16 Day Galapagos and Peru - Tauck & SilverSea VS. Celebrity Flora

[HiroPro]

I was scheduled to go on a 16-day Tauck/Silversea combo vacation in 2025.  Unfortunately, the ship will  now be undergoing maintenance, so the trip was cancelled.  I’ve been on Tauck trips before and I think the services was fantastic.  I “feel” like that combination of Tauck and Silversea would have to be a notch above, however, I recently noticed that Celebrity Flora also has a 16-day package that includes 10 days at sea and the rest on land in Peru/Machu Picchu.  The itineraries look similar and the pricing is almost the same (about $17k/pp).  Since I’ve never done a Celebrity trip that involved a land portion, I have no idea how the hotels and guides compare to Tauck (which were top notch).  Does anyone have any comparative insights that might help me decide if I should snag the Celebrity trip instead, or just wait for another Tauck/SilverSea opportunity?  Thanks!

[mahdnc]

25 minutes ago, HiroPro said:

I was scheduled to go on a 16-day Tauck/Silversea combo vacation in 2025.  Unfortunately, the ship will  now be undergoing maintenance, so the trip was cancelled.  I’ve been on Tauck trips before and I think the services was fantastic.  I “feel” like that combination of Tauck and Silversea would have to be a notch above, however, I recently noticed that Celebrity Flora also has a 16-day package that includes 10 days at sea and the rest on land in Peru/Machu Picchu.  The itineraries look similar and the pricing is almost the same (about $17k/pp).  Since I’ve never done a Celebrity trip that involved a land portion, I have no idea how the hotels and guides compare to Tauck (which were top notch).  Does anyone have any comparative insights that might help me decide if I should snag the Celebrity trip instead, or just wait for another Tauck/SilverSea opportunity?  Thanks!

 

We recently took a Galapagos cruise tour that involved just Quito (we didn't do Machu Pidchu).  I was extremely impressed with the facilities, service, and guiding that was done on our trip.  In Quito, Celebrity used the JW Marriott Hotel which is the same hotel that Silversea uses.(we saw their desk there).  Celebrity Flora is an excellent new-ish ship and compares favorably with Silver Origin.

 

 

[NoWhiners]

1 hour ago, HiroPro said:

I was scheduled to go on a 16-day Tauck/Silversea combo vacation in 2025.  Unfortunately, the ship will  now be undergoing maintenance, so the trip was cancelled.  I’ve been on Tauck trips before and I think the services was fantastic.  I “feel” like that combination of Tauck and Silversea would have to be a notch above, however, I recently noticed that Celebrity Flora also has a 16-day package that includes 10 days at sea and the rest on land in Peru/Machu Picchu.  The itineraries look similar and the pricing is almost the same (about $17k/pp).  Since I’ve never done a Celebrity trip that involved a land portion, I have no idea how the hotels and guides compare to Tauck (which were top notch).  Does anyone have any comparative insights that might help me decide if I should snag the Celebrity trip instead, or just wait for another Tauck/SilverSea opportunity?  Thanks!

 

We did the Flora and Macchu Picchu add-on last July and the hotels we stayed at were 5 star. Really nice and our breakfast and dinners were included. I wish I could remember the names of the hotels. The one in Cusco was an old monastery, the one in Ollantaytambo was on a river, small patios with nice views of the water and there was a walking trail alongside the river.

 

No matter which you pick, you will love it!

[NoWhiners]

Just noticed you also asked abut guides. Our guides were terrific. Took care of everything, if we needed anything they helped and if we didn't want to do something, they had no problem with us staying on the bus or waiting somewhere along the way, to be picked up when the group passed on the way back.

[catspaw1]

We did Peru on our own independent tour. Very easy to do on your own even if you don't speak Spanish although we do. We spent 2 days in MP staying overnight in Aguas Caliente. This was before they instituted the half day only & mandatory guide. We are so glad we went 2 days. The altitude kicked our buttons so we couldn't walk as fast & had to go at a slow pace. You will get more out of the trip, it will be cheaper also, than going with a group  IMHO. We also went to Arequipa  & Colca Canyon. Loved both & far less touristy. Do it yourself!

[PelicanLvr]

Staying at the Sanctuary Lodge at MP is key. 

 

Don't know anything about either trip you are considering, but that is a must-have on a top-quality tour.  It is the only hotel at the top of the mountain at MP so you are first-in at opening before the crowds.  Everyone else stays down the mountain in Aguas Caliente. 

[sippican]

16 hours ago, HiroPro said:

I was scheduled to go on a 16-day Tauck/Silversea combo vacation in 2025.  Unfortunately, the ship will  now be undergoing maintenance, so the trip was cancelled.  I’ve been on Tauck trips before and I think the services was fantastic.  I “feel” like that combination of Tauck and Silversea would have to be a notch above, however, I recently noticed that Celebrity Flora also has a 16-day package that includes 10 days at sea and the rest on land in Peru/Machu Picchu.  The itineraries look similar and the pricing is almost the same (about $17k/pp).  Since I’ve never done a Celebrity trip that involved a land portion, I have no idea how the hotels and guides compare to Tauck (which were top notch).  Does anyone have any comparative insights that might help me decide if I should snag the Celebrity trip instead, or just wait for another Tauck/SilverSea opportunity?  Thanks!

 Are you sure the Flora package has 10 days at sea?Their itineraries are usually 7 day sailings with a 2 or 3 day post/pre. I did do the X MP extension and it was excellent in every aspect.

[HiroPro]

12 hours ago, NoWhiners said:

Just noticed you also asked abut guides. Our guides were terrific. Took care of everything, if we needed anything they helped and if we didn't want to do something, they had no problem with us staying on the bus or waiting somewhere along the way, to be picked up when the group passed on the way back.

Followup question... Did you get Celebrity points for all 16 nights or just the nights at sea? Since these are suites @ 8 point/night, 16 nights would get me into elite/diamond with x/rc. That would be a nice bonus. Thx

[catspaw1]

Pelican, we stayed in Aguas Calientas & took the first bus up in them am each day. No problem.  The sanctuary lodge was significantly higher price than all hotels in Aguas Caliente so we didn't want to spend all that extra money. There was no problem with Aguas Caliente. There was a lot of restaurants & shopping. It was also at a lower altitude which definitely helped a lot. 

[mahdnc]

12 minutes ago, HiroPro said:

Followup question... Did you get Celebrity points for all 16 nights or just the nights at sea? Since these are suites @ 8 point/night, 16 nights would get me into elite/diamond with x/rc. That would be a nice bonus. Thx

Yes. You get Club Points for each night on land or sea at the rate that your cabin is set to earn. You’ll even see that in your projected point total in your Cruise Planner. 
 

You can see that in my screenshot below: Xpedition Suite for 11 nights at 12 points per night. Any bonus points (e.g. double point promotion) will not show in Cruise Planner however. 
 

Edited June 15 by mahdnc

[HiroPro]

12 minutes ago, sippican said:

 Are you sure the Flora package has 10 days at sea?Their itineraries are usually 7 day sailings with a 2 or 3 day post/pre. I did do the X MP extension and it was excellent in every aspect.

Yes, this one is 10+6.  BTW, did you earn Celebrity points for ALL nights, including the extension, or just for 7 nights aboard the ship?

[HiroPro]

Just now, mahdnc said:

Yes. You get Club Points for each night on land or sea at the rate that your cabin is set to earn. You’ll even see that in your projected point total in your Cruise Planner. 

Cool, good to know, thanks!

[sippican]

9 minutes ago, HiroPro said:

Yes, this one is 10+6.  BTW, did you earn Celebrity points for ALL nights, including the extension, or just for 7 nights aboard the ship?

 

What date is that? I know someone who may be interested. THX

[mahdnc]

18 minutes ago, HiroPro said:

Cool, good to know, thanks!

Btw, I agree with @sippican. 16 night MP cruise tour should have 7 nights on Flora. I’m not aware of any 10 night sailing but I could be wrong. 
 

See this link as an example. 7 nights/8 days on Flora. 2 nights pre-cruise + 7 nights Flora + 7 nights post-cruise. 

Edited June 15 by mahdnc

[HiroPro]

7 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

Btw, I agree with @sippican. 16 night MP cruise tour should have 7 nights on Flora. I’m not aware of any 10 night sailing but I could be wrong. 
 

See this link as an example. 7 nights/8 days on Flora. 

It appears you are both correct. I didn't notice the nights in Quito on the front end. I just looked at the disembarkation was on day 10.  

 

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

[mahdnc]

2 minutes ago, HiroPro said:

It appears you are both correct. I didn't notice the nights in Quito on the front end. I just looked at the disembarkation was on day 10.  

 

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

It turns out that all of Celebrity’s Galapagos cruise tours do 2 nights in Quito on the front end of the cruise tour. It’s the post cruise itinerary that differentiates the 10, 11, and 16 night packages. 

Edited June 15 by mahdnc

[NoWhiners]

6 hours ago, HiroPro said:

Followup question... Did you get Celebrity points for all 16 nights or just the nights at sea? Since these are suites @ 8 point/night, 16 nights would get me into elite/diamond with x/rc. That would be a nice bonus. Thx

 

I see others were faster than me to answer, which is great. That's actually good because I wasn't sure of the answer! But, we got 128 points and took the 16 night package; we were in a Sky suite.  So, that's 8 points each night.

 

Only got us to Select, good for you if that get's you to elite and diamond.👍👍