Silver Galapagos - a few thoughts

[Fletcher]

In 2020 Silver Galapagos will be replaced by a new vessel, the Silver Origin, purpose-built for the islands.  And about time too.  There already is an Origin at work here, a chic little 10-cabin yacht, so I think maybe Silversea could have come up with another name - Silver Species, for instance, or Silver Iguana.  Anyway, the existing Silver Galapagos has been hard at work here for years and it’s showing its age in places, as are the passengers.

 

Seven of these Renaissance ships were built in the late 1980s.  I have now sailed on four of them - the Island Sky and Caledonian Sky, both operated by the UK company Noble Caledonia, the Corinthian, and the Silver Galapagos.   The three remaining ships are the Hebridean Sky, also operated by Noble Caledonia; the other two are owned by a private individual from Abu Dhabi.  One of these is his private yacht and the other is used for spare parts.  Very sensible, don’t you think?

 

All these ships are essentially the same with significant differences.  In terms of layout the Island Sky is the best as it has not been modified in respect of suite accommodation.  The other ships, including Silver Galapagos, have had balconies added to some suites which has seriously compromised outside deck space and the ability to walk around the ship.  I don’t like ships that I cannot walk around.  The construction of the spa on deck 6 has been a further compromise.  As soon as people start messing about, a gain there is a loss there.  It’s like converting a perfect townhouse into apartments; it never really works.

 

Based on my reasonable experience of these ships I would say there are only two categories of cabin worth considering.  Firstly, the owner’s suites on Deck 6 - these offer more interior space and a long, narrow balcony.  And the second category is the cheapest, the seven cabins on Deck 2. These have much more space than cabins on decks 3, 4 and 5 because the balconies or the deck do not cut into the interior space.  Deck 2 cabins also include a large walk-in closet and a virtually separate sitting area.  We always opt for these and love being tucked away in our cheap and secret world down there. These cabins are for those in the know.  We just don’t think balconies are essential on these ships.  Space is.

 

The Noble Caledonia ships have clung steadfastly to the glossy dark wood, country house chintz look for their interiors.  The Caledonian Sky even has fireplaces!  These now look hopelessly old-fashioned beside the sleek contemporary interiors of the Silver Galapagos (also the Corinthian).  Silversea has done a tremendous job breathing new decorative life into this old ship - the restaurant in particular is gorgeous, having an almost ‘metropolitan’ appeal.  The lounge on Deck 4 is also an attractive public space while the equivalents on the Noble Caledonia ships come across as care homes for the elderly.  The lecture room is an ergonomic disaster. We disliked the outside restaurant, The Grill, not only as a dining concept (those idiotic rocks) but also as a dining space which became unendurably noisy when a pianist vies with passengers shouting at each other.   And then you might also be sitting downwind of your neighbour’s stinky greasy BBQ smoke. This is not your calm, balmy Pacific al fresco dining experience.  Dining outside is something we usually do every night on Pacific cruises - we only did it once this time.

 

Service levels right across the ship were fairly high, perhaps not as polished as one might expect from a bigger Silversea ship and there were a few amusing memory lapses and muddles.  Our cabin was serviced meticulously twice  a day.  Our butler was fairly invisible and I think I only asked him to take away a couple of laundry bags.  Personally I think Silversea should dispense with this butler snobbism on the expedition ships.

 

I wasn’t hugely impressed by the expedition team who seemed to adopt a superior attitude and kept themselves remote from passengers.  Outside their little knowledge bubble of the Galapagos they seemed fairly ignorant about everything.  One afternoon there were four of them standing by the gangway so I went over and asked a simple question - why was I only seeing small numbers of birds?  Why wasn’t I seeing large nesting colonies?  The answer was this was a remote island and very few birds made it.  I replied, politely, that could not be the case as I had seen so many vast colonies of birds all over the world on very remote islands.  I mentioned Ducie in the Pitcairn group, South Georgia, the Faroes, Aldabra . . .  I got the impression none of them had ever heard of any of these places.  Oh, said one, there is not enough food here.  The real answer was - we want to lecture you, we don’t really like questions.  The island walks were OK until your guide decided everyone had to stand in searing heat for ten minutes staring at a tiny spider.  That said, the team did organise the whole zodiac operation with great skill.

 

Which brings me, finally, to my overall Galapagos Experience.  I had somehow thought the place would be hopping with wildlife.  It wasn’t.  Birds such as penguins and blue-footed boobies were seen regularly but in small numbers - three or four here, five or six there.  I suppose we saw a few hundred of those lethargic marine iguanas and a dozen or so golden yellow land iguanas, two or three dolphin, a few dozen sea lions, not much else.  And there was an unusual wildlife event when one evening the ship was encircled by several dozen Galapagos sharks.

 

Yes, I freely acknowledge that the Galapagos are of massive world significance.  Darwin created a revolution from what he found here. While I enjoyed my cruise I also freely admit - as an everyday nature lover - that I didn’t actually find the islands especially exciting or interesting.

 

 

 

 

[gui218]

Hi Fletcher and thank you for the insights on the Silver Galapagos.

We have an A itinerary on Sept 07, 2019, did you do an A or B route in Jan 2019?

Your thoughts and guidance on the islands and tours would be appreciated.

Did you do the kayak tours and snorkelling tours, comments if yes?

This is our first small ship expedition type tour and I note from your history your have done many.

I have a underwater video camera as well as digital point and shoot lumix and hope to get lots of scenery and animal/bird/fish/seal/ etc. pictures.

 thanks again.

[Fletcher]

11 hours ago, gui218 said:

Hi Fletcher and thank you for the insights on the Silver Galapagos.

We have an A itinerary on Sept 07, 2019, did you do an A or B route in Jan 2019?

 

 Hi gui218 - We did the B route, i.e., the western islands.  I'm not sure there is a lot of difference, though the B route does take you to Bartolome island and the iconic pinnacle rock.  No, we didn't kayak or snorkel - I would have liked to have done some snorkelling but a recent chest infection and the very cold water wouldn't have been sensible, I thought.

 

You get very close up to the creatures - here's my favourite shot of the trip:

 

[gui218]

Wow. thanks so much for the info and Great Picture. 

We previously did Antarctica and south America on Zaandam.

Penguin pictures as well as Antarctic photos framed, are our lasting memories.

The seal and Blue footed booby picture, will make it easier to wait for the sept 19 departure.

Was the picture taken from shore or on the panga(zodiac), what camera and lens did you use?

Sept is the dry and cool season, what was January like?

Your picture got us excited for the cruise, sorry about the questions!

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

[Fletcher]

8 hours ago, gui218 said:

Wow. thanks so much for the info and Great Picture. 

We previously did Antarctica and south America on Zaandam.

Penguin pictures as well as Antarctic photos framed, are our lasting memories.

The seal and Blue footed booby picture, will make it easier to wait for the sept 19 departure.

Was the picture taken from shore or on the panga(zodiac), what camera and lens did you use?

Sept is the dry and cool season, what was January like?

Your picture got us excited for the cruise, sorry about the questions!

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

 

No problem.  January was very hot and while the guides kept saying it was the rainy season we never had a drop.   People did say the water was freezing and it's supposedly colder in May-Sep.

 

Cameras.  This was a big trip for us as we went to Peru, two jungle lodges in Ecuador as well as Colombia. - 11 flights and 11 hotels in all.  I normally take a heavy full-frame Canon kit but stripped down for this - my wife and I both had a Nikon D5300 with 18-200mm lens. I also had a 10-20mm wide-angle.  That photo of the booby and sea lion was taken from a zodiac at about 140mm.

 

Antarctica on Zaandam - not sure if you were able to land on those ships.  We went there on Seabourn Quest last year and have no regrets about not taking a traditional expedition ship.

[ejsnyc]

Hi.  We (me, husband and 11 y/o son) are sailing on Silver Galapagos in March and received an offer today to upgrade from Veranda Suite 5th deck to Silver Suite 6th deck for $2,500 extra total.  Does anyone have any insight on whether this is a good deal and we should take it - especially with three to a cabin.  Thanks.

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, ejsnyc said:

Hi.  We (me, husband and 11 y/o son) are sailing on Silver Galapagos in March and received an offer today to upgrade from Veranda Suite 5th deck to Silver Suite 6th deck for $2,500 extra total.  Does anyone have any insight on whether this is a good deal and we should take it - especially with three to a cabin.  Thanks.

 

I don't mean to be crass, but why not go to the Silversea website and see what the price difference is typically between those two types of suites and then look at the deck plan and see whether the layout of those two suite types offer enough of a difference for further comfort? 

$2,500 extra seems like a good deal to me considering the typical cost difference is probably in the neighborhood of $7,000 on most voyages.  But, considering several Veranda suites on deck 5 offer three person capability, the extra 58 sq. ft. in a Silver Suite wouldn't be worth an incremental $2,500 to me.  But, that's just me.  Only you can decide whether it's worth it to you.

[ejsnyc]

11 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

 

I don't mean to be crass, but why not go to the Silversea website and see what the price difference is typically between those two types of suites and then look at the deck plan and see whether the layout of those two suite types offer enough of a difference for further comfort? 

$2,500 extra seems like a good deal to me considering the typical cost difference is probably in the neighborhood of $7,000 on most voyages.  But, considering several Veranda suites on deck 5 offer three person capability, the extra 58 sq. ft. in a Silver Suite wouldn't be worth an incremental $2,500 to me.  But, that's just me.  Only you can decide whether it's worth it to you.

Thank you, Stumblefoot.  As I am sure you can appreciate, it is difficult to gauge the differences just from the website descriptions and photos as marketed by Silver.  I conducted an extensive search online for cruiser videos, photos or reviews of the cabins but could not find any.  Hence, I posted here to see if anyone had first hand knowledge from sailing on the ship.  

[MrsWaldo]

As someone who has done 3 in a suite a few times, yes upgrade.  I balanced upgrading versus a second suite on Cloud and a second suite was cheaper so value should be there.  

 

This is especially so because with an active itinerary you will want space to get changed etc.  You still might find the space tight in a Silver Suite if you've done 3 on any of the other ships 

 

 

[ejsnyc]

12 minutes ago, MrsWaldo said:

As someone who has done 3 in a suite a few times, yes upgrade.  I balanced upgrading versus a second suite on Cloud and a second suite was cheaper so value should be there.  

 

This is especially so because with an active itinerary you will want space to get changed etc.  You still might find the space tight in a Silver Suite if you've done 3 on any of the other ships 

 

 

Thanks, MrsWaldo.  Since 2 rooms is not an option for us, sounds like you think the extra space in the upgraded suite would be worth it with three people?

[MrsWaldo]

For me it's a no brainer...

 

the only other thing is if you don't want to spend, keep your fingers crossed and hope for a free upgrade which might happen.

 

[highplanesdrifters]

On 2/17/2019 at 8:04 AM, Fletcher said:

 

No problem.  January was very hot and while the guides kept saying it was the rainy season we never had a drop.   People did say the water was freezing and it's supposedly colder in May-Sep.

 

Cameras.  This was a big trip for us as we went to Peru, two jungle lodges in Ecuador as well as Colombia. - 11 flights and 11 hotels in all.  I normally take a heavy full-frame Canon kit but stripped down for this - my wife and I both had a Nikon D5300 with 18-200mm lens. I also had a 10-20mm wide-angle.  That photo of the booby and sea lion was taken from a zodiac at about 140mm.

 

Antarctica on Zaandam - not sure if you were able to land on those ships.  We went there on Seabourn Quest last year and have no regrets about not taking a traditional expedition ship.

Fletcher- Care to expand on Peru, Ecuador, and Columbia highlights and lowlights? Your insight is always much appreciated.  Galapagos is now on the back burner. Macquarie Island moves up.

[Lirio]

We did Galapagos on July 2018. I agree with Fletcher, less birds than expected. Very hot and zero rain (dry season). We were fortunate to have a volcanic eruption just when we were there and was wonderful to see the lava in the night.

We had a veranda suite which turned to be very helpful as we did all snorkelling possible + beach so a lot of wet suit and keens to dry out in the veranda.

[Fletcher]

6 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Fletcher- Care to expand on Peru, Ecuador, and Columbia highlights and lowlights? Your insight is always much appreciated.  Galapagos is now on the back burner. Macquarie Island moves up.

 

Macquarie Island! On my bucket list.  Check out an amazing trip from Lindblad Endurance in 2021 which starts in Ushuaia, goes to the Peninsula and then turns south and goes half way around Antarctica to the Ross Sea then up to New Zealand via Macquarie.  Slightly pricey at around $50,000-$100,000.

 

Anyway, South America and I'm happy to oblige.  It was a long trip which we designed ourselves and then got a UK company, Journey Latin America, to arrange everything for us except the Silversea portion which we booked directly with Silversea and got a great deal.  It ended up being an exhausting trip, mainly because of all the flights and the general airport hassle and we have vowed never to do that sort of thing again.  In fact, I haven’t been on a plane since we flew back from Colombia nearly a year ago and we have actually cancelled a trip to the South Pacific.

 

First stop was Hotel Paracas, a gruelling three-hour drive south of Lima. This is a Luxury Collection Resort on the coast and northern fringe of the Atacama desert.  Very stylish hotel with excellent facilities.  Lots to do around here and the most incredible bird spectacle.

 

Next stop was Sacha Lodge in the Amazon rain forest.  We flew up from Lima to Quito, overnighted, then flew to Coca.  Then a two-hour motorised canoe down the river. Then a 30-minute walk through the jungle.  Then a 30-minute canoe ride across a lake to the lodge.  Phew!  Extraordinary jungle setting, rather more basic accommodations than we expected, a bit dirty in fact and disappointing wildlife, though we did get within touching distance of a 12-foot anaconda. The naturalists and staff at the lodge were brilliant and they  took us out on lovely canoe rides.

 

Next was Mashpi Lodge, a back-breaking four-hour drive from Quito high in the cloud forest.  It was cloudy.  Very cloudy.  Damp and sweaty with minimal wildlife.  However, the lodge is a sort of glasshouse - its striking architecture has won many awards.  A genuine luxury lodge with prices to match, about $1000 a night.

 

Back to Quito and into the arms of Silversea.  Flew back to the mainland and spent the night at the Hotel del Parque in Guayaquil, easily the best hotel of the trip and one of the nicest places we’ve ever stayed.

 

Then a nightmare journey to Cartagena, Colombia, via Bogota.  I don’t think I’ve ever been more  stressed out doing the connection from international to domestic.  We did four days in Cartagena, a UNESCO World Heritage city, and gorgeous to wander around.  We stayed at the Sofitel Santa Clara and looked at four rooms before we found one that was acceptable and even then we found basic design flaws (like a huge air-con vent on our balcony) and got the supplement waived.  We stayed there because of the courtyard - one of the most stunningly beautiful places in the city and we ate all our meals there (the food was the best of the entire trip).

 

I’d be happy to go back to Cartagena but probably not to any of the other places we visited.  We basically did this as a wildlife trip and were disappointed at every turn except Paracas.

 

My photos of the entire trip can be found here -

https://www.flickr.com/photos/up70mm/albums/72157677961460398

Edited January 25, 2020 by Fletcher

[highplanesdrifters]

44 minutes ago, Fletcher said:

 

Macquarie Island! On my bucket list.  Check out an amazing trip from Lindblad Endurance in 2021 which starts in Ushuaia, goes to the Peninsula and then turns south and goes half way around Antarctica to the Ross Sea then up to New Zealand via Macquarie.  Slightly pricey at around $50,000-$100,000.

 

 

Fletcher - Thank you so very much for taking the time to reply about your bungle in the jungle. Perhaps a shortened version to one of the lovely lodges, as I have vowed not to plan extensive trips when I am well rested.  I too am eyeing that Lindblad trip, and it is still in the running.   A good friend who worked at McMurdo Station and spent 6 weeks on the Ross Shelf strongly encouraged me not to bother. Very few critters and better scenery elsewhere. So a bit torn. I'm itching to get back to the Peninsula, but more interested in a longer stay in South Georgia. I believe Lindblad has a trip with 6 days there.  For Macquarie I'm looking at Silversea Explorer Dunedin to Melbourne. Taking the Explorer for a test drive this spring. Guam to Kobe.  I know the ship is tired. We'll see how tired in a few months. Oh, when will Ponant get rid of that pesky smoking policy.   Off to look at your pictures, thanks again. CS

Edited January 25, 2020 by highplanesdrifters

[Lirio]

13 hours ago, Fletcher said:

 

Macquarie Island! On my bucket list.  Check out an amazing trip from Lindblad Endurance in 2021 which starts in Ushuaia, goes to the Peninsula and then turns south and goes half way around Antarctica to the Ross Sea then up to New Zealand via Macquarie.  Slightly pricey at around $50,000-$100,000.

 

Anyway, South America and I'm happy to oblige.  It was a long trip which we designed ourselves and then got a UK company, Journey Latin America, to arrange everything for us except the Silversea portion which we booked directly with Silversea and got a great deal.  It ended up being an exhausting trip, mainly because of all the flights and the general airport hassle and we have vowed never to do that sort of thing again.  In fact, I haven’t been on a plane since we flew back from Colombia nearly a year ago and we have actually cancelled a trip to the South Pacific.

 

First stop was Hotel Paracas, a gruelling three-hour drive south of Lima. This is a Luxury Collection Resort on the coast and northern fringe of the Atacama desert.  Very stylish hotel with excellent facilities.  Lots to do around here and the most incredible bird spectacle.

 

Next stop was Sacha Lodge in the Amazon rain forest.  We flew up from Lima to Quito, overnighted, then flew to Coca.  Then a two-hour motorised canoe down the river. Then a 30-minute walk through the jungle.  Then a 30-minute canoe ride across a lake to the lodge.  Phew!  Extraordinary jungle setting, rather more basic accommodations than we expected, a bit dirty in fact and disappointing wildlife, though we did get within touching distance of a 12-foot anaconda. The naturalists and staff at the lodge were brilliant and they  took us out on lovely canoe rides.

 

Next was Mashpi Lodge, a back-breaking four-hour drive from Quito high in the cloud forest.  It was cloudy.  Very cloudy.  Damp and sweaty with minimal wildlife.  However, the lodge is a sort of glasshouse - its striking architecture has won many awards.  A genuine luxury lodge with prices to match, about $1000 a night.

 

Back to Quito and into the arms of Silversea.  Flew back to the mainland and spent the night at the Hotel del Parque in Guayaquil, easily the best hotel of the trip and one of the nicest places we’ve ever stayed.

 

Then a nightmare journey to Cartagena, Colombia, via Bogota.  I don’t think I’ve ever been more  stressed out doing the connection from international to domestic.  We did four days in Cartagena, a UNESCO World Heritage city, and gorgeous to wander around.  We stayed at the Sofitel Santa Clara and looked at four rooms before we found one that was acceptable and even then we found basic design flaws (like a huge air-con vent on our balcony) and got the supplement waived.  We stayed there because of the courtyard - one of the most stunningly beautiful places in the city and we ate all our meals there (the food was the best of the entire trip).

 

I’d be happy to go back to Cartagena but probably not to any of the other places we visited.  We basically did this as a wildlife trip and were disappointed at every turn except Paracas.

 

My photos of the entire trip can be found here -

https://www.flickr.com/photos/up70mm/albums/72157677961460398

 

Your photos are great.

Just in case you ever consider coming back to South America, Pantanal in Brasil, is a great area to see birds and if you are lucky enough you can see a jaguar.

 

I also stayed at Sofitel Santa Clara in Cartagena and we loved it.