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Dispatches from National Geographic Endurance: Inaugural Celebration

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National Geographic Endurance makes her debut! Scheduled to launch in April of 2020, she was at anchor until now—July 22, 2021—when a jubilant Lindblad Expeditions team welcomed her first-ever guests and celebrated with time-honored ship christening traditions. Here’s a taste of what it felt like to be there. Get Inspired By Photos, Videos, Webinars, Stories, And Exclusive Offers. Sign Up

Lindblad Expeditions staff line the deck rails to wave to guests wearing their special Arctic blue parkas as they head to the reception area for the National Geographic Endurance inaugural ceremony.

Photo: Juliette Rowland

Sven Lindblad warmly welcomes the guests to a closed, exclusive celebration of National Geographic Endurance’s debut—the first new polar build in Lindblad Expeditions’ history, conveying genuine emotion as he talked about seeing the ship for the first time.

Photo: Juliette Rowland

Sven Lindblad tells the assembled guests, many of whom have traveled repeatedly with Lindblad Expeditions, the news of his new role as company Co-Chair of the Board; and introduces them to the new CEO of Lindblad Expeditions, Dolf Berle.

Photo: Juliette Rowland

New Lindblad Expeditions CEO Dolf Berle expresses his gratitude to the guests and the Lindblad team for the event’s “family feeling” and his commitment to carrying on the work and values of the company.

Photo: Juliette Rowland

Captain Aaron Wood expressed his pride in the ship and described it as a pinnacle—of collective experience and collective careers, not just over years but decades.

Photo: Juliette Rowland

Among the guests in the audience: (front row, far right in the blue parka) Lindblad Expeditions’ Nikolaos Doulis, Senior VP of New Builds, who supervised every phase of National Geographic Endurance’s development, and (to his right) Leif Skog, VP of Marine Operations, arguably the most experienced polar Captain/Ice Master in the passenger ship business, responsible for ensuring the ship’s expedition bona fides.

Photo: Juliette Rowland

National Geographic Endurance Hotel Managers (left to right) Patrik Svärdmyr and Sebastian Guijarro have worked tirelessly to make sure every detail of the ship is perfect for welcoming inaugural guests.

Photo: Juliette Rowland

The hotel team awaits the christening’s finale to serve celebratory champagne to the guests. At the far right, flanked by Hotel Manager Sebastian Guijarro and Chief Purser Manuel Marchionni, is Bruce Tschampel, VP of Hotel Operations.

Photo: Juliette Rowland

A proud and happy Lindblad Expeditions leadership team. From left to right: CEO Dolf Berle; Tyler Skarda, Senior VP of Marine Operations; Sven Lindblad, Founder and Co-Chair of the Board; Leif Skog, VP of Marine Operations; Captain Aaron Wood, National Geographic Endurance; and Nikolaos Doulis, Senior VP of New Buildings.

Photo: Juliette Rowland

High up on National Geographic Endurance’s Bridge deck, against the backdrop of Reykjavík’s distinctive Harpa Concert Hall, Lindblad Expeditions’ Director of Field Staff & Expedition Development, Jen Martin, and Ana Esteves, Director of Hotel Operations, are ready to perform the champagne toss.

Photo: Michael S. Nolan

The energy, the enthusiasm, the dedication that has been put in to the making of this ship was for one purpose only—to make it possible for you folks to go out and explore the world, to appreciate all its wonders and then to face together some of the challenges that we inevitably must as it relates to the natural world.

Sven-Olof Lindblad, Founder and Co-Chair of the Board

Built For Adventure

As befitting a ship christening held in Iceland, a saga was recounted: guests watched this video showing the National Geographic Endurance's journey from drawing board to a dock in Reykjavik, where she stands ready to receive them and fulfill her mission to explore and understand the world. [Interesting fact: National Geographic Endurance is the first ship ever to be christened in Reykjavik harbor—her first of, hopefully, many history-making distinctions.]

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What was wonderful for me to witness was a number of you meeting staff from our ships that you knew, sometimes more than ten years ago, and so there is a family feeling already, and that is a big part of who we are.

Dolf Berle, CEO

Explore the ship

And once aboard

Guests entered their cabins (the first guests ever to have occupied them) to find the first-ever inaugural parka, Arctic Blue edition, waiting on their bed.

It’s an absolute honor to stand here as captain of this wonderful ship, on this special day. All of us as crew members aboard the ship and the wider Lindblad family, we have waited for so long for this moment.

Aaron Wood, Captain

Inspired to join us? There are still a few choice cabins left aboard Iceland & Greenland: Wild Coasts & Icy Shores for two August departures. Don't miss out on adventure aboard a "virgin ship!"