Is An Expedition Cruise Right For You? Here’s How To Know

Christian Miller’s recent Alaska cruise was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. There were dramatic seascapes with humpback whales and bald eagles, and it all ended with a tour of Glacier Bay. But Miller wasn’t one of several thousand passengers on a massive oceangoing vessel. He had the inside track on his Inside Passage adventure.

“What made this expedition really special was the level of knowledge that we received from our expedition team,” says Miller, a travel specialist based in Germany. “They had decades of experience in this part of the world and were able to provide us with unique perspectives on local cultures and customs. We also had a great time learning about the history and wildlife around us — something I never thought I’d be doing on a cruise.”

How did Miller experience Alaska that? He was on a Lindblad Expeditions cruise — a small ship where everything from meals to tours is highly personalized.

Expedition cruises are one of the fastest-growing segments of the cruise industry. A recent Allianz Partners survey found expedition cruising is becoming increasingly popular this year, especially among travelers making up for lost time. Allianz noted that among the 33% of its respondents who went on a cruise, 22% have been on an expedition cruise, and 74% who haven’t would consider booking one in the future.

But what sets an expedition cruise apart from other vacations at sea? Where should you go if you want to experience an expedition cruise? And, is expedition cruising right for you?

I’ve been on several recent expedition cruises, including coastal Norway and the Antarctic. I was consistently surprised by the people I met on the ships and by the overall experience, which is a world away from a traditional ocean cruise.

What is an expedition cruise?

It involves a remote destination. “An expedition cruise is one typically setting sail to a unique or exotic place, like Antarctica, that is not otherwise easily accessible,” says Nicole Cueto, a travel advisor with Fora Travel.

It’s more intimate. Expedition vessels tend to be smaller, allowing the vessel to cruise in more remote areas that larger cruise ships just can’t reach. “For example, many of the ships in the Galapagos are 16 to 20 passengers,” explains Peggy Cregor, founder of Cregor Adventures. “In Antarctica, it’s between 150 and 200 passengers. In the Amazon, it’s 18 to 24 passengers. In fact, many of these expedition vessels are built specifically for the region that they sail.”

It’s a wild time. Most expedition cruises are about nature. “While an expedition cruise may visit some towns and include cultural history, generally they are about exploring wildlife, landscapes, seascapes and natural history, as well as humans’ connections to the natural world of the region,” explains Maureen Gordon, co-owner of Maple Leaf Adventures.

It’s educational. “There are no glamorous theater shows, but you will have fabulous lectures from biologists, geologists and historians,” explains Mitch Krayton, a small ship cruising specialist based in Denver.

Oh, and there’s the cost. You will definitely pay more for an expedition cruise. You can get a berth on a big ship for a week for less than a thousand dollars. Expedition cruises sometimes cost tens of the thousands of dollars and, because of the distance and challenge in reaching and exotic destination, they can last longer.

What’s so special about an expedition cruise?

Here’s a secret about expedition cruising: It’s not a cruise, at least in the traditional sense.

Talk to passengers like Anna Berman Chugaev, a software designer from Milton, Ga., if you want to know why. I caught up with her while she was sailing aboard Hurtigruten’s MS Roald Amundsen in Alaska this week. She says she made the switch from large oceangoing vessels to smaller expedition ships in 2020.

“I grew tired of the repetitive activities found on every ship, regardless of the cruise line,” she says. “I yearned for something more captivating.”

Captivating is exactly what she got on the Roald Amundsen, from its technical sophistication to its refreshing approach to cruising.

“What I particularly appreciate about expedition cruising is that I can be myself,” she told me. “It allows me to develop a better and deeper understanding of the nature, people, traditions, history, and places I visit.”

What are the hot expedition cruises for late 2023 and 2024?

There are so many options for expedition cruises, it’s hard to know where to start.

Book one of these cruises if you like an extreme adventure

Laura Burdett-Munns, managing director of Journeysmiths, likes two expeditions for wildlife lovers. One is Quark Expeditions’ Snow Hill Island route in the Antarctic. But for pure adventure, Silversea’s epic 125-day Pole to Pole Expedition, which begins in Chile next February 2024 and ends in Svalbard in June, is the ultimate expedition. “Think helicopters, paddleboarding — and 8,000 emperor penguins,” she says.

Here’s an expedition for warmer weather

If you prefer to leave your parka at home, Andre Robles recommends a Costa Rica excursion through the Panama Canal next spring. “It is coming on the radar of many cruisers wishing to cross the canal as a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Robles, managing director at Voyagers Travel Company. He says Aurora makes this trip once a year (in April, after Antarctica season), and he recommends that sailing to his clients.

This is a family-friendly expedition

Dawn Oliver, a luxury travel advisor with Well Xplored, an affiliate of Embark Beyond, has been telling her clients about her Galapagos adventure on Silversea earlier this year. “I traveled with my husband and our eight-year-old son,” she says. “Silversea has an all-Ecuadorian crew, which made the sailing feel very authentic. The food was over the top incredible. We can’t say more amazing things about the chef. We loved every part of the experience.”

Should you book an expedition cruise?

Is an expedition cruise right for you? It depends on, well, you.

“Expedition cruises cater to a range of travelers,” explains Alex McNeil, senior vice president of expeditions at Hurtigruten Expeditions.

Interestingly, expedition cruises have a special niche, catering to people who would never ever consider a cruise because of — how can I say this nicely? — the cruise industry’s reputation. You know, the midnight buffet. The waterslides. The overfed, newlywed, nearly dead.

“It’s an immersive form of travel with a strong emphasis on the destination itself rather than just the vessel,” says McNeil. “We fuel engagement, connection, and feed curiosity in many during our trips including through our Citizen Science program. Guests can actively participate in third-party environmental research and studies which provides a unique opportunity to learn and connect with nature.”

Expedition cruises also specialize in the exotic, whether exploring the coast of Greenland or coastal Japan. In other words, if you want to come home and tell your friends, “You’ll never believe where I’ve been,” then you should consider an expedition cruise.

“It’s for explorers who seek the rare and the spectacular, and whose quest for learning and experience includes the most majestic natural settings imaginable,” says Shaun Little, a spokesman for Quark Expeditions.

One way or another, expedition cruising is an adventure

Since expedition cruises are not like regular oceangoing vessels, you may need to be in good physical shape, notes Lina Stock, a travel expert with DivergentTravelers.com. “These trips require good fitness and mobility, as the itineraries are active and often require dealing with rougher seas,” she warns.

That’s true. For example, don’t even think about an Antarctic cruise until you read up on the Drake Passage, with its massive waves and unpredictable weather. The reward is reaching the Antarctic. But getting there is an adventure.

And that pretty much describes the appeal of expedition cruising: It is an adventure.

It’s not always easy, and there isn’t enough room to fit a 5,000-passenger vessel in there — wherever there is. But for an increasing number of travelers, it is worth the trip.