The Science Centre
Uncover a unique perspective of the people, places, and wildlife we discover around the ship. Packed with state-of-the-art technology and equipment, the Science Centre is at the heart of our onboard experience.
Experience science for yourself
When you think of the features on board your traditional cruise ship, the first thing that comes to mind would be the spas, many restaurants, and cafes - it wouldn't be a state-of-the-art Science and Education Centre, that's because this is an expedition cruise ship. We like to think of our Science Centres and the adjoining lecture areas, as the core of the onboard experience, where you can gain a deeper understanding of the destinations you'll explore, and significantly enhance your experience and knowledge.
The Science Centres give us the opportunity to really engage with you, our guests, and deepen your learning through hands-on, immersive experiences. Nothing gives more science joy than doing your own research for the first time! They are also a place for our scientists and visiting researchers to work – for instance by preparing newly collected samples for transport or storage. In addition to the science equipment, they also include museum-type collections, a small library, and speciality areas for workshops in photography, biology, arts and crafts, and much more!
Explore what's inside
Every Science Centre is different. What you find will vary across our fleet and destinations, but each one is equipped with tools, collections, and resources designed to help you investigate the world beyond the ship. It's where observations made outside become discoveries on board – and where those discoveries connect to something bigger: the research that helps us understand and protect the places we explore.
Scientific Equipment
Step aboard and you don't just witness the ocean - you help uncover its secrets. Our Science Centre is a living laboratory where curiosity meets discovery, inviting you to look closer, ask deeper questions, and contribute to real research as we sail the planet's most remote waters. This is exploration with purpose - where every moment of wonder fuels our shared understanding of the ocean.
Equipment aboard our Science Centre:
Stereo and compound microscopes to explore everything from rocks and seaweeds to plankton and biological samples
Plankton nets and other sampling equipment
CTDs to investigate ocean depth, temperature, and salinity
Underwater drones to explore life beneath the surface
Tablets and digital tools for identification, learning, and citizen science
Collections and Samples
The ocean tells only half the story. To truly understand the wild places we explore, you need to hold their history in your hands. Our collections bring the natural world within reach - bones, furs, rocks, and sands that reveal the remarkable stories written into every coastline, creature, and current. Each sample is a doorway into discovery, inviting you to look closer, touch, and connect with the living, breathing science of our planet
Collections and samples aboard:
Replicas of bird, bear, whale, and dolphin skulls, as well as eggs, tusks, claws, and teeth
Fur samples from species including seals, bears, and reindeer
Rock and mineral collections, including thin sections for microscopic investigation
Sand samples from different destinations
Resources and Materials
Curiosity deserves more than a passing thought - it deserves the tools to follow it wherever it leads. Our resources bring the science of exploration to your fingertips, inviting you to test, question, and discover the forces that shape our wild world. From the hidden mechanics of ocean currents to the wild landscapes that rise from the sea, every resource is a springboard for deeper understanding and hands-on discovery.
Resources and materials aboard:
Hands-on materials for exploring ocean currents, ice, volcanology, and other natural processes
Scientific books, field and identification guides, and posters covering our destinations, wildlife, and natural world
Maps and interactive resources to help you explore and understand the places you visit
"The Science Centres give guests the opportunity to look closer and discover things they might otherwise never see. Whether they're exploring phytoplankton under a microscope, examining a feather, or investigating the story inside a rock, you can see curiosity taking over. Watching people get hands-on, ask questions, and come away with a deeper understanding of the places we explore still gives me a real buzz."
– Tudor Morgan, HX Antarctic Ambassador
Go deeper with our lecture programme
Every destination has stories to uncover. Throughout your expedition, our Expedition Team brings their own expertise, experience, and passions into a programme of lectures designed to help you understand more about the places you explore.
Lectures by Our Scientific Collaborators
From wildlife, geology, and climate science to history, culture, and the communities we visit, each lecture offers another perspective on what you're seeing and experiencing around you. Topics are shaped by the destination and voyage, connecting what happens inside the lecture space with what you encounter outside it.
When scientists and research partners are on board, they often join the programme too – sharing their work and discoveries directly with you. It's another way the science we support becomes part of the experience we create.
"Exploration gives us an extraordinary opportunity to learn from the places we visit. Through our lecture programme, we can add context to what guests experience first-hand; helping them understand more about the wildlife, landscapes, history, cultures, and communities they encounter. For me, that deeper understanding matters, because when we look more closely at the world around us, we often find more reasons to care about its future."
- Dr. Emily Baxter, Science & Education Senior Manager
