Expedition Cruises

There are expedition companies that offer ship based tours all over the world. They tend to be expensive, but offer great value experiences. They are normally staffed by 6 - 15 variously experienced and interesting expedition staff. If you are of reasonable fitness, it is best to focus on those areas that are otherwise hard to access by land, and these offer the best value for money; e.g.: remote coasts such as the Kimberley, remote islands such as Polynesia and the subantarctic, and 'difficult' places such as Papua New Guinea...

As an expedition leader, biologist, lecturer and boat driver I am fortunate enough to be able to go out with some of the best companies in the world to some of the best spots in the world. Unfortunately, the companies come and go a fair bit, and most of the ships I have worked on have been renamed or taken over, as it hard to make money in this industry. For the last twenty years and for the next few seasons, these are some of the companies I have/am working for...

Silversea

Coral (Princess Cruises) Expeditions

Noble Caledonia

APT (Australia Pacific Touring)

Lindblad/National Geographic

Scenic

expedition ship and zodiac in the ice, image by Damon Ramsey.expedition-ing down around the ice (image by Damon Ramsey)

I have worked with/on:

Ponant

L'Austral

Silversea

Silver Discoverer

Silver Explorer (was World Discoverer 2)

Silver Cloud

Silver Wind

Noble Caledonia & APT

Hebridean Sky

Caledonia Sky

Island Sky

Serenissima

Celebrity X Cruises (cruise ship)

Mercury

Millenium

Lindblad

National Geographic Orion (formerly Orion)

Orion expeditions

Orion 1 (now National Geographic Orion)

Orion 2

Cruise West

Spirit of Oceania

Society Expeditions

World Discoverer 2 (now Silver Explorer)

Coral Princess/Expeditions

Coral Princess 1

Coral Princess 2

Coral/Oceanic Princess/Discoverer

Coral Adventurer

Coral Geographer

Captain Cook cruises

Reef Endeavour

Frankland Islands cruise

Frankland Islander 2

(escorting tour guide on Quicksilver & Michaelmas Cay)

About the author

me-lake-king

Written by Damon Ramsey. All photographs by author (unless credited otherwise). This is not AI written. Images and information are added to this website continuously as of 2026. Feel free to copy photographs for educational purposes, but please acknowledge with: www.ecosystem-guides.com.  Ecosystem Guides posts pretty shots on Instagram and some sillier photos on Facebook.  Contact Email: damon@ecosystem-guides.com

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