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Lindblad's 2017 includes family-friendly Galápagos ship, a coastal newbuild and Cuba

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Young explorers observe a giant tortoise in the Galápagos. Lindblad will be introducing its most family-friendly ship there (© Ralph Lee Hopkins)
2017 is a big year for Lindblad Expeditions as the line introduces the first newbuild in its history, a newly acquired ship in the Galápagos that's loaded with family-friendly features and sailings in Cuba (which start in December this year). Northern Europe, Arctic and Amazon programs are featured, too.

National Geographic Quest, under construction at Nichols Brothers near Seattle, is due to enter service June 26. The 100-passenger coastal ship will be outfitted with 24 sea kayaks, paddle boards, snorkeling equipment and Zodiacs, as well as a remotely operated vehicle, video microscope and a hydrophone and bow-cam designed for immediate bow deployment to hear and film, for instance, humpback whale vocalizations and see bow-riding dolphins.

The ship debuts with a 13-day 'Treasures of the Inside Passage: Alaska & British Columbia' expedition that includes a day in the San Juan Islands and a day in the Gulf Islands before heading north through British Columbia and Alaska. Rates start at $9,390 per person, double occupancy.

The completely transformed Via Australis, renamed National Geographic Endeavour II, debuts in the Galápagos in January. The ship will accommodate 96 passengers in 52 outside cabins. Family-friendly features include seven sets of cabins with a connecting door and six triples. For singles, there are nine solo cabins.

The ship's refurbishments span redesigned cabins, forward lounge and bar, restaurant, a large library with Mac kiosks, open-air observation deck, underwater gear area and dual Zodiac boarding platform. Expedition equipment includes nine Zodiacs, one with a glass bottom, kayaks and paddle boards, snorkel gear and wet suits for both adults and children, video microscope and underwater video camera. National Geographic Endeavour II will also feature a new LEXSpa and fitness center, exercise classes and wellness specialist.

In Cuba, an 11-day people-to-people program aboard the chartered 44-passenger Panorama II combines the island's culture and political history with its natural history and pristine marine habitats. The program begins with a three-night stay at the historic Hotel Nacional, followed by a seven-day cruise along Cuba’s southern coast. Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen) Marine Park, which offers some of the world's finest coral reefs, is in the charts (pending Cuban approval) along with the Bay of Pigs (pending approval) and colonial cities Trinidad and Cienfuegos. The first program departs Dec. 7, with 16 consecutive departures through March 2017. Rates begin at $9,550.

In Alaska Lindblad is offering its most active adventure aboard the 62-passenger National Geographic Sea Bird. 'Wild Alaska Escape' is a six-day exploration of wild, pristine Alaska. Highlights include a stop at the Chilkat Tlingit village of Klukwan, bicycling trips around Haines (the most challenging, a trek up Mount Riley), kayaking and hikes in Tongass National Forest. Rates begin at $4,290. There are 12 departures, May 27 through Aug. 30.

Sea Bird also operates an 11-day Alaska voyage that spans the full north-south expanse of the Inside Passage, with a special focus on photography. Four departures are available.

The new National Geographic Quest will offer 'British Columbia & The San Juan Islands,' an eight-day program between Seattle and Vancouver, BC, also offered on four dates.

In Europe, the 148-passenger National Geographic Explorer will embark on a 19-day circumnavigation of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The ship will visit wild, rugged, seldom-seen islands of the west, as well as Edinburgh, Portsmouth, Lindisfarne, Iona and Staffa. The focus is on culture and history in lands that have been continuously inhabited since Stone Age times. The cruise sails April 29 and fares start at $18,380.

The 102-passenger National Geographic Orion, meanwhile, will circumnavigate the Baltic Sea in 14 days, exploring eight countries. Destinations range from tiny Visby to St. Petersburg (a two-day call). Departures are May 21 and June 3, with fares starting at $14,840.

Arctic programs include 'Hot Springs and Icebergs: Iceland to West Greenland,' nine days aboard National Geographic Explorer, and 'Nordic Passages: Shetlands, Orkney, Faroes and Iceland,' 14 days focused on Norse mythology and Viking history, on National Geographic Orion. The ship also operates 'Iceland's Wild West Coast to East Greenland,' 10 days.

Rounding out Lindblad's program are photo expeditions on the Upper Amazon, 10 days aboard the 28-passenger Delphin II, accompanied by National Geographic photographer Jonathan Irish and Lindblad-National Geographic certified photo instructors.

And 'Belize to Tikal: Reefs, Rivers and Ruins of the Maya World,' eight days aboard the newbuild National Geographic Quest, is a land-and-sea expedition to discover Mayan ruins overgrown with tropical rain forest and snorkel among some of the 65 species of stony coral and 500 species of fish on the Belize Barrier Reef.