New cruise ships for 2017: National Geographic Quest
Several major lines that market to North Americans are rolling out new oceangoing ships in 2017. Here, Paste BN profiles one of the new offerings: Lindblad Expeditions' National Geographic Quest. For information on the year's other new vessels, click HERE to return to the main page of our Guide to the New Cruise Ships of 2017.
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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC QUEST
Line: Lindblad Expeditions
Maiden voyage: June 26
Home ports: Various
Size (in tons): 2,906
Passengers: 100
The buzz: One of the world's top expedition cruise operators finally is getting a shiny new ship.
One of two sister vessels coming by 2018, National Geographic Quest will be outfitted with all the cool toys that have made expedition cruising with Lindblad so alluring, including a remotely operated vehicle, 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.
The ship also will carry kayaks, paddle boards and Zodiac-style landing craft for outdoorsy adventures during voyages and for exploring.
Under construction at Washington state' Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Quest will be a third larger than the line's long-serving, 62-passenger National Geographic Sea Bird and Sea Lion, which were built at the same shipyard. It'll feature an extra deck and a more sophisticated design, including its own mudroom with rows of lockers where passengers can store boots, snorkeling equipment and other gear, making excursion preparation more efficient.
Also of note: The ship's 50 cabins will include 22 with balconies, a relative rarity on expedition-style ships. In another unusual-for-expedition-ships twist, 12 of the cabins will be able to be configured into six adjoining cabins for families. The vessel's 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.
Itineraries: Seven-night sailings in Alaska starting at $6,590 per person, and voyages along the coast of British Columbia and Central America.
Information: 800-397-3348; expeditions.com