If Intrepid’s recent partial acquisition of Chimu Adventures wasn’t enough of an indication of the group’s intentions to move into cruising, then how about plans to build a completely brand new cruise ship?
The global adventure company may have only just completed its first cruise season under the Peregrine Adventures brand, but the group’s bosses are ready to dive into the sector with their very own vessels.
Intrepid’s Chief Executive James Thornton told media in Sydney yesterday that after wrapping up a successful first season, the group sees a major opportunity to sell and re-shape cruising. So-much-so that they’re aiming to launch their own unique ships in the future.
In true Intrepid style, Thornton said the vessels would need to be environmentally friendly, featuring renewable energy and solar panels.
“In the long term, we’d love to be able to build a ship ourselves.”
James Thornton, Intrepid Chief Executive
In the meantime, the Group will continue chartering vessels for its Peregrine Adventures cruise itineraries and implement their own sustainable methods onboard such as removing all single-use plastic bottles and ensuring 90 percent of all food is locally sourced.
Additionally, during the second cruise season, Peregrine will triple the number of its small ship Adventure Cruising departures in Europe in 2018 in response to growing demand for more sustainable cruises.
Each trip will have strong and immersive land-based components, which Thornton says sets the brand apart (along with a strong lead-in price and an intimate size of 50 passengers per cruise) from its competitors.
“When we were talking about entering the cruise space, we saw an opportunity to potentially be a bit of a disruptor by changing the way people travel – make it less about the ship and more about the destination.”
James Thornton, Intrepid Chief Executive
“We offer all the benefits that cruising has, such as unpack once, travel to a number of destinations and see places, but in a sustainable and immersive fashion.”
Inside Peregrine Adventures’ new 2017/18 Adventure Cruising brochure, travellers will find the company has added several new itineraries and destinations including Croatia, Greece, Morocco, Iceland, Spain, Cuba, Costa Rica and Panama.
Each itinerary is packed with land-based options such as exploring ruins on a Greek island, visiting the birthplace of wine in Seville and climbing the highest peak in Spain.
Highlights from Peregrine’s 2018 Adventure Cruising Europe program include the Croatia Coastal Cruising trip sailing from Split to Dubrovnik including the small riverside town of Opuzen and a special detour to Mostar, in Boznia and Herzegovina, as well as the eight-day Hidden Gems of Greece combining traveller favourites such as Santorini and Mykonos with stops in lesser known islands such as Syros and Sifnos.
The new brochure also feature the Cruise Croatia’s Central Coast itinerary heading north from Split to Zadar, and includes an inland excursion to Plitvice Lakes National Park, plus the eight-day Iceland’s Wild West Coast trip on a small ship, travelling from Reykjavik to Akureyri through the far-flung Westfjords looking out for puffins, nesting birds and whales along the way.
Intrepid is also planning to take its Peregrine Adventures into Asia this November with a range of itineraries in Vietnam and Cambodia.
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