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It doesn’t have to be a written fleet wide policy for crew on a ship to make it a rule. And there is a rule about following crew instructions. Keep in mind the crew directing people to the elevators were not the ones who made the decision to direct people to elevators. They are just following the instructions they were given. And I don’t know why you keep bringing it back to age. When I have seen this in practice it had nothing to do with age at all.

In my experience, when crew are directing people to the elevators it is based on how much they are carrying NOT the color of their hair. This is something I have experienced a number of times while cruising (while in my 30s and 40s) and I always assumed it was due to a concern about liability, not something that I would take personally no matter how capable I felt.

Non-refundable deposits do not prevent you from making a claim through travel insurance for a covered reason. Based on what you say, it doesn’t sound like it makes sense for you to pay more for a refundable deposit.

They never were loyal to their passengers. They have always been a business making money. Decisions have always been driven by what will make them money. Knowing this, I have never felt like I needed to be loyal to one cruise line or company. I might gravitate towards one company at times because I like their product better but it's not about loyalty. I'm happy to switch to another product anytime I find one I enjoy better.

I assume you are talking about on disembarkation day. Our flight (northern loop the week before) landed in Quito about 3:30 pm (Quito time). We were back at the hotel around 5 pm. I don’t know that I would plan any activities that day.

Here is a really short video of re-boarding the Xpedition’s zodiac after a wet landing. To get off upon arrival at the beach, you just reverse the process -swing your legs over and slide into usually ankle deep or less water. IMG_1092.mov The Xpedition’s zodiac has stairs similar to the ones on the Flora (just not as fancy) so dry landings are very similar. This is getting back on the Xpedition but the process is the same for a dry landing, you just might be stepping onto lava rock or a dock. IMG_1046.mov

I'm a little jealous you got to see some swallowtail gulls. I only ever saw them in the middle of the night as they flew with the ship. I kept hoping I would get to see one up close. By the way, your photo labeled a Galapagos Sandpiper is actually a Ruddy Turnstone. They are a very long-distance migratory bird. I think some of them make it up all the way to northern Canada to breed and then head south for the winter.

Thank you, David for your kind words. That photo is a lava heron. The orange is its legs and claws. They fly with their legs extended and some of the ones I saw did have very bright legs. Here is a photo I took to give you an idea of what their quite large claws look like.

@mahdnc This has been a really great live. It has really kept me in a Galapagos mood as I finish my blogging, videos, photo printing, etc. related to my own trip. Enjoy your next adventure in Asia!

I don't either.

That wouldn't stop the conversation. Just look at the PowerUp Points thread..... It just might show how many people are moving to Celebrity from other lines. And how many are leaving to luxury lines that really aren't a direct competitor to Celebrity (which IMHO would be happening to a certain extent anyway as people's incomes and tastes change).

With how common these threads have become (regarding all the cruise lines), maybe we need an arrivals and departures board.

There is a story behind that lady bug. That lady bug is native to Australia and was introduced to the islands in the early 2000s to counter an invasive and quite damaging insect. It was so successful the lady bug is seen as the hero in the Galapagos.

I'm guessing your original itinerary included Punta Pitt (San Cristobal). I think it is normally on the southern loop. If so, you would have seen the Red-footed Boobies. The larger colonies in the Galapagos are on Genovesa Island and Punta Pitt, San Cristobal but unfortunately both those ports were closed due to the avian flu. We missed the albatross, red-footed boobies, and Santa Fe Iguanas. I added to your spreadsheet which is a neat way to summarize what you see.

If you don’t care about where your cabin is and you want to try for an upgrade at a lower cost than booking outright, MoveUp is a great program. If you are particular about your cabin location, you are better off choosing the right cabin from the start. Going from balcony to Aqua Class on an M class ship gives you a little bigger cabin and access to Blu for breakfast and dinner plus the spa and a few other small amenities.

I think this was a unique circumstance so I don’t think anyone should count on it but if someone truly gets in a bind, it is definitely worth reaching out to Celebrity.

Just to add my two cents about the package. We did the 10 day package and it was absolutely the right decision for us. It meant we could focus 100% of our energy in taking in all the trip had to offer without any worries. And Celebrity was there every single step of the way from the moment we got through customs upon arrival in Quito until the moment we had to go through security to leave Quito. And in the months leading up to the trip, I could focus on what gear I needed which was a lot more fun than figuring out all the little details that go with planning a trip on your own. For our trip (the week before @mahdnc's), the entire Xploration passengers were all traveling together and had booked the package. They had their own tour group (with a French speaking guide as they were all French Canadian). I never got an official count of those with a package for the Xpedition but there were three tour groups and none were smaller than 10. We had 40 passengers on the ship but I believe 4 of them had connections to the Galapagos National Park (2 rangers and a mother/son pair that I never got a chance to talk to). I remember two people having their own flight plans to Baltra fall through and so they paid to join us on the charter flight. They might have been the only ones (aside from those four I mentioned earlier) who didn't book the package.

I did go back and look at your post from that day. You had the benefit of golden hour and a beautiful sunset. We were there in the morning (too late for morning golden hour obviously).

I agree with @mahdnc that the Xpedition rolls a lot, especially while anchored but I'm really curious on what @Ken the cruiser has to say about the Flora. The Flora has different technology that I believe allows it to stay in place without an actual anchor. Plus, it likely has a lot better stabilization.

It looks like they didn't give you the option of the long walk. So I assume you mostly stayed along the beach? Did you get to see any nests of blue-footed boobies or frigatebirds? Maybe I need to go back and look at your earlier post from that day. This was our substitution port for one of the Genovesa Island stops. We took the long walk which takes you away from the beach (and finishes up along the beach) and the best wildlife sightings were on that part of the path away from the beach.

You won't regret the climb to the summit of Bartolome. We skipped the lava rock walk and did the zodiac ride instead but didn't see a lot of wildlife so I kind of wish we had chosen the walk at Sullivan Bay. I look forward to seeing your photos.

Maybe I'm unique. But I just don't find it all that difficult nor do I feel like a reasonable shore excursion cancellation policy is really all that related to the menus in the MDR (as just one example).

Those with brown heads are still immature. Those with white heads (sometimes with some pretty yellow) are adults.

It's unfortunate when people can't judge a change just based on that change instead of lumping it all together with everything they already don't like about what is happening. I would imagine that just sets them up for greater disappointment when they cruise.

I doubt it is negligible to the cruise line. If someone cancels 24 hours before the start of a shore excursion, that gives the cruise line very little time to fill that vacancy. It likely creates a lot of last minute headaches and juggling for shore excursion staff and tour operators. Some of those passengers they find to fill the vacancy likely had other excursions booked that they then cancel creating a domino effect. Additionally, if that cancellation means the difference between hitting the required minimum or not, that could mean the entire excursion gets cancelled which leaves other passengers scrambling to find a replacement. I get people's complaints about some of the other changes the cruise lines (all of them) have been making over the past couple of years. This is one where I don't understand the complaint. I just don't think it affects that many people unless you are one of those people who just want to keep your options open until the last minute (which isn't fair to other cruisers). And honestly, it might be a plus to passengers who plan ahead.