LIVE(ish) Xpedition - Quito and Galapagos November 11, 2023

[prmssk]

7 hours ago, mahdnc said:

Dark skies are sight to behold.  You should be able to see the Southern Cross and the Milky Way spilling though it.  Also you should be able to see the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds which are satellite galaxies orbiting around ours.  They are naked eye objects (dim blurs) but binoculars help quite a bit.

David,

I definitely saw the Milky Way.  I wasn't knowledgeable enough to pick out anything else (plus it is hard with that many stars) and in the middle of the night wasn't motivated to look it up.  I'll be back out there another night and I'll be better prepared.

 

7 hours ago, mahdnc said:

So far on your trip, what is your opinion for the need of using a dry (watertight) bag for your camera gear as far as wet landings go?  

I bought a 40L dry bag that can hold my entire camera bag (and a few things more) that can be worn as a backpack.  I'm not sure it was necessary.  I have only used it once so far, the day we kayaked after a long hike because I thought I would be bringing my camera bag into the kayak but they strongly encouraged us to leave all bags on the zodiac while we kayaked so it really wasn't necessary.  It might come in handy though if we ever snorkel from the beach after a walk as we leave all our stuff on the beach and dry bag would be one more layer of protection.

 

As I was typing this (I'm sitting at the table in our suite looking out at the front balcony), two Magnificent Frigate birds (a juvenile and a female) flew through our balcony and then hovered just above the ship for a few minutes!  I have admired frigate birds from afar in the Caribbean but never this close!  What a way to start the morning!

[mahdnc]

37 minutes ago, prmssk said:

David,

I definitely saw the Milky Way.  I wasn't knowledgeable enough to pick out anything else (plus it is hard with that many stars) and in the middle of the night wasn't motivated to look it up.  I'll be back out there another night and I'll be better prepared.

 

I bought a 40L dry bag that can hold my entire camera bag (and a few things more) that can be worn as a backpack.  I'm not sure it was necessary.  I have only used it once so far, the day we kayaked after a long hike because I thought I would be bringing my camera bag into the kayak but they strongly encouraged us to leave all bags on the zodiac while we kayaked so it really wasn't necessary.  It might come in handy though if we ever snorkel from the beach after a walk as we leave all our stuff on the beach and dry bag would be one more layer of protection.

 

As I was typing this (I'm sitting at the table in our suite looking out at the front balcony), two Magnificent Frigate birds (a juvenile and a female) flew through our balcony and then hovered just above the ship for a few minutes!  I have admired frigate birds from afar in the Caribbean but never this close!  What a way to start the morning!

Thank you for your reply, Rebecca. Your Galapagos morning greeting sounds pretty cool. 

[Shiba_Lover]

3 hours ago, prmssk said:

I don't eat red meat and my husband isn't a big steak eater so I can't answer this question.  I have really enjoyed the fish and seafood though.  The chicken has been a bit overdone the couple times we tried it which I've just come to expect when cruising on any line.

I can add that on our trip, the steak people all sent the steaks back and reordered.  One night someone asked the waiter about one of the beef specials and the waiter just said "No".  They have to use beef from Ecuador and I think someone asked and was told it was so precooked before being brought onboard ( Galapagos rule).  I'm also not a red meat eater, but this is what happened at the tables I was seated at

Edited November 14, 2023 by Shiba_Lover

[CPT Trips]

@Shiba_Lover Thanks for that info. I think I’ll go with seafoods. 

[Shiba_Lover]

Enjoying your report - fun to relive the experience.  Thanks for taking the time / effort to write it up each day!

 

[juneandchris]

Thanks for sharing this. 

It allows us to "revisit the islands.

Did a back to back in 2016 and will repeat again in 2026.

Enjoy 🙂 

 

[clochette]

loving your review, this is a trip that we are hoping we can take at some point,

[prmssk]

I'll add in a few photos from yesterday and quote from the summary I wrote last night.

 

18 hours ago, prmssk said:

We spent the morning at Tagus Cove, Isabela Island.  We opted for the extended wildlife zodiac ride with no landing which I think was the right choice.  Other options included a long, fitness walk or a wildlife zodiac ride with a short steep walk.  This was a dry landing for those that did a walk.  We had the pleasure of having Cristina, our Excursion Director on this excursion.  She is a wealth of knowledge and has become my go-to person for all my bird questions.  This morning from the zodiac, we had some close encounters with Galapagos Penguins, Blue-footed Boobies, Brown Noddy Terns, Flightless Cormorants, Brown Pelicans, a shorebird called the Wandering Tattler, and more.  It really was a great experience.

Blue-footed Boobies

 

 

Flightless Cormorants - due to lack of predators and an abundance of food in the Galapagos, this is the only species of cormorants that has evolved to no longer be able to fly.

 

 

 

Wandering Tattler - a common shorebird (with a Sally Lightfoot Crab in the background)

 

Galapagos Penguin

 

Coming back from the extended wildlife zodiac ride, we found a sea lion had made himself comfortable in one of the kayaks.

 

 

18 hours ago, prmssk said:

Then we did an advanced deep water snorkel (at the same port).  

 

 

We swam with flightless cormorants, Galapagos Penguins, and lots of very colorful fish.  I had last snorkeled in Hawaii in May which was an amazing snorkeling experience but Hawaii just didn't compare to the Galapagos.  It will be hard to snorkel elsewhere after this.

 

These photos were taken with my iPhone 14 pro in a SeaLife Sports Diver underwater housing.  Underwater photography is not my specialty.

 

Flightless Cormorant swimming with us

 

Galapagos Penguin

 

Starfish

 

18 hours ago, prmssk said:

After lunch, we had moved to Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island, and so I snorkeled for the second time, again an advanced deep water snorkel from the zodiacs.  We saw so many turtles on this snorkel, along with fish, cormorants, penguins, marine iguanas, and even a sea lion.  Others in my group managed to catch a cormorant catch and start eating an octopus (I was further behind and only heard about this later).  

 

Again, these photos (and video) are from my iPhone with the underwater case.

 

 

 

 

 

18 hours ago, prmssk said:

we did the short walk where we saw more marine iguanas than you can imagine along with sea lions, including a mom and pup.

 

I started with my 16-35mm lens to get a few landscape shots but quickly switched to the 80-400mm lens.

 

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

7 minutes ago, prmssk said:

I'll add in a few photos from yesterday and quote from the summary I wrote last night.

 

Blue-footed Boobies

 

 

Flightless Cormorants - due to lack of predators and an abundance of food in the Galapagos, this is the only species of cormorants that has evolved to no longer be able to fly.

 

 

 

Wandering Tattler - a common shorebird (with a Sally Lightfoot Crab in the background)

 

Galapagos Penguin

 

Coming back from the extended wildlife zodiac ride, we found a sea lion had made himself comfortable in one of the kayaks.

 

 

 

These photos were taken with my iPhone 14 pro in a SeaLife Sports Diver underwater housing.  Underwater photography is not my specialty.

 

Flightless Cormorant swimming with us

 

Galapagos Penguin

 

Starfish

 

 

Again, these photos (and video) are from my iPhone with the underwater case.

 

 

 

 

SportDiver_20231113_151619.MOV 23.42 MB · 0 downloads  

 

 

I started with my 16-35mm lens to get a few landscape shots but quickly switched to the 80-400mm lens.

 

 

 

 

Pretty cool!! You definitely have the knack for taking awesome pictures!! 

[mahdnc]

Your pretty bfb photos are missing the artist’s signature and print number….

[mahasamatman]

28 minutes ago, prmssk said:

Underwater photography is not my specialty.

Yet still very nice. The last time I did any underwater photography, digital cameras and smartphones didn't even exist.

[prmssk]

Today has been a lighter day both because of a lighter schedule and also the choices we made.  This morning as I was enjoying my coffee and going through my photos, I happened to look out the window onto our balcony just as a two Magnificent Frigatebirds flew through our balcony.  I had my camera handy and by the time I got out to the balcony, they were hovering just above the ship.  It was a female and juvenile.  Females have a white chest and black head.  Males are all black with a red pouch.  Juveniles have a white chest and head.

 

 

We had breakfast at Darwin's Restaurant.  Both breakfast and lunch are served buffet style.  Each day, they have had an omelette station plus a variety of hot and cold breakfast foods.  I really enjoyed some Huevos Rancheros today and the smoked salmon has been really good.  (As an aside since I'm not sure I mentioned it, we did try room service breakfast yesterday.  Food was pretty good and it was really nice to enjoy the quiet of our suite.)

 

This morning, we were in Urbina Bay, Isabela.  The only option was a short, loop trail with an optional swim afterwards.  This was a wet landing on the beach and the waves made it a bit challenging at times.  The guides asked us to pay close attention in case they had to pause disembarking.  The walk was flat and sandy, with rocks in the path.  They had recommended closed toe sandals or shoes because of the rocks.  This island has a lot of paper wasps and so we were asked not to wear yellow, orange, or red (clothes, backpacks, etc.) as the wasps might then confuse us with flowers.  The highlight of this walk was the giant tortoises in the wild plus I enjoyed all the yellow warblers.

 

 

Yellow Warblers

 

 

Land Iguana

 

We actually had about four hours between excursions today which was really nice.  Lunch in Darwin's Restaurant was a Spanish themed buffet.  They had a seafood paella station with a bit more exotic seafood including octopus.  Although I can't say I liked all of it, it was neat to try.  

 

In the afternoon, we stopped at Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela Island.  There was no landing at this port and the ship was not able to anchor as I understand we were in water 2,000 feet deep or so.  I did a deep water snorkeling excursion that was not so great.  The waves had really picked up so the zodiac ride out to the site was very bumpy.  We snorkeled in a cove which was more protected and calmer but there still was a current pulling you various directions.  Additionally, the water was really murky and a bit too deep to see much more than some turtles.  Due to the wave conditions, I don't think we were able to snorkel where they would have liked to take us.  The cliffs in the cove were pretty and there were penguins, cormorants, and marine iguanas on the rocks (out of the water).  There was also a pair of frigate birds circling the area.

 

After snorkeling, there was a wildlife zodiac ride that would take us back to that same cove which we had originally signed up for.  With the wave conditions and the fact that I had probably seen most of what the zodiac ride would see, we decided to skip this excursion.  When you sign up for an excursion, you are not locked into that excursion.  They just like to know if you decide not to go.  When I went down to talk to the excursion director, I wasn't the only one cancelling.  After cancelling, I grabbed a couple drinks at the bar and headed back up to our suite to relax. Here's a photo from our side balcony of the area where we snorkeled and the zodiac ride would have taken us. It looks calmer in the photo than it is.

 

 

In the next hour, we cross the equator into the northern hemisphere.  We are celebrating with wine and cheese out on deck so will head out soon.

[calicakes]

8 hours ago, Shiba_Lover said:

I can add that on our trip, the steak people all sent the steaks back and reordered.  One night someone asked the waiter about one of the beef specials and the waiter just said "No".  They have to use beef from Ecuador and I think someone asked and was told it was so precooked before being brought onboard ( Galapagos rule).  I'm also not a red meat eater, but this is what happened at the tables I was seated at

I'm wondering how they can serve beef tartar? 

[Ciaranaman]

Those really are some incredible photos!  I'm in awe!  And trying to figure out how I can fit a trip like this one into our retirement budget 🤔. Thank you for sharing the beauty and taking the time to write about your experiences!

~Bernadette

[GottaKnowWhen]

3 hours ago, prmssk said:

Today has been a lighter day both because of a lighter schedule and also the choices we made.  This morning as I was enjoying my coffee and going through my photos, I happened to look out the window onto our balcony just as a two Magnificent Frigatebirds flew through our balcony.  I had my camera handy and by the time I got out to the balcony, they were hovering just above the ship.  It was a female and juvenile.  Females have a white chest and black head.  Males are all black with a red pouch.  Juveniles have a white chest and head.

 

….

Thanks for your ongoing report! We were there in the spring, 2018. Booked to return late September 2025. I have been wondering how much things might have changed over the last 5 years, and was very pleased to note how much your experience matches my own recollections. From the airport arrival all the way through to your most recent post. And by the way, your picture of the Galapagos Penguin?  I think it is the same penguin posing in the same place. Probably paid to stand there and amuse the visitors.

Stan

[prmssk]

We crossed the equator this evening (from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere).  There was a wine and cheese celebration, music, dancing, and a limbo line.  Even our captain really got into it.  Just before the crossing a pod of common dolphins swam past us on both sides.  It really was a great evening.

 

Captain Ernesto Thoala is third from the right.  Christina, second from the left, is our excursion director.  She has been working with Celebrity for 7 years and is now permanently assigned to the Xpedition (she has done all three ships).  She has a year contract and works three weeks on three weeks off.  This is her second week of three in the rotation.  She has been fantastic.  I go to her often with bird questions.  

 

 

 

Dinner was very good.  I highly recommend the Ecuadorian chicken soup.

 

This evening our sliding door to the front balcony got stuck and so we had a parade of hotel and maintenance staff in our room.  They were able to close it for the evening and will work on it in daylight when we are on our excursion tomorrow morning.  We have a second side balcony where I was able to move all our drying clothes to.  

 

I'm sure all cabins on this ship are good cabins but having a balcony is a huge benefit on this cruise as that is the best place to actually dry your clothes.  I've heard that some people bring magnets to hang their items.  Our room steward just used hangers on the balcony furniture the first day so we have continued with that technique.  She also leaned our shoes up against the wall to get more air circulating around them.  With these techniques we rarely are putting on wet clothes/shoes even with so many excursions a day.

 

We also took advantage of the free laundry (which I think is available to all suites).  We left it for our room steward before going to dinner last night and it was returned to us while we were at dinner tonight.  We packed much lighter than normal and with clothes we thought would handle tough laundry well, planning to use this service twice during our cruise.

[mahdnc]

Nice photos, again.  I hope you cruise continues to go well.  We will be leaving for Quito tomorrow.

[mahasamatman]

2 hours ago, prmssk said:

We also took advantage of the free laundry (which I think is available to all suites).

 

According to the website, it's only available to the Penthouse and Royal suites. But Elite laundry benefits should still apply.

[bjahil47]

Loving all the photos and your commentary.   Sounds like you have to be in fairly good physical shape to go there to partake of all the activities.

 

Keep enjoying, I am learning a lot!  Thank you!

[prmssk]

6 hours ago, mahasamatman said:

 

According to the website, it's only available to the Penthouse and Royal suites. But Elite laundry benefits should still apply.

Elite benefits (like laundry) do not apply on the Galapagos ships.  

 

I overheard someone else yesterday say they were pleasantly surprised they got free laundry.  Before this cruise, I had heard other reports of others in any suite getting free laundry.  The welcome letter we received seems generic as it says "We are pleased to advise you that Celebrity Xpedition provides our suite guests with a one complimentary laundry bag per person (up to 20 pieces per bag), between Sunday and Thursday from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m."

[prmssk]

6 hours ago, bjahil47 said:

Loving all the photos and your commentary.   Sounds like you have to be in fairly good physical shape to go there to partake of all the activities.

 

Keep enjoying, I am learning a lot!  Thank you!

To do everything, yes you need to be in pretty good shape but there is still a lot you can do if you are not.  We have mixed abilities on this ship.  The short walks have generally been less than a mile and generally flat.  Zodiac rides are also a fairly easy option and you can really see a lot of wildlife from them.  

 

The wet suits they give you for snorkeling plus the salt water really help you stay afloat (and you can ask for a snorkel vest for a little extra help) and fins make it easier to get around so most of the deep water snorkels have not been that challenging (provided you can swim).  The one yesterday had more of a current so took a bit more effort.  For beach snorkeling, you can stay a lot shallower.  

 

Each evening they tell you what they expect to see on the various activities and how strenuous each is so you can pick and choose and pace yourself.

 

That said, the ship is not accessible.  There is no elevator.  So you do need to be mobile and able to climb stairs.  And you do need to be able to step in and out of zodiacs.

[mahdnc]

24 minutes ago, prmssk said:

Elite benefits (like laundry) do not apply on the Galapagos ships.  

 

I overheard someone else yesterday say they were pleasantly surprised they got free laundry.  Before this cruise, I had heard other reports of others in any suite getting free laundry.  The welcome letter we received seems generic as it says "We are pleased to advise you that Celebrity Xpedition provides our suite guests with a one complimentary laundry bag per person (up to 20 pieces per bag), between Sunday and Thursday from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m."

 

Like you, I am aware that the written policy does not extend Captains Club free laundry to the Galapagos ships and that only PS/RS passengers get free laundry.  However it seems from reports from you and others that the actual practice on the ship is different.

[cgolf1]

59 minutes ago, prmssk said:

The wet suits they give you for snorkeling plus the salt water really help you stay afloat (and you can ask for a snorkel vest for a little extra help) and fins make it easier to get around so most of the deep water snorkels have not been that challenging (provided you can swim).  The one yesterday had more of a current so took a bit more effort.  For beach snorkeling, you can stay a lot shallower.  

 

So even for the deep water snorkels you can get the snorkel vest? I am an ok swimmer, but can't float or tread water, as my body naturally sinks. Even as I have aged and not as lean as I was I still sink. Having the snorkel vest would give me the extra comfort to do those excursions.

[countess5]

Very much enjoying your thread and all you are sharing, thank you for taking the time.

 

I have done a 48 day live and know it takes time but with your schedule it is even more of a chore but I am sure an enjoyment.

 

The night skies must be amazing. I remember being on the Big  Island in Hawaii back in the day and looking up to the sky, breath taking. I read somewhere on CC threads that there is an APP ( of course there is an APP for everything) that you point to the sky and it tells you what you are looking at. One that gets high reviews is Star Tracker Lite-Live Sky Map.

 

If anyone knows of others please share. 

 

Cheers! 

[mahdnc]

34 minutes ago, countess5 said:

The night skies must be amazing. I remember being on the Big  Island in Hawaii back in the day and looking up to the sky, breath taking. I read somewhere on CC threads that there is an APP ( of course there is an APP for everything) that you point to the sky and it tells you what you are looking at. One that gets high reviews is Star Tracker Lite-Live Sky Map.

 

If anyone knows of others please share. 

 

Cheers! 

I am not saying these are the best out there, but these are the apps I currently have on my iPhone. Of the three, I use Sky Guide the most