The crew of National Geographic's Islander II

I used to think cruise ships were boring. This trip changed my mind completely. It was the most incredible trip my family and I have experienced in our life, and that is all credit to the crew.

National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions partner to offer educational voyages around the world in small ships. Our ship had 35 passengers, and 55 crew. I didn't manage to capture a photo of every member, but I did photograph a few.

Lunch was served on the patio deck of the ship. Octavio was always there, his smile as contagious as it was the day before. He found out I was trying to learn Spanish, and every day taught me a new way to respond to "How are you?"

Each night, all passengers went to the lounge to hear from our expedition leader about the next day's activities. I always looked around for Octavio, he was usually there in case someone wanted a drink. I just wanted to say hi.

I met Carlos at the pool on the ship. I learned he has two kids, and an ear-to-ear smile on his face whenever he talks about them. His daughter lives in the states. Her and her husband take care of a public garden in New York. His son works in robotics, taking after Carlos' passion for engineering. When he's not on the Islander II, Carlos lives on 2 acres in the highlands of Ecuador. His neighbors take care of his 3 dogs while he is away.

The immediate feeling of walking onto the Islander II was that it felt like home. It was small enough to feel that way, and the voice over the loud speaker inviting us to the lounge for a welcome presentation sounded like a family member telling us dinner was ready. That voice was Alexa. She is the mother of the boat.

One day, I was relaxing in the pool with Carlos and the captain of the ship. The captain learned I was from Virginia and started humming a song. There was a man practicing the mandolin on a lounge chair, and without a word started playing the song we were singing.

Every day the cleaning crew would take out complimentary stuffed animals and create scenes using stuff in the room. Here is one of my favorites: