Among the Great Whales

We enjoyed our Lindblad Expedition to Baja, Among the great whales. For your future clients, I will say we saw absolutely no safety issues being in Mexico.

We saw Blue, Humpback and Grey whales, many of some, few to one of others. We were always on alert to see more. Not exactly a ho hum laying on the beach in Tahiti adventure, we also saw a large pod of dolphins and occasional others.

The weather was a little cooler than what we expected, as we watched the Weather Channel for weeks before the trip. We had some wind most every day, which dropped the temperature a little. We had enough warm things to deal with it. Warmer water would have been nice. The plus we had ... not a drop of rain. With the wind that would have been a challenge. Swimming and playing with the the Sea Lions was the most fun.

We now see the unique name for the ship, Sea Lion ship, can't say enough about the crew. They go over and beyond 24 hours a day. Some of them seem to never sleep, sure they do but always around working..

The organization of everything on board seems to be streamlined. The crew works together so well. Our cabin was a Category 2, small but comfortable and well appointed.

We had a great trip...knocked off the bucket list. Whats next Linda?

You asked if we saw whales? Which type of whales were you asking about ... we saw them all. We saw Blue, Humpback and Grey whales. Sharyn almost got to touch a grey whale calf but it swam under our zodiac at the last moment. We saw it right up close that is for sure. We also saw a large pod of dolphins and occasional otters.

We had cool conditions of about 60 degrees with wind most days. Everyone had all of their layers of clothing on especially when on the zodiacs. We had a mixture of sunny and partly cloudy days. Our naturalists said it was unusually cool and not typical of February.

Snorkeling with the seal lions was fun and extra cold. Sharyn brought her full wind surfing wet suit, gloves and seal-skin socks which allowed her to handle the 60 degree water. Smart lady. It is not that you didn't prepare us properly and that we didn't have a proper packing list. It was just unexpected cool weather and water.

We enjoyed the Sea Lion ship and all of the attention given to our group. The guides and ship crew were all excellent. They obviously love their jobs and are there to share their knowledge and excitement with us.

Our whole group really enjoyed the overall experience, but 10 degrees warmer would have been welcome.

Thank you so much for the bottle of wine waiting for us in our cabin. It set the tone for wonderful trip that exceeded all our expectations. The staff on the Sea Bird know, understand and live "customer service with a smile"!!!!! We never went anywhere or saw any member of the staff without a huge smile on their faces and a friendly greeting for all.

Obviously, the highlight was the hour or more in the zodiac petting & scratching a grey whale mother and her calf. "Up close & personal" is an understatement!!!!! We even have some great photos to back up this "fish story", which we will forward in the next couple of days.

The entire staff and crew of the Sea Bird, and the team of the naturalists were extremely helpful and knowledgeable. We could ask questions whenever & wherever they came to us. They had the answers and the explanations were easy to understand. It is obvious that they know what they are doing and are prepared with a variety of levels of effort for each activity, including hiking/walking, snorkeling or kayaking. They also had plenty of opportunities to relax over an "adult libation" in the comfortable lounge, dining room, on the deck or on the beach. We needed the exercise opportunities because the food was both plentiful and delicious, with multiple entrees available at dinner each night. The breakfast and lunch buffets had enough options for all tastes and appetites.

The cabins are well organized and equipped but compact. We were in Category 2 # 103. Most of the cabins had 2 fixed single berths that could not be pulled together - honeymooners may want to look at other options. Most of us were ready to sleep after all the fresh air, and exercise, so separate beds were not really an issue. With no elevators on board, passengers need to be able to navigate several flights of stairs each day. This was a benefit after all the wonderful food each day.

We are ready for our next Nat Geo/Lindblad Expedition - received the travel documents for Galapagos 2014 in our in box while on the Sea Bird.

Thank you for making the trip a reality. We will send some photos in the next couple of days. Do you know when the 2014 schedule will be available for the Lindblad Explorer? We would also like to talk to you about the atmosphere & style of the Silver Seas Explorer. They had itineraries in 2013 that appeared very similar to the Lindblad Baltic & British/Irish Isles trips.

I guess the only thing I could say about this trip, and I also said it at the end of our trip in the Lounge when we had our re-cap was.

I have been on approximately 17 trips with Lindblad/National Geographic and I have yet to be disappointed. This trip was no exception. This was my 2nd time to Baja, so I was a little leery about returning because the first time was so wonderful. Turns out that this trip far exceeded the first.

We had several baby whales surrounding our boat just begging to be petted. They would even turn over on their backs so we could get to their chins easier. The staff were wonderful and so willing to meet our every need or demand. The ship was the perfect size for this journey, not to big or not to small. I had a Category 3 cabin which is the largest on the ship. Not large but comfortable. I would highly recommend this trip to everyone, which I do all the time. Thanks Linda and Lindblad for another wonderful trip, I shall return....

Thank you for the bottle of wine! We enjoyed the trip very much. It was just as you described it would be. It was excellent for Bill with his limited walking: he was able to do all the significant activities.

As you noted, the whales were abundant, and, those in Magdalena Bay, very friendly. It is certainly a unique experience to have a whale calf come right up to the little zodiac boat, swimming around and under it for some minutes, allowing people to touch it. That happened three or four times in Magdalena Bay. Seeing the whales breach is an awesome sight, which we saw over and over, sometimes fairly close by.

The ship was smaller than I had expected (under 60) which had the benefit of greater camaraderie among the "guests". The naturalists were all super sweet, enthusiastic, and well-informed. The shore nature walks took us among very beautiful landscapes. We were fortunate that it had rained a few months prior, which turned the desert into a colorful scene full of greenery and wildflowers, set against red sandstone rock formations sculpted by erosion into sensuous forms.

The food was uneven-- improving to become very good-to-excellent by the last night. I was really glad we booked the biggest cabin size, Category 3, # 214, because it was very cramped, but at least we could move around--taking turns to get past each other. On the plus side, it was well designed for maximum use of the space.

I was apprehensive about snorkeling in such cold water, but it worked because they were checking on me when we were trying on wet-suits for size. I would have picked one too big. What I learned is that you need to get one that is very snug, like a girdle, that lets you breathe, but barely. I was comfortably in the water for about 45 minutes suited up like that. I also recommend a lycra dive suit/rash guard: those without one were stung by invisible tiny jellyfish.

I would recommend taking the route we did, starting in LaPaz, rather than the reverse, because the best whale-watching was definitely at the end.

Feel free to use any of this to entice others to this trip. It was a very good one.

Please advise of other trips you think would work for my husband: i.e. ones he could enjoy without much walking.

I just returned from a trip of a lifetime!

I was nervous going in, being Mexico and all the negative stories, and being a widow, this was my first trip as a single.

Mexico is beautiful
Mexico is safe
Mexico's people are warm, friendly, welcoming.

The news needs to distinguish and more explain the areas that are safe and open to visitors.

National Geographic Sea Bird, perfect size, we were a full ship, sold out as I understand the whole season is. Once you experience the Sea Bird you will understand. They immerse you in everything there is, nature and culture. We had naturists on board that were tip top in everything; photography, underwater life, whales experts with microphones to listen to the whale conversations. Swimming with the sea lions and hiking in the desert, we did it all.

I had a single cabin Category 1, small and basic, clean, great bed, good cabin steward took care of everything. He also worked as a waiter in the dining room. Being alone I was a little hesitant. But little by little I got comfortable and by the third/fourth day I had a whole group of friends who included me in everything. There were also two ladies who live a few hours away from me who travel with Lindblad all the time. They asked me to join them on their next trip, not knowing where it will be, I tentatively said yes.

Linda, please pass this on to any of your single clients who are hesitant like I was to travel alone. Yes, I had to fly myself, but once at the ship I felt pampered and always taken care of and included. Meals were the chance to meet everyone, no assigned seats. Kayaking - I always had a partner or a crew member. It was just all GREAT. Thank you for your help along the way.