PLANNER PERSPECTIVE Short and sweet HX Expeditions is introducing shorter voyages for 2028-2029. Lasse Roebers explains to Laura Hyde how careful itinerary planning aims to deliver depth and discovery in less time Shorter voyages are at the heart of HX Expeditions’ 2028-2029 season, which will include 57 sailings across 14 destinations worldwide. The expedition cruise line has curated 26 new itineraries – including an Antarctic departure from the Falkland Islands and week-long voyages in Greenland and Alaska – as part of the cruise line’s commitment to making expedition cruising “more accessible”. “These shorter voyages complement our current product offering,” says Lasse Roebers, head of expedition product at HX Expeditions. “We now offer a range of short and long voyages to suit different travellers and their individual travel motivations, whether they are looking for a shorter introduction to a destination or more time to explore further and go deeper into the experience.” The 2028-2029 season features seven- to 14-night cruises in Greenland, including the new seven-night ‘Discovering West Greenland – Icebergs & Communities of Disko Bay’ itinerary. The voyage includes visits to Disko Bay and Ilulissat Icefjord, as well as remote Inuit communities such as Kangaamiut and Maniitsoq, in a single expedition with no days at sea. “In Greenland, we now offer both seven-night voyages, which are packed with beautiful experiences, and longer voyages that might explore destinations in more depth or go further north, where you need more time,” says Roebers. In Alaska, two new seven-night itineraries sail between Vancouver and Sitka with just one day at sea, prioritising “deeper exploration over greater distance”. Guests can combine the northbound and southbound voyages into a 14-night expedition without repeating ports. “Guests can combine the new Alaska itineraries and will not see the same place twice,” adds Roebers. “Our new shorter voyages needed to capture many elements – culture, wildlife, scenery, discovery, science and exploration – in a very condensed way. Each itinerary has to be carefully curated to include all these elements while leaving enough time to really enjoy the destination and for those experiences to unfold naturally. We do not want to simply fill a shorter itinerary with as many experiences as possible; we want to make sure each experience adds something meaningful to the overall journey and gives guests a real sense of the destination.” Roebers and his team are conscious that they’re planning visits to destinations their guests have, in many cases, dreamed of visiting for years. “We want to create a unique and meaningful experience, even on a shorter voyage,” he says. “It is important guests feel they have had a genuine expedition experience rather than simply a shortened version of a longer itinerary. It’s also important for us to “We want to create a unique and meaningful experience, even on a shorter voyage” 54 Photo: HX Expeditions
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