Coral Expeditions, Australia’s pioneering expedition cruise operator, strengthens its commitment to offering inclusive travel opportunities and great value for solo explorers with a range of new programs and opportunities. Throughout the company's 40-year history, travelling solo has been promoted and encouraged with itineraries in remote areas, a like-minded onboard community and with special interest themes being a core part of the expedition cruise experience.
By offering more inventory and opportunities to join expeditions, better value fare access and facilitating meaningful connections among guests, Coral Expeditions continues to ensure that solo travellers can embark on their dream expeditions with ease and confidence.
Adapting to ever increasing demand for solo travel, Coral Expeditions has added a new “Solo Share” program to complement the existing “Solo Supplement,” “Solo Standby,” and the “Solo Specials” which have been long standing offers for guests.
Under the new “Solo Share” program, any guest can secure a booking in a twin cabin at a single rate with no additional supplement to pay. Guests must be willing to share the twin room with another guest of the same gender. This program allows guests to secure their travel immediately, with no more waiting for a potential room share match to be made. Guests will be notified of share guest confirmation and introduced prior to departure. If no match is made with another single, guests will travel alone on the single rate. This program is available immediately for bookings.
Details of the additional existing Solo Traveller programs are as follows;
- Solo Supplement – offers a dedicated inventory of staterooms on every departure that can be booked by Solo Travellers with a supplement, allowing them to secure their travel alone at time of release.
- Solo Standby - allows guests to book a single occupancy cabin with no supplement fare if there is availability within 30 days of the cruise departure. Subject to management approval.
- Solo Specials – Coral Expeditions will regularly update the website and Facebook community with reduced supplement or no supplement specials when released in the sailing schedule. No-sole-supplement offers are now available on multiple itineraries for 2023 including some of their most popular voyages; The Kimberley Cruise, Wild Islands of South Australia, Citizen Science on the Great Barrier Reef as well as their new Small Islands of Japan & The Philippines series, and more.
- Solo Traveller Facebook community – a social group where travellers can seek advice, compare experiences and planning, and find potential travel companions.
“Over recent years we see a continuing growth in the interest for Solo travel" states Jeff Gillies, Commercial Director. “We will continue to listen to our guests and travel partners and will adapt programs, design itineraries and ships and provide services that make solo travellers feel at ease and part of our expedition community."
Additional initiatives that are a part of the onboard experience for solo travellers include the following:
- Communal seating tables and facilitated sole traveller hosting over dinners with ship officers and guest lecturers.
- Inclusive welcome and farewell events and hosted lectures and social activities on board.
- Attentive and experienced expedition staff and crew who facilitate group interaction amongst the expedition community.
Coral Expeditions welcome solo-traveller explorers from around the world to share in our adventures to remarkable far-flung destinations and with a range of immersive itineraries specialising in nature, culture and heritage.
Recognised as Australia’s longest established and most awarded expedition cruise operator, Coral Expeditionsis Australia’s pioneering cruise line offering a unique style of immersive expeditions. Starting with environmentally sensitive cruises on the Great Barrier Reef, 40 years later the fleet has grown to a purpose-built ocean-going fleet featuring the intimate Coral Discovererand the advanced flagship vessels Coral Adventurer and sister ship Coral Geographer. All ships feature the company’s trademark complement of multiple zodiacs and ‘Xplorer’ safari tender boats that take guests to shore quickly and comfortably. Headquartered in Cairns, Coral Expeditions offers expedition cruises to the Great Barrier Reef, the Kimberley, Tasmania’s wilderness coast, Cape York and Arnhem Land, New Zealand and further afield to the small Islands of Japan, New Guinea and the Indian Ocean.