Ho, ho, ho, who wouldn’t go? An 18-night icebreaking voyage all the way to the North Pole in July is among Abercrombie & Kent’s innovative new small-ship expeditions for 2024. There will be a cocktail party at 90 degrees north and a toast to Santa Claus. (Of course, it’s a myth he and his elves actually live at the Pole, but bears and Arctic birds could very well be surprise guests).
It’s only one of a roster of new worldwide expeditions A&K has announced to places and experiences you can’t have any other way. And it’s time to dispel other myths about expedition voyages, said Oscar Dunn, vice-president, cruise sales, Americas of A&K Travel Group, Ltd., in an interview with The Cruisington Times.
“The expedition industry has been growing remarkably fast, with over 300 per cent more ships offering “expedition voyages” in the past five years. The disruption of COVID was ironically a major driver of growth, as guests prefer to travel in small groups. Therefore, we have seen an increase in demand, but also there is a very significant increase in what we offer.”
A&K has been ahead of this trend, offering expeditions for 33 years, he notes. “What makes a successful expedition is not the ship, but the expedition team, and we at A&K can brag about having one of the most robust and professional teams in the industry. Most of them have been working together for A&K for almost 15 years, therefore they feel like a family and most of them only work with A&K all year long,” Dunn said. A&K Travel Group, Ltd also owns Crystal Cruises.
Among the myths Dunn wants to dispel are:
We are not a cruise company. “We are an expedition tour operator, using chartered ships as floating hotels; therefore our unique experiences are our excursions ashore. That sets us apart from cruise companies.”
Expedition is not only to polar regions. “Almost 10 years ago, we added Cultural Expeditions to our collection, that means some European, Asian and African departures (Tanzania/Seychelles), Japan and now Middle East. We were the pioneers offering this type of Cultural Expeditions and now we have seen other companies offering similar experiences.”
We are not just visitors. “A&K is the only travel company with over 60 offices around the world. No other company has such a big network as we have, and that is due to our over 60 years of experience in the industry.
“We use our own destination management companies in charge of curating different excursions around the world, therefore even in cities that are also visited by big ships, we can offer different and unique experiences. For example, experiencing Italy as a local, going to a family private house and cooking with the Nonna after going to a local non-tourist market to shop for groceries. A&K are the only company that can offer that.”
The limited capacity on departures also allows A&K to offer very small groups on overland excursions (no more than 12 guests per tour), which gives you a sensation of traveling on a private yacht on our destinations, he adds.
And experiences do not repeat from year to year. “Over 60 per cent of A&K’s guests are repeating guests from previous departures so we try every year to offer new itineraries and new experiences, Dunn says.
“In 2024, A&K has added three amazing new departures, like the 18-day North Pole ultimate frontier expedition beginning July 10, for those adventure seekers that want to have an out of the beaten path experience, chartering the luxury ice breaker Le Commandant Charcot and going to the top of the world.
“Our South Pacific departure in October explores Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, to places with no hotels but rich histories and cultures. And there is also an acclaimed new departure from Greece to Saudi Arabia, where we also be visiting Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, and will visit the wonders of the world, like the pyramids in Egypt or Petra in Jordan. It finishes two days later in Al Ula in Saudi Arabia, a unique experience that only A&K can offer,” (which is also offered in 2025).
For 2025, A&K will have a new departure from Iceland to Ireland stopping in the remote and pristine Faroe Islands from Denmark and Scotland with the Shetland islands and finishing tasting some of the best whiskeys of the world in Isle of Skye and finally Dublin.
And in October 2025, there is an Indonesia expedition starting in Bali that goes to Komodo island, then West Papua and finally crosses to Australia with a taste of great barrier reef (Lizard Island).
So as the musical question goes: Who wouldn’t go?
Story by Wallace Immen, The Cruisington Times
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