LIVE(ish) Xpedition - Quito and Galapagos November 11, 2023

[prmssk]

2 hours ago, cgolf1 said:

 

So even for the deep water snorkels you can get the snorkel vest? I am an ok swimmer, but can't float or tread water, as my body naturally sinks. Even as I have aged and not as lean as I was I still sink. Having the snorkel vest would give me the extra comfort to do those excursions.

Yes, even for the deep water snorkel, they have snorkel vests to give you a little more flotation. 

[prmssk]

53 minutes ago, countess5 said:

Very much enjoying your thread and all you are sharing, thank you for taking the time.

 

I have done a 48 day live and know it takes time but with your schedule it is even more of a chore but I am sure an enjoyment.

 

The night skies must be amazing. I remember being on the Big  Island in Hawaii back in the day and looking up to the sky, breath taking. I read somewhere on CC threads that there is an APP ( of course there is an APP for everything) that you point to the sky and it tells you what you are looking at. One that gets high reviews is Star Tracker Lite-Live Sky Map.

 

If anyone knows of others please share. 

 

Cheers! 

I have SkyView Lite on my phone that seems to work fine.  I just didn't think to take it out at 4:30 a.m. that one morning I was up.  Last night was pretty cloudy.

[GottaKnowWhen]

55 minutes ago, countess5 said:

...The night skies must be amazing. I remember being on the Big  Island in Hawaii back in the day and looking up to the sky, breath taking. I read somewhere on CC threads that there is an APP ( of course there is an APP for everything) that you point to the sky and it tells you what you are looking at. One that gets high reviews is Star Tracker Lite-Live Sky Map.

 

If anyone knows of others please share. 

...

Sky Guide

Not only the stars and planets, but it nicely traces the outlines of the figures in the sky so you can see e.g. what Hercules looks like. 

[mahasamatman]

6 hours ago, prmssk said:

Elite benefits (like laundry) do not apply on the Galapagos ships.

 

See https://www.celebritycruises.com/ca/faqs/galapagos-cruises. Elites get free laundry.

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by mahasamatman

[countess5]

2 hours ago, prmssk said:

I have SkyView Lite on my phone that seems to work fine.  I just didn't think to take it out at 4:30 a.m. that one morning I was up.  Last night was pretty cloudy.

I should of known someone like you an adventure nature enthusiast would have something! 

 

Cheers! 

[Ken the cruiser]

6 hours ago, prmssk said:

Elite benefits (like laundry) do not apply on the Galapagos ships.  

 

I overheard someone else yesterday say they were pleasantly surprised they got free laundry.  Before this cruise, I had heard other reports of others in any suite getting free laundry.  The welcome letter we received seems generic as it says "We are pleased to advise you that Celebrity Xpedition provides our suite guests with a one complimentary laundry bag per person (up to 20 pieces per bag), between Sunday and Thursday from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m."

From what I can tell on the X website, if you are on the Xpedition and are in a Junior Suite or higher, you get 2 bags of laundry.

 

 

Celebrity Xpedition: Deck Plan & Amenities | Celebrity Cruises

 

[calicakes]

We booked the Flora 2 weeks ago, while on board Eclipse and while we will be Elite, the Future Cruise sales person told us that everyone on Galapagos expedition trips gets free laundry.  Don't know if that is true.   We prefer our own laundry detergent, so I will bring those Eco sheets with me and throw one in the bag and request they use that. 

[Lastdance]

What a fabulous adventure, not to mention that this experience will be remembered forever.  Your photos are perfectly captured and full of expression.  Thanks for sharing all of this with us...

[prmssk]

24 minutes ago, mahasamatman said:

 

See https://www.celebritycruises.com/ca/faqs/galapagos-cruises. Elites get free laundry.

 

 

 

Interesting.  I don't recall seeing that extensive of a FAQ for the Galapagos prior to the cruise.  Somewhere I had read that Elite laundry isn't available on the Galapagos cruises plus a number of people had reported being told the same.

 

In practice, it does appear that they are pretty liberal with their complimentary laundry on these ships though.  I've seen reports that vary from everyone gets it to all suites (but not ocean view cabins) get free laundry.  Especially since it is listed on the FAQ you linked, I'm sure you won't have any issues if you talk to them.

 

The staff really do work so hard to help you out and I don't yet know what the system is to charge you for the very limited extras that exist.  I was in the shop yesterday wanting to buy a coffee mug.  I was encouraged to just take the mug with me as it was the last one.  The crew member didn't ask for my name or cabin number but mentioned something about invoicing us on Thursday.  It was a strange experience just taking something from the shop without paying for it.

[GottaKnowWhen]

18 minutes ago, prmssk said:

... I was in the shop yesterday wanting to buy a coffee mug.  I was encouraged to just take the mug with me as it was the last one.  The crew member didn't ask for my name or cabin number but mentioned something about invoicing us on Thursday.  It was a strange experience just taking something from the shop without paying for it.

You are in the Penthouse Suite. You are one of 40± passengers. You have been onboard since Saturday. They know who you are!

[prmssk]

11 minutes ago, GottaKnowWhen said:

You are in the Penthouse Suite. You are one of 40± passengers. You have been onboard since Saturday. They know who you are!

I realize.  (Although I think it is our age that makes us stand out even more than the penthouse.)  🙂  It doesn't make it any less weird though.

[prmssk]

This morning we were at Bartolome Island.  Our first morning excursions were a "long, steep walk "to the top" with a dry landing or a zodiac ride.  This is the site of one of the most iconic Galapagos landscape scenes and so we had to hike to the top.  This entire hike was on a wooden boardwalk and wooden steps.  I think they said it was about 360 steps to the top but I didn't count.  Building standards aren't quite the same here as each step was a different height and depth and the boards were inconsistently spaced (and some a bit loose).  Handrails varied in height.  So it took a little more concentration to pay attention to where we were going but it was worth the hike.

 

This island is one of the younger islands (at about 50,000 years old) and so has very limited vegetation and some unique lava formations.  

 

 

 

 

The Flora was in port with us today.  This was our first (and probably only) chance to see her.  According to one of the guides, she does a very similar itinerary to the Xpedition, just one day behind.  This stop gave us some great chances to take photos of the ships.

 

 

 

 

The second excursion of the morning was a deep water snorkel.  Water was calmer today and the water clearer.  We saw so many different kinds of colorful fish, a large male ray, and several white tipped reef sharks which was quite the experience!

 

Here are a few videos from this snorkel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on board, Darwin's Restaurant had a Tex-Mex lunch buffet and then we pulled up anchor and continued on to our next port with a plan to circumnavigate the island of Daphne Major before our afternoon excursions.

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

59 minutes ago, calicakes said:

We booked the Flora 2 weeks ago, while on board Eclipse and while we will be Elite, the Future Cruise sales person told us that everyone on Galapagos expedition trips gets free laundry.  Don't know if that is true.   We prefer our own laundry detergent, so I will bring those Eco sheets with me and throw one in the bag and request they use that. 

According to the X website it is, even for us in the cheapest Flora sky suite with veranda cabin.

 

Celebrity Flora Sky Suite with Veranda - Cruise Ship Suite on Celebrity Cruises

[GottaKnowWhen]

Speaking of your (very fine) photography and the equipment you're using...

I went back and checked what I had done in 2018. Full-frame (Pentax K-1) and three lenses: 15-30mm for 7% of the shots, 24-70 for 10% of the shots, and the remaining 83% with 70-200. Of those with the 70-200 lens, about half were at 200mm, the remaining scattered across that full range.

I was more focused on wildlife other than birds: this was one of my favorite shots:

Waiting for Momma

 

[prmssk]

10 minutes ago, GottaKnowWhen said:

Speaking of your (very fine) photography and the equipment you're using...

I went back and checked what I had done in 2018. Full-frame (Pentax K-1) and three lenses: 15-30mm for 7% of the shots, 24-70 for 10% of the shots, and the remaining 83% with 70-200. Of those with the 70-200 lens, about half were at 200mm, the remaining scattered across that full range.

I was more focused on wildlife other than birds: this was one of my favorite shots:

Waiting for Momma

 

Great photo!  

[dani negreanu]

On 11/14/2023 at 6:51 PM, Shiba_Lover said:

Enjoying your report - fun to relive the experience.  Thanks for taking the time / effort to write it up each day!

 

 

+ 1 👍 🙏   @prmssk

[mahdnc]

3 hours ago, prmssk said:

This morning we were at Bartolome Island.  Our first morning excursions were a "long, steep walk "to the top" with a dry landing or a zodiac ride.  This is the site of one of the most iconic Galapagos landscape scenes and so we had to hike to the top.  This entire hike was on a wooden boardwalk and wooden steps.  I think they said it was about 360 steps to the top but I didn't count.  Building standards aren't quite the same here as each step was a different height and depth and the boards were inconsistently spaced (and some a bit loose).  Handrails varied in height.  So it took a little more concentration to pay attention to where we were going but it was worth the hike.

 

This island is one of the younger islands (at about 50,000 years old) and so has very limited vegetation and some unique lava formations.  

 

 

 

 

The Flora was in port with us today.  This was our first (and probably only) chance to see her.  According to one of the guides, she does a very similar itinerary to the Xpedition, just one day behind.  This stop gave us some great chances to take photos of the ships.

 

 

 

 

The second excursion of the morning was a deep water snorkel.  Water was calmer today and the water clearer.  We saw so many different kinds of colorful fish, a large male ray, and several white tipped reef sharks which was quite the experience!

 

Here are a few videos from this snorkel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on board, Darwin's Restaurant had a Tex-Mex lunch buffet and then we pulled up anchor and continued on to our next port with a plan to circumnavigate the island of Daphne Major before our afternoon excursions.

 

 

Not stopping at Bartolomé Island is the one thing I do not like about the Southern Loop.  You took a nice photo of it. Your weather looked great, too—at least photographically. 

[Mariettte]

7 hours ago, countess5 said:

 

 

The night skies must be amazing. I remember being on the Big  Island in Hawaii back in the day and looking up to the sky, breath taking. I read somewhere on CC threads that there is an APP ( of course there is an APP for everything) that you point to the sky and it tells you what you are looking at. One that gets high reviews is Star Tracker Lite-Live Sky Map.

 

If anyone knows of others please share. 

 

Cheers! 

Sky View Lite is another one, I use it all the time. I have been thinking how I would love to see those dark starry skies! I think a Galapagus cruise is out of my reach but next April we are doing the TP from Sydney to Hawaii so hopefully an opportunity there.

[calicakes]

4 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

According to the X website it is, even for us in the cheapest Flora sky suite with veranda cabin.

 

Celebrity Flora Sky Suite with Veranda - Cruise Ship Suite on Celebrity Cruises

We booked Room 526!!  

[prmssk]

This afternoon we circumnavigated Daphne Major Island.  It is a small island where they are doing a lot of research (especially related to Darwin's finches) and so have significantly limited the number of people who can visit.  Besides the topography, with a pair of binoculars, you could see some interesting birds.

 

Daphne Major Island

 

Nazca Booby

 

Galapagos Cactus with a few Nazca Boobies

 

Red-billed Tropicbird

 

Magnificent Frigatebirds (this is a male)

 

We then stopped at Bachas Beach, on Santa Cruz Island which was a wet landing.  The options were a beach walk or time on the white sandy beaches to swim or snorkel.  We took the beach walk hoping to find Flamingos but unfortunately, were not successful.  The beach (away from where people could swim) was full of turtle tracks as this is a popular nesting site.  Our naturalist shared that for about six months of the year during prime egg laying season, naturalists camp on the beach so they can monitor the nests. 

 

 

Great Blue Herons (a bird I have many photos of from home but figured I should take one from the Galapagos)

 

More Magnificent Frigatebirds (another male)

 

Blue-footed Booby fishing

 

Black-winged Stilts

 

And more Brown Pelicans (a bird we saw at just about every stop)

 

There was a future cruise talk before our evening briefing which we did not attend.  We did show up for the briefing so we could hear about tomorrow's excursions and sign up for them.  Our Excursion Director convinced me to sign up for one final deep water snorkeling which will be the fifth deep water snorkeling excursion I have done this week.  That's a lot of snorkeling for me but I probably will only be here once.

 

Tonight, we were in and out of dinner in half an hour which was really nice.  Here is the menu.  The Sea Bass Ceviche was very good.  My husband really enjoyed the Garlic Prawn Penne Pasta.

 

 

 

I understand there is a dance party starting soon but we are going to bed early instead.  Tomorrow there is the hope to see nesting Frigatebirds and mating Blue-footed Boobies.

[Beachlover1989]

6 hours ago, mahdnc said:

Not stopping at Bartolomé Island is the one thing I do not like about the Southern Loop.  You took a nice photo of it. Your weather looked great, too—at least photographically. 

What is special about Bartolome Island that you feel you are going to miss?

[mahdnc]

38 minutes ago, Beachlover1989 said:

What is special about Bartolome Island that you feel you are going to miss?

There is an awesome view of the island from a high vantage point that is often photographed. Here is a link to see the photos. 
 

Another iconic landscape view is Darwin’s Arch although unfortunately the arch collapsed in 2021. I don’t know which itineraries, if any, visit Darwin’s Arch which has fantastic snorkeling and diving. 

[MBP&O2/O]

Another good Star Viewing App is STELLARIUM. 

[gardenbunny]

Thank you thank you thank you!!!  We are splurging and doing the Flora Galapagos with Machu Picchu May 10-26, 2024.   So excited.  Very experienced travellers having done 2 World Cruises (northern and southern hemispheres), but this might be the most spectacular.

I am a before travel researcher, wanting to learn about everything to see, do, what not-to-miss, etc.  I have just started looking on the web to find info, and decided to check CruiseCritic.  What a treat to find your incredible post!!  

Your pictures are NatGeo worthy!  You have a gift.  Has got me even more excited - 176 days to go.

And we live in Atlanta so hearing about your flights was a bonus - we booked our trip on-board a Celebrity Alaska cruise August 2022.  It was a deal - 20% off and included free RT air from your home city.

You have answered so many of my questions.  I will get my pad and pen and make numerous notes.

Cannot wait to read your final summary.  Continued safe travels.

[prmssk]

Today might have been the highlight of the trip.  It's funny how when you think it can't get any better, it does.  After breakfast in our suite, we headed out on the long walk on North Seymour Island.  It was a dry landing that looked a bit tricky but the naturalists and zodiac staff are amazing at making sure each passenger gets off safely.  The other options included a short walk and then a short zodiac ride or just a wildlife zodiac ride.  Jorge, the naturalist we had on yesterday afternoon's excursion strongly encouraged us to take the long walk and he was definitely right.  The best part was the portion of the walk those on the short walk did not do, nor could it be seen from a zodiac.

 

North Seymour Island is an island where Frigatebirds (both Great and Magnificent Frigatebirds) and Blue-footed Boobies made, lay eggs, and raise their young.  We saw the Blue-footed Booby dance, a mating dance.  And we saw the male frigatebirds with their red pouch blown up like a balloon.  We also so so many babies.

 

First, here was the landing.

 

 

 

Female Great Frigatebird (see the "white tie" on her chest)

 

Female Magnificent Frigatebird (see the "black tie" on her chest)

 

Juvenile Great Frigatebird (yellow/tan head)

 

Baby/juvenile Magnificent Frigatebirds (pure white heads) with mom (white on chest) or dad (all black)

 

 

Male Frigatebirds in mating (have a huge red pouch) - it is hard to tell the Great Frigatebirds from the Magnificent Frigatebirds in the males.

 

 

Blue-footed Boobies (chicks, eggs, and parents) - the second photo has a set of twins.  It is very rare for both babies to survive (they lay two eggs).

 

 

 

 

There were also Galapagos Sea Lions on the beach including two pairs of mom and baby.  The first photo with the very dark baby is only about 2 weeks old.

 

 

 

 

This first excursion ran a little long so I didn't have much time to change for the last deep water snorkeling excursion.  I had almost thought about skipping this one but Cristina, our excursion director encouraged me not to.   I'm glad I didn't.  There were so many colorful fish.  Here are a couple of videos I took plus a great selfie of me snorkeling!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This might be a good spot to share a few photos of the back part of the ship where all the snorkeling gear is located and where you embark and disembark.   There is a small platform at water level where passengers get on and off the zodiacs.  On that level are hoses to rinse sand off your shoes and feet.  Anytime you have been on land, it is required that you rinse at least the bottoms of your shoes (for a dry landing) or your entire shoes and feet (for a wet landing).  This rinse step is skipped after deep water snorkeling.  Then you climb a set of stairs where there is a mat of disinfectant for the bottoms of your shoes that you step in as one more way to make sure you aren't carrying anything from island to island.

 

On this deck is where all the life jackets, snorkel equipment and wet suits are stored.  Hangers with your cabin number are on one side for the wetsuits.  And hooks with your cabin number for your bag of snorkel equipment are in one of two places.

 

Life jacket racks - a naturalist is always ready to hand you one and collect yours at the end.  This photo also shows a couple tan colored bins where clean beach towels are kept for you to grab on your way out.  They also usually have a stack of smaller foot towels for wet landings and those who plan to change their shoes.

 

Snorkel bags for the 500 and 600 cabins.  Each person is issued a bag, mask and snorkel, pair of fins, and if you choose, a snorkel vest.

 

The 400 snorkel bags with all the wet suits behind.

 

A closer look at those snorkel bags and then the wetsuits behind them.

 

After each snorkel, you remove everything personal from your snorkel bag (cameras, towels, etc.) and with just the snorkel equipment inside, you dip your entire bag into the tub labeled "bags" to rinse them.  Your wetsuit gets dipped into the tub labeled "wetsuits" to rinse it before hanging it back up.  This photo also shows the walking sticks that are available for your use on excursions.

 

After each excursion, Cristina, our excursion director, was always there with her iPad checking everyone in so they make sure no one gets left behind.  From there, we would climb to deck 4 and at the Beagle Grill would be snacks and drinks.  There was always a dairy free option for me (there was also always a gluten free option) so they take care of those with special needs.

 

On days where I still had more excursions and didn't want to shower too many times, I would often stop at the rain shower outside the hot tub on deck 6 to rinse myself before heading back to my cabin.

 

It is almost time for the excursion briefing and then dinner.  I'll continue with the day's events later this evening.