Live - Celebrity Flora 9/1/24 - Slow Boat to the Galapagos

[catspaw1]

thanks for the fast reply. Thanks for the answers.

 

I have really enjoyed your posts so am looking forward to the rest of it.

 

Please keep it up.

 

I'll bring extra suntan lotion as I've already had skin cancer removed so need to watch out.

 

For everyone here on CC- consider buying swimming pants & shirts for sun protection. I got mine from waterlust. I got the pants for our Celebrity Bermuda cruise in July but they were out of the tops. The pants were great! I was extremely happy with them- heavy duty & great quality.

 

I don't think I'll bring them on our TA this November as Bermuda will be too cold to swim in November.

 

Have a great trip!

 

 

[Rewind]

Afternoon update - we did the kayak and walk excursion.  They take you out in a zodiac to a place where they have pre-dragged some kayaks out for you.  The kayaks seat two, they are sitting on top, and you load one by one over the side of the zodiac.  Now we have kayaked before, but have never felt this unstable.  To us it felt like we were just a second from tipping over at any point - but we held it together.  There was one kayak that did tip over but as everyone is required to wear life jackets, it wasn't too much of a problem.

 

We did get to see a few animals along the coast and it was a good time, but we were ready to get out when we met back up with zodiacs.  Then we had to climb back in to the zodiacs over the side again.

 

It was then a quick ride over to a beach with a wet landing to go on another nature walk.  There were more sea lions sunning themselves on the beach when we arrived.  The walk was a bit more difficult than this morning but not strenuous.  We then reboarded the zodiacs and headed back to the ship around 5:30pm.  A quick snack, a shower, and we are now sitting at the wine and cheese reception before tomorrow's briefing and dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rewind]

Tonight's menu:

 

 

[cruisetonowhere10]

Looking at the itinerary document you posted, many of the excursions say a maximum of 16 guests.  Do people have a hard time being included on excursions or are some just not interested?

[tribbs1]

Do you think regular water shoes are

okay or are waterproof Teva sandals

better? Mine are in storage and wondering if I really need to find them.

 

[Rewind]

3 minutes ago, tribbs1 said:

Do you think regular water shoes are

okay or are waterproof Teva sandals

better? Mine are in storage and wondering if I really need to find them.

 

 

I think it comes down to personal preference.  My inlaws seem to like their water shoes really well, but I like my Keens that are a bit more open.

[Rewind]

2 hours ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

Looking at the itinerary document you posted, many of the excursions say a maximum of 16 guests.  Do people have a hard time being included on excursions or are some just not interested?

 

I haven't seen anyone be left out of anything.  The kayaks I think the only limited resources and they did ask if you have already kayaked to not sign up again so others can go.

[catspaw1]

your pictures are awesome! The kayak trip sounds a bit daunting having to climb into it from a dinghy. I probably would wind up in the water! Thanks so much for sharing

[Rewind]

 

Not much else to report tonight other than we are tired.  I'm about to pass out as I type this so I will see you all tomorrow.

[RichYak]

10 minutes ago, Rewind said:

 

Not much else to report tonight other than we are tired.  I'm about to pass out as I type this so I will see you all tomorrow.

That’s a day well lived. We look forward to tomorrow’s adventures!

[Rewind]

Morning.  Today we are planning for a Long Walk and a Short Beach Walk with optional swim/snorkel.  

 

Tonight's menu:

 

[pmcue]

We are outer October 20.   I am curious about the snorkels.  Are you required to wear wear suits and / or is it just too cold with out and are you seeing fish or more like turtles / sea lions.   I understand each dice could be different but just curious in general.  Thanks for taking time to do this.  Very helpful. 

[Ciaranaman]

Great details and pics!  I'm getting super-excited!  Only 20 months to go 🙃.   When you go on excursions, do you bring a daypack with you (like the one X gifted)?  If so, is there a chance that they get wet in the zodiacs?

Thank you!

Bernadette

[Rewind]

2 hours ago, pmcue said:

We are outer October 20.   I am curious about the snorkels.  Are you required to wear wear suits and / or is it just too cold with out and are you seeing fish or more like turtles / sea lions.   I understand each dice could be different but just curious in general.  Thanks for taking time to do this.  Very helpful. 

 

You are not required to wear suits but the water is "refreshing" and the suits do help.  Even some more experienced snorkelers that went without yesterday said they will wear the suits for this afternoon's snorkel.  

 

We were on the early walk group yesterday and were the first few in the water - a Sea Lion swam up about 10-15 feet away from my DW to see what was going on.  But it swam off after.

 

 

2 hours ago, Ciaranaman said:

Great details and pics!  I'm getting super-excited!  Only 20 months to go 🙃.   When you go on excursions, do you bring a daypack with you (like the one X gifted)?  If so, is there a chance that they get wet in the zodiacs?

Thank you!

Bernadette

 

We do take the Celebrity pack with us on every trip so far.  They might get a few drops of water but I wouldn't say they get wet on the zodiacs.  They will encourage you to drink water and will stop for mandatory hydration breaks on excursions and the packs are great for carrying the water bottles.

 

The provided backpacks have one large zippered pocket, big enough for shoes (I wear a size 13 men's) but too small for boots.  Then just below that is a small zipper pocket just the right size for glasses or sunscreen.  Then below that is a zippered medium pocket that can fit hats and a GoPro on a floaty handle.  There are two side pockets that either can hold the provided water bottle.  On the bottom is the secret zippered pocket that holds the pack's rain cover.

 

[Rewind]

Real quick; I noticed a detail that is different from all the pics I have seen previously.  It looks like they have added another layer of frosting over the glass between the bathroom and the bedroom in the suites.  I'm guessing too many people didn't want to be looked at in the bathroom by their travelling partners.

 

In person, if you look carefully you can still see the gradient that was there previously.  My guess is they added a layer from the bedroom side across the entire window.

 

[Rewind]

Back from our morning long walk at Dragon's Hill.  This is one of our replacement stops so I don't know how many will go here, but it was a short or long walk. 

 

The short walk was VERY short according to those who went on it.  The long walk we did eclipsed it by quite a bit.  We got off at a nice lava area that is a bit tricky to walk on (so be careful and take a walking stick if you are slightly uneasy).  Then there was a short sandy trail along the beach, up over a hill to a brackish pond where there was a flamingo.  That is where the short walk stopped.

 

The long walk continued on through some loose golf ball sized rocks for a tenth of a mile or so.  Some were stable, some was not.  Once past that section, it was sid ground through a loop up the hill.  Coming back you was to walk through the golf ball rocks again and then back past the beach and lava field.

 

Our group saw 15 Galapagos Land Iguanas and a couple marine iguanas swimming as we were leaving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[alexandria]

2 hours ago, Ciaranaman said:

Great details and pics!  I'm getting super-excited!  Only 20 months to go 🙃.   When you go on excursions, do you bring a daypack with you (like the one X gifted)?  If so, is there a chance that they get wet in the zodiacs?

Thank you!

Bernadette

 

As one who used to do a great deal of scuba diving around the world (and still snorkels as often as possible), may I recommend that you purchase an inexpensive dry bag for anything that you want to stay dry?  A small dry bag should work and then you can drop that into the Celebrity daypack.

 

I'm certain that even with the type of rigid inflatable boat (RIB, but commonly referred to generically as Zodiak) used on the Flora, items in the daypack are susceptible from becoming wet, either while on the RIB or during wet landings. 

 

Amazon has a huge selection of dry bags.

[alexandria]

Great "live" pics and reports, thanks so much!  It is fun to travel vicariously through well-written and photographed live threads such as this one.

 

Quick question:  I've read conflicting reports online...does Celebrity have walking sticks onboard for passenger use during excursions?

[Rewind]

5 minutes ago, alexandria said:

Great "live" pics and reports, thanks so much!  It is fun to travel vicariously through well-written and photographed live threads such as this one.

 

Quick question:  I've read conflicting reports online...does Celebrity have walking sticks onboard for passenger use during excursions?

 

Yes walking sticks are provided.  They are wooden ones that come up to your waist and have a rubberized handle.  They are located just before you board the zodiacs.  If you think you want something better like a trekking pole, you will need to provide that yourself.

[alexandria]

21 minutes ago, Rewind said:

 

Yes walking sticks are provided.  They are wooden ones that come up to your waist and have a rubberized handle.  They are located just before you board the zodiacs.  If you think you want something better like a trekking pole, you will need to provide that yourself.

 

Thanks.  I live on about fifty (50) mostly-wooded acres in the country near the NC/GA/SC border so my usual walking sticks are picked up off the forest floor!  Just getting to use one with a rubberized handle is pretty fancy for me!  😁

[Ciaranaman]

50 minutes ago, alexandria said:

 

As one who used to do a great deal of scuba diving around the world (and still snorkels as often as possible), may I recommend that you purchase an inexpensive dry bag for anything that you want to stay dry?  A small dry bag should work and then you can drop that into the Celebrity daypack.

 

I'm certain that even with the type of rigid inflatable boat (RIB, but commonly referred to generically as Zodiak) used on the Flora, items in the daypack are susceptible from becoming wet, either while on the RIB or during wet landings. 

 

Amazon has a huge selection of dry bags.

Great advice!  Thank you!  I always bring a couple Alva baby dry bags (made for cloth diapers), on trips, as they're great for wet bathings suits, shoes, etc.  I'll tuck them in the daypack as you suggested.

~Bernadette

[catspaw1]

Very experienced hiker here. I always use 2 hiking poles & it's important they are adjusted correctly for your height. Also important they have a rubber tip on the bottom so they don't slip. Adjust the poles- shorter going uphill & longer going downhill. I've been using them for years & will bring mine. REI has lots of them to chose from. They collapse so are fairly small. I just took them to SD with us & checked them on the plane. They cannot be carry on bags!

[Rewind]

Just back from our short beach walk and snorkeling excursion and...  it was not quite as advertised.  It was pretty much a beach stop.  There was no real place to walk and the water was too rough and kicking up a lot of sand to try to see anything.  There were some fish swimming around but nothing really else to see.  On the plus side, the water was warmer than yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

If you squint, you can see the Sea Lions on the rocks below the ship:

[Rewind]

We decided to go with the "Dinner Under the Stars" tonight.  The menu is mostly the same each night but the soup and salad might change from day to day.  The FIL and DW did get the Ribeye and it is confirmed that it is better than the fillet in the main dining room.  I got the Cajun Chicken and it was delicious.

 

 

 

Coconut Tart:

 

Lava Cake:

[Rewind]

I know we are only a couple days in but we were discussing at dinner how well everything is designed.  The ship doesn't ever feel crowded, there is plenty of space but it doesn't feel overwhelming, the staff are super attentive and amazing, the staterooms are spacious, it is easy to get around, but also the ship doesn't feel tiny.  

 

It was also mentioned by other cruisers that the zodiacs being used on Flora are the easiest to navigate.  The steps to get in and out are great and the lowering of the front for water landings is super convenient.

 

My DW pointed out the only improvement they could have put in would be a wet locker in each stateroom to hang your wet swimsuits / rash guards from when you come back from snorkeling.

 

But just two days in and we are being attended to on another level that we are considering the outer-loop cruise...  in a few years.