Epic 87-Day Sailing Announced: Visits Amazon River and Antarctica on One Ship

From a cruise destination perspective, you can’t get much more diverse than the Amazon rainforest and the icy landscape of Antarctica.

But a new, one-of-a-kind 87-day cruise just dropped, and it’s offering passengers the opportunity to experience both regions in a roundtrip sailing from the UK.

UK-based Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has unveiled the 87-night “Amazon & Antarctica Adventure” Grand Voyage for early 2028, and it’s already available for booking, as of July 22.

Sailing round-trip out of Southampton, England on the 1,350-passenger ship, Borealis, this epic voyage spans 28 ports across 17 countries and five continents.

While Fred. Olsen might not be a household name to every American cruiser, the family-owned British cruise line is well-known for its focus on destination-centric itineraries aboard intimate, mid-sized ships.

For cruisers looking for a mega-voyage that skips the massive crowd, here is everything you need to know about this unique sailing.

The Fleet and the Ship

Unlike the mega-ships carrying 5,000 to 7,000 passengers out of Florida ports, Fred. Olsen operates a small fleet of just three ships: Borealis, Bolette, and Balmoral.

Stateside cruisers might actually recognize Borealis. The ship originally debuted in 1997 as Holland America Line’s flagship MS Rotterdam before joining the Fred.Olsen fleet in 2020.

At roughly 61,849 gross tons and totaling about 702 cabins, she is a nimble, classic ocean vessel. It really is a great sized ship for a unique voyage like this.

Her smaller footprint is a major advantage for an itinerary like this too. Borealis is compact enough to navigate hundreds of miles inland up the shallow Amazon River while remaining sturdy enough to handle the ocean swells down in Antarctica’s Drake Passage.

I guess you could call it a Goldilocks ship for this kind of cruise.

The Epic Itinerary: From Tropics to Ice

The 87-night itinerary features two major bucket-list destinations that rarely appear on the same booking:

• The Amazon River: Marking the cruise line’s first return to the Amazon in nine years, Borealis will spend several days scenic cruising along the world’s largest river by volume, including stops in Manaus and Santarém. Guests will have chances to spot pink river dolphins and exotic wildlife directly from the ship decks.
• Antarctica & Cape Horn: Sailing south along the South American coast and rounding Cape Horn, the ship will spend three days scenic cruising along the Antarctic Peninsula, surrounded by glaciers, snow-capped peaks, and penguin colonies.

To round out the epic itinerary, the ship will also dock for overnight stays in iconic cities like Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, along with warm-weather stops across the Caribbean in spots like Dominica and Samaná Bay.

Booking and Itinerary Fast Facts

• Departure Date: January 5, 2028
• Homeport: Round-trip Southampton, UK
• Duration: 87 nights
• Ports of Call: 28 ports in 17 countries (including Tenerife, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Antarctica, and the Falkland Islands)
• Starting Price: Lead-in fares begin at £10,999 per person (approx. $14,200 USD depending on exchange rates).

According to Fred. Olsen Cruise Line’s website, the fare also includes everything below:

• Full board dining, from five-course à la carte dinners to afternoon tea
• Selected drinks with lunch and dinner
• Gratuities
• Evening shows, live music, dance classes and enrichment talks
• Swimming pools, jacuzzis and fitness centre
• A free shuttle service in ports over one mile from the ship
• All UK port taxes and fees

See more about this cruise on Fred. Olsen’s website here.

If you want to learn a little more about this cruise line, Gary Bembridge does a great job in this video. It’s a great intro for American cruisers who aren’t as familiar with the cruise line, even if the video is a few years old now: