?'s for Celebrity Expedition Galapagos cruisers

[Familygoboston]

Celebrity expedition questions

I have been waiting to book a land/cruise trip with a company that still has not produced their 2012 dates. Now I hear they may change the trip configuration which may not work for us. So I'm thinking I may prefer to book Celbrity Expedition. I know those of you who have taken this have loved it. I have some specific questions if you can help, it would be most appreciated! *

 

-I may have limited cabin selection; ( and need 3) any to definately avoid because they are below the kitchen or next to the laundry etc? I'm sure the balcs are gone!*

 

-anyone do the cruise tour? *How big was your group? Was it a 55 person bus or a smaller vehicle? Was the tour/guide better than the typical Caribbean shore ex?( who I have found not to be interested in sharing/educating much; just put you through the paces- tho it was not like that in AK and I hope Ecuador)

- what sorts of cultural opportunities did you have on the tour part?

 

-is there snorkeling every day?

 

- how large was the group on your panga/hike on each island?

 

Thanks so much for your help. Sorry for all the newbie questions. This other company kind of lead us on that certain dates/activities would be available and now that may not meet our needs, so I'm scrambling! I do wish they had a seperate X Expedition board here; it would make searching easier!

-as a Diamond C&A cruiser I hear there are reciprocal benefits, what benefits did you enjoy on this cruise? *

[BrusselsGirl07]

Hi there! Firstly, they do have a seperate Xpedition 'sticky' - if you go to Celebrity Connections roll calls, and then choose Celebrity Xpedition roll calls, at the top you will see a thread called 'Xpedition - anyone recently back?'. This is referred to as the Monster Thread as it has been going for five years, and any possible question you could have about the Galapagos trip will be on there - asked and answered multiple times before. Try searching before asking the question, as you will find your answer.

 

This trip is very popular and as it only takes around 96 passengers, it often sells out quite quickly. However, I am sure you could find a sailing with 3 cabins. All of the cabins have windows and only a few suites have balconies. There are 4 smaller cabins, still with windows; 14 'Deluxe' staterooms, again with windows; 19 Premium staterooms with windows; and 1 Junior Suite, 6 Xpedition Suites and 1 Penthouse suite - all with balconies. Here is a link to the deck plans: http://www.celebritycruises.com/plancruise/ships/ship.do?shipCode=XP

 

Because it is a small ship, there are no bad cabins, and noone has reported a bad cabin as far as I have read. We were in a Deluxe Stateroom with 3 adults and it was roomy enough and a nice room. No rooms are near the kitchen or the laundry.

 

The cruise is all inclusive including all tours. In the Galapagos, all tours are done in Pangas (small boats that hold around 12 people) and by walking on the islands. The only bus excursion was to see the land tortoises in the highlands, and this was in small buses that held around 25 people. When visiting the islands, you are in small groups of 10 to 12 people, and each group has a guide. The guides are very knowledgable about the islands, and could answer any questions we asked them.

 

The Galapagos islands tour is all about the scenery and the animals. If you take the 10 or 11 day tour that includes a tour of Quito you will get some cultural experiences on the day tour of Quito included in the package. If you just take the 7 day Galapagos option, you do need to get yourself to and from Baltra, where the ship leaves from. The tours in Quito are done on large air conditioned bus with around 25 people per bus.

 

There were snorkelling ops nearly every day, and they provide all the equiment you need.

 

Because this is such a small ship (like a mini Celebrity ship) and it is all inclusive including alcohol, there are really no benefits to being Diamond. I believe you would get an hour free internet, but is is patchy and slow out in the islands. I believe you also get a free massage. On our trip, all Captains Club members reveived choc covered straberries and a bottle of chamagne, and we were only classic members at the time. There is really nothing to buy onboard, so you won't be able to use any on board credit for anything unless you wanted a massage every day and bought some things in the tiny gift shop or perhaps had laundry done.

 

This really is a fabulous cruise and you will not regret it. We had an amazing time on the islands. We loved it so much we are going back next year!!

[BrusselsGirl07]

Can I also just say, this is a very luxurious way to see the Galapagos. The staff go out of their way to make this the trip of a lifetime. You can do a tour of the bridge and meet the captain just by asking and booking a time. When you come back from your tour you are greeted with cool wash cloths, and water, wine, beer, cocktails (or whatever drink you like) and snacks. The meals were quite nice, and the seafood BBQ on the deck was great. There is no real nightlife, everyone is tired from the days excursions. They have things like wine and cheese tastings, and at night they turn the lights on the water so you can see pelicans and sharks hunting the flying fish! They did have a talent show one night, and the staff put on a show one night.

 

Before dinner each night there is a briefing to tell you all about the next day's activities, such as what kind of surfaces you will be walking on, and what sort of shoes to wear. There is usually the option of a 'long walk' or a 'short walk'.

 

Due to new Ecuadorian rules, from September this year Celebrity has had to change their itineries. There is now an itinerary A and a B, instead of just the old itinerary they have had up till now. If you contact Celebrity, they will e-mail you the new information with details about both itineraries. I believe that both will be great.

[Familygoboston]

Yvette, thank you!! This is exactly what I needed to know! I did find the sticky, but because my TA is calling today for us to straighten out this mess, I took one look at 2005 and realized I needed expertise- fast! I'm sure if we book I will read every line of that thread. We travel quite a bit and I always do loads of research, so I had already read a couple of guide books, had a tour in mind. They have also changed itineraries ( probably as required) and now I am not sure my dates will work. I have 2 teen daughters as well as my parents ( their 50th anniversary ) going, so I have lots of things to ake into consideration!

I'm glad to hear that X takes the nature wildlife part I the trip seriously! We have done wildlife safaris in other countries, and it sounds very similar comfortable accomodations; but it's all about getting up early to see the wildlife;). This is exactly what we are looking for on the cruise portion.

 

We were also hoping to experience some of the culture in the Ecuador. That's why I was wondering how the cruise tour is structured! I will continue working my way through the "Monster" to see if that would meet our needs! It's very important it be fully escorted from the port back to Quito, because my folks are elderly and not as nimble as we are without them.

Thanks again to anyone who can help!

[jconeil]

We took this land/cruise tour in 2005, & I must say it was the best. We spent several days in & around Quito, then flew to the port to get on the ship. The ship is very nicely appointed, the rooms are very comfortable. The food & crew were great, the tour guides were excellent & very fluent in English. We took Zodiacs every day to different islands. You do need to be fairly agile to get in & out of the Zodiacs, although the crew is extremely helpful & careful. But you are not getting off at big piers, sometimes there are "wet landings" where you actually get off into the water (calf deep at most). The paths are well worn & not difficult. You must stay on the paths. Each Zodiac went out at the same time with 12 pax, but they started their tours at different places on the island so you were only in a tour with 12 with your own guide. Excursions were in the morning, back for lunch, & out again in the afternoon. The wildlife is not afraid, & you see them very close up. In fact, you must step over sea lions & lizards snoozing on the paths quite frequently. One memorable occasion we were in the open sea tooling along at a good clip, when suddenly we were surrounded by hundreds of dolphin racing & jumping alongside as far as you could see. Another time I was snorkeling & found myself cavorting with a playmate darting in & out, under & over, obviously it was having a good time & I was thoroughly entertained. Yes it was a friendly sea lion. If you enjoy nature this is a truly fantastic experience.

[ghstudio]

Of course the information is in the main thread on the Xpedition, but just in case you don't see it, The front XO cabins do get some significant anchor noise when the anchor is dropped or raised. My advice to everyone is to book XD which are absolutely identical to the XP cabins and being one deck up doesn't matter a bit on this yacht (it is technically a motor yacht due to it's size). We found absolutely no reason to have a balcony...there's almost no time to use it.

 

It's an outstanding trip...take the land package just so you don't have to worry about how to get to baltra on time. If you miss the ship, you will have to charter a boat or helicopter to catch up with it...not a pleasant thought.

[Familygoboston]

Jconeil- thanks! As I wade through the Monster, (while trying to also take reasonable hurricane precautions here at our coastal Maine house) I am in the middle the " diarreah days" when you travelled. So this info is so helpful, I'm not even into 5 yo history yet and still have to move all the hanging plants in:eek:

My family is quite familiar with wet rocky landings here in Maine, so even the elders can manage that! Did X manage all your bags and transfers from Quito to Baltra? That is what we will need the most assistance with.

 

Ghstudio- we will not have much choice as we are looking at < than a year out now. Strangely, for one of the dates the XP is about $200 less pp than the XD. Don't know why? On the cruise that best fits our dates there are only suites and XP left. I suppose that's the price we will pay for being late! I'm usually never "late" so this is really irking me!

 

Thank you both for your advice...it's very helpful...gotta go tie down patio furniture:D

[BrusselsGirl07]

Hi again - you don't have to touch your luggage, it is all taken care of. With the 10 and 11 day packages, they pick you up at the airport and take your bags and you see them again in your hotel room at the Marriott. Then you do have to bring them down to the hotel lobby the night before the flight to Baltra, and the next time you see them is in your room on the ship. Every details is taken care of.

 

As well as the 'Monster Thread' have a quick read of some of the reviews on the Celebrity site for the Xpedition. There are some great ones there - perhaps this one will give you a good idea of what to expect as it is very detailed: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=75387

 

But there are 45 reviews of this trip there.

 

The Celebrity site has not differentiated between the 7 day, 10 day, and 11 days trips, it is not until you click on see more details or book now, that you will see what sort of trip you are looking at. For each date that the cruise is on there is a 7 day price (cruise only, you get yourself to Baltra), the 10 and 11 night packages where you make your way to Quito then Celebrity picks you up and you have a tour of Quito and meals and accommodation included, and finally the galapagos trip with Macchu Picchu add on, but this is specified when looking. So be careful you don't just book the 7 day cruise if you really want the 10 or 11 day experience.

 

After our 10 day Galapagos package (which was amazing) we then did a 12 day private tour of Ecuador with just the three of us. We booked through a company who organised drivers and hotels for us, and each day we went to a new town - we saw so much of Ecuador and it is really a beautiful country.

[BrusselsGirl07]

PS - good luck with the hurricane, I hope it is not too bad! Also, perhaps just start reading the monster thread for the past 12 months? I did read the whole thing in preparation for our trip February this year, and the same questions are asked and answered all the time, so if you just read 12 months worth, you should be fine. You can also use the search function if you think of a question that you have not found an answer to - or ask here!! The new itineraries start soon, so I am very interested to read people's opinions as they come back from the new tours. I am happy that we were able to do the old itinerary, as that is what the monster thread is based on, but we picked itinerary A to go back for, as that is the only itinerary that goes to the island were the Waved Albatross nest. We are going in late November, so while we won't see them as fluffy babies, we should see juvenile birds and adults flying as well.

[Familygoboston]

Thanks to all and especially Brusselsgirl! Here's how it went ... The trip I was hoping to take will release dates Monday- if all goes well they should have what we like and were done. If not, the Celebrity A cruise (11 day)seems to fit our needs perfectly and it is less expensive than Linblad and IE. My dear TA checked them all out for me...she is too good to me!

So I'll check in here early next week and let you all know what we decided and if we didn't blow away :eek:! But thanks to your help and the monster ( BG- I did skip to about Aug of 2010 finally and got lots of good info!)I have a great back up plan!

[Familygoboston]

If anyone is interested:o

The dates were released for the trip we are considering and work well for us. We prefer this trip over the 7 day cruise as it is 4 days on land in Ecuador with some unique cultural explorations ( which is great for my teens to practice their Spanish) and 4 days on the galapagos cruise. ( we plan to add at least another day pre and post in Quito) I know that's too short; but this is a 50 th anniversary cruise for my folks, and I believe the pace of that 7 day cruise would be too long for them.

My DH and I plan to spend more time in South America ourselves later and we'd probably do the Celebrity Galapagos then! We were very pleased with the pricing ( especially if we book way in advance as we are inclined to do!)

Thank you all for your good advice and reviews- most of it applies for any Galpagos cruise, so we will be taking many of your suggestions!

BTW -hurricane fizzled by the time it moved into Maine ( as they often do; the winter Noreasters are much worse!), a little wind, less rain and sone power outages ,but all is well! Hope those of you in the NY area have power soon!

[sparty1]

We are so looking 4ward tothis trip in late Nov this year! We do have an XO, but I think we'll be upand about b4 the anchor noise in the mornings. If not, it will ensure I'm awake to not miss the excursion.:D I just registered for the virtualtraveler you have in your signature here, and created my map. Don't really understand how to add it to my signature on CC tho. It looks like a fun site. Thx for sharing it.

 

Of course the information is in the main thread on the Xpedition, but just in case you don't see it, The front XO cabins do get some significant anchor noise when the anchor is dropped or raised. My advice to everyone is to book XD which are absolutely identical to the XP cabins and being one deck up doesn't matter a bit on this yacht (it is technically a motor yacht due to it's size). We found absolutely no reason to have a balcony...there's almost no time to use it.

 

It's an outstanding trip...take the land package just so you don't have to worry about how to get to baltra on time. If you miss the ship, you will have to charter a boat or helicopter to catch up with it...not a pleasant thought.

[Sailkeywest]

mispost, wrong thread!