The Maritimes cruise was a disappointment. I expect more from Nat Geo/Lindblad. My prior trips were amazing but this one was boring at times. Part of it was the location and part was Lindblad. The Maritimes are pretty barren and sparsely populated. Small fishing villages are quaint but after a while the whole Cod fish story gets fishy. The highlights were the Viking camps and restored Viking settlement and the field discussion on how the continents separated from Pangea; the guide was awesome.

The cruise ship Explorer is very nice and the cabin was also very nice (209). What wasn't special was the food and the almost uninterested naturalists and their presentations. The learning could be much more interesting. Jim Richardson the cruise photographer is an awesome photographer but he also was more interested in taking his own photos instead of interacting with the guests. His photo presentation on the last night; however, was amazing. The cruise expedition Director often gave confusing complex information. The Captain spent way too much time talking and too much time praising a whole lot of cruise employees. Another issue was the guest makeup. The guest makeup of this cruise group seemed to be a lot older than previous trips. There were several people who could barely walk and should not have been on the trip because they made the pace frustrating. Many guests complained about how they impacted the trip.

We loved our earlier cruises and tell all our friends about Nat Geo/Lindlad but this trip gets minimal kudos from us as I felt it did not offer much value for the expense.