There’s no doubt that boarding a boat and setting off to explore distant shores always provides a great feeling of adventure. Whether you prefer sundrenched or ice-capped scenery, the choice of destinations, activities or pure relaxation is enormous. Seafarer is the UK office for ‘mega yacht’ cruise operator Variety Cruises, with a purpose built fleet of eight vessels with between 20 and 36 cabins. The company operates an extensive range of scheduled cruises in places like the Greek isles, Croatia and Montenegro, Spain and Portugal, Cuba, the Cape Verde Islands, Costa Ricas and Panama, Iceland and also year round in the Seychelles. Variety Cruises’ fleet of mega yachts rarely holds more than 60 passengers. This ensures a relaxed, informal but sophisticated voyage for the discerning traveller who wants a boutique experience on chic vessels.
What’s more, these vessels can get into the smaller, more picturesque and traditional islands and harbours that the big liners simply cannot reach. This is as close as it gets to a fully-catered cruise on a millionaire’s private yacht. Excellent service, great food, exciting itineraries with stops to swim off the ships’ aft swimming platforms in secluded coves with crystal clear waters. These cruises are designed for those looking for an informal yet exclusive cruise experience, and looking to ‘get under the skin’ of a destination, with much more time ashore. Launched in 2012, the 68 metre state-of-the-art ‘Variety Voyager’ is the largest mega yacht in the fleet, accommodating 72 passengers in 36 cabins. Featuring sleek lines and ample deck space, inside her cabins and public areas are finished with warm fabrics, rich marbles, Axminster carpeting and soft tones wood panelling. There are unobstructed views of the ocean and of the ports visited everywhere onboard, while the professional crew of 32 all have a true desire to ensure their guests have a wonderful time.
Seafarer Holidays
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All aboard for adventure
It was in the mid-60’s when Lars-Eric Lindblad began taking travellers by ship to remote parts of the world. In 1969 he commissioned the first purpose-built expedition ship – the Lindblad Explorer. During the next decade he opened up opportunities to explore places like Antarctica, Galapagos, the Amazon, Seychelles and much of the Pacific. Lars’ son Sven-Olof, travelled extensively with his father before founding Special Expeditions as a division of Lindblad Travel. This enabled the company to further its mission of offering innovative and educational travel expeditions that were primarily marine focused. The company’s name was later changed to Lindblad Expeditions and, in 2004, it joined forces with National Geographic. Today with offices in New York City and Seattle, Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic operates its own fleet of 10 ships, six owned and four leased, offering adventures across all seven continents.
Sven and his team continue to pioneer innovative ways to connect with the places already ‘discovered’ – being the first to introduce kayaking to the Arctic, Antarctica, and Galápagos; the only one to offer kayaking on the Upper Amazon; the first to reveal the wonders below the ocean with an unmatched undersea programme; the first to offer an unparalleled photography initiative with a Lindblad-National Geographic certified photo instructor on each expedition. A fleet of five expedition ships carry the National Geographic name and often act as a platform for National Geographic experts including photographers, writers, field researchers and film crews to visit field sites with guests in tow. The fleet consists of nimble, intimatelyscaled expedition ships, able to safely venture where larger cruise ships cannot. This enables authentic, up-close experiences in the planet’s wild, remote places and capitals of culture. The ships are fully equipped to enable a genuine connection with the places visited and offer inviting private accommodations and gracious public spaces for minging with other like-minded explorers.
Lindblad Expeditions
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