The expedition cruise ship National Geographic Orion arrived today with 100 passengers on-board for a short visit to Norfolk Island.
The ship arrived very early from the Bay of Islands and most passengers were on land by 8:30am. The passengers were transferred ashore using the Orion’s inflatable Zodiac boats.
They were hosted by Baunti Escapes, the island’s most boutique tour company, who took the visitors on a 2.5 hour tour of NI, or optionally a 4 hour tour that included a visit to some of the island’s out-of-the-way places including Captain Cook lookout and Mt Pitt / Mt Bates, the island’s highest points.
One of the island’s cafes, Rumours, catered for the visitors during their short stay, and they left us early afternoon to continue their cruise to Vanuatu and the Solomons.
The manager of Baunti Escapes, Megan Christian told us the time with the visitors was fantastic, and the feedback from them about NI was very positive. Several described the island as a ‘hidden treasure’.
The ship has a capacity of 106 passengers and 75 crew. It is 103 metres in length and flies the Bahamas flag. Here she is off Kingston today.
National Geographic Orion on a beautiful day on NI
The next cruise ship to visit will be The World on April 12. The World is a private residential cruise ship serving as a residential community, owned by its residents who live on board as the ship travels the globe. It has 165 residences (106 apartments, 19 studio apartments, and 40 studios), all owned by the ship’s residents who can decorate with their own furniture, art, books and personal touches. There’s a deli and supermarket on-board and six restaurants. (Source: messynessychic.com)