The ECN is launching its next free of charge webinar series for the travel trade to elevate its knowledge of the expedition cruise sector.
Running from Wednesday 7 February to Wednesday 19 June 2024, the series will kick off with a webinar on Selling Greenland both on 7 February. Join the Expedition Cruise Network here to enjoy regular invites to webinars, events and ship visits.
Webinar Series Q1 & Q2 2024
Weds 7 February 16.00-17.00
Weds 28 February 16.00-17.15
Warm weather expeditions: Volume 2: Kimberley Coast, Australia
Weds 27 March 09.00-10.15
Selling Epic Voyages: Northwest Passage and North Pole
Weds 24 April 16.00-17.15
Closer to home expeditions: British Isles and Europe
Weds 29 May 16.00-17.15
Selling Arctic expeditions: Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland and Canadian Arctic
Weds 19 June 16.00-17.15
Ship Visit Schedule
The Expedition Cruise Network will alert members to ship visit opportunities.
Hurtigruten has a number of opportunities to see their ships MS Spitsbergen and MS Maud in Greenock, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dover across April, May, June and September. Sign up here to register your interest and see the full schedule.
Albatros Expeditions is inviting partners, resellers, and media contacts to a VIP weekend – 26-28 April – off the south coast of the UK (embarking and disembarking at Portsmouth) to forge greater relationships with the Albatros team and explore their ship and products. Register interest in attending here.
New Departures for Aranui Cruises
In addition to departures to the Marquesas, Aranui Cruises will add more dates to its departures to the Austral islands archipelago. These are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia and are available on two departures – from 30 March to 9 April and from 2 to 12 November. Guests will discover the unspoilt beauty of the five inhabited islands of Rurutu, Rimatara, Tubuai, Rapa and Raivavae. And in 2025, three new cruises to the Austral islands with freight activity will include two stopovers in Raiatea and Bora Bora.
2024 is also a special year for Aranui Cruises, as the company will celebrate its 40th anniversary! More information to follow.
Scenic Luxury Cruise & Tours
Ultra-Luxury Discovery Yacht, Scenic Eclipse, will star in two episodes of British television network, Channel 5’s ‘Cruising with Susan Calman’ as she discovers the most remote region on earth, Antarctica. The episodes will air at 8pm on Friday 9 and 16 February 2024.
Reaching a regular audience of 1 million, viewers will see the comedian, writer, and presenter, Susan Calman, sail the Antarctic peninsula on board Scenic Eclipse, The World’s First Discovery Yacht™. Images can be found here.
Atlas Ocean Voyages
The leader in yacht expedition cruising, Atlas Ocean Voyages, will launch its first Arctic Season in 2024 with two yachts. World Traveller and World Navigator will sail 11 expeditions ranging from 7 to 12 nights, exploring the captivating Arctic region with departures from Tromso, Oslo, Longyearbyen, Reykjavik, and Kangerlussuaq. Consumers will enjoy the convenience of inclusive charter jet air service from either New York John F. Kennedy International Airport or Oslo Gardermoen Airport on select expeditions.
New Ship for Quark Expeditions
Quark Expeditions has announced a new ship into its fleet – the Ocean Explorer which is now live and bookable for the Antarctic 2025/2026 season – and will start sailing from November 2024, replacing the Ocean Adventurer for the Antarctic 24/25 and Arctic 25 seasons. As a modern ship, with an x-bow and fantastic sustainability features, she is a perfect addition, joining the World Explorer and our polar game-changer, the Ultramarine.
Quark Expeditions has a Trade Toolkit for the Ocean Explorer which includes deck plans, ship specs & images and videos.
Quark Expeditions has also gone live with their Antarctic 2025/2026 season and both the new ship and the new season are live and bookable.
AE Expeditions certified with B Corp
AE Expeditions has become a B Corp Certified business, reaching the next milestone in its sustainability journey. B Corps are certified businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability, and who have made a legal commitment to balance purpose and profit.
AE Expeditions was assessed on its impact across five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. Part of this is its portfolio of sustainability programmes, working to protect ‘Planet’ and ‘People’ through initiatives such as its 100% Climate Neutral status, emissions reduction strategies, conservation and climate change education, support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and more.
B Corp Certification is part of AE Expedition’s portfolio of sustainability programmes, whose actions and measures have the overarching goal of reducing negative impacts on the environment and communities and contributing to building a more sustainable world for future generations.
This certification also follows the release of the company’s inaugural Impact Report.
News from PONANT
French expedition cruise brand PONANT has a number of new developments including:
- The introduction of excursions on all its voyages, starting with winter 2024-2025 departures, in order to offer a unique approach to each destination.
- In September 2024, guests aboard Le Commandant Charcot will be among the first people in the world to undertake a transarctic crossing and set off in search of the Geographic North Pole, following in the wake of the pioneers of polar exploration, like Umberto Nobile. They will also attempt to reach the Magnetic North Pole.
- The world’s first cruise line to resume voyages to Japan in 2023, PONANT has launched 10 new departures in Japan for summer 2024 including two brand new itineraries and 11 exclusive ports of call.
- Between Lapland, the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic Sea, PONANT has conceived seven new voyages to celebrate the end-of-year festivities aboard Le Commandant Charcot. Three brand new itineraries will explore the polar night and the Northern Lights. And four departures to experience the magic of Christmas in the very heart of Scandinavian traditions.
- For summer 2024, Le Champlain will be exploring the natural and cultural treasures of America’s chain of Great Lakes in the heart of flamboyant nature, departing from Milwaukee.
Aqua Expeditions
Aqua Expeditions has partnered with Peruvian chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino for new chef-hosted departures in Peru, exploring the Amazon in May and September 2024. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy a Ceviche Masterclass, cocktail demonstration, a kitchen tour and chef-hosted dinner while exploring the Amazon River. The partnership goes beyond the experiences, however, and also includes collaborations on conservation projects and work with local river communities to foster sustainably sourced produce.
See here for further detail.
