AE Expeditions invited more than 80 travel trade professionals for a tour of Douglas Mawson in Portsmouth on Thursday 5 June. This third ship in the AE Expeditions fleet sailed its maiden voyage in December 2025, and like its sister ships, Greg Mortimer and Syliva Earle, it has been designed specifically for polar exploration.
Greeting the attendees at the start of the visit, AE Expeditions’ director of sales EMEA, Andrew Turner, said the Australian-owned line hosted about 3,600 UK customers during the 2025-2026 Antarctica season.
“The UK market makes up about 7% of all customers travelling to Antarctica,” he said. “That’s a very small amount at this point in time, which presents itself as an opportunity for you to push this amazing destination, one of the most pristine parts of the world, and the Arctic too of course.”
AE Expeditions takes 130 passengers on voyages to both polar regions. That capacity increases to 154 passengers for the line’s small ship cruising product elsewhere in the world.
A balcony stateroom: Douglas Mawson features 10 different types of suites and staterooms
“What this means,” explained Turner, “is that your customers are going to get more time off the ship exploring. In polar regions, we are going to be landing two, sometimes three times a day, maximising the opportunities to get off the ship.”
He added: “Go back about five years and you had 80,000 people travelling to Antarctica on larger ships. They’re not getting off, they’re not landing, they’re just waving at the ice as they go. Now there’s about 30,000 a year doing that, so it’s wearing out. Most expedition ships now are between 200 and 300 passengers, and you’ll probably land once or twice a day. You might get three hours off the ship to explore.”
“We’re not about lobsters and ice. We’re not about butlers. We’re not about spas and six-course meals. Yes, there’s amazing food onboard but we want to get you off the ship as much as we possibly can. And on average we were just shy of five hours a day off the ship for the Antarctica season that’s just passed, giving our guests more time to experience the fantastic wildlife.”
AE Expeditions’ three ships were premium rather than luxury, he explained. “We don’t focus on the ship but the experience. Ultimately that means we’re very flexible and nimble. If our expedition leader wakes up one day and the sunrise is beautiful and they decide they want to call you at 5am in the morning, they will. And you will be watching that sunrise on a Zodiac by six.”
AE Expeditions' Andrew Turner hosts agents including Gareth Harding for lunch onboard Douglas Mawson
As well as touching on the cruise line’s sustainability credentials and the ships’ cutting-edge design, Turner highlighted the activity programme featuring scuba diving, kayaking, snorkelling and more: “We have two voyages each Antarctic season at present that have all activities within the price.”
Douglas Mawson will be sailing in the Mediterranean and Adriatic this summer, and although Turner acknowledged these destinations didn’t have the lure of the polar regions, and sailings tended to attract more Americans than Brits, it was still a growth area for the business.
“Our small ship cruising collection goes into the smaller ports the large ships cannot access. It's about cultural exploration. We’re including all the excursions within the price, and there’ll be storytellers onboard. It’s a different twist from our core polar product.”
A five-night fam trip is planned for this August, giving agents the opportunity to experience this style of product during a Greek voyage.
Gareth Harding, Travelosophers attended the ship visit in Portsmouth, and told TTG he was impressed for a number of reasons: “The first was the fresh, modern décor and sense of light and space onboard. It never felt claustrophobic.”
He added: “The sustainability focus was of great interest to me, and the service and food in the restaurant was excellent. The mudroom and expedition facilities looked very well organised and the team were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic.”
TTG's Katherine enjoys one of the best views on the ship, from the Citizen Science Center and Lounge
The light and space also made an impact on Francesca Stevenson from Swords Travel, experiencing an expedition cruise ship for the first time: “Seeing the polar views and vistas from the beautiful lounge with that central staircase must be quite something!” she said.
“I was most intrigued by the mud room and the expedition coordinators,” she added. “Seeing the spacious area to get kitted out and where all the equipment is checked was interesting. It was like a room full of magic. It must be a real hub when it’s busy with excited passengers waiting to board their Zodiac and encounter something they’ve always dreamt of seeing.”
This was also a first expedition cruise ship visit for Designer Travel’s Ally Toner and she was equally impressed. “I was blown away by the ship,” she said. “The cabins are a good size along with the shower rooms, and the solo cabins were ideal. The lunch was delicious and the perfect portion size.”
Ready to discover more about selling expedition cruise? The TTG Expedition Cruise Selling Guide, created in partnership with the Expedition Cruise Network, is your one-stop-shop for all things expedition cruise.
A travel agent's guide to Douglas Mawson
