Aurora Expeditions has marked its 35th year in polar cruising with a campaign that gives our expedition specialists something they can act on straight away. It runs from 1 July to 30 September 2026, and it pairs a real price move with a UK trade incentive at the same time. That combination of a genuine discount and an agent incentive in the same window is not something you see often in polar expedition.
The timing is what makes this one worth acting on. Plenty of UK clients keep Antarctica on the list without ever putting a date to it. This is the campaign that gives them a reason to book now rather than “one day”.
Quick Agent Brief
- The campaign: “35 Years Chasing Wonder”, live 1 July to 30 September 2026. Save up to 30% plus up to £2,600 air credit (applied as an additional voyage discount) on the Antarctica 26/27 season and Arctic 27.
- Running alongside: “100 Reasons to Sell AE Expeditions”, a UK trade incentive for agents booking in the same window.
- The ships: Greg Mortimer and Sylvia Earle. Small purpose-built expedition vessels, X-Bow design for smoother Drake Passage crossings, roughly 130 to 160 guests.
- Perfect for: adventure-luxury clients aged 50 to 70, photographers, wildlife-first travellers, bucket-list retirees, and second-cruisers who did Alaska or Norway and want the next step.
- Janine’s take: a price move and an agent incentive arriving together is your closer for considering-it Antarctica clients.
- This week: pull your expedition enquiry list and match names to voyages before the September window closes.
Why the Greg Mortimer and Sylvia Earle Change the Antarctica Pitch
The two ships are the reason this line sits where it does. Both use the X-Bow hull, which cuts through the swell rather than riding over it, so the Drake Passage crossing is far kinder than clients fear. For anyone who has hesitated over the crossing, that is a genuine reassurance you can offer with confidence.
These are small ships by design. Around 130 to 160 guests means more Zodiac time, faster landings, and a character that big-ship cruisers do not get. The programme runs to Zodiac cruises, kayaking, snowshoeing, camping on the ice, the polar plunge, and citizen-science tie-ins for guests who want their voyage to count for something.
The pedigree matters too, especially for the luxury-adventure client who reads the detail. Aurora was founded in 1991 by mountaineers Greg and Margaret Mortimer. This is a line built by expedition people, not a mainstream brand adding a polar itinerary. That story sells itself to the right client.
The £2,600 Air Credit Is Your Practical Hook
Here is the part that matters most at the point of booking. The long flights to Ushuaia or Longyearbyen are the cost that gives UK clients pause. The up to £2,600 air credit, applied as an additional voyage discount, takes that long-haul cost and turns it into effective value.
Pair that with up to 30% off, which is a meaningful discount on a cruise of this kind, and the numbers on Antarctica 26/27 and Arctic 27 stack up well for the right client. The discount matters, but the real unlock is removing the practical objection that stops a considering-it client saying yes.
My advice for agents considering this: lead with the ship and the experience, then bring the air credit in as the thing that makes the numbers work. That way the voyage stays the headline and the air credit simply makes it affordable.
The Client This Suits, and the One It Does Not
Being honest about fit protects your booking and your client’s experience. This voyage suits adventure-luxury travellers who want wildlife, photography, and genuine expedition character. Think retirees ticking off a bucket-list trip, or second-cruisers who did the softer polar routes and are ready for the real thing.
It is less suited to first-time cruisers who want big-ship comforts, families with small children, or cruise-and-club travellers. Matching the right name to this voyage is what makes it an easy recommendation rather than a mismatch you have to manage later.
Within JLT, our expedition specialists have been building enquiry lists across the summer. This is the campaign to convert them. The AE UK trade team has been clear that they welcome agent enquiries and want to support bookings through the window, so the backing is there when you need it.
The Practical Next Step
The window is 1 July to 30 September 2026. That is your runway to work the enquiry list you already have.
Pull the names you have been holding on Antarctica and the Arctic, match each to a voyage, and open the conversation with the ship first and the air credit second. If you have clients who did Alaska or Norway and hinted at wanting more, this is the moment to reach back out.
Use this in a booking conversation this week.
Keep building.
