covered in dense rainforest and
ringed by sandy beaches, off the southern coast of Myanmar in the
Andaman Sea. Pandaw alone has seven and 10-night cruises here, on
the 24-passenger Andaman Explorer. Clients can expect to see monkeys
and tropical birds ashore, and whales and dolphins at sea. Pandaw’s
itinerary visits the nomadic Mokken people who live on the sea and
make a living catching fish and pearl diving.
GALAPAGOS AND KIMBERLEY
• These areas are tropical so light clothing, hats and sunscreen are
needed. Waterproof sandals are useful for wading ashore from
the Zodiacs.
WHERE TO GO?
Antarctica is top of the list for adventure cruises. It’s a long way to travel
but visitors are rewarded with icebergs the size of houses, hundreds of
whales and millions of penguins. And of course they’ll have the privilege of
being among the few people who ever get the chance to set foot on the
most inhospitable continent in the world.
Once Antarctica is done, it’s time to swap penguins for polar bears
on a cruise to the Arctic. There’s lots of choice here, with cruises around
Spitsbergen, the nearest most vessels can get to the North Pole, and
voyages along the coast of Greenland and through the Northwest Passage,
the icy waterway between Greenland and Canada. A new must-do
itinerary, the Northeast Passage, takes passengers across the top of Russia
on a journey from Alaska to Norway.
Those who prefer warmer climes can get close to wildlife in the
Galapagos, where the animals have no fear of humans, and see gushing
waterfalls, coral reefs and crocodiles in the Kimberley.
There are tropical birds, piranha fish and jungle to explore on cruises
along the Amazon River in Brazil. On cruises through the Mergui
Archipelago off the west coast of Myanmar, passengers enter the realm of
the sea gypsies, with kayaking through mangroves and swimming in the
Andaman Sea.
Travellers on all these cruises need an adventurous spirit as itineraries
are often more like guidelines, especially in the polar regions. Captains will
aim to visit all the places on the schedule but the actual route depends on
weather and wildlife. Wind, ice and fog will scupper landings in Antarctica;
in the Arctic, a prowling polar bear will halt plans for a walk ashore.
IS EXPEDITION CRUISING FOR ME?
✔ Perfect for those with a sense of adventure keen to see places away from the tourist haunts.
WHAT’S NEW
More than 13 new
expedition ships are slated to
launch this year and next.
Aurora Expeditions, Scenic,
Crystal Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd
and Hurtigruten are all
building expedition ships
with ice-strengthened hulls
that can sail in polar regions.
Details can be found in the Antarctica and Arctic pages.
All offer levels of luxury previously unheard of on expedition ships but
Scenic and Crystal are going beyond lavish with yachts that offer butler
service for all and have helicopters and submarines to whisk passengers off
on adventures above and below the ocean.
Seabourn is launching its first-ever expedition vessels. Built to PC6
Polar Class standards, they will accommodate 264 passengers and carry
a 26-strong expedition team, two submarines, kayaks and Zodiacs. The
first ship, launching June 2021, will sail a short season in the Arctic before
relocating to Antarctica. The second vessel will be delivered May 2022.
French cruise line Ponant launched two warm-water explorer vessels in
2018 and has another four on the way. Le Bougainville and Le Dumontd’Urville
enter service in April and August this year, with Le Bellot and Le
Jacques Cartier following in 2020. All accommodate 184 passengers and
have a Blue Eye lounge in the hull from which passengers can peek out
into the ocean.
✔ Ideal for those who have cruised the Med, Caribbean and Baltic and want to do something different but not miss out on a few weeks at sea.
✔ A ball for baby boomers who missed out on a gap year and fancy some soft adventure without having to rough it.
✔ Spot on for those interested in seeing and learning about wildlife, nature and the environment.
✔ Brilliant for teenagers who do not need constant entertaining. It’s not a cheap holiday, but an experience they will never forget.
✖ The new generation of expedition ships might be more suitable for disabled passengers than the older vessels still in operation but getting
ashore will always be a problem. Ask the cruise line for advice before booking.
THE AMAZON
The Amazon rises in the Andes
Mountains and flows 4,000 miles
through nine countries in South
America before emptying into the
Atlantic. The river is so big that
ocean-going ships can sail nearly
650 miles upriver from the Atlantic
to Manaus, taking passengers on a
real getaway-from-it-all adventure.
They’ll trek through jungle that’s
home to sloths, howler monkeys and
colourful parrots, meet indigenous
people, maybe kayak along narrow
tributaries, and see piranha fish and
caiman (like an alligator) up close.
10 | Expedition Cruise Diary | March 2019
Stowaway Media | 11