World Traveller

The 2022-built MS World Traveller cruise ship is a newbuild passenger vessel designed for operations in the polar regions (Arctic and Antarctica). The vessel is owned by Mystic Invest Holding (via the subsidiary Mystic Cruises USA) and operated under charter by AOV-Atlas Ocean Voyages (USA-based travel company/brand owned by Mystic Invest).

The ship World Traveller is the 4th vessel in an initially planned 10-ship fleet of Mystic Cruises, grouping the sisterships World Explorer (2019), World Voyager (2021), World Navigator (2021), World Traveller (2022), World Discoverer (2023), World Adventurer (2024), Star Seeker (2025).

The shipbuilder is WestSEA (naval shipyard in Viana do Castelo, Portugal).

The vessel (IMO number 9904807) is currently Portugal-flagged (MMSI 255806210) and registered in Madeira/Funchal.

Ship history and ownership

The vessel is owned by the Portugal-based company Mystic Cruises and seasonally chartered by Atlas Ocean Voyages (for polar cruises) and also by European river cruise operators including Nicko Tours (for the rest of the season). The ship charterer Atlas Ocean Voyages (2019-established) is a polar travel company specializing in expedition cruises to Antarctica using vessels with ice-strengthened hulls. AOV's first charter boat was World Navigator.

Atlas Ocean Voyages is managed by Alberto Aliberti (President) and Brandon Townsley (VP of Sales and Trade Partnerships), plus two Sales Managers - Alyssa Logan (North America West) and Richard Sims (North America East, former Sales Manager of NCL-Norwegian, Holland America and Seabourn).

Mystic Cruises is a new brand owned by the Portuguese entrepreneur Mario Ferreira - president of Mystic Invest SGPS (group of companies) and best known as CEO of the Portuguese river cruise company Douro Azul, operating on Douro River roundtrips from Oporto. Mario Ferreira is also famous for being Portugal's first space tourist (traveling on Virgin Galactic's Spaceship One / owned by Richard Branson).

The shipowner Mystic Invest is a Portuguese family-owned financial holding that fully owns several brands specializing in the travel and tourism businesses (cruises, tours, hotels) and real estate. The list of brands (subsidiaries) owned by the parent company Mystic Invest includes DouroAzul (Portugal), Mystic Cruises (USA), Nicko Cruises (Germany), Priority Dolphin (shipbuilding), Mystic Tua (Portugal), Mystic Adventure (tour agency in Barca d'Alva), World of Discoveries (theme park in Porto Portugal), Helitours (Porto and Douro Valley), BlueBus (Porto), hotels and resorts (Hotel do Cais, Monumental Palace Hotel, Douro Marina Hotel, Wine Lodge Hotel), Caminho das Estrelas (suborbital and Zero-G flights), Mystic Real Estate.

Decks and Cabins

World Traveller staterooms (98 total) are all in Suite categories and with step-out balconies, providing max passenger capacity 200 (max 140 on polar cruises). The boat has 8 decks, of which 6 are passenger-accessible and 3 with cabins.

Each of the staterooms offers as standard (complimentary / price-inclusive) amenities

• en-suite bathroom (shower, WC, washbasin, hairdryer, plush bathrobes and slippers, premium bath products)
• separate bedroom (Queen-size double bed convertible to 2 twins / single beds, bedside cabinets, bedside USB charging ports, wall-mounted lamps)
• mirrored vanity table/writing desk with armchair, lounge area (2-seater sofabed, coffee table with chairs), Horizon and Veranda cabins additionally have a plush loveseat
• smart HDTV (infotainment system, Internet, on-demand movies, Bluetooth connectivity), large wardrobe, electronic safe box (in the closet), minibar (fully-stocked refrigerator)
• individual air-conditioning, LED lighting
• daily turndown service
• Still and sparkling bottled water is provided complimentary and replenished twice daily.

Towels (excluding those on the rack) and bedsheets are changed every 3rd day (depending on cruise itinerary length). Shipboard laundry and ironing services are available at extra cost. Laundry bags are provided in the cabins and collected each morning.

Each cabin is equipped with orange-colored lifejackets, which are used in cases of emergencies and during lifeboat drills. The ship's electrical supply is 220 V (50 Hz). The electrical outlets (found in all cabins and throughout the ship) are standard European 2-pin plugs. A total of 5 USB ports (per cabin) are for digital devices (cameras, smartphones, tablets, etc). Each cabin is also fitted with a total of 5 power outlets (110V / 220V).

Most cabins (~90%) are with private step-out balconies, excep only the aft-located (decks 5-6) "French Balcony" cabins, which are with a sliding window opening to a railing (Juliet balcony). Cabin balconies are furnished with 1 low table and 2 deckchairs.

MS World Traveller has 7 cabin categories ranging in sizes from 185 ft2 (17 m2, Adventure Stateroom) to 465 ft (43 m2, Owner/Navigator Suite). French Balcony cabins (Horizon/Infinity Stateroom) are sized 270 ft2 (25 m2) and feature a floor-ceiling glass wall with a slide-opening window (upper panel). Balcony cabins (Veranda Stateroom) are same-sized (25 m2) but with a step-out balcony.

All 12x Adventure-type (Porthole) cabins are located on Deck 3 and each has a large non-opening window.

The boat's all 10 suites (top-tier cabins) are in categories Journey Suite (380 ft2 / 35 m2), Discovery Suite (445 ft2 / 41 m2) and Navigator Suite (465 ft2 / 43 m2), plus four Junior Suites (300 ft2 / 28 m2). All suites are 2-Room (1-Bedroom) and with step-out balconies (sized 110 ft2 / 10 m2) furnished with 2 sun loungers, 2 teak deckchairs and 1 low table. Each suite has 2 closets and 2 large HDTVs (wall-mounted in the bedroom/living room). Junior Suites are triple-occupancy cabins in 2 different configurations - with either outdoor or French Balcony.

Cabin bathrooms are with spa showers (rain shower head, handheld showerhead, 4 adjustable body jets), L'Occitane bath products (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, handwash, hand lotion). Navigator Suites and Discovery Suites bathrooms are with double basin vanity (his-and-hers sinks) and separate WC. Navigator Suites bathrooms are with bathtub.

Shipboard facilities and activities

The ship offers plenty of public areas, including Observation Lounge (glass-domed, with surrounding outdoor terrace), Navigator Lounge (multi-purpose and full-bar venue with floor-ceiling windows and comfortable seating), Library (reading lounge), Lecture Theater (24-hour open Auditorium serving cruise company's enrichment program with daily scheduled activities, including port talks, discussions, media presentations), aft-located Dining Room Restaurant (with floor-ceiling windows and an outdoor terrace for alfresco dining/weather permitting).

Navigator Lounge doubles as a multi-purpose room hosting special events (anniversaries, birthdays, group and private meetings, etc). Fresh-baked cookies and pastries are offered in the afternoons. Hot and cold snacks are available during the evening cocktail hour (activities permitting) and special occasion events. Lounge's Bar is staffed by a professional bartender serving a selection of liquors, spirits, premium beers, wines and champagnes (by the glass). Complimentary beverages include soft drinks, juices, water, coffee, tea.

Polar Library is well stocked with books and popular board games. The Library is open 24 hours. Its collection includes books in various languages and themed on wildlife, history, marine biology, geology, ecology, also field guides, picture- and reference books.

Polar Boutique is a gift shop selling travel essentials and souvenirs, as well as a selection of expedition gear (clothing, waterproof pants, gloves, hats). The shop's opening hours are based on the daily scheduled cruise activities.

In the Lobby area is the Reception (Guest Services Desk) served by dedicated staff that assists passengers with information, purchasing PIN cards (Internet / email access, phone cards), arranging wake-up calls. The Reception also doubles as Cashier's Office for setting shipboard accounts and making payments of these accounts towards the end of the cruise. Also on Lobby Deck are the ship's two entrance areas (portside and starboard) used for passenger embarkation/disembarkation in ports of call where pier/quay/wharf is available for docking.

Wellness facilities include an outdoor jogging track (on top-deck), small gym, Sauna Room, Spa (room for massages/SeaSpa by L'OCCITANE treatments, showers, changing / locker rooms), Hairdresser. On Sun Deck is the outdoor heated swimming pool surrounded by a sunbathing area with loungers. The pool has a kids (shallow) area separated from the deeper saltwater plunge pool. The ship doesn't provide lifeguards on duty.

On top-deck (aft) is a Helideck - helipad used in cases of emergencies.

As complimentary shoreside activities are offered camping, seakayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, Zodiac boat tours.

AOV-Atlas Ocean Voyages deals are inclusive of complimentary roundtrip flights (from/to major airports in Canada and the USA) included in the ticket prices for all cabin categories and on all cruise itineraries. Price-included are also the prepaid gratuities, gourmet dining, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), Wi-Fi, premium brand cabin bath products (by L'Occitane en Provence), 1x shore excursion (per itinerary), in-cabin use binoculars, dedicated butler service (Suites only), medevac (emergency medical evacuation insurance) and return-to-home insurance. AOV's cruise insurance policy covers medevac transportation (from the ship to a local treatment center) plus return transportation (back home or a medical facility close to home).

Itineraries

On August 25, 2021, AOV announced World Traveller's inaugural season. Starting with the Maiden Voyage on July 15, 2022 (from Lisbon Portugal), the season's schedule had listed total 11x voyages. Itineraries range from 6- to- 12-night, with signature destinations in Europe's Mediterranean Sea - including the Adriatic/Dalmatian Coast and Greece's Ionian and Aegean islands.

• The 9-night "Inaugural Cruise" itinerary (from Lisbon to Palma de Mallorca) visits Portimao Portugal, Gibraltar UK, Cadiz-Seville, Puerto Banus-Marbella, Malaga, Balearic Spain (Formentera Island, Ibiza Island).
• (July 24) 7-night from Palma de Mallorca to Villefranche-Nice France
• (July 31) 9-night from Nice to Civitavecchia-Rome has overnights in Monte Carlo Monaco and Civitavecchia.
• (August 9) 10-night from Civitavecchia to Piraeus-Athens visits ports along Italy's Amalfi Coast (overnight in Positano), Sicily Island, Greece.
• (September 7) 11-night from Piraeus to Valletta Malta visits Greek Islands and Sicily.
• (September 18) 9-night from Valletta to Malaga visits the Balearic Islands, Sardinia Island, Tunisia (La Goulette-Tunis City).
• Two Greece and Adriatic/Dalmatian Coast itineraries offer alternate departures (from Piraeus and Venice), transit Corinth Canal, visit Montenegro (Kotor) and Croatia (Dubrovnik, Hvar). The 10-night northbound (August 19) offers an overnight in Hvar and visits in Greece Itea-Delphi, Katakolon-Olympia, Kerkyra/Corfu Island, Albania (Sarande) and Croatia (Korcula). The 9-night southbound (August 29) visits Croatia (Rovinj) and Greece (Gaios/Paxos Island).
• (September 27) 7-night from Malaga to Lisbon visits Gibraltar, Ceuta (Spanish Morocco), Tangier (Morocco).
• (October 5) 6-night from Lisbon to Tenerife Canaries visits Madeira Island (Funchal) and the Canary Islands.

The European season had to end with the Transatlantic crossing (RepositionCruises.com) from Tenerife to Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) visiting Praia/Santiago Island (Cape Verde) and Salvador da Bahia (Brazil). However, due to construction delays, the boat was delivered on October 7, and the Maiden Voyage was rescheduled for November 21, 2022 (out of Ushuaia).

For winter 2022-2023 (November thru March), World Traveller was deployed in Antarctica (inaugural season based on 13- to 20-night roundtrips from homeport Ushuaia Argentina). As a promo offer, all bookings made by September 30, 2021, received 10% discount. An additional 10% savings (to 20% total) were offered to all full-paid bookings made by October 7, 2021.

AOV World Traveller's 2023 (summer and autumn) program included voyages in the Caribbean, Central and South America, Africa, Europe (Canary Islands, Mediterranean, UK-British Isles, Norwegian Fjords, Arctic Norway/Svalbard, Iceland and Greenland).

Two 10-night Canary Islands voyages also visit Morocco (both are with Casablanca overnight stays). For August 2023 are scheduled 3x European Arctic cruises in the Svalbard Archipelago, followed by an "Iceland Circumnavigation Voyage", and relocation to the Mediterranean via the UK (British Isles, Ireland), France, Iberia (Spain and Portugal).

AOV World Traveller's Antarctica 2023-2024 season (November through March) had scheduled 13-16-20-night roundtrips from Ushuaia to the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands, Diego Ramirez Islands Chile, the UK's Falkland Islands and South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands. Most itineraries are via the scenic Lemaire Channel, separating Booth Island from Graham Land's Kyiv Peninsula.

All Mystic Invest newbuilds as investments were backed by ICBC Leasing - part of ICBC Ltd (Chinese multinational bank, ranked world's largest by assets, deposits, loans, customers and employees). The shipbuilding financing was supported by Portuguese banks (during construction) and ICBCL Leasing funding (following delivery) through sale and charter-back of the vessel, with an obligation to repurchase it on maturity. Mystic Invest intends to build a 10-ship fleet of the same design.

In August 2017 were completed design's tank tests. The testing water tank and ship model were conducted by the Wageningen-based MARIN (Maritime Research Institute Netherlands).

In 2018 (February 20 through March 1), Nicko Tours scheduled a total of 10 road shows in Germany to promote company's new "ocean cruising" business. Each of the shows started with a casual get-together and buffet with finger food, followed by presentation of the vessel and its Nicko cruise itineraries. Then travel agents enjoyed full meals and gourmet desserts.

The vessel's physical construction started with the keel-laying ceremony (at WestSea Viana Shipyard) held on October 5, 2020. On the same day was launched/floated out from drydock the sistership World Navigator (2021-built).

World Traveller was officially delivered to AOV-Atlas Ocean Voyages on October 7, 2022, at WestSea Viana. The delivery ceremony was attended by James Rodriguez (AOV's President and CEO). Following the Transatlantic repositioning crossing from Portugal to Ushuaia Argentina (RepositionCruises.com), passenger shipping operations started on November 21, 2022 (Maiden Voyage), with roundtrips from homeport Ushuaia to Antarctica.

AOV scheduled a dual naming ceremony (held on Nov 20, 2022, at Pia Glacier/Beagle Channel) during which were officially christened World Traveller (by Theresa Scalzitti) and the sistership World Navigator (by Karen Lundgren). Theresa Scalzitti is the CSO/Chief Sales Officer of Cruise Planners (privately owned travel agency franchise network headquartered in Coral Springs, Florida USA).

World Traveller ship technology

The ship's design is based on a Rolls-Royce expedition vessel platform developed by Giuseppe Tringali (Italian naval architect). It features an ice-strengthened hull (ice class 1B), top-notch automation and control system, modern propulsion (based on electrical pods / azimuthing thrusters), dynamic positioning system (using GPS data to accurately maintain ship's position without anchoring), advanced water treatment system, hybrid powerplant (diesel-electric) with efficient marine engines (two Rolls-Royce engines running on ULSD / ultra-low-sulfur diesel).

The Rolls-Royce powerplant costs GBP 7 million (EUR 7,75 million / USD 8,9 million) and includes two main engines (Bergen C25-33L8P) and one auxiliary dual-fuel genset (Bergen C25-33L6P). The engines are connected to ship's electric power system (Rolls-Royce SAVe CUBE) allowing them to operate efficiently at variable speeds. Rolls-Royce Promas propulsion is an integrated propeller-rudder system to optimize hydrodynamic efficiency. Promas includes two controllable pitch propellers integrated with two flap rudders, steering gears and tunnel thrusters.

World Traveller is a cruise vessel with hydrojet propulsion (technology initially developed for military vessels). The ship is fitted with two SPJ Pump Jets by SCHOTTEL (model SPJ 82, total power output 670 kW) allowing silent navigation at 5 knots speed (9 kph). This is an alternative propulsion system as the hydrojets are used only in destinations with specific marine life. Both hydrojets pump water to propel the ship and similarly to the in-hull mounted Azipods (underwater azimuthing thrusters) can rotate 360 degrees. They also allow dynamic positioning (via GPS) to stabilize / fix the vessel without using propellers or anchors.

Vessel's draft is only 15 ft (4,7 m) allowing access to remote islands and unique coastal destinations. The ship has all 2 lifeboats (full-capacity) which are fully enclosed. Ship-to-shore communications are via Inmarsat Capsat Fleet 77 (satellite phone and Internet). Landings (passenger transportation) and coastal exploration voyages are served by ship's own fleet of ten Zodiacs (motorized boats stored aft on Deck 7) and 2 loading stations.

The shipbuilder WestSEA (Viana do Castelo, Portugal) is owned by Martifer Group via the subsidiary Martifer SGPS. This is a family-owned holding company founded in 1990 (by the brothers Carlos and Jorge Martins), headquartered in Oliveira de Frades (Portugal) and Euronext Lisbon (stock exchange) listed since 2007. Martifer Group has over 3000 employees and specializes in metal construction and (since 2004) in renewable energy (wind and solar energy equipment production). Martifer Group is one of Europe's largest metal construction companies, with subsidiaries in Spain, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Brazil and Angola.