National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions on Thursday held a naming ceremony for its two newest Galapagos-based expedition ships, the National Geographic Delfina and the National Geographic Gemini.
The ships were previously known as the Celebrity Xploration and the Celebrity Xpedition; National Geographic-Lindblad purchased them from Celebrity Cruises last summer.
The two ships entered service for National Geographic-Lindblad in February and March. The company's Galapagos fleet also includes the 98-passenger National Geographic Endeavour II and the 48-passenger National Geographic Islander II.
The ceremony included leaders of the cruise line, staff and their family members as well as local dignitaries and community members from the Galapagos, the company said.
The 48-passenger Gemini has 28 staterooms, and the 16-passenger, catamaran-style Delfina has only eight, making it the most intimate sailing experience in the fleet, Ana Esteves, senior vice president of hotel operations, said during a webinar.
"Sixteen guests means that you can bring your best friends," she said. "You can have two families chartering this ship."