By: Jaclyn Vercillo, a Marvelous Mouse Travels agent
This Bougie traveler decided to mix things up and head out on a National Geographic Lindblad Expedition. I am used to Luxury travel but I have only heard amazing things about National Geographic Expeditions so I decided to hop aboard and let the Adventure guide me. I flew to Seattle the night before and stayed at the Edgewater hotel right by the port. We always recommend flying in a day before a cruise and I was not willing to risk missing this boat! I woke up the next morning to the Norwegian Bliss pulling into port which holds just over 4,000 passengers. The other port had the National Geographic Venture, my ship, with a capacity of 100 passengers. You can imagine my excitement but also the nerves! Can I do this? Can I be a true Nat Geo explorer? There was no turning back now.
We boarded the ship and from the start we felt the love and engagement from the crew. We got right to our room and took in where we were staying the next 7 nights. It was a small room but had plenty of storage and a balcony. We quickly realized that most of our time would be spent exploring, sightseeing, and socializing with our fellow guests. The rooms have no TV for a reason. You are only meant to sleep and wash up. We had a tight schedule including a 6:30am wake up call each day. That was a new one for us! We set sail out of Seattle and headed towards Canada. Let the adventure begin!
Our first day was in Victoria where I decided on an e-bike tour through the city with my fellow passengers followed by a haunted tour of the city. Nat Geo offered a lot of different expeditions and it was hard to choose. I had so much fun touring the city by bike and we even got to cheer on the Victoria Marathon runners that day! While they ran we revved our throttles. The irony was not lost on me! That night, Nat Geo hosted a beautiful cocktail hour at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. We enjoyed wine and a beautiful display of indigenous artwork and photography. Then we headed back to the boat for dinner (your expedition team locally sources food for your trip so you will pick your entree every morning so they buy accordingly) and we set sail for the San Juan islands.
I really loved the underwater dive team and the professional National Geographic photographers presentations along our journey. When we weren’t exploring on land and sea, we were learning so much on the ship. Sometimes we would push back our sessions because we spotted whales and other sea life and we would run to the deck to see nature at it’s finest. Breathtaking moments that made you feel like you were in a movie or a nature channel documentary. We also had presentations from all of our guides and it was such a small group it felt like a family by the time we left.
I was blown away by this experience. It is hard to put into words how unique each expedition is and just how much you get out of it. Each day brought on new places and new explorations. I loved taking the zodiacs out to small coves for hikes. The scenery was incredible. I loved all of the educational aspects of our trip. Whale watching was majestic and learning about the indigenous tribes of the San Juan islands are things I will remember forever. I will never forget all of the travelers and crew we met and had hours of conversations with. These expeditions are filled with wonderful travelers who have been all over the world and want to learn more while they travel. I learned so much on this trip and pushed myself to new limits (including finding cute outdoor/waterproof gear prior to my trip). I would highly recommend National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions for a truly unique, adventurous, and educational travel experience. It was my first trip with them but it won’t be my last!
Ready to experience the adventure of a lifetime? Let Marvelous Mouse Travels help you plan your own National Geographic Lindblad Expedition. From breathtaking scenery to immersive learning, we’ll take care of every detail so you can focus on exploring.
Contact us today to start your journey!
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