Frequently Asked Questions

Our ships carry an average of 132 passengers. 

The majority of our clients come from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Europe. However, we do often have a mix of other nationalities on board, including our Expedition Team. 

There is ample storage space in all cabins on our ships. Your empty baggage can be stored safely elsewhere on the ship if need be. 

There will be computers in the library and media room for your use. 

All our ships are air-conditioned, with the onboard temperature ranging from 15°C to 25°C. You can control the temperature of your cabin by adjusting the airflow through the roof vent and turning your heater on or off. 

While the crew onboard is international, everyone speaks English. 

The electrical supply on board is 220 volts, 50 hertz. Please bring a converter if your devices use 110 volts. International electrical sockets are available in your cabin and throughout the ship. If you have many devices, it is advised you bring a multi power board. 

Wi-Fi is included onboard, but please appreciate that when traveling in remote areas connection can be unreliable. Telephone access for personal use is not available on board. In case of an emergency, our Expedition Team can facilitate communication with your family members. 

In general, items that are not included in the cost of your voyage are: flights to and from your voyage, pre- and post-accommodation, transfers, gratuities, items purchased from the onboard shop, laundry costs and other items of a personal nature (unless stated in your voyage inclusions). Some voyages do include certain pre- and post-cruise travel arrangements, so please check your specific voyage inclusions on the website or contact us. 

House wine, beer and soft drinks are included at dinner. All other drinks can be purchased from the bar when desired. Coffee, tea and drinking water are available for free throughout the day.  

Travel insurance, including medical evacuation cover, is mandatory for all Aurora Expeditions voyages. We advise you to have insurance for voyage cancellation to ensure you will be covered financially if you are forced to cancel your voyage due to circumstances beyond your control. It is in your best interests to carefully read the General Terms & Conditions on your booking form. 

Gratuities/tips for crew are included in your voyage fare, to the value of USD$15 per person per day. It is at your discretion if you would like to tip outside of this. It is not necessary to tip the Expedition Team members. 

Yes. Our talented chefs will take your requirements into their meal planning and ensure you receive tasty, healthy meals. Please ensure you list any dietary requirements on your personal details form. 

We recommend that you take US dollars for exchanging in Norway and Iceland. It is better to carry US dollars for tipping and payment of bar bills on board the ship. You can also pay with all major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard and American Express. 

The onboard currency is US dollars. All your onboard purchases including bar, laundry, and purchases from the onboard shop are charged to your shipboard account and settled by credit card or cash (US dollars only) at the end of the voyage. 

There is a ‘No Smoking’ policy throughout the interior of our ships. 

Hairdryers are provided in each cabin. 

Many people ask us if they will get seasick. It is a very difficult question to answer because it depends so much on the individual. Our experience is that a small percentage of people are seasick on any trip but most of these people are fine after a day or so at sea. If you feel that you are particularly susceptible to seasickness, then it is a good idea to talk to your doctor. We advise you to come armed with motion sickness tablets, and there will be a doctor on board to assist with any bouts of seasickness. 

We generally run our ships “Australian style” which is casual and egalitarian Andre to finish all passengers are encouraged to dress comfortably and as they see fit for the occasion. In practice some people may choose to dress smarter whereas others will be more casual, but everyone should feel at ease to dress as they see fit within reason. 

We use the same provider for both hospitality and food and beverage as Vantage used on its Infinity class vessels so the quality of food and beverage and hospitality will be the same as Vantage. In practice the Infinity class ships are best practice in terms of technical performance with luxury accommodation and facilities.  

Auroras “fit to travel policy” is the same as most polar operators apply although and seeks to apply the appropriate level of risk in a pragmatically.  

There are two aspects to the fit to travel policy: 

• The first relates to a passenger’s degree of mobility and physical fitness  
• The second relates to the risk that they may need emergency medical services  

With respect to mobility and fitness the only requirement is to be able to climb a flight of stairs and get in and out of a zodiac from the ship and from the shore. Passengers who choose to kayak, snorkel or dive may have incremental health and fitness requirements, but these do not apply to all passengers. Obviously as itineraries are designed that don’t require zodiac use and which are less strenuous then the mobility and fineness requirements will be relaxed. 

With respect to overall health when we travel to remote polar regions there are limited medical facilities and a medical emergency will require a medical evacuation which is complex and costly and disrupts the voyage for other passengers. We have a well-equipped medical facility on briars with a qualified doctor who are able to deal with medical issues and emergencies as the arise but once again we seek to manage risk appropriately. Once again for itineraries where quality medical services can be easily accessed, we will modify our policies.  

The fit to travel process has evolved over time and in most cases the process is as follows: 

• A trip is booked and a deposit paid by the passenger is activated in the passenger portal
• As part of the documentation process a medical self-assessment form is completed by the passenger seeking to travel
• The medial self-assessment form is reviewed by a trained person and where deemed appropriate referred to an outside qualified consultant who is a doctor
• The doctor will usually request more information and the passenger will be asked to take a more comprehensive assessment form to their doctor which their doctor will be required to complete and sign and confirm that the passenger is “medically fit to travel”.
• The completed medical assessment will then be sent back to the outside medical consultant who may choose to contact and discuss the assessment with the doctor. 

It is ultimately the responsibility of the passengers’ own doctor to assess them as medically fit to travel and our role is to ensure that the process is responsibly applied. If anyone would like a copy of the medical assessment form to discuss with their doctor it can be provided.  

Obviously as new itineraries are developed the medically fit to travel forms will be amended. We also on accession are open to discuss specific circumstances and have allowed people to travel without activities to be with family on a holiday. 

If people are fit to travel, then we have no formal policy and we have had people on board in wheelchairs but as a rule we would suggest people traveling on the small infinity class ships be reasonably mobile as there is only one elevator.