Xpedition galapagos...just booked for march 2013...questions?

[Dr. Pam]

Sooo excited. I just reserved a PH for our family on the Easter 2013 sailing. It looks

like there are 2 PH's--601 and 503. Anyone with any insight as to the pros and cons of the location and layout? THis trip sounds like a bucket list item!

[ghstudio]

I'm sure either are great....but on our cruise, and most others by report, most everyone spends time in the public places rather than in their cabins. The folks on this cruise are well travelled and interesting to talk to. One of our cruisemates had won an academy award (technical). these are folks you want to meet :)

 

This isn't a trip where you have lots of free time to just sit or relax and have a late breakfast. You will go on a morning and afternoon excursion in zodiacs, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with the group and there's a seminar each night on what you'll see the next day.

 

We never travel without a veranda room, however on this trip, we booked a XP cabin and never missed the veranda...because we just didn't have time to use it....when we weren't out, we were sleeping :)

 

However, whatever you decide, it's a marvelous trip....and it may well be the best cruise you have ever taken, as it was ours.

[Dr. Pam]

Thanks, ghstudio. We are travelling with our 2 teenage kids and I prefer to have their room connected to ours so that I know where they are at all times.....hence I have 2 of the most well-mannered young cruisers. :) It seems that the PS category was the only stateroom(s) that allowed that connection. I have since phoned Celebrity and found out that the Xpedition is going into dry-dock this fall, and they are adding some suites on the 6th floor, hence 601! It is supposedly another 40 sq. ft. larger. Our whole family is most certainly looking forward to visiting the amazing Galapagos Islands....and it seems that Celebrity knows how to "do it right!"

[mem50]

Best trip ever!!!

[ghstudio]

Thanks, ghstudio. We are travelling with our 2 teenage kids and I prefer to have their room connected to ours so that I know where they are at all times.....hence I have 2 of the most well-mannered young cruisers. :) It seems that the PS category was the only stateroom(s) that allowed that connection. I have since phoned Celebrity and found out that the Xpedition is going into dry-dock this fall, and they are adding some suites on the 6th floor, hence 601! It is supposedly another 40 sq. ft. larger. Our whole family is most certainly looking forward to visiting the amazing Galapagos Islands....and it seems that Celebrity knows how to "do it right!"

 

Sounds like you have a good plan. You're going to have a great time.

[elvnga]

I can not imagine that the cabin makes much difference. We did a suite simply because we were 3 adults and it worked out better than having two cabins. The veranda was nice, but small an not needed as we were almost always on deck. It is such a small ship and you will only be in your cabins to sleep or change, so being close to your kids probably won't make much difference (although it may be required by cruise line rules).

[OrlandoCruisers2010]

We board the ship on Sunday, February 3rd. We are in Suite 601. I will take some photos and give you some comments when we return.

[prcruisers]

My husband and I are traveling to Galapagos with 18 year old daughter and 16 year old son on Celebrity Xpedition in July 2013. This is a graduation present for our daughter as this has been her dream trip since she was a child (nature, animal enthusiast). A few questions:

 

1) Are there any other older teens usually on board? We travel extensively so it is not a necessity by any means, just wondering.

2)Is diving available as an excursion?

3)We booked two rooms (xpedition suites 602/604) and I have since read that the rooms on the top floor are HOT and you feel a great deal of motion. Any thoughts on this from past travelers? We are avid cruisers but usually go on larger ships.

 

 

 

Looking forward to this trip of a lifetime!

[HappyTvlr]

I was in the Jr Suite only because it was the last room available, and while I enjoyed the extra room for snorkel gear I can not say it was worth it because we spent so little time in the room. Just be advised that this ship rolls quite a bit because it is so small so you will feel it everywhere onboard. I was on the bed and laughed as my viewed changed saying "sea, sky, sea, sky". As for keeping an eye on the teens, this ship is so small they can not get far. Just make sure they always make it back to the ship, and all will be right. As stated, most of the time is spent off the ship exploring or in the common areas chatting and eating. The days were all similar in that we had breakfast around 700, excursions from 8-1200ish, lunch, rest, another excursion from 1530ish to 1730ish, preview of the next day at 1830ish, dinner at 1930, bed. Now keep in mind it is all inclusive so there were many drink sessions fit in where we could. There were two boys aged about 8 and 10, and a few older teens on our sailing and everyone seemed to have an amazing time. There is no diving built into the trip, but I think one couple made arrangements for one day on their own at a significant extra cost. Hope this helps. It really is the trip of a lifetime!

[Freecall]

We are travelling with our 2 teenage kids and I prefer to have their room connected to ours so that I know where they are at all times.....

 

You will never be far away on the Xpedition - it's a bit small for that:)

[coolmom]

Looking at the Celebrity site, all rooms with verandas are completely sold out all the way through the last listing which is March 2015. Does anyone have advice as to when or where one can book one of these rooms?

[ghstudio]

My advice, seriously, is to forget about a Veranda room....there are very few on the ship and if you are a typical traveller, you will spend the time on the Xpedition on deck or socializing with others, not sitting on your veranda. This isn't a normal cruise or a normal ship.

 

If you insist on a balcony, you'll just have to watch to see if one comes available....but in the meantime, you are missing one of the really great cruises while you're waiting.

[Merriem]

Looking at the Celebrity site, all rooms with verandas are completely sold out all the way through the last listing which is March 2015. Does anyone have advice as to when or where one can book one of these rooms?

 

Our first Galapagos cruise we were on deck three, and we were very happy to even be able to go. This July I booked a suite ...a year in advance, but actually wanted a different one, and sure enough one became available on deck 6 and we got it. My advice is just book a cabin, and hopefully you have a good travel agent who will wait list you for a suite. Also, you can watch the inventory on line and something else most likely will come up in 2 years. It is a great trip no matter what cabin you book, and I can assure you the price only goes up as the time gets closer. That is my 2 cents on the subject.

[prcruisers]

Merriem,

 

We are going in July in Cabin 604. When is your sailing? We are so excited. This is our first Galapagos cruise. Any advice for first timers? I am starting to go through the monster post on the roll call pages. From everything I am starting to read, it seems amazing.

[Merriem]

Merriem,

 

We are going in July in Cabin 604. When is your sailing? We are so excited. This is our first Galapagos cruise. Any advice for first timers? I am starting to go through the monster post on the roll call pages. From everything I am starting to read, it seems amazing.

 

We are arriving a day early on July 4 th, so unless we are sharing a cabin LOL, we must be before you. It really isn't a big deal on packing. One thing I did not bring was a wide brim hat, but got a smaller one on the ship. My husband does a lot of hiking here in Arizona, and he has a great made in the USA hat. The company is Wallaroo Hat Company. It has an adjustable strap. I think I will get one too because all of my hats are more fashion hats, big brims, but they would blow off in the zodiacs. I always take too much, and do not remember what I took in 2005, but for the ship just casual clothing, and the laundry is very reasonable oh, those hats you can buy on line. We left one suitcase at the hotel, and that worked our really nice. We enjoyed ourselves, and I know you will. Some people were all decked out in their Tillies clothing, had to chuckle. You really do not need all that. My husband is a real believer in long pants and shirts, and my legs look horrible in shorts, so just take what you feel comfortable in, and don't worry too much.

[Merriem]

Just checked and they are on amazon.com

[prcruisers]

Thanks for the information. It seems that the hat, wet shoes, dry shoes and ziploc bagsfor water protection on the pangas are the real must haves for this trip.

[2552phxcrzr]

My husband and I are traveling to Galapagos with 18 year old daughter and 16 year old son on Celebrity Xpedition in July 2013. This is a graduation present for our daughter as this has been her dream trip since she was a child (nature, animal enthusiast). A few questions:

 

1) Are there any other older teens usually on board? We travel extensively so it is not a necessity by any means, just wondering.

2)Is diving available as an excursion?

3)We booked two rooms (xpedition suites 602/604) and I have since read that the rooms on the top floor are HOT and you feel a great deal of motion. Any thoughts on this from past travelers? We are avid cruisers but usually go on larger ships.

 

 

 

Looking forward to this trip of a lifetime!

 

There were a couple of teens on our cruise last July, but not many.

 

No diving excursions on the Xpedition.

 

The rooms you mention are a recent addition to the area that used to be public deck space on the bow (a sad loss of deck space IMHO, by the way). They would get to full brunt of the sun, and I would imagine the motion would be felt quite a bit because it is higher up and on the bow of what is being reported recently as a ship prone to rolling. We didn't experience much movement, except on one or two occasions when we went before the cabins were added. If you go to the monster thread on Xpedition ... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1504555 ... you're likely get some first hand reports from people staying in these cabins.

 

We always travel with a veranda cabin, but on this cruise just went with a regular cabin because we knew we would be spending hardly any time in the cabin. Did not regret that decision, so something to consider.

 

Have a terrific trip ... the Galapagos is a wonderful place to visit. There's a link to my blog posts if your daughter is interested in browsing through pictures.