What is Expedition Cruising? With the new interest in Expedition Cruising and new “Expedition” ships entering the marketing, you may want to know what defines an Expedition Cruise. Traditional cruises focus on taking you to lovely and historic ports with tours of the local area available. Expedition cruises focus on more unusual destinations, such as Antarctica, the Arctic, Iceland, Greenland, Galapagos and other areas where the focus is on the natural environment, animals and exploration history. Each ship has been built to sail into these unique areas and are outfitted with zodiacs, kayaks, diving gear and some even with small submarines. There is also an expedition team on board to help with equipment, instructions and with you on the excursion.