“New destinations generate enthusiasm as there are great opportunities for guests to visit a place that is only realistically accessible by ship,” said Isabelle Vereille, executive vice president of operations and the destination program at Exploris, which launched service late in 2023 with the former Silver Explorer.

As the company defines deployment regions, Vareille said her job is then to work on the detailed itineraries, finding unique places to go while balancing that with logistical needs and navigation criteria. For some areas, that also may include the legwork of getting various permissions and approvals to bring a ship there.

“Our deployment is not set in stone,” she said. “Expedition cruising means we may alter our original plan if it’s necessary.”

For the company’s debut 2023-24 season, it ran three different itineraries in Antarctica, while the ship’s repositioning time to the Arctic this spring will be highlighted by time in Cape Verde.

“It offers a great opportunity to share in local cultures and traditions,” Vereille said.

Heading north, some time in Western Europe will be highlighted by ports and landing sites that can only be accessed by zodiac, she said.

The ship arrives in the Arctic in June, with a focus on Svalbard, Greenland and even Newfoundland and Canada. With the summer ending, the ship heads south for Antarctica for the winter 2024-25 season, but not before an expedition program in French Guyana.

During a January interview, 2025 plans were still being worked on, with Vereille hinting at new products coming in the Chilean Fjords and Cape Horn.

“There are also additional airports coming online in Greenland, which will open new options.”