Orion Expedition Cruise LineCompany Vision and HistoryFounded in early 2004, Australian owned and operated, Orion Expedition Cruises has developed voyages to encourage guests to become a part of the region they are discovering.
Orion is a purpose built vessel designed to access the inaccessible, all in 5-star luxury. The ship combines the best and the latest in design with maritime and environmental technology, comfort and casual elegance. From the ice-strengthened hull to the chilled champagne and superb cuisine, this is expedition cruising at its finest.
Described as the latest in the quest to build the perfect expedition vessel, all Orion’s staterooms feature ocean views and offer internet access, flat-screen TV, DVD/CD, a choice of twin and queen sized beds, a sitting area and marble bathrooms. Other on board amenities include a health spa with gymnasium, sauna, sun deck Jacuzzi and a stern marina platform.
Orion offers a range of included and optional Shoreside Expeditions designed to enhance the destination exploration for our guests. From Mallard sea plane flights and outback 4WD tours, to snorkeling over pristine coral formations, there are many unique opportunities for guests to visit areas of Australia that even most Australians don’t get to see. As part of our commitment to offering guests an enriching experience, on board speakers have been selected for their knowledge and expertise on the regions they visit. Guests are invited to attend presentations in the 90 seat Lecture Theatre.
Our innovative expeditions are year-round and vary with the seasons:
We would be delighted to have you join us on a voyage to some of the most wonderful but rarely seen places on earth. Vision
With 25 years extensive experience in the Australian travel industry, including Vice President and General Manager Asia Pacific for Cunard Line, founder and Managing Director of Norwegian Capricorn Line and both Federal and State Government Board appointments, Sarina Bratton has long held a passion for the development of the cruise industry.
Her vision has been to develop a unique product appealing to both local and international travellers alike: people who seek the mental stimulation of new experiences, places and discovery, whilst enjoying the comfort of luxurious surroundings.
It was the success of pioneering itineraries through the Great Barrier Reef and the Top End in 1999 that led her to researching further destinations, ones that would enrich and entice travellers. But the challenge was always the same: finding places along the Australian coast a cruise ship could access.
A trip on a friend’s super-yacht helped her to develop the concept for a new style of travel in Australia. Only a small, purpose-built vessel could access the truly special parts of the continent’s coastline. The vessel needed to be a ship, not just a boat, and one with a maritime pedigree enabling it to sail pristine environments from the tropics to the icy waters of the Poles. And the ship had to be crewed by master seamen, selected for their experience.
In this way travellers could begin to experience parts of Australia’s World Heritage Great Barrier Reef only passing yachtsmen visit - exploring deserted beaches and tiny sand cays in both the Southern and Northern sections of the Reef and beyond to the islands of the Torres Strait.
So too the remote Kimberley in Australia’s north-west is best seen by sea. Here the coastline is wild, rugged and after the annual wet season, dotted with spectacular water-falls only revealed to sailors. This is a place rich with fishing, unique wildlife and art belonging to an Aboriginal culture of astonishing age.
This ship needed to be a self-sustaining environment, allowing it to sail to new destinations like the emerging nation of East Timor where the infrastructure for tourism is in its infancy. Or to sail south to the continent of Antarctica, where tourism is only permitted if what you take with you leaves with you.
Australia has some of the most pristine and sensitive wilderness areas on our planet, with little or no infrastructure to support visits by hundreds of people at one time. Understanding this, Orion Expedition Cruises has a social responsibility to develop a marine tourism blueprint that is sustainable, one that is at the forefront of eco-sensitivity and a benchmark for internationally recognizable and environmentally sound operating practices.
These guiding principals demanded a purpose-built vessel be found: one capable of sailing oceans not just seas, one offering an internationally accepted standard of luxury accommodation and facilities…Orion.
Orion is but part of our story. Like any success story, relationships with key business partners are integral. Each must be outstanding contributors in their own fields, and who share a similar vision and are passionate about their environment. In the Kimberley, the Paspaley family contributes knowledge gained over more than 70 years operating pearl farms in Australia’s northern waters. Not only do they know these waters intimately, they offer guests aboard Orion unique experiences such as access to their remote pearl farms throughout the region.
We at Orion Expedition Cruises invite you to explore with us a path less travelled.
We welcome you to the world of Orion. ShipOrion - Orion the company operates a single ship, also named Orion. She is both a five star luxury ship and an expedition vessel able to fend off icebergs.ItinerariesAntarctica and the Ross Sea - 20 night cruise to the white continent.Dragons, Dili and Dreamtime - 10 night cruise to Komodo Island and other islands north of Australia. Kimberley Exploration - 11 night cruise to the cities and islands on the north Australia Coast. New Guinea Highland Cultures - 11 night expedition to New Guinea and surrounding islands. New Guinea and the Solomon Islands - 10 night cruise to the Solomon Islands. Islands of the Torres Strait - 7 night cruise to the Great Barrier Reef and the Torres Strait.
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