Why the Expedition in the Galapagos?

[kellig]

I am curious why those of you who chose the Expedition over the other larger ships that tour the galapagos? I am still feeling torn on who to book with, but I know I want a larger ship due to my motion sickness propensity. I just wondered if I would get a more personal feel from one that carried 30-50 ppl rather than 100. My only other cruise was to the western carribean on a huge 3000 person ship, so my experience is a little limited. Also my husband and I have done pretty well planning vacations on our own with little assistance from organized tours or travel agents, so we don't want this trip to feel too impersonal. Thanks. Kelli

[drfun48]

I am curious why those of you who chose the Expedition over the other larger ships that tour the galapagos? I am still feeling torn on who to book with, but I know I want a larger ship due to my motion sickness propensity. I just wondered if I would get a more personal feel from one that carried 30-50 ppl rather than 100. My only other cruise was to the western carribean on a huge 3000 person ship, so my experience is a little limited. Also my husband and I have done pretty well planning vacations on our own with little assistance from organized tours or travel agents, so we don't want this trip to feel too impersonal. Thanks. Kelli

Do a search on these boards for ,Galapagos and Xpedition,you'll be rightfully convinced that it is the BEST way to go.NO doubt-100% lock sure thing!

I am of the belief that the Xpedition IS one of the largest ships there . It's capacity is low 90s. To my knowledge,there are none significantly larger and if you read the boards you will see that motion is seldom a problem there.

IMO-Book a 10 day with Celebrity-Let them handle everything and get ready for the time of your life.

[Cruise Vanessa]

I researched many, many, many Galapagos tours before choosing the Xpedition. I cannot believe any other company could do a better job than Celebrity for this trip. It was a top notch vacation. From the minute we arrived in Quito, we were well cared for by Celebrity. The ship, crew, naturalists, equipment and selection of activities were outstanding. We saw no ships that were bigger, but many smaller ships. There are plenty of very small (12 - 20 passengers) ships, but they don't have the comfort level that the Xpedition has. I also thought it was great to have 3 different shore excursions to choose from every morning and every afternoon. However, the Xpedition had a lot of movement when anchored at night. It didn't bother us but it was definitely rocking! If you are a nature lover, this trip is a must.

 

We have some friends who did the Lindblad trip. They paid about the same price as we did, but their ship was not as nice as the Xpedition and they were on their own getting from Quito to Baltra.

 

Don't hesitate - this is a great trip. Enjoy!

[Fontaid]

Kelli,

 

I agree with everything Drfun and Kwiley say in their posts. From the time you land in Quito to the time you leave Quito 10 days later, Celebrity has taken care of everything. They put you up at the JW Marriott pre and post cruise... truly a 5 star hotel. Transportation to and from the Quito airport is taken care of (they will meet you no matter when your flight arrives), service is very personalized on the Xpedition, you have 6 Naturalists (a small ship might have just one or two), you have 3 choices of levels of intensity of excursions every morning and afternoon (high, medium, and low intensity excursions).

 

This cruise is totally unlike any other cruise my wife and I have taken (we've taken 10 or so cruises dating back to 1986). Celebrity gets this cruise right.

 

Whether you choose to go with someone else or not, I HIGHLY recommend you have the cruise company make your air reservations on TAME from Quito (or Guayquil) to Baltra, Galapagos Islands. Individuals have trouble making reservations with TAME and they are subject to being bounced off the flight. Tour passengers are not bumped...

 

Note: On the morning of your flight from Quito to Baltra, you leave your luggage outside your hotel door (to be delivered directly to your stateroom on the Xpedition) and you pick up your Boarding Passes in the Library near the lobby in the Marriott. Hence, no handling luggage to and from the airport and no standing in line to check in at the airport. It happens the same way coming back.... If only I could do that traveling in the U.S.!!!

 

The small ships (16 people) can get in closer to shore when they anchor near the different islands. This means that they can drop off and pick up quicker than the Xpedition, which is anchored further off shore, but typically the Xpedition is never more than a 5 - 6 minute zodiac ride to shore. But, the small ships typically have one Naturalist and hence, only one "choice" for a tour, whether that's what you want to do that day or not. The Xpedition typically has 6 Naturalists on board and 3 choices. Note: Each ship must have one Naturalist per 16 passengers.

 

Don't try to compare a cruise on the Xpedition (or any other Galapagos ship) to a cruise on a 3000 passenger cruise ship. They're completely different. They offer different things and have a different appeal.

 

I typically like to make all the individual arrangements of my vacation... it's part of the excitement... from booking flights to pre and post cruise hotels, etc. But, in this case... I couldn't do any better... and I could do significantly worse (on my own). I speak some Spanish, but I'm not fluent and I would NOT want to try to talk my way onto a TAME flight that I got bumped off of. You're not in the USA and it's not a US carrier, so forget all the rules about the fact you have confirmed reservations or what compensation you receive or what your options might be. If you're fluent in Spanish and know how to deal with these types of situations, then I say go for it. On the other hand... think about what might happen if you miss "the last flight" of the day to the Galapagos Islands. There aren't many places that you could catch up to the ship.

 

One last item... and I think this applies to ALL ships in the Galapagos Islands. Most of the staff (I think it's a minimum of 90%) are Ecuadorean by law. The Captain and the doctor were the only two who were not from Ecuador on our cruise. The Naturalists typically have grown up in the Islands. ALL of the staff are absolutely delighted to have you as a guest in their country and in the islands. This is their country and they want to show you their best. That's not true of the big cruise ships in the Caribbean and elsewhere where staff come from all around the world. I think all of the cruise ships in the Galapagos Islands (100 passengers is the max I've heard of) have very personal service. I've never heard anyone say that the Xpedition was "impersonal." It's anything but.

 

The only other thing I'll say is... if you book a 10 day cruise on the Xpedition, you'll have a great trip!

 

Dave :)

[SheilaNC]

Enuff said...those of us who have experienced Xpedition KNOW it's the way to go. A trip of a lifetime and one that lives on forever. I'm still so addicted to reading about the experiences of others who sailed after us - and the similarities are amazing and positive. Go for it!!

[MomC]

I don't mean to be gauche, but I have always wondered what a cruise to the Galapagos on the Expedition might cost--realizing that it depends on the type of stateroom, air fare, pre and post hotel--but can you give me some idea?

 

We are not afraid to pay for quality. We always get balcony cabins and sail whether or not there is a special sale going on.

 

I am looking for a ballpark figure. We would like to do it next Christmas.

 

Thanks,

 

Mom C

[Fontaid]

MomC, I'd break the costs down this way for a 10 day cruise...

 

Cruise - $3400 - 4200 per person (not a balcony) (depends on when you go and how far in advance you book)

Airfare - $700 per person from U.S. to Quito

Misc. - $100 per person

 

Total - ~$4200 - $5000 per person ($8400 - $10,000 per cabin)

For "balcony" (suite) add approx. $1800 per cabin. Most people agree that the extra cost for the balcony isn't worth it on this cruise.

 

Tips are included in the cruise fare; so is the airfare to/from Quito/Baltra. Hotels in Quito pre and post cruise are included. Exit fee from Quito is not; I think that was $25/per person cash.

 

You can get a pretty good idea of the cruise costs by going to the Celebrity website and checking out the different dates and types of cabins. Don't get excited about the difference between the 7 day and the 10 day cruises. You'll pretty much spend most of it anyway making those arrangements that are left out... like the hotels pre and post cruise, the airfare to/from Quito/Baltra.

 

Dave :)

[drfun48]

I don't mean to be gauche, but I have always wondered what a cruise to the Galapagos on the Expedition might cost--realizing that it depends on the type of stateroom, air fare, pre and post hotel--but can you give me some idea?

 

We are not afraid to pay for quality. We always get balcony cabins and sail whether or not there is a special sale going on.

 

I am looking for a ballpark figure. We would like to do it next Christmas.

 

Thanks,

 

Mom C

Expect to pay about a grand more per person for Christmas .But if you are Elite CC -10% comes off the top.

[Susan-M]

We've just returned from the 10 day Celebrity Xpedition trip (+4 extra nights in Quito) and agree with all of the above comments on why Celebrity does such an amazing job of this trip ..... everything is first class, and everyone who works for or on behalf of Celebrity.... from the reps who meet you at the airport to tour guides in Quito, to ship staff and the naturalists, go "above and beyond" in the level of service given.

 

When trying to decide on how best to do this trip, I also looked at smaller boats, but am very glad that we chose Xpedition .... when I saw the smaller boats during our cruise last week, I knew that if I had been on one of them and saw Xpedition, I would have regretted not choosing it ... she is an impressive "mega yacht" both from the outside and inside and it's hard to imagine a nicer way to enjoy the Galapagos.

[Tellurian]

I am of the super-independent, plan-it-myself, small property, off-the-beaten track ilk. I had always pictured going to the Galapagos on a VERY small boat. When invited by family last year to go on the Xpedition, I was initially reluctant and did a lot of research to see if I could convince them to go on a smaller vessel. What I found however, convinced me that the value of the Xpedition was very high; so many things were not included in other packages. Also, I knew my husband and I would feel badly if the couple who proposed the trip were uncomfortable in the more spartan little cabins, since they are experienced cruisers whereas we mainly paddle a canoe. We felt it would be better for us to "upgrade" than to ask them to "rough it." Well, it turned out to be FANTASTIC and I fully admit undoubtedly better than if we had gone on my "fantasy." If you are looking for personal, you could not do better. As mentioned, the programs are adapted to the passengers, with choices for all interest and physical abilitiy levels. You have numerous naturalists to experience and the on-board accommodations are lovely. We felt like we had lots of personal space because we were not forced to be with the same little group every day and also, while onboard inbetween the days' excursions. my husband and I were often alone on our choice of decks; we loved it! It was even great from the perspective of not having too much togetherness family-wise; we often went on different excursions, then happily compared notes over meals. While I will not argue with those who recommend taking the Celebrity land-package, that was one area where I did exert my independent streak - in a very safe way. I used another Latin American travel specialist (based in Florida) - LADATCO - to book all the other arrangements, including the TAME flights. pre-and post-nights at the Marriott in Quito (we decided it was best to stay where the Celebrity land-package people were to stay ini touch better.), a Quito tour, international flights and a 3-night stay at the Napo Wildlife Center in the Amazon basin. We felt we got excactly what we wanted and our private tours and transfers were more to our taste than the big bus tour thing that Celebrity offered - so if personal is a big thing to you, try this option. All in all, I can't say enough about this sceptic was won over by Celebrity. If you go, you will have a true wondrous lifetime experience.

[kellig]

I am so excited now after reading your posts. My husband and I are young and adventurous, but it sounds like the expedition will be right up our alley, and I expect he will like it a lot more than the carribean cruise we went on. I booked the 10 day excursion as I felt I didn't want to take the risk of getting bumped off the TAME flight. All in all when I priced it out compared to trips on other large boats, Celebrity's came down to the second least expensive option, $5025 per person to go at the end of April. I even didn't include cost of hotel in the others because I figured we'd use Marriott points instead. You guys were right about it being an overall good value for the price compared to going on other boats. Smaller boats were definately less expensive, but we didn't want to deal with severe sea sickness as two of us are very prone to that. Thanks so much for the reassurance, I can't wait. :D

 

Kelli