June Galapagos cruises

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Are these really a go?  Or is SS just angling for pocket money...

 

Has anyone booked?  Heard anything from SS about the likelihood of these cruises sailing? Are they, hopefully, requiring proof of vaccination?  Is Ecuador even open???  Enquiring pirates want to know 🙂

 

[TakingFlight]

We all hope that the Silver Origin will start in June as scheduled. Silversea is requiring vaccinations, Ecuador is recently opened to tourists and I believe some smaller Galápagos tour operators have begun their tours. All hopeful signs. We are booked in December and are quite optimistic that the trip will be a go.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Thanks!

 

I hate to be a guinea pig, but we have a very narrow window in which to do a cruise.  The June 5th cruise on Origin just fits that window.  If it were to get canceled it will be several years before we’d get another opportunity to cruise.

 

We have been to the Galapagos before and loved it, always said we’d be back 🙂  The Origin looks like a mighty fine ship for those islands.

[audobon_tx]

How will SS arrange for Covid testing prior to boarding the plane from Guayaquil back to the US?

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, flyingshoes said:

How will SS arrange for Covid testing prior to boarding the plane from Guayaquil back to the US?

TBD.  On board the ship is the most likely solution.

[PaulMCO]

Reported on the news today is that vaccinations will be required.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

The cruise fare includes two nights pre-cruise in Quito, so the pre-boarding tests will likely be done at the hotel.  The fare also includes a day room after the cruise, so if tested on 2nd to the last last day aboard the results should be available for flights home.

 

The world vaccination data table is showing Ecuador has only vaccinated ~1% of its population, so that gives additional concern about the June cruises actually going.

 

I guess I’m going to call SS.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Rep said June 5th sailing highly likely to go.  But offered to only require a 15% deposit up front.  He said he would discuss with his supervisor how long we could wait to make final payment.

 

However, this morning my DW decided that the itinerary revisited too many stops as our previous Galapagos cruise, and that we will wait and do a different itinerary in the (distant) future.

 

But our Galapagos cruise was our favorite cruise, so be sure to go there sometime!

[sea bright]

In a zoom presentation with Silversea’s Mark Conroy this week (organized by Tully) he said the crew of the Origin is vaccinated and they hope to resume sailing in about a month.

[Carol From California]

On 3/7/2021 at 8:28 PM, Carol From California said:

Thinking about going business/first class and booking air on our own. We booked the Baltra to San Cristobal itinerary.  At the end of our cruise we disembark and they include a day at a hotel in Guayaquil if you have a late flight (which most of them seem to be) when checking the distance from Guayaquil to the airport in Quito, it is a very long distance. Do you know how they transfer you?  If you book  your own air will you still get the transfers? Are you just booking the flight from Miami to Quito or are you booking RT?  Do they give you $750 pp reduction on the package for one way or RT?  I'll be checking all this out with my TA tomorrow but thought you may already know the answer.  Thanks!

 

On 3/15/2021 at 3:26 PM, govanguy said:

On 24th Feb 2021 we booked and paid a deposit to our TA.

We were referred by a kind Ambassador on the same day.

I received an email confirming the referral on 24th Feb. and stating that an FCC of $250 would be applied to my account within 14 days.

Today, I emailed RSSC to follow up as I could not see FCC. on my online account.

In response, I received 2 FCC certificates   valued at £100 each 

I`m assuming I forward this FCC Certificate to my T.A. prior to final payment?

 

 

 

I am not sure why it is quoting the above when I wanted to make a new comment. We are booked for the Galapagos for December. We ended up taking the air credit and booked our air independently (business class). We are going to arrive a day early and tried to contact the JW Marriott to book the room for an extra night. Well guess what, the hotel is closed with no reopening date scheduled. So for those of you who are planning to go on this cruise in June (if it's a go) they will need to reopen the hotel OR find a different hotel to accommodate the group. 

Edited April 17, 2021 by Carol From California

[Stumblefoot]

7 hours ago, sea bright said:

(organized by Tully)

Who is Tully?

[sea bright]

Tully Luxury Travel 

[CruzinFeraBruzin]

Regarding Silversea's "Return to Sailing" in June, they posted guidelines on their website April 8th regarding vaccine requirements for crew and guests that are effective June 18 which happens to coincide with their maiden voyage of Silver Moon in Greece and there have been many press releases of this being Silversea's official return to service voyage.  But what about the maiden voyage of Silver Origin in The Galapagos on June 5th?  If Silversea's vaccine guidelines aren't going to be in effect prior to June 18, will the June 5th and June 12th sailings not require vaccines? It is a bit curious that Silversea isn't lauding their return to service with this maiden voyage of the new ship Origin on June 5th.  The only other ship that still appears on their website's Resumption of Itineraries prior to June 18 is Silver Explorer leaving May 28th, but that cruise was cancelled because Australia is closed to foreign tourists.  Is anyone else booked on the June 5th or June 12th Galapagos cruise wondering the same thing with regard to whether Silversea will cancel, based on the fact they didn't put their vaccine requirement into effect June 5th?

[TLCOhio]

2 hours ago, CruzinFeraBruzin said:

But what about the maiden voyage of Silver Origin in The Galapagos on June 5th?  

 

YES, we have the Galapagos Islands on our future "to-do" wish list.  Just called Silversea and they told me that they are awaiting word from the Ecuador government as to when that country will open up and allow tourism to resume fully.  

 

She told me that they are hoping that some decision will be made in a week or two.  Maybe??!!  If and if??!!  That has to be frustrating in waiting and not knowing for certain the future timing.  Clearly for parts of South America, especially in Brazil, Covid is very bad and vaccines are not widely available. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 241,851 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[CruzinFeraBruzin]

Yes, we have been following the current situation out of Ecuador as well.  Last week, many of the states went into a curfew lockdown and are restricting gatherings of more than 10 which will last until May 20th at which time, they will evaluate again.  Celebrity, sister company of Silversea, cancelled the June sailings on their Galapagos Flora - just wondering why Silversea didn't do the same since they share the same parent company.  Fully agree with you - only 3% of citizens have been vaccinated in Ecuador, even less in Peru.  Having all aboard vaccinated is reassuring, but no one is sure the vaccines can fully protect from potential new variants coming from Brazil.

[TLCOhio]

2 minutes ago, CruzinFeraBruzin said:

Celebrity, sister company of Silversea, cancelled the June sailings on their Galapagos Flora - just wondering why Silversea didn't do the same since they share the same parent company.  Fully agree with you - only 3% of citizens have been vaccinated in Ecuador, even less in Peru.

 

Excellent above points and info..  Why is Silversea so slow to scrub those June dates when RCL has done that with their Celebrity Flora ship??  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 233,270 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

[brimary]

18 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

 

Excellent above points and info..  Why is Silversea so slow to scrub those June dates when RCL has done that with their Celebrity Flora ship??  

 

 

Could be something to do with maintaining cash flow for as long as possible in the Pandemic.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Silversea isn't alone on planning Galapagos cruises.  LIndblad also has announced a June 4 restart of National Geographic Endeavour II, and Metropolitan Touring is already sailing both La Pinta and Isabela.

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/24857-cruise-ships-sailing-may-2021-update.html

 

[Carol From California]

We have the Galapagos booked for December so have been following the hopefully soon "reopening" of Galapagos cruising. Also, the JW Marriott (used by Silversea for 2 nights pre-cruise) is closed and has been for some time, with no scheduled reopening date. Found out after we booked our air (going in a day early) and could not book the extra night at the hotel. 

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, CruzinFeraBruzin said:

Having all aboard vaccinated is reassuring, but no one is sure the vaccines can fully protect from potential new variants coming from Brazil.

For the foreseeable future, no Covid-19 vaccine can be guaranteed to fully protect humans, variant or no variant.  Is that the concern you have relative to cruising?  If so, then the best reassurance you can be given is to cancel your scheduled voyages and not cruise again.

[CruzinFeraBruzin]

Looking forward to cruising in the Galapagos when the case counts go down and the hospitals aren't so overwhelmed.  If its in early June, so be it, but I would prefer to wait until later this year.  Right now, we are in a holding pattern waiting to see if our cruise in early June is cancelled, and Silversea's Rolling Cancellation System as they call it, makes predicting what they will do very difficult.  Will make a decision next week whether to shift it to December.  I looked at my current booking on My Silversea and there is no longer a mention of JW Marriott, so I'm not sure which hotel they are using.  It just says "hotel".  

[TakingFlight]

3 hours ago, Carol From California said:

We have the Galapagos booked for December so have been following the hopefully soon "reopening" of Galapagos cruising. Also, the JW Marriott (used by Silversea for 2 nights pre-cruise) is closed and has been for some time, with no scheduled reopening date. Found out after we booked our air (going in a day early) and could not book the extra night at the hotel. 

We are also booked for December. When I couldn’t book a night at the Marriott on my own I contacted my Silversea agent who was able to add the extra night pre-cruise at a very reasonable rate. I figure if the hotel changes then Silversea will honor the additional night at the same rate.

[Host Jazzbeau]

The good news is that I read today that 100% of the residents of the Galapagos have now been vaccinated.  Two months ago Ecuador said this was their goal, and apparently they have succeeded.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Celebrity just confirmed their Galapagos restart as of July 4.

 

[Carol From California]

I just received an email from Celebrity noting the start date for the Galapagos (Flora) on July 4, 2021. I hope that means the Silversea Origin cruises will also be going ahead. I wonder what they are doing about the JW Mariott being closed. Does anyone know if they are using a different hotel or when the JW Marriott is reopening?