A new adventure cruise ship being built for Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic will break new ground, or rather ice, opening destinations that could previously only be visited in the summer season, or not at all.
The new ship, National Geographic Endurance, will enter service in 2020 with Polar Class 5 rating, essentially qualifying it as an icebreaker as well as a luxury cruiser. It will be able to operate in polar environments all year.
Among the new or expanded destinations are Svalbard, Norway, where the ship will now be able to cruise when polar bears and cubs are emerging from hibernation; Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s largest; deep excursions into Antarctic waters and a Northeast Passage from Norway across to Alaska.
