Live - Celebrity Flora 9/1/24 - Slow Boat to the Galapagos

[Rewind]

Most crew seem to be from the area and I think they just rotate between crews A and B (but not all at once).

 

While lunch is a buffet, it isn't like the larger ships with an abundance of choices.  There is normally a chicken, a fish, maybe a beef, some salad and fruit, and a soup or two.  There was pork tacos one day and there was pizza another day, but those are not everyday items.

[Rewind]

DW and I both had the Chicken Chikita but then split for dessert between the churros and the apple pie 

 

 

 

[cruisetonowhere10]

What is the attire on board the ship (evening in particular.) I assume casual, especially after reading your shoe post (awesome btw.) That being said…dinner…shorts, jeans, sneakers, etc? Or do we need to be thinking polo shirts, blouses, dressier shoes? And, same question for the time in Quito as well. Thank you so much! 

Edited September 6 by cruisetonowhere10

[peanut head]

Thank you for taking us along!

 

How is the weather?  Very humid?  Cool at night?

 

Is there any type of dress code or is it casual all day and evening?  Do you stay in shorts at mealtimes?  Any evening events on board? 

[Rewind]

We are in the dry season which leads to cooler weather.  I think we have been super lucky this week as it has been lows of 68 at night and highs of 75 during the day (although it does seem hotter in the sun).

 

My entire wardrobe this week has been quick dry shirts and pants.  No polo or button down shirts, just poly tshirts and some long sleeve rash guards.

 

Attire on-board - casual.  There are no formal nights, some have warn shorts and tshirts to dinner.  This is more of an expedition and not a cruise so it's quite a bit more of "wear what you are comfortable in".  We will change before dinner just so we aren't bringing our excursion smells with us.

 

Attire in Quito was the same. As long as it's clean, I don't think anyone cares.

 

When we go out on excursions, I have been doing lightweight long sleeve and long pants.  Then I don't have to apply so much sunscreen for each excursion.  The only exception for me has been when swimming / snorkeling is involved, then I'll wear my swim gear to hike and deal with sunscreen.

 

If you come during the hotter season, you may opt more for shorts to keep cooler, but just know there hasn't been much shade at all when on excursions.

[Rewind]

Evening events...  Sleep.

 

Two nights ago there was a Karaoke night and I think tonight or tomorrow night there is a silent disco.  Other nights they have been showing some of BBC David Attenborough's Galapagos films.

 

Each night at 7pm is a quick presentation (future cruise) or quiz game flowed by an overview of the next day's excursions.  7:15 is about when you sign up with the naturalists for what excursions you want to join, and then dinner.  By the time dinner is done, it could be 9pm.  And after a full day of active hiking or swimming, most people are ready just to go back to their rooms and sleep.

[catspaw1]

Calicakes, we are booked for June next year & are doing cruise only. We have free miles for airfare & free Marriott stay with points. We will come to Baltra 2-3 days early before the trip. We will Hire a tour guide for Quito. We will also go up to Quito. We are very experienced independent travelers. I'm currently planning our 10 day Spain trip before our TA for November. 

[catspaw1]

Thanks rewind for your very helpful posts. Loved the pictures! Really have loved following along. If you have any more helpful suggestions, like the shoes, that would help. We can't wait to go next year. It was on our bucket list!

[cruisetonowhere10]

4 hours ago, Rewind said:

We are in the dry season which leads to cooler weather.  I think we have been super lucky this week as it has been lows of 68 at night and highs of 75 during the day (although it does seem hotter in the sun).

 

My entire wardrobe this week has been quick dry shirts and pants.  No polo or button down shirts, just poly tshirts and some long sleeve rash guards.

 

Attire on-board - casual.  There are no formal nights, some have warn shorts and tshirts to dinner.  This is more of an expedition and not a cruise so it's quite a bit more of "wear what you are comfortable in".  We will change before dinner just so we aren't bringing our excursion smells with us.

 

Attire in Quito was the same. As long as it's clean, I don't think anyone cares.

 

When we go out on excursions, I have been doing lightweight long sleeve and long pants.  Then I don't have to apply so much sunscreen for each excursion.  The only exception for me has been when swimming / snorkeling is involved, then I'll wear my swim gear to hike and deal with sunscreen.

 

If you come during the hotter season, you may opt more for shorts to keep cooler, but just know there hasn't been much shade at all when on excursions.

This is good news for DH and for packing…we are going in late July so I would anticipate similar weather to some degree. I definitely like to shower and make myself presentable for dinner but nice to know it’s casual and not dressy.

[Rewind]

Carabiners - would be nice to clip shoes to you backpack.  Thought we might need them as an extra security to hold the water bottles in place but they stay in place on their own well.

 

The bathroom has a small blue nightlight under the vanity.  It is just enough so you don't kill yourself in the middle of the night.

 

If you need more light in the bathroom at night and don't want to wake your partner, the vanity magnifying mirror has a light on it (just touch the button on the top).  Enough light to see but not so much that it annoys the person in the bedroom.

 

There are two US outlets on one side of the bed but not the other.  There is one US outlets and a USB type A port on the desk/dresser area.  I brought one 10 foot USB cable to plug into our charging brick next to the bed for the person that sleeps on the other side.

[Rewind]

This morning was the fitness oriented walk.  After the tender ride, we took a quick bus ride to the park where we hiked over a rocky trail to a beach and then up the hill to a lookout at the top.  This is where one of the Darwin statues is located.  Then it was a walk back along the same trail bus back to the pier and tender back to the ship.  It is quick so that those who want to snorkel can make it in time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[calicakes]

17 hours ago, shirazcruiser said:

All cabins are suites…just some are larger and more expensive. How could they price you a package with airfare when flights/prices aren’t available until 330 days out? We’re looking at the Oct 10, 2025 11 night Inner Loop in a Premium Infinite Balcony for just under $22K without airfare. 

I'm not sure.  We booked while on board.  I hope it includes air from LA to Quito.  That was what I understood it to include. 

[calicakes]

as far as extra light for the restroom, I always bring some battery operated tea lights and a set of battery operated fairy lights( I put those in a drinking glass on the desk area for mood lighting). 

[shirazcruiser]

2 hours ago, calicakes said:

I'm not sure.  We booked while on board.  I hope it includes air from LA to Quito.  That was what I understood it to include. 

In the past when we booked a future cruise on board, we received OBC for the sailing...is that what you received for the Galapagos? I read that since everything is included that it would be hard to use OBC.  Thanks for any info you can can provide as I was getting ready to book our Galapagos sailing, but since we'll be sailing on the Apex next month, I could wait to book it then if there is more of an incentive. 

[calicakes]

35 minutes ago, shirazcruiser said:

In the past when we booked a future cruise on board, we received OBC for the sailing...is that what you received for the Galapagos? I read that since everything is included that it would be hard to use OBC.  Thanks for any info you can can provide as I was getting ready to book our Galapagos sailing, but since we'll be sailing on the Apex next month, I could wait to book it then if there is more of an incentive. 

No OBC.  I just checked the invoice.  We did get 750 PP flight credit on Flights by Celebrity from selected gateways.  We're in a sky suite.   Here is what I copied from the invoice.  We put down 2656.00 deposit in Nov 2023.

 

Cruise Fare 16599.00 16599.00 0.00 0.00 33198.00
Flights by Celebrity Promotion with Air Credit up to $750 p/p from select gatewa
20% Savings combinable with Loyalty, and Fly Galapagos
Pre Cruise Package
Post Cruise Package
Vacation Protection Plan(Declined)
Taxes, fees, and port expenses

0.00 -3320.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
120.00
0.00 -3320.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
120.00

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00 -6640.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
240.00
Total Charge 13399.00 13399.00 0.00 0.00 26798.00
Amount Paid 2656.00
Balance Due 24142.00

Final Payment is due by 21 JUN 2025, 5:00 PM EST

[shirazcruiser]

41 minutes ago, calicakes said:

No OBC.  I just checked the invoice.  We did get 750 PP flight credit on Flights by Celebrity from selected gateways.  We're in a sky suite.   Here is what I copied from the invoice.  We put down 2656.00 deposit in Nov 2023.

 

Thanks for taking the time to provide the info.  

Edited September 6 by shirazcruiser

[shirazcruiser]

We were booked on the 16 day Machu Picchu 9-29-24 sailing, but cancelled after reading how exhaustive the trip is since DH is 76 and I'm 67.  After reading your review and how the ship day tours aren't too long... we have not put it back on the schedule for 11 days (minus Machu Picchu because of the long tour days and extra flights).  Thanks for taking the time out of our day to provide beautiful photos and detailed info. 

[Rewind]

After the fitness walk, my DW did the snorkeling.  Today was a good day for it.  While it is deep water, it is in a cove so it is not too choppy.  There was a curious sea lion that was swimming around the group, and a few turtles.  We have some video on the GoPro but no easy way to post it yet (that will need to be a post trip addition).

 

A while after lunch (I'm really not sure why they wait so long) was a trip to the information center and town for some shopping.  I didn't grab a lot of pics here, but it was fun to walk around.

 

 

 

 

 

[aqua]

Thank you for posting the detailed itinerary and stunning photos.  We recently returned from a Smithsonian sponsored tour to the Amazon, Machu Picchu and the Galapagos.  We stayed at a hotel on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos. I am enjoying reading your account of the ship based tour.  

[catspaw1]

Thanks for the pics & TR - very helpful. We were thinking of buying a go pro camera for the trip so please let us know if you think it's worth it & how well the video comes out. I'm afraid we will be more concerned with taking video than just observing the wildlife!  Plus the cameras are not cheap!

[Rewind]

We bought a GoPro 11 package through Costco specifically for this trip.  I think it was on sale at the time and the 12 was already out so it wasn't too bad.  We figured this is one of those once in a lifetime type trips and we wanted to capture it and in respect to the trip cost, it is "cheap" in comparison.

 

I also thought I would be "filming" quite a bit more but really only used it for snorkeling.  One battery was enough for us but I would recommend an external case.  The GoPro is waterproof but the case gives it another layer of protection.  Which is good for us as someone pointed out - their battery door wasn't all the way closed and water got in.  With the extra case, the camera wouldn't fit in with the battery door open so you would know something was wrong.  We got an off brand case that came with color filters that we used for this last snorkel. 

 

The other thing you will need is one of the floaty handles.  You can get them cheap on eBay though.

[Rewind]

Tonight's dinner:

 

 

 

 

[Rewind]

Tonight was the silent disco.  We stopped by for a few minutes.

 

 

[Rewind]

Today is an early start.  8:00am everyone is getting off to do the day of giant tortoises.  More updates later.

Edited September 7 by Rewind

[catspaw1]

Thanks for the info on the gopro. I've been a costco member since 1992 & love the store. I didn't know they sold gopros so I'll look into it. The idea about the second case was great. Thanks for all your posts.