Aurora Expeditions today formally announced its 2026 Arctic and Beyond season, offering first-time voyages to Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Coast.
In a press release, Aurora Expeditions revealed the Australian expedition line would offer 42 departures, including new voyages to Indonesia and Borneo, a ‘Jewels of the Arctic’ itinerary encompassing the 2026 solar eclipse, alongside ‘best-selling’ voyages to Costa Rica and Scotland.
Speaking exclusively with LATTElast month at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, well ahead of the program’s public release today, Michael Heath, CEO of Aurora Expeditions said Douglas Mawson‘s debut in December will enable new scope for the adventure specialist.Subscribe to LATTE Cruise’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.David Tanguay, Global Head of Sales said Aurora Expeditions’ traditional core product is Antarctica, Arctic and polar regions, but with the addition of Douglas Mawson new itineraries had been developed for what he referred to as ‘small ship cruises’ versus the brand’s historical ‘expedition voyages’.
The small ship cruise options will explore the Mediterranean, Atlantic Coast, British Isles and Ireland, which the company said in a media statement “will be a distinct program alongside the company’s popular core offering of polar and remote area expeditions.”
“More than ordinary sightseeing voyages, this new style of immersive exploration will offer curated experiences guided by storytellers and framed by included pre and post land programs, as well as a choice of all-inclusive shore excursions at every port,” Aurora Expeditions said in the press release.
Tanguay told LATTE that Douglas Mawson will open up a new gateway to Antarctica for the cruise line, with sailings from Hobart (Australia) and Dunedin (New Zealand) that will explore the Ross Sea and the Subantarctic Islands. Included in the mix is a 30-day Dunedin to Ushuaia departure, via the Ross Sea.
The US based cruise executive also revealed to LATTE two departures to Antarctica in 2025 aboard Greg Mortimer will have more added inclusions than normal.
“In addition to the traditional Zodiac cruise, the hikes, the photographic group, we’re adding paddling, camping, snowshoeing and snorkelling as part of the experience,” he explained.
Those elements are normally an opt-in extra with Aurora Expeditions, “but now we will include those as part of the experience, which will give the opportunity for passengers to explore Antarctica with different inclusions, which is really exciting,” Tanguay added.
To view the full new season of voyages, go to auroraexpeditions.com.au.
