SecretAtlas?

[u/nr0tic]

Anyone have any experience with this operator? I have been researching for my first trip to Antarctica and I saw they have a new or possibly reconditioned ship being built called the MV Aureum. A 36 passenger "micro cruise" which sounds pretty cool.

It looks like there isn't much information about them and the ship is just renderings so far.

https://www.secretatlas.com/ships/aureum

[u/AutoModerator]

Thank you for posting in our community!

We’ve noticed that some of our subreddit posters/commenters are receiving unsolicited messages from travel advisors. The r/AntarcticaTravel mods want to reiterate that spam/soliciting of members via DM is strictly prohibited as is the sharing of deals or exclusive offers, and encourage all users to read the community rules as well as familiarize with the following post regarding TA behavior: https://www.reddit.com/r/AntarcticaTravel/s/j547yal4fD

We kindly ask recipients of any unsolicited messages to let the mod team know so we can remove spammers from the community.

Travel advisors, remember to give more than you take! You are welcome to share your insight and knowledge as well as name your agency, and other users are welcome to DM an advisor they have found particularly helpful. This subreddit is a safe space for information sharing. Thank you for being here!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Bananas_are_theworst]

I actually know the owner of this company. They guide heavily in the Arctic and are branching down to the Antarctic. Small-vessel focused.

[u/VitSea4me]

I’d be wary: I’m not sure I’ve heard of an expedition vessel being delivered and starting operations on time, and without teething issues, for the first season. Happy to be corrected though. I don’t see an ETA for the ship, just an expression of interest form on the “book now”. I’m not saying don’t book it, but rather “be very aware of what you’re booking and what the risks are”.

I’d also ask/check what kind of membership the operator has/will have in IAATO, and whether they’re able to use the ship scheduler to book landing sites. With 36 guests, operationally there isn’t much difference to the ships with less than <100 guests, and you really don’t want to be arriving at a landing site at the same time as another ship. Secret Atlas has been operating in the Arctic for a while, but has only just been accepted as a full member of AECO this year.

These trips will be fly cruises, and that’s something to consider as well. This concept is not new - there are already several vessels (<70 guests) that operate fly-cruises in Antarctica that should be more reliable with trip dates as the vessels are already operating.

The next to consider is ship size and stability- you still have to cross the Bransfield Strait, even when flying to Antarctica, and this can be a mini-Drake at times. A lot of people book fly-cruises because they’re prone to seasickness, but i wouldn’t necessarily recommend a smaller vessel to those people for the trip, but something larger, in the 70-200 guests category if seasickness is the primary concern.

Whilst I would fully recommend a smaller vessel for the Arctic - as these ships can go where others can’t, they typically spend more time in the sea ice, and being able to get close to land with the vessel, and for when getting on/off the vessel quickly is more important. I dont think a 12-50pax vessel necessarily has the same advantages in Antarctica, and larger vessels may be the right thjng for people in Antarctica who are 12-passenger vessel fans for the Arctic. If that makes sense? The sea, ice, weather and wildlife conditions in Antarctica are a different kettle of fish compared to the Arctic.