Adventures on Bartolome and Sombrero Chino National Geographic Endavour II at anchor off Bartolome in the Galapagos Islands. Photo © 2018 Aaron Saunders Bartolome, Galapagos; Thursday, March 15, 2018 After a while, you get used to the early mornings aboard Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic  National Geographic Endeavour II. With the humidity and heat in

Navigating the Shores of Cuba, The Dutch Way It’s a relaxing day at sea this morning aboard Holland America Line’s Veendam. Photo © 2018 Aaron Saunders At Sea; Saturday, February 17, 2018 Holland America Line’s Veendam came to life at two in the morning today, pushing away from our berth in Havana, Cuba

Sailing Back in Time in Havana There’s nothing like sailing into Havana at dawn. Photo © 2018 Aaron Saunders Havana, Cuba; Friday, February 16, 2018 In the twenty years that I’ve been cruising, I’ve sailed into too many harbours to count. The most memorable ones, though, stick out in my mind – and

One of my favorite ships has received a swanky new makeover. Back in the spring, ultra-luxury line Silversea put its 2009-built Silver Spirit through a multi-million dollar refit that included lengthening the vessel by 49 feet. The amazing feat was accomplished by cutting the ship in half and inserting a new

In Search of the Giant Tortoise Giant tortoises at the Charles Darwin Research Station at Puerto Ayora. Photo © 2018 Aaron Saunders Santa Cruz, Galapagos; Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic  National Geographic Endeavour II spent last evening at our anchorage just outside the main harbour of Puerto Ayora, a small town

The Galapagos Affair The remote island of Floreana, Galapagos. Photo © 2018 Aaron Saunders Floreana, Galapagos; Monday, March 12, 2018 Floreana might be the coolest Galapagos island you’ve never heard of. This morning, Lindblad Expeditons-National Geographic  National Geographic Endeavour II was at anchor off a landing site known as Punta Cormorant, just in

Where the Wild Things Are A day of exploration on the island of Espanola, Galapagos with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic. Photo © 2018 Aaron Saunders Espanola, Galapagos; Sunday, March 11, 2018 I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you’ve never heard of the island of Espanola, Galapagos before. I’ll also assume

Journey to Galapagos with Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic Endeavour II in the Galapagos. Photo © 2018 Aaron Saunders San Cristobal, Galapagos; Saturday, March 10, 2018 It occurred to me as I walked across the tarmac at San Cristobal Airport in the Galapagos Islands that my current journey could very well be a double

A Song for Greece Celestyal Olympia off Mykonos, Greece on April 30, 2018. Photo © 2018 Aaron Saunders Piraeus / Mykonos, Greece; Monday, April 30, 2018 Celestyal Cruises’ Celestyal Olympia sat at her berth in Piraeus, Greece on an unusual cloudy and cool day. Thunderstorms in the late evening and early morning had

I’m probably cruising too much – if there can be such a thing. I still have reports to post from the Galapagos. Ditto for Cuba with Holland America Line. And I haven’t even touched my photos from my spectacular inaugural Mediterranean cruise aboard the brand-new Carnival Horizon. In short, I’m falling behind. Adding