Is Aurora Expeditions a good company to book an expedition cruise with?
By Richard Jasinski·Updated 11 November 2026
No verdict of ours: the facts Aurora Expeditions publishes on its own website, read 9 November 2026, topic by topic, each with a link to the page it came from.
Is Aurora Expeditions a good company to book an expedition cruise with?
Aurora Expeditions suits solo travellers and anyone who wants deposits protected: it has dedicated solo cabins with no single supplement, places voyage deposits in the Aurora Passenger Trust and gives an Expedition Team ratio of 1:7. It is not the fit if you may cancel late: from 120 days before departure the fee is 100% of the ticket price.
What is Aurora Expeditions?
Aurora Expeditions runs small-ship expedition voyages under its own name and was founded in 1991 by Greg and Margaret Mortimer. Source
Where does Aurora Expeditions sail?
Aurora Expeditions sells named voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula, the Antarctic Circle and the Weddell Sea, the Ross Sea, South Georgia and the Falklands, Svalbard, Norway, the Scottish isles, the Northwest Passage and southern Patagonia. Source
Who leads the landings?
Aurora Expeditions gives an Expedition Team-to-Expeditioner ratio of 1:7 and a staff-to-expeditioner ratio of 1:1.5; its team includes naturalists, historians, marine biologists and geologists. Source
How much time ashore?
Aurora Expeditions says IAATO and AECO limit landings to 100 people ashore at a time; it aims for two to three landings a day in Antarctica and includes daily Zodiac cruises and guided walks, weather permitting. Source
What can you do off the ship?
Aurora Expeditions includes the polar plunge, Zodiac cruising and guided walks; kayaking, diving, snowshoeing and camping are optional extras, each needing a deposit of 25% of the activity cost. Source
What does a voyage cost?
Aurora Expeditions prices Spirit of Antarctica, 11 days, from USD $15,436 per person twin share (brochure price $19,295), with departures in December 2026 and February, November and December 2027. Source
What do solo travellers pay?
Aurora Expeditions offers dedicated solo cabins with no single supplement, 10 on the Greg Mortimer and the Sylvia Earle and 4 on the Douglas Mawson, plus a stateroom-sharing service; the usual solo supplement is 50%. Source
How much is the deposit?
Aurora Expeditions asks a deposit of 25% of each ticket within 7 working days of booking; final payment is due at least 120 days before departure. Source
What happens if you cancel?
Aurora Expeditions keeps the deposit if you cancel 121 days or more before departure and 100% of the ticket price from 120 days; its Voyage Assurance Program instead offers a credit equal to the deposit (121 days or more) or to 50% of the fare (90 to 120 days), valid for 24 months. Source
Is your money protected?
Aurora Expeditions places all voyage deposits in a separate trust account, the Aurora Passenger Trust, under its Deposit Protection Program; deposits are released from the trust 180 days before departure. Source
What insurance do you need?
Aurora Expeditions requires comprehensive travel insurance with medical and emergency evacuation cover of at least USD $250,000, with proof emailed no later than 60 days before departure. Source
Can children come?
Aurora Expeditions takes bookings from age 6; under-18s must be with an adult at all times and children aged 6 to 15 pay the adult price unless a promotion applies. Source
When is Aurora Expeditions not the fit?
The limit below is published by Aurora Expeditions on its own website.
- Aurora Expeditions: not the fit if you may cancel late: from 120 days before departure the cancellation fee is 100% of the full ticket price. Source
What do reviews say?
Its figures per platform, read 9 November 2026, each from a listing under the line's own name; a whole-company profile is marked. Figures are never added together.
- Aurora Expeditions: Google: 4.4 out of 5 from 107 reviews. Read 9 November 2026.
Aurora Expeditions at a glance
Its card, as on every Uncompromised Travel expedition page: what it sells, why to choose it, what to ask for and the limits it publishes.
Aurora Expeditions
- Best for
- Small-ship polar voyages with solo cabins
- What it sells
- Runs expedition voyages to Antarctica, the Arctic and beyond on three ships of its own name, the Greg Mortimer, Sylvia Earle and Douglas Mawson.
- Why choose them
- Publishes an Expedition Team-to-expeditioner ratio of 1:7. Google: 4.4 out of 5 from 107 reviews. Read 9 November 2026.
- Ask for
- Ask for one of the 10 dedicated solo cabins with no single supplement on the Greg Mortimer or Sylvia Earle.
- Not the fit if
- you may need to cancel late: from 120 days before departure the cancellation fee is 100% of the full ticket price.
- Published price
- Spirit of Antarctica, 11 days, from USD $15,436 per person twin share (was $19,295), December 2026 and 2027 seasons. Read 9 November 2026.
- Money protection
- Deposit Protection Program: all voyage deposits go into a separate trust account (Aurora Passenger Trust).
Aurora Expeditions review: the questions people ask
How much does a voyage cost with Aurora Expeditions?
Aurora Expeditions prices Spirit of Antarctica, 11 days, from USD $15,436 per person twin share (brochure price $19,295), with departures in December 2026 and February, November and December 2027.
What is the cancellation policy with Aurora Expeditions?
Aurora Expeditions keeps the deposit if you cancel 121 days or more before departure and 100% of the ticket price from 120 days; its Voyage Assurance Program instead offers a credit equal to the deposit (121 days or more) or to 50% of the fare (90 to 120 days), valid for 24 months.
How much is the deposit with Aurora Expeditions?
Aurora Expeditions asks a deposit of 25% of each ticket within 7 working days of booking; final payment is due at least 120 days before departure.
Is there a single supplement with Aurora Expeditions?
Aurora Expeditions offers dedicated solo cabins with no single supplement, 10 on the Greg Mortimer and the Sylvia Earle and 4 on the Douglas Mawson, plus a stateroom-sharing service; the usual solo supplement is 50%.
How do I compare prices like for like?
Ask for a written quote for the same dates and the same cabin type, with every inclusion listed: flights, hotel nights, drinks, gratuities, kayaking or camping and the parka. The price lines above give what each line publishes and on what basis.
Can I book directly?
Yes. Each card links the line's own website; ask for a written quote that lists what the fare includes.
Where can I check these facts myself?
Every line on this page links the page of the line's own website it was read from, read 9 November 2026.
Is any company on this page paying to be here?
No. No company on this page is a partner of Uncompromised Travel; none paid to be on it.
Read next
Built to answer the question in the main heading. What is shown: what the line published on its own website, read on 9 November 2026, with links to the pages read. Google and Trustpilot figures are shown where the listing carries the line's own name, from the Uncompromised Travel expedition cruise lines table. No score and no verdict. No company on this page is a partner of Uncompromised Travel. How this site earns · How we work.