Elite Traveler Summer 2022

Launching July 2022, World Traveller’s maiden voyage will set sail from Lisbon, Portugal

Alberto Aliberti President, Atlas Ocean Voyages

After serving as a US Marine Corp infantry o ffi cer as his fi rst career, Alberto took a sabbatical to clear his mind and accepted a position as a receptionist aboard the storied Stella Solaris . He always felt that serving on board and starting in an entry-level position helped him better understand and appreciate shipboard operations once he was promoted to shoreside management. Today, Alberto presides over the fi rst luxury cruise brand to emerge in more than two decades.

How has Atlas adapted over the years? My team and I launched Atlas in late 2019 and grew the company from fi ve to nearly 50 employees in three years. We launched our fi rst small, luxury expedition ship, World Navigator , just months ago, and we are preparing to welcome four additional sister ships through 2024. What is your biggest achievement? I am proud that we created a new cruise line from the ground up and did so during a pandemic — and that we innovated the cruise industry by introducing a new way to cruise that combines casual elegance on board with active and immersive shoreside experiences in remote and bucket-list destinations. We call this ‘luxe adventure’ cruising. What can guests expect for the future? Atlas Ocean Voyages has four additional sister ships scheduled to join the fl eet through 2024. In winter 2022/23, World Traveller will join World Navigator in Antarctica to o ff er travelers a choice of two di ff erent kinds of expeditions. When World Seeker, World Adventurer and World Discoverer join the fl eet, we will operate worldwide and cover the globe’s most remote and bucket-list destinations for the industry’s widest selection of once-in-a-lifetime, luxe-adventure voyages.

How did Atlas face the challenges of Covid-19? Atlas Ocean Voyages was one of two new cruise lines — the only luxury brand — to launch during the pandemic. That, in itself, was our challenge. We listened to our industry partners, travel advisors and media, and looked at how we could support them. And, in a time when most other companies were cutting back, we stepped up our e ff orts to bolster our relationships so when the time came, our partners had us top-of-mind. What is your personal mantra? “Give employees opportunities and training to succeed, and they always will.” Tell us about your fondest memory from your career. One of my fondest at-sea memories is when I was working shipboard and there was a time when we would frequently turn in Istanbul, Turkey. I would wake up extra early on these days and go to the top deck for our approach, in order to catch the instant when the sun crested over the minarets of the Blue Mosque and the haze of the sprawling city cast a mystical curtain over this crossroads of Eurasia. This view fi lled my heart with peace and optimism for the day to come, and I carry this moment with me as a reminder of how travel can be a transcendental experience. atlasoceanvoyages.com

Photos Windstar Cruises, Holger Leue