mahndc: I'm excited for you that you have your trip ahead of you. You will love it! We were on the Xpedition last September 2021. Here's a post I made after the trip which may answer some or your general questions.
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2809377-xpedition-trip-report-northern-loop-sept-18-25-with-pre-cruise-tour-in-quito/
To answer your specific questions:
1) I agree with 4774Papa, most of the travelers took the land tour. We did not for reasons explained in the trip report. We didn't have very many passengers on board so it was still very easy to get to know most of the other passengers while on your Galapagos hikes, etc.
2) We did not book through X but through our own TA. We are from central IL, so flew American Airlines from Chicago via Miami to Quito. Arrived around 9 pm. Coming home, we flew a Delta overnight flight from Quito via Atlanta to our hometown. It was convenient to fly right into our hometown after an overnight flight and the cost was comparable to other airlines.
3) Our experience was the same as 4774Papa's--snorkeling only.
4) I have a few "what I would have done differently" in my trip report if you're interested. There are also pictures of our program in the report that covers what we did each day. I do not know if those stay the same each cruise. We were on the Northern Loop, so obviously the Southern Loop is different but the general info remains the same.
You will have a wonderful trip-of-a-lifetime adventure. Enjoy!!!
