Adventure Life has launched a new offering of specialised, non-conventional expedition cruises worldwide. The experts at Adventure Life Voyages have selected a list of expedition cruise vessels paired with enticing itineraries that reach some of the most far-flung corners of the world.
There are three types of ship to choose from depending on comfort needs and adventure wants: a research vessel, ice breaker, or a luxury expedition yacht. All of the tours are staffed with English-speaking guides, naturalists, and other experts to help make the voyages as edifying as they are relaxing. At each port of call, travellers will board a zodiac and go ashore, followed by a day of exploring all the natural and cultural treasures that await them. There are a total of 116 vessels (53 non-Galapagos and 63 Galapagos) and roughly 291 itineraries for travellers to choose from. There is not a lack of choice, and all of the vessels have been hand picked for their ability to navigate the world’s most incredible passageways and explore regions that are not reachable by larger cruise ships.
Consumers can instantly find out which ships are available during their preferred travel dates and search through a plethora of criteria including: date, region, trip length, price, and activities offered. Also via the Adventure Life website, consumers can scroll through photos of the vessels and the destinations in both small and large format and view colour-coded deck plans.
Grass roots
The company’s grassroots approach to travel utilises local guides, family run hotels, and the local transportation infrastructure. Groups are rarely larger than 12, and each tour is designed by the company’s founder with the goal of providing a fun and exciting trip.
This is one of the only tours that represents all cruising options to Antarctica. Travellers can now search for and book cruises directly from the Adventure Life web site by choosing the criteria that is most relevant to them, be it class of ship, time of year, length of cruise, or desired itinerary.
“The season to travel to Antarctic is really pretty short,” said Adventure Life President, Brian Morgan, “Travellers only have from November through March, and Antarctica is becoming a very popular new destination, so ships are filling up fast. This resource offers travellers a convenient way to instantly find availability on a variety of ships and search through their specific travel criteria with just the click of a button.”
Living the dream
Antarctica is growing in popularity as a destination. The cruises available encompass everything offering five-star amenities. The commonality is the vast and unspoiled beauty that passengers will encounter on a cruise through the waters of the frozen continent.
The Antarctic Dream, a 78-person capacity Dutch vessel renowned for its long-time service in the Chilean Navy, has been refurbished and transformed into a contemporary expedition cruise ship built to traverse the world’s wildest waterways. The Antarctic Dream offers ideal expeditions to the Great White Continent, taking in the most exciting sights of the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula.
What distinguishes this 11 day expedition from most Antarctic cruises is the extraordinary, hands-on access to wildlife, glaciers and massive icebergs provided by the smaller capacity vessel. Passengers experience up-close encounters with fur seals, humpback whales, leopard seals and orcas, and are able to explore the blue, icy land during 2-3 hour daily zodiac raft excursions. The Antarctic Dream receives passengers from all across the globe with an average of 20+ nationalities on board every trip.
Information-packed lectures are offered to passengers by the Expedition Leader. Additional presentations and workshops are offered by geologists, naturalists, and special guests, which include celebrated photographers, wildlife experts and more. Departing from and finishing in the port of Ushuaia, Argentina, The Antarctic Dream features a large dining room, library, auditorium, gym, sauna, laundry, satellite email/phone and boutique. Cabins have private baths, queen or twin beds, closed circuit TV, and inter-cabin phone service.
My experience was nothing but pure travel comfort,” said Dee Hunt. “Tour leaders and lecturers were totally involved with all of us — sharing time, meals, expertise, and friendship at every opportunity.”
