Live from the Flora, 10-night Ecuador and Galapagos Adventure, Dec 8-18

[Ken the cruiser]

12 minutes ago, Gardenbunny50 said:

Learned even more to prepare for our May trip.

 With only doing the walks, hoping to have some time to enjoy the beautiful ship.  Did you think some walks were repetitious, ie different island same thing?  Or are there walks you would say are not to be missed?  

I probably will do them all since I don’t want to miss a thing, but just curious.

Loved all your photos and descriptive captions and the humorous ones 😁

Safe travels back home

Thanks! I would highly recommend doing all of the long walks, both morning and afternoon if you are healthy enough to do both, as there was no repetition and each walk was very unique in their own way as you might be able to tell from my photos. 😁

[Ken the cruiser]

29 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

@Ken the cruiser It was wonderful following along on yet another of your adventures.  I thoroughly enjoyed your commentary and especially all those beautiful pictures.   Will be looking forward to joining you virtually on your next adventure.  Maybe with more mooring lines and bollocks.  

 

 

Thanks! Our next cruise will be in January on a 30-day South America cruise to include 4 days cruising around the Antarctica Peninsula on the Sapphire Princess in an aft-facing cabin! At least on that cruise we’ll be able to sleep in more days! 😂

[Gardenbunny50]

18 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks! Our next cruise will be in January on a 30-day South America cruise to include 4 days cruising around the Antarctica Peninsula on the Sapphire Princess in an aft-facing cabin! At least on that cruise we’ll be able to sleep in more days! 😂

FYI - on our Coral Princess Antarctica there were mornings on the days in the peninsula that viewing began at 5 AM.  

[Gardenbunny50]

25 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks! I would highly recommend doing all of the long walks, both morning and afternoon if you are healthy enough to do both, as there was no repetition and each walk was very unique in their own way as you might be able to tell from my photos. 😁

I am very fit for walking so not an issue.  Thanks for the advice

[Ken the cruiser]

3 minutes ago, Gardenbunny50 said:

FYI - on our Coral Princess Antarctica there were mornings on the days in the peninsula that viewing began at 5 AM.  

It better be one awesome viewing if we’re going to get up at 5 am! 😂

[Gardenbunny50]

 It is worth it.  This was a huge iceberg at 6 AM day 2.  The icebergs are longer and taller than our ship!  I named the little small one in forefront the “whale iceberg”.  I would name them based on their shape.  They are like snowflakes - no two are alike😁. (I am new at attaching a photo - hope it works)

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 10 - Dec 18 (Monday) - Private TBL tour and flight back home

 

Here’s the description of our private tour today.

 

 

 

[Ciaranaman]

Thank you for taking us along on your travels!  Some of us will probably never make it to the Galapagos and it's fantastic to see it all through yours, and other's, "lives".  I am learning so much about these special islands!   I'm looking forward to a possible live for your January cruise.  Hopefully you'll post a link to that for us to jump over to 🙏.  Safe travels back home!

~Bernadette

[Ken the cruiser]

Our TBL private tour to the Antisana Ecological Reserve was definitely different than cruising around the Galapagos. But at the same time it was just as unique. Because of the number of photos I took, there will be two parts.

 

The first part includes the drive to and around the Antisana Ecological Reserve and then stopping at the Chakana Reserve to catch a glimpse of two Andian Condors flying high in the sky! 😁

 

A view of Cotopaxi Volcano along the way

  

 

 

The cows obviously have the right-of-way on this street! 😂

 

 

Our drive included a variety of paved, dirt, and a combination of both types of roads! 

 

 
And some beautiful scenery along the way.

 

 

 

 

 
Of course, we had our greeting committee to deal with! 😂

 

 

 

Ruminahui Volcano

 

 

Whitetail Deer

 

 

Antisana Volcano

 

 

Cayambe Volcano

 

 

Lone whitetail deer

 

 

 

 

 

Plumbeous Sierra Finch

 

 

 

 

 
Andean Gull

 

 

 
Ecuador Rabbit and a Bar-winged Cinclode

  

  

Our tour guide thought this was a cross between a llama and an alpaca, as she thought they were too fury to be llamas.

  

 

 

A few pictures of some Cara Caras

 

 

 

 

 
A couple of Ibis, rarely seen in this area!

 

 

 

 

 

Then we stopped by here to see a couple of Andean Condors flying high in the sky! 😁

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

TBL Tour - Part 2

 

After seeing the Andean Condors, we headed to our lunch at a very nice resort and then afterwards, headed to the Cloud Forest to see some hummingbirds, before heading back to the hotel.

 

  
I took this photo because of the view of the lake. Afterwards, I then realized there was a brown llama also in the picture! 😂

 

 

 

 
A couple more llamas hanging out along the roadside.

 

 

 
And a big sheep strolling back home! 

 

 

 
I love this double-winged black butterfly!

 

 

 

 
The humming bird sanctuary was in the Amazon Basin, and this river was one of the beginning tributaries that feed the Amazon River.

 
Downstream

 

 
Upstream

 

 
The path through the Cloud Forest we took to get to the river.

 

 

 

 
Some of the various hummingbirds we saw while at the sanctuary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This was the terrain at 13,000 feet.

 

  
And last but definitely not least, I finally was able to take a photo of the elusive Quito Dove! 😂

 

Edited December 19, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Gardenbunny50]

 Very different excursion as you said - from islands to mountains.  But extremely beautiful.  Amazing to see all those volcanoes.  If you have not heard the news, the volcano in Grindavik, Iceland is finally erupting!  We were in Iceland in 2019 and this location is close to the Blue Lagoon (we did excursion and had a great time).

And thanks for photo of the stream that goes to Amazon.  We will be on a 27 night Holland cruise in January 2025 on the Amazon River!  

I would have so enjoyed the hummingbirds!  Great job getting any photos with those birds that are small and move quickly.  How many different varieties?

Great way to end your trip.

Hope we get to follow you on Princess and relive our trip in 2020.

As a good friend of mine says - “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Just thought I would pass this little tidbit along that I picked up from someone on our cruise that also is flying round trip using Delta. 
 

Once your flight takes off you can use your Skymiles number and password to log onto their inflight WiFi service, and get free access to the internet while in flight. For example we’ve been flying for about 2 hours on our 5 hour flight to Atlanta and I’m currently posting this. I also just did an Ookla Speedtest and here are the results!

 

 
I don’t know how long they have offered this additional capability, but it’s pretty cool! 😁

[Texed]

9 hours ago, Gardenbunny50 said:

 If you have not heard the news, the volcano in Grindavik, Iceland is finally erupting!  We were in Iceland in 2019 and this location is close to the Blue Lagoon (we did excursion and had a great time).

 

Ditto!  😊

[Ken the cruiser]

Well, we're back home and just for the record with all the long walking excursions we went on, neither of us gained any weight! 😂

 

I would also like to add, if you couldn't tell, we had an awesome time on the Flora, and IMHO there really is no comparison between the Flora and the Xpedition, other than they do similar itineraries. The Flora has higher quality (and much newer) zodiacs, larger public areas, and nicer cabins.

 

But then the Flora is 17 years newer than the Xpedition and there is a healthy price difference when comparing similar cabins on the two ships. So there is that. But if anyone has any questions about the Flora or cruising the Galapagos, please feel free to ask.

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[kbarnum]

On 12/21/2023 at 10:16 AM, Ken the cruiser said:

 But if anyone has any questions about the Flora or cruising the Galapagos, please feel free to ask.

 

 I really enjoyed reading all of this and seeing the pictures. We leave for this trip next Friday the 29th. The only thing I can't seem to find is a copy of the wine list for the Flora. I was just curious what the choices are. If you or anyone knows where to find one we would appreciate it. 

 

Thank you all and Merry Christmas.

[Ken the cruiser]

51 minutes ago, kbarnum said:

 I really enjoyed reading all of this and seeing the pictures. We leave for this trip next Friday the 29th. The only thing I can't seem to find is a copy of the wine list for the Flora. I was just curious what the choices are. If you or anyone knows where to find one we would appreciate it. 

 

Thank you all and Merry Christmas.

Thanks! Unfortunately, I have nothing to add regarding the wine list options, other than to note that all I drank on the cruise was Italian Moscato, which BTW was quite tasty and in abundance. In addition, the Celebrity app doesn't work on Galapagos cruises, so you won't be able to find the list there either.

[kbarnum]

I'll give your suggestion a try. Thank you!

[7300ponce]

I loved your review! We are going on this cruise in early March but have not bought the plane tickets yet What time did you get back to Quito at the end of the cruise? I am trying to figure out if we can fly out on Sunday. 

[mahdnc]

21 minutes ago, 7300ponce said:

I loved your review! We are going on this cruise in early March but have not bought the plane tickets yet What time did you get back to Quito at the end of the cruise? I am trying to figure out if we can fly out on Sunday. 

We were on Xpedition in Nov. Our charter flight back to UIO arrived at 3:29 pm local Quito time. 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

3 hours ago, 7300ponce said:

I loved your review! We are going on this cruise in early March but have not bought the plane tickets yet What time did you get back to Quito at the end of the cruise? I am trying to figure out if we can fly out on Sunday. 

Here is the information on our return flight from Galapagos to Quito on Dec 17.

 

AV1687 (AVA1687) Avianca Flight Tracking and History 17-Dec-2023 (GPS / SEGS-UIO / SEQM) - FlightAware

 

 

[Judy204]

Loved reading this post.  We will be on the Flora in a couple of weeks.  I have a few general questions.  First, were the fitness walks really difficult or is it overstated to call it a fitness walk?  Secondly, did either of you have trouble with the altitude in Quito? It looks like you didn't snorkel.  Based on your photos, I'm assuming that is not a problem as there is still a ton of wildlife to observe.  Were you able to book the cloud forest tour through the JW or did you book it in advance?  Thanks for the info.

 

Judy

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, Judy204 said:

Loved reading this post.  Thanks!
 

We will be on the Flora in a couple of weeks.  I have a few general questions.  First, were the fitness walks really difficult or is it overstated to call it a fitness walk?  
 

The 

Interpretation Center excursion was the only “fast-paced” fitness walk on the cruise, which was not all that bad if you are reasonably healthy and in good physical condition. In our case we’re in our early 70s and we did fine. On most of the other walks pretty easy.

 

Secondly, did either of you have trouble with the altitude in Quito?
 

Both of us did, but my DW a little more than me. For me a light headache. But my DW had to go back to the hotel after the morning portion of the Quito excursion because she was feeling nauseous. But she was fine by dinner time.

 

It looks like you didn't snorkel.  Based on your photos, I'm assuming that is not a problem as there is still a ton of wildlife to observe. 
 

A lot of folks went snorkeling as well as on most of the walks, as they were held at different times. However, for us we are just not into snorkeling or kayaking, and yes, there was a ton of wildlife on the walks and the zodiac rides we went on! 😁

 

Were you able to book the cloud forest tour through the JW or did you book it in advance? 
 

We booked our Antisana Ecological Reserve tour online through Tours By Local. If you click on the link on its line item in our posted itinerary on the first page, you can see the details. As you can tell, we had a great time! The Cloud Forest was an added extra by our guide as we chose to bypass the optional 2-hour walk up the Antisana Volcano.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Judy

 

[Ken the cruiser]

For those who might be interested in following along, I just started my Antarctica/SA Live From thread over on the Princess forum. We don't actually board the Sapphire Princess until Jan 20th, but I got excited and wanted to get it started, as it's going to be another awesome wildlife adventure!

 

 

 

Edited January 10 by Ken the cruiser

[Piredmus]

Hello Ken...great report and lots of very useful information as I plan our trip to the Galapagos.  A few questions if you don't mind (or anyone else that has an opinion)...

 

1. The Flora takes 100 passengers, as do a couple of other larger ships in the region.  How would you rate the experience with this many passengers compared to Xpedition with 48 passengers or other smaller boats doing the trip?  Do you still get an intimate and fulsome expedition trip and proper attention by the guides/staff?

 

2. A number of the itineraries have "inner or outer", "north or south", "east or west" routes when selecting a cruise.  In your opinion, which is better allowing the most fulsome experience on a trip?

 

3. Related to the above, is a one week cruise sufficient to get a full viewing of the wildlife and islands to experience the Galapagos, or would a two week trip encompassing the various two route options noted be a better choice?

 

4. While I know your report primarily dealt with the Galapagos on island experience, what was the service and food like on the ship?  Were the breakfasts, lunches, dinners of good quality & variety and up to Celebrity standards?  How would you compare this service/food to Xpedition a few years earlier?

 

Thanks.

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, Piredmus said:

Hello Ken...great report and lots of very useful information as I plan our trip to the Galapagos.  A few questions if you don't mind (or anyone else that has an opinion)...

 

1. The Flora takes 100 passengers, as do a couple of other larger ships in the region.  How would you rate the experience with this many passengers compared to Xpedition with 48 passengers or other smaller boats doing the trip?  Do you still get an intimate and fulsome expedition trip and proper attention by the guides/staff?

 

2. A number of the itineraries have "inner or outer", "north or south", "east or west" routes when selecting a cruise.  In your opinion, which is better allowing the most fulsome experience on a trip?

 

3. Related to the above, is a one week cruise sufficient to get a full viewing of the wildlife and islands to experience the Galapagos, or would a two week trip encompassing the various two route options noted be a better choice?

 

4. While I know your report primarily dealt with the Galapagos on island experience, what was the service and food like on the ship?  Were the breakfasts, lunches, dinners of good quality & variety and up to Celebrity standards?  How would you compare this service/food to Xpedition a few years earlier?

 

Thanks.

As you may have noticed we had an awesome cruise, and in no way did the 100 passengers onboard impact our having a great time! Simply put our land excursions ranged from 12-14 guests, depending on how many were on our zodiac ride over along with our tour guide. As far as comparing the Flora to the Xpedition, there is no comparison and we’re definitely glad we chose the Flora. Fun fact. When we booked the Flora 2 years earlier in Dec 2021, the price was about the same when comparing the Sky suite with balcony on the Flora to the Xpedition suite on the Xpedition.

 

Ideally, if your budget and free time can afford it, doing both the Inner and Outer Loops would definitely give you a much more complete experience, as we didn’t get to visit the Fernandina and Espanola Islands as well as some of the other landings on some of the other islands. On our inner loop itinerary, we didn’t get to see any albatross or red footed boobies and not nearly the same amount of flamingos we saw on the Xpedition’s Southern Loop itinerary we originally went on.

 

The food was awesome at all servings and well above Celebrity standards. But that is to be expected for how much you pay for the cruise! Remember, our Sky Suite with Veranda was the cheapest cabin onboard! However, since we cruised over 10 years ago on the Xpedition, it would be unfair to compare the two. 

For us the bottom line is this. We had an awesome time both on the ship as well as when we were on each excursion as well as during our pre-cruise stay at the Marriott Hotel in Quito and have no regrets.
 

But I will also say, if you can book a cabin with a balcony, book it. There are flies and other flying critters at many of the stops and leaving your Infinite Veranda window open while sitting in your cabin is not a wise thing to do at some of those stops, unless you like the little guys flying around in your cabin. Obviously, that was not an issue with our balcony cabin.

 

Edited April 2 by Ken the cruiser