Cruise & Ferry Interiors 2020

5 8 N amed after polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship, National Geographic Endurance was designed to navigate polar passages year-round, providing guests with the chance to explore in exceptional comfort. “This is a major milestone for National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions – until now we have put together a carefully sourced used fleet,” says Nikolaos Doulis, senior vice president of newbuildings at Lindblad Expeditions. “Endurance is our first newbuild and was purposely designed and built to continuously operate in polar waters.” The team took a collaborative approach to creating the vessel, which successfully completed sea trials in March 2020. “Endurance is a truly collaborative ship – every team contributed to the planning and design process to make sure that she fulfilled every criteria and expectation,” says Doulis. “It was very important that we built a unique ship with a big personality and distinct voice. The design brief called for sophisticated and contemporary values with Scandinavian- inspired interiors and exceedingly high- quality finishes throughout.” INTERIOR V IEW Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic are partners in exploration, conservation and education. Jon Ingleton talks with Nikolaos Doulis about the latest addition to their fleet National Geographic Endurance Nikolaos Doulis pictured with Sven-Olof Lindblad, CEO of Lindblad Expeditions, in front of National Geographic Endurance