– Avalon Myanmar – Myanmar River Cruise – April 2017
Avalon Waterways – Myanmar – Part VI (Kya Hnyat to Kyauk Myaung)
Avalon Waterways – Myanmar – Part IX (The Ship: Avalon Myanmar)
Avalon Waterways – Myanmar (Burma) – Reflections: “Isn’t This Amazing!?”
*Azamara Club Cruises – Azamara Journey – Singapore to Dubai (April 8, 2018)
* Azamara Quest – Southeast Asia and Japan (February 2015)
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? – Part I
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? Part II
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? Part III
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? Part IV
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? – Some Final Observations and Thoughts
– The Prologue to the Travelogue
– The Adventure Begins…With a Bump or Two
– Settling In Made Easy
– Luxury Touches Here, There and OK, Not, Everywhere…But There Are Lots of Them!
– Asian Flair Onboard and On Shore
– Private Tours, Israel and Conflicts in Perceptions and Perspective
Celebrity Equinox 2009 – Egypt…Impressive and Depressing
– Dining With the Captain and the Reidel Wine Seminar
– The Last Dinner (Tuscan Grille) and Disembarkation
– What Happens When A Class Act Meets Highly Discounted Cruise Fare
– Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part I
– Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part II
– Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part III
– Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part IV (Food & Wine!)
– Princess Cruises Doesn’t Treat You Like Royalty; Celebrity Cruises Does! Which is a Better Value for the Upscale Cruise Guest? Part I
– Celebrity Silhouette vs. -Royal Princess – Which Is A Better Value For The Upscale Cruise Guest? Part II: The Standard Veranda Staterooms
– Celebrity Silhouette vs. Royal Princess – Which Is A Better Value For The Upscale Cruise Guest? Part III: Treating You Right From The Start
– Celebrity Silhouette vs. Royal Princess – Which Is A Better Value For The Upscale Cruise Guest? Part IV: The Wine Lists Speak Volumes (As Do The Beverage Packages)
Regent Seven Seas Voyager – August 2017
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part I
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part II (Getting There, The Stateroom and First Impressions)
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part III (“You Can’t Teach Five Star Service” and Bonafacio, Corsica)
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part IV (Calvi, Monaco, Portofino, Porto Azzurro…and Stale Bread)
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part V (My Last Day…and How The Chef’s Team Makes It Happen)
You probably have not yet heard of Atlas Ocean Voyages; a new luxury expedition cruise line. But I believe you will be hearing quite a bit about it in the coming months. With there currently being 39 expedition vessels currently operating and another 67 on the way…that’s right 96 expedition ships to choose from!…I want to discuss why Atlas Ocean Voyages has caught my eye and my interest.
Atlas Ocean Voyages is focused on providing a true luxury experience on a true expedition ship (five in total with two presently under construction) with an appeal to both the upper-end adventure traveler who desires a combination of time on and off the ship with more classic travelers who prefer a more traditional approach, but with some added excitement.
Atlas Ocean Voyages defines itself as a “Luxe-Adventure”, offering an “All Inclusive All the Way” approach, and very green expedition, designed for the experienced traveler; not the novice. It is focused on those seeking adventure or even an “adrenalin rush”. And doing it with a dual focus on both “Luxury” and “Expedition”. How, exactly, is this new expedition line going to do this?
First, some background! Why? Because, these past couple of years and especially with the adverse financial effects of COVID-19, we all want to know if (a) the company is financially stable; (b) it actually has the background and talent to have the ship built…and in a timely manner; and (c) it actually knows what it is doing! So with that…
Atlas Ocean Voyages, with its home office being in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, is essentially owned by Mystic Invest, a Portugal-based privately owned company and Certares, a heavily cruise-related investment company. Mystic Invest is involved in the construction, chartering, and operating river and ocean cruise ships. Mystic Invest initially focused on cruises the Douro River in Portugal and then expanded from there; also operating two European cruise brands: Nicko and Mystic Cruises in addition to now, its U.S. brand, Atlas Ocean Voyages. Certares has investments in a number of prominent cruise and travel brands.
Mystic Invest has retained 100% ownership in its non-cruise businesses. As such, Mystic owns its own shipyard, located in Portugal, that has built ships now operated, for example, by AmaWaterways on the Douro River in Portugal and Quark Expeditions’ newest ship, the World Explorer. Speaking of Quark Expeditions, it had chartered the World Explorer (a huge upgrade to Quark’s fleet), which is to a degree the half-sister to Atlas Ocean Voyages’ World Navigator, for its 2019-2020 and now-canceled 2020-2021 Antarctic seasons.
Don’t be confused by the similar names! And don’t be confused by the World Explorer operating both by Mystic’s own cruise lines, Nicko a/k/a Mystic Cruises in the non-Antarctic seasons. I should also note that Atlas Ocean Voyages is planning a fleet of five (5) similar ships (which I am sure will evolve over the years): World Navigator (2021); World Traveller (2022); World Seeker (2022); World Adventurer (2023) and World Discoverer (2023).
Why are the existing World Explorer and Atlas Ocean Voyages World Navigator merely “half-sister”? Because the basic ship itself will essentially be the same, but the interiors on the World Navigator will be significantly different and more upscale (not that the World Explorer’s interiors are not nice!) Oh, and one more really cool thing…
World Navigator will have sophisticated jet drives (called “pump jets”) along with global dynamic positioning (which keeps the ship in place without the use of anchors), so it will be about has hi-tech and environmentally friendly as ship propulsion can get. I was heavily involved with the construction of a 192 foot superyacht which had jet drives with rudders (which have advanced significantly since then). The maneuverability is amazing on that ship, so I can only imagine how incredible it will be on the World Navigator! OK, enough of the nerdy stuff!
I mention these things right up front because unlike other luxury and/or expedition upstarts such as, say Ritz Carlton and Crystal Cruises, Atlas Ocean Voyages has a history of financial stability as well as building and operating ships and doing so on an upscale/luxury basis on the one hand and on an expedition basis on the other. This gives me great confidence for an essentially new expedition cruise line.
Now for the non-ship nerd stuff!
Atlas Ocean Voyages markets itself as “All Inclusive All The Way” which means the following:
The World Navigator itself features:
World Navigator will have 88 staterooms and 10 suites accommodating 196 guests (186 in polar regions) in a variety of categories from 183 square foot oceanview Adventure Stateroom to the 465 square foot (including balcony) Navigator Suite. There are two ADA compliant staterooms and a limited number of triples are available, with suites being able to accommodate four with a rollaway bed.
All accomodations include:
There is an interesting mix of veranda staterooms that either have full or Juliette balconies which either reduce or increase the interior space. So a Veranda Stateroom and Horizon Stateroom both are 270 square feet, but a Veranda has a 52 square foot exterior balcony (meaning 218 square feet of interior space), while a Horizon Stateroom has 270 square feet of interior space. Similarly, a Deluxe Veranda vs. Deluxe Horizon Veranda has a similar configuration, but with 248 vs. 300 square feet. There are a total of 48 Veranda, 24 Horizon and 12 Adventure Staterooms,
To better explain, the Horizon configurations will have glass walls with the upper half rising up giving the staterooms a true “bringing the outside inside” experience, while the more traditional balconies will keep the weather outside.
There are three suite categories: Four Journey (382 square feet), two Discovery (445 square feet), and four Navigator (465 square feet); all of which have a 106 square foot balcony included in those figures.
So where is Atlas Ocean Voyages’ World Navigator sailing during its Inaugural 2021/2022 Season? After its Inaugural Voyage on July 17, 2021, the ship will cruise the Black Sea, Holy Land, Aegean Sea, Western Mediterranean, one Transatlantic and one Caribbean sailing, and, of course, then to where it will really shine: Antarctica.
In Antarctica (my favorite destination!) there will be three different itineraries. There will be eleven 9 night sailings from Usuhia and two 12 night two special sailings; one in February 2022 Crossing the Antarctic Circle and one in November 2021 viewing the upcoming total Solar Eclipse near South Georgia Island (an absolutely amazing destination!).
Atlas Ocean Voyages has another exciting differentiator: It is offering some true “get out there” expedition land options, referred to as MAX Shore Tours which will provide you with 2-5 day off the ship true adventure options as well as one-day offerings which may include rock or mountain climbing, hiking, camping or, for example:
These will all be offered, generally at additional cost, for only a limited number of people per expedition. And, of course, while these more extreme MAX Tour are offered, at the same time two or three other levels of tours will also be offered. They would include more traditional city tours, something a bit more active, such as an e-bike tour as well as more active options such as hiking, kayaking or SUP (stand up paddleboarding)…and, for the experienced SUP folks: even in Antarctica!
Yes, other companies such as Quark Expeditions and Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic (NatGeo) currently offer some more active options but not on a luxury level. And the Seabourn Venture most assuredly will offer activities on a more upscale/luxury level, but it is unknown as of now if similar multi-day off-ship intensive luxury options will be…and, of course, she will not be sailing until December 2021 and will not be visiting Antarctica until the following 2022/2023 season. (The Seabourn Quest will be sailing the Antarctic 2021-2022 season in the Seabourn Venture’s place.)
So what is pricing for these sailing, especially when considering the luxury level of the World Navigator expedition “all-inclusive” experience including air? Because the sailing starting in July 2021 can be combined from 7 to up 24 nights until the World Navigator reaches Antarctica, it is best to contact Goldring Travel directly for pricing. A couple of examples (double occupancy), remembering that Goldring Travel will, of course, provide you with some very generous amenities!:
Interested in exploring Atlas Ocean Voyages further? Give me a call, drop me an email, or send me a Facebook message!
US: (877) 2GO-LUXURY (877-246-5898)
UK: 020 8133 3450
AUS: (07) 3102 4685
Everywhere Else: +1 530 562 9232
Goldring Travel LLC
12177 Business Park Drive, Suite 6
Truckee, California 96161
US: (877) 2GO-LUXURY (877-246-5898)
UK: 020 8133 3450
AUS: (07) 3102 4685
Everywhere Else: +1 530-562-9232
Email: info@goldringtravel.com
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