As a true expedition cruise line, Aurora Expeditions follows a strict ethos of flowing with the fish & seeing where the natural ripple of the ocean will take its tight-knit group of adventurers.
It’s for this reason that the cruise line waited nearly 40 years to confidently move forward with plans to build a new ship, Greg Mortimer, which is scheduled to debut in November this year.
But before the ship could come in contact with water, the seas strengthened in the form of strong sales, prompting Aurora Expeditions to announce plans for a second newbuild ship.
Plans of the new vessel were revealed by Managing Director, Robert Halfpenny, after a rush in sales saw 10 percent of 2020/21 capacity sold within a week of the program’s release.
Robert described the flurry of bookings as “phenomenal”, and explained that it was the “reassurance” owners needed to move forward with growth plans.
“We’ve had a really good start to the 2020/21 program launch, so-much-so that owners have got the reassurance they need to sign a second ship.”
Robert Halfpenny, Aurora Expeditions Managing Director
The yet-to-be-named vessel will be available for the 2021/22 itineraries.
In the meantime, travellers will need to be quick to secure a spot on the Greg Mortimer during the 2020/21 season, because the expedition line sold 60 percent of 2019/20 capacity within the first five months of launching the program last year and is now sitting at 95 percent sold.
Robert believes the only reason the 2019/20 program hasn’t completely sold out yet is due to concerns that the new vessel may not be delivered on time, which stems from delayed deliveries experienced by other cruise brands. However, Robert stressed that the ship’s construction is on schedule and should be delivered in 2019 as planned.
New for Aurora Expeditions in 2020/21 are itineraries in Costa Rica, Iceland and West Greeland.
Recently appointed Global Head of Marketing, Victoria Primrose, believes the Iceland Circumnavigation itinerary will be particularly popular as it was born out of customer demand, along with the West Greenland Explorer.
Other new itineraries in 2020/21 include the Solar Eclipse in Antarctica, a one-of-a-kind trip that’ll give guests a rare view of the Solar Eclipse, and the Franz Josef Land Explorer that’ll take expeditioners to the best places to spot polar beers and a visit to a Russian military zone.
Click here for more information on the program.
Travel Advisors who book a 2019, 2020, or 2021 departure between 16 January to 31 March 2019, will go into a draw to win an Aurora Expeditions’ voyage for two to the most remote continent on earth – Antarctica. Each booking is considered a separate entry, so consultants will have more than one shot at taking home the trip of a lifetime.
- READ: Victoria Primrose named Global Head of Marketing at Aurora
- READ: Expedition cruising shifts gear with new Aurora vessel