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Mapping out itineraries is a critical component of launching a vessel. Itinerary creation influences many aspects of our business – guest interests, operations, staffing – and requires input from a seasoned team of experts that is up to date on the pulse of the field, as well as the thoughts and advice of our office staff.

With that in mind, our VP of Expedition Development Trey Byus, along with the chief architect of our new itineraries, Expedition Leader Tim Soper, got together in New York with Sven Lindblad and began to work through all the various deployment options for our new ship. Input and advice from other key resources heavily influenced the discussions. The arsenal of information – suggestions, thoughts and feedback – provided by many other Lindblad Captains, Expedition Leaders and Developers set the stage for the New York meeting and helped frame the conversations.

In thinking through all the possible places to send the NG Explorer, our team contemplated questions such as:
• How would each stop fit into the overall theme of the expedition?
• Are we sufficiently exposing people to native culture and history?
• Have we set aside enough time for viewing marine animals and other wildlife?
• Have we considered some extraordinary places to kayak?
• Have we balanced the off-the-beaten-path with the “must see” places?
• Can we fully utilize our exploration tools (ROV, hydrophones, underwater cameras) in this location?
• Is the tide correct? Is there too much ice? Is there enough ice?

Of course, many more questions came up and the team deftly worked through all sorts of details to hone their list of possible routes. After much hard work and some very intense days of questioning the possibilities, the Lindblad team eventually determined the best routing.

As of today, many of the specific details for the NG Explorer’s routes are still being worked out. And, of course, the selection of locations is only the tip of the iceberg (so to speak) in the itinerary making process. In fact, many more details such as arranging charter aircraft, securing hotels, and appointing agents still must occur for the plans to continue to move forward.

However, we don’t want you to wait too long to learn the specifics of how our plans are shaping up. We invite you to check back next week for details on a program that we are extraordinarily excited about – the inaugural voyage of the NG Explorer!

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