My January 8th Xpedition Trip

[mason525]

Because all the wonderful helpful tips & advise that I got prior to my trip I wanted to try to add what I could on this amazing experience. We (me & 20 yo son)left from Chicago on 1/6. Only minor delays in travelling to Quito & our touring on Sat. went smoothly. It's a very early start on Sunday but we were rewarded by being on the ship by noon.

 

Ship: Lovely! Tons of nice nooks & decks. Cheerful, beautifully maintained, comfortable. Had cabin #412-no balcony. Balcony not essential but would have been nice to have sunny spot to dry swim suits & hand washed items(took forever). By the way our trip was fully booked.

 

Weather- Perfect for me. Sprinkles a few times but mostly sunny (which is a problem for me). I loved that is was warm (75degrees?)late evenings & early am. If you were in pm sun it was HOT but that's why you leave Chicago in Jan anyway. Never needed bug spray fwiw.

 

Food- Wonderful! I loved the little snacks available before & after going on excursions & incredible fresh juices. Every meal struck the right tone-with super casual breakfasts & lunches, & dinner being just a little more special.House wines were fine. Bartenders work very hard between 7-8pm as everyone is in the Discovery Lounge @ the same time.

 

Entertainment-I loved the guys who played music-just a nice touch.

 

Fitness & Spa-I was always having so much fun that I couldn't justify taking time for a massage. Exercise equip could definately be improved with only indoor treadmill & 2 outdoor stationary bikes.

 

Guests- It seems everybody says the same thing but our group had terrific, interesting, & friendly people. In a week I never heard a complaint, which I think was because the crew took such Excellent care of us. I'd guess that of the 90? guests there were maybe 10 people under 40 & maybe an equal # over 80.

 

Favorite Experiences-Dawn zodiac ride to Kicker Rock, snorkeling off the beach on Isla Bartolme(penguins, turtle, sea lions, fish -and no wet suit needed), dinner on deck with a special surprise.

 

Tips-These may sound lame but would have helped me.

Pack a bathing suit that will work well under a wet suit. I wear old lady suits with a little skirt-NOT a good idea.

 

You will visit Puerto Ayora 2X. I suggest you visit the Darwin Center the 1st time on Tues am, not on Sat pm. The turtles(Lonesome George) are more active in the AM & the center is not totally open on Sat( no movie etc). Even though the trip to see the highland turtles seems more appealing that you can do on the Sat pm.

 

My Criticism-At the risk of sounding too type A, none of the excursions should be called High intensity & I reallly think the trip would have been improved if there were options that covered more territory, more elevation, more exercise.

 

We loved the Galapagos,Expedition & the entire Celebrity Staff. Any questions?

[CSloan]

Thanks for the review.. we're not going until November 2006, but are reallly looking forward to it!

[Susan-M]

Meg - great review.... thanks for sharing! I've made note of the tips. One thing that amazes me about all of the posts on Xpedition is the amount of praise and lack of complaints - I think Xpedition must rank at the top of the list for 'level of satisfaction'.

 

We like active trips but you mention that excursions are not really high intensity and exercise equipment could use improvement....just wondered if we might feel 'under-exercised' on this trip? I was expecting the opposite as so many people talk of being exhausted by the end of it.

 

Thanks again for the feedback,

[mason525]

Susan M-

My answer would be yes- I didn't even realize so much while on board but we really got less exercise than at home. I'm frankly a somewhat. over weight 51yo but I do work out regularly & because we were doing 2 "high intensity" outings a day I didn't do workout on ship & I really should have. The walks can be tiring more because you're standing around in intense sun than walking. And being in cold water I also find tiring. Sort of wish my husband was there to push me a little. Meg

[Susan-M]

Meg - nice that you were able to share the experience with your son!

We are used to getting a fair bit of exercise here so now I'm a little concerned. I turned our Med cruise into a 'marathon' with all the walking we did and we would come back each day with barely enough energy to walk to the dining room.

Now I'm wondering if we are going to find this too structured - or will the excitement of seeing such different animals, birds, fish and scenery offset the disadvantage of always being led in group outings? I know there is no other way to see the Galapagos since sailing around on your own there just isn't an option.

I think we will fit in well age-wise as we are just past the 'mid-century' mark.

[bunnybear]

We are scheduled for the April 16th sailing and reading your report just increased my excitement.

 

After reading the posts about this trip I am curious if you avoided any of the salads or fresh vegetables. Was there any illness among the passengers? My husband and I are very healthy people that can usually eat and drink anything without any ill results. But we ofcourse don't want to chance a single moment of illness on this long awaited trip.

 

Also, with the 90 passengers - did you have the opportunity to visit with a lot of them? My favorite part of cruising is meeting people from all over.

 

I will think of any additional questions we have and post later.

 

Karen

[mason525]

Karen-

On the ship, I ate everything that was served incuding lots of uncooked fruits & vegies, with no ill effects. There were some people who were not feeling well during our week but I do not have a good idea of how many. I know that a few seemed to have a bad cough that got worse thru the week but beyond that I don't know.

Between excursions & meals, you have a chance to talk to everybody. It was very interesting as people came from all over the world.

Meg

[drfun48]

Meg - nice that you were able to share the experience with your son!

We are used to getting a fair bit of exercise here so now I'm a little concerned. I turned our Med cruise into a 'marathon' with all the walking we did and we would come back each day with barely enough energy to walk to the dining room.

Now I'm wondering if we are going to find this too structured - or will the excitement of seeing such different animals, birds, fish and scenery offset the disadvantage of always being led in group outings? I know there is no other way to see the Galapagos since sailing around on your own there just isn't an option.

I think we will fit in well age-wise as we are just past the 'mid-century' mark.

I doubt you will find it too stuctured. The groups are small,the naturalists guides are fantastic, and the information they impart is excellent.There is no other way. You simply can't have visitors wandering around diturbing nests,of birds or turtles unaware that they are even there.It's not like you are on a leash though. You can wander within reasonable limits as long as you don't upset the enviornment. Don't worry about a thing.You'll have a great time.

[Susan-M]

thanks drfun.... I had visions of having to stay in a 'huddle' on the excursions;)

[TheGardener]

Meg

That is a great report we are going on 5th March and it is so useful to get all this information before we go.

Just one question did anyone suffer from altitude sickness in Quito we have been led to believe that this can be a problem?

Michael

[mason525]

Michael-

Quito is really high & yes it really bothered some people. I had spent Xmas & NYE in CO at 8200'. I had just spent 3 days at sea level in Chicago before leaving for Quito & was surprised how much more I felt the effects of altitude compared to CO. I'd recommend the same things I say to my CO houseguests=take it EASY, slow down, lots of water, & no alcohol. I've never used the prescription meds that can be taken before hand(can't even remember their names right now) but know some swear by them. Meg

[TheGardener]

Meg

Thanks for your reply we live in the UK and the recomended medication Diamox is a prescription drug over here. Our Doctor is not keen on prescribing it as it is not licenced in the UK for that purpose. I guess we will have to take your advice and take things slow, not easy in such locations and keep well hydrated.

Thanks again Michael

[bunnybear]

Did you need any type of adapter for your 110 appliances, such as battery chargers, laptops, etc in Quito or on the Xpedition?