On the inaugural departure of North Pole Expedition Cruise: The Ultimate Frontier (Jul 10-27, 2024), Abercrombie & Kent(A&K) will exclusively charter the innovative luxury icebreaker ‘Le Commandant Charcot’ with A&K’s award-winning Expedition Team leading the way to the northernmost point on the planet.
Managing Director, A&K TOC Australia, Deb Fox said: At A&K, we are continually looking for new horizons to cross, for that next level of excitement and discovery. One hundred years ago, this expedition was thought impossible. Today, it has transformed into an exhilarating luxury adventure. Our guests journey with some of the foremost Polar experts in the world, aboard ‘Le Commandant Charcot’ — one of the most advanced, luxurious, and eco-friendly icebreakers ever to sail.
Following in the wake of Matthew Henson, Robert Peary, Frederick Cook, Roald Amundsen and other Arctic explorers, Abercrombie & Kent will take guests to seek out the geographic North Pole. Charting a course through the marginal ice zone a far-flung Arctic realm of elusive blue rorqual and beluga whale, en route to 90° North latitude, marking the geographic North Pole. After overnighting at the top of the world, the Captain will seek out a nearby floe suitable for a gangway landing onto the ice’s surface, allowing guests a once-in-a-lifetime photo op and perhaps, if willing, a polar plunge.
Days at sea are filled with enrichment programs, akin to a grown-up semester-at-sea. With informative lectures by experts in their fields, as well as hands-on scientific research projects, visits to the ship’s lab and bridge, stargazing sessions, seamanship and polar survival workshops, cooking demonstrations, photo contests and more. Active guests may take advantage of opportunities (weather permitting) to walk on the ice or kayak through open Arctic channels, while others may choose to unwind with daily wellness classes, dips in the indoor and outdoor pools, relaxing sauna sessions or visits to the full-service salon and spa.
Unmatched Expertise at Sea
After more than 30 years of setting the standard for luxury expedition cruising, A&K knows exactly what it takes to make each voyage the adventure of a lifetime. From experts who design every voyage to A&K’s acclaimed Expedition Team featuring the best guides in each field — including the most accomplished scientists, historians and local cultural experts.
Every Luxury Expedition Cruise features exclusively chartered small ships to bring guests the best of everything, while carrying them safely and conscientiously to every destination A&K explores, including the North Pole, where A&K is chartering ‘Le Commandant Charcot,’ the first luxury hybrid electric polar exploration ship powered by liquified natural gas. The latest innovations and new, market-leading technologies enable safe and low impact polar navigation, making it one of the most advanced polar vessels at sea today.
By selecting the ideal luxury expedition small ship, A&K limits the number of guests to 80 percent of capacity — in Polar regions, that’s no more than 199 guests. This ensures a private balcony in every stateroom and suite, one of the best personnel-to-guest ratios at 1 to 1.3, and an optimised experience orchestrated entirely by A&K.
A&K’s Luxury Expedition Cruises are always all-inclusive, from an engaging program of expert lectures, special events and curated shore excursions to an elegant culinary program aboard ‘Le Commandant Charcot,’ featuring the first Alain Ducasse restaurant at sea. Guests also appreciate included gratuities, complimentary wi-fi and laundry.
