Atlas Ocean Voyages
By Anne Kalosh.
A new brand has burst onto the small-ship cruising scene. Atlas Ocean Voyages is set to field five 200-passenger expedition-style vessels. All are polar-class new builds, but Atlas eschews the expedition label in favor of “luxe adventure.”
What is Luxe Adventure?
Atlas Ocean Voyages will sail the world, offering adventurous cruises for active people at a premium price point.
Since the line will go beyond traditional expedition climes such as Antarctica and the Arctic, it’s emphasizing adventure over expeditions.
“We are an adventurous, small-ship cruise company with expedition-style vessels,” said Alberto Aliberti, president of Atlas Ocean Voyages, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “We want to seek adventure wherever we are. We’ll have expedition itineraries, our ship will be expedition capable and ice capable, and we’ll have a full fleet of Zodiacs … But, when we’re in Marseille, we won’t be on an expedition cruise.”
Atlas Ocean Voyages President Alberto Aliberti. * Photo: Atlas Ocean Voyages
Atlas Ocean Voyages logo
Aliberti went on to define luxe adventure as “all-inclusive, small-ship journeys with luxurious amenities, delivering limitless adventures.” He promised “unexpected discoveries, foodie immersion and unique adrenaline rushes.”
Cruises will average 10 to 11 nights, with some weeklong itineraries and some longer voyages. Fares bundle in gratuities, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages including bottled water, standard Wi-Fi and shore excursions in select ports.
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Eastern Med, Black Sea, Holy Land
The first ship, World Navigator, is to begin sailing in mid-2021. It will debut in the Mediterranean, spending summer there with a heavy eastern Med focus. Travelers can explore Greece and Italy or the Black Sea, with destinations in Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine.
The 200-passenger World Navigator. * Rendering: Atlas Ocean Voyages
For example, a seven-night cruise from Piraeus, the port for Athens, transits the narrow Corinth Canal and stops at a port a day in Greece and Italy before arriving at Civitavecchia, the port of Rome. Fares start at $4,999 per person.
One of the Black Sea sailings embarks in Odessa, Ukraine, and circles around to ports in Russia, Georgia and Turkey before ending with an overnight call at Istanbul. Fares start at $5,999 per person.
A 15-night adventure treks from Istanbul to the Holy Land, calling at numerous ports in Turkey and stopping in Greece and Cyprus before arriving in Israel, where overnight calls in Ashdod (gateway to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem) and Haifa cap the experience. The price for this voyage starts at $9,999 per person.
Two itineraries focus on Israel and Egypt.
Then, in early October, World Navigator will reposition across the Atlantic, from Lisbon, Portugal, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From there, the ship will sail to Montevideo, Uruguay, then continue further south to the tip of the continent and Ushuaia, Argentina, its base for a season in Antarctica.
Adventure Focus
Research helped the company hone in on people who enjoy an active lifestyle and typically are members of clubs focused on activities like horseback riding, golf, tennis or swimming. Indeed, www.atlasoceanvoyages.com depicts people in action.
Adventures could include camping out in the rain forest, snorkeling in an underground cenote (a limestone sinkhole), whitewater rafting, desert hiking, hot-air ballooning, spending a night in a kibbutz and taking advantage of the ship’s fleet of bicycles.
A robust pre- and post-cruise land program will give opportunities for “two adventures in one vacation,” Aliberti said, some of them providing contrasting experiences such as skiing in Switzerland before a Mediterranean cruise. An optional two-day overland tour visits the infamous and otherworldly Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
Atlas plans a health and wellness program on board that may include a culinary aspect. There’s no kids’ program, but multigenerational families are welcomed.
Upmarket Ships
“We’ll be upmarket. We don’t like the word ‘luxury.’ It’s overused. We’ll play off that juxtaposition of adventure and luxury,” said Brandon Townsley, vice president, sales and trade partnerships.
Yet the ambiance will be casual, along with the dress code. Public rooms will “foster a sense of community and ease of interaction,” according to Aliberti. “We want people to be comfortable,” whether they’re extremely active types or laid back.
Each 126-meter/413 foot-ship measures just under 10,000 gross tons and has 98 suites and staterooms, all with an ocean view and most with veranda.
Public rooms include an Observation Lounge with an unusual feature. It’s topped by a glass dome so travelers can look up to the stars or the northern lights. Beneath that there’s a lighted glass well affording views down into the sea.
The Observation Lounge is topped by a glass dome so travelers can see the night sky. .* Rendering: Atlas Ocean Voyages
SeaSpa by L’Occitane will be the Provence brand’s first spa on the water. A gym, pool, restaurant, bars, theater and library round out the amenities. Another unusual feature is heated outdoor seating for comfort when viewing wildlife in cold climes.
The seven accommodations categories range from the 183-square-foot Adventure Staterooms to the one-bedroom, 466-square-foot Navigator Suite. All have a stocked refrigerator, L’Occitane bath amenities, hair dryer, plush robes and slippers, digital safe and still or sparking water replenished twice daily.
The entry-level category is an Adventure Stateroom with windows, but no balcony. * Rendering: Atlas Ocean Voyages
Nearly 90% of the accommodations have verandas, including the 269-square-foot Horizon Stateroom, which features a floor-to-ceiling glass wall with an upper panel that slides open to the air. The Veranda Staterooms also measure 269 square feet.
World Navigator’s Horizon Staterooms with floor-to-ceiling glass windows that open. * Rendering: Atlas Ocean Voyages
The entry-level Adventure Staterooms come with a large picture-frame window.
All accommodations have a queen-size bed that converts into two twins facing an oversized, interactive flat-panel screen with live and on-demand television, movies, music and audio programming, as well as Bluetooth connectivity for smartphones and tablets. Each room includes a desk, while the Horizon and Veranda categories offer a sitting area with a loveseat and coffee table.
Five USB ports and five 110V and 220V outlets are placed strategically throughout.
World Navigator also has 10 one-bedroom suites. The Journey Suite measures 382 square feet; the Discovery Suite, 445 square feet; and the Navigator Suite, 466 square feet. All have a double-wide, 106-square-foot veranda with sun loungers, teak chairs and table. Each suite includes two closets and both the living room and bedroom have an oversized, interactive flat-panel television.
A 466-square-foot, one-bedroom Navigator Suite on World Explorer * Rendering: Atlas Ocean Voyages
Two Junior Suite configurations include one with exterior veranda and another with the floor-to-ceiling Horizon window that opens.
All bathrooms feature spa showers with adjustable body-jets. The Navigator Suite and Discovery Suite come with double sinks and a separate water closet, while the Navigator Suite has a bathtub.
Portuguese Parent
World Navigator is being built at WestSea Viana do Castelo in Portugal. It is the third in a series of what is planned to be 10 vessels for Mystic Cruises, a Portuguese company led by entrepreneur Mário Ferreira. He developed river cruising on the Douro before branching out into ocean cruising.
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The first of those ocean ships, World Explorer, was introduced in 2019. It is sailing for Germany’s Nicko Cruises (owned by Ferreira) and on charter to polar specialist Quark Expeditions for Antarctica seasons. World Voyager is to follow this year.
The Atlas Ocean Voyages ships are modeled on 2019’s World Explorer. * Photo: Atlas Ocean Voyages
But back to Atlas: Ferreira decided to devote some of his new ships to U.S. and Canadian travelers, so he created this new brand for them. After World Navigator in 2021, World Traveller and World Seeker are scheduled to arrive in 2022, followed by World Adventurer and World Discoverer in 2023.
“These are exciting times for us,” Ferreira said. “With the launch of the World Explorer in 2019 we took a firm step to establish ourselves as a key player in the expedition cruise market, bringing to it our 25-year expertise in small ship luxury and intimate on board services, complemented with authentic shore excursions.”
Reduced Environmental Footprint
Ferreira added: “A significant part of the investment we’re making goes to equip our ships with the latest eco-friendly technologies available in the market, including pioneering new solutions to reduce the environmental impacts.”
The vessels have Rolls-Royce engines, the ability to connect to shore power when in port and an electric jet propulsion system to avoid damage to polar ecosystems when stationary.
So although Atlas is a new brand with a penchant for adventure, it’s anchored — so to speak — in a well-established company.
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