Douglas Mawson

What is the Douglas Mawson?

The Douglas Mawson is the newest and last of Aurora Expeditions' three X-BOW expedition ships: 104.4 m (343 ft) long, with 86 cabins, taking at most 130 guests on Aurora's expeditions and 154 on its Small Ship Cruises.¹ SunStone delivered it at China Merchants Heavy Industry in Haimen, China, on September 9, 2025, the seventh and final ship of its first Infinity-class series and the third to go to Aurora.² SunStone credits Ulstein for the naval architecture, Tomas Tillberg Design USA for the interiors and the Finnish contractor Makinen for fitting them out.²

Aurora launched the ship in Sydney in November 2025, ahead of its first Antarctic season, which was the first time in Aurora's 35 years that it had three ships working in Antarctica at once.³ Its sisters, the Greg Mortimer (2019) and the Sylvia Earle (2022), share its length, bow and 130-guest expedition cap, so this page concentrates on what the newest ship adds.⁴⁵

Who was Douglas Mawson?

Sir Douglas Mawson (1882 to 1958) was the geologist who led Australia's first Antarctic research expedition.⁶ He first went south on Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod expedition of 1907 to 1909, then led the Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911 to 1914 in the ship Aurora.⁶ On its Far Eastern sledging journey Belgrave Ninnis fell into a crevasse with a sledge carrying many of the supplies, and Xavier Mertz died of exhaustion and starvation; Mawson struggled on alone for 30 days and reached base hours after the ship had left.⁶

He was knighted on his return in 1914, published his account, Home of the Blizzard, in 1915, and led the BANZARE voyages of 1929 to 1931, whose team was the first to map much of the coast it sailed.⁶ Mawson station, established in 1954, carries his name, and his face appeared on the Australian $100 note.⁶ Aurora Expeditions is itself named after his ship.⁷

What is different about the Douglas Mawson?

It has ten more cabins than the Greg Mortimer and 15 more than the Sylvia Earle, and Aurora calls its stateroom range "our most extensive range of staterooms yet".¹⁴⁵ The owner's and builder's figures:

On board, Aurora points to a heated outdoor pool with a pool bar on the back deck, two Jacuzzis and a sauna, a Citizen Science Centre that it says has one of the best views on the ship, upper and lower glass atrium lounges and a top-deck restaurant.¹ The mudroom has lockers for gear and boots and rapid drying areas for clothing.¹

In its first season, Aurora says, the ship reached 78°44.405' S, which it calls a new world record for the southernmost voyage in history.³

What cabins does the Douglas Mawson have, and what do they cost?

Aurora's stateroom list has twelve types (its overview says ten), from a 9.5 m² porthole single to a 43.5 m² suite.¹ Fares are for the Spirit of Antarctica: New Scientist departure of December 7, 2026, per person with two sharing unless shown, after the save up to 10% offer, as read on October 14, 2026:

The Aurora Stateroom Superior on Deck 7 is the cheapest double with its own opening to the outside: floor-to-ceiling windows and a French balcony, but a fixed double bed, so Aurora says it does not suit two people who want separate beds.¹ The two twins, two triples and two singles all sit on Deck 3 near the mudroom and loading platforms.¹ Balcony A is the most common cabin, with 25, ahead of 17 B and 15 C; there is one Captain's Suite and there are four Junior Suites, and suite fares include a crew gratuity of $15 per person per day, a stocked minibar and champagne.¹

Is the Douglas Mawson good for solo travelers?

Yes: it has ten single-occupancy cabins, and four of them have balconies.¹ They are the four Balcony A Solo cabins on Deck 4, four Aurora Stateroom Superior Singles on Decks 3 and 7, and two Aurora Stateroom Singles on Deck 3; Aurora's offer terms name the balcony ones as cabins 407, 409, 410 and 412.¹¹¹

They sell at the full fare without a supplement but also without the sale discount. On December 7 the 9.5 m² Single cost $19,495, which was the undiscounted twin fare, while a couple sharing a twin paid $17,546 each and one person taking a twin alone paid $26,319.¹⁰ The usual supplement for a double used by one person is 50%; if you will share, Aurora charges the twin fare, pairs you with a solo traveler of the same gender, and charges no supplement if it cannot find a match.¹

Where does the Douglas Mawson sail in Antarctica in 2026-27?

It has eight departures from November 2026 to March 2027, including two January trips that fly across the Drake Passage at least one way.¹² Fares per person after discounts:

In Shackleton's Footsteps pushes as far as the ice allows into the Weddell Sea, then follows Shackleton's escape route to Elephant Island and South Georgia, where an optional hike from Fortuna Bay to Stromness repeats the last leg of his crossing; the full Shackleton's Crossing add-on costs from $2,220.²³ When we checked, its page still listed open cabins for November 8 but offered only the November 6, 2027 departure, on the Sylvia Earle, for booking, so confirm with Aurora before planning on the 2026 date.²³

The two fly trips link King George Island with Punta Arenas in Chile. Explorer Express sails the Drake south from Ushuaia, then flies back on a charter, with a hotel night in Ushuaia before and one in Punta Arenas after.¹⁴ Fly the Drake includes the return charter flights and two hotel nights in Punta Arenas.¹⁵ Every cabin below Balcony A on Explorer Express was sold out when we checked.¹⁴ See fly or sail the Drake for the trade-offs.

All fares include meals, premium spirits, beer and wine; add-ons cost extra, from $165 for a night of camping and $370 for snowshoeing on the December 7 trip to $1,030 for sea kayaking on Explorer Express.¹⁰¹⁴ The November 8, December 7, December 17, January 7, February 17 and March 9 departures are on Aurora's Stop Saying Someday offer, a saving of up to 35% that varies by departure, for bookings made and deposited by December 22, 2026.¹¹

Where does the Douglas Mawson sail in the 2027 Arctic season?

It spends late summer in the Arctic: four departures from August 8 to September 8, 2027, after a season in Patagonia, the Mediterranean, Scotland and Iceland, and before a Crossing the Canal voyage on October 4 and a return to Antarctica on October 31, 2027.¹² All four are on the Stop Saying Someday list.¹¹

The two Svalbard trips fly from Oslo to Longyearbyen and back.¹⁸¹⁹ Northern Lights Explorer is the longest: three days on the Norwegian coast, a day at Jan Mayen, five days in East Greenland that may take in Scoresby Sund and the village of Ittoqqortoormiit, then Iceland's Westfjords.²⁰ Its triple fare was down from $21,295 after a save up to 35% offer.²⁰ The September trip from Reykjavik gives six days to East Greenland, where Aurora says the team picks each day's plan by ice and weather, from the fjords around Tasiilaq to Scoresby Sund.²¹

Who should book the Douglas Mawson?

Book it if you travel alone and want your own cabin without paying 50% extra, if you need a January trip that flies across the Drake, or if you want East Greenland and the northern lights in late August or September. It also offers the most cabin choice in Aurora's fleet, from porthole singles to the suites.¹

Look elsewhere for the Ross Sea, which only the Greg Mortimer sails for Aurora in 2026-27, or for a higher ice class, such as the PC5 National Geographic Endurance.²²¹² Compare budgets in the cheapest way to Antarctica and the Arctic options in our Arctic cruises guide.