“I really do have polar fever,” said Cara Matthew, senior business development manager (BDM), North America, for Quark Expeditions, during a recent Signature Travel Network Virtual Connections Preferred Partner event.
The BDM — a 12-year veteran of Quark — delved into the current status of the expedition cruise line and how travel advisors can best engage with clients moving forward.
Matthew is thrilled to be spending this current downtime hosting virtual happy hours, but she is particularly invested in Quark’s resumption of service in the near future. For now, the full Arctic season has been canceled, and Antarctica cruises are on hold until the beginning of October.
However, the company is fully prepared with four pillars of health and safety for when it does return: clean expedition ships, healthy staff, healthy fellow passengers and a healthy expedition environment. In fact, sustainability is “part of our DNA,” said Matthew, as the company has already eliminated all single-use plastics, for example.
In the meantime, Matthew is focused on educating agents and their clients about the poles, where Quark has explored for nearly three decades. Thanks to fly-to-and-from trips that bypass sailing the notoriously rough Drake Passage, maximized Antarctica cruises begin at eight days in length, or two-week full crossings are available. Alternatively, especially epic itineraries last up to a grand total of 23 days.
At the opposite poll and new on the roster for Quark are Canadian Arctic cruises that are ideal for North American travelers seeking to stay closer to home. Similar to the south, these northern options encompass abbreviated nine-day trips that conveniently fly to Resolute, Canada, from Toronto. They also go further to showcase cultural encounters with Indigenous natives, as well as highlight photogenic wildlife.
Canadian Arctic voyages normally run in August and September and are scheduled on the line’s newest ship — Ultramarine, which will come online in May 2021.
Regardless of duration or destination, Quark currently has a fleet of five ships, each under a capacity of 200 guests, which allows all passengers to disembark in and explore the region simultaneously, unlike larger vessels. Ultramarine will mark the sixth ship with just 199 passengers onboard. It will be outfitted with four Zodiac quick-launch platforms and dual helicopters.
Quark’s activities include Zodiac cruises, hiking, polar plunging and photography, but helicopter excursions will be additional paid adventures.
Now is a great time to begin plotting expedition cruises since clients typically book eight months to two years out, and inventory availability already stretches into 2021 and 2022. There to assist is also Quark’s new Polar Pro sales training program, helping advisors navigate polar regions as well as acquire marketing photos to share on their social media channels.
The Details
Quark Expeditions
www.quarkexpeditions.com
