Silver Galapagos Mini Cruise 11/7 - 10

[Gourmet Gal]

My husband and I are currently in Bogotá until we transfer to Silver Galapagos for a 3-night cruise as part of the Four Seasons World Private Jet Journey.  I will share my observations however brief they may be.  Our jet will take us to Guayaquil on 11/7 and we transfer to a charter flight on a smaller plane to get us to Baltra.  We’ve been asked to downsize our luggage to one checked bag per person plus our carry-on pieces.  Should be easy enough for only 3 nights.  More to come....

[Stumblefoot]

That's interesting that SS is letting your tour group join the ship mid-voyage.  Cruise Mapper shows the Silver Galapagos at:

• Nov 7 - San Cristobal Island
• Nov 8 - Espanola Island
• Nov 9 - Santa Cruz and South Plaza Islands
• Nov 10 - San Cristobal Island

So, I wonder how they are altering the itinerary to accommodate your group?  Will be interesting to follow along your voyage.

[Gourmet Gal]

It isn’t really mid-voyage as FS booked the entire week even though we’ll be onboard for only 3 nights.  Our group of 50 will have the entire ship.

Edited November 5, 2018 by Gourmet Gal

[RachelG]

Wow, that is great, though only enough time to scratch the surface of what the Galapagos have to offer.

[Gourmet Gal]

Well, we’ve only been scratching the surface all over the world beginning in Seattle and traveling west.  Galapagos will be the last stop before returning to the final US stop.  It’s just as well because everyone is pretty tired at this point.  But Galagos has always been on my list so we’re really looking forward to it.

[Gourmet Gal]

The itinerary looks to be as follows:

11/7  Baltra embark

11/8  Gardner Bay, Punta Suárez

11/9  Santa Cruz Tortoise Reserve, South Plaza

11/10  San  Cristobal  and disembark

 

Somewhat different I think from the standard itinerary.

[Stumblefoot]

46 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

The itinerary looks to be as follows:

11/7  Baltra embark

11/8  Gardner Bay, Punta Suárez

11/9  Santa Cruz Tortoise Reserve, South Plaza

11/10  San  Cristobal  and disembark

 

Somewhat different I think from the standard itinerary.

Other than the Baltra embarkation, it's identical to the previously published itinerary that I wrote above.

[Gourmet Gal]

Embarked today after brief flights from Bogata.  After a couple weeks transfer through the VIP lounge in Baltra we boarded zodiacs to reach the ship.  We were greeted with lovely canapes and champagne.  Check-in was quick and we were in our cabins by 1:00 PM.  After lunch at the grill there was a safety and muster drill.  Sailaway was interesting after the power went out on the entire ship.  It lasted about 20 minutes.  We had a very thorough port talk followed by dinner.  I must say, the food is as good, if not better than any cruise I’ve taken.  The Four Seasons chef is “curating” the food selection so I don’t know if that is a positive effect or not from the usual.

[Gourmet Gal]

Gardner Bay was a nice relaxing stop with snorkeling, deep water snorkeling, beach time and kayaking all available.  Really appreciated non-stop Zodiac service to and fro.  If 2 or 3 people wanted to return to the ship the Zodiacs were waiting for the call.  After repositioning we hiked in the afternoon.  The guides are excellent and the wildlife was cooperative 🙂   Food continues to be impressive and the overall service is also top-notch with our butler being a real standout.  We have been surprised with how choppy and rolling the waters are here as many people are seasick.  One more day and it’s on to Orlando to conclude our journey. 

[Unibok]

Thank you for telling us about this short jaunt, Gourmet Gal. Wishing you a smooth re-entry back home.

[Gourmet Gal]

The Tortoise Reseve was very interesting as was hiking on South Plaza.  We enjoyed the Captain’s farewell and film by David Padilla.  We all received a flash drive of the film along with the backpack, metal bottle and binoculars to take home.  Funny, no one used the binoculars because we were so close to the wildlife there was no need.  Disembarkation was smooth with no lines at San Cristobal airport as Four Seasons was able to buy out the plane for the return to Guayaquil and transfer to the Four Seasons jet.  Even though Galapagos was on most of our bucket lists almost everyone felt the 3 nights was plenty of time after all.  The islands are beautiful and the waters are so clear and clean.  The people are welcoming and generous but no one felt like they needed to return for more.  It was a lovely final stop on our journey around the world and Silversea proved to be a great partner to Four Seasons.