AE Expeditions

Onboard Accommodation

Aurora ships offer a range of staterooms and suites for you to choose from. All staterooms onboard include:

• Private en-suite bathroom
• Porthole window
• Desk area
• Closet space
• Room-controlled thermostat
• Room safe
• Mug per person
• Drinks bottle per person
• 3-in-1 polar jacket per person (polar voyages only)
• Drybag backpack per person (Costa Rica voyages only)

Your accommodation options are as follows:

• Aurora Stateroom Triple Share – 230 sq ft to 245 sq ft
• Aurora Stateroom Twin Share – 170 sq ft to 245 sq ft
• Balcony Stateroom – 225 sq ft to 337 sq ft
  • Addition of a private Balcony and full-size window
• Balcony Stateroom Superior – 311 sq ft to 389 sq ft
  • Some of these are accessible for a wheelchair
• Junior Suite – 419 sq ft
  • Separate lounge area
  • Pair of binoculars per suite
  • Selected 1-hour spa treatment (per person)
  • Free stocked mini bar on arrival
  • Gratuities/tips for crew included (AUD$15 per person per day)
  • Bottle of Champagne per suite
• Captain’s Suite – 479 sq ft
  • Separate lounge area
  • Pair of binoculars per suite
  • Selected 1-hour spa treatment (per person)
  • Free stocked mini bar on arrival and replenished when required
  • Gratuities/tips for crew included (AUD$15 per person per day)
  • Bottle of Champagne per suite

Spa, Health and Wellness

In between landings you will be welcome to visit the wellness centre, where you can use the gym, visit the sauna (which comes highly recommended after taking the polar plunge!) or you can even treat yourself to a massage for an additional cost. There is an incredible view to enjoy from the two Jacuzzis on the top outside deck and you can take a dip in the heated saltwater open air swimming pool on board the Sylvia Earle.

Excursions, Entertainment and Activities

A range of activities are included within your cruise to ensure you experience the very best your destinations have to offer. They include:

• Zodiac cruises – explore shallow coastlines, discover secluded bays and search for wildlife in hard to reach places in the sturdy, inflatable rubber speed boats known as Zodiacs.
• Wildlife encounters – join the onboard naturalists and visit some of the most extraordinary biodiversity hotspots around the globe.
• Guided hikes – these are adventurous hikes for all abilities. You can admire the history of ruins, admire the natural beauty of the flora and enjoy the spectacular views from the vantage points up high.
• Ship cruising – watch the world sail by from the deck or the observation lounge whilst you sail through sea ice, or through the Lemaire Channel or Panama Canal.
• Historic sites – The historians onboard will help you discover whaling villages that have been abandoned, you’ll learn about archaeological sites and see artefacts from ages passed.
• Bird watching – watch for seabirds following the ship with onboard naturalists and fellow birdwatching enthusiasts as they voyage across the seas themselves.

Certain itineraries include other activities such as:

• Polar camping – spend the night under the Antartic sky, lulled by the sound of lapping water and glaciers rumbling.
• Polar plunge – take the chance to be inducted into this elusive club. The ocean won’t freeze until -1.8° C so you’ll be revitalised in this rite of passage!
• Enthralling, informative lectures – expedition specialists will teach you about the wonders of nature and wildlife you see before you. You’ll be enthralled by tales of triumph over tribulation and also stories of terror as the human endeavour in the area is described to you.
• Wildlife watching – marvel at the sight dolphins frolicking in front of you, or perhaps see a humpback whale breach. Or look skywards to see petrels and albatrosses soar. Your onboard guides will help you spot them and you can see them clearly with the binoculars provided.

You can also spend time in the library whilst onboard. With floor-to-ceiling windows, this sanctuary holds books to educate you about that day’s destinations. Alternatively, you can take time to organise photos or maybe even meet new friends to play some games.

Choose from the range of informative non-fiction titles, wildlife guidebooks, travel journals, novels and a selection of children’s books and board games.

Binoculars, wildlife guides and books can also be found in the observation lounge.

Enrichment Programmes

There are certain activities available at an additional charge whilst on your expedition. Group sizes are limited so it is best advised to get in touch before your cruise to guarantee your place.

The available activities will ensure you make the most of your days in some of the most dramatic and stunning places on earth whether it be on sea or land.

Activities include:

• Sea kayaking – silent and sleek, sea kayaks are perfect for exploring wild coastlines. Expert guides will lead you on a variety of sea kayak excursions whilst on your cruise.
• Scuba diving – delve into the world beneath the surface in this option for a scuba diving excursion. It’s important that you have prior experience in cold water diving in a drysuit.
• Snorkelling – get closer to the sea world without donning scuba gear and bob along the surface at your own leisure.
• Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) – put your balance to the test on the newest addition to the program. Paddle your way to creating some of the most amazing memories you’ll ever have.
• Snowshoeing – trek up to a viewpoint where you’ll have the perfect vista of the rugged wild landscapes beneath.
• Ski and snowboard tours – take to the slopes in a snowscape like nowhere else on earth.
• Climbing and trekking – reach peaks rarely visited in this exciting alpine adventure in the Antartic. You will ice climb and voyage over snowy passes in icy beauty.
• Shackleton’s Crossing, South Georgia – navigate across intricate glaciers and high alpine passes in this incredibly remote and almost uncharted place – it’s a seldom-repeated crossing so enjoy the feeling!

Rest-assured, all the guides are fully qualified from either national or internationally renowned organisations.

The mountain and ski guides all hold the relevant qualifications from countries which form part of the International Federation of Mountain Guides Association (IFMGA). Ssea kayak guides are all certified sea kayak instructors and guides too.

If you’d like to capture what you see a little more effectively, you can also make use of the photography guides onboard. Whether it be for a digital SLR or an iPhone, you’ll get handy hints to help you get the most out of your camera.

Finally, on all expeditions you will meet naturalists and local specialists, who offer presentations on their area of expertise to deepen your understanding of the region you’re visiting. The lecture theatre is your home for presentations on culture, history, climate change and the biology of the local environments you will visit. You’ll be enthralled, educated and entertained all at once.

Sustainability

Aurora Expeditions is committed to providing guests with the experience of a lifetime via respectful travel. They want to create ambassadors who will protect the planet and the remote and diverse places they visit.

The fleet boasts the lowest polluting marine engines in the world, and state of the art engines deliver an 80% reduction in emissions.

The revolutionary ULSTEIN X-BOW® reduces vibrations and cuts through the swell to enable faster sailing to reduce fuel consumption by up to 60%.

The onboard desalination plant converts seawater to freshwater that’s safe to drink. This means they can carry less freshwater on sea crossings, further reducing fuel consumption.

The fleet also uses virtual anchoring via steering technology, thrusters, propellers and GPS, to allow the ship to hold position with the damage created by traditional anchors.

Plastic: towards zero

On board many single-use plastic products have been replaced with sustainable alternatives and the aim is to eliminate them altogether.

Responsible dining

All of seafood onboard is sustainably sourced in accordance with the Marine Stewardship Council guidelines. They also cater for vegetarian and vegan diets.

Gentle cleaning products

For their onboard cleaning products, Aurora aim to use biodegradable, phosphate free and non-bioaccumulative products as much as possible.

They are also proud to provide Stream2Sea’s mineral-based sunscreen, which is tested and proven safe for fish and coral larvae onboard.

Recycling

Recycling bins are used onboard to separate waste and reduce landfill, waste is recycled at every port.

Aurora is a member of the SeaGreen recycling initiative in Ushuaia, and is proud to participate in clean-up initiatives of beaches such as Clean up Svalbard.