Nearly 100 percent occupancy over the last three Antarctica seasons is good news for Antarpply Expeditions, which operates the 90-passenger ship, The Ushuaia, seasonally in the market.

The core itinerary is an 11-day/10-night classic Antarctica program, with a focus on the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands.

“Next season is pretty much the same, occupancy is already very high,” said Ute Hohn-Bowen, director, in an interview in the 2018 Expedition Market Report by Cruise Industry News.

Repeat Pax

To appeal to a growing number of repeaters, the company offers a 20-day Classic South Georgia trip, an 11-day Weddell Sea Quest sailing, as well as a 12-day Polar Circle cruise. Those expeditions generally happen once each season.

There are also deployment opportunities elsewhere in the calendar, with early season cruises in the Falklands and South Georgia.

Hohn-Bowen said that with strong occupancy, price increases were moderate, and bookings were coming in earlier.

“People have learned over the last few seasons that not only us, but our competitors are often sold out,” she told Cruise Industry News.

The Ushuaia

The Ushuaia is a special ship. At only 90 guests, the company can land all passengers at once via zodiacs.

“That means more landings, longer landings and more quality time ashore,” Hohn-Bowen said. “Our landings are on average two-and-a-half to three hours.”

The ship was originally built in 1970 for NOAA (the United States National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration), and converted for expedition service more than a decade ago.

It carries 1C ice class with an ice-strengthened hull, and has a cruising speed of 14 knots. An open bridge policy is popular with guests on the 2,923-ton vessel, which was built at American Shipbuilding in Toledo, Ohio.

“Over the years we have gradually upgraded her. It’s not a luxury ship, but a very comfortable ship,” added Hohn-Bowen.

The expedition and cruise program is conducted in both Spanish and English, reflecting the company’s source markets.

The ship offers an expedition product, with no two cruises ever alike, Hohn-Bowen noted.

“We take into consideration weather and wildlife, and try to give passengers the best possible experience ashore,” she said.

The Argentinean company has no concrete expansion plans, she continued, but is on the lookout for a similar ship.

“The market is very limited; there is not much available.”

She has no interest in building new, explaining the return on investment on a new nine-figure ship was not appealing.

Working in the market since 1992, Hohn-Bowen said she was the first to take a Russian research vessel to Antarctica.

“The boom really started with the availability of the Russian research ships,” she recalled. “And over the years the industry has moved to a more (comfortable) product.”