Xpedition - Just returned from 12/4/05 sailing

[SandyR5]

Susan - Take less clothing than you could ever imagine taking!! :) I brought just 3 outfits for all 9 nights and it was perfect. Think casual on a ship...not smart casual. My "outfits" were capris with matching buttoned tops and I wore a short sleeve shirt underneath. Others wore capris or slacks with blouses or polos. That's all you need. Nobody pays any attention to what you're wearing or if you're wearing the same outfits. Pack LIGHT. (I'm laughing as I say this because I'm starting to think "packing" for an upcoming 14 day Caribbean cruise and of course I have 14 evening outfits and 6 pair of shoes out already...and I haven't begun to think of the daytime.) I mentioned that because I am not a light packer normally. This is a different experience.

[SheilaNC]

Sandy,

Maybe we could go into the Xpedition consulting business along with Dave, Frank and anyone else who wants to be a partner :)

 

Agree totally with packing. I'm not usually a heavy packer but even I overpacked for this trip since I was concerned about different temperatures in Quito and the Galapagos. Susan...you can leave a suitcase at the Marriott and take less on the ship, but, truthfully, Sandy is right...you don't need to stress about what to pack at all. I had just a few pairs of shorts and capris and several tops that didn't take up much room.

 

And...Sandy, I've learned to pack mix and match for longer Caribbean and even the Med. cruise and many fewer shoes. Lots of black and one pair of dress shoes got me through he 12 day Millennium cruise. For the Carib., I now take one pair of sandals, one walking and one dress (and flip flops for pool and spa). Makes packing a breeze....and schlepping luggage much easier.

[Susan-M]

I think you should go into the 'consulting business'... you are doing a terrific job:)

 

I'm looking forward to a trip that I can pack lightly for!

Sheila - I did the same for our Med cruise because I knew how difficult it was going to be handling the luggage in Barcelona & Venice. I was quite pleased with myself for bringing a 'reasonable' amount of luggage ... and even better, there is less to wash and put away once you get home!

[SheilaNC]

You're so right, Susan. We used the laundry onboard once and then found that we came home with some clean clothes. Could have saved the $$$. I did wash out a few 'undies' in the sink using a Rick Steve's clothes line for drying and that worked out well. I'm planning on packing very light for the next ones coming up. Hopefully this is a real trend! And, truthfully, I am not concerned about others noticing that I'm wearing the same things more than once. Most I'll never see again and my friends (new and old) won't care (or notice)

[SandyR5]

Sheila - I didn't say I was taking all that...just that that is what I took out so far. :) I usually look at the stuff and look at the stuff and then decide what to put back. I think the Med cruise will be easier because I'll also concentrate on black, but my summer stuff has lots of pink, beige and other light colors. I know I'll whittle it down. ;)

Recently got a brochure from Oceania. See some nice long trips that interest us. Sheila, have you used them? You probably have since you are always one step in front of us. :) :)

[frankpc]

Kamper,

 

To get to your question about Octavalo .... we went on Friday which is the day before the big mob scene on Saturday ... we probably saw half a dozen other customers. All the vendors appeared to be set up ... so it was easy to stroll and shop without the crowds.

 

SandyR5,

 

We've sailed on Oceania (Regatta) two years ago and we're booked on the London-London (Insignia) this summer. Also sailed Ren (some of the same ships, somewhat similar in experience) in the Baltic a few years ago. Needless to say, we're big fans. Open dining, limited smoking, port intensive itineraries, 700 passenger ships - all good things in our book. Open dining is a different experience from the typical Celebrity dining where the waiter can almost order for you by day two, but you get to meet a lot of people and eat when you're ready. Curiously enough, more like Expedition with the open seating although certainly not all inclusive. The new hotel director on the Expedition also was aboard Regatta in her early days ...

 

Frank

[SheilaNC]

Thanks, Frank, we, too, are planning an Oceania for next year. Maybe this is the time for us to 'pick your brains' about our next choices...turnaround is fair play you know :) We're thinking of the Caribbean in Jan 2007 since 2006 is full for us.

[frankpc]

Sheila,

 

Absolutely, we'd be glad to share our experience with Oceania. Let me know when you're ready ....

 

Frank

[TheGardener]

Sandy

I am absoulutely enthralled by your reports of the Galapagos we are on the cruise on 5th March.

I have read all your excellent info on snorkling is the shipp equipment a good standard masks etc?

Your info on the onboard dress is also useful it will give me more weight allowance for my cameras etc. Did you see anyone using a tripod at all not sure if I wiil need it to get good pics?

Thanks once again for all your great information.

 

Mike

[frankpc]

Mike,

We found the on board snorkel gear to be fine. Wetsuits in good shape too. The only thing you might want to consider is a hood depending on your tolerance for cold water. It looks like water temps in March are a good five degrees warmer than early October when we visited, but I can tell you the temps varied tremendously with the currents as we encountered some sub 60 degree water on our zodiac snokel. A hood is pretty cheap and easy to pack too. See here :

 

http://www.galapagosislandsdiscover.com/info/weather.htm

 

As far as pics go, a couple of folks had the small foldable tripods on our trip that were useful at times. While many animals are very close, you will see some at a distance (i.e. flamingos in a pond). These days I'm just using a Canon A95 for vacation pics but the 2x teleconverter I added was very useful.

Some sort of video capability can be a plus too.

If you use standard film, which we did in our underwater cameras, the airport folks were willing to hand check film in the US and Ecuador.

 

Have fun,

 

Frank

[SandyR5]

Mike - Thanks for the compliment. You will see how easy it is to become enthusiastic about this trip! March is the warmest month in the Galapagos so snorkeling should be wonderful. All equipment on the ship was fine...even got used to using a walking stick for the rough terrain hikes.

 

One gentleman on our trip used a tripod. Other than him it was just point and shoot. :) I started with over 700 pictures but got it down to 250. EVERY sea lion, EVERY blue footed boobie, EVERY turtle, EVERY iguana, EVERY tortoise, EVERY commorant, EVERY masked boobie, EVERY fur seal, EVERY beach whether it is red sand, black sand, mixed sand, lava boulders, etc., etc., is the perfect picture. ;)

[SheilaNC]

Agree totally with Sandy EXCEPt that I was an abysmal failure at keeping my pictures to a minimum. We still have over 1000! But I must say that we enjoy doing a long slide show (just for outselves). I put 130 of the best in a PowerPoint slide show for our friends and family. That's about all they can tolerate.

 

We had a few people who used tripods. Some found it difficult to tote around especially on the longer hikes and rough terrain. Our photos came out amazingly good despite being point and shoot.

[Kamper]

Frankpc thanks for the Otavalo info. I think we will go ahead and go on Friday before the cruise. I've been doing some more reading and it sounds like many of the vendors come a distance so, they are often set up the day before as you observed.

 

Interesting comments about the tripods. I wouldn't have thought you would need one with the animals being so close. I had just planned on bringing my 75-300 zoom lens.

 

I'm glad to hear that the Ecuadoran officials will hand check your film. The only problem I've had in the US is that the cannisters testing positive for explosives the last time I did a hand check! The screener said it was probably from hand lotion of all things.

 

Kelly

[mason525]

Hi all- just back last night. Had a totally amazing trip & will try to post report but did notice something I wanted to respond to. If you are used to hiking with collaspible metal hiking poles(e.g. Leki) the wooden walking sticks will not be nearly as good. They come is a limited # of sizes, have a very wide tip & can't extend for down hill. I like my set of poles for major hikes & if that's what you're used to, you may want to bring them along. (Sorry I've misplaced someone's post that mentioned bad ankles.) Meg

[TheGardener]

Thanks all for the info it is great to have all this advice before we go. I think I will risk it without the tripod. Our last two big trips were the Amazon rain Forest 2005 (1500 pictures which I am still sorting!) and the Antarctic 2004, the latter I still havn't got over. On those two trips my tripod was very useful I suppose it takes a bit of getting used to being so close to the wildlife.

Sandy you mention a walking stick I am in the habit of using a Leki walking pole when I am in Scottish mountains would it be useful to take one with me I find it invaluble when crossing rivers or very rough terrain?

Thanks Mike

[Kamper]

Hi Meg, That was me with the bad ankles (which will be encased in hiking boots). Thank you for the info about the walking sticks as compared to hiking poles. I think I will pack mine since they weigh very little.

 

Looking forward to your report.

[Fontaid]

Mike,

 

Although I didn't bring a tripod, I had a few fuzzy pics when I was zoomed way in (12x optical - equal to 430 mm). It also had a 4x digital and I'm sure I tried to use some of the digital zoom too. But, it's difficult to be steady enough to 1) keep the picture properly framed and 2) keep it focused if there's not enough light. If you don't want to bring a tripod, consider bringing a lightweight monopod.

 

Although you are walking over and around many animals, there are many shots that are not that close. You have to stay on the trail and I was glad to have an extra long zoom. But, you have to be much steadier when you're zoomed way in (I hold my breath when shooting).

 

Dave

:) :) :)

[Papillon's 2]

I am thrilled to find this wealth of information. My husband and I leave Feb. 3, 2006 for Quito and the Xpedition. This has been a dream destination for him.

 

I am in a bit of a fix though. I have a phobia about birds. From what I'm reading I may end up having to walk through congregations of birds. I'm afraid this would totally freak me out, specially if they flutter about and come up very close to me....say within 10 feet. I love birds, I adore watching them and I have feeding stations in my yard but they all respect my territory as I respect theirs. It sounds as though I would be invading their territory on the islands. Those of you who have been to the Galapagos, please tell me if you think I should stay aboard ship, or only take tours in the Zodiac.

 

I will appreciate any suggestions.

 

Linda in OKC

[SandyR5]

Linda - Relax. :) You do not get "up close and personal" with any birds. You will see them on their nests, on cliffs, on trees etc., but you definitely do NOT walk through congregations of birds. The only congregations you will walk AROUND would be groups of iguanas who huddle together because they are cold blooded and huddle to stay warm and those absolutely fabulous sea lions who you will pass. One of our favorite smile time was watching about a dozen blue footed boobies dive bomb into the water to find fish. We stood on the beach and watched them. Have no fear...no birds near you. Get ready for an incredible journey.

[Papillon's 2]

Sandy,

What a relief, I had heard that the Boobies actually pecked at your ankles, shudder. Thanks for your input.

Linda

[SheilaNC]

We did have Boobies on a hiking trail...but they didn't come up to us, we skirted around them AND you don't need to do it if you don't want to. Please don't stay on the ship...the animal life is the main reason for visiting the Galapagos and none of the animals is aggressive or tries to get near your (with the exception of the mocking birds who will try to get to water bottles). Solution - don't take a water bottle out of it's holder. Then no problem.

 

I do hope you love the experiences you are about to enjoy as much as we did. Have a great trip.

[Meribeth]

Did anyone dive on your cruises? Were there divers and they choose not to dive. Do you know why? Thanks.

[Meribeth]

Did anyone dive on your cruises? Were there divers and they decided not to dive. Do you know why? Thanks.

[SheilaNC]

Meribeth,

We had about 6 divers...they dove either 2 or 3 times and had made arrangments through Celebrity. They reported very good dives. Lots of sea turtles and several other unusual animals which I can't remember as well as sea lions and one or two sharks. Since I'm not a diver, I can't provide more info. but there are several other Xpedition threads where you might search for 'dives' since they have been reported before.

[Fontaid]

Linda, I agree with Sandy that you won't be surrounded by a gaggle of birds at any time.... enjoy!!! I will say that on one hike (I can't remember which one), we had 3 or 4 small birds land on the red back pack of one of our hikers (sounds like Sheila had a similar experience). She had a couple of bottles of water tucked in water bottle holders on her back pack. The birds recognized the bottles for what they were and wanted some water. Our naturalist said that we couldn't give them any... remember it's survival of the fittest, so we didn't. But, we got a great photo op up close... (as close as you wanted to get). The only person who didn't have a good view was the lady wearing the back pack.

 

Meribeth, We didn't have any divers on our cruise... just snorkelers.

 

Dave

:) :) :)