Atlas Ocean Voyages Unveils 2021/22 Antarctica Luxpedition℠ Itineraries

Gentoo Penguins, Photo Credit: Michel Verdure

Gentoo Penguins, Photo Credit: Michel Verdure

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA., May 4, 2020 – Atlas Ocean Voyages, the Luxe-AdventureSM cruise brand, today unveiled its inaugural-winter 2021/22, Antarctica-season itineraries. Starting November 19, 2021, World Navigator, Atlas Ocean Voyages’ newest, expedition ship, will embark on 15 LuxpeditionSM journeys and bring adventurers, modern explorers and like-spirited travelers to the Southernmost Continent, Patagonia and the South Georgia and Sandwich Islands. Guests will be awestruck by towering icebergs; marvel at breathtaking, serene vistas; and come closer than ever before to penguins, large seabirds, seals and sea lions, whales and more. World Navigator’s winter 2021/22 Antarctica season is open for booking, along with her inaugural summer 2021 Holy Land, Black Sea, Mediterranean and South America season.

“Travel is transformative, and there is no region in the world as awe-inspiring as Antarctica,” said Alberto Aliberti, President of Atlas Ocean Voyages. “Adventurers, explorers and like-spirited travelers can now plan their late-2021, all-inclusive voyage of a lifetime to the Southern Continent. And the best way to fully experience this unique region is aboard World Navigator, our safe, small, clean and green, expedition ships.”
Adventurers, modern explorers and like-spirited travelers can save up to $2,000 per suite and stateroom and receive free air travel and more for booking a Luxpedition by June 30, 2020:

  • $1,000 savings plus FREE business-class air travel per suite guest

  • $500 savings plus FREE economy-class air per Horizon- or Veranda-stateroom guest

  • FREE economy-class air per Adventure-stateroom guest

  • Reduced, 50-percent deposit

  • FREE changes to any itinerary, departing before March 31, 2022.

Adventurers and like-spirited travelers can choose from a dozen round-trip, winter 2021/22 departures on nine-night journeys from Ushuaia, Argentina, to the Antarctic Peninsula. Guests will sail through Neptune’s Bellows and land inside Deception Island’s caldera; visit the Argentine and Spanish research stations; and see Chinstrap Penguins. Guests also will step onto Antarctica proper at Brown Bluff (Paulet Island as an alternate) at the northern tip of the peninsula, and make landings in Neko Harbour or Paradise Bay, and Cuverville Island or Goudier Island, in the Gerlache Straight.

Two longer journeys, each a distinctive, 12-night, round-trip itinerary from Ushuaia, expand guests’ Antarctica adventure. The November 28, 2021, journey will bring guests within the umbra of the Moon on December 4, for a rare, Antarctic-solar eclipse of the sun. Guests also visit the South Shetland Islands, Paulet Island and Brown Bluff, as well as make three landings in the South Georgia and Sandwich Islands. On the February 2, 2022, departure, guests visit all the planned landings as the nine-night itinerary, plus navigate across the Antarctic Circle in pursuit of marine wildlife-spotting for two additional days. Guests will be able to see Antarctic wildlife closer from World Navigator’s Water’s Edge Lookout, the lowest expedition ship’s bow observation area in the industry and the only one with wrap-around, heated benches for extended time out on deck.

World Navigator also will embark on an eight-night Argentine Patagonia and Falkland Islands itinerary, departing November 11, 2021, from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Ushuaia. Guests call at Buenos Aires, Puerto Madryn and Port Stanley, U.K. and explore one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems to catch sightings of sea lions, seals, whales, dolphins, and up to five distinct penguin species – King, Magellanic, Gentoo, Rockhopper and Macaroni – along the way.

Atlas Ocean Voyages is an all-inclusive, luxury cruise brand that will be defined by simple elegance and delivering authentic, thrilling, and once-in-a-lifetime Luxe-AdventureSM experiences in the world’s most sought-after and remote destinations. Adventurers, explorers and like-spirited travelers will find community aboard Atlas Ocean Voyages’ safe, small, all-inclusive luxury ships and come together in welcoming and lively venues to share their day’s exploits. Guests indulge in one of 98 luxe suites and staterooms, all with an ocean view and most with a private balcony.

All Atlas Ocean Voyages journeys include complimentary gratuities; alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages; Wi-Fi; L’Occitane bath amenities; a free shore excursion in select ports on every itinerary; binoculars and coffee and tea service in every room; meals and snacks; and butler service in suites; as well as parkas for guests to take home and waterproof boots for use ashore.

World Navigator’s construction in Portugal is on schedule and the ship will launch in mid-2021. Safety is the basic building block for the Polar Category-C and Ice Class-1B, expedition ship, and all of the most-modern hygiene and cleanliness measures are incorporated into World Navigator’s design. The ship also utilizes underwater, forward-looking sonar to confidently navigate icy polar waters. In addition to propeller propulsion, World Navigator’salternate hydrojet propulsion system, helps guests quietly cruise into wildlife-rich Antarctic harbors and calderas without disturbing marine animals. Furthermore, Atlas Ocean Voyages’ ships are among the first to employ the latest conservation and sustainability technologies – leaving nothing behind but footprints in the snow – to help preserve the breathtaking locales and waters they ply for future generations to enjoy. The ship’s Rolls-Royce hybrid power management and propulsion system maximizes World Navigator’s fuel efficiency, consuming as low as one-fifth the fuel compared to cruise ships with conventional systems.

For more information, adventurers and like-spirited travelers can visit www.AtlasOceanVoyages.com; and follow @AtlasCruises on Facebook and Twitter, and @AtlasOceanVoyages on Instagram. Travel Advisors can call 1-844-44-ATLAS (1-844-442-8527) to book their clients on an unforgettable Luxe-Adventure journey, and visit www.atlasoceanvoyages.com/contact-travel-advisors/ to register as an Atlas Ocean Voyages Advisor.

Royal Caribbean Group Extends “cruise With Confidence” Policy Through September 1

MIAMI, March 30, 2020 – To address expanding global travel restrictions and provide peace of mind in guest travel planning, Royal Caribbean Group is extending its “Cruise with Confidence” cancellation policy through Sept. 1, 2020. The updated policy enhances planning flexibility by allowing cancellations up to 48 hours prior to sailing for any reason. Guests will receive a full credit for their fare, usable on any future sailing of choice in 2020 or 2021.

“Guests are reacting positively to our ‘Cruise with Confidence’ policy,” says company chairman and CEO Richard Fain, “because it enables them to make informed decisions and to better manage complicated travel plans during this unprecedented time of uncertainty.”

The extension applies to both new and existing cruise bookings. In addition to easing concerns of booked guests, Fain says the policy enhances consumer confidence to schedule new bookings, knowing last-minute travel adjustments will incur no penalty.

“We want our guests to feel they can safely keep their existing cruise bookings or schedule new sailings,” says Fain, “because this policy gives them more freedom and flexibility.”

The policy applies to all cruises with sailing dates on or before Sept. 1, 2020, and applies to the company’s global brands Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara. For individual brand policy details and for information on the Silversea policy, please visit the respective brand websites: Azamara: www.azamara.com/cruise-with-confidence, Celebrity: www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-with-confidence, Royal Caribbean: www.loyaltoyoualways.com/service/cruisewithconfidence1/ and Silversea: www.silversea.com/temporary-amendment-to-cancellation-policy.html.

MSC Cruises Extends Fleet-wide Halting of Operations Through to May 29

Geneva, Switzerland (March 30, 2020) - MSC Cruises has decided to further extend the halting of all its new cruise departures fleet-wide through to May 29, in light of the continued extraordinary circumstances the world is facing in connection with the Covid-19 virus global health emergency.

The Company previously announced the temporary halting of all its ships globally through to April 30. As governments across the globe have since further strengthened ashore public health and safety measures to protect local populations and contain the further spread of the virus, today’s decision by MSC Cruises to further extend this extraordinary measure aims to mirror and further support the effectiveness of such efforts.

MSC Cruises is working tirelessly with all guests and their travel advisors to address the impact of this necessary decision to their bookings on our ships up to May 29 and it is genuinely sorry for the inconvenience that this will cause them. By announcing this now, the Company intends to provide travel advisors and guests who are booked on affected sailings with as much time as possible to move their booking to a future cruise.

MSC Cruises is offering guests affected by this extraordinary measure the opportunity to transfer the full amount paid for their cancelled vacation plus an additional generous credit benefit to a future cruise of their choice at any point through the end of 2021.

For additional details and detailed updates, guests should contact their travel advisors or consult MSC Cruises’ local website at www.msccruises.com.