Just Off the Nat Geo/Lindblad Venture

[brngckn]

I flew home from Baja yesterday after a week on the Venture. A few thoughts about the trip...

 

I used the recommended arrival and departure flights between LAX and Loreto (LTO). There were NGLindblad staff at LAX assisting with checkin. After arriving LTO (small airport with no jetways so you board/deboard from either end of the plane onto the tarmac) you clear immigration and customs and NGLindblad staff are waiting with a sign. They will load your luggage on the bus and walk you over in small groups to a building next to the terminal for the pre-board Covid antigen test. It was fairly quick but they sure did swab up higher in the nostril than I am accustomed to. After, we got on the bus and went to the ship which was in San Carlos. It was a long slow ride; we were told the bus has a speed limit it must stick to.

 

It's a small ship but there's an elevator if you want/need it. My room was solo cabin 304 on the Main deck. It had two portholes, plenty of storage and a clean small bathroom with shower. Hairdryers are provided. Plenty of outlets and USB ports (newer ship!). There's a very good viewing deck on the bow and an observation deck aft. The primary common areas are the lounge and restaurant.

 

There are printed daily schedules posted in a few places. They also have an online page that you can pull up from the ship's wifi but it's not as timely as the printed schedules and sometimes it did not match the printed schedule. Schedules are fluid due to weather, wind and Mexico's Covid regulations. They will make announcements when things change.

 

There is a laminated "wellness card" in your cabin each night that you have to turn in at breakfast the next morning, stating that you are healthy and not exhibiting any signs of Covid.

 

Food generally was quite good - a few hits, a few misses. Restaurant staff were friendly and willing to accommodate. All meals are sit down; the usual breakfast and lunch buffets are suspended due to Covid.

 

Ship's wifi was SLOW SLOW SLOW but you can login and get a free hour. You can get that free hour over and over so there's really no need to purchase one of the internet packages.

 

You must be masked when inside on board and not eating or drinking. We also had to be masked when on local pangas with local residents. The local tour staff are vaccinated as is all NGLindblad staff but they have limited local resources so the masking was requested to keep them and their communities extra safe.

 

Something that I did not care for was that due to Covid, staff are not dining with guests and contact with them was reduced compared to what I'm used to with NGLindblad. The naturalists were knowledgeable and friendly, though.

 

Prior to sailing we were notified that, due to Covid, the cultural aspects of the itinerary would be curtailed in favor of nature. What this actually meant is there were zero cultural aspects save for one lunch in a small town at a restaurant with overly loud musicians. It is true that Baja was changing rules as our trip went along but I feel that a lot of the changes were known ahead and should have been communicated better.

 

Our trip was apparently a bit too early in the season for the grey whales interactions that they market with. This was disappointing. We did see grey whales doing spy-hopping but there were no calves. We also saw humpbacks, a fin whale or two, dolphins, sea lions and many fish.

 

One snorkeling outing from the zodiacs was very good but a little cold (even with the wet suit!) but another was not good. The not good snorkel was a Cabo Pulmo; the water was too deep, choppy and murky. We snorkeled from pangas and it seemed commonplace for people, including me, to return with bruises from getting in and out of the boat.

 

Due to a necessary ship resupply one afternoon and changing covid regulations that meant we couldn't do a planned beach outing, we got to go whale-sharking. Kudos to NGLindblad staff for getting the outing in place at the last minute but it was so short with only 5-10 minutes in the water with the whale sharks.

 

A few times, I felt outings were short and a bit rushed. I found the photo walks too basic so usually wandered off on my own. Something I wish they would consider is doing photo excursions earlier or later in the day when there's good light. We never got onshore before 9 am and were only ashore once at sunset. For a company that is highly regarded for it's world-class photography (National Geographic), I feel they could do a much better job of putting people in the right place at the right time for photos. Admittedly, I am probably not the average guest when it comes to photography and I likely have higher expectations than others. 

 

Misc stuff - No staff or guests tested Covid-positive pre- or post-boarding. There was a brief safety/lifejacket drill after boarding. There's a small onboard shop. There was complimentary wine with dinner the first night and second to last night plus a couple of complimentary cocktails or beers along the way. Buying a glass of wine is about $7.50/glass which will be put on your shipboard account. Beach towels and snorkel gear, including wet suits are provided for your use while on the ship. There are many wet landings so pack water shoes. There was one night when the ship was rockin' and rollin' and getting hit with pretty good waves so be prepared if you suffer from motion sickness. Housekeeping comes to the room 2x/day; there was some inconsistency with towel replacement and vacuuming. Suggested tip at the end of the trip is $25/day/person. Due to the cancelled local excursion in Loreto and having to be off the ship at 8 am, there was WAY too much waiting around on the bus and at the airport the morning and early afternoon before flying home.

 

Overall, if asked "did the trip meet my expectations", the answer is no. We did not do a lot of what the itinerary showed. I enjoyed the week away, the generally great weather and meeting new people on board. But knowing what I know now, I might have postponed this trip to later in the season and when Omicron has died down. 

 

 

[CynthiaP]

Thank you! We're scheduled to do Nat Geo Baja at the end of March. Things can change in two months, but I'm looking forward to being somewhere other than our house and have someone else do the cooking! This will be our first trip since March 2020 (snorkeled off Mauritius in the Indian Ocean). We've had a few trips canceled due to covid.

 

We've done Lindblad/Nat Geo a few times and I was thinking about how choppy the Pacific might be in that area. No harm in packing some dramamine and ginger. We're also very interested in photography excursions. Did they ask passengers to share photos?

 

I've always disliked having to pay tips at the end of the trip. Not crazy about all included ships, but staff tips shouldn't be optional like drinks or internet and should just be added to the trip cost.

 

Did you wear wet suits for all the water excursions?

 

Thanks again.

[brngckn]

On 1/27/2022 at 10:45 AM, CynthiaP said:

Did they ask passengers to share photos?

Yes, this did have a passenger photo recap the final night.

On 1/27/2022 at 10:45 AM, CynthiaP said:

Did you wear wet suits for all the water excursions?

I did. The water was not particularly warm.

 

Have fun!

[califsealion]

On 1/27/2022 at 10:45 AM, CynthiaP said:

We've done Lindblad/Nat Geo a few times and I was thinking about how choppy the Pacific might be in that area. No harm in packing some dramamine and ginger.

 

I did this trip several years ago and we definitely had some rocking going around the tip of Baja.  I know in the past, they have left out bowls of meclizine and ginger candy to help, I'd guess this is probably still the case.

[CynthiaP]

15 hours ago, califsealion said:

 

I did this trip several years ago and we definitely had some rocking going around the tip of Baja.  I know in the past, they have left out bowls of meclizine and ginger candy to help, I'd guess this is probably still the case.

Good to know! Thanks!

[brngckn]

On 1/30/2022 at 10:17 PM, califsealion said:

 

I did this trip several years ago and we definitely had some rocking going around the tip of Baja.  I know in the past, they have left out bowls of meclizine and ginger candy to help, I'd guess this is probably still the case.

Yes, they still do that.

[OctoberKat]

Is the purchased Wi-Fi package faster? I board Quest in CR Sunday.

[brngckn]

On 2/10/2022 at 4:01 PM, OctoberKat said:

Is the purchased Wi-Fi package faster? I board Quest in CR Sunday.

I did not purchase it so not sure.