First-Time Expedition Cruisers React to a National Geographic-Lindblad Galapagos Sailing

Travel Market Report’s senior editor Dori Saltzman recently returned with her immediate family from a National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions cruise in the Galapagos. Other than Dori, the rest of the group had never been to the Galapagos or on any expedition cruise. Their feedback on the experience provides an inside look at the thoughts of first-timers to both the destination and expedition as a cruise style.

Some of what they found surprising might help travel advisors better prepare their clients for similar experiences. Here are six things about the experience that surprised them.

(Present on the cruise were Dori’s mother [79], father [78], and sister [52]).

1. Expedition Is Non-Stop Active

While it seems self-evident, especially if you’ve done an expedition cruise before, for anyone that has only cruised on big ships – or never cruised at all – the intensity of an expedition cruise can take people by surprise. On our National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions sailing we sometimes had as many as four off-ship activities in a day – two before lunch and two after.

On top of that, there was usually at least one post-lunch lecture or video presentation, and often an after-dinner activity of some sort.

Days got off to an early start and often ended some 45 minutes before the evening recap. For those who took part in all the active options, the pace could be grueling.

For my septuagenarian parents (one of whom walks some six miles daily at home), who never did any of the water-based activities other than the glass-bottom boat, the pace was still a lot. Starting out too quickly and trying to pack as much as possible in early, led to over-exhaustion by day six.

Travel advisors with older clients (70+) – even those who are in excellent shape – might want to caution against going all-in right away. Skipping one hike earlier in the journey could enable your clients to participate every day rather than fading out towards the end.

2. There are Plenty of Non-Snorkel Options Available

When I first presented my mother with the opportunity to go to the Galapagos on a Lindblad cruise, she was excited. As the date of travel approached, she became more nervous.

“I don’t think I’m the right person for this cruise,” she told me, so I asked her what about this cruise in particular made her think that?

It was the repeated references to snorkeling that had her hesitating. My mother does not swim, so she’s certainly not going to snorkel. What else was there to do besides snorkel, she wanted to know. She didn’t want to sit idly around while others were in the water.

Despite reassuring her there would be plenty of other options, she expressed real surprise at how much non-snorkeling activity was offered once we were onboard. Twice daily hikes, glass-bottom boat rides on two separate occasions, Zodiac-based sightseeing, kayaking – there was plenty to keep non-snorkelers busy.

Knowing expedition the way I do, I hadn’t noticed how much emphasis was placed on water-based activities in the marketing around the Galapagos. Travel advisors marketing Galapagos expedition cruisers might want to ensure their marketing assets (photos, blog posts, etc.) place as much emphasis on the non-water-based options as on all the snorkeling.

3. There’s an Easily Accessible Doctor Onboard

Doctors on big ships are hidden away and visiting them usually comes with some sticker shock. Not so on Lindblad. Our doctor was introduced on day one, the door to her office was almost always open, and she was always a walkie-talkie call away.

Though no one in my group ended up needing the doctor, we saw plenty of other passengers who did. (Several of the hiking trails are rocky and we saw missteps take out more than one hiker.) Additionally, because there are no mini-fridges in cabins on board National Geographic Endeavour II, the doctor’s office was the one place cruisers could store medications that needed to stay cold.

4. Cruise Ships in the Galapagos Are Small. You Can’t Get Lost

About halfway through our sailing, I asked my family what they had found surprising so far and what they were enjoying. My mother’s first response was to say she loved that the ship was small and there’s no way for her to get lost.

As someone who has been on numerous expedition cruises, I was struck by her answer. Obviously, an expedition ship can’t be large (or, at least, shouldn’t be). And, in the Galapagos, where ships aren’t permitted to hold more than 100 passengers, of course, they’re small. But for travelers who have never seen a small cruise ship in person, what they picture in their minds is considerably larger than the reality.

My mom also liked that despite its small size, there was still room for cruisers to get a massage.

5. Crew Truly Focus on Making Sure Everyone Has a Good Time

All cruise lines want their passengers to have a good time, but the consistent emphasis of this onboard National Geographic Endeavour II was a pleasant surprise to everyone in my group.

In the restaurant, the restaurant manager was on top of my mother’s dietary restrictions from day one. Within a couple of days, our waiter was reserving the same table for my family at every meal, and he had the gluten-free bread my mom needed and my dad’s iced tea ready for them.

Even the Zodiac drivers had the needs of cruisers front and center. They were always pointing out something for people to photograph, they shuffled people so that no one was stuck in a bad position for too long, and they were experts at turning the boats so that everyone got an opportunity to take perfect pictures.

Halfway through the cruise, we got a satisfaction card to fill out asking specifically if there was anything the crew could do to make the trip better.

6. There Is a Strong Sense of Place

My father’s biggest takeaway from our Galapagos cruise was how strong the sense of the destination was onboard. This is fairly specific to the Galapagos where the crew are primarily Ecuadorian and all but two of the naturalists were from the Galapagos. Food is Ecuadorian (I grew addicted to the 24/7 plantain chips) and during our overnight at Santa Cruz island, a local troupe of cultural dancers came onboard to perform traditional Ecuadorian and Galapagos dances.

Naturalist presentations didn’t only focus on the flora and fauna of the Galapagos either. We had one presentation on the human inhabitation and history of the islands, and a few on the local conservation efforts, which also helped bring a strong sense of place to the entire experience.