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Hola, <<First Name>>!
We’re now just a month away from our time together in the Mystic Jungles of Central America and we cannot wait to welcome you to Costa Rica!
As you know, on our Luxe trips, the destination truly is the star of the show. However, on Expedition Cruises like this one, that’s even more so! Along with our fabulous entertainers, we’ll also welcome NINE expedition team members!
These incredible naturalists are experts in their fields of botany, zoology, biology, climatology, and ecology. Each will bring their expertise to our explorations of the region’s incredibly diverse rainforests. So… let’s meet all the wonderful people who'll come together to create your VACAYA experience.
First up is our Expedition Leader, Raphaël Sane…
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Raphaël is a naturalist living in southern France (Provence). He’s studied wildlife and nature conservation since the age of 15. After graduating with a degree in hydrobiology, he worked 7 years for various naturalist associations. He’s interested in all living organisms, with a special focus on vertebrates (birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians).
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Ombline Chabasseur
Ombline fell in love with the Polar Regions as soon as she moved to Finland. There, she discovered the beauty of the landscapes, the quietness, and the culture based around nature. After a few years in Scandinavia, she decided to become a hiking guide. She spends her summers in Europe’s northern countries, where she happily shares her knowledge of wildlife, flora, history, and cultures. And the rest of her year is spent exploring our beautiful world, including Central America.
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Marie Manceau
As a child, Marie day-dreamed of exploring the world to discover new species. This passion for fauna and scientific exploration later brought her to study biology. After completing her PhD in Genetics and Embryology at the University of Aix-Marseille, she moved to the United States to study the adaptation of small mammals to harsh environments at Harvard University.
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Vincent Premel
Vincent’s first trip to South America was at the age of 17 and there’s been no stopping him since! He’s lived in South America for the past 3+ years, splitting his time between French Guiana, Panama, and Peru. His passion is fauna, specifically and most of all… amphibians.
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Christophe Léger
Christophe splits his time between France and Costa Rica. A citizen of both countries and a licensed guide and tour leader, he’s worked on both continents for more than 15 years. Easily moving with the same ease through European palaces and muddy rainforest paths, Christophe’s passions cover a wide range of subjects – from art history to cloud forest wildlife and cheese!
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Benoît Segerer
Passionate about nature and ornithology since childhood, Benoît learned how to identify the birds encountered by chance during his walks in France. Beyond ornithology, Benoît has become an expert on dragonflies, butterflies, marine animals, and fungi. Benoît is a world-renowned photographer of the insect world and his photos (like the one above) are highlights on iNaturalist.lu.
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Isaure Michaud
Initially trained in ethology (non-human animal behavior), Isaure soon became interested in marine animals’ behavior. She’s worked in France and abroad in zoological parks and rehabilitation centers, always seeking to learn more about birds and marine mammals. Curious about everything, her studies in ecotourism have led her to other natural world interests, such as geology and ancient civilizations.
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Rocio Madrigal
Rocio learned to love and appreciate nature traveling with her family on vacation, exploring untouched forests, and deserted beaches of her home country, Costa Rica. She knew at a young age that nature would play a big part of her life and now she’s one of the country’s most distinguished guides. Pura vida!
In addition, the expedition team will be joined by naturalist Cécile Landsman.
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Now, let’s meet your entertainers…
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Meghan Murphy
This thunderbolt of pure vocal energy is a VACAYA favorite. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of experiencing her show, you are in for a TREAT. And if you have, you know all the goodness that’s in store with “Big Red!”
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Jen Kober
Jen is originally from Lake Charles, LA, and has energetically bounded onto the international stage bringing crowds to their feet with her original blend of stand-up, storytelling, and improvised rock-n-roll comedy. She commands the stage and dares you not to laugh. You've been warned!
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Mailyn Soulfree
Mailyn was born in Managua, Nicaragua and raised in Miami, Florida. This soulful songbird has been singing and learning songs since she was a little girl, having grown up listening to endless Soul, R&B, Pop, and Latin. Her early influences were Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Celia Cruz, and Whitney Houston. This girl can SANG, y’all. Be ready!
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Nate Buccieri
Our musicians are under the Musical Direction of showman Nate Buccieri, who is as “regular” as regulars get with VACAYA. He’ll be lighting up either the main stage or our piano bar almost nightly. Are you a singer? If so, bring your sheet music along and maybe just maybe you’ll get your shot at the mic!
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Marti Cummings
Marti serves as our Cruise Director, and they’ll be leading this entire three-ring circus of entertainment, expedition, and occasional silliness as we explore this fascinating region.
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Guests have asked if they’ll be able to watch the Oscars onboard Le Bellot the evening of March 12. We’ve been working closely with PONANT to make this happen, so please stay tuned. Assuming we can, we’ll show the broadcast live in the theater as part of our Bathrobe Gala Night, with a fancy Oscar-worthy pre-show gala dinner, following by our post-Oscar party – all in Glam Bathrobes, of course.
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As a reminder, if you haven’t yet booked your March 7 transfer from San José to our ship in Puntarenas, you have a couple more weeks to do so. You can book the transfer HERE and pre-cruise San José excursions with our ground transportation partner Amstar HERE. The deadline for booking is THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23.
Also, don’t forget that the trip’s GET READY page is the go-to source for information about your cruise. You can find that page HERE or simply by following this path on our website: VACAYA.com > Menu > Get Ready > 2023 Mystic Jungle Cruise.
If you haven't yet joined our Official Facebook Group for this cruise, we encourage you to do so today. That way, you can connect with other cruisers before our adventure together begins.
And if you haven't yet sent in your THIS IS ME COMMUNITY BOARD photo and info, this is a reminder that the deadline of FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17 is quickly approaching. You can find all the details about our TIM Community Board, HERE.
We can’t wait to see you next month!
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