Female Captain Leads Lindblad's Newest Expedition Cruise Into Antarctica
Lindblad Expeditions' first female captain lead a major milestone recently, by christening the company's second polar vessel on its inaugural voyage to Antarctica in late November.
"I wish this ship calm winds, fair seas, and great adventures. May everyone who sails with her be blessed," Captain Norling said to celebrate her Antarctica voyage onboard the National Geographic Resolution on Nov. 22, according to a press release shared with Travel + Leisure.
Ralph Lee Hopkins/Courtesy of Sven Lindblad
The milestone marked Lindland Expeditions' second polar ship in the company's history — and also its second vessel to launch in 2021. (The other ship, National Geographic Endurance, is also in Antarctica for the season.)
While onboard, guests can enjoy features like infinity-style outdoor hot tubs with igloos, a library, a lounge with bar, film screening rooms, a photo workshop area, a science hub, and more. Each voyage features on-duty wildlife spotters, a National Geographic photographer, an undersea specialist, and many more experts.
"There is over 1,000 years of combined team expertise that go into a moment like this, and what an amazing team it is," Dolf Berle, CEO of Lindblad Expeditions, said in a statement. "We are so proud of everyone that worked tirelessly to create this extraordinary ship."
The ship is fully stabilized and features "patented X-Bow technology," which Lindblad Expeditions says makes for a smooth and comfortable ride, no matter the conditions, by eliminating bow impact. The ship will be able to navigate deeper into the polar regions than other Antarctic expeditions.
The National Geographic Resolution was named to honor the first ship to cross the Antarctic Circle in 1773, navigated by Captain James Cook. The ship is capable of accommodating up to 126 guests in its Scandinavian-inspired cabins. It will spend the season in Antarctica before journeying up to Europe in the spring. The ship will navigate from Portugal to France and Scotland to Norway, including itineraries around Iceland and Greenland. After spending summer in the Arctic, the ship will return to Antarctica via Japan and the East China Sea.
Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.
