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AT LAST—cruising again—Live from the Silversea Origin August 28-September 4, 2021

RachelG

By RachelG,
in Silversea

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RachelG "Live from...." Rare

RachelG

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August 28, 2021-Quito Ecuador to embarkation San Cristobal Galapagos

 

We were up early as our bus to the airport was to leave at 7:50 am.  It was cool, in the high 40s and overcast with intermittent light rain.  They had separated the passengers into 3 groups, to allow for social distancing on the buses, and we were lucky enough to be on the last bus, which meant a little more time to sleep and less time waiting at the airport.

 

A 40 minute drive which was pretty scary brought us safely there.  Our driver was good, but we witnessed all sorts of near misses-a lady stepping out in front of the bus and quickly stepping back, a school bus turned over on the side of the road with police present, a man stepping out from in front of a disabled truck and barely missing being hit, bicyclists riding on the freeway (apparently allowed in Ecuador but terrifying to me).

 

Once at the airport, we were reunited with our now sealed luggage and taken to check in.  I had planned to put my hairspray into my bag at the airport, but couldn’t as it was sealed, and they won’t allow you to break the seal (don’t remember that from last time).  Fortunately our friend had a side pocket on her bag that I could put it into.  Check and security were quick, and we only had a short wait to board the plane.

 

Previously, we had been on a charter flight to the Galapagos, but this was a regular commercial flight with passengers getting on and off in Guayaquil.  We were packed like sardines.  No distancing here.  Flight to Guayaquil was 40 minutes, then you have to wait while they refuel and board the new passengers.  We were not allowed to get off.  There is no refueling in the Galapagos, so the plane has to have enough fuel to make it there and back.

 

Then 1 hour 40 flight to San Cristobal. We quickly passed through the islands passport control, to buses with only about 10 per big bus to the zodiacs at the pier.  We said hello to George’s pet sea lion who lives on a bench there (and has been there  every previous trip) then boarded zodiacs to the ship.  

 

And what a beautiful ship! Brand new with a beige and grey color scheme. They quickly took our pictures then sent us up to the dining room for lunch.  There is a buffet for salads, ceviche and dessert—you point at stuff and they put it on the plate.  You order the main course and soup of you want it at your table.  We both had salads and sea bass with quinoa which was very nice.  They were pouring Spanish wines which is a change because previously all wines were South American.

 

After lunch, we checked out our suite and unpacked.  We have a balcony suite.  The balcony is huge, bigger than a regular balcony on a Regent ship.  There is a good size walk-in closet and bathroom with single double faucet sink (weird) and a separate spigot for drinking water. The shower is very large, and there is tons of storage space as much or more than any other ship we have been on.  There is a retractable mirror in the bathroom, so if you pull it back you can see all the way to outside.  Actual bedroom is cozy, but no real sitting area. Just bed, long desk, mini fridge and a tiny sofa/chair.

 

We had muster drill and mandatory briefing and learned there are only 48 passengers on this cruise.  We then took a self tour of the ship, which didn’t take long, and ended up on the 7th deck which will become my walking track as you can walk all the way round.  There is a hot tub, a lot of comfortable outside seating, a bar and outdoor dining area up there which becomes Hot Rocks at night.  Also a forward enclosed library with great views.

 

After the briefing for tomorrow’s activities in the main lounge, dinner was served.  I like that portions are small, so you can sample a lot of different things, and if you want more, you can always order double.  My salmon was delicious as was the asparagus salad.  George unfortunately ordered a steak which I knew from previous experience is a big mistake in the Galapagos.  

 

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RJ2002

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Great reports!  Glad you made it onboard and are now ready to enjoy your Galapagos adventure.  The photos from the ship are beautiful.  So nice to be reading a trip report.  Thanks for taking the time to share the experience.

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RachelG "Live from...." Rare

RachelG

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1 hour ago, chefestelle said:

What an awesome itinerary! I was looking at the website and wonder if you can comment on what degree of fitness is required for "physically fit" excursions. Thanks for doing this live review!

In the briefing the evening prior, they give very detailed instructions regarding level of fitness required along with pictures of the place you will get off the zodiac at each site.  They are very thorough as the last thing they want is someone who is not adequately fit to get in trouble on an excursion.

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chefestelle "Live from...." Rare

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56 minutes ago, RachelG said:

In the briefing the evening prior, they give very detailed instructions regarding level of fitness required along with pictures of the place you will get off the zodiac at each site.  They are very thorough as the last thing they want is someone who is not adequately fit to get in trouble on an excursion.

Thank you. I'll watch your blog eagerly for your reports! 

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RachelG "Live from...." Rare

RachelG

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6 hours ago, RELS said:

Thank you so much for your travel blog! I'm really enjoying your perspective on things.

Are you willing to share which category of suite you are in?

We are in the cheap seats on deck 5.  But a real balcony.

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RachelG "Live from...." Rare

RachelG

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3 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Love the pics, Rachel!  Glad you’re off to a good start.  
 

Tell that Oklahoma cattle rancher he should know better than ordering a steak in the Galapagos! 😁

I don’t why he always insists on doing this.  He says he just wants to check it out.  I think he is just reassuring himself that his beef is better.

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Stumblefoot

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7 minutes ago, RachelG said:

I think he is just reassuring himself that his beef is better.

THAT is EXACTLY what I thought as I was writing my comment to you!  Put him at ease.  Us Americans who love our beef know his steers are top notch!

 

JP, show that man a proper steak!  George deserves it.

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RachelG "Live from...." Rare

RachelG

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August 29,2021–Bartolome and Buccaneer Cove, Galapagos

 

We had a good night’s sleep with the gentle rocking of the ship.  I never sleep better than on a ship.  We awoke early at 5:15 am for 2 reasons—it is 6:15 am in Tulsa, but more importantly, we were to have a 7 am hike to the summit of Bartholome.  It is in full sun, so best done in the early morning.

 

We had breakfast—all buffet with lots of choices.  You point, and they put it on your plate.  I asked for 2 slices of bacon—only got one.  But it was good.  We got ourselves ready to hike.  

 

I had my hiking shoes, sunscreen, and sunglasses on, and was fixing to put on my life vest to go down to the base camp where you get on the zodiacs at 6:45 when the announcement came on that we would not be arriving at Bartholome as we had a detour during the night as two guests had to be disembarked.  Very disappointing and irritating as we had gotten up early for nothing.  I realize there was really no practical way to let us know during the night, but they could have told us before 6:45.

 

At 7:40 am, the announcement came on that there would be no hiking.  Instead, we would arrive at Bartholome and have leisure time on the beach and snorkeling from the beach at 9:30 am, which was the activity scheduled for after the hike originally. So basically, just skipping the hike. 

 

There was a pretty interesting but basic lecture on photography, then the announcement that we were arriving at Bartholome and to come down if you wanted to go ashore.  We boarded the zodiacs for a windy cool ride in.  Temperature was 70F but felt cooler in the zodiac.

 

We arrived at a half-moon shaped wide beach with very fine dark brown sand.  On one side was the hill we were supposed to climb earlier, but we couldn’t go there since the path is on the other side.  On the other side were dark volcanic rock formations rising up out of the water.

 

George snorkeled and saw lots of small and large fish as well as penguins close up.  The water was really cool, and a lot of people stayed in only a few minutes.  I,having been in the Galapagos previously, knew it was too cold for me, so I walked on the beach and saw some cute little lizards, a bunch of bright red crabs, and lots of birds.

 

We returned to the ship after a couple of hours and went to lunch in the dining room.  Other option was up of the top deck, but it seemed too windy.  The salad bar was different choices than yesterday and had fresh asparagus as well as roasted Brussels sprouts, so I was pretty happy.  They also have bowls of popcorn and fried plantain every day as an appetizer.  I had a weird shrimp and plantain soup while George had a corn and basil soup, also strange tasting.  Not bad, just different.  We both had the fresh amber jack which is a dense white fish sort of like halibut but drier.  It was served with puréed peas and avocado, but really needed some sort of sauce.

 

The mandatory kayak briefing was at 2 for anyone who wants to participate in that activity during the cruise.  We arrived at Buccaneer Cove with steep volcanic rocks going down to the ocean.  The water really still so we were able to get very close.  You could definitely smell the birds.  And there were lots of them—blue footed and Nazca boobies, Pelicans, cormorants, several types of gull, oyster eaters, frigate birds, albatross, a hawk, and a bunch of others I can’t remember. Also several sea lions.  It was a good outing and comfortable in the zodiac.  I wore a windbreaker just to keep the sun off my arms, but would have been fine without it.

 

Back onboard, George and I went up top to watch the sun go down.  It goes down really quickly on the equator.

 

There was a recap and briefing at 6:45 followed by Captain’s welcome.  The room seemed very empty.  Partly due to 8 passengers from the previous cruise being on quarantine as someone on the previous cruise tested positive for covid upon debarkation in Guayaquil.   They were tested yesterday, and negative.  If they test negative again tomorrow, they will be off quarantine.  I am not really worried as all have been vaccinated.  It is even possible that the positive test in Guayaquil was a false positive as the person is symptomatic.

 

Dinner was very nice. We started with a lentil soup then a roast beet and pumpkin salad (just my kind of food).  Then the chef herself came out.  She had asked George at lunch for any special requests.  I knew this could be dangerous.  He requested cornbread.  Knowing he makes the best cornbread on the planet, I was worried.but she came out with a reasonable facsimile even though she didn’t have the right kind of cornmeal.  She did it in a cast iron skillet,which is a big plus.  And it  was crispy on outside and soft in center which is perfect.  

 

Early to bed as we were up early this am, but George did go outside to check the Milky Way.  Tomorrow we will have star gazing if the weather is favorable.

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RachelG "Live from...." Rare

RachelG

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7 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Rachel, I'm enjoying your journal here.  Did they explain why the climb on Bartholme was cancelled?  It's the most iconic view in the islands.  

Because we had to go back to San Cristobal to offload the couple that decided they wanted off.  That is what we were told.

i do know that in the Galapagos, you have to have a permit with a time slot for pretty much everything, and if you miss that time, you don’t get another.  They strictly control the number of people at each location.

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