Expedition Cruising Tour Operators

American Safari Cruises (http://www.amsafari.com, Tel. 206 284 0300)
Offers in depth exploration of the Sea of Cortez and Hawaiian islands with experts in tow.
Eco Ventura (http://www.ecoventura.com, Tel. 593 4 220 7177)
Fabulous small group expeditions to the Galapagos Islands.
Lindblad Expeditions (http://www.expeditions.com, Tel. 1 800 397 3348)
One of the leading experts in adventure cruising vacations. National Geographic scientists, writers and photographers use these expeditions.
Star Clippers (http://www.starclippers.com, Tel. 377 9797 8400)
Destinations include the Caribbean, Mediterranean and the Far East.
Norwegian Coastal Voyage (http://www.hurtigruten.us, Tel. 1866 257 6071)
These luxury exploration ships operate in Antarctica, South America and the Arctic.
World Heritage Cruises (http://www.worldheritagecruises.com.au, Tel. 1800 777 455 or + 61 3 64 717 109)
Cruises on Tasmania’s Gordon River.
Adventure Associates (http://www.adventureassociates.com, Tel. + 61 2 9389 7466 or 1800 222 141)
Takes discriminating travelers to the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica and Patagonia’s ice fields.
Cruises for Nature (http://www.expeditioncruising.co.uk, Tel. +44 (0) 1794 523500).
Includes the ever-popular route to Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands, Spitsbergen, the west coast of South America, and a route from New Zealand to Japan.
Cruise West (http://www.cruisewest.com, Tel. 1 888 851 8133)
Specializes in small ship Alaska cruises, British Columbia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Asia and the South Pacific.
Coral Princess (http://www.coralprincess.com, Tel. 1800 079 545)
Operates expedition cruise ships in Australia and Oceania.
Orion Expedition Cruises
An Australian based luxury expedition cruise line operating to the Antarctic continent, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Polar Star Expeditions (http://www.polarstarexpeditions, Tel. 1 902 423 7389)
A specialty adventure cruise company out of Halifax conducting cruises in the northern and southern polar and sub-polar regions.
Quark Expeditions (http://www.quarkexpeditions.com, Tel. +1 (203) 656 0499)
Leading Artic and Antarctica expeditions for the past 17 years.

Do-It-Yourself Options

If you plan to be cruising your own boat you will need a lot of ocean voyaging skills before you set out. If you plan any offshore cruises on your own boat you should take some of the Offshore Cruising Seminars offered by some expeditions cruise lines as preparation.

These help you understand what is involved in shipboard life so you can run your boat safely and expeditiously while ocean voyaging. You will need a thorough understanding of how to navigate, check radar, log entries, stand watch, and check weather plus complete daily tasks like cooking and cleaning.

Mahina (http://www.mahina.com) has a 90 page Expedition Companion that includes checklists, forms, guidelines and procedures that can be applied specifically to your boat. These outline what to do in emergency situations such as abandon ship, man overboard or fire.