Lindblad Expeditions is set to double its 2021 Alaska cruise capacity, reactivating its two remaining U.S.-flagged vessels due to meet robust consumer demand, according to Sven-Olof Lindblad, president and CEO.

The company will thus have the new U.S.-flagged National Geographic Quest and Venture in the market, which will now be joined by the Sea Bird and Sea Lion. The Quest and Venture are fresh off drydocks, said Craig Felenstein, CFO. 

All ships operate under the U.S. flag and won’t be affected by Canada’s 2021 cruise ship ban.

In addition, Lindblad said on the company’s first quarter earnings call on Thursday morning that they were also working on having the National Geographic Orion operate in Alaska, which would require getting clearance to call in a Russian port with Canada closed to cruise vessels.

Next, he said the company expected to start up in Iceland and Greenland this summer, and by year’s end, the company should be fully operational, meaning all ships would be in service. 

Much of the momentum, Lindblad said, has come thanks to the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Getting back to what we’re doing is the greatest form of optimism,” Lindblad noted.