Lindblad Expeditions announces two new National Geographic Explorer ships

The new National Geographic Explorer ships announced by Lindblad Expeditions will be a third larger than the existing Lindblad vessels with an extra deck of passenger cabins and a more sophisticated exterior design.

Lindblad published details of the two new ships in a contract with a Washington state shipbuilder, Nichols Brothers Boat Builders. Nichols also built Lindblad/National Geographic's current U.S.-flagged ships, the National Geographic Sea Bird and Sea Lion.

The new ships, with capacity for 100 guests, will be 45% larger than the 62-passenger Sea Bird and Sea Lion.

A rendering shows four passenger decks, rather than three. The ship is painted in Lindblad's color scheme of a navy blue hull and white superstructure separated by a yellow band.

The 50 cabins will include 22 with balconies, and eight that can be configured into four adjoining cabins for families. The Sun Deck will include an al fresco bar and grill, in addition to the indoor lounge and dining room found on the Sea Lion/Sea Bird vessels.

The ships, which together cost $94.6 million, will be outfitted with Lindblad's full compliment of expedition technology, including including a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), a video microscope designed to display microorganisms from polar waters, and a hydrophone and bow-cam designed for immediate bow deployment to hear and film marine mammals.

Onboard, the ships will carry kayaks, paddle boards and Zodiac-style landing craft.

The first of the new ships is scheduled for delivery in the spring of 2017, with the second to follow a year later. For a deck-by-deck look inside Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic's Sea Lion, click through the carousel below.

Tom Stieghorst covers cruising at Travel Weekly.