Luxurious cruise line Lindblad Expeditions is increasing its presence within the Galapagos with plans to purchase two ships from fellow cruise line Celeb Cruises.
Lindblad will buy each the 48-guest Celeb Xpedition and the smaller, 16-guest Celeb Xploration for the Lindblad Expeditions-Nationwide Geographic fleet, the corporate introduced Wednesday. Following the sale, which is predicted to shut in January 2025, each ships will endure multi-million greenback renovations.
Every ship was purpose-built for the Galapagos.
“We acknowledge and respect the immense privilege our firm has to function and develop our expedition cruise choices within the Galápagos Islands,” Sven-Olof Lindblad, the founder and CEO of Lindblad Expeditions, mentioned in a press release. “By sourcing well-appointed vessels and onboarding essentially the most skilled crew and employees who meet our exacting requirements of accountable exploration, we’re capable of transport friends from world wide to the long-lasting archipelago and assist them perceive the significance of defending and preserving its wonders and wildlife, as a consequence of their private expertise.”
Vacationers will be capable to ebook the 2 ships later this month when their new names are revealed.
At the moment, the Celeb Xpedition options two eating venues and 24 cabins, together with 13 balcony suites. The Celeb Xploration is an eight-cabin catamaran, which Lindblad mentioned is “good for household holidays, affinity teams, and personal charters.”
Along with these ships, Lindblad sails a fleet of 17 different expedition ships the world over from Antarctica to Egypt and past.
For its half, Celeb will now function only one ship within the Galapagos: the Celeb Flora. That ship was additionally particularly constructed to sail within the Galapagos and options all suites, room for 100 friends, and even the choice to glamp below the celebs in a cabana on deck.
A spokesperson for Celeb instructed Journey + Leisure the corporate was nonetheless dedicated to crusing within the Galapagos. Along with the Celeb Flora, the Royal Caribbean Group will even function Silversea’s Silver Origin within the Galapagos.