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Itineraries of the Douglas Mawson

Price and Availability Notice
Prices displayed are provided for informational purposes only. They reflect the rates in effect at the time of their most recent update and are shown in Canadian dollars, per person, based on double occupancy, unless otherwise specified.

Supplier rates, exchange rates, taxes and fees, room or cabin categories, and promotions are subject to change at any time. The applicable price is the one confirmed by a travel advisor at the time of booking, subject to availability. Only the confirmed price shall be considered valid.

It is the traveler's responsibility to confirm the price, inclusions, and applicable terms and conditions before making a reservation. While every effort is made to keep our content up to date, transmission, display, or pricing errors may occur. In such cases, the correct price will be communicated to the traveler before any booking is confirmed. Certain terms, restrictions, and exclusions may apply.

decks plans

Deck - 8

Observation Decks/ Lounge
Douglas Mawson deck 8

Deck - 7

Swimming Pool* and Sun Deck
Douglas Mawson deck 7

Deck - 6

Upper Glass Atrium Lounge
Douglas Mawson deck 6

Pont - 5

Atrium Lounge
Douglas Mawson deck 5

Deck - 4

Main Entrance / Expedition Desk
Douglas Mawson deck 4

Deck - 3

Medical Clinic
Douglas Mawson deck 3

Deck - 2

Crew

Deck - 1

Crew

Technical specifications

  • Passengers:  154
  • Decks:  8

An inverted bow, and an owner whose name is not the line's

Douglas Mawson left the China Merchants Heavy Industry yard, at Haimen in Jiangsu, and entered service in 2025. 104.4 metres, eight decks, 86 cabins, 154 guests at most and 130 on expedition, a speed of ten to twelve knots. The newest of the three. Her bow is the inverted Ulstein X-BOW, which splits the swell instead of slamming it: less pitching on crossings, and less fuel burned. On the Drake Passage, that is the kind of detail you remember.

Here is what nobody said on this page, and it matters: Aurora owns none of its three ships. They belong to SunStone Maritime Group and are run under long-term charter, under the Bahamas flag, registered in Nassau. The line itself is Australian, founded in 1991 by Greg Mortimer and Margaret Mortimer, with its head office in Sydney. This is not a fault: it is the standard structure in polar expedition. It is simply something a traveller deserves to know before paying a deposit. Aboard: a heated outdoor pool and two jacuzzis, a sauna, a lecture theatre, a citizen science centre and a mudroom with drying racks.

What the fare covers

This line makes the opposite bet to its rival: it does not pay your flight, but it fills in everything else. Included are all meals, tea, coffee, soft drinks and juices, premium spirits, cocktails, beer, wine and liqueurs, Starlink Wi-Fi, daily shore excursions, guided walks and Zodiac cruises, the three-in-one polar jacket you keep, Muck boots on loan, port surcharges, permits and landing fees, and the first consultation with the ship's doctor. Every Antarctic voyage adds one hotel night before embarkation and an airport transfer on selected flights.

The other school

Compare the other school. World Navigator, with Atlas, includes round-trip air from selected Canadian gateways and prepaid gratuities, but says nothing about a jacket, boots or a hotel night. Two different bets. The right one depends on where you leave from and what you already own.

What the calendar sells

38 departures are on sale on this page as we measured: 6 in 2026, 24 in 2027, 8 in 2028. Lengths run from 8 to 15 days, 11 coming up most often. The ports that recur: Ushuaia sixteen times, Punta Arenas eight, Leith-Edinburgh three, Naples two. We count what the page shows, not what the line announces elsewhere.

What we do not know

Here is what we will not say. Aurora's inclusions list does not mention gratuities: we give them as neither included nor excluded, so have it clarified. The line does not publish crew numbers for its ships either, nor the count of wheelchair-adapted cabins — on a Zodiac ship that last question is settled with the line before the deposit, for the chosen ship and date.

The neighbouring ships

Her two sister ships, Sylvia Earle and Greg Mortimer, share the same bow and the same owner. If you want to see how another house plays the same game, the page for Silver Endeavour is current on this site.

Frequently Asked Questions

SunStone Maritime Group. Aurora Expeditions owns none of its three ships: it runs them under long-term charter. They fly the Bahamas flag and are registered in Nassau. This is not a fault, it is the standard structure in polar expedition, but nothing on this page said so.
Yes, broadly. Premium spirits, cocktails, beer, wine and liqueurs are in the fare, along with all meals, tea, coffee, soft drinks and juices.
The line's inclusions list does not mention them. So we give them as neither included nor excluded, and your advisor will have it confirmed in writing before your deposit.
No, not in the base fare. On the other hand, every Antarctic voyage includes one hotel night before embarkation and an airport transfer on selected flights. It is the opposite bet to Atlas, which pays the flight and none of that.
No. A three-in-one jacket is given to you on polar voyages and it is yours to keep. Muck boots are lent for the voyage. For a first polar trip, those two lines are worth real money.
Yes, daily shore excursions, guided walks and Zodiac cruises are in the fare, along with port surcharges, permits and landing fees. Some specialist activities are booked separately.
Yes, via Starlink. In Antarctica satellite coverage stays uneven with latitude and weather: count on email, not on video.
At the China Merchants Heavy Industry yard, at Haimen in Jiangsu, China. 104.4 metres, eight decks, 86 cabins, 154 guests at most and 130 on expedition.
The inverted Ulstein bow splits the swell instead of slamming it: less pitching on crossings, and less fuel burned. On the Drake Passage, two days of open water each way, that is the kind of detail you remember.
38 when we measured: 6 in 2026, 24 in 2027, 8 in 2028.
From 8 to 15 days, 11 coming up most often. The ports that recur: Ushuaia sixteen times, Punta Arenas eight, Leith-Edinburgh three, Naples two.
It is Australian, founded in 1991 by Greg Mortimer and Margaret Mortimer, with its head office in Sydney. Thirty-five years of expedition work, which is not nothing in a trade where brands come and go.
Yes, and the first consultation is included. On a ship that sails three days from the nearest hospital, that is not a comfort detail.
The figure is published nowhere for this fleet. On an expedition ship the question goes beyond the cabin: Zodiac boarding happens off a platform, often in swell. Have the ship and the date validated with the line before the deposit.
Your agency, and it alone. Voyages AquaTerra operates under a licence from Quebec's Office de la protection du consommateur, your payments pass through a trust account, and the compensation fund for travel agency clients covers your departure. Nothing establishes a Quebec licence for this carrier.
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