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Ship comparison

National Geographic Venture vs Santa Cruz II

The verdict

Which should you choose?

National Geographic Venture is an intimate Lindblad Expeditions ship carrying 100 passengers, in service since 2018. Santa Cruz II is an intimate Tauck River Cruises ship carrying 90 passengers, in service since 2015.

Choose National Geographic Venture if you want more culture, more of a party or a better-rated spa and gym: it outscores Santa Cruz II for cultural (7.0 vs 4.0), party (5.0 vs 3.0) and spa & fitness (5.0 vs 4.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores.

Choose Santa Cruz II if you want a more family-friendly ship or better-rated dining: it outscores National Geographic Venture for family friendly (7.5 vs 6.0) and dining (6.5 vs 5.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores.

Side by side

Specifications

marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.

National Geographic VentureSanta Cruz II
Cruise line Lindblad Expeditions Tauck River Cruises
Ship size Intimate Intimate
Maiden voyagenewer highlighted 2018 (better) 2015
Last refurbishedmore recent highlighted — 2021
Gross tonnage 2,920 2,664
Passengers 100 90
Crew 52 50
Passengers per crew memberfewer is better 1.9 1.8 (better)
Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier 29.2 29.6 (better)
Cabins — 50
Decks — 5
Length 239 ft 235 ft
Beam 46 ft 44 ft
Cruises on sale — 1
Upcoming sailings — 6
Cruise lengths — 7 nights

Bliss scores

How they rate, out of 10

Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday. National Geographic Venture leads on 4 of the ten, Santa Cruz II on 2, with 4 level.

  • Active National Geographic Venture: 10.0 Santa Cruz II: 10.0
  • Adventure & nature National Geographic Venture: 10.0 Santa Cruz II: 10.0
  • Cultural National Geographic Venture: 7.0 Santa Cruz II: 4.0
  • Dining National Geographic Venture: 5.0 Santa Cruz II: 6.5
  • Entertainment National Geographic Venture: 5.0 Santa Cruz II: 4.0
  • Family friendly National Geographic Venture: 6.0 Santa Cruz II: 7.5
  • Party National Geographic Venture: 5.0 Santa Cruz II: 3.0
  • Romantic National Geographic Venture: 7.0 Santa Cruz II: 7.0
  • Spa & fitness National Geographic Venture: 5.0 Santa Cruz II: 4.0
  • Staterooms National Geographic Venture: 6.0 Santa Cruz II: 6.0

Questions

National Geographic Venture or Santa Cruz II?

Which is bigger, National Geographic Venture or Santa Cruz II?

National Geographic Venture is bigger at 2,920 gross tons, against 2,664 gross tons for Santa Cruz II. National Geographic Venture carries 100 passengers and Santa Cruz II carries 90.

Which ship is newer, National Geographic Venture or Santa Cruz II?

National Geographic Venture is newer, with a maiden voyage in 2018 against 2015 for Santa Cruz II.

Which has more space per passenger?

Santa Cruz II, with 29.6 gross tons per passenger against 29.2 on National Geographic Venture. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.

Which has more crew per passenger?

Santa Cruz II, with one crew member for every 1.8 passengers against one for every 1.9 on National Geographic Venture.

Which is better for families?

Santa Cruz II scores higher for family friendliness in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores: 7.5 out of 10, against 6.0 for National Geographic Venture.

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