Orion Cruises

I worked with Orion Expeditions in 2005 as a guest lecturer, and have returned as an expedition member from 2010 to present (and ongoing). My contracts have incuded various exotic locales, including the subAntarctic, New Zealand, Tasmania, Great Barrier Reef, Melanesia, Papua New Guinea, Borneo, Over this time period they have changed from a small 'cruise' style ship, to more of an expedition vessel, thanks to the deliberate and ongoing efforts by expedition manager Justin Friend & expeition leaders such as Mick Fogg. I have particularly enjoyed their southern itineraries, including Tassie, and the wildlife of the subAntarctic, as well as Borneo with it's abudant tropical nature, and of course, you can't go wrong with Papua New Guinea on a small ship..

the destinations and itineraries...

Their most exciting aspect of Orion is the range of itineraries being constantly developed, especially with a second ship coming soon. They have also developed an ongoing range of charters and themes, from golf to opera.

They have a huge range of destinations, from Antarctica, through Tasmania, New Zealand, up through Asia. They spend almost half of the year on the Kimberley coast, a wonderful part of Australia. The southern Ocean itineraries are particularly wildlife and nature focused. The new Borneo itineraries are becoming more and more in tune with nature as the crew get to know the area better. The Orion 2 has been leased for 2 years and her run will finish up at the end of 2012. Hopefully, they still get to Asia and far flung Pacific locales on Orion 1 or another ship in the near future..

the operation

This is a small cruise ship with an expedition style. So, the focus is sometimes more on formal service and food than nature interpretation. Some of the passengers are keen to taste a variety of locales in some style and comfort. Other passengers are more focused on the nature or culture, but I think the former are more common. An increasing amount of passengers are returners, who get to the know the ship and crew pretty well. The crew is an international mixture, but most of the deck crew and service staff are Filipino guys, who are attentive and hard working, and generally nice guys. The system follows the traditional style of American expedition ships with zodiac landings which are usually handled efficiently from the side gate, or more commonly the stern 'marina deck', which usually works better if weather allows. Zodiacs have their advantages and disadvantages, but they always convey a feeling of 'expedition adventure'.

the Expedition crew and Guest Lecturers

One of the highlights for me is working with a highly qualified and flexible team of expedition leaders, members and lecturers. Most cruises include lectures from either well known guest lecturers or more 'hands on' expedition crew (I have filled both roles previously). Most trips have at least a few zodiac cruises where the crew point out landforms, nature and wildlife. In the tropics, wildlife can be difficult to see in the open zodiacs in the middle of the day, but in the southern Ocean wildlife abounds throughout the day and is easy to see. As well as lectures, most trips also involve recaps with photographs from the day by one of the expedition crew, and an extensive preview of the next day with the Expedition Leader, including detailed biological and historical information about where we are going.

The expedition crew are usually well qualified and always interesting people in their own right. Most are over qualified, but do it because they love being there. For example, the team that explored the subAntartic trip I was on consisted of a docu film-maker, a conservation biologist with a PhD, a marine biologist, and a couple of authors. All these folks also had various boat handling and/or outdoor experiences and qualifications.

the ship

The ship is a pretty comfortable ride, with stablizers, and even in the rough seas in the south she seems to handle it pretty well. The ship is just over 100 metres long, with great views from the top front decks for places such as NZ fiordland, and the back decks best for viewing seabirds. They do try to serve meals on the back deck if weather permits. There is a small library, and lectures are given in a lecture hall upstairs, or in the main bar/lounge, where the daily briefings are also given. There are is a small gym, and a gift shop.