mahdnc

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!

He will have more options for sure. Better options though if he were south of Spain instead of north where the itinerary currently has him.

Yeah, I remember you reporting your dismal eclipse weather and I am sorry for that Not wanting to buy a cruise just to see an eclipse is understandable. However your chances of seeing one improve when you are on a mobile platform such as a cruise ship. During our first cruise ever--which we booked just because of the eclipse--Captain Gallo dropped off passengers at Mazatlan on Jul 11, 1991 morning (eclipse day). Half got off because they wanted to be on land to see it (included the serious photographers) and half of us (including my wife and I) stayed on board Jubilee as she went back out to sea in search of clear skies. We managed to find a clearing to see nearly 7 minutes of totality at noon time. When Jubilee went back to Mazatlan in mid-afternoon to pick up the other passengers, they reported that they were clouded out which was sad. Apr 8 2024 Total Solar Eclipse at Vienna, IL We are booked on a land tour to see the Aug 2027 total solar eclipse at Luxor, Egypt. 99.9% chance of clear skies, but it's gonna be hot. Tell me that you got that you were able to see the fantastic aurora display on May 10th? Or did you sleep through that one?! May 10 2024 aurora borealis display at Madison, WI

From what I have determined, Celebrity's Sky Suite is much better: larger, better service, Retreat stuff, Luminae, etc.

I did look at that Princess sailing when it was released last month for sale and the pricing was already high. Unfortunately the position of Sky Princess for the eclipse is not to my liking in terms of clear skies probability but it’s possible that they will change the route to a better spot like the southern Spanish coast. Then again two of Cunard’s ships are going to view the eclipse from Iceland which has even worse weather prospects for clear skies.

Our first cruise (Carnival 1991) was a total solar eclipse cruise. If Celebrity were to market a TSE cruise in the Mallorca area in Aug 2026, we would sign up in a heart beat. Besides the Princess offering, Cunard is sending 3 ships to see the eclipse at different places in Europe. Map drawn by National Solar Observatory, AURA, and NSF. Discovery Princess, April 8 2023, near Mazatlan. Photo by Robert Fritz

Not cool. Not surprised.

If your intent was to share your MoveUp information (a good thing to do), you should post it on the MoveUp thread that is pinned at the top of this forum.

I would only upgrade to ConciergeClass if I found a particular cabin that I liked in that category to book. If the upgrade is $200 total, then you might find the extra 24 Club Points worth it.