Voyages · ocean, river and expedition
Some places are only reached by water, and the ship decides what you see when you get there. Browse ocean and river sailings yourself, or ask us about a small expedition ship to the ice, the reefs or the far coasts.
Phinisi at anchor, Raja Ampat
Two ways in
Either way the fare is the cruise line's own, you pay the line directly, and there is no fee from us.
Mediterranean, Alaska, the Rhine and the Danube, the Norwegian coast. Tell us the region, the month and the line, and we find the sailings, compare the cabins and check the benefits for you.
Antarctica, the Arctic and Svalbard, the Galapagos, the Kimberley, Raja Ampat. Small ships, landings by Zodiac, and cabins that sell out a year or more ahead. These we arrange by hand.
A · Ocean and river cruises
Fares are confirmed live with the line when you choose a cabin. The booking is made directly with the cruise line and stays with us as your advisor.
Expedition lines are mostly not in this search. Use door B for those.
Have a sailing in mind?
Send it to us before you book. We will check the cabin location, the Virtuoso benefits on that departure, and whether a better-placed cabin is open at the same fare.
B · Expedition voyages, on enquiry
Operators are named as examples of who sails each region. We are not tied to any line and recommend on fit: the ship, the season, the team and the cabin.
November to March · 10 to 23 nights · from Ushuaia, or fly the Drake
The Peninsula, the South Shetlands, and on longer voyages South Georgia and the Falklands. Ship size decides how often you land, so this is where the choice matters most.
Sailed by, for example: Lindblad, Ponant, HX, Silversea, Aurora and Quark
June to September · 8 to 16 nights · Svalbard, Greenland, the Canadian Arctic
Pack ice, walrus haul-outs and polar bears around Svalbard; fjords and Inuit communities in Greenland and Nunavut. Ice conditions set the route day by day.
Sailed by, for example: Lindblad, Ponant, HX, Silversea, Quark, Aurora and Adventure Canada
All year · 7 to 10 nights · Baltra or San Cristóbal
Park rules fix each ship's route and limit group sizes ashore, so the itinerary, east or west, matters more than the ship's polish.
Sailed by, for example: Lindblad, Silversea, Quasar, and small licensed yachts
April to September · 10 to 13 nights · Broome to Darwin
Ancient rock art, the Horizontal Falls and the tidal rivers of a coast with almost no roads. The dry season is short and the ships are few.
Sailed by, for example: Ponant, and Australian small-ship operators
October to April · 7 to 12 nights · from Sorong
The richest reefs we know, best seen from a phinisi or a small ship. We spent ten days aboard the Emperor Harmoni watching the islands from the top deck.
Sailed by, for example: Ponant, and traditional phinisi such as the Emperor Harmoni
Seasons and voyage lengths are typical ranges, not schedules. Departures confirmed per sailing.
Under two hundred guests, and everyone can be ashore.
How we choose a ship
Two ships on the same route can give you a very different week. In Antarctica, for example, ships carrying more than 500 passengers cannot land at all under the operators' own rules, and only 100 people may be ashore at one site at a time. Fewer guests means more time on the ice, not less.
Swipe the table sideways to compare.
| What we look at | Small expedition ship · under 200 guests | Mid-size · 200 to 500 guests | Large ship · over 500 guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ship sizeGuests on board | Everyone can be ashore or in the Zodiacs in one or two groups. | Landings run in rotations; you wait your turn on board. | Scenic cruising only in Antarctica. No landings. |
| Landings per dayTime off the ship | Usually two outings a day, weather allowing, with longer time ashore. | One or two, shorter, shared across groups. | None in Antarctica; port calls elsewhere. |
| Expedition teamGuides and specialists | A high ratio of naturalists, glaciologists and Zodiac drivers to guests; lectures you will actually attend. | A good team, stretched across more people. | Onboard lecturers rather than field guides. |
| Ice classHull rating | Polar Class 5 or 6, or an equivalent ice rating, so the route can push further into the ice. | Often ice-strengthened; varies by ship. | Usually not built for ice; stays in open water. |
| ExtrasWhat comes with the fare | Kayaking, snowshoeing or a camping night on some ships; parkas and boots often included. | Some activities, often at extra cost. | Shipboard entertainment over activity. |
Typical patterns, not rules. Each ship is checked individually against these points before we recommend it.
How we choose a cabin
The Drake Passage moves less in the middle of the ship and near the waterline. We place sensitive sleepers there, whatever the cabin category.
On polar voyages you are out on deck or in the Zodiacs most of the day. A balcony is a nice extra, not the point, and the fare difference often pays for a pre-voyage night.
Anchor chains, Zodiac platforms and the galley all make sound at odd hours. We check deck plans against them before we hold anything.
Some ships keep a few solo cabins or waive the single supplement on certain departures. They go first, so we ask early.
The best-placed cabins on small ships go twelve to eighteen months out. We can often hold one while you decide, on the line's own deposit terms.
A night in Ushuaia, Longyearbyen or Broome before you sail, so a late flight does not cost you the ship. We book it around the voyage.
Life on a small ship · Raja Ampat
Our own photographs from a voyage through Raja Ampat and the seas around it. On a ship this size the tender goes where the reef is, and the island you saw from the top deck is the one you land on.
Virtuoso voyages
Virtuoso voyage benefits vary by line and departure, and are confirmed per sailing when we quote.
Other ways to travel slowly
A few nights on the Los Cabos corridor, then private boats on the lagoon at Magdalena Bay, where grey whales calve every winter.
The Canadian Rockies, VIA Rail's The Canadian across the country, and Europe by train, with the right seats, the right hotels and a driver at every station.
No. Cruise lines set the fare and do not allow advisors to undercut it, so the price is the same as booking direct. The line pays us, there is no fee from us, and Virtuoso benefits are added where the sailing has them.
The cruise line, on its own deposit and final payment schedule. If you book through the cruise search, you enter your card on the line's booking page. For expedition voyages we send you the line's secure payment route. Nothing is charged on this site.
Most expedition lines are not in the public cruise search, and the choice that matters, which ship and which cabin on which departure, is better made with a person. We compare the ships for your dates and tell you plainly which we would pick.
The line's cancellation terms apply and we explain them before you commit. Expedition routes always change with weather and ice; that is part of the trip. We strongly suggest travel insurance with trip cancellation and medical evacuation cover, arranged through Trevello's licensed insurance desk.
For Antarctica and Svalbard, twelve to eighteen months gives you the choice of ship and cabin. Shorter notice can work, especially for solo travellers, but the well-placed cabins go first.
Ice, reef or river
We reply within one business day. No fee on cruises.