Galapagos--lindblad Or Celebrity Expedition?

[tnr]

I am trying to plan a cruise to the Galapagos in Dec 08. Can anyone help in the comparison of the two? Celebrity seems to be a little nicer ship, but I don't know if I would be sacrificing any of the nature part of the trip by going with them instead of Lindblad. Help!

[Koda]

I am trying to plan a cruise to the Galapagos in Dec 08. Can anyone help in the comparison of the two? Celebrity seems to be a little nicer ship, but I don't know if I would be sacrificing any of the nature part of the trip by going with them instead of Lindblad. Help!

 

I am not familiar with Lindblad. The Celebrity ship is the largest (90 passengers) in the Galapagos. If you are interested in a "cruise" Celebrity would be the way to go. If you want to focus on the islands, go with a smaller ship. We were on the Isabella II and it was FABULOUS! Large enough to have a library (with internet) and bar (where we had our lectures), as well as a nice dining room. The food was excellent. But only 40 passengers. There were only 32 of us when we went last Oct. Friends went on the Celebrity. Said they spent a lot of their time waiting to get on and off the ship. Too many people. Choose a smaller ship, you will enjoy the islands a lot more. We were there 7 nights, and it was just amazing.

 

Kelley

[tnr]

Thanks Kelley. I will also look into the Isabella II. Nice to know that 90 passengers can be too many. Lindblad also has a smaller (48 passenger) ship as well.

[eleang]

I did the Celebrity Xpedition and I 100% recommend it, it's a great experience, the newest ship I saw in all Galapagos, excellent service, excellent food, great way to see the beautiful archipielago. It was a great experience.

[tobes]

I did the Xpedition last summer. There were 72 people and it was the best trip I have ever taken (and I have taken many!) It takes no more than a few minutes to get everyone on or off the ship. The food was great, the service was great, the guides were great, the hiking was great, the snorkeling was great. I would highly recommend this trip. Judy

[patriots1]

My husband and I just returned from a trip in Alaska with Lindblad and in our opinion they are the cream of the crop. Everthing about the trip exceeded our expectations. If you want to get into the nature, really see the place and wildlife, then Lindblad is your best option.

 

Their naturalists are excellent and accessible. And they get you off the boat doing all kinds of things.

 

On our cruise they spotted a pod of orca at 6am. They turned the boat AROUND and followed the whales for an hour! As we were watching the whales, a Cruise West boat went by us going the opposite way and never stopped.

[Louise22]

Just returned last month from Lindblad's Galapagos and Peru tour. The Polaris is a great ship although older. But, that is nothing against it - it was a fabulous trip. I loved the Peru extension - it was absolutely first class all the way. I would have liked the Islander but the extension was just with the Polaris. I know I would not have liked any larger ship than the Polaris. There are specials on www.expeditiontrips.com - you have to sign on to view the "Special Offers". I have booked several trips with them including the above and they are great.

[Julia_E]

Hi,

 

It really depends on your preference - are you looking for a more soft-adventure experience or a more luxurious experience. The Lindblad Expeditions will be more casual, more focused on the natural world with naturalists, biologists, conservationists in a learning environment. The ship will not be fancy, but it will certainly serve all of your needs. The Celebrity experience will be similar to other major cruise lines with more luxurious accommodations, fancier food and have more creature comforts, while still seeing the natural beauty of the Galapagos. There is really nothing wrong with either experience, but you will enjoy your trip more if the cruise line matches your personal style and interests.

 

Best Regards,

Julia

Blog: spasandadventures.wordpress.com

[Mysteryreader]

We went on a 10-nt Xpedition pkg--7 nts on Xpedition, 3 nts (2+1) in Quito. We thought the X experience was superlative in every way. The tour guides in Quito were very knowledgeable and helpful when needed. The hotel was very nice. The ship's operation was first-class in every way. The crew/staff was efficient and very friendly. The food was better than we had expected given that they have to use local sources. (The blackberry juice at breakfast was fantastic!)

 

We did not feel there were too many pax on the Xpedition. You get a choice of at least 2, usually 3 excursions each morning and afternoon. The times are staggered so getting on and off the ship takes but a few min. (The ship never docks. You always go between ship and land via a Zodiak.) They do not cancel an excursion b/c there are fewer pax signed up for it; they assign naturalists to juggle the numbers signed up for any particular excursion. Dh and I usually went on excursions together, but twice split up. I took one low-intensity excursion b/c the other two didn't interest me much. (Usually we were on high-intensity.) On that l-i excursion, we saw two penguins "courting"--the naturalist said it was very rare, and he'd seen it only once before. It was probably the high-point of the trip (and dh was very jealous <g>). No matter what you do, it's going to be memorable and exciting.

 

Our fellow pax were very interesting, and mealtime conversations were lively. I call it science camp for grown-ups. You don't go on this cruise for the casino or musical entertainment. Most of us were in bed by 10:00/10:30 and up early the next morning ready to go again. We met one couple we became very good friends with and have continued to be in contact. We're even talking about doing another cruise with them.

 

The naturalists are park-approved. We heard from several sources that getting a job on the Xpedition was a real plum, and there's a lot of competition. We had our favorites--I think most did--but there was not a single one that we felt was less than very good.

 

Dh and I know 3 other couples who have done a Galapagos cruise; we were the only ones who had done X. In conversation with 2 of the other men, dh learned that their choices of landings/excursions was much more ltd b/c of the fewer pax/naturalists. Often they had no choice at all. Dh told me he was really glad we'd done X b/c the others didn't sound as professional or as varied.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that you won't feel like you've gotten your fill before the time is up. Don't choose a shorter cruise if you can help it. We didn't feel as though we'd seen nearly enough when our wk was up.

 

M/R

[Louise22]

Don't discount Lindblads' ships as not getting the same experience as a larger ship. You definitely will. Lindblad's have been in the Galapagos in one form or another since 1967. Lindblad founded the Galapagos Conservation Society in 1995 and are fully committed year round there.

[Neal S]

We just returned a week ago and thought it was one of the outstanding trips we've taken. We were on the 48 passenger Eclipse which was a wonderful size. Our 4 naturalists have worked aboard both smaller and larger ships. They think the larger ships are more impersonal and the ashore experiences are more crowded. We rarely felt there were too many of us. We were on and off our pangas quickly. Our cabin was very roomy. We had no TV, newspapers, internet, etc. A blessed relief from normal day to day life. Food was very very good. This was our 25th cruise and we definitely would recommend this ship. We saw the others in passing. The Expedition is really Big for the Galapagos.

[RMS Olympic]

I have not done this trip yet but it is in the planning. I am looking at the Eclipse myself for one reason...it is the ship that has been used by A&K. For anyone that has used A&K (Abercrombie and Kent) anywhere in the world.....the quality, safety, knowledge is always the best.

Tom

[jlwsr]

I did the Xpedition last summer. There were 72 people and it was the best trip I have ever taken (and I have taken many!) It takes no more than a few minutes to get everyone on or off the ship. The food was great, the service was great, the guides were great, the hiking was great, the snorkeling was great. I would highly recommend this trip. Judy

 

 

Please describe snorkling opportunities

[Karanja]

I am trying to plan a cruise to the Galapagos in Dec 08. Can anyone help in the comparison of the two? Celebrity seems to be a little nicer ship, but I don't know if I would be sacrificing any of the nature part of the trip by going with them instead of Lindblad. Help!

 

++++

 

You can't do any better than Lindblad. National Geographic Endeavour (90p), the company's worldwide expedition ship has replaced Polaris this spring. Also, there is NG Islander with 48p.

 

The capacity of the ship does not matter much as all groups ashore are small and the same regardless, because the Galapagos authorities set the limits.

 

I have sailed with Lindbland three times.

[smtcan]

Post deleted - didn't notice this was an old thread.

[gma1]

We are booked on Viking Century Sun July 21 and interested in hearing from other brave souls as the temps will be up!! What is anyones take on this ship?? Looks fabulous??