UnCruise Adventures has opened bookings for its winter 2027–28 expedition season in Mexico's Gulf of California, putting two small-ship itineraries on the shelf for sellers more than two years ahead of departure.

The sailings operate aboard the 66-guest Safari Voyager, roundtrip from San José del Cabo. The line is positioning the product around community-embedded operations: expedition guides hired locally, food and beverages sourced from the region, and shore programming built with small communities such as Bahía Agua Verde, where the Romero family brings its mules and horses to meet the ship for rides through the arroyo.

"We keep our operations and money directed locally as much as possible because it enriches the experience, plus our travel ethos is to support the local people," said owner and CEO Captain Dan Blanchard. "That means we hire local guides who know these waters, purchase locally, visit smaller communities and stay long enough to have a conversation. That's how visitors become part of an economic engine instead of just a transaction."

The commitment extends to a supply arrangement with The Serpentarium, a zoological park in La Paz dedicated to endemic species conservation, which receives vegetable scraps from the ship.

Two products, two price points in time

The first itinerary, Baja California's Whales & Sealife, runs eight nights in January–March of 2027 and 2028. It includes sea lion pup snorkeling, volcanic hiking, and searches for whales, flying mobula rays and seabirds. Two departures carry thematic positioning agents can sell against: the February 11, 2027 sailing is a Families in Nature trip aimed at younger children, and the January 21, 2027 departure is hosted by a professional photographer — a standard niche-play for the expedition segment.

The second product extends the stay. In Steinbeck's Wake: An Epic Voyage Through the Sea of Cortez is an 11-night sailing in April and May of both years, named for the author's 1940s voyage and venturing further north. Wildlife targets include sperm whales, humpbacks, gray whales and whale sharks. The May 21, 2027 departure is a Captain's Cruise hosted by Blanchard himself. Ports of call and activity sites include Punta Marcial, Isla Catalina, Punta Trinidad, Bahia de los Angeles and Isla Espiritu Santo, with kayaking, hiking, snorkeling and whale watching on the program.

Commercial terms for sellers

Two inventory levers stand out for agents and tour operators. First, clients who book by December 31, 2026 receive $500 per person off all 2027 and 2028 departures — a long early-booking window that rewards committed expedition buyers and gives advisors a concrete urgency tool.

Second, a packaging change takes effect in 2027: the first night's hotel stay at the Tropicana Hotel in San José del Cabo is included, with guests transferred to the ship on day two. That removes a friction point small-ship sellers routinely face on Baja embarkations and effectively bundles pre-cruise logistics into the fare.

With 66 guests per sailing and specialized departures limited to single dates, capacity on themed sailings is thin by definition. Advisors targeting photography, family and hosted-cruise niches in the 2027–28 window now have pricing and packaging terms to sell against.