A few Xpedition planning questions

[Casshew]

I am looking into an Xpedition cruise for myself and my 13 year old (nature lover) daughter :) and I have a few questions.

 

I would like to arrange my own air to/from Quito (UIO) I notice the celebrity itinerary (10 day option) says they will meet you at the airport and direct to you the hotel transfers. Does this mean they meet you even if you do your own air?

 

The 10 day cruise/stay option includes the return flights UIO-Baltra, right? I don't want to do that air part myself - just the international portion.

 

We are going to Nassau after the cruise (via Miami) can I store a suitcase at the Quito hotel until after the Xpedition cruise with our Bahamas clothing?

 

I have been reading the Xpedition menus and everything looks great for me, but my daughter is a picky eater. Would they have pasta always available? like spaghetti with plain tomato sauce or fettucini alfredo? she could live on that for a week with no problems. Can you get a plain grilled chicken breast - even if it's not on the menu?

 

The television in the cabin - what types of movies/tv do they show? I am imagining spanish television! We would bring a portable DVD player and LOTS of movies, cards, games for the evenings. Does the ship have a selections of book/novels to borrow or should we bring books?

 

From the reviews I have been reading I gather there are daily morning and afternoon excursions with different levels of activity. I expect we would fall into the low to medium category.

 

Does everyone do both morning and afternoon excursions or is it okay to sleep in and miss the morning one, or decide to skip the afternoon one?

 

Once you are onshore with your guides - is that it until the excursion is over? or do they run the zodiacs back and forth if you wish to return to the ship? Say you are not feeling well or need the washroom or something - can you go back early?

 

I think that's it for now... Thanks in advance.

 

Cass

[FlightMedic555]

We leave in about 5 weeks and have also researched this a lot. I used my own frequent flyer miles as did my brother to get from the US to Quito. We also have the 10 day package. If you arrive on the Friday then Celebrity arranges for ground transportation from the airport. I am arriving one day earlier and I am contacting the hotel directly, I have been told that they will arrange to pick me up at no cost.

 

We have been told that you can, and should, leave a bag at the hotel (the J.W. Marriott) and pick it up after the cruise. Most seem to reserve the package with the included air between Quito and Baltra. I have seen some posts where people did this themselves but the airline, TAME, does not accept credit cards and you have to pay in case (about $500 roundtrip) a few hours before the flight from Quito. I would be uncomfortable with this.

[Casshew]

Thanks FlightMedic555 - I am looking forward to reading your review when you are back, have a great time.

[Susan-M]

I am looking into an Xpedition cruise for myself and my 13 year old (nature lover) daughter :) and I have a few questions.

 

I would like to arrange my own air to/from Quito (UIO) I notice the celebrity itinerary (10 day option) says they will meet you at the airport and direct to you the hotel transfers. Does this mean they meet you even if you do your own air?

 

Yes, we arranged our own air and Celebrity met us (they will ask for your flight details beforehand so they know when you are expected to arrive.)

 

The 10 day cruise/stay option includes the return flights UIO-Baltra, right? I don't want to do that air part myself - just the international portion.

Yes

 

We are going to Nassau after the cruise (via Miami) can I store a suitcase at the Quito hotel until after the Xpedition cruise with our Bahamas clothing?

Yes

 

I have been reading the Xpedition menus and everything looks great for me, but my daughter is a picky eater. Would they have pasta always available? like spaghetti with plain tomato sauce or fettucini alfredo? she could live on that for a week with no problems. Can you get a plain grilled chicken breast - even if it's not on the menu?

I think there was always pasta at the buffet at lunch time .... not sure about dinner or a plain grilled chicken breast.

 

The television in the cabin - what types of movies/tv do they show? I am imagining spanish television! We would bring a portable DVD player and LOTS of movies, cards, games for the evenings. Does the ship have a selections of book/novels to borrow or should we bring books?

We didn't turn the TV on all week because there was so much activity all the time. In the evenings there are presentations on the following day's activities. There is a small selection of books to borrow.

 

From the reviews I have been reading I gather there are daily morning and afternoon excursions with different levels of activity. I expect we would fall into the low to medium category.

You will probably be able to do some high intensity ones as well .... they are not overly strenuous.

 

Does everyone do both morning and afternoon excursions or is it okay to sleep in and miss the morning one, or decide to skip the afternoon one?

You probably won't want to miss anything once you see how amazing it is there. Plus, after spending all that money to do the trip, you'll feel guilty about missing an outing:)

Once you are onshore with your guides - is that it until the excursion is over? or do they run the zodiacs back and forth if you wish to return to the ship? Say you are not feeling well or need the washroom or something - can you go back early?

You can probably make arrangements to go back early if absolutely necessary, but sometimes you are a half hour away from where the zodiacs are, so getting back quickly might be difficult at times.

[Susan-M]

I am looking into an Xpedition cruise for myself and my 13 year old (nature lover) daughter :) and I have a few questions.

 

I would like to arrange my own air to/from Quito (UIO) I notice the celebrity itinerary (10 day option) says they will meet you at the airport and direct to you the hotel transfers. Does this mean they meet you even if you do your own air?

 

Yes, we arranged our own air and Celebrity met us (they will ask for your flight details beforehand so they know when you are expected to arrive.)

 

The 10 day cruise/stay option includes the return flights UIO-Baltra, right? I don't want to do that air part myself - just the international portion.

Yes

 

We are going to Nassau after the cruise (via Miami) can I store a suitcase at the Quito hotel until after the Xpedition cruise with our Bahamas clothing?

Yes

 

I have been reading the Xpedition menus and everything looks great for me, but my daughter is a picky eater. Would they have pasta always available? like spaghetti with plain tomato sauce or fettucini alfredo? she could live on that for a week with no problems. Can you get a plain grilled chicken breast - even if it's not on the menu?

I think there was always pasta at the buffet at lunch time .... not sure about dinner or a plain grilled chicken breast.

 

The television in the cabin - what types of movies/tv do they show? I am imagining spanish television! We would bring a portable DVD player and LOTS of movies, cards, games for the evenings. Does the ship have a selections of book/novels to borrow or should we bring books?

We didn't turn the TV on all week because there was so much activity all the time. In the evenings there are presentations on the following day's activities. There is a small selection of books to borrow.

 

From the reviews I have been reading I gather there are daily morning and afternoon excursions with different levels of activity. I expect we would fall into the low to medium category.

You will probably be able to do some high intensity ones as well .... they are not overly strenuous.

 

Does everyone do both morning and afternoon excursions or is it okay to sleep in and miss the morning one, or decide to skip the afternoon one?

You probably won't want to miss anything once you see how amazing it is there. Plus, after spending all that money to do the trip, you'll feel guilty about missing an outing:)

Once you are onshore with your guides - is that it until the excursion is over? or do they run the zodiacs back and forth if you wish to return to the ship? Say you are not feeling well or need the washroom or something - can you go back early?

You can probably make arrangements to go back early if absolutely necessary, but sometimes you are a half hour away from where the zodiacs are, so getting back quickly might be difficult at times.

[Casshew]

Thanks Susan-M, everything about this Galapagos package seems perfect :)

[Susan-M]

Thanks Susan-M, everything about this Galapagos package seems perfect :)

 

Yes, it is .... I was so impressed with how well Celebrity handled all of the arrangements! What a wonderful trip to do with your daughter!

[Casshew]

Hi Susan, I see you are in Ontario too, did you fly with American Airlines to UIO?

[Susan-M]

Hi Susan, I see you are in Ontario too, did you fly with American Airlines to UIO?

 

Yes, we have the choice of going out of Buffalo or Toronto (we're closer to Buffalo) but AA from Toronto provided shorter travel times. The only other consideration was Continental, but prices were higher and travel times longer. We connected thru Miami. AA was great and I wouldn't hesitate to book with them again ... in fact I probably will for an upcoming land trip to Hawaii.

[Casshew]

They have perfectly timed flights for me and a great business class fare. We are going Toronto - Quito (via Miami) then Quito - Nassau, Bahamas (via MIA), then a few days later Nassau - Toronto, (via MIA). The longest connecting time is just over 2 hours - the schedule could not be better :)

[Casshew]

A couple of more questions :)

 

Does the Xpedition have a selection of board games/cards etc? (SCrabble, backgammon etc)

 

Do they have good brewed coffee or that syrup mix?

[mason525]

Hi- It's been just over a year since I returned, but there are some things I do remember. My son & I played a ton of Scrabble & cards & I think there were also Monopoly & some other board games. I agree that although I thought we might want a break one day, we didn't. There was nothing we could stand to miss & there is plenty of down time on board. This wonderful trip was one I came back from refreshed. There is an article in I think last month's Town & Country Travel featuring a mom & older teenage daughter on Expedition . You may find it interesting. Although I didn't have any special food requests myself, my feeling is that they will handle your daughter's request with ease. Have a great trip. Meg

Ps- Afterwards you're going to the Bahamas? My other favorite trip!

[Casshew]

Hi Mason, I will have a look for that T & C article, thanks.

 

My Daughter has been on several cruises, but of course this one is a little different! I expect lots of mother/daughter time and a few games of backgammon etc would be fun. Glad to know there were some games onboard.

 

We are going to go to Atlantis afterwards for 4 days, I am not really a big fan of the bahamas but we have always wanted to try Atlantis. :)

[mason525]

Casshew-

This is off topic but wanted to give my 2 cents on Atlantis. I love it but understand why people despise it too. It is loud & the scale is enormous & most times it feels crowded.I strongly suggest you make dinner res before you go or you will be disappointed in your options & times. But we now stay at the Ocean Club which is part of the complex yet apart. Even if you don't stay there I suggest heading there for a peaceful walk, spa treatment or meal. I was there last in Sept. & am curious about the new Cove hotel & the new slide area. It's hard to think of 2 more different adventures. Meg

[Casshew]

We are definately going to stay at Atlantis, my daughter has been bugging about it since she saw that mary kate and Ashley movie that was filmed there :rolleyes:

 

I will book the Imperial Club rooms - they are on the top floors of the royal towers and include breakfast, afternoon tea and evening drinks & appetizers.

 

It's like a concierge floor with a separate check in, special key for the elevator... etc. Thanks for the tip about booking dinners though, I will look into that when the time comes.

[Cruise Vanessa]

Casshew,

 

I remember that the coffee was good but they also offered expresso and cappuccino at every meal. It was wonderful! Celebrity does a great job with the Galapagos cruise. These islands are truly spectacular. Celebrity takes care of everything and the ship is very comfortable. There was only one child on our cruise, a girl about 12. The staff treated her so well offering to make her special milkshakes, desserts, etc. Your daughter and you will be spoiled throughout the cruise. Enjoy!

[Casshew]

Oh that's wonderful to hear, special milkshakes and desserts are right up her alley!

 

Thank you :)

[Casshew]

Crap, I had decided on the Xpedition and then I saw the Family Holidays to Galapagos/Machu Pichu with Abercrombie & Kent. Now I am torn between the 2 - I like the idea of the family holidays because there will be more children for my daughter to be with, the yacht is the Eclipse which is smaller than Xpedition.

 

Decisions.... decisions

[Casshew]

I had decided on the Xpedition and then I saw the Family Holidays to Galapagos/Machu Pichu with Abercrombie & Kent. :rolleyes:

 

Now I am torn between the 2 - I like the idea of the family holidays with A&K because there will be more children for my daughter to be with, the yacht is the Eclipse which is smaller than Xpedition with half as many passengers.

 

Decisions.... decisions :eek:

[Susan-M]

Hi Casshew:

 

I think that you will have a fabulous time with either A & K or Celebrity :)

[charleysmom]

I had decided on the Xpedition and then I saw the Family Holidays to Galapagos/Machu Pichu with Abercrombie & Kent. :rolleyes:

 

Now I am torn between the 2 - I like the idea of the family holidays with A&K because there will be more children for my daughter to be with, the yacht is the Eclipse which is smaller than Xpedition with half as many passengers.

 

Decisions.... decisions :eek:

 

So what did you decide... and when? We are on the 10 day trip departing on July 6 (I think the cruise part leaves July 8) with our almost 11 year old daughter. While she's traveled with just the grown-ups plenty of times and will do fine without other kids, I know she'd be thrilled to know there's a girl somewhat close to her age on the trip.

 

Ann