Live: Nov 18 2023 Xpedition Galapagos Southern Loop

mahdnc · November 17, 2023

On 11/15/2023 at 11:22 PM, rakes5 said:

I know you have been talking about a Galapagos cruise for a long time. It's finally here!

I know you will have an amazing time. It's been 8 1/2 years since we did this, and every time I see someone post a review or picture it bring back such great memories

Thank you, Ron and Sue. I hope the weather in Chicago is still good.

David and Marcia

Ipeeinthepools · November 17, 2023

On 11/15/2023 at 8:22 PM, mahdnc said:

We have booked an Xpedition Suite (502). I mainly wanted the balcony for seasickness control.

During our trip on the Xpedition trip several years ago we never found the motion of the ship to be an issue while we were moving. My problem was at night when we were anchored. It was an odd motion of the ship as the breeze or waves pushed us around while we were tethered at the front.

Edited November 17, 2023 by Ipeeinthepools

mahdnc · November 17, 2023

Another view from the hotel. Quito has a sky line that is dotted with volcanos.

mahdnc · November 18, 2023

Today was our day to get the official Celebrity Cruises tour of Quito.

We were divided into 3 groups imaginatively named X1, X2, and X3. The group assignments were made in the hotel lobby when we met at 8:45am as instructed. We were assigned X3 (like the BMW SUV). During the ride into Quito from the airport, our Celebrity representative, Eduardo, asked us if we were going on this trip with anyone else (we weren't). The question was being asked so they could factor that in when they made a decision on how to split everyone up.

Our group, X3, had 8 Celebrity passengers. Our group was assigned a Celebrity guide (Michael) and a driver. There was a 3rd individual assigned to our group. His job was to keep an eye on the us to make sure we stayed together so that no one got lost or into trouble (a people shepherd or chaperone). I was impressed with the number of Celebrity employees that were dedicated to our small tour group. The tour was conducted with a great deal of control and safety. It was well executed.

Because each group had their own guide, driver, and people shepherd, the tours were conducted so that each group was independent. No crowding together all 3 groups except for meals.

We were all given electronic earpieces in the lobby (the kind that hook around your ear and easily fall off) so that we could hear Michael talk which was handy in the churches that we visited.

Our first stop was the Virgin of El Panecillo which is a massive aluminum statue of the Virgin Mary (with wings) that looks over the historic section of Quito from a large hill.

The high vantage point also allowed you very nice views of the city.

We spent a little more than half an hour there. This included time for Michael to talk about the statue (it is chock full of many different symbolic elements) and point out some landmarks of Quito down below. We also were given about 10 minutes on our own. You could climb up to the base of the statue during that time (internal stairwell).

Here are some photos of the statue.

There are also some shops located near the base of the statue.

Edited November 18, 2023 by mahdnc

mahdnc · November 18, 2023

After that we got back on our bus and proceeded to head down to Old Town to do some walking.

mahdnc · November 18, 2023

We then visited the Iglesia de La Compania which sadly does not allow photographs inside. The church is extremely ornate as it is covered in gold, It was beautiful. Furthermore there was an orchestra inside the church practicing for a recital. It was really cool to listen to the music and be surrounded by gold at the same time. Our guide, Michael, spent a great deal of time pointing out the different features of the church. It reminded me of the Vatican tour we took last year.

We then visited the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco. This church was also adorned with gold on the inside and photos were permitted:

Edited November 18, 2023 by mahdnc

mahdnc · November 18, 2023

We had a catered buffet lunch which was very good.

mahdnc · November 18, 2023

Anyone who wanted skip the afternoon part of the tour and go back to the hotel was offered transportation. No one in our group accepted.

The afternoon tour consisted of a visit to the Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World City) which is tourist area mainly devoted to the equator. It was very well done although I don't think it warrants a trip back.

There were other exhibits which included chocolate production, animals of Ecuador, and even shrunken heads. All of the exhibits and demonstrations was guided/conducted by an employee of the park. Again it was very well done. My claim to fame was being the only one in our group (who had a chance to try) to balance an egg on a nail head.

Edited November 18, 2023 by mahdnc

mahdnc · November 18, 2023

Some more sights during our trip today.

mahdnc · November 18, 2023

We got back to the hotel at about 4:30 pm or so. We were told to be down in the lobby at 6:10 pm to board our bus (X3) for dinner. I will have to post this photos and information on that later as I have got to get to bed!! Good night, everyone.

sandiego1 · November 18, 2023

Great photos! We are doing the southern loop in Jan so I’m excited to follow your journey.

If possible, could you please post photos of the dinner menus when you are on the ship? I have numerous food limitations and am concerned about the dinner choices. I have contacted the Special Needs dept, but seeing the menus would be a huge help and I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

Enjoy your trip!

mahdnc · November 18, 2023

4 hours ago, sandiego1 said:

Great photos! We are doing the southern loop in Jan so I’m excited to follow your journey.

If possible, could you please post photos of the dinner menus when you are on the ship? I have numerous food limitations and am concerned about the dinner choices. I have contacted the Special Needs dept, but seeing the menus would be a huge help and I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

Enjoy your trip!

Yes, I’ll do that. In case this is of interest, here’s the yesterday’s dinner menu at La Gloria.

prmssk · November 18, 2023

It's a bit of deja-vu reading your posts. Nice narrative! And I see you got a photo of the huge hummingbirds at the equator museum. They were impressive.

prmssk · November 18, 2023

5 hours ago, sandiego1 said:

Great photos! We are doing the southern loop in Jan so I’m excited to follow your journey.

If possible, could you please post photos of the dinner menus when you are on the ship? I have numerous food limitations and am concerned about the dinner choices. I have contacted the Special Needs dept, but seeing the menus would be a huge help and I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

Enjoy your trip!

As you look at the menus David posts over the next week, know that many dishes can be modified by the chef on the night of (no advanced notice needed). You'll want to get to know the Maitre'D who will be your voice to the chef and will guide you to what can be modified and what can't.

mahdnc · November 18, 2023

We are on our way to UIO. Our same group of 8 boarded the same tour bus as yesterday with our same tour guide and driver.

We were handed our plane ticket and our immigration card in the hotel lobby.

The day is beautiful here. We took this road at night to get to the hotel but it was dark so it’s nice to see everything in broad daylight. The snow covered volcano, Cotopaxi, is visible during the ride. Its summit is 19,347 ft above sea level.

I know of one couple that went ahead and left a suitcase with the JW Marriott which they’ll pick up when we check in a week from today.

Some statistics: the 3 tour buses had 6, 8, and 20 passengers. Our guide said that one passenger was an Xploration guest. So that means there were 33 of us that bought the cruise tour package. There are going to be 47 passengers on Xpedition so 14 Xpedition passengers chose the cruise only option (or they’re doing B2B).

We are arriving at the airport. Time to sign off for now.

Edited November 18, 2023 by mahdnc

mahdnc · November 18, 2023

We got off the tour bus and our luggage was handed to us. Our guide, Michael, escorted us into the terminal where we dropped off our checked bags and he led us to the security area. At that point he left us.

There are a nice array of shops in the secured area however once you pass by them, a glass door closes and prevents you from going back to the shops from the gates.

We are now at the gate. I think our tour group of 8 was the first to arrive.

mahdnc · November 18, 2023

We are on our charter flight. It is an Airbus 319 flown by Avianca. No one is assigned a middle seat and many rows are empty.

What few passengers are on board have smiles on their faces….

Cap_D · November 19, 2023

@mahdnc thank you in advance. I've certainly seen you on other threads and appreciate reading about your trip.

abbydancer2003 · November 19, 2023

Your pictures are great! We're now 10.5 months from our trip and it's fun to read of others. Hope the trip is great.

mahdnc · November 19, 2023

Sorry I don’t post yesterday about the cruise. It’s been great and we haven’t had 24 hours yet.

@sandiego1, here is a link to my dinner menu folder. Let me know if you’re able to access it.

mahdnc · November 19, 2023

After embarking on Xpedition, we sailed to North Seymour Island before dinner. During our time ashore we hit that "golden" hour time which occurs about one hour before sunset in the evening. The low angle of the sun reduces its intensity, makes textures stand out more, and makes the colors on the warm golden side. It also makes for great hiking weather

The landing was an easy dry landing and we did a short hike. You have to keep your eye on the ground to make sure you don't turn your ankle stepping on a rock and you had to make sure that you didn't trip over the many seal lions that were laying about.

On the short zodiac raft ride back we were treated to a nice sunset with small islands silhouetted against the orange evening sky. It was magical.

mahdnc · November 19, 2023

Today is a 3 activity day. A 1 mile walk on South Plaza Island, snorkeling at Santa Fe Island in the mid-afternoon, and then another hike at Santa Fe in the very late afternoon.

The weather today started off cloudy but is beautifully sunny now. There are no sea days on this trip, just sea hours.

mahdnc · November 19, 2023

This morning's walk at South Plaza Island was 1 mile long over rocky terrain. It was another dry landing. More birds, iguanas, and sea lions.

The naturalists are very good and patient.

mahdnc · November 19, 2023

This was last night's talk about today's activities at South Plaza and Santa Fe. It discusses the landing site, the terrain, what you are going to see, and the schedule for getting your snorkel gear.