Lindblad Expeditions next year
will offer seven-day Europe voyages in addition to the longer expedition sailings
for which the company is known.
The sailings will have an emphasis
on food, wine, culture and history as well as the Lindblad staples of nature
and the environment. A musicologist, local historians and naturalists will be
aboard the ship for all or most of the sailings, Lindblad said.
The slogan for the new product is “See the Old World in a New
Light,” said Todd Copley, Lindblad's vice president of expedition development. In order to achieve that, the company has designed itineraries that are slower-paced than its Europe expedition cruises.
The seven-day voyages will depart
on the National Geographic Orion starting next April.
The ship will call in major ports
as well as off-the-beaten track destinations such as the Skellig Islands off
the Ireland coast. Passengers will have a wide choice of activities, including
dinner in a vineyard, a rooftop tour of Stockholm or scuba diving in Scotland.
The Orion will sail with its own fleet of bikes, Zodiacs and kayaks.
The exertion level of activities
vary from mountain biking to touring in a 4x4 vehicle to people-watching from a
wine bar in a port city.
National Geographic photographers
will be on the ship, working with passengers on their photography. Musicologist
Jacob Edgar, host of the PBS travel series “Music Voyager,” has arranged
concerts throughout the trip. Some will be onboard the ship, others in onshore
venues.
Passengers may purchase a combination
of sailings. Pre- and post-cruise tours are available.