b1rdwatcher

Thank you for your review, it is wonderful. We actually just booked the Flora for May 2020 and I’m quite excited. It is bigger than Xperience but it’s nice to know Celebrity is doing a great job in this region. I will be on the lookout over the next couple years for any and all information related to Galapagos. Thanks again.

You're quite welcome. I do think Celebrity does a classy job in Galapagos, and in Quito as well. I hope you have an amazing trip!

Thank you for your most informative and encouraging review. The Xperience is currently at the top of our list for a Galapagos cruise in 2019. A review was posted in December 2017 that is very different from yours. So much so as to leave me a bit confused. https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=603614 I wonder if you'd care to respond to what skova53 has to say?

Yes, I can respond. With all due respect to the other reviewer, I think we basically had different priorities and expectations. My main priority was being comfortable on the ship, and having an amazing time on the excursions. I wasn't disappointed, because the wildlife and scenery literally blew me away. However, I can understand that it was very expensive, and if you need wifi and Internet on a daily basis, you will be disappointed. (It was spotty, but did exist sometimes, especially near ports.)

I didn't really miss the wifi, because I decided to let the Internet part of my life go for the week we were on the ship.

Also, I understand the point about it feeling kind of like a summer camp, in terms of camaraderie and close quarters. But the food was much better than summer camp, in my opinion. It's not 5 star gourmet, though. The entrees aren't plated and garnished. But the service and warm hospitality made up for that, in my eyes.

So, respectfully, each to his or her own. The cost of the vacation appears to be justified by the remoteness of the location, the expense of visiting a national park, and the ratio of staff per guest. However, with all due respect to folks with different tastes; if you truly seek opulence, you might be disappointed.

Hi Ken,

Glad to help. We ended up in 204, which is near the front. Our first room that we booked in advance was 209. If you can book 204 or 203 I recommend it.

I have no hesitation about recommending this cruise ~ It's definitely one for the ages. I cannot comment on the Southern Loop however. I believe you might see some different wildlife, though.

We flew American Airlines through Miami, then Quito. It was pretty efficient. Had a 2-3 hr. layover in Miami, and we met another couple who was going on the Xperience. They served dinner on the flight to Quito. When we arrived, we got our bags and headed out to the lobby. We were met by the Celebrity representative, who was so friendly and helpful. On the way to the hotel, he explained how everything would work with the tours and checkin/checkout.

When we got to the hotel, we checked in very quickly via Celebrity, and we were greeted with a cup of delicious Ecuadorian style hot chocolate. Much better than Swiss Miss.

The Quito City tour was great the next day (I wrote about this on another thread). On the way back, we flew American through Dallas. It was a red-eye, and we arrived home around noon. All in all, it was a very long journey back, with resultant jet lag. However, I liked how American handled the flights, and I would choose them again.

One last thing ~ we paid about $95 pp for an optional tour through Celebrity on the last day. The hotel held our luggage for the day, and the Cloud Forest tour was wonderful. When we returned, we ate dinner at the hotel and were transferred to Sucre airport about 2-3 hours before our flight home. There are lots of shops & restaurants in the airport, fyi.

Feel free to ask additional questions if you think of them! ~Jennifer

We just returned from our Northern Loop cruise on the Xperience in October, and had a fantastic & enjoyable voyage on our Celebrity cruise. The size of the ship was perfect, and I think we lucked out by choosing this itinerary and medium size ship. The wildlife was outstanding! I was wondering why there weren't any reviews yet, so I wrote one myself:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=595894&et_cid=2974649&et_rid=247003666&et_referrer=Boards_WAR_CC

If anyone has any questions about the ship, the itinerary, the wildlife or excursions, please ask! It was truly one of the best cruises I've ever taken.

I thought the City tour was excellent. The walking/bus tour included a mountain overlook with a large statue of the Virgin Mary, several churches, a monastery, the changing of the guards at the government building, a wonderful catered lunch at a beautiful restaurant with a view, and the Equator stop at preserved village. The best thing to buy would be the beautiful scarves which women sold outside the monastery. I bought 2 for 5 dollars, and I wish I would have bought more.

The equator village includes a full tour of the restored farm houses, a chocolate demonstration, a demonstration with shrunken heads, and a demonstration of the Coriolis phenomena. They tried hard to make it interesting. There are lots of photo opportunities with 0,0,0 degrees Latitude.

I thought the tour was very well organized and the guides spoke English beautifully. They had so much pride about their country and the city of Quito. I would not miss it!