Curious travelers who want naturalist guides, Zodiac landings and wildlife over nightlife.
Think twice if: Expedition plans change with weather and wildlife; few onboard entertainment options.
See her Europe sailings ↓ · Where is she now? → · Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic's page for this ship →
What she's like
Quiet and personal. Small enough for little harbours big ships can't use. About 44 tons of ship per guest. As a rule of thumb, 40 or more feels roomy and under 30 feels busy.
Unknown from line's site.
Our judgment, from $ (budget) to $$$$$ (ultra-luxury).
Shore excursions, sightseeing, entrance fees, transfers on group flights, certain hotels/meals ashore per itinerary, taxes, service charges and tips (except ship's crew). Not included: air (unless stated), alcohol (included on select ships), phone/premium internet, laundry, crew gratuities.
Family voyages; 50% off children 18 and under on select 2026 voyages (promotion). Minimum age not published.
The line doesn't say.
Where she sails in Europe
British Isles, Scandinavia, Iceland, Arctic
Ex-Midnatsol (Hurtigruten).
We don't have her sailing-by-sailing schedule yet. See the line's site for dates.
What it costs beyond the fare
| Tips for the crew | Not added automatically; Listed under 'Not included in costs'; suggested amount not published. |
|---|---|
| Drinks package | Alcohol not included except on select ships. |
| Wifi | Complimentary Starlink Wi-Fi for email, messaging and social media; Enhanced and Premium packages for purchase. |
| Specialty restaurants | Not applicable / not published. |
How tipping and money work on a European cruise → · Build a full trip budget →
Her restaurants · 0 included, 0 extra
| Where to eat | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dining room | Not stated |
| Bistro bar | Not stated |
| Observation lounge (meals served) | Not stated |
Which cabin to book, and which to avoid
The line doesn't publish cabin sizes for this ship that we could find.
Good to know before you pick
- Main Deck cabins 301-308 are the furthest forward cabins (more motion in rough seas)
- Solo cabins: 105-S/106-S (Veranda), 203-S/208-S (Upper), 309-S to 334-S (Main)
- Upper Deck aft cabins sit under the Veranda Deck lounge (Veranda Deck aft)
If you use a wheelchair or walk with difficulty
Elevator shown on the deck plan. Wheelchairs can be no wider than 24 inches; bring your own mobility aids. Elevators: One elevator forward (about one-third back from the bow), marked on Bridge, Wellness, Veranda, Upper and Main decks Our accessibility guide →
Find your way around
Our own deck plans, drawn from the line's official plan: tap a deck to see it from above, with what's at the front, middle and back of the ship. Use “Find on board” to light up every deck with a pool, a bar or a restaurant. Not to scale.
- Bridge Deck , Bridge; Library; Observation Lounge
- Wellness Deck , Lifeboats (both sides); Kayak / open deck; LEX spa and sauna; Fitness center
- Veranda Deck , Chart Room; Lounge; Sun deck
- Upper Deck , Restaurant; Bistro; Gallery; Reception; Global Gallery
- Main Deck
- B Deck , Doctor's office; Lockers / mud room; Internet cafe
Open Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic's official deck plan →
What to book, and when
Booking, check-in and reservations
Deposit required; amount varies by destination. Final payment timing not published.
Tips for her Europe sailings
Expedition ships in Norway, Iceland, Svalbard, British Isles (per fleet data).
The ship in numbers
- Cruise line
- Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic
- Kind of ship
- Expedition
- Built
- 1982
- Guests
- 148
- Crew
- 99
- Cabins
- 81
- Guest decks
- 6
- Gross tons
- 6,471
- Length
- 112 m (367 ft)
- Width
- 16 m (54 ft)
- Flag
- Bahamas
- Class
- One-off (built 1982 as Hurtigruten's Midnatsol)
- Ship number
- IMO 8019356
- In Europe 2026–27
- British Isles, Scandinavia, Iceland, Arctic
Highlights
- Built in 1982 as Hurtigruten's Midnatsol, later rebuilt as an ice-class expedition ship
- Open Bridge policy: guests can visit the officers and wildlife spotters
- Recently updated suites in Scandinavian style
More pictures
Sources & what we could not confirm · 5 sources · checked 2026-11
- Lindblad official ship page: National Geographic Explorer
- Lindblad official deck plan/brochure PDF: National Geographic Explorer
- VesselFinder registry entry
- Lindblad Expeditions FAQs
- Lindblad: kids offer 2026
- Deck plan is an image-only PDF; venues read visually from it. Lindblad names decks but does not number them, so deck numbers are null.
- Lindblad pages do not state dining charges; cost left null.
- Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic: Crew gratuity amount
- Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic: Dress code
- Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic: Currency
- Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic: Smoking
- Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic: Payment/cancellation
- Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic: Europe regions come from our fleet data
- Deck plan: Only National Geographic Explorer's plan was read. National Geographic Orion and Lord of the Glens are different ships grouped here; their PDFs (sd2/pdf/lx-national-geographic-orion.pdf, lx-lord-of-the-glens.pdf) were not read
- Deck plan: Deck plan is an image with no text layer; positions read by eye
- Deck plan: Hull end on the right side of the page was partly estimated
- Deck plan: Cabin sizes are on brochure pages 3-5 (image text) and were not read