Crystal Esprit

National Geographic Islander II is a cruise ship currently operated by Lindblad Expeditions. Built by Flender Werft in Lübeck, Germany, she was laid down in 1988 and floated out as Lady Diana in 1989. She was completed in December 1991 as Aurora I. She and sister ship Aurora II were purchased by Star Cruises in 1994. Aurora I was renamed Megastar Taurus and served from 1994 until being laid up in 2008.^[2][3]

History
Name	1989-1991: Lady Diana 1991-1994: Aurora I 1994-2015: MegaStar Taurus 2015-2021: Crystal Esprit 2021-present: National Geographic Islander II
Operator	Windsor Lines (1989–1994) Star Cruises (1994–2015) Crystal Cruises (2015–2021) Lindblad Expeditions (2021-present)
Port of registry	Nassau,  Bahamas
Builder	Flender Werft
Yard number	647
Laid down	February 8, 1988
Launched	February 24, 1989[1]
Completed	December 1, 1991
Identification	Call sign: C6CL7 IMO number: 8705266 MMSI number: 354264000
Status	In service
Notes	[2]
General characteristics
Tonnage	3,370 GT
Length	85 m (280 feet)
Decks	5 decks
Capacity	62 passengers
Crew	93 crew
Notes	[3][2]

In July 2015, Crystal Cruises announced that she would join its fleet as Crystal Esprit,^[4] and on December 20, 2015, she was rechristened at Eden Island Marina in Mahé, Seychelles, by Lady Gaenor Anne Meakes (fiancée of yachtsman Mark Richards).^[3]

In September 2021, Crystal announced that they had sold the all-suite ship following a review of its post-pandemic offering.^[5] The new owner is Lindblad Expeditions, which has renamed her National Geographic Islander II and intends to base her in the Galapagos Islands, replacing its current National Geographic Islander, in its the alliance with National Geographic Travel.^[2][6][7] The ship was christened in October 2022.^[8]