Watching the bascules of Tower Bridge rise to allow your ship through is quite an experience. But it was just the start of an extraordinary overnight cruise along the Thames on National Geographic Endurance.
The ship welcomed media and travel agents on board to promote National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions in the UK, with the aim of attracting more British customers to the US-based line.
Three-year-old Endurance, which has a sister ship Resolution, is maybe not how you would imagine an expedition vessel, more at home in the Arctic, Antarctic or Galapagos than central London.
Light wood dominates, from the comfortable cabins – our balcony had a hammock – to the bright, modern public areas.
Deck 8, at the top of the 138-passenger ship, features The Den observation lounge, with a science centre, bar and cafe.
It was here I was invited to join 21 other guests at Charlie’s Table for a special multi-course dinner by executive chef Sara Henstam highlighting the issue of climate change, with dishes including sustainable fish, wild boar and king crab. The venue is named after Charles Green, the cook on Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance. All passengers get to experience the tasting menu during their trip at no extra charge.
On the same deck is The Sanctuary, with two treatment rooms as well as Nordic and tropic saunas. Outside sit two small infinity edge pools and twin igloos, where passengers can sleep out at night. A fitness studio is on the deck below.
On deck 6 you’ll find the Ice Lounge, where all seating is circled around a central presentation spot, with plenty of screens visible at every angle. Guests can also venture outside to sit around two fire pits featuring real flames.
Our lunch on board and the following day’s breakfast was taken in the Two Seven Zero restaurant on deck 5.
Away from the luxury, the ship means business too. Its X-shaped bow is designed to cut easily through ice while Zodiac boats and kayaks are stored in a bunker on deck 3.
The event was hosted by the CEO of National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions, Natalya Leahy, who left the double-landlocked country of Uzbekistan to pursue a career in the US, filling many leading roles including president of Seabourn.
It was an unusually hot and sunny May Day in London as National Geographic Endurance sailed past converted warehouses, riverside pubs, the Thames Barrier and Tilbury out to the Channel, returning early this morning.
But the attentive crew, expert expedition team and talented chefs certainly inspired me to consider a much more cold and adventurous journey with the line sometime…