Galapagos Xpedition July 2013

[ginal]

I am going to write this in pieces and post. Ask questions and I will try and answer.

Galapagos Xpedition July 19-July 29

I’ll just write my review in time order-so you can follow along. We were on Itinerary B-10 night package. Remember this is winter in Quito and the Galapagos. A group of 4: 2-mid 50’s, 1 -75 year old, 1-27 year old. We stayed in rooms 602 and 604.

 

Before I begin-I was affected by the Altitude in Quito on the Pre and Post Nights. More people were affected on the Post Nights. I was glad I had prescription medicine from my doctor, and so were the people who took some. Take Altitude meds with you just in case!!

 

Day 1:

We arrived in Quito at 11pm-at hotel by 1:15am. When you arrive in Quito you go thru customs, out thru the doors, the Celebrity Representative will direct you to give luggage to porters. You must wait for everyone to de-board plane, go thru customs, and meet up. Don’t rush. You will get on a bus to the Marriott. The bus ride is 1 hour long. Information will be given to you on the bus.

 

When you get to the Marriott, you will pick up room keys and get itinerary for next day at the Celebrity Desk. A beautiful hotel with a warm water pool and hot tub. The bathrooms had separate showers and large soaker tubs. Service here is excellent. Small set of gift shops with some unique items. 3 restaurants mostly serve Mexican style food. Nice little coffee/sandwich/ice cream shop in hotel. HINT: room keys only work for your floor, if your party is split between floors it makes it a little difficult.

 

HINT: Try to get access to Executive Lounge on 9th floor, I had a Marriott number. Drinks such as water, coke are free all day long. Different foods are also served during the day for snacks, breakfast, desserts, etc. (I spent a lot of time here.) Free WiFi also.

[Phxazzcruisers]

Thanks for your post. We loved our Galapagos adventure. BTW, if your are elite on celebrity you will be given access to the Executive Lounge in the Marriott.

[ginal]

Day 2:

Remember all food is part of your pkg. from this point. Buffet Breakfast was served 6-9 am. I never went but others in my group said it was like Embassy Suites on steroids-made to order omelets, hot and cold buffet.

 

9:30 depart for City tour that includes a very nice lunch. A 45 minute drive, with only 20ish people to a bus. There will be bottled water available free on the bus. They urge you to drink all day. We visited 2 cathedrals- one of them was overlaid in gold. Lots of old world culture. Saw a lot of government buildings and the culture of Old Town Quito. I took pictures of young boys giving shoe shines in the square and learning to paint in the plaza. Crime is bad, so don’t wear jewelry or flashy stuff. You have a security guard and your tour guide. We felt safe-but it is a problem, at one point a policeman rode on our bus. If you have read other reviews they talk about the opera singer at lunch. He was fine, lasted about 15 minutes, yes he was loud, but enjoy it for the experience. Try to sit on balcony, we didn’t and wish we had—overlooked a square. This is your first taste of different varieties of ‘ices’. The guava was delicious. You will have different ‘ices’ each day on the ship.

 

After lunch they will take you back to hotel if you do not want to do the afternoon section. Or bring you if you just want to do afternoon and not morning—you just have to request it.

 

Afternoon drove about 1 hour to the Equator Monument. We had about an hour here. Had fun taking pictures and seeing the museum inside the monument. HINT: go up the elevator and do the museum on the way down. HINT: front side has lots of people taking pictures, go to sides or back where there is nobody to get good pics. Stand and try to hold up globe and let someone take your picture.

 

Back to hotel at 4:30 and then at 6:15 board bus again to go to Carmine Restaurant for dinner. Try to be one of the first in the restaurant because I think the 1st floor rooms are prettier. Plus don’t have to climb stairs. Lemon chicken was best I have had. Desserts were all good. Back at hotel 8:15.

 

You’ll take your luggage down to Celebrity desk between 8-10pm and you won’t see it again till on ship. HINT: pack your clothes and shoes in Ziplocs or plastic so if there is a shower your stuff won’t get wet. WARNING: your bags will be handled by a lot of people before it arrives on ship.. .put all meds, anything of value, electronic cords and batteries in your carry on. HINT: people carried on a lot more than the recommended on small bag, several had medium size roll-on suitcases. So don’t worry about size all that much.

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for posting, I am loving the hints and the review, as we will be in Quito next March.:D

[ginal]

Day 3:

Breakfast is 5-7am same as day 2

 

6:30 am you will pick up boarding passes at Celebrity Desk

 

7:30am transfer to airport-again this is a 1 hour bus ride; they will have bottled water available for you. You will be taken to a special lobby to wait at the airport, and then load on a charter plane. HINT: they now have 1st class seating on this plane if you want to upgrade, I think it was $30 a person. Really didn’t think it would be worth it. Meal was nicely presented with linen napkins. Ours was a quiche, which was quite good. 2 hour flight to Baltra.

 

Upon arrival to Baltra, you must go thru customs (yes again!). Then the Celebrity representatives take you to a special waiting room with drinks, snacks, cushy chairs, sofas to wait for the buses to take you to the pier to catch the pangas to the ship. 10 minute bus ride to Pier and 5 minute ride on Pangas to ship.

 

 

From there the vacation is in full swing. A buffet lunch was served when you boarded ship and the first briefing was at 3pm when you got your keys to your stateroom. All meals will be in the Darwin Restaurant on Deck 3 or outside grill food on Deck 4. All talks are on Deck 4 in the Discovery Lounge.

 

You will get fitted for wetsuits at 4pm. Believe me if you are going in Galapagos ‘Winter’- July thru Oct.- you will want the wetsuits- it was COLD. HINT: We also bought swim shirts or rash guards for this trip—glad we invested. The $45 was well spent on these shirts. Have snorkeled a lot of places, but never in cold water so the extra layer the shirts provided was nice.

[ginal]

Every Day On Board Ship:

• Dress Code is Casual. I took too many clothes, but enjoyed not having to wear the same thing over and over. Supper most people did dress a little nicer, Capri’s or pants for women and nicer shirts for guys. No suits or formal wear. Only one guy kept coming in his bathing suit-YUCK!! Plenty of space under beds for suitcases.

 

• There is a nice small gift shop on board for shirts, backpacks, and postcards.

 

• Breakfast is Buffet, but you can get things cooked your way. My mom got her toast cooked really dark every morning.

 

• Lunch is Buffet in Restaurant that was themed each day such as Italian or Mexican OR something different on the back of deck 4 each day such as Crepes, Hamburgers, and Sandwiches with standard fries, salad offerings. We checked out both before deciding what to eat. Plenty of choices and Shrimp was available every meal cooked a million different ways.

 

• Excursions:

o Morning excursion is 8ish to 11ish

o Afternoon excursion is 3ish to 6ish

o Wet landings are in 1-2 ft of water on sandy beach-need beach sandals or water shoes (there are sharp rocks)

o Dry landings are hard to maneuver on small outcrops of lava rock-need good tennis or hiking shoes

o Two options are usually given for each time period-one is a longer hike. One of our group always chose the longer hike. I usually chose the shorter, so hopefully, I can give you insights to both.

 

• Each night around7ish there is a slide show presentation that highlights the next day’s excursions. HINT: they show pictures of the landings, tell how hard it will be, give you a good feel for the limitations of each excursion. You will also sign up for which excursion you are doing here and then head down to supper.

 

• Dinner is 7:30-9pm each evening. It is a 4 course meal. You can choose from the Classic Menu which is the same every night or from the Different night’s selections. We mixed and matched all week. HINT: If you have never cruised before: you can order 2 of something, or 3 salads or 2 entrees…any combination you want. I ordered just a baked potato for my entrée several nights. Over the week we had Crab, Octopus, Shrimp, Calamari, Lobster (several nights), Steaks (several nights), many different kinds of fish, vegetarian options, etc..etc..etc. HINT: the first night is the only night for Crème Brule. I should have got two. Everything was prepared well and served expertly. Red and White wine was offered with every meal or you could order drinks. I had an Oreo Milkshake each night; husband had tea, the others Sprite and Coke OR of course the never ending supply of alcoholic beverages.

 

• Seating is open at lunch and supper. We sat at the very back at supper, since that is where the bartenders doubled as waiters. My group congregated at the bar during the day, so at night we enjoyed having the same staff.

[drfun48]

I am going to write this in pieces and post. Ask questions and I will try and answer.

Galapagos Xpedition July 19-July 29

I’ll just write my review in time order-so you can follow along. We were on Itinerary B-10 night package. Remember this is winter in Quito and the Galapagos. A group of 4: 2-mid 50’s, 1 -75 year old, 1-27 year old. We stayed in rooms 602 and 604.

 

Before I begin-I was affected by the Altitude in Quito on the Pre and Post Nights. More people were affected on the Post Nights. I was glad I had prescription medicine from my doctor, and so were the people who took some. Take Altitude meds with you just in case!!

 

Day 1:

We arrived in Quito at 11pm-at hotel by 1:15am. When you arrive in Quito you go thru customs, out thru the doors, the Celebrity Representative will direct you to give luggage to porters. You must wait for everyone to de-board plane, go thru customs, and meet up. Don’t rush. You will get on a bus to the Marriott. The bus ride is 1 hour long. Information will be given to you on the bus.

 

When you get to the Marriott, you will pick up room keys and get itinerary for next day at the Celebrity Desk. A beautiful hotel with a warm water pool and hot tub. The bathrooms had separate showers and large soaker tubs. Service here is excellent. Small set of gift shops with some unique items. 3 restaurants mostly serve Mexican style food. Nice little coffee/sandwich/ice cream shop in hotel. HINT: room keys only work for your floor, if your party is split between floors it makes it a little difficult.

 

HINT: Try to get access to Executive Lounge on 9th floor, I had a Marriott number. Drinks such as water, coke are free all day long. Different foods are also served during the day for snacks, breakfast, desserts, etc. (I spent a lot of time here.) Free WiFi also.

Not ever really winter in the Galapagos , at the equator. I have been on the Xpedition three times and 4th trip coming Aug9. Water is always cold..mid to high 60s because of the Humbolt current. Glad you had a great trip...surprised about the lobster in view of the suspension...must be in season again.

[Jane2357]

I am really enjoying reading your review. Galapagos is on the bucket list - perhaps for 2016 and I have no idea where to start - I LOVE that you are covering the basics and the included hints. What would you say the outside temp was during the day and again after dark?

[deelastcre]

Your review is making me excited about my 2015 Adventure. Thanks for sharing!

[drfun48]

I am really enjoying reading your review. Galapagos is on the bucket list - perhaps for 2016 and I have no idea where to start - I LOVE that you are covering the basics and the included hints. What would you say the outside temp was during the day and again after dark?

 

Most times temps are in the mid 80s during the day and around 60 at night,

If you really want more info go to the Celebrity Roll Call site for the Xpedition. There are two threads Parts 1 and 2 titled "Anyone recently back" Together they are over 700 pages !

also check out this video

 

 

[BrusselsGirl07]

It is fun to read your review and brings back memories of our unforgettable trip a few years ago! The effect of the altitude was interesting, none of my group of 3 were ill, but we all felt really unfit and were out of breath at the slightest exhertion. Can't wait to go back, maybe 2015?

[2552phxcrzr]

Day 2:

He was fine, lasted about 15 minutes, yes he was loud, but enjoy it for the experience. Try to sit on balcony, we didn’t and wish we had—overlooked a square.

 

We managed to get a table on the balcony for lunch when we did the Xpedition last year in July. It was a lovely day to eat al fresco and we enjoyed seeing the activity in the square. Also snagged a two-top outside at Carmine's for dinner. The heaters kept us plenty warm and we enjoyed the ambiance of dining outside.

 

Thanks for your trip report ... brings back great memories of our own trip.

[MicCanberra]

Yummo, I just love all that sea food. I cannot wait. I look forward to more of your review to come.:D

[beachchairs2]

we are booked for 2.5 years from now....but cant get enough of your review..please keep writing...

[WGTravel]

Great review. A good primer for anyone in the planning stage...2015 for us. Thanks for your good work!

[ginal]

Day 4:

Morning Excursion- Santiago Island: Wet landing-flat terrain for walk-then optional snorkel. Both walks were on the same path BUT the longer one went a little farther across beautiful land bridges. HINT: I went on the shorter one and missed this and it was my only regret on the choices of excursions for the whole week. I took pictures of lizards, iguanas, birds, sally-lightfoot crabs, sea lions, and blue-footed boobies(BFB). This island had black sand beaches. You could snorkel, go back to the ship, or just hang out on the beach after the walk.

 

There were six opportunities to snorkel on this trip. It was cold, not unbearable, but just very different than what we expected. There were plenty of fish to see, but the water was full of plankton so our pictures are not great. Still enjoyed the experience.

 

Afternoon Excursion- Rabida: Option 1 was long walk (didn’t see as much wildlife as option 2) and snorkel. We did option 2, which was a zodiac ride, short walk, and snorkel. A zodiac and panga are the same. We took pictures of all kinds of wildlife: BFB, iguanas, manta ray, pelicans sitting on nests. The panga drivers work very hard to be sure everyone gets the pictures they want. They will maneuver and circle till everyone is finished. The short easy walk took us to see flamingos. Then we were given another chance to snorkel off the red sand beach. HINT: Try to be the last one on the pangas. You will keep your feet dry, and have more maneuver room to take pictures. We learned to count people or hang back in the line, to be last on the pangas. I think option 2 was the best choice this afternoon based on feedback from others.

[ginal]

Day 5:

Morning Excursion-Elizabeth Bay: Everyone takes the same tour of a Mangrove by the pangas. You sign up for 8 or 10 am. HINT: Be on the 8 am, 1st panga if you can, because you see the birds, stingrays, turtles, etc…that haven’t been ‘disturbed’ by other pangas full of people. The pangas do stir up silt which makes it hard for later groups. We saw penguins also.

 

Advanced Deep Water Snorkel- 3-4pm: This was snorkeling off the panga in deep water. We did not do either of these since the water was cold. Mixed reviews from the people who came back. Some pangas saw more than others, but I think they swam with some sea lions.

 

Afternoon Excursion-Tagus Cove- 4:30pm: Option 1 was short panga ride and a long walk. Option 2 was extended panga ride and optional short walk. The walk involved a dry tricky landing and then 150 stairs straight up to look down into a caldera (small lake ringed by the mts.) The long walk went farther than the short walk, but did not see anything different. HINT: The panga rides were very different. On the extended ride you actually took the panga inside a small cavern. I was glad we took the extended ride or we would have missed the cavern and I took a lot of video of penguins and pelicans frolicking. HINT: You don’t have to take the hike, can just do panga ride and then back to ship.

[ginal]

It was a little chillier than I expected, July in South TX is 107 in the middle of the afternoon, and I expected the Equator to be hot. But we were thrilled to have a cool breeze most days and all the excursions were very pleasant. We all took a light windbreaker, but only the girls used theirs. We all took the light weight Columbia (think fishing shirts from Bass Pro) in short and long sleeves. This is what we wore most of the time. It was high in the low 80's and low in the low 70's. Quito was much cooler and was really glad I had the long sleeves. The last day at the market was breezy and everybody was shivering at 3pm. They do advise you not to wear bright colors, since it attracts insects.

[ginal]

I was surprised also when we first saw Lobster on the menu since that was the month long shut down of the Xpedition. But lobster was on the menu several times in different ways, so I guess the problem was limited to the out of season stuff. By the way the Maitre D Juan Cepeda was unbelievable. We named him the Energizer Bunny. He was everywhere, making sure everyone was happy. If you weren't happy with the food, or wanted something else-he did his best to make it happen.

[cherylroslyn]

Not ever really winter in the Galapagos , at the equator. I have been on the Xpedition three times and 4th trip coming Aug9. Water is always cold..mid to high 60s because of the Humbolt current. Glad you had a great trip...surprised about the lobster in view of the suspension...must be in season again.

Can I ask when is the best time to do this trip?

[ginal]

I'm sure you will get lots of responses to this. I was a little hesitant about when we chose. But it was nice to be cool and not sweaty on all the walks. That said if you had a specific wildlife thing you wanted to see---such as turtles or mating of certain birds-that might dictate when you go. We didn't see many turtles (only 1 for me). But got to see Blue footed Boobies and Frigates mating.

[ginal]

My take on the Ship

• We were in Suites 602 and 604. The suites on deck 6 are the largest. Our beds, bath and floor space were larger than the others on the ship. Suite 604-now the Royal Suite, does show the correct floor plan on the Celebrity website. BUT 602 and the Penthouse Suite floor plan are very wrong on the website. They are both much nicer and roomier.

o That said: we also had to climb stairs all day long. Meals were on 3rd deck, entertainment and bar on 4th deck, pangas on deck 3. The only things on deck 6 were the hot tub and massage room. Down and up for breakfast, down and up morning excursion, down and up for lunch—so you see what I am saying.

o Also, I agree with fellow reviewers. The air conditioner does not keep up on deck 6. It was ‘winter’ and the high was in the 80’s, but the room NEVER got cold. It was comfortable, but not cold. I cannot imagine staying in the room when it is ‘summer’ in the Galapagos.

o We all agreed that a cabin on deck 5, even though not as big, would have been better. More convenient to everything.

 

• The ship does ROCK. But we enjoyed it for the experience that it was. It was worse the last two nights, but every ship in the harbors was rockin’. I took one Bonnie every day and had no problems. No one else in our group took any meds. I did take the Patch, but didn’t use it. We did do the drunken stroll across the room many times, but it is just part of the experience. A few of the passengers complained of the movement the last two days-but I don’t think it made anyone sick. HINT: if you get sea sick—bring meds—you will need them.

 

• HINT: Take a good flashlight-such as a mag light. Some people had them and could spotlight sharks and sea lions after dark in the water. It was fun to watch. We never had the crew do this as some other cruise critic reviews stated they did at midnight. So take your own.

 

• Ship is beautiful and well maintained. The crew takes pride in their ship. They were outfitting it with new decking on the back.

 

• Every excursion is well-planned, organized, executed, etc…etc. You will be amazed at how well they issue life-jackets-get you on pangas-get you off pangas-get lifejackets. The naturalist and crew will help you on and off the pangas with their special handshake.

 

• They give you a wet bag for snorkel gear and have an organized system of hanging wet suits and bags upon the end of each snorkel. We brought own snorkel and masks, but they had plenty. We just left ours in the wet bag till the last snorkel trip. You don’t keep wetsuits and snorkel gear in room. HINT: I wanted a prescription mask so I went on Amazon and ordered on for $50. It was the best snorkeling, because I could see. Best $50 spent.

 

• And YES there is WIFI on the ship. It is only in the Discovery Lounge, but we and everybody else used it every day. It is FREE---no limit on hours per day. All the brochure information is wrong on this. Also, they have 6 PC’s and Mac’s that you can check out. HINT: You can download pictures on computer then transfer to a flash drive. A lot of people did this. I played on my IPAD no problem.

[ginal]

DAY 6

Morning Excursion-Santiago Island: Both Option 1 and 2 have the same easy dry landing over black lava rock which was a little tricky to walk, but my mom and another older lady did it just fine. Option 1 is course a longer walk (1.5miles) but they did get to do something neat that the shorter walk (option 2, 0.03miles) didn’t. HINT: Option 1 They got to actually crawl down in a lava tube to their waist and stick their heads out for neat photo op! So if you like to walk this made some neat pictures. HINT: Take pictures close of up the lava formations that you are walking on-really neat rope and swirls.

 

BBQ on the Back Deck-They bbq-ed every meat, seafood, chicken you could think of. You just filled your plate to the brim. We sat close to the grill so we could

watch them. Enjoyed everything they cooked-huge shrimp, lobster, fish……

 

Afternoon Excursion-Bartolome Island: Okay Option 1 is the 380 stairs ‘to the top’ then snorkel. The 380 stairs are built into a boardwalk system and at the top you get beautiful pictures of islands and crystal blue water. No wildlife. Okay, I admit, I skipped this one and went on Option 2 for a panga ride and snorkel. We didn’t see much, but the water was pretty choppy. Snorkeling again was okay the water it was hazy…but lots of fish. Each time you snorkel you are given a pretty large area, so you don’t snorkel into each other. Pangas stay out patrolling, so if you get tired or need help they are there.

[MicCanberra]

Thanks once again for all these wonderful reviews and the fantastic tips.:D

[beachchairs2]

thank you for all you are telling us...it is fascinating...

 

I am a non swimmer, in fact in our group there may be a few that will not snorkel....can I still take part in wet landings? were there others that did not snorkel?