Quito Airport Maintenance, Guayaquil Instead - Origin - Galápagos

[twangster]

FYI

 

Dear Esteemed Guest, 

We are thrilled to welcome you soon to the wondrous unspoiled beauty of the Galápagos and your ultra-luxury voyage aboard the aptly designed Silver Origin. Today, we have important information to share with you regarding your pre-cruise arrangements. 

Recently, we were notified of extensive preventative maintenance operations scheduled for the Quito Airport, affecting flight operations this Fall. As such, you will fly directly to Guayaquil, Ecuador avoiding Quito, and all pre-cruise arrangements, including the Machu Pichu and Cloud Forest land programs, will be conducted now from Guayaquil. 

All guests on a standard Galápagos voyage will now stay at the Oro Verde Hotel, Guayaquil, before their cruise for the same number of overnights previously planned. Silversea has likely already communicated this information via phone. Still, to clarify today, we will also reschedule all transfer arrangements from the airport to the hotel and hotel to the airport for the flight to San Cristóbal to embark on the ship. 

For guests with air travel arranged through Silversea, we will secure new flight arrangements for your arrival in Guayaquil and communicate the updated flight itinerary once the change is made. For guests with independent travel arrangements, please contact your travel professional and/or airline as soon as possible to secure a new flight into Guayaquil. 

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this unexpected situation may bring and thank you for your understanding. If you have any additional questions, don't hesitate to contact your travel advisor or cruise consultant. 

We all look forward to sharing the authentic beauty of this unforgettable region with you. 

Best personal regards, 

Barbara Muckermann
President and CEO

Edited July 25, 2023 by twangster

[FlyerTalker]

Just to clarify - Quito airport (UIO) will be closed for 8 days this fall.  The closure dates will be on all of the Saturdays of September, along with October 14, 21 and 28.  The airport will be open on the other days of the week, and for the time before and after the 8 Saturdays involved.

 

So, if your cruises were on other times of the year, this notice really doesn't apply to you.

 

 

[LAexNY]

6 hours ago, twangster said:

FYI

 

Dear Esteemed Guest, 

We are thrilled to welcome you soon to the wondrous unspoiled beauty of the Galápagos and your ultra-luxury voyage aboard the aptly designed Silver Origin. Today, we have important information to share with you regarding your pre-cruise arrangements. 

Recently, we were notified of extensive preventative maintenance operations scheduled for the Quito Airport, affecting flight operations this Fall. As such, you will fly directly to Guayaquil, Ecuador avoiding Quito, and all pre-cruise arrangements, including the Machu Pichu and Cloud Forest land programs, will be conducted now from Guayaquil. 

All guests on a standard Galápagos voyage will now stay at the Oro Verde Hotel, Guayaquil, before their cruise for the same number of overnights previously planned. Silversea has likely already communicated this information via phone. Still, to clarify today, we will also reschedule all transfer arrangements from the airport to the hotel and hotel to the airport for the flight to San Cristóbal to embark on the ship. 

For guests with air travel arranged through Silversea, we will secure new flight arrangements for your arrival in Guayaquil and communicate the updated flight itinerary once the change is made. For guests with indep

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this unexpected situation may bring and thank you for your understanding. If you have any additional questions, don't hesitate to contact your travel advisor or cruise consultant. 

We all look forward to sharing the authentic beauty of this unforgettable region with you. 

Best personal regards, 

Barbara Muckermann
President and CEO

We stated at the Oro Verde after our Silver Origin cruise last year.  Very nice hotel although not as nice as the Marriott we stayed at pre-cruise in Quito.  Nor was the neighborhood as nice.

[RachelG]

Oro Verde is in a very sketchy neighborhood.  Prostitutes and drug dealers by the dozen right in front of the hotel.  George and I walked around down the malecon during the day, but after dark, very scary place.  I would not be happy.

[twangster]

23 hours ago, RachelG said:

Oro Verde is in a very sketchy neighborhood.  Prostitutes and drug dealers by the dozen right in front of the hotel.  George and I walked around down the malecon during the day, but after dark, very scary place.  I would not be happy.

 

Disappointed but there isn't a lot that can be done about it.    

[bmwix]

Our pre cruise will start Sep 28,2023. very disappointed.  I'm wondering if we still have a night city tour of Guayaquil in stead of Quinto. 

[highplanesdrifters]

23 minutes ago, bmwix said:

Our pre cruise will start Sep 28,2023. very disappointed.  I'm wondering if we still have a night city tour of Guayaquil in stead of Quinto. 

You dont want a night tour of Guyaquil. On our visit last November they canceled all tours and highly discouraged anyone from leaving the ship. You might google what's going on.

[RachelG]

1 hour ago, bmwix said:

Our pre cruise will start Sep 28,2023. very disappointed.  I'm wondering if we still have a night city tour of Guayaquil in stead of Quinto. 

You definitely don't want a night tour of Guayaquil.  See my post below. I was scared riding in the bus to the airport. 

On 7/25/2023 at 6:39 PM, RachelG said:

Oro Verde is in a very sketchy neighborhood.  Prostitutes and drug dealers by the dozen right in front of the hotel.  George and I walked around down the malecon during the day, but after dark, very scary place.  I would not be happy.

 

[bmwix]

Thanks for your reply

Are there much to do during the day and are there restaurants nearby?

[labrasett]

What I can say if it is any consolation to those wishing they were going to Quito  in March in this year our flight arrived around 3pm, we picked up our bags and caught up with a Silversea rep and got into our transport, it took nearly 3 hours to get to the hotel due to the rush hour traffic most of the time we were stationary.  You may be glad you dont have to face that.   Although on the plus side we did have a fabulous day trip out the following day.

[RachelG]

22 hours ago, bmwix said:

Thanks for your reply

Are there much to do during the day and are there restaurants nearby?

Most people just stayed in the hotel.  My husband and I walked to the Malecon, which is not far, during the day, and I felt ok about doing that.  But I am fluent in Spanish and we have traveled in central and South America a lot. 

We didn't see any good looking restaurants--just street food and fast food (McDonalds type). 

The bar at the hotel is nice as is the restaurant, though we have been there twice now, and the last time the dinner was a set menu arranged by Silversea which was not all that good, though we didn't have to pay extra for it.  The first time, we ordered off the regular menu and it was very good. 

[bmwix]

We have flights included with cruise, Our return flight will be at 6am next morning at Guayaquil, According to Silversea, they only give us a day stay at Oro Verde at the end of the cruise. Do we have to book a night stay ourselves or Silversea will do it for us?

[highplanesdrifters]

18 hours ago, bmwix said:

We have flights included with cruise, Our return flight will be at 6am next morning at Guayaquil, According to Silversea, they only give us a day stay at Oro Verde at the end of the cruise. Do we have to book a night stay ourselves or Silversea will do it for us?

You need to call Silversea or your TA.

[bmwix]

Thanks 

[RachelG]

The people who had early morning flights out of Guayaquil had a room provided by Silversea for overnight the two times we have done this trip. 

[drron29]

Probably need to take some extra precautions in Ecuador in the next few weeks. pretty volatile.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/assassination-presidential-candidate-shocks-ecuador-election-2023-08-10/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&utm_term=081023

[highplanesdrifters]

3 hours ago, drron29 said:

Probably need to take some extra precautions in Ecuador in the next few weeks. pretty volatile.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/assassination-presidential-candidate-shocks-ecuador-election-2023-08-10/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&utm_term=081023

Was also going to post this.  Please be careful @bmwix  So sad, Ecuadorians are such lovely people.

[commodoredave]

We did our Silversea Galapagos cruise (on the old ship) and Maccu Picchu trip in December of 2018. We arranged our own air to Quito and arrived a few days early, and were very happy we did. We stayed at the Marriott in Quito (a beautiful hotel), and they arranged a private tour of the city for us. The tour took place on a local holiday, and as customary loads of people cruised around the city on open-bed trucks celebrating -- great fun! 

On a previous South American cruise, we spent a day in Guayaquil, and were not very impressed. Not really much of significant value to see. In contrast, we loved Quito and plan to go back one day. 

All of which is to say, while there is nothing you can do about the change in arrival city, in my view there is a significant difference between the two cities, and it is a shame you will miss Quito.

[cashmeremypuppydog]

Dear husband and I spent 50 days in Ecuador and 10 days in Peru in Oct-Dec 2021.

I booked everything myself. First, we flew to Guayaquil from Canada. We stayed 3 nights at: Hello! Las Peñas Siglo XXI B&B. I would strongly recommend it. I do not like big hotels as it is too impersonal. This small hotel was great. You can walk to all major sights from this small hotel. It is located not far from the gondola. The gondola is a must do. Do a round trip over the water and towards to inland…

Also, in any country, “When the sun goes down, you go down” (from Fluffy goes to India).

https://www.google.ca/search?q=fluffy+goes+to+india&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-ca&client=safari#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:03a9780d,vid:ux8GZAtCN-M

 

 

At the time, we had to get a Covid test showing we were negative to be able to fly to The Galapagos. We were happy when we received the negative result 24 hrs later. 

I had purchased a 15-day luxury cruise from a “cruise consolidator/travel agent” in Quito (when I was in Canada). The flights were included from Ecuador mainland to Galapagos. I wanted to start in Guayaquil and fly back to Quito after The Galapagos. We were only 16 passengers on the catamaran (max capacity). We went to all major islands, no repeat … It was incredible. We were able to do that because of Covid: they were almost giving away the cruises as people were still not travelling a lot. Back then, the same stories of crimes in Guayaquil and riots in the prison were shown on BBC. All because of drugs… If you stick to where you should be (tourist sights), you will not see any crimes. Just be smart & assertive!

 

When we arrived in Quito, I asked the “cruise consolidator/travel agent” to have supper with us. Him & his wife met us at our hotel and we had a lovely time. I love getting to know people who enhance our trips… This is why I go out of my way to promote drivers/guides… that display passion in their work. Rodrigo was one of them…

 

We visited many many cities, towns in Ecuador and I would go back any day. My favorite was 4 nights in the Amazon Forest… For me, it was much better than The Galapagos BUT totally different…

 

We experienced an 7.5 earthquake while in Riobamba (Earthquake occurred in Peru). For ‘Prairie dogs’ (we are from Saskatchewan), it was very scary. I had created my itinerary around Riobamba as I wanted to meet “The Ice Man” (Baltazar Ushca). I had viewed a video online from National Geographic about him and his passion made me want to meet him… https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18161337

See photos below

Ecuador was outstanding!!  As I said, we never had any problems as when the sun goes down, we go down as well! If you don’t want to buy drugs, stick to touristic areas, you will be fine. We visited Quito, Mindo, Papallacta, Coca area, Tena, Banos, Cuenca & Guayaquil. The Ecuadorians were thanking us while we were walking around for visiting their country. This NEVER happened and we almost have visited 100 countries. I am telling you, I loved this trip so much that I would go back tomorrow…

 

Then, we flew to Cusco, Peru. Totally different story with the Peruvians! They would only smile when trying to get $$ from you… After one day, I was missing Ecuador.

Machu Picchu was obviously outstanding. Plus, we were basically almost alone (Dec 2021). We could stop as long as we wanted which was not the case pre-pandemic. We had sunny days for both days at MP. Cusco is lovely. Again, you have to be confident and smart when walking around as anywhere in the world. AGAIN, if you dont want any problems, you follow fluffy (Gabriel Iglesias) advise (shown on above link).

 

Enough for now! I am sure people Will want to comment on my post! Be gentle!

Chantal

Lover of Africa 🦍🦏🦛🐘🦓🦒🦁🐒

 

[cashmeremypuppydog]

On 7/25/2023 at 4:29 PM, LAexNY said:

We stated at the Oro Verde after our Silver Origin cruise last year.  Very nice hotel although not as nice as the Marriott we stayed at pre-cruise in Quito.  Nor was the neighborhood as nice.

I just googled: Oro Verde. Not the best neighborhood! When we took the gondola, we exited in this neighborhood. It was okay as it was 1pm or 3pm BUT I would not have liked to be there around 5-6-7pm when the sun 🌞 goes down!
Google the small hotel we stayed at and you will understand…

[drron29]

We had a great stay in Ecuador before and after our Galapagos cruise.

8 hours ago, cashmeremypuppydog said:

Dear husband and I spent 50 days in Ecuador and 10 days in Peru in Oct-Dec 2021.

I booked everything myself. First, we flew to Guayaquil from Canada. We stayed 3 nights at: Hello! Las Peñas Siglo XXI B&B. I would strongly recommend it. I do not like big hotels as it is too impersonal. This small hotel was great. You can walk to all major sights from this small hotel. It is located not far from the gondola. The gondola is a must do. Do a round trip over the water and towards to inland…

Also, in any country, “When the sun goes down, you go down” (from Fluffy goes to India).

https://www.google.ca/search?q=fluffy+goes+to+india&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-ca&client=safari#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:03a9780d,vid:ux8GZAtCN-M

 

 

At the time, we had to get a Covid test showing we were negative to be able to fly to The Galapagos. We were happy when we received the negative result 24 hrs later. 

I had purchased a 15-day luxury cruise from a “cruise consolidator/travel agent” in Quito (when I was in Canada). The flights were included from Ecuador mainland to Galapagos. I wanted to start in Guayaquil and fly back to Quito after The Galapagos. We were only 16 passengers on the catamaran (max capacity). We went to all major islands, no repeat … It was incredible. We were able to do that because of Covid: they were almost giving away the cruises as people were still not travelling a lot. Back then, the same stories of crimes in Guayaquil and riots in the prison were shown on BBC. All because of drugs… If you stick to where you should be (tourist sights), you will not see any crimes. Just be smart & assertive!

 

When we arrived in Quito, I asked the “cruise consolidator/travel agent” to have supper with us. Him & his wife met us at our hotel and we had a lovely time. I love getting to know people who enhance our trips… This is why I go out of my way to promote drivers/guides… that display passion in their work. Rodrigo was one of them…

 

We visited many many cities, towns in Ecuador and I would go back any day. My favorite was 4 nights in the Amazon Forest… For me, it was much better than The Galapagos BUT totally different…

 

We experienced an 7.5 earthquake while in Riobamba (Earthquake occurred in Peru). For ‘Prairie dogs’ (we are from Saskatchewan), it was very scary. I had created my itinerary around Riobamba as I wanted to meet “The Ice Man” (Baltazar Ushca). I had viewed a video online from National Geographic about him and his passion made me want to meet him… https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18161337

See photos below

Ecuador was outstanding!!  As I said, we never had any problems as when the sun goes down, we go down as well! If you don’t want to buy drugs, stick to touristic areas, you will be fine. We visited Quito, Mindo, Papallacta, Coca area, Tena, Banos, Cuenca & Guayaquil. The Ecuadorians were thanking us while we were walking around for visiting their country. This NEVER happened and we almost have visited 100 countries. I am telling you, I loved this trip so much that I would go back tomorrow…

 

Then, we flew to Cusco, Peru. Totally different story with the Peruvians! They would only smile when trying to get $$ from you… After one day, I was missing Ecuador.

Machu Picchu was obviously outstanding. Plus, we were basically almost alone (Dec 2021). We could stop as long as we wanted which was not the case pre-pandemic. We had sunny days for both days at MP. Cusco is lovely. Again, you have to be confident and smart when walking around as anywhere in the world. AGAIN, if you dont want any problems, you follow fluffy (Gabriel Iglesias) advise (shown on above link).

 

Enough for now! I am sure people Will want to comment on my post! Be gentle!

Chantal

Lover of Africa 🦍🦏🦛🐘🦓🦒🦁🐒

 

We also had a great stay in Ecuador and also cruised on a 16 passenger catamaran, I would do that again rather than on Silversea.

We went to the Napo Wildlife centre in the Amazon and it was fabulous.

[commodoredave]

On 8/12/2023 at 7:14 PM, drron29 said:

We had a great stay in Ecuador before and after our Galapagos cruise.

We also had a great stay in Ecuador and also cruised on a 16 passenger catamaran, I would do that again rather than on Silversea.

We went to the Napo Wildlife centre in the Amazon and it was fabulous.

As long as they serve free champagne and caviar on the catamaran, I can rough it!