Is Celebrity Flora a good choice for us and other questions?

Ok, so I know this is kind of a subjective question, but I thought I would float this by all the Celebrity experts here!

My family of 3 (me, husband and 11-year old son) are currently booked with Lindblad (Endeavor II) for a Galapagos cruise next June. I am sure if we stick with Lindblad, we will enjoy it. It's a 7-night cruise with one pre- and one post-night included plus our internal flights.

I have been scouring the Celebrity site as I'm about to pay off a December Summit cruise and some info about the Celebrity Flora popped up - oh my, the ship looks gorgeous.

Some background on us - my son and I want to go to the Galapagos. My husband is being a good sport about it (he's not much of an outdoorsman). He tends to enjoy more upscale amenities. It got me thinking that Celebrity might be the better choice. I just don't want the luxury to overshadow the Galapagos (if that makes any sense?). This will be our one-and-only Galapagos trip and I want to make sure we visit the islands and not just feel like we were on a luxury cruise.

If I go the Celebrity Flora route, I have a few questions - do we do Inner or Outer Loop? I will have to book connecting staterooms to accommodate our family (which is fine) which pushes the price a little higher. I'm assuming we have to make our own way to Baltra? On the Lindblad cruise we fly to Guayaquil and then Lindblad takes care of our flight to Baltra the next day.

What are your thoughts? If you've sailed to the Galapagos on Celebrity, do you feel you got the Galapagos experience? Do you think Celebrity might be a better fit for us? I really appreciate your thoughts!

We did Celebrity in the Galapagos in 2015. We sailed on Xpedition [which at that time held 100 passengers; because of government regulations, since Flora will have 100 pax Celebrity will have to reduce the number on Xpedition to 64]. We thought the trip was wonderful, and that Xpedition was a very good choice: more luxurious than Lindblad but with an itinerary that gave us a very good sampling of the different types of islands and fauna. Flora looks like a fabulous ship, but like you I wonder if it would overshadow the natural aspect. Given the price difference, we would choose Xpedition again.

As to choice of itinerary, you need to read up on the features of each island and decide which ones are your top priority. For us, the top thing was to see the Blue Footed Boobies doing their mating dance, so that pushed us to the Inner Loop itinerary that includes North Seymour Island [and to May for the mating season]. I have two PDFs that give this information in detail, but I can't remember where I got them. If you email me, I can send them to you.

Finally, Celebrity offers a 10/11 day version of the cruise which includes time before and after in Quito [at the very nice JW Marriott hotel] and charter flights to Baltra. Those flights give Celebrity a big advantage over all over vendors, because everyone else has to fly to Guayaquil before going to Baltra while Celebrity's charters go direct. Celebrity also offers a longer package that includes Machu Picchu; we didn't do it but people we know loved it.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/itinerary-search?destinations=GALAP&cruiseType=CT

We did Celebrity in the Galapagos in 2015. We sailed on Xpedition [which at that time held 100 passengers; because of government regulations, since Flora will have 100 pax Celebrity will have to reduce the number on Xpedition to 64]. We thought the trip was wonderful, and that Xpedition was a very good choice: more luxurious than Lindblad but with an itinerary that gave us a very good sampling of the different types of islands and fauna. Flora looks like a fabulous ship, but like you I wonder if it would overshadow the natural aspect. Given the price difference, we would choose Xpedition again.

 

As to choice of itinerary, you need to read up on the features of each island and decide which ones are your top priority. For us, the top thing was to see the Blue Footed Boobies doing their mating dance, so that pushed us to the Inner Loop itinerary that includes North Seymour Island [and to May for the mating season]. I have two PDFs that give this information in detail, but I can't remember where I got them. If you email me, I can send them to you.

 

Finally, Celebrity offers a 10/11 day version of the cruise which includes time before and after in Quito [at the very nice JW Marriott hotel] and charter flights to Baltra. Those flights give Celebrity a big advantage over all over vendors, because everyone else has to fly to Guayaquil before going to Baltra while Celebrity's charters go direct. Celebrity also offers a longer package that includes Machu Picchu; we didn't do it but people we know loved it.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/itinerary-search?destinations=GALAP&cruiseType=CT

Wow! Thank you so much for this information! It does sound amazing. I definitely need to look into their cruise extensions a little further. I am a little nervous about possible altitude sickness in Quito and Macchu Picchu however. I'm now wondering if we could fly to Guayaquil and then Baltra pre-cruise, stay at a hotel in Santa Cruz and then go back to Baltra on the starting day of the cruise. I definitely need to research a bit more! Thank you so much for your response!

I did generate a document that has the stops on the inner and outer loops listed, along with the wildlife you can expect to see at each stop. After speaking with a number of previous Galapagos cruisers, I have not found a single one who wished they had done a different loop. You will see abundant wildlife on either so we chose our cruise based on the season and convenience (Also considering the climate in Peru - as we are on the extension). I'b be happy to share my document if you e-mail me: making waves travel at g mail dot com

My main focus in choosing a ship would be the actual number of nights spent in the Galapagos, and the number of excursions onto the islands. X offers two per day, in addition to a pre-cruise tour in Quito (included), and options for post-tours . I think you may see that the Celebrity itineraries spend more actual time exploring the Galapagos.

Keep in mind thst the Xpedition is being refurbished and will carry 64 guests on different itineraries (at a substabtially lower cost than the Flora). I believe the Xpedition will and Flora will offer more amenties than the Endeavor II, but perhaps browsing some reviews of each will give you a better feel.

Happy planning!

Is there any information about the refurbishment of the Xpedition?

I’m looking at options for 2021 (I know a long way off!) and was looking at Flora but would be happy to consider Xpedition if it was being refurbished...

I did generate a document that has the stops on the inner and outer loops listed, along with the wildlife you can expect to see at each stop. After speaking with a number of previous Galapagos cruisers, I have not found a single one who wished they had done a different loop. You will see abundant wildlife on either so we chose our cruise based on the season and convenience (Also considering the climate in Peru - as we are on the extension). I'b be happy to share my document if you e-mail me: making waves travel at g mail dot com

 

My main focus in choosing a ship would be the actual number of nights spent in the Galapagos, and the number of excursions onto the islands. X offers two per day, in addition to a pre-cruise tour in Quito (included), and options for post-tours . I think you may see that the Celebrity itineraries spend more actual time exploring the Galapagos.

 

Keep in mind thst the Xpedition is being refurbished and will carry 64 guests on different itineraries (at a substabtially lower cost than the Flora). I believe the Xpedition will and Flora will offer more amenties than the Endeavor II, but perhaps browsing some reviews of each will give you a better feel.

 

Happy planning!

Thank you so much! I just e-mailed you regarding the document - it is so kind of you to offer to share that information! I am going to look into Xpedition as well. After crunching some numbers, Endeavor still seems the best idea in terms of cost and itinerary inclusions, but I'm still investigating. This will, most likely, be our one-and-only trip to the Galapagos, so I want to ensure, as much as I can, that I'm making the best decision for my family. Thank you again!

Xpedition left the drydock in Balboa yesterday. EM

Is there any information about the refurbishment of the Xpedition?

I’m looking at options for 2021 (I know a long way off!) and was looking at Flora but would be happy to consider Xpedition if it was being refurbished...

You ask, and Cruise Critic delivers:

Celebrity Xpedition Cruise Ship Returns to Service After Refurb

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8879

Thank you so much! I just e-mailed you regarding the document - it is so kind of you to offer to share that information! I am going to look into Xpedition as well. After crunching some numbers, Endeavor still seems the best idea in terms of cost and itinerary inclusions, but I'm still investigating. This will, most likely, be our one-and-only trip to the Galapagos, so I want to ensure, as much as I can, that I'm making the best decision for my family. Thank you again!

I took the 10 days itinerary on Xpedition back in May 2012. It was very well organized, top-notch.

Back then the itineraries were marked A and B.

I recommend going with one which includes North Seymour for the blue footed boobies, and also Elizabeth Bay for an eerie / out of ordinary experience.

The ship was full, but the service was outstanding, I had the cheapest room, it was the only cruise where I didn't have a veranda, and I was OK with it. Also, since it was a small boat, I got to know and befriend lots of people.

I'll focus on itinerary and recommendations of a well organized "operation" rather than on luxury accomodations.

Xpedition left the drydock in Balboa yesterday. EM

You ask, and Cruise Critic delivers:

Celebrity Xpedition Cruise Ship Returns to Service After Refurb

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8879

Yay!

Can't wait to see the enhancements!

Thank you so much for all of the replies! So, after pricing everything out with Flora, Xpedition and the Lindblad cruise we are booked on, I think we are sticking to Lindblad. Xpedition looked great and the price was very good, however, we would need connecting staterooms to accommodate all three of us and they aren't available for any of the dates we would need. Flora looks amazing and they have connecting staterooms, but those staterooms alone exceed the total cost of Lindblad with internal air and one pre- and one post-night by quite a lot. With the addition of the Baltra flight and any pre-nights for Flora, I basically have the cost of a whole other luxury cruise! While Flora looks super swanky, Lindblad will be awesome and I'll save that money and book another trip! Thank you again for your responses!

I think you made the right choice. Having done the Galapagos on Xpedition, I simply do not see the need to pay extra money (with Flora, absurd amounts of money IMHO). The focus there is on the outside, as it should be. You spend very little time on the ship with 2 excursions daily and much of the time you spend on the ship is focused on information about the islands, upcoming excursions, and recounting the days excursions. Except to sleep, I bet we didn't spend more than an hour a day (at best) in our stateroom. Just can't imagine spending $2500 to $5000 per day for the "luxury." Each day would pay for another trip.

You ask, and Cruise Critic delivers:

Celebrity Xpedition Cruise Ship Returns to Service After Refurb

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8879

Reading this raised a few questions. I wonder if they did improve all rooms/cabins, since they reportedly will be carrying fewer passengers once the Flora becomes active. Perhaps they have applied for licensing to carry up to capacity? A one-week refurbishment is not long. Curious on the balcony upgrades - there are so few. The "new" suite amenities mentions binoculars - I thought those were available onboard for all passengers to use.

I guess we'll need to wait for reports. Regardless, it's all good!

I think you made the right choice. Having done the Galapagos on Xpedition, I simply do not see the need to pay extra money (with Flora, absurd amounts of money IMHO). The focus there is on the outside, as it should be. You spend very little time on the ship with 2 excursions daily and much of the time you spend on the ship is focused on information about the islands, upcoming excursions, and recounting the days excursions. Except to sleep, I bet we didn't spend more than an hour a day (at best) in our stateroom. Just can't imagine spending $2500 to $5000 per day for the "luxury." Each day would pay for another trip.

Thank you so much. Yes, I think you are right. I feel like this trip is more about the islands and less about the ship and, certainly, the Endeavor II still offers, what seems to be, comfortable staterooms and nice amenities. I am glad I did some research though! It makes me feel more comfortable with my choice. I won't be kicking myself with "what if?" questions now. I so appreciate the advice of all the veteran cruisers on this board!