Galapagos - are we going to be wowed by the Flora?

[dani negreanu]

On 5/28/2023 at 3:05 AM, dock said:

Would love to do Galapagos on Flora but neither DH or I are good swimmers and would not do any of the swimming tours so would it still be worth going? TY.

Very worth going. I went in 2012 on Xpedition. I'm a good swimmer, swimming laps every day in our communal Olympic pool. Exercised some snorkeling in the pool before the cruise (didn't snorkel before this) and I was good to go.... or so I thought 😉

 

Alas, when I entered the sea, the waves were too much for me and I gave up.... Still, I took the 2 tours per day, and only missed the 3rd tour, which was for the experienced snorkelers.

 

It was an once in a life time trip, and I fulfilled a childhood dream to be close to seals and wildlife in general.

[Sigyn]

This sounds like such an amazing trip. I need to train in order to prepare for it, but it will be well worth the effort! I am getting my scuba certification next month, but clearly there's lots more to do in the Galapagos.

[NoWhiners]

1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

Alas, when I entered the sea, the waves were too much for me and I gave up.... Still, I took the 2 tours per day, and only missed the 3rd tour, which was for the experienced snorkelers.

 

It was an once in a life time trip, and I fulfilled a childhood dream to be close to seals and wildlife in general.

 

This is an incredibly helpful insight, thanks. DH doesn't really like to snorkel as much as I do but the last time we went snorkeling in the Caribbean, he almost lost his mask and got very unsettled. I helped get him back to the cat, then swam around but found that I wasn't having as much fun as usual. Not sure why--the water was a little cooler than I remembered, didn't see any turtles, something just seemed missing.

 

Your thoughts were really helpful as we consider the options. I am pretty sure we will just do short walks but good to know we can use the Zodiacs and still see things, if necessary.

 

Thanks.

[Ken the cruiser]

With regards to the land tours, imagine walking on a path and coming up on 500+ marina iguanas, or a bunch of seals just laying around watching you. Then walking on a different path and encounter a bunch of albatrosses both flying over the ocean as well as clumsily trying to land on the ground near their nests. Or better yet standing there watching the albatrosses trying to land and a magpie lands on your head! 😂

 

Then there are the blue-footed boobies with their chicks in the nest, flamingos, giant sea turtles, penguins, and all kinds of other unique wildlife just hanging around, sometimes within a view feet of you, on most of the 14 included excursions on the 7-day cruise. 

So, don’t worry about not being able to go snorkeling. If your budget can afford it, cruising around the Galápagos Islands on either the Flora or Xpedition would be a memory you will not experience anywhere else in the world; although I have to say cruising to Antarctica would be a nice follow-up cruise! 😁

[mahdnc]

36 minutes ago, njsmom said:

This sounds like such an amazing trip. I need to train in order to prepare for it, but it will be well worth the effort! I am getting my scuba certification next month, but clearly there's lots more to do in the Galapagos.

 

My understanding is that they used to offer scuba for a fee, but if true, that is no longer the case.  It's nice to be able to go beneath the choppy waves and not have to come up for air and blow out your snorkel every time.  My wife and I were hoping to scuba during our upcoming Xpedition trip.  We will have our underwater camera read to go though.

[didicruiser]

I was on the Flora this past August. The ship and staff are amazing. You get what you pay for!!

 

[sippican]

FWIW, I wanted to put my two cents in here. I have been to The Galapagos twice. Both times we sailed on the Xpedition. The first cruise it was at capacity, 100 passengers. The second time The Flora was sailing and the capacity on Xpedition had been reduced to 48 passengers. We loved the ship so much during the first cruise, that we decided to rebook. My clients have sailed Flora and absolutely loved it so I'm sure we would have also had we booked it. On Xpedition with lass than 50 passengers, it felt like a private yacht. We noticed no drop in the quality of the crew, guides or offered excursions (in fact, our wildlife viewing was better the 2nd trip). Having had two amazing trips,  I'd only choose Flora if it was much a better deal than Xpedition.

I'd also like to address the misconception that this trip is only for those in good physical shape. Sure, you might miss out on a few activities if you are not a strong swimmer or hiker, but they do offer something for everyone every day. They even did a private zodiac tour for a 90 year old passenger one day! 

I'm often asked when is the best time to go; which itinerary is the best, etc. The Galapagos are a year round destination. There is no best time. Each season has something different to offer. You'll see incredible things no matter which itinerary. We visited some of the same destinations both times, and they seemed completely new.

I'm so glad we didn't put off this trip. And blessed we were able to go twice. 

[LabMom57]

1 hour ago, sippican said:

FWIW, I wanted to put my two cents in here. I have been to The Galapagos twice. Both times we sailed on the Xpedition. The first cruise it was at capacity, 100 passengers. The second time The Flora was sailing and the capacity on Xpedition had been reduced to 48 passengers. We loved the ship so much during the first cruise, that we decided to rebook. My clients have sailed Flora and absolutely loved it so I'm sure we would have also had we booked it. On Xpedition with lass than 50 passengers, it felt like a private yacht. We noticed no drop in the quality of the crew, guides or offered excursions (in fact, our wildlife viewing was better the 2nd trip). Having had two amazing trips,  I'd only choose Flora if it was much a better deal than Xpedition.

 

 

Thank you for this post! We just booked a trip on the Xpedition (Northern loop) for 2025. I'm already so excited and now relieved that it seems it will be exactly what I hoped for when I decided on the Xpedition rather than the Flora.

 

[mahdnc]

4 hours ago, sippican said:

FWIW, I wanted to put my two cents in here. I have been to The Galapagos twice. Both times we sailed on the Xpedition. The first cruise it was at capacity, 100 passengers. The second time The Flora was sailing and the capacity on Xpedition had been reduced to 48 passengers. We loved the ship so much during the first cruise, that we decided to rebook. My clients have sailed Flora and absolutely loved it so I'm sure we would have also had we booked it. On Xpedition with lass than 50 passengers, it felt like a private yacht. We noticed no drop in the quality of the crew, guides or offered excursions (in fact, our wildlife viewing was better the 2nd trip). Having had two amazing trips,  I'd only choose Flora if it was much a better deal than Xpedition.

I'd also like to address the misconception that this trip is only for those in good physical shape. Sure, you might miss out on a few activities if you are not a strong swimmer or hiker, but they do offer something for everyone every day. They even did a private zodiac tour for a 90 year old passenger one day! 

I'm often asked when is the best time to go; which itinerary is the best, etc. The Galapagos are a year round destination. There is no best time. Each season has something different to offer. You'll see incredible things no matter which itinerary. We visited some of the same destinations both times, and they seemed completely new.

I'm so glad we didn't put off this trip. And blessed we were able to go twice. 

 

We chose Xpedition over Flora because it was cheaper and because it is licensed for less than half of its designed passenger capacity.  However there is no arguing that Flora is the newer and nicer ship.  I've not heard any complaints about her infinite verandas.

 

How many Club Points do you get per night for the different Flora Sky Suite variants?

Edited May 31, 2023 by mahdnc

[Ken the cruiser]

57 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

We chose Xpedition over Flora because it was cheaper and because it is licensed for less than half of its designed passenger capacity.  However there is no arguing that Flora is the newer and nicer ship.  I've not heard any complaints about her infinite verandas.

 

How many Club Points do you get per night for the different Flora Sky Suite variants?

I know we’re going to be earning 80 pts for our 10-day Dec 2023 land/cruise, which means 8 pts per day for a sky suite, and hopefully an additional 8 pts for Go Green. My guess is, and I hope I’m wrong, but the past increases attached to previous Galapagos cruises prior to cruising starting back up are probably in the past. Here’s what the current CC point breakdown is, and I couldn’t find any exceptions associated with Galapagos cruises. 

 
Inside Cabin: 2 points

Ocean View Cabin: 2 points

Balcony Cabin: 3 points

Concierge/AquaClass Cabin: 5 points

Sky Suite: 8 points

Celebrity/Signature/Royal Suite: 12 points

Edge Villa: 12 points

Reflection/Penthouse/Iconic Suite: 18 points

 

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[mahdnc]

13 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I know we’re going to be earning 80 pts for our 10-day Dec 2023 land/cruise, which means 8 pts per day for a sky suite, and hopefully an additional 8 pts for Go Green. My guess is the past increases attached to previous Galapagos cruises prior to cruising starting back up are in the past.

 

Celebrity has removed the information specific to the Galapagos cruises regarding Club Points. 

 

I know that the Xpedition Suite was and still is 12 points per night (if that is the "increases" you were referring to). It's odd that it's higher than the more expensive Flora regular suites.

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by mahdnc

[Ken the cruiser]

24 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Celebrity has removed the information specific to the Galapagos cruises regarding Club Points. 

 

I know that the Xpedition Suite was and still is 12 points per night (if that is the "increases" you were referring to). It's odd that it's higher than the more expensive Flora regular suites.

 

Like I said, I was hoping I was wrong, and it appears I am with regards to uniquely named cabins like the Xpedition Suite on the Xpedition. I remember when we got 18 pts per day when we were in a RS on the Xpedition back in Nov 2015. It would be interesting to see what the current point structure is if you book a RS on the Xpedition and a RS on the Flora.
 

However, I don’t think they’ll allow us to upgrade to a RS for $650 total from our current SS like they did when we originally booked an OV back then! 😂

Edited May 31, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Shiba_Lover]

I booked a guarantee cabin on Flora for October this year.  I got that for about $3k less than the standard veranda cabin.  This is the 19 day trip package.  We were booked into an infinite veranda cabin ( which is a little more than the regular veranda ones).  My total price for the 10 days was $17k for 2.  It was a good price at the time I booked.

 

Also here's a chat if the points per night by ship for Galapagos.  Also applied to land portion.  

[Ken the cruiser]

6 minutes ago, Shiba_Lover said:

I booked a guarantee cabin on Flora for October this year.  I got that for about $3k less than the standard veranda cabin.  This is the 19 day trip package.  We were booked into an infinite veranda cabin ( which is a little more than the regular veranda ones).  My total price for the 10 days was $17k for 2.  It was a good price at the time I booked.

 

Also here's a chat if the points per night by ship for Galapagos.  Also applied to land portion.  

Thanks!! The person whom you were chatting with didn't by chance give you a Celebrity link for that CC points list did they? But that's OK. We appreciate you posting it. Fascinating, though, that a SS with veranda only gets 8 points while one with an IV gets 12. I'm sure there's Celebrity logic regarding the Flora in there somewhere. Maybe to create an air of motivation for folks to book the "sliding window" cabin that shuts off the AC when open over one with a balcony? 

[Shiba_Lover]

8 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

The person whom you were chatting with didn't by chance give you a Celebrity link for that CC points list did they? 

Sorry - no, I don't have the original link to this.  I can make out the copyright at the bottom is 1/2023 though.  I checked my reservation - and I am getting the 12 per night for all 10 nights.  No idea why an IV room would be more points than a regular veranda when they are so close in price.  Your auto air shut off makes as good a guess as any 😁.  From what I can tell by looking, there is no difference in the actual room on these two, other than Infinite vs regular balcony.

[Shiba_Lover]

8 hours ago, Shiba_Lover said:

I booked a guarantee cabin on Flora for October this year.  I got that for about $3k less than the standard veranda cabin.  This is the 19 day trip package.  We were booked into an infinite veranda cabin ( which is a little more than the regular veranda ones).  My total price for the 10 days was $17k for 2.  It was a good price at the time I booked.

 

Also here's a chat if the points per night by ship for Galapagos.  Also applied to land portion.  

My original post should have been ----> This is the 10 day trip package.  Mistake was it originally said This is the 19 day trip package.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Our TA is going on the Flora on June 11

should be interesting to her review 

[Ken the cruiser]

Does anybody by chance know the phone number and/or email address to contact the Celebrity Galapagos Desk directly, if one still exists after cruising started back up? My DW recently asked our new CVP, our sixth one since cruising started back up, this dietary question:
 

… how do I let the Flora staff know that I have a sensitivity to gluten so they can have some gluten free options on hand. Also, I have acid reflux and need to eat dinner early (I understand dinner is at 8 pm every night) so we will be requesting room service every night for dinner as soon we get back from the afternoon excursion. Do I need to let them know ahead of time about this and if so, how do I let them know?

 

and this was our CVP’s email response today.
 

Apologies for the late reply.  I can not your reservation regarding the request for gluten free and acid reflux. 

 

I am sorry if you received incorrect information for dining but it is open seating from 6:30 Pm to 9pm.

 

We keep getting different answers from non-Galapagos Celebrity reps regarding this issue, so we figured we need to contact the Galapagos Desk directly to hopefully get the correct answer.

[mahdnc]

16 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Does anybody by chance know the phone number and/or email address to contact the Celebrity Galapagos Desk directly, if one still exists after cruising started back up? My DW recently asked our new CVP, our sixth one since cruising started back up, this dietary question:
 

… how do I let the Flora staff know that I have a sensitivity to gluten so they can have some gluten free options on hand. Also, I have acid reflux and need to eat dinner early (I understand dinner is at 8 pm every night) so we will be requesting room service every night for dinner as soon we get back from the afternoon excursion. Do I need to let them know ahead of time about this and if so, how do I let them know?

 

and this was our CVP’s email response today.
 

Apologies for the late reply.  I can not your reservation regarding the request for gluten free and acid reflux. 

 

I am sorry if you received incorrect information for dining but it is open seating from 6:30 Pm to 9pm.

 

We keep getting different answers from non-Galapagos Celebrity reps regarding this issue, so we figured we need to contact the Galapagos Desk directly to hopefully get the correct answer.

 

The Galapagos Desk phone number is 866-973-8466

[didicruiser]

Dining for dinner on the Flora are 7:00pm and 7:30pm. When you board, speak with the dining room Maitre d. They are very accommodating to dietary requests. I do not have the Flora email.

[mahdnc]

If you haven't already, you should definitely check out the "Recently Returned on Flora"  thread pinned at the top of the Flora Roll Calls.  There is a similar (but larger) one for Xpedition which may be useful if you are hunting for information that would be common to both ships.

[mahdnc]

I came across this Galapagos checklist issued by Celebrity: link  Look at the 3rd item listed under the "Double Check" list.

[Shiba_Lover]

19 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Does anybody by chance know the phone number and/or email address to contact the Celebrity Galapagos Desk directly, if one still exists after cruising started back up? My DW recently asked our new CVP, our sixth one since cruising started back up, this dietary question:
 

… how do I let the Flora staff know that I have a sensitivity to gluten so they can have some gluten free options on hand. Also, I have acid reflux and need to eat dinner early (I understand dinner is at 8 pm every night) so we will be requesting room service every night for dinner as soon we get back from the afternoon excursion. Do I need to let them know ahead of time about this and if so, how do I let them know?

 

and this was our CVP’s email response today.
 

Apologies for the late reply.  I can not your reservation regarding the request for gluten free and acid reflux. 

 

I am sorry if you received incorrect information for dining but it is open seating from 6:30 Pm to 9pm.

 

We keep getting different answers from non-Galapagos Celebrity reps regarding this issue, so we figured we need to contact the Galapagos Desk directly to hopefully get the correct answer.

I'm in another group (can't mention it here) for Celebrity / Galapagos - and if it helps to put your wife's mind at ease - several people on the Flora mention they have either a sensitivity to gluten or have celiac disease.  They have mentioned this once onboard and they say the chef takes really good care of them every day, even when making sauces.  

[Ken the cruiser]

4 hours ago, mahdnc said:

I came across this Galapagos checklist issued by Celebrity: link  Look at the 3rd item listed under the "Double Check" list.

Thanks! Hence the reason why we need to contact the Galapagos Desk as our CVP is clueless. 

[CruiseDoc79]

We sailed Flora in a Sky Suite with Veranda in April and had a fantastic time.  Certainly the shore experience would be similar no matter your ship but the Flora definitely felt luxurious, comfortable and exclusive.  Decor and design very reminiscent of Edge-class ships and the entire ship is basically like sailing in the Retreat on E-class, from the decor and service, to space per passenger.  The additional size also means more amenities such as a plunge pool and top deck hot-tub, plus the choice of the main dining room and the al-fresco grill on the top deck for dining under the stars or for spectacular views of the gorgeous Galapagos scenery during the day.  Getting on and off the tenders may also be easier on Flora due to her wonderful aft platform and tenders that have stairs and railings which are especially helpful when the seas are a bit rougher. 

Regarding dining times, I can confirm (as is listed on the program that was posted earlier in this thread) that dinner always started around 7:30pm right after the port talk which generally was held in the lounge at 7pm.  It was open seating, however reservations were required for dining under the stars in the grill restaurant (highly recommended).

I doubt you can go wrong with any of Celebrity's Galapagos fleet but Flora definitely felt special.