Celebrity Xpedition 10 Day Galapagos Cruise

[tjk]

Hi everyone!!

 

This is my first time on this website, I have just booked my first cruise ever and I am SO EXCITED! I cant wait to start exploring the world by way of the seas!

 

I have a few questions for anyone that has been on this particular cruise before (10 day Galapagos cruise)....

 

1. Has anyone stayed in room #509 (Celebrity Jr. Suite)? We upgraded to that suite from one of the lower cabins because we are celebrating our second anniversary (September 2, 2008) I havent seen any remarks about if this is a good location on the ship (and since I have never been on a cruise ship before, I wouldn't know if this was a good spot on the ship or not) and I havent seen any pictures of the suite online either. When I look at the deck plans I see that right across the hall there is an empty space and I am not sure if the bridge makes a lot of noise. I just want to make sure we arent going to be up all night because of noise from engines or machines or anything like that.

 

2. Does it matter what side of the ship your stateroom is located on (right or left side)? Or will you see just as much from both?

 

3. Our ship departs on August 31st - September 7th - has anyone gone at this time of the year? How is the weather? wildlife? water? How was the snorkling this time of year?

 

Thanks so much for anyone that can help me out! I am so excited about this trip! Like I said, I have never been on a cruise before and I feel like we are going all out for our first cruise, but we are definitly nature lovers and dream about seeing exotic places. We are not big into shopping or tourist hot spots and laying out in the sun all day just doesn't suit either my husband or I, so that is why we felt this trip would be perfect for us!

 

I cant wait to hear from you!

Thanks Again

 

Tricia ;)

[fpat]

I just booked also

 

Here is plenty of reading for you and should answer all of your questions,

 

Have a great cruise

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=158948

 

http://www.galapagosxpedition.co.uk/index.htm

[FlightMedic555]

I returned last week, this is the trip of a lifetime. We were in 305 so I can't help you with the cabin but it does not matter at all which side of the ship you are on.

[tjk]

Thank you so much! I know that August 08 is still a long way away, I am just so excited and have so many questions about this cruise! I love getting any and all information about this cruise that I can. I can not wait to go, I have heard nothing but great things!

[ghstudio]

we've been on many cruises and the Xpedition was one of the best experiences of our lives. The reality is that it doesn't matter what cabin you are in at all...as long as you aren't at the very front of the yacht. The Xpedition does anchor in the wee hours of the morning and the anchor chain can be (actually, always is) noisy. There is no advantage to being on one side or the other as far as I could see.

 

My favorite caution to travelers on this trip is to be careful ordering drinks. The first night I ordered Vodka on the rocks and the wonderful bartender filled the 12 oz glass to the brim with Vodka....I slept well that night :). I switched to martini's because the glass held less vodka...we just held the vermouth.

 

Don't worry about "wet" landings....we had one legally blind passenger who had no trouble anywhere...you'll do just fine. There is also a seat directly in front of the zodiac operator for those that worry they will fall off the zodiac if they sit on the sides. No one, even my wife who is terrified of falling in the water, used that seat.

 

You will love the trip....

[BillC]

We went on 8/28/05. The weather was fine. We had no rain. It was sunny most days, and the temperatures were usually in the 70's. We were in 405 and the rooms are comfortable, but you won't be spending much time in it.

[Pennsylvania Sailor]

Hi everyone!!

 

This is my first time on this website, I have just booked my first cruise ever and I am SO EXCITED! I cant wait to start exploring the world by way of the seas!

 

I have a few questions for anyone that has been on this particular cruise before (10 day Galapagos cruise)....

 

1. Has anyone stayed in room #509 (Celebrity Jr. Suite)? We upgraded to that suite from one of the lower cabins because we are celebrating our second anniversary (September 2, 2008) I havent seen any remarks about if this is a good location on the ship (and since I have never been on a cruise ship before, I wouldn't know if this was a good spot on the ship or not) and I havent seen any pictures of the suite online either. When I look at the deck plans I see that right across the hall there is an empty space and I am not sure if the bridge makes a lot of noise. I just want to make sure we arent going to be up all night because of noise from engines or machines or anything like that.

 

2. Does it matter what side of the ship your stateroom is located on (right or left side)? Or will you see just as much from both?

 

3. Our ship departs on August 31st - September 7th - has anyone gone at this time of the year? How is the weather? wildlife? water? How was the snorkling this time of year?

 

Thanks so much for anyone that can help me out! I am so excited about this trip! Like I said, I have never been on a cruise before and I feel like we are going all out for our first cruise, but we are definitly nature lovers and dream about seeing exotic places. We are not big into shopping or tourist hot spots and laying out in the sun all day just doesn't suit either my husband or I, so that is why we felt this trip would be perfect for us!

 

I cant wait to hear from you!

Thanks Again

 

Tricia ;)

 

We did the 11-day in December 2005. This is truely the trip of a lifetime!! We were in 420, but the suites are a little bigger. It doesn't matter which side of the ship you are on. The great thing about this cruise is that EVERYTHING is included - so you can enjoy and not think about cost. From the time we stepped off the plane in Quito until we passed through security on the way out of country, we were treated like royality. The naturalists and the entire crew were wonderful, available whenever you wanted to talk with them or you could just be by yourselves. If you get the idea we loved it, you would be correct!

:) :) :)

[Fontaid]

tjk, we were in cabin 401, but I can tell you that the "empty space" across from you is the Captain's cabin :) . Deck 5 cabins are the only ones with a balcony. Realistically, that's the only "perk" you get... for a lot more money. Yes, I think you do get small sandwiches or canapes in the afternoon along with a bottle of champagne, but... I could get the same thing (including the champagne) by walking 20 feet to the Discovery Lounge. I think most people (certainly not all) will agree that the extra money for a suite on the Xpedition is not worth the money. You don't spend much time in your cabin. The only people I found who used their balcony a lot were a couple who both smoked. Personally (throwing in my two cents), I would suggest you switch cabins (to deck 4 or 3) and spend the extra money on something else... maybe first class airline tickets or an extra day or two in Quito... or go to Macchu Pichu. But, that's up to you. Others may have different opinions. Anyone else care to weigh in here?

 

Regarding cabin 509 itself, it is the cabin closest to the Bridge. But, the Bridge is probably the quietest part of the ship. There is an open bridge policy meaning you can visit the bridge anytime you want. I did one afternoon while we were underway... the Captain was there and one of his officers. We talked for about 15 minutes and he showed me around. I showed him my little GPS device and we compared its accuracy to his "big, expensive GPS." I got the exact same readings he did. He was impressed.

 

Regarding which side of the ship you're on... I agree with FlightMedic. It doesn't matter... not one little bit.

 

But, the bottom line is that no matter what cabin you're in or which excursions you choose when you go, you will have the trip of a lifetime. You only have to go ;) .

 

Enjoy your cruise!!!

Dave:)

[tjk]

Thank you so much to all of you!

 

Flightmedic, ghstudio and PennSailor:

 

I have read some threads that mention that the Xpedition had some cases of travelers getting sick with some kind of a GI virus. Did any of you, or anyone on your sailings get sick (that you noticed)?

[ghstudio]

Unfortunately, you are at the mercy of all the other passengers when it comes to GI problems. Celebrity staff all wear plastic gloves when they are working with food....that's usually not the cause..it's the other passengers who don't. Your best defense is to use the hand sterilizer dispensers that celebrity has on all their ships and just wash your hands often.

[Susan-M]

 

I have read some threads that mention that the Xpedition had some cases of travelers getting sick with some kind of a GI virus. Did any of you, or anyone on your sailings get sick (that you noticed)?

 

Hi TJK;

 

We did the Xpedition cruise in November and did not hear of GI problems during that week. There were reports on CC of quite a few problems over a year ago but when we booked in January of '06, it seemed that the problem was over by then .... I kept watching for further news of it, but thankfully it didn't resurface.

 

I've been noticing news lately on Dukoral - a vaccination for 'Traveller's Diarhhea' - I think it's worth considering when you are travelling to high risk areas, spending $10K + for a trip and don't want to be incapacitated for days because of something that you ate or drank. I don't think it works for Noro virus, but contaminated food/water is a big problem in some areas. http://www.travellersdiarrhea.com/Index.cfm?FA=TR_What_Is_TD

[FlightMedic555]

Nobody on our cruise two weeks ago got sick, or at least nobody volunteered that information. It is impossible to know if someone, or a few, took a day off due to stomach illness.

 

I will say that the hand sanitizers were everywhere and everyone, crew and passengers alike, were using them.

[Babo02]

I'm so glad to read that others also had weeks where nobody was ill that they were aware of. When I posted that in the other thread about Galapagos, I had someone make a very snarky comment to the effect that "how would I know that nobody was sick".

 

On our June /06 cruise, we knew of two people who had problems with seasickness, but it turned out that they were normally very sensitive anyway, and one woman was ill, but it was due to something that she picked up before the cruise.

 

My husband and I used the hand sanitizers and washed frequently. I had an incident where I actually slipped on a rock and sat down in Sea Lion peepee, but thanks to the fact that I carried a container of hand sanitizer in my backpack, the only thing that hurt was my pride.:o

[jmb4534]

TJK,

 

We were on the Xpedition in May 2006. Here's my take on the "balcony or not" scenario.

 

My husband opted to save $800 per cabin and NOT have the balcony. I think we were in 407. There were something like only 43 guests (there are over 60 crew members) on the ship, so it was almost like having a private yacht to ourselves. Many times we would be the only people out on deck.

Needless to say, the service was fabulous. The only reason I wished for a balcony was that our cabin got kind of crowded with the snorkel gear. It would have been good to be able to put it out on the balcony to dry instead of the shower. As to noise, everyone is so exhausted at night there is no noise and the crew is very respectful of your need for rest.

 

On our trip a LOT of people got sick. Some mildly ill and some very ill. My husband missed lunch and dinner one day, but did not miss any excursions! Being such a small group, we got to visit with almost all of the passengers and it seemed that many had to drop out for a day or so at some point due to differing kinds of digestive problems. I certainly would not blame it on the ship's sanitation though, it was spotless. I wonder about the change in food. All of the food on the ship has to come from the region and maybe some of our systetms can't handle the change.

 

This is a trip you will talk about for the rest of your life. Go and enjoy. It does not matter what cabin you are in. It is just great to be able to go on this fantastic journey. Be sure to take your 'travel meds'.

 

Janelle

[tjk]

Thanks JMB I really appreciate it! I guess my biggest fear is spending all this money and being sick the whole trip - that would be terrible. I guess I am just looking for reassurance from even the people who did get sick (like you said, your husband was and yet you still consider this a trip of a lifetime)

 

I am just thrilled to go on this trip, its almost like August 2008 is just too far away.

 

We did end up booking the Jr. Suite. It will give us a little more room and just maybe ill be able to catch a sunrise from the balcony - who knows.

 

Thanks for the recommendation though - I love hearing about people going on this trip and how much of a good time they had - it keeps me excited and looking forward to next year!!!!