The first ship built new for this line
The National Geographic Quest came out of a Washington State yard in 2017. She
is the first ship the line had built for itself rather than converting an
existing hull, and it shows: seventy-three metres, 50 cabins, 100 travellers,
four decks, a lift serving every deck, a shallow draught for inside waters, large
glazed surfaces and a double embarkation platform that speeds up Zodiac
rotations.
Her ground follows the seasons: Alaska and the Inside Passage in summer, Baja
California and the Sea of Cortez in winter, with routes toward Costa Rica, Panama
and the Caribbean.
What to know before booking
A professional review puts it bluntly: anyone hoping for waistcoated butlers,
free-flowing champagne and sparkling chandeliers will be disappointed. This is an
expedition ship. Evening entertainment comes down to the naturalists' talks, and
that is the format, openly.
Crew gratuities are not included on this ship: they are included on only four
ships in the fleet, and this one is not among them. There is no National
Geographic photographer aboard either, but a certified photo instructor.
The existence of cabins adapted for travellers with disabilities is documented
nowhere, on this ship as across the fleet. The lift helps you move between decks;
it changes nothing about the descent into a Zodiac.
The other ships in the fleet
The National Geographic Venture is her twin, delivered a year later. The National Geographic Explorer and the National Geographic Orion cover the polar
regions. The National Geographic Endurance has the highest ice class in the fleet.
What the fare covers, and the detail that surprises
Included: the landings and outings of the expedition programme, use of the
Zodiacs, kayaks, paddleboards and snorkelling gear, park entrance fees and
special access permits, port taxes, airport transfers within the recommended
window, and meals aboard. Alcohol is included on every ship but four, which
the line names one by one.
Here is the detail that surprises people. Crew gratuities are included on
only four ships in the fleet: the Endurance, the Resolution, the Explorer and
the Orion. On the other eight ships of the brand they stay on your account. It
is a two-speed mechanism inside one company, and nothing on a ship's page warns
you about it.
The National Geographic photographer follows exactly the same rule: aboard
those same four ships and no others. Everywhere else you will find a certified
photo instructor. That is a real and useful role, but it is not the same thing,
and confusing the two is the first source of disappointment on this fleet.
International air travel is not included. Some internal flights essential to
the route are, when the itinerary says so in black and white.
What "expedition" means here
The programme is not decided in advance. Landings happen where ice, wind and
wildlife allow, and the expedition leader may change the day's plan at lunch.
That is the very principle of this kind of travel, and a traveller attached to
a fixed itinerary will be happier elsewhere.
You go ashore by Zodiac. Often in a wet landing, meaning feet in the water,
from a craft that moves. That calls for being able to go down a gangway ladder,
step over a pontoon and keep your balance. No lift compensates for it.
On accessibility, let us say things as they are. The line publishes no
accessibility policy, and no wheelchair-accessible cabin is documented on any
ship in the fleet, lift or no lift. A professional review sums it up in one
sentence: the ship has elevators but no cabins or accommodations for travellers
with disabilities. Any booking for a traveller with reduced mobility must go
through written confirmation from the line.
From Quebec
None of these routes begins here, and international air travel is not
included in the fare. Depending on the region, expect one or two connections,
and sometimes a compulsory internal flight the itinerary specifies.
Arrive the day before at the very least. On an expedition the ship leaves on
time and does not come back for you. A delayed bag or a shifted flight can be
absorbed by one spare day, and cannot be absorbed at all otherwise.
Our advisors assemble the flight, the expedition, hotel nights, transfers and
insurance in a single file, under the protection of Quebec's compensation fund
for travel agency customers. Write to us and we will look at what the season
allows.
