Galapagos for Regent cruisers

[mborchgardt]

I know Regent doesn't cruise to the Galapagos, but I would be interested on feedback from Regent cruisers who have done the Galapagos on another cruise line. Two questions specifically:

 

1) Celebrity Xpedition vs. National Geographic/Linblad

2) If anyone has done the Galapagos with their children or grandchildren.

 

Our last two cruises have been on Regent and then Celebrity before that. Our kids will be 8 and 11 for the Galapagos cruise.

 

Any feedback is appeciated. We're currently booked on the Celebrity Xpedition for 2013, but also on a pre-booking list for Nat'l Geographic.

[Emdee]

I went on the xpedition some years ago ( in its first year of operation) when I had done only a couple of Regent cruises and really enjoyed it.

 

The food was simple but the general quality was excellent.

[hrprof]

We are long time Regent cruisers - have sailed on all R ships past and present. We have taken 14 trips on Lindblad with 2 more booked for this year. The importance of expectations can't be overstated. Lindblad provides an "expedition" not a "cruise". The emphasis is on a natural world experience with first class staff and expedition leaders. The Galapagos is a perfect choice for the kids. We have taken Grandsons to Alaska, Baja, Central America - you will find that bonding occurs instantly among the youngsters. If the kids have not seen "Master and Commander" get the DVD before you leave.

[Island Cruiser]

We spent a wonderful seven days in the Galapagos Islands on the Celebrety Xpedition. It is a marvelous ship and a marvelous package. She ship is like new, spotless, spacious for a ship of it's kind, and extremely well appointed. We expected much less and were pleased and surprised. The guides were excellent and most attentive. The ship's crew were totally delightful, young, local, somewhat inexperienced but oh so eager to please. The pre and post-cruise accomodations at the 5 star Marriott were superior. The only weak spot was the food. Lots of it beautifully presented. But not to American tastes. We didn't expect great food on this trip and in that our expectations were fully met. Part of the problem with the food is that the ship is required by law to purchase provisions locally. The beef, for instance, doesn't meet the standards we are used to. Another problem with the food is the galley is also staffed locally. But we nonetheless strongly recommend Xpedition. It is far superior to anything we expected. In the Galapagos, all the ships are strictly regulated by the government. So you see the same things regardless which ship you book. You just see more on a longer itinerary. Oh, by the way, the ship is all exclusive like Regent with respect to beverages (and everything else, for that matter). We were surprised to see premium liquor offered in abundance as part of the all inclusive package.

[RachelG]

We also did the Galapagos aboard Celebrity Xpedition, and my views are exactly identical to those of island cruiser. The food is ok as long as you stay away from the beef--which is pretty much inedible. There isn't as much variety as you are accustomed to on Regent, but the salad bar is pretty nice. The bartenders do a good job of keeping everyone happy with drinks.

Cabins are small but very efficiently laid out. The bathroom is tiny, but again very efficient use of space.

We loved our cruise to the Galapagos. We have been on Lindblad too, but not to the Galapagos. We were with them to Costa Rica (our very first cruise) and loved it as well.

Our boys were 8 and 13 on the Lindblad cruise. They had their own cabin right by ours and had a great time.

On the Galapagos cruise, our youngest came along. He was 16 at the time. Had great fun. There were a couple of other kids younger than him, maybe 7 and 10 or so. He is pretty good at entertaining himself, so not a problem. The Galapagos are perfect for older kids who like nature.

[mborchgardt]

Thanks for your input. I've read a lot on the Linblad and Xpedition boards, but wanted to get thoughts from the Regent board perspective. Your comments were helpful. I agree that having the right expectations about this being an expedition and not a traditional cruise is very important. Good food (unfortunately, I suppose) is a big factor for us at home and especially on vacation, so that might be the one disappointing factor -- but I understand the need to use local ingredients. I'm sure it's a small trade off for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

 

I think we'll keep both of our options open for now and make a final decision between Linblad and X next Spring when the official Linblad reservations open up for 2013.

 

Thanks again.