For years, expedition cruising has been outlined within the cruise world as a kind of cruising that entails touring to essentially the most distant locations on this planet on small, hardy vessels that carry their very own touchdown craft.
It has been a subset of cruising that principally included journeys to far-off polar areas, most notably Antarctica, but in addition such little-visited Arctic destinations because the glacier-lined East Coast of Greenland and the icy Northwest Passage.
It has been about going to locations that few individuals have visited and the place few individuals reside.
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James Rodriguez, the brand new president and CEO of Atlas Ocean Voyages, is out to vary all that.
In his first 12 months on the helm of the fast-growing small-ship cruise operator, he is been redefining the model as a cruise line that gives expedition-type sailings to not simply distant locations however all types of locations world wide, together with such mainstream locations because the Mediterranean and Australia.
“We need to be sure that we’re programming the expertise on board for these lively vacationers who actually need to interact in these areas of the world by an expedition lens,” Rodriguez instructed TPG in an unique interview.
Talking at size concerning the model’s shifting path, Rodriguez mentioned it might more and more broaden past a core deal with expedition sailings to the polar areas to supply extra voyages to different elements of the world. However these new choices will probably be extra lively journeys that draw on the ethos of expedition cruising versus what he calls the “passive” kind of cruise journey that the majority strains supply in mainstream locations.
The brand new path comes as the road prepares to roll out a number of extra ships in fast succession. The model on Wednesday will unveil its third ship, the 196-passenger World Voyager.
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“We will attempt to create that [expedition] factor that’s created within the polar areas in different elements of the world, whether or not we will East Africa and doing safaris or whether or not we’re within the Kimberley in Australia or within the South Pacific,” he mentioned.
Associated: The ultimate guide to expedition cruising
Already, the road has launched what it’s calling expedition sailings within the Mediterranean, which began this previous summer time. However they’re expedition sailings with a twist. Passengers should not anticipate expedition cruise-type landings by Zodiac boats to see uncommon wildlife and surroundings, as is the norm on the everyday expedition cruise to distant locations similar to Antarctica.
As an alternative, they’re expeditions to expertise the area’s tradition, delicacies and wine, Rodriguez explains.
The road is asking them Epicurean Expeditions, and so they incorporate things like culinary demonstrations and tastings on board vessels throughout the journeys, led by high cooks and sommeliers, plus culinary-focused touring on land with native guides that contain sampling native delicacies, visiting native meals markets, touring wineries and the like.
Bottling that Antarctica cruise feeling
Rodriguez and his group developed the concept for the sailings quickly after he joined Atlas Ocean Voyages a 12 months in the past and sailed on an expedition cruise to Antarctica with the model for the primary time.
It was additionally his first expedition cruise.
“What I walked away with is there’s one thing actually particular about an expedition-type program, and [I asked] how do you sort of bottle that and take it into different areas of the world,” he shared.
Step one, Rodriguez mentioned, was defining the weather that make such expedition cruises particular after which determining how that interprets to extra mainstream locations. That course of led to the identification of three issues.
“There’s an academic part to those expedition voyages. There’s [a component] the place you are actually immersed in these locations … virtually to an amazing extent. After which there’s additionally this impressed part,” he famous. “You stroll away being impressed, not solely by the locations however the expertise you had and this camaraderie that you’ve got constructed together with your fellow friends.”
For the Epicurean Expedition sailings within the Mediterranean, Atlas changed the expedition guides with experience in polar areas that usually sail with its ships with a brand new set of expedition group members that embrace visitor cooks and visitor vintners.
Delicacies and wine are integral to the expertise of touring across the Mediterranean, Rodriguez famous, and the journeys thus labored effectively, he steered. However he mentioned he and his group realized that the epicurean focus may not work as effectively elsewhere. That led to plans for expedition-type sailings in different elements of the world that had extra of a cultural focus.
Associated: The ultimate guide to Atlas Ocean Voyages | Atlas cabins and suites guide
For these journeys, referred to as Cultural Expeditions, the road will workers its vessels with expedition group members which have experience in issues like regional historical past or a background in archeology, Rodriguez mentioned.
The epicurean-focused sailings, particularly, have echoes of the sailings supplied by Rodriguez’s former employer, Oceania Cruises. It’s a model that’s identified for its culinary choices, together with elevated onboard eating and onboard cooking school rooms.
Rodriguez was a founding member of the chief group that began up Oceania in 2003 and had a management function on the line till leaving in 2021. Earlier than becoming a member of the startup group for Oceania, he labored for the famed luxurious line Crystal Cruises.
Nonetheless, Rodriguez mentioned what Atlas is doing within the culinary house is totally different. Whereas Oceania’s culinary expertise revolves round onboard choices, the Atlas epicurean expedition expertise folds in a heavy dose of off-the-ship culinary exploration, he steered.
A culinary cookoff
Onboard culinary packages are heavy, too, and embrace things like a Yachtsman’s Cookoff the place visitor cooks compete with passengers in an Ironman Chef-like competitors (full with thriller elements). There are also onboard wine and meals tastings and different occasions.
“We’re taking them to … [experience] paella making after we’re in Barcelona and actually instructing them find out how to make paella,” he mentioned, citing one instance of the kind of outings that happen throughout Epicurean Expeditions itineraries within the Mediterranean.
One caveat for the Epicurean Expeditions and different expedition-type voyages in mainstream locations is that the land experiences aren’t essentially included within the fare, as is often the case with expedition journeys to far-flung areas similar to Antarctica.
On expedition sailings to Antarctica, expedition cruise strains sometimes supply landings by Zodiac boats to see penguins and different wildlife, in addition to surroundings at no further cost. The expedition touring expertise is included in the price of the journey.
The fares for Atlas journeys in non-polar areas embrace one free cultural immersion per cruise that has a culinary part, similar to an area market go to or a meals tasting. However, in any other case, shore excursions with epicurean elements include an additional price.
New expedition locations coming
Launched in 2021 with only one ship (the 196-passenger World Navigator), Atlas expanded to 2 vessels in late 2022 with the arrival of a sister vessel (World Traveller; sure, they use the British spelling for traveler). As famous above, the road’s third vessel, World Voyager, will start crusing on Wednesday after being christened in Ushuaia, Argentina. It’s going to spend the approaching winter cruising to Antarctica.
These three vessels unveiled in fast succession are simply the primary part of development for a line that already has plans to rapidly broaden to 6 ships within the subsequent few years.
Associated: Inside the first Atlas Ocean Voyages ship, World Navigator
The speedy rollout of recent vessels will permit Atlas to broaden to extra areas of the world, which can imply extra expedition-type sailings in new areas, Rodriguez mentioned.
“These ships have been constructed for the polar areas of the world, for the Arctic and Antarctica. However there are occasions [of the year] that we will not be there … [and] as our fleet has grown, we’re additionally increasing into different areas of the world,” he defined.
Rodriguez cited the road’s first voyages to East Africa as one thing that was within the works to include a safari factor that will assist give the journeys an expedition really feel. He famous plans for sailings round Madagascar, as an example, and journeys to South Africa.
Voyages that embrace visits to South Pacific islands on the way in which to Australia are additionally within the works, in line with Rodriguez.
When Atlas ships find yourself in Australia, they will not do the “Sydney conventional issues,” Rodriguez mentioned. As an alternative, they may go to locations just like the Kimberley area of Western Australia, which is understood for its scenic, undeveloped shoreline and huge swaths of wilderness.
“We’re looking for these locations that lend themselves to extra of an expedition expertise [instead of] a passive sort of trip expertise.”
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