What's the best cruise ship to visit the Galapagos?

[SantaCruzGuy]

My trip is getting closer and closer and haven't taken a decision which cruise trip to take. Could you please recommend based on your experience a cruise ship that would be enjoyable for a family of four (2 children ) .

 

Thanks,

[SpokaneDave]

I’ll be watching this thread (hope there are some responses). The Celebrity Flora looks amazing.

[Rothko1]

I can only give advice as to the Silver Origin (Silversea's Galapagos ship).  A beautiful ship, and highly recommended.  But not if you have 2 children, especially if they are young. 

[SantaCruzGuy]

On 8/16/2022 at 6:25 PM, Rothko1 said:

I can only give advice as to the Silver Origin (Silversea's Galapagos ship).  A beautiful ship, and highly recommended.  But not if you have 2 children, especially if they are young. 

 

Thank you for your answer!

[critterchick]

We sailed on Celebrity Xpedition in 2013 and are sailing on her again in September. No ship is going to have a program that caters to children, but as long as they are able to do all of the activities, they should have a great trip.

 

Flora and Silver Origin look like amazing ships but they were far more expensive and IMO not worth the extra money. We were only in our cabin long enough to sleep and shower, otherwise were on the go. The food was very good (probably better on the other 2 ships but for us not worth the extra price tag).  

 

Celebrity also have a small catamaran that holds 16 guests. I think her itinerary is the same as the others.

[kaymoz]

If I were to go with my children, I'd look at National Geogrpahic.

 

[SantaCruzGuy]

17 hours ago, kaymoz said:

If I were to go with my children, I'd look at National Geogrpahic.

 

 

What do you mean ?

[SantaCruzGuy]

On 8/22/2022 at 1:44 AM, critterchick said:

We sailed on Celebrity Xpedition in 2013 and are sailing on her again in September. No ship is going to have a program that caters to children, but as long as they are able to do all of the activities, they should have a great trip.

 

My kids are old enough to go with us to do the activities, I try to include them in everything since they were very young. 

 

Thanks for your recommendation!

[kaymoz]

On 8/28/2022 at 6:34 AM, SantaCruzGuy said:

 

What do you mean ?

I have noticed that their adverts seem to be more welcoming about children than others I have seen.  (see example below)   Plus, I read somewhere they have a videomicroscope -- what a cool tool to help kids explore!  

 

Inspiring the next generation of explorers

Kids are natural explorers, and the Galápagos is nature-made for exploration. It’s no wonder then that all Lindblad-National Geographic Galápagos expeditions offer the National Geographic Global Explorers Program for kids and teens. This fun, family-centered experience, designed in partnership with National Geographic Education, features a variety of hands-on science, storytelling, and adventure activities designed to build real-world explorer skills and spark a passion for nature, conservation, and exploration.

Certified field educators lead activities, which can be tailored to fit specific interests, such as marine biology, geology, or photography. Participants continually learn by doing, whether recording wildlife observations in their Field Notebooks, hiking to a volcano, or counting nesting sea turtles as part of a citizen science project. Daily adventure options, such as snorkeling with sea lions and learning to stand-up paddle board, empower kids and teens to explore outside their comfort zones and try something new. Using video, photography, maps, drawings, and other creative tools, participants share their Galápagos discoveries and, likely, inspire others to start exploring.

[kaymoz]

Here is another one that advertises to be kid-oriented:  https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an-adventure/20873/Nature-s-Laboratory-Wild-Finds-in-the-Galapagos-With-Your-Family

 

[RBKL]

On 8/29/2022 at 3:36 PM, kaymoz said:

I have noticed that their adverts seem to be more welcoming about children than others I have seen.  (see example below)   Plus, I read somewhere they have a videomicroscope -- what a cool tool to help kids explore!  

 

Inspiring the next generation of explorers

Kids are natural explorers, and the Galápagos is nature-made for exploration. It’s no wonder then that all Lindblad-National Geographic Galápagos expeditions offer the National Geographic Global Explorers Program for kids and teens. This fun, family-centered experience, designed in partnership with National Geographic Education, features a variety of hands-on science, storytelling, and adventure activities designed to build real-world explorer skills and spark a passion for nature, conservation, and exploration.

Certified field educators lead activities, which can be tailored to fit specific interests, such as marine biology, geology, or photography. Participants continually learn by doing, whether recording wildlife observations in their Field Notebooks, hiking to a volcano, or counting nesting sea turtles as part of a citizen science project. Daily adventure options, such as snorkeling with sea lions and learning to stand-up paddle board, empower kids and teens to explore outside their comfort zones and try something new. Using video, photography, maps, drawings, and other creative tools, participants share their Galápagos discoveries and, likely, inspire others to start exploring.

The Flora has an entire research lab with microscopes and other activities.

 

[kaymoz]

On 8/31/2022 at 1:42 PM, RBKL said:

The Flora has an entire research lab with microscopes and other activities.

 

Do the other Celebrity vessels in the Galapagos (Expedition, Explorer) also have microscopes on hand?

[RBKL]

30 minutes ago, kaymoz said:

Do the other Celebrity vessels in the Galapagos (Expedition, Explorer) also have microscopes on hand?

I have to defer to others that have experience on those ships. A couple recently on the Flora posted pictures of the lab area and wrote about the experience with the microscopes, books, etc. that are there. 

[waterbug123]

On 9/2/2022 at 5:35 PM, kaymoz said:

Do the other Celebrity vessels in the Galapagos (Expedition, Explorer) also have microscopes on hand?

 

We just booked Celebrity Xploration (I think that's what you meant when you typed Explorer) and there is no mention in the literature or on the deck plans of the lab/microscopes.  I don't recall seeing it on Xpedition either, which we considered.

[kaymoz]

Yes, I did mean Xploration.  Old spelling habits die hard!

 

[commencemilo]

I sailed in April , 2022 on the Silversea Origin.  It was a great ship.  Cabins were really nice, service excellent.  Food choices were pretty limited but I think thats true of all exploration ships.  This was a ship for older adults.  The staff was excellent!

[Cruisernat]

Santacruzguy, not sure if you picked a ship yet for your Galapagos trip? If not, I just wanted to include this in your thoughts as you make your decision.                                                                                                                                                         I can not say what is the best ship but what I can say is, I recently went on the Santa Cruz II ship and had a wonderful time. They carry a maximum of 90 passengers. I booked directly with Metropolitan Touring and found the booking process easy.  If you look on their website, you will see they advertise it as a family vacation. They also have 2 other smaller ships, La Pinta and the Isabella II but as it was September and seas can be a little rougher (Humboldt current). I was glad we had chosen the larger ship. In addition to the informative and passionate naturalists, we also had amazing crew  (Our room was cleaned 3 times a day) and the food was excellent.  Metropolitan Touring handled everything from the time we landed in Quito. If you are looking for add ons, I also highly recommend their hotel in Quito, Casa Gangotena, as well as Finch Bay on Santa Cruz Island. The Galápagos Islands are truly a special place, whatever ship you decide on, you will have a great time.

[emckeeve]

With children I would also look at a Tauck Bridges tour.  They do a great job!