We wanted a boat larger than the 14-16 passenger ones you see most often in the Galapagos. The ability level of vast majority of passengers was limited. Very few passengers under the age of 60. We are very experienced snorkelers and were looking forward to deep water snorkeling offered to advanced snorkelers. Unfortunately, there were always a few passengers electing to go on these excursions ...
The Galapogos islands are the most amazing place for birds, turtles tortoises, iguanas, sea lions, fur seals, penguins, and volcanic terrain imaginable. If you are thinking about going, go!
Photography: I am an avid photographer. Cameras I brought: Olympus OM-D EM-1; Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mark II; Olympus Pen with and underwater housing. Lenses I brought: Olympus 40-150mm Pro; Olympus 300mm Pro; ...
I wanted to be on a large boat since I had never taken a cruise before and was concerned about getting seasick. With patches behind my ear, all the sea swells didn't bother me one bit. The staff on the ship was superb with the major domo, Monica, leading the band for all the activities. The daily activities were varied and the leaders knew precisely where the more interesting fauna and flora was ...
Was a very nice cruise. Only disappointment was the limited snorkeling available. One port was skipped because of rough seas, and three were murky waters. Here are some
Pros and Cons to our trip.
Pros
Nicely packaged with flights and prestay and post stay in Quito. Including their assistance with the checked luggage. They have things down to a science. Very efficient.
Seeing the ...
There are plenty of online platitudes regarding Celebrity Xpedition cruises to the Galapagos. Rather than reiterate that this is an amazing experience, I'm going to try to answer some of the questions that we either couldn't find answered or didn't know we should ask before our trip.
First, let me be clear that we cruised the Outer Loop in early January of 2017. My sense was that these trips ...
If you're looking at the Galapagos then you understand you are paying for access to one of the most remote and extraordinary places in the world. The Xpedition is NOT a high-end luxury cruise ship - it is an EXPEDITION class ship, so understand the difference and manage your expectations. It is however all-inclusive, extremely comfortable and has a crew that is phenomenal.
Having just ...
I have always thought one day I would take off from my job long enough to go see the blue footed booby... Well years later almost 30 + cruises in on celebrity and WHALAH! I did it. Last Dec 2016 was the best vacation of my existence on thios planet. Each and evey component was superb. There was one complaint. Christmas eve the tree fell down and rolled down the hall.. balls and all. Noone was ...
I always wanted to see the Galapagos and all its wonderful and unique wildlife. Unfortunately, in part by necessity, we acted until retirement to make the trip. The only complaint I had was that I did not do it 20 years earlier because to get the full experience, physical mobility and stamina ware helpful.. That said, this cruise was VERY accommodating to its passengers physical abilities ...
We chose Celebrity Xpedition because of their reputation and experience in the Galapagos. Everything was first-rate (staff, organization, activities, briefings, cabins, etc.) as described by other reviewers of this cruise. Quito city tours before and after the cruise were very worthwhile. When we booked with Celebrity 11 months prior to cruising, we were assured that following a vegan diet would ...
We had a prior experience with Celebrity (eastern Mediterranean) with which we were very pleased. There were some negatives with this cruise (food), but the overall experience was nothing less than outstanding.
To get the negatives out of the way at the beginning -- a great deal of the food was served lukewarm. The themed lunches (Mexican, Asian, Italian, etc.) were disappointing. The ...