This new cruise line is already sailing at full capacity after successful debut

Luxury adventure small-ship cruise line Atlas Ocean Voyages is one of the first cruise lines to sail at full capacity after the successful August debut of its first ship, World Navigator.

The ship initially began sailing Greek Isles and Egypt itineraries -- a change from what the line had originally planned, due to COVID-19 restrictions -- at about 60% capacity but has since managed to ramp up. It is now sailing its originally planned itineraries from Italy to Portugal.

"Our first three and a half months of operations had to be completely retooled, which was tough because [with] our initial operations, we had 85%-plus booking," said Alberto Aliberti, the line's president, at a press conference during Seatrade Cruise Global, the cruise industry's annual conference, which is taking place this week in Miami. "That was when we were going to the Black Sea, the Holy Lands and Greek Islands...."

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"We were able to recover. We came in right at about 65% occupancy for those. As of this week, we actually were able to run a cruise that was on the original, planned itinerary. The ship left from Italy, and it's on its way right now to Lisbon. The ship is full, and things are going well. And we're very, very pleased about that. Now, full capacity, we're able to deliver on our promise."

The line also revealed it has beefed up the Atlas Assurance medical evacuation coverage included in its fares. The coverage, which was a service rolled into the overall price prior to the pandemic, now features complimentary evacuation for anyone who might test positive for COVID-19 while on board.

"We are delivering greater peace of mind to our guests with the new Atlas Assurance program," Aliberti said in a statement from the line. "While emergencies rarely occur, it's comforting to know that our guests are protected with Atlas Assurance if something unexpected should happen and they need help."

In addition to medical evacuation (which includes transportation for everyone in the same travel party), the coverage also includes return home transportation, emergency eyeglass and prescription medication replacement, guarantee of payment for medical expenses, worldwide hospital and physician referrals, and other protections.

As part of its safety protocols, Atlas requires all passengers to be vaccinated, and everyone is given an antigen test prior to embarkation.

Atlas is set to debut its second ship in 2022, with its third, fourth and fifth ships coming in the spring of 2023, 2024 and either late 2024 or early 2025, respectively. The line, which focuses on spending extra time in out-of-the-way ports, plans to add New Zealand, Antarctica, the Middle East, the coast of eastern Russia and the jungles of South America and the Yucatan.