Live from Silversea Galapagos! (July 7, 2018)

[Lirio]

You do have wet and dry landings. Some days with more than one.

[Spree75]

Spree75 - Are you on the September 1st sailing? We will be on that cruise.

 

Hi Linda and Bill. Yes. My partner and I are on that trip. I'm trying to doing so legwork on what can be expected as this cruise is very different from our usual vacation plans. The Galapagos and then Peru afterwards was too tempting and has been on both our bucket lists.

[LynnRuns]

Off to a great start, Really looking forward to the details of this cruise. The Galapagos is on my list of visits and had been eyeing this 7/7 cruise (there were some great deals on the spring) but I had a very ill parent and couldn't risk being away. Considering going next summer.

 

Any details are appreciated!

[NanciEA]

There are 70+ reviews of the Silver Galapagos on Cruise Critic. (Research - Reviews) Lots of information if you are interested in this cruise.

[Stumblefoot]

Oh where, oh where

Has our World Tour Princess gone?

 

Oh where, oh where can she be?

 

With her posts came excitement

But her last was on July 7

 

Oh where, oh where can she be?

[LindaAndBillTravel]

Hi Linda and Bill. Yes. My partner and I are on that trip. I'm trying to doing so legwork on what can be expected as this cruise is very different from our usual vacation plans. The Galapagos and then Peru afterwards was too tempting and has been on both our bucket lists.

Spree75 - Peru too! I'm jealous. I'd be happy to "meet" and chat pre-cruise via email if you'd like. You can reach me at JAEGERLR at gmail dot com.

[LindaAndBillTravel]

Hopefully the OP is just having too good of a time to bother with a live trip report and will get back with us when her cruise is over.

[LynnRuns]

There are 70+ reviews of the Silver Galapagos on Cruise Critic. (Research - Reviews) Lots of information if you are interested in this cruise.

 

I actually did plenty of research. Since we had wanted to be on this specific cruise (7/7) but couldn’t because of the care needed for an ill parent, I was very interested in this specific week. Close to a US holiday, possibly more families etc. I’m still looking forward to this review.

[WorldTourPrincess]

WTP - Simply wonderful report. We will be doing this in either 2019 or 2020. Can you please tell me what influenced your decision to go there in July. We do not know which months would be better than others. Thank you.

 

I'm a teacher, so my options are limited. Between July and August, the water is calmer and warmer in July than August. We found the weather to be quite pleasant. Warm, but not too hot, and dry.

[WorldTourPrincess]

So sorry everyone! The week was jam packed and the wifi, though free, was SUPER slow! I usually had to go to the lounge to get online since the connection in my room was so poor. Currently in an amazing suite at the Oro Verde Hotel in Guayquil waiting for my night flight home. Will do what I can to answer everyone's questions and continue to post my daily journals!

[WorldTourPrincess]

Day 4

Sunday, July 8th

Bartolome and Caleta Bucanero, Santiago Island

 

So every night at 7:00 all the guests meet in the ExplorerLounge for the Briefing and Recap. Javier, the Expedition Leader, and some of the other guides would talkabout what we would be doing the next day. I was very impressed with level of detail that the briefingsprovided. They were very specificas to what to wear, what to bring with you, what to expect on the hike, howlong it would last, and the level of difficulty.

 

The morning activities for today included an easy zodiactour of the coastline (1 hour) and a very strenuous, 2 hour, volcano hike. I chose to do the hike. This hike focused more on geology andless on the animals, which there weren’t much of. Other than lava lizards and a couple of birds, that wasabout it. There were 382 steps, orthe equivalent of going 30 stories up. I’m in pretty good shape, but found myself winded on more than oneoccasion. The pace was fast. When our guide stopped to talk, hewould talk for a while, so I think he tried to make up for it by hikingquickly. He also had really longlegs, so that could have accounted for the pace as well. The hike was good, but strenuous. There was a beautiful view at the top,but it was a cloudy day, so probably not the best it could have been. We spotted a pod of dolphins way in thedistance on the way down, so our guide radioed it in so the groups on the watercould go check them out. This hikewas a dry landing. I wore sturdyhiking boots, long lightweight pants, a long sleeved safari-type shirt, andwide-brimmed hat. It ended upbeing perfect for the day.

 

Later that morning we had to option to go to a beach atBartolome and snorkel around Pinnacle rock. The beach was gorgeous, and there was a lot of marinelife! I spotted: Mexican Hogfish (these guys areEVERYWHERE in the Galapagos, a tiger snake eel, flounder, bluechin parrotfish,king angelfish, razor surgeonfish, porcupine fish, white tip reef shark, plaincardinalfish, giant hawkfish, giant damselfish, and ring taileddamselfish. The biggest rewardcame to those who snorkeled all the way around the rocks on the left: Galapagos Penguins! I had one swim by me and then two ofthem were just resting on a rock. They were so adorable and I was able to get fairly close to take somegreat pictures! The ship providedsnorkeling gear and 3mm shortie wetsuits. There were no full-length wetsuits as someone reported earlier. They also gave each guest a labeled meshbag to hold all your stuff in, which was very handy. However, I brought all my own gear, including my divewatch. Because of that I was ableto record the water temperature each day. At this site the water was between 77 and 78 degrees F. At the end of the excursion we justdunked all of our gear in fresh water tanks and hung it up to dry on the backof the boat. Nothing had to bebrought back to the cabins, thank heavens!

 

After lunch there was a lecture and they showed Part 1 of adocumentary called “The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden.” Ididn’t see it, but I heard it was good. I spent what little free time I had going through my underwater photosand video trying to ID all of the animals that I saw. Later that afternoon there was a zodiac tour along thecoastline which lasted one hour. We saw pelicans, sealions, and some really cool caves that pirates usedto use! We also came across anillegal fishing boat that had thrown a lot of trash in the water. We fished up what we could from thewater, and the guides took pictures of the boat and reported it to theauthorities.

 

The day ended with the 7:00 PM Briefing & Recap,followed by the Captain’s Toast. Dinner didn’t start each night until 7:30. My mom and I opted to try out The Grill for the first time. They had steak, lobster, and otherregional specialties. I thought that it was fun to try once, but I wouldn’trush back. I wasn’t a fan ofcooking my own food tableside. They bring out a mostly raw piece of meat on a 400 degree lava rock, andthen suggested that I cut of small strips of steak and cook each strip at atime. I didn’t like the idea ofeating from a knife and fork that had touched raw meat, so I grabbed a secondset of silverware. I also have araw shellfish allergy, so I asked them to cook my lobster for me just to besafe. The food was good, but itwas a very windy evening and a lot of napkins and wineglasses went flying!

[WorldTourPrincess]

I love this question!

 

I wonder, are there any difference in the seas between summer/fall and winter/spring?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I found this guide from Celebrity really helpful:

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/Galapagos/18060688_CEL_Galapagos_Wildlife_Calendar.pdf

 

The version I have has air and sea temps, and rainfall. I tried attaching a picture but CC didn't like the file size.

[WorldTourPrincess]

Great to meet you today!

 

Likewise! : )

[WorldTourPrincess]

As we haven't heard from the OP for some days I assume the internet on the ship isn't great . . .

 

Yes, sorry! I had to visit public areas to get a decent signal and then it was still a struggle at times. I decided I didn't want to spend my whole trip waiting for stuff to load. Trying to catch up now! : )

[Emtbsam]

I found this guide from Celebrity really helpful:

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/Galapagos/18060688_CEL_Galapagos_Wildlife_Calendar.pdf

 

The version I have has air and sea temps, and rainfall. I tried attaching a picture but CC didn't like the file size.

Great information. Just what I wanted. Thank you.

[Stumblefoot]

I found this guide from Celebrity really helpful:

 

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/Galapagos/18060688_CEL_Galapagos_Wildlife_Calendar.pdf

Thank You WTP!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fletcher]

Day 4

Sunday, July 8th

Bartolome and Caleta Bucanero, Santiago Island

 

The morning activities for today included an easy zodiactour of the coastline (1 hour) and a very strenuous, 2 hour, volcano hike. There were 382 steps, or the equivalent of going 30 stories up. I’m in pretty good shape, but found myself winded on more than one occasion. There was a beautiful view at the top,but it was a cloudy day, so probably not the best it could have been.

 

Thanks for the wonderful info WTP. This hike you did, was that on Bartolome to get the classic wide panoramic view of the bay, the pinnacle and the landscape beyond?

[TLCOhio]

Great information. Just what I wanted. Thank you.

 

YES! Agree! Appreciate this wonderful info and follow-ups. Keep it coming!!

 

After doing our Nov. 16-Dec. 5, 2018, Nautica sailing from Athens to Dubai, 20-day cruise with Oceania, including our first visits to the Holy Lands, Egypt, Middle East,we have Alaska next on our "wish list” for July 2019 on the Silver Muse. It would be our first time for us doing Alaska, Vancouver, Banff, Canada's Rocky Mountains, etc. After that, it would be our plans/wishes to explore the Galápagos. All of this background is excellent for firing up theexcitement about doing these additional parts of the amazing world.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean adventure that started in Barbados, here is the link for that live/blog. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.):

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 57,547 views for these postings.

[Fletcher]

Thanks for the wonderful info WTP. This hike you did, was that on Bartolome to get the classic wide panoramic view of the bay, the pinnacle and the landscape beyond?

 

I'm not usually lazy - just did a bit of basic research and found that, yes, this is the hike to the iconic view (also seen in the great movie Master and Commander). It seems there are plenty of places to stop and sit and catch your breath at the same time you are gasping at the view.

[WorldTourPrincess]

Day 5

Monday, July 9th

Punta Vincente Roca, Isabela and Punta Espinoza, Fernandina

 

Today there were two morning excursions- a 1 hour zodiactour followed by a 1 hour deep-water snorkel from the zodiacs. Both excursions were in the same area,so you got to observe the animals on land in the water which was neat. The coastline had some reallyinteresting and unique rock formations, including an enormous cave that Iimagined pirate ships could have sailed right into to hide! We spotted sea lions, lava gulls, a fewmarine iguanas, some flightless cormorants that seemed to be posing for us, anda lot of sea turtles from the surface.

 

The snorkeling was even more enjoyable. The water was crystal clear andranged from 76-77 degrees F. Therewere a ton of sea turtles just chilling out along the coast, and if you werewilling to brave some rougher water, there were two sea lions that were takingturns resting on their rock and swimming in the water. I got some great video of them jumpingin and swimming around me. It wasmy first time ever swimming with sea lions and I loved every minute of it!

 

This afternoon we went to Punta Espinoza, otherwise known as“Iguana Land”. This hike was rated moderate –strenuous, and lasted two hours. The strenuous rating really only applied to the beginning and theend. It was a dry landing, but inorder to get to the path you had to cross a lengthy section of lava rocksjutting out into the ocean. A lotof the older folks needed assistance. Many used walking sticks, and the more sure-footed of us helped lend ahand to those needing it. I wasvery glad I brought along sturdy hiking boots.

 

What was crazy was that marine iguanas were EVERYWHERE andthere were thousands of them! Attimes we had to step over them to get where we needed to go. They didn’t seem to mind us in theleast. I’m not a huge fan ofreptiles, but these iguanas were pretty cool. They’re slow moving, and most didn’t move at all. What was funny is that they sneeze alot! People think they’respitting, but they’re actually sneezing out salt that they get in their systemwhen they feed in the ocean. Sincethere were so many, they also smelled too! We got to see several of them swimming in the water, a seaturtle resting on the beach, and a couple of sea lions. There is also a large whale skeletonand the bones of some other creatures as well.

 

If any of you have watched Planet Earth II, this is wherethat famous baby marine iguana and snake scene took place. I didn’t spot any snakes, but anothergroup did. I didn’t tell my momabout that scene until after we visited! It was an incredible place to visit, and I didn’t want her to staybehind because she hates snakes!

 

One thing that I thought was cool is that one of the beachesthere is all organic. None of thesand is from rocks; it’s all crushed up seashells and sea urchins. Sadly, you’re not allowed to bring anyrocks or shells home with you.

[WorldTourPrincess]

Thanks for the wonderful info WTP. This hike you did, was that on Bartolome to get the classic wide panoramic view of the bay, the pinnacle and the landscape beyond?

 

This is what we saw at the end of the hike. That is also the beach we snorkeled at. The penguins were around the other side of that big rock sticking up out of the water.

[WorldTourPrincess]

I love this question!

 

I wonder, are there any difference in the seas between summer/fall and winter/spring?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Finally figured out how to get this attached! For some reason Celebrity took it off their recent documents. I found this part really helpful!

[WorldTourPrincess]

I'm not usually lazy - just did a bit of basic research and found that, yes, this is the hike to the iconic view (also seen in the great movie Master and Commander). It seems there are plenty of places to stop and sit and catch your breath at the same time you are gasping at the view.

 

Stop and sit? I didn't encounter any benches along the way, but you could sit on the boardwalk or steps I guess.

[Lirio]

Yes, the hiking is for the iconic spot. Although extraneous,worth it!

[Stumblefoot]

I found this part really helpful!

Thank you very much WTP! Very helpful indeed.

 

 

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