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Such efficiency plays right into the Lindblad style of expedition cruising, where it's all about maximizing the experience in any given destination, even if that means changing plans on the fly. As is typical for Antarctica trips, the seven days of exploring mostly took place along the Antarctic Peninsula, a staggeringly beautiful, 800-mile-long stretch of soaring mountains, glaciers, fjords and icebergs. Thus began seven days of daily landings and waterborne exploring by Zodiac boats that brought repeated encounters with penguins — often in large numbers — as well as sightings of whales, seals and all sorts of petrels, terns, skuas and other birds. The outing continued until late afternoon, when we returned to the ship to prepare for dinner.
Fellow Passengers
Just as a restaurant will design its kitchen based on a menu, the ship is tailored to exploring the planet’s most foreboding places in extreme comfort. Some are designed to navigate shallow rivers and deploy narrow skiffs to explore flooded forests. Others tailored to sailing along wild coasts and venturing into fast-moving, shallow channels where whales gather seasonally to feed. And yet others are made to go far into the planet’s polar regions in safety and comfort without resupplying fuel or provisions for weeks on end.
Where does Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic Explorer sail from?
Lindblad Expeditions attracts passengers primarily from North America, comprising a majority of older, well-traveled active couples and solos. It's made inroads as well in appealing to the family and multigenerational market, particularly for its summertime Baltic and Western Europe explorations. If it's your first time on Lindblad, you may be bowled over, if not a bit intimidated, by the exuberance of its very passionate repeaters.
National Geographic Explorer Itineraries
While we were dining, Graser moved the vessel to a spot just off Petermann Island, for an after-dinner landing to see the penguins. While the ship still pitched forward and back in the waves, it was a smoother rise and fall, without the big bow slaps against the waves you get with traditional bows in heavy seas — something that can send shudders through an entire vessel. But when it came time to leave Lallemand Fjord, National Geographic Resolution's seasoned captain, Martin Graser, was able to use the ship's Azipod thrusters to spin it around almost in place so it could break out of the ice facing forward. In a relatively rare and wonderful moment of Antarctica touring, we had made "landfall" on a sheet of fast ice — sea ice that is "fastened" to the coastline. Unlike drift (or pack) ice, fast ice doesn't move with currents and wind, and it is relatively stable.
Where does National Geographic Quest sail from?
Walla Walla is a wonderful town with a vibrant wine scene and bustling commercial district, which allowed for more wine tasting and shopping, including wine ice cream. Ship's Inaugural Alaskan season 2017 included several 7-day "Exploring Alaska’s Coastal Wilderness" themed cruises (departures on Saturdays) between July 8 and August 26. After Alaska, the ship operated in the Pacific Northwest on itineraries between Seattle WA and Vancouver BC. Nat Geo Quest public areas include an intimate covered deck with chairs, tables, and hammocks; a fitness center; spa; global gallery; library; doctor’s office; lounge with bar and facilities for slide shows, presentations, and films. The more passengers an expedition ship has on board in Antarctica, the more its expedition guides have to break them up into separate groups for landings, greatly slowing down the process of exploring at any single landing site.
How much does it cost to go on Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic Explorer?
When Lindblad Expeditions bought the ship in October 2007, it needed considerable rebuilding. Lindblad's flagship National Geographic Explorer cruises from pole to pole (Arctic and Antarctica), and also in Europe - to Iceland, Greenland, and the Norwegian Fjords. The vessel was originally built as MS Midnatsol (link to the Hurtigruten ship).
National Geographic Explorer - user reviews and comments
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Lindblad and Disney to Boost Marketing of National Geographic Cruises.
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Lindblad Expeditions introduced National Geographic Explorer in 2008, providing the line with the most sophisticated expedition-style ship afloat. It's equipped with high-tech equipment for forecasting ice conditions, underwater cameras that can drop to the seabed and state-of-the-art audiovisual gear. An ice-strengthened hull allows the ship to penetrate deep fjords in the Arctic and sail through pack ice in Antarctica. In December 2017, Lindblad Quest ship was repositioned for cruises to Costa Rica and Panama.
LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXTEND AND EXPAND STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP ... - PR Newswire
LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXTEND AND EXPAND STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP ....
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Fine dining and exemplary service round out the exceptional cruise experience. National Geographic Sea Bird sailed into Crow Butte in the early morning while guests on the bow enjoyed viewing the Columbia River, which forms the border between Washington and Oregon. Guests had the option of an aerobic hike, nature hike, photo hike, and history walk around Crow Butte and Crow Butte Campground. The beauty of the area awed guests, sporting views of local vineyards, dams, wildlife refuges, and the dry sagebrush-step ecosystem that dominates the area. Guests spied a variety of wildflowers and birds of prey, including spotting a golden eagle.
Other Lindblad Expeditions cruise ships
The 2017-built National Geographic Quest cruise ship is one of the new Lindblad-National Geographic vessels, together with the sistership Nat Geo Venture (2018). All members — regardless of status — will enjoy a $250 onboard credit to use on incidentals. For starters, it has one of the best Zodiac launch set-ups I've ever seen. The ship's 13 Zodiacs tuck away very close to the waterline, in an indoor "garage" with giant doors that open to the water. This allows them to be deployed more quickly than on some expedition ships. In addition, National Geographic Resolution can spin completely around in place, thanks to two Azipod thrusters that hang down below the vessel and can rotate a full 360 degrees.
Food served aboard is local, fresh and sustainably sourced when possible. When weather conditions allow, light fare is served outside on the observation deck. Lindblad has built up a lot of expertise in polar cruising over many decades of offering ship-based trips to places like Antarctica — an expertise that shows in the way it designed National Geographic Resolution. Along with its sister vessel, the ship is one of the most versatile around for exploring the destination and other polar regions. After four trips to the White Continent, I'm convinced it's truly the ultimate Antarctica cruise ship. For a vessel designed to carry just 126 passengers, National Geographic Resolution offers a generous array of eateries and lounges, all with a soothing, Scandinavian-influenced design.
They feature a balcony outfitted with two chairs, a table, and a hammock; convertible sleeper sofa; writing desk and chair; two bedside tables; and a closet with ample storage. Our newest additions include National Geographic Islander ll, an elegant ship with just 48 suites, sailing the Galápagos year-round, and the Sea Cloud II, a modern-day counterpart to the historic Sea Cloud with 44 outward-facing cabins. The boat's facilities and public areas include a Chart Room (facilities for films and presentations), Global Gallery (shop), Internet Cafe (Internet access), Observation Lounge with a full-service bar, sauna, LEX spa, and a fitness center. The Explorer also features a well-stocked library which is a quiet refuge. The Sun Deck offers observation spaces for viewing the sculpted icebergs of Antarctica or the steep-walled fjords of Norway. In Antarctica, in particular, the size of a vessel matters when it comes to the quality of the experience, as expedition ships in Antarctica are limited to landing 100 passengers at a time by international treaty.
In fact, this is more likely to be an attraction for Lindblad's passengers, knowing that all the investment has gone directly into facilities and equipment that help you get the most out of your destination rather than flashy distractions. If you've never traveled aboard an expedition ship before, Lindblad's National Geographic Quest is a great place to start. This stalwart cruise company set many of the standards for expedition cruising and broke much of the new ground for the entire small ship industry, and their many years of experience is evident in their delivery. All feature windows or portholes, private facilities, climate controls, hair dryers, and TV, plus Ethernet, Wi-Fi connections, and USB ports for mobile devices. Single cabins in Category SA and Category SB are located on the main deck and upper deck. Nat Geo Explorer's itinerary program is based on expedition cruises in Antarctica during winter and in the Arctic during summer months.
Quest carries watercraft like kayaks, use of which are also included in your fare. The servers and bar staff are attentive and quick to deliver food and beverages. The restaurant Maitre D visits every table during every meal to ensure guests are content with their orders. This level of personal service is a benefit of small ship cruising, and National Geographic Endurance crew performs it to a T.
The service is friendly and the crew take extra care accommodating the needs of the guests. The dining room windows ensure that guests enjoy both the scenery and wildlife during dining times. The small desk features a bright light, outlets for US plugs and USB ports. A giant atlas, a copy of a current National Geographic magazine, a map of the current cruise and catalog of the Lindblad cruises being offered in the next two years are tucked away in a shelf above the desk.
In polar destinations, thermal underwear, beanies, fleeces and spray jackets and pants are de rigueur.
In expedition cruising, sometimes the ultimate luxury is being in a small group. National Geographic Resolution also sails with an impressive stash of adventure gear for exploring, including the previously mentioned kayaks, snowshoes and cross-country skis. The whale encounter went on so long that some of the ship's hotel staff eventually came out in a Zodiac with hot chocolate to pass to passengers looking for a warm-up. They also brought out Kahlua, Frangelico and a few other liqueurs to splash into it — a lovely touch.
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