A New Zealand-based firm
claims it has the cheapest
luxury cruises in Antarctica.
WILD EARTH TRAVEL IS PROMOTING “THE
cheapest trips on the nicest ships” in
Antarctica with its upcoming voyages on
Compagnie du Ponant’s mega-yachts Le
Boreal and L’Austral.
The lowest fare for its Le Boreal cruise to
the Antarctic Peninsula is US$7,747 per
person and the “average price” is
US$10,756pp.
According to Wild Earth general manager
Aaron Russ, a comparable voyage on highend
competitor, Silversea’s Silver Explorer, is
priced from US$12,373 with an average fare
of US$15,478.
Russ also analysed the cost of One Ocean
Expeditions’ Akademik Ioffe, a research
vessel which has introduced “adventure
concierges”, and found its voyages are priced
from US$10,290 pp (triple cabin; shared
facilities) with an average price of
US$12,990 per person.
Russ’ analysis compared the three
companies’ Falklands, South Georgia and
Antarctica cruises in November 2011,
converting fares to US dollars based on
yesterday’s exchange rate.
“As you can see, the Le Boreal is the
cheapest of the options,” he told Cr Cruise uise
Weekl eekl eekly yesterday.
“[Le Boreal and L’Austral] are a good bit
larger and do carry more passengers [than
the 132-passenger Silver Explorer] but they
are limited to 199 guests in Antarctica which
means that they can still stop at any landing
sites, with the guests landing in two groups of
100 at a time – this is the same situation
aboard the Silver Explorer.”
The Akademik Ioffe carries only 98
passengers.
“Its main advantage is that everybody is
able to go ashore at once”, Russ said.
Andrew Prossin, CEO, One Ocean
Expeditions, told CW it was important to
consider the quality of the expedition
program and customer service.
“Our ship is very comfortable but it’s not
for someone who needs a fancy bathroom,”
Prossin said.
“We have transformed the way we deliver
our service onboard and we’re seeing a real
difference since we introduced the adventure
concierges for every guest.”
Steve Odell, Silversea’s senior vice
president of sales and marketing, said Silver
Explorer is the highest rated and most
inclusive expedition product operating in the
region, with butler service and 24-hour room
service.
“Silversea Expedition fares are all inclusive
of wines, champagnes and spirits, gratuities
and all shore experiences,” he pointed out.
