Virtuoso has named Aqua Expeditions “Best Small Ship Cruise Experience” at its 2026 Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, recognising the line as it expands with a sixth vessel offering dual-hemisphere deployment.
Award recognises niche expedition positioning
The Virtuoso award covers cruise lines delivering a standout experience within a specialised or niche market. Aqua Expeditions currently operates river voyages on the Amazon in Peru and the Mekong in Cambodia and Vietnam, alongside coastal yacht itineraries to Komodo National Park, Ambon, the Spice Islands and Raja Ampat in East Indonesia, and the Galápagos Islands. Ships carry between 16 and 40 guests with a roughly one-to-one crew-to-guest ratio.
Francesco Galli Zugaro, founder and chief executive of Aqua Expeditions, said the recognition arrives as the line moves into new regions. Aqua Expeditions is part of Ponant Explorations Group.
Sixth ship opens new Seychelles and Arctic access
The award coincides with the arrival of Aqua Lares, a 15-suite ice-class superyacht that sails five- to eleven-night voyages through the Seychelles from November to April, with select departures extending to Aldabra Atoll and Zanzibar, Tanzania. From May to September the ship repositions to sail Svalbard and the Arctic Circle.
Aqua Lares is significant for advisors because it is available to book by individual cabin in the Seychelles, rather than exclusively by private charter, a first for a luxury expedition yacht in the region. In the Arctic, it is positioned as the only superyacht offering both private charter and individual cabin bookings, giving agents a new small-ship entry point into both regions for clients who don’t require a full-ship buyout.
