Iceland, Greenland & Canada-who does it best?

[rosewood jo]

I would love to hear from folks that have been on Seabourn, Silversea , and nat geo/lindblad & Tauck on expedition cruising Iceland , Greenland  & Canadian artic areas.    I can view the ships on line.   Really wanting to know how the expedition staff is on knowledge and trips out each day on zodiacs?     EXPEDITION Staff can  really make the difference!    PLEASE REPLY BACK If u have experienced going on any of those cruises.    

[kaisatsu]

Lindblad/Nat Geo prides itself on having top notch expedition staff, and I’ve met former Nat Geo staff working on other lines who were quite proud to have done it.

 

That said, staff do tend to move between companies depending on contract logistics, so having sailed with three different companies I haven’t noticed a marked difference in competence. The bigger differences have been in logistics and operations. Do staff produce their own lectures, or do they have to follow a template? How much do the staff mingle with the passengers outside of official duties? I’ve probably learned even more over shared meals than I have in the lecture room!

 

Both Silversea and Seabourne market an upscale experience, so some of the more down-to-earth science- and adventure-minded staff may prefer other contracts. So among those choices, I would pick Lindblad/Nat Geo for the staff, because the staff expertise is one of the things they choose to sell themselves on.

[kaymoz]

Another option for visiting Iceland and Greenland by ship is with Iceland ProCruises.   Their plan for this summer would allow you do do a ten day circumnavigation of Iceland coupled with an extensive loop to and around the coast of Greenland (29 July - 18 August, for example) on a small ship (<200 passenger) .   We've booked the Iceland portion.