mahdnc

Again, you are welcome, but you should really thank this forum and Cruise Critic. It is a great place to learn about fast breaking information. Have fun on your Eclipse cruise!

I am glad that I was of assistance. I have been on one sailing (2/2/22 Silhouette) that was suddenly cancelled by Celebrity (pre-COVID) because of a shipyard accident which affected her drydock schedule. There was a mad dash by all the affected passengers to snap up the limited cabins available on the other sailings. Not everyone was able to find something to their liking. I am glad that you were able to--and in the nick of time evidently. The Black Hills is a beauty to behold. Custer State Park is one of my favorites even though Devils Tower and Mt Rushmore are the headline attractions. Have a safe flight home. David

I know everyone's tastes are different. For me, I would hastily transfer my booking over to Flora because it's a very good deal. It's a no-brainer to me to switch (I know there are some that prefer Xpedition, but that's no longer an option 2025. I would have major questions on whether I was getting the same value if I allowed my booking to transfer to Lindblad. I could be wrong about that.

I was not aware of that arrangement. That explains your concern. I am not sure how that works when your sailing is honored. Did you buy a cruise tour package or just cruise only from Celebrity?

The letter that appears in the first post makes it clear that there are no 2025 Celebrity sailings for Xpedition and Xploration. Do you not see it that way or am I missing something (which is always quite possible).

Hopefully Celebrity winds things down in a manner where the onboard experience of the final cruises is not compromised. The wildlife will be there regardless for sure.

I’m not sure if I understand the concern. Celebrity will sail both ships until the end of this year. They will then be sold to Lindblad in 2025 and then renovated. If you are on a 2024 sailing, you are good.

I am very disappointed for you. Sorry that happened. I am sure there will be quite a few passengers that will have difficulty in finding a suitable date. For something like this (a business decision within Celebrity's control) I wish they would offer compensation for those that are forced to cancel such as yourselves.

It certainly won't disrupt any sailings while under Celebrity ownership, so you can't be worried about that?

Lindblad characterized the sale as an expansion of their Galapagos fleet and that they were going to make a large investment to renovate the two ships. So I assumed that the licenses were sold along with the ships.

Not yet, but in a couple days….

So hopefully they can transfer your booking over to Flora for the same week?

Actually I am more concerned about Captain Nathaly Alban who was the master first on Xploration and now Xpedition.

@abbydancer2003, Here is the first post about it in this forum:

It was just announced today. Travel Agent Central: Linblad Acquires Two Galapagos Expedition Vessels From Celebrity Celebrity has not published a press release on the subject.

They kinda indirectly announced it during their June Galapagos webinar which we all are waiting to get our points for. The webinar marketed Flora only and the other two ships were not mentioned--not even in passing.

Option 2 is the way to go! I would reach out to your TA now so that you get your pick of sailings and cabins.

Getting a Flora at Xpedition/Xploration prices would be suite.

What are the other options?

It turns out your information was quite correct.

Thanks for posting. The fact that Xpedition and Xploration did not have their 2026 seasons posted while Flora did made some people concerned that this might happen. I didn't think it would. We sailed on Xpedition last November and really enjoyed it--especially because she was only licensed to carry half the passengers that she was built to house.

Totally true.

Sky Princess will be in the moon's shadow for sure! However this is what I am worried about: cloud cover probabilities. The map below shows what to expect based on past history. Blue is good, orange is not. Significantly better chances of clear skies in the Mediterranean Sea near Mallorca. Not so good on the north coast. Iceland (not on this map) is even worse. The data in the map only talks about probabilities. What actually happens can be different. Northern Vermont and Maine were not supposed to have clear skies for the solar eclipse last April (according to the data) and Texas was supposed to be the best bet for clear skies. When Apr 8th finally rolled around, the exact opposite was true! But your chances are improved because you are on a mobile platform (and of course, I hope you see it!)

I agree completely (that’s what she’s made for, Barbie). Shipboard apparel and souvenir sales would go through the roof for that sailing!

Alright. You have me convinced. We need to stay away from you!