Galapagos Xpedition July 2013

[Karen@Steve]

Thanks so much for your review. You've convinced DH and I that we should do this bucket list cruise sooner rather than later and are now looking at 2015. I've learned so much from your posts.

[voyager1964]

Ginal,

Thanks for your thoughtful review. What is your opinion about people with mobility issues taking this cruise? Let's say, a bad back, a knee problem, etc.

What would be the preferable deck (3?) for these people?

Thanks,

 

Voyager

[ginal]

First off, my mom has had one knee replacement and soon to have another. She did everything except the two really dry landings. But there were two gentlemen with worse mobility issues and they managed to get them off and on the panga at these two landings even with hard rockin' waves. Everyone managed the stairs pretty well.

 

As for the Cabin on Ship, definitely not Deck 6(this was ours). Since this was an add on the stairs are STEEP! The inside set was originally for crew only. The landing area for the pangas is deck 2. Main dining is Deck 3 and the Beagle Grill (for lunch) is on Deck 4. The bar and lounge (where you spend a lot of time) is on Deck 4. Deck 5 Blue Finch is never -ever-ever open, so can't get a drink there. That said: Deck 5 has balconies, Deck 4 doesn't. We used our balcony for drying clothes. Never sat out there because very narrow and closed in (not glass) on railing. We kept curtains closed all day also to keep out the sun--because Deck 6 cabins stay warm.

 

We decided that Deck 4 was the place to be. The rooms were smaller with no balconies-but so much easier to get to everything. Just be sure to get a few cabins down the hall from guest relations- because of noise. The stairs you see on Deck 4 toward the middle of the cabins is for crew only. Cabins 405/406 seem to be ideal-mid ship. You will have about 6 stairs a landing and 6 more stairs to get to the Main Dining Room from Deck 4 to 3 OR from Deck 5 to 4. Deck 4 puts you right down from the Discovery Lounge which has huge windows all around the room with comfy plush seating. We stayed here, played with photos, talked with people, just relaxed and enjoyed. You will have a steep narrow set of stairs about 15-18 to go to Deck 3 on way to pangas-but handrails and I didn't see anyone having trouble. My mom just went slow.

 

If you need a balcony and a little more space go Deck 5. If a balcony and space aren't an issue-but mobility is your big concern- go Deck 4.

[wrk2cruise]

We took this trip a couple of years ago and had the MP extension when the floods took out the train. We ended up being able to rebook after MP opened back up and ended up with the room right behind Guest Relations. Noise was not a problem at all. Found it very convenient, just steps from the lounge and a few more steps out to the fantail where we spent a lot of our time.

 

Definitely a wonderful trip.

[voyager1964]

GinaL,

 

Thanks for your input. I was thinking about 301/302. Breakfast/dinner - deck 3 (no stairs); lunch, lectures - deck 4 (1 flight up), zodiacs - deck 2 (1 flight down); also these rooms seem to be better for sea sickness. They are however smaller than those on deck 4. How do 301/302 compare to 406/407?

 

My largest issue with Galapagos is that I do not see too much wildlife on the photos from reviews. The X cruise has a hefty price tag on it - do you really feel it is worth it? Some people just stay on the main island and do short trips to other islands from there.

[drarill]

Excellent review!! Thanks for sharing, Galapagos is on my bucket list!:):)

[MicCanberra]

First off, my mom has had one knee replacement and soon to have another. She did everything except the two really dry landings. But there were two gentlemen with worse mobility issues and they managed to get them off and on the panga at these two landings even with hard rockin' waves. Everyone managed the stairs pretty well.

 

As for the Cabin on Ship, definitely not Deck 6(this was ours). Since this was an add on the stairs are STEEP! The inside set was originally for crew only. The landing area for the pangas is deck 2. Main dining is Deck 3 and the Beagle Grill (for lunch) is on Deck 4. The bar and lounge (where you spend a lot of time) is on Deck 4. Deck 5 Blue Finch is never -ever-ever open, so can't get a drink there. That said: Deck 5 has balconies, Deck 4 doesn't. We used our balcony for drying clothes. Never sat out there because very narrow and closed in (not glass) on railing. We kept curtains closed all day also to keep out the sun--because Deck 6 cabins stay warm.

 

We decided that Deck 4 was the place to be. The rooms were smaller with no balconies-but so much easier to get to everything. Just be sure to get a few cabins down the hall from guest relations- because of noise. The stairs you see on Deck 4 toward the middle of the cabins is for crew only. Cabins 405/406 seem to be ideal-mid ship. You will have about 6 stairs a landing and 6 more stairs to get to the Main Dining Room from Deck 4 to 3 OR from Deck 5 to 4. Deck 4 puts you right down from the Discovery Lounge which has huge windows all around the room with comfy plush seating. We stayed here, played with photos, talked with people, just relaxed and enjoyed. You will have a steep narrow set of stairs about 15-18 to go to Deck 3 on way to pangas-but handrails and I didn't see anyone having trouble. My mom just went slow.

 

If you need a balcony and a little more space go Deck 5. If a balcony and space aren't an issue-but mobility is your big concern- go Deck 4.

 

Thanks for the extra detail, it will certainly help.:D

[2552phxcrzr]

GinaL,

 

Thanks for your input. I was thinking about 301/302. Breakfast/dinner - deck 3 (no stairs); lunch, lectures - deck 4 (1 flight up), zodiacs - deck 2 (1 flight down); also these rooms seem to be better for sea sickness. They are however smaller than those on deck 4. How do 301/302 compare to 406/407?

 

My largest issue with Galapagos is that I do not see too much wildlife on the photos from reviews. The X cruise has a hefty price tag on it - do you really feel it is worth it? Some people just stay on the main island and do short trips to other islands from there.

 

If you want to see photos of the wildlife, take a look at my Galapagos blog ... link is in the signature. And if you don't have signatures turned on, this is the link: http://2totravel.blogspot.com/; everything is in July 2012 on the sidebar. Also, just posted a link to videos. As for if it was worth the price ... for us, it most definitely was. Personally, whether it was the Xpedition or another trip, that's how I would do the Galapagos. Staying on land sounds nice, but for us the time to get to the islands each time we wanted to do an excursion would be a waste of time.

[CruzPotato]

I am absolutely wow'd by your post - thank you for sharing your experiences. All the Hints and details of the ship, cabins, and excursions are invaluable. After reading this review, I am now going to book a trip to that area. I hope I'm not too late to book for 2015!

Did you know you were going to go with X for this experience or did you compare it with other cruise lines, and if you did, what made you choose this ship and itinerary?

Thanks so much for sharing and giving me the nudge to go for it!

[ginal]

Thanks to all of you who are chiming in with opinions and helpful information for those trying to do this trip. It is expensive so you definitely want to feel like you got your $$ worth and that is where planning comes in.

 

Voyager1964. I just peeked in the rooms and the ones on the 4th floor compared to 5th floor were smaller. The bathrooms were littler and the beds seemed smaller. If stairs aren't an issue go Deck 5. If stairs will strain your knees and limit your ability go Deck 4.

 

Wildlife Pictures-I am trying to make an album of my pictures in a Photo Book and am suffering from "too many to choose from syndrome!" I had to be patient to get some of my pictures but got some great ones.

 

Here's a partial list:

Quito: Shoeshine boy, Young boy taking watercolor lessons, 2 Churches and around the OLD Town, Equator monument

 

Wildlife- Sea lions, Pelicans, Blue-footed boobies, Hawks, Lizards, Iguanas, Frigates, Penguins, All kinds of birds, flightess cormorants, rays, herons, flamingos, sally-lightfoot crabs, tropical fish, turtles, some sharks(we saw hammerhead off boat), hermit crabs, dolphins, Tortoises, starfish. I'm sure I am leaving some out.

 

Different seasons have different wildlife. I also got video of sea lions, blue-foot boobies mating dance, frigates mating dance, flamingos eating, penguins and pelicans working together to get food, frigates fighting for fish, crabs crawling, etc.....

 

To be honest, I didn't even know some of these were till we got up close and personal. We had to walk around sea lions. I was less that 8 feet away from the mating birds. I could have picked up crabs on many occasions. (Of course you can't). I could have rode a tortoise.

 

Also, the islands and sand come in different colors. Black, red, or white.

 

I have a Coolpix P510 which was perfect for this trip. Plenty of zoom power packed in a point and shoot. It has a very good and easy video feature on it also. We like this camera so much that we have bought several for family members. I used it in Alaska and Galapagos. If you are going to take this trip invest in a camera. HINT: IF you take kids, and they like to take pictures, I would get them an inexpensive camera to carry around. I also took our underwater Olympus Camera which is great, but the water had so much plankton-none of my still shots came out. Wished I had just done underwater video.

 

Sorry this got so long....

[ginal]

Cruz Potato- We compared the two biggest ships Xpedition and National Geographic. The stairs seemed to be smaller and steeper on the National G. Also, mom (who was paying for trip) likes massages, which only on Celebrity. We looked at some of the smaller ships for 45 or so- but we felt if you had a large family of 5-10 and they were 'not our type' it would make for a really uncomfortable 11 nights. By that I mean rude and belligerent (we have done excursions before like this and it really ruins it). We liked the idea of about 100 people-surely we could find some like souls for a 28ish, 50ish, 75ish, in our party. And sure enough, everyone was great-we hooked up with several couples, mom found several to pass the time with, and the 28ish hugged the bar. I did spend quite a bit of time on cruise-critic and ships websites looking at which ship would fit us best.

 

I chose B itinerary because it stopped in two ports for mom to do a little souvenir shopping-her favorite hobby. For me, I was determined to see Penguins and Flamingos. We saw penguins 4 times and flamingos twice. But I must add-the frigates with their red pouches all blown up trying to 'get the girl' was amazing. Mom has told everyone this is the best vacation she has ever taken. As for me, I would like a little more entertainment-lots of down time, but again-once in a lifetime vacation.

 

The dates on-line showed not available for when we wanted to go. I called and there were cabins available. One family(of 6) called in April and got on the July sailing. So if you know what itinerary and when call Celebrity-not all cabins show up on-line.

[ginal]

How do you make those great photo blogs? I would love to do this. Hints please????

[MicCanberra]

Well thank you for all the information, it certainly helps with my research /planning.:D

[2552phxcrzr]

How do you make those great photo blogs? I would love to do this. Hints please????

 

It's relatively easy ... I do mine on Blogger, which is a free site. You just sign up, give the blog a name you want ... determine if it is going to be Galapagos specific or whether you plan to do a general travel blog ... this will impact the name you give it.

 

There are templates to choose from, and you can make your format as simple or as complicated as you like. I'd start with one of the templates as is, and then customize it once you have some blog posts under your belt.

 

You can then write posts online in blogger, and attach photos directly from your computer. There are two tabs for writing posts; the non-HTML tab is just like typing in a word processor. But I find the user interface doesn't allow me as much flexibility. So I prefer to write my blogs in Windows Live Writer, unquestionably the best software to write your blog offline, and then post it when you are ready with the click of a button. Not only is it simpler and easier to use, it's free too.

 

If you decide to do a blog, you can make it private until you're ready to make it public, or you can start out by making it public. To let friends, family, etc. know about your blog, you simply send them the URL to the blog.

 

I'm getting ready to go on vacation 8/25 ... and will be on the road for about three months, but if you want to get started before then, you can write me at eerkun at yahoo dot com with specific questions, and I will be happy to answer them.

[CruzPotato]

Ginal: Thank you for that thoughtful and detailed response to my question. It even answered the questions I had but did not directly pose. It is obvious you put a lot of thought into which ship and itinerary to book. I did look at the National Geo trip but still not sure if it will be appropriate for our family. Also, thank you for the tip on the cabins. They all do look sold out and I'm glad there is hope for those who do not pre-book so far in advance! I did a quick search for other cruise lines and it appears that Silversea will be starting their Galapagos itinerary in Sept on the Silver Cloud (name?) so there will be more cruises to choose from in 2015, I hope. Thank you again.

 

H2so4: May I also email you about some questions about blogger?

[MicCanberra]

It's relatively easy ... I do mine on Blogger, which is a free site. You just sign up, give the blog a name you want ... determine if it is going to be Galapagos specific or whether you plan to do a general travel blog ... this will impact the name you give it.

 

There are templates to choose from, and you can make your format as simple or as complicated as you like. I'd start with one of the templates as is, and then customize it once you have some blog posts under your belt.

 

You can then write posts online in blogger, and attach photos directly from your computer. There are two tabs for writing posts; the non-HTML tab is just like typing in a word processor. But I find the user interface doesn't allow me as much flexibility. So I prefer to write my blogs in Windows Live Writer, unquestionably the best software to write your blog offline, and then post it when you are ready with the click of a button. Not only is it simpler and easier to use, it's free too.

 

If you decide to do a blog, you can make it private until you're ready to make it public, or you can start out by making it public. To let friends, family, etc. know about your blog, you simply send them the URL to the blog.

 

I'm getting ready to go on vacation 8/25 ... and will be on the road for about three months, but if you want to get started before then, you can write me at eerkun at yahoo dot com with specific questions, and I will be happy to answer them.

Thanks for the advice, my wife is very interested in doing a blog for our next trip as a firend of hers has just completed one for a Camino walk in Spain.:D

[2552phxcrzr]

Ginal: Thank you for that thoughtful and detailed response to my question. It even answered the questions I had but did not directly pose. It is obvious you put a lot of thought into which ship and itinerary to book. I did look at the National Geo trip but still not sure if it will be appropriate for our family. Also, thank you for the tip on the cabins. They all do look sold out and I'm glad there is hope for those who do not pre-book so far in advance! I did a quick search for other cruise lines and it appears that Silversea will be starting their Galapagos itinerary in Sept on the Silver Cloud (name?) so there will be more cruises to choose from in 2015, I hope. Thank you again.

 

H2so4: May I also email you about some questions about blogger?

 

Sure ... I'll be happy to answer your questions ... if I can ;-)

[2552phxcrzr]

Thanks for the advice, my wife is very interested in doing a blog for our next trip as a firend of hers has just completed one for a Camino walk in Spain.:D

 

It's fun to write a blog ... and it's fun to later go back and read and relive your trips, too ;-)

[MicCanberra]

It's fun to write a blog ... and it's fun to later go back and read and relive your trips, too ;-)

Yes, I found it fun following my friends walk and their witty observations

:D

[rowala]

Thanks for your post. We loved our Galapagos adventure. BTW, if your are elite on celebrity you will be given access to the Executive Lounge in the Marriott.

 

Did Celebrity provide the Executive Lounge access automatically? We are Elite and our TA called Celebrity and she was told that an upgrade would only be provided if we were on a suite on the ship (which we are not). Thanks.

[CruisinCindy]

Did Celebrity provide the Executive Lounge access automatically? We are Elite and our TA called Celebrity and she was told that an upgrade would only be provided if we were on a suite on the ship (which we are not). Thanks.

 

When we went, Celebrity didn't make any arrangements for us as Elite for access to the Marriot's Executive Lounge. We just asked the Marriot Guest Relations directly and told them we were Elite with Celebrity, and they gave us access and full use of the Executive Lounge. It was very nice up there and had wonderful service, snacks and beverages, as well as a free internet computer and printer to use.

[rowala]

Thanks. We will try.

[ginal]

Both my mom and I had suites. On our pre-cruise days we had a note in our hotel room saying we could access the Executive Lounge. On the post-cruise day only my room had the access. The access is tied to your room key. At the Marriott your room key operates the elevator ONLY to your floor. So our key did our floor and floor 9 that has the executive lounge. I agree with previous poster-if you are nice and ask directly at hotel desk you will probably get it--but if you don't there are plenty of nice places in the hotel to hang out.

[Shermcruiser]

I am going to write this in pieces and post. Ask questions and I will try and answer.

Galapagos Xpedition July 19-July 29

I’ll just write my review in time order-so you can follow along. We were on Itinerary B-10 night package. Remember this is winter in Quito and the Galapagos. A group of 4: 2-mid 50’s, 1 -75 year old, 1-27 year old. We stayed in rooms 602 and 604.

 

Before I begin-I was affected by the Altitude in Quito on the Pre and Post Nights. More people were affected on the Post Nights. I was glad I had prescription medicine from my doctor, and so were the people who took some. Take Altitude meds with you just in case!!

 

Day 1:

We arrived in Quito at 11pm-at hotel by 1:15am. When you arrive in Quito you go thru customs, out thru the doors, the Celebrity Representative will direct you to give luggage to porters. You must wait for everyone to de-board plane, go thru customs, and meet up. Don’t rush. You will get on a bus to the Marriott. The bus ride is 1 hour long. Information will be given to you on the bus.

 

When you get to the Marriott, you will pick up room keys and get itinerary for next day at the Celebrity Desk. A beautiful hotel with a warm water pool and hot tub. The bathrooms had separate showers and large soaker tubs. Service here is excellent. Small set of gift shops with some unique items. 3 restaurants mostly serve Mexican style food. Nice little coffee/sandwich/ice cream shop in hotel. HINT: room keys only work for your floor, if your party is split between floors it makes it a little difficult.

 

HINT: Try to get access to Executive Lounge on 9th floor, I had a Marriott number. Drinks such as water, coke are free all day long. Different foods are also served during the day for snacks, breakfast, desserts, etc. (I spent a lot of time here.) Free WiFi also.

 

Did you have a problem with altitude sickness? Did you take any meds?

[raetime]

Thanks for your review. It was very helpful as we are leaving 10/25 for the 10 day cruise. Did you get any shots (yellow fever,etc) for the trip? Also, being a woman, I am always looking for the bathroom. Is there any available during the excursions (except the ocean). Thanks for your help.