Any recommendations for Galapagos?

This is a non-Regent question for Regent cruisers. A trip to the Galapagos islands has been high on our to-do list for a long time, and I think we'd like to pull the trigger for a trip next year. Since I think Regent cruisers are likely to have tastes similar to ours, I wanted to put the question to those of you who have visited the Galapagos what company you used for your trip.

I know there's nothing on the smaller ships in the area that will compare with the full Regent experience, and we're certainly wiling to trade some luxury amenities in order to see the most that we can in the islands, so I'd welcome any thoughts from those who have travelled there. National Geographic/Lindblad? Celebrity Xpedition? Other?

I see Lindblad now offers one two-week photo expedition that covers all the islands, rather than the typical trips that cover one half or the other -- if anyone has done this, is the extra week worth it, or is the more-typical one week trip to one side or the other sufficient?

Thanks in advance for any input!

Eric

We went on Celebrity Xpedition two years ago. Three generations including our 8 year old grandson.

Everything was included (like Regent). Service was great, food was good but not fancy, briefings everyday, & great tours included. Some tours were active, others easy.

Some ships have different separate groups on board with each group having different tours.

X only carries 100 passengers with happy hours every night so you got to know everyone. This included two nights in Quito before flying to Galapagos,

and one night after in a very nice hotel.

My wife and I just booked with SilverSea on the Silver Galapagos for a cruise next year.

All inclusive like Regent.

Interesting that, according to USA Today review, all ships touring the Galapagos are restricted on the types of food they can serve due to fear of introducing foreign bacteria or disease to the fragile ecology. Also the crew must be from Ecuador.

Whichever boat, you will love the Galapagos visit. BUT, bring walking poles; the terrain on some islands can be treacherous with rocks.

We also sailed on Celebrity a few years back and were very impressed. If you do their pre cruise in Quito, all meals are included as well as a nice sight seeing tour of the city. We had a wonderful lunch at a nice restaurant. The only thing we had to pay for at the hotel was an alcoholic drink.

On the cruise, they supplied walking sticks so you wouldn't need to bring your own.

Once in the Galapagos, the naturalists are all part of a pool shared by the cruise lines.

Look into Tauck tours - I was actually booked for the same trip but had to cancel at the last moment but my friends who went still think it was one of their best trips ever, and these people have traveled the world in luxury.

gnomie :)

We went on celebrity xpedition about 7 years ago. Loved the trip except for the food. My husband refuses to go back with them due to the food, but we are scheduled on silversea Galapagos next November. Hopefully they have solved some of the issues.

Rachel, I'm confused. You used Celebrity, and are going back on Silversea, but hope "they solved some the issues"? How could one cruise line solve issues you had on another? Or did you just mean that you hope Silversea will be better than Celebrity was?

So no votes for National Geographic/Lindblad? I thought they have a good reputations in general, but I'm a little concerned that it's an older ship with small cabins.

Eric

Although I have not personally sailed with either National Geographic and/or Lindblad, I have had a number of friends who have done so and each and everyone came away disappointed - maybe they expected more but the reviews and comments from their experiences have steered me away from these two companies. Most of my friends are not as concerned about the "luxury" factor as the entire overall experience and they felt they had overpaid and not received what they had expected. That is why when we decided to go we booked with Tauck and although I had to cancel out, my friends who were able to go still consider it one of their best trips.

gnomie :)

Rachel, I'm confused. You used Celebrity, and are going back on Silversea, but hope "they solved some the issues"? How could one cruise line solve issues you had on another? Or did you just mean that you hope Silversea will be better than Celebrity was?

 

So no votes for National Geographic/Lindblad? I thought they have a good reputations in general, but I'm a little concerned that it's an older ship with small cabins.

 

Eric

The issue is with all the produce having to be locally sourced. I am hoping that Silversea has done a better job dealing with this restriction than Celebrity.

Example: the beef on Xpedition was extremely poor quality. Steaks very stringy and tough, extremely fatty ground beef for hamburgers, just inedible. After seeing some of the cattle on the islands, it wasn't surprising.

But if they can't serve a good quality product because it just isn't available, it should not be on the menu IMO. Hopefully Silversea has found a better supplier or, if that isn't possible, will just not offer such a poor quality product.

The fish and seafood were, not surprisingly, much better, so I learned just to stick with those.