Home From Xpedition

[Roland4]

I said it last week and I will say it again, WOW, what a trip!!!! As a result this is a rather LONG review!

 

Where to begin. I don't like reading "travlegoues" so I will try and keep this in sections and compact.

 

Quito/The Land Portion - Celebrity does this right. We arrived in Quito just after 9:00 local time (one hour behind EDT) and after clearing customs were met by the local rep and escorted to our bus. On the bus we met Fiona (and Mr Fiona) from Scotland who started the Roll Call thread for this trip. The start of a great week of fun and laughter. Check in at the hotel was quick and we were in our room by 10:15.

 

We had been in Quito on a day trip off another cruise in 2002 so the Saturday tour was a repeat for us in most respects, but everyone else we talked to quite enjoyed it. Lunch at The Crater restaurant was excellent. A word of advice to photographers. If the crater of the volcanoe is clear when you get there, TAKE YOUR PICTURES! Twice we have been there and twice the crater filled with cloud before lunch was over.

 

Xpedition - The Cruise - Again, Celebrity does this right. The hotel/airport/ship transfer process in seamless. In spite of the fact our flight was 90 minutes late leaving Quito (mechanical problems) the ship still left on time and we still made the first landing at North Seymour at 4:00. Very impressive in my view. Unpacking, boat drill and the orientation session with Jason were a bit rushed, but it all got done. The "welcoming committee" on the dock at Baltra was also impressive. Six sea lions spread across the benches, sound asleep and oblivious to our presence as we donned our lifejackets for the first of many Zodiac rides to the ship!

 

An island-by-island review would take pages, so here are our highlights, sort of in order.

 

Espanola Island, Suarez Point. - Step off the Zodiac, over the sleeping seal lion, past the land iguanas and you are right in the middle of a sea lion colony on the beach. Taking pictures and video three feet from a mother nursing her pup! Hiking for three hours across volcanic rocks the size of basketballs (more on this later), always watching that you don't step on an iguana, to the Wave Albatross rookery and the "albatross airport" watching the albatross catch updrafts to take off from the top of a 50 foot cliff. Standing two feet from a female Albatross sitting on her nest with her egg. Blue Footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies and Swallow Tailed Gulls everywhere!

 

Santa Cruz Island, Puerto Ayora. - Tuesday morning. There were only 58 of us onboard and 50 of them went to the Highlands to see the giant tortoises. The other 8 of us went to the Darwin Center. The Darwin Center is not as large as I thought it would be but it is still an interesting place. Contrary to other reports of his demise, Lonesome George is still there. He is about 75 years old and Freddy (our naturalist this trip) told us they are trying (using DNA) to find the closest genetically matched female to him in the hope of one day getting him to mate and hopefully "revive" his species. So far no luck with the DNA OR his interest in females. We suggested "Turtle *****". This was also the first snorkelling activity. I don't snorkel (rocks don't swim!), but my wife loved it. She had not been in the water 10 minutes when she had her "Galapagos Moment". A juvenile sea lion nose-to-mask with her!!!

 

Bartolome Island - We climbed all 358 steps to the top. Jason called it the stairmaster activity. What a spectacular view!! As a bonus, we now know what the surface of the moon looks like. According to Jason, Buzz Aldrin called it the closest to the moonscape there is on earth.

 

Fernandina Island - Snorkelling from the Zodiacs. I think there were only 10 of us left on the ship! Sea lions, Galapagos Penguins, and sea turtles. the new underwater digital camera worked well and we have the video clips to prove it. The afternoon hike along the lava fields of Espinoza Point. The largest colony of Marine Iguanas in the islands. Thousands of them!! You really have to watch your step as they blend in with the lava. Sea lions everywhere, especially on the paths! Flightless Cormorants everywhere! A mother and her baby standing in perfect profile with outstretched wings. More pictures from about two feet (see a pattern here?) of another mother on a nest with her eggs. Zodiac back to the boat as the sun set.

 

Santa Cruz Island, Puerto Ayora - To the highlands (just 8 of us, the best way to go!) to see the Giant Tortoises. We saw about a dozen, ranging in size from 200 lbs (the females) to 500+ lbs (the males). An impressive sight. We also saw Mr Fiona (a police Inspector by the way) climb into, and back out of, an empty tortoise shell at the souvenir shop. I still l laugh just thinking about it.

 

Some Random Thoughts

 

Packing - this was/is an ongoing topic of discussion about this cruise. We took drfun48's advice and took half of what we originally planned. We wore everything we took and wore things twice. Frankly nobody notices, or cares, what you wear because we are having too much fun. Some of the women wore skirts to dinner, most didn't. I think everybody wore shorts to dinner at least once, and some every day. Don't sweat the packing. On the other hand, bring comfortable walking shoes/sport shoes, preferably with thick soles. All of the hikes have rugged walking surfaces for some, or ALL, of the trail, and many of the landing areas are slippery.

 

Activities - Don't be scared off by the High/Medium/Low ratings. These have more to do with the length of the hike and the heat than anything else. We had a varied group as far as ages go and everyone went on a "High Intensity" activity at some point. We did them all and loved them all.

 

Weather - We had a sun/cloud mix every day. Some days we had mostly sun, some mostly cloud. The temps were always in the high 70's/low 80's. Other than some light mist we really didn't have any rain to speak of. This is quite common at this time of year according to Jason. We talked to all five of the naturalists and the consensus was that the best time to come for weather is May/June and December/January. For animals, with the exception of the Wave Albatross between January and April, any time is a good time to visit. FYI - our naturalists were Freddy, Willy, Manuel, Jaime amd Ximena. Freddy and Willy left with us on Sunday for vacation. All five of them were great!

 

New Itinerary - I spoke to Jason for about 15 minutes on Thursday and he believes the changes will make for a "better" cruise. The changes start with the July 3 cruise. The principal changes are;

 

- consolidating the two half days in Puerto Ayora into a full day on the Saturday. They are hoping to add an all day hike to the Highlands that would include lunch.

- a full day at Floreana dropping the Post Office Box and adding new snorkelling, particularly at the Devil's Crown Islets.

- a change to the order of visits on the remaining islands and replacing Tagus Cove on Isabela (the park is closing the site) with Elizabeth Bay and whale watching.

 

Dry Dock - the ship goes in for the month of September. They will be adding a new reverse osmosis filtering system that will generate drinkable water (though it won't be used for that) as its end product. The computers will be moved from the current location in the lobby outside Guest Services to a permanent location in the Discovery Lounge to the left of the stage. For those interested, the computers are/will be WiFi but I have no iedea if the network is strong enough to use your own laptop in your cabin. Frankly I don't know why anyone would want to bring a laptop. You won't have time to use it anyway (IMHO).

 

Other Stuff - We had a suite on Deck 5. While it's nice to have the balcony (they are wide but not deep), the cabins are not that much bigger and, for what they cost, you really don't spend much time there.

 

We had a small but varied group on this cruise with a number of children from (too) young to teens. Frankly (I emphasize - IMHO) this cruise is probably wasted on children under the age of ten. The activities, especially the hikes, are long and there is little to do to occupy the short attention span of a young child. According to Jason, if you want to avoid kids (and let's face it, so people do) then avoid the obvious school break periods, especially July/August and December.

 

That covers most things, though I know I have left out a lot. If anyone has specific questions, please ask and I will do my best to provide answers.

 

Larry

[Mysteryreader]

Thanks for the review, Roland. We're booked for the 12/3/06 cruise and are counting the days.

 

An on-going thread on our roll call concerns footgear. For wet landings do you think you need foot protection or are sandals/bare feet fine?

 

M/R

[deec]

thanks for the great review...especially the update on the new itinerary.

I keep asking the question....did you have anyone in your group Scuba dive or just snorkel?

 

What type of underwater digital camera did you purchase? We have a new SLR digital and are considering buying a underwater housing for it?

 

Thanks for answering the lonesome george demise question...someone had just tole me this weekend that they had heard he was dead.

[Roland4]

Mysteryreader - we bought Teva's for this trip and they were more than sufficient. "Wet Landing" is a bit of a mis-nomer in that it applies to beach landings. They run the Zodiac as far on to the beach as the tide will allow and you go over the side. We did three and the water was never more than about mid-calf. Most people did them barefoot. A couple of the wet landings also include a hike and the Teva's were fine for that as well. The heavy-duty hikes that really need good walking shoes were all dry landings.

 

deec - there were only about three people interested in SCUBA so they were out of luck. Apparently you have to be certified to a fairly high level and be able to prove it. All but about ten of us snorkelled and there was plenty of opportunity for that. It sounds like there will be more snorkelling on the new itinerary.

 

The camera is a Pentax OptioWPI digital. It is certified as waterproof to 5 feet, which was more than sufficient for snorkelling. It worked well, took video (with sound) underwater and is small enough that it doesn't get in the way. My wife wore it on a tether around her neck in the water. It also works really well on dry land.

[Dorothy & Morty]

I said it last week and I will say it again, WOW, what a trip!!!! As a result this is a rather LONG review!

 

Where to begin. I don't like reading "travlegoues" so I will try and keep this in sections and compact.

 

Quito/The Land Portion - Celebrity does this right. We arrived in Quito just after 9:00 local time (one hour behind EDT) and after clearing customs were met by the local rep and escorted to our bus. On the bus we met Fiona (and Mr Fiona) from Scotland who started the Roll Call thread for this trip. The start of a great week of fun and laughter. Check in at the hotel was quick and we were in our room by 10:15.

 

We had been in Quito on a day trip off another cruise in 2002 so the Saturday tour was a repeat for us in most respects, but everyone else we talked to quite enjoyed it. Lunch at The Crater restaurant was excellent. A word of advice to photographers. If the crater of the volcanoe is clear when you get there, TAKE YOUR PICTURES! Twice we have been there and twice the crater filled with cloud before lunch was over.

 

Xpedition - The Cruise - Again, Celebrity does this right. The hotel/airport/ship transfer process in seamless. In spite of the fact our flight was 90 minutes late leaving Quito (mechanical problems) the ship still left on time and we still made the first landing at North Seymour at 4:00. Very impressive in my view. Unpacking, boat drill and the orientation session with Jason were a bit rushed, but it all got done. The "welcoming committee" on the dock at Baltra was also impressive. Six sea lions spread across the benches, sound asleep and oblivious to our presence as we donned our lifejackets for the first of many Zodiac rides to the ship!

 

An island-by-island review would take pages, so here are our highlights, sort of in order.

 

Espanola Island, Suarez Point. - Step off the Zodiac, over the sleeping seal lion, past the land iguanas and you are right in the middle of a sea lion colony on the beach. Taking pictures and video three feet from a mother nursing her pup! Hiking for three hours across volcanic rocks the size of basketballs (more on this later), always watching that you don't step on an iguana, to the Wave Albatross rookery and the "albatross airport" watching the albatross catch updrafts to take off from the top of a 50 foot cliff. Standing two feet from a female Albatross sitting on her nest with her egg. Blue Footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies and Swallow Tailed Gulls everywhere!

 

Santa Cruz Island, Puerto Ayora. - Tuesday morning. There were only 58 of us onboard and 50 of them went to the Highlands to see the giant tortoises. The other 8 of us went to the Darwin Center. The Darwin Center is not as large as I thought it would be but it is still an interesting place. Contrary to other reports of his demise, Lonesome George is still there. He is about 75 years old and Freddy (our naturalist this trip) told us they are trying (using DNA) to find the closest genetically matched female to him in the hope of one day getting him to mate and hopefully "revive" his species. So far no luck with the DNA OR his interest in females. We suggested "Turtle *****". This was also the first snorkelling activity. I don't snorkel (rocks don't swim!), but my wife loved it. She had not been in the water 10 minutes when she had her "Galapagos Moment". A juvenile sea lion nose-to-mask with her!!!

 

Bartolome Island - We climbed all 358 steps to the top. Jason called it the stairmaster activity. What a spectacular view!! As a bonus, we now know what the surface of the moon looks like. According to Jason, Buzz Aldrin called it the closest to the moonscape there is on earth.

 

Fernandina Island - Snorkelling from the Zodiacs. I think there were only 10 of us left on the ship! Sea lions, Galapagos Penguins, and sea turtles. the new underwater digital camera worked well and we have the video clips to prove it. The afternoon hike along the lava fields of Espinoza Point. The largest colony of Marine Iguanas in the islands. Thousands of them!! You really have to watch your step as they blend in with the lava. Sea lions everywhere, especially on the paths! Flightless Cormorants everywhere! A mother and her baby standing in perfect profile with outstretched wings. More pictures from about two feet (see a pattern here?) of another mother on a nest with her eggs. Zodiac back to the boat as the sun set.

 

Santa Cruz Island, Puerto Ayora - To the highlands (just 8 of us, the best way to go!) to see the Giant Tortoises. We saw about a dozen, ranging in size from 200 lbs (the females) to 500+ lbs (the males). An impressive sight. We also saw Mr Fiona (a police Inspector by the way) climb into, and back out of, an empty tortoise shell at the souvenir shop. I still l laugh just thinking about it.

 

Some Random Thoughts

 

Packing - this was/is an ongoing topic of discussion about this cruise. We took drfun48's advice and took half of what we originally planned. We wore everything we took and wore things twice. Frankly nobody notices, or cares, what you wear because we are having too much fun. Some of the women wore skirts to dinner, most didn't. I think everybody wore shorts to dinner at least once, and some every day. Don't sweat the packing. On the other hand, bring comfortable walking shoes/sport shoes, preferably with thick soles. All of the hikes have rugged walking surfaces for some, or ALL, of the trail, and many of the landing areas are slippery.

 

Activities - Don't be scared off by the High/Medium/Low ratings. These have more to do with the length of the hike and the heat than anything else. We had a varied group as far as ages go and everyone went on a "High Intensity" activity at some point. We did them all and loved them all.

 

Weather - We had a sun/cloud mix every day. Some days we had mostly sun, some mostly cloud. The temps were always in the high 70's/low 80's. Other than some light mist we really didn't have any rain to speak of. This is quite common at this time of year according to Jason. We talked to all five of the naturalists and the consensus was that the best time to come for weather is May/June and December/January. For animals, with the exception of the Wave Albatross between January and April, any time is a good time to visit. FYI - our naturalists were Freddy, Willy, Manuel, Jaime amd Ximena. Freddy and Willy left with us on Sunday for vacation. All five of them were great!

 

New Itinerary - I spoke to Jason for about 15 minutes on Thursday and he believes the changes will make for a "better" cruise. The changes start with the July 3 cruise. The principal changes are;

 

- consolidating the two half days in Puerto Ayora into a full day on the Saturday. They are hoping to add an all day hike to the Highlands that would include lunch.

- a full day at Floreana dropping the Post Office Box and adding new snorkelling, particularly at the Devil's Crown Islets.

- a change to the order of visits on the remaining islands and replacing Tagus Cove on Isabela (the park is closing the site) with Elizabeth Bay and whale watching.

 

Dry Dock - the ship goes in for the month of September. They will be adding a new reverse osmosis filtering system that will generate drinkable water (though it won't be used for that) as its end product. The computers will be moved from the current location in the lobby outside Guest Services to a permanent location in the Discovery Lounge to the left of the stage. For those interested, the computers are/will be WiFi but I have no iedea if the network is strong enough to use your own laptop in your cabin. Frankly I don't know why anyone would want to bring a laptop. You won't have time to use it anyway (IMHO).

 

Other Stuff - We had a suite on Deck 5. While it's nice to have the balcony (they are wide but not deep), the cabins are not that much bigger and, for what they cost, you really don't spend much time there.

 

We had a small but varied group on this cruise with a number of children from (too) young to teens. Frankly (I emphasize - IMHO) this cruise is probably wasted on children under the age of ten. The activities, especially the hikes, are long and there is little to do to occupy the short attention span of a young child. According to Jason, if you want to avoid kids (and let's face it, so people do) then avoid the obvious school break periods, especially July/August and December.

 

That covers most things, though I know I have left out a lot. If anyone has specific questions, please ask and I will do my best to provide answers.

 

Larry

Hi Larry,

Your detailed description of our future August trip made my day!! Thanks so much. I am kind of worried about the slippery conditions although I have hiking shoes, tevas, and sneakers. I'm not sure what kind of excursion I'll select, but it sounds like what you saw was the best. My husband, Morty, will probably want to do all too. Thanks for discussing clothing, packing issues. I'll have to rethink some of my packing to get rid of a few things before the trip. Did you purchase anything at the Marriot?

We plan to buy bottled water there right away before getting to the ship.

We are both very excited and can't wait till Aug. 4th.

Sincerely,

Dorothy & Morty too:) :) :)

[Babo02]

I'm over 60 years old and had very little problem. There was one area where I was a bit concerned about falling and hadn't taken a walking stick, but it was just for a few feet and Willy, the naturalist, helped me keep my footing. There will always be someone to give you a hand if you feel a little uncomfortable.

 

Bonnie :)

[Dorothy & Morty]

I'm over 60 years old and had very little problem. There was one area where I was a bit concerned about falling and hadn't taken a walking stick, but it was just for a few feet and Willy, the naturalist, helped me keep my footing. There will always be someone to give you a hand if you feel a little uncomfortable.

 

Bonnie :)

Thanks so much, Bonnie. Would a cane do instead of a walking stick? I've seen hikers use walking sticks. I can't wait to meet Willie! :)

Dorothy & Morty:) :)

[Babo02]

There are containers full of walking sticks in the area where you don the life preservers and climb into the zodiacs. The daily updates will tell you when you need the walking stick, but in my case, I forgot. All of the naturalists are kind and helpful, not just Willy. Jaime helped a friend when she was having difficulty and I'm sure the others are every bit as helpful. The naturalists work a 4-weeks-on and 2-weeks-off shift, so you never know who will be there when you are but you can be assured that they will be terrific.

 

Bonnie :)

[drfun48]

Hi Larry,

Your detailed description of our future August trip made my day!! Thanks so much. I am kind of worried about the slippery conditions although I have hiking shoes, tevas, and sneakers. I'm not sure what kind of excursion I'll select, but it sounds like what you saw was the best. My husband, Morty, will probably want to do all too. Thanks for discussing clothing, packing issues. I'll have to rethink some of my packing to get rid of a few things before the trip. Did you purchase anything at the Marriot?

We plan to buy bottled water there right away before getting to the ship.

We are both very excited and can't wait till Aug. 4th.

Sincerely,

Dorothy & Morty too:) :) :)

No need to buy bottled water--it's everywhere--free,from the tour buses to the Xpedition.

[drfun48]

Great report. How many nights did you eat outside? Wasn't the star gazing great?

I'm glad my packing advice worked out for you.

[Roland4]

Dorothy & Morty - let me confirm drfun's comment about water. The Marriott supplies two bottles of water every day and if that isn't enough there is water in the mini-bar in the room and the shops in the shopping area off the lobby. There is always water available on the tour bus. Once on the ship, the water from the tap is perfectly safe to drink but has a bit of a chlorine taste. There were 6 bottles of water in the room fridge, which the stewardess restocked regularly and there is always bottled water available at the bar in the Discovery Lounge. Keep in mind Xpedition is a small ship and there is not a single place on the ship that is more than a 30 second walk from anyplace else. If you happen to run out of bottled water in your cabin, it's real short walk to the bar.

 

drfun - Thanks for your packing advice. It worked out perfectly. We heard a lot of people comment that they had overpacked! We had dinner under the stars Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with the star gazing Tuesday night. Yes it was incredible. Never did I ever think I would be on a cruise ship with all of its forward lights (including the navigation lights - we were at anchor) turned off to improve the star gazing!! Its just one of those things they can do in the Galapagos. They also had the ship's hull spotlights on Tuesday night. At one point we had six sea lions, at least eight sharks of various sizes and a couple of pelicans all chasing a school of flying fish right beside the ship!!!!

[Kamper]

Larry, Thanks for taking the time to post. In your comments about Espanola you mention walking on a trail with large rocks and say "more on that later" but, I don't see where you elaborate. Did you find the footing difficult? When you ate dinner on deck was it warm enough to wear shorts? I hope they do add some snorkeling at the Devil's Crown. From what I've read it supposed to be great place to see critters.

 

Did you notice if anyone got sick while on board?

[katiekatie]

Larry,

Thanks for taking the time to post your wonderful trip report. We're booked next June and after reading your report I'm even more excited to go. When I talked to the Xpedition desk the guy said to buy a cheap pair of sandles with open toes and heels for water landings due to the sand being 'like flour' ... is this correct and something we need to go out and find?

Since this ship is so small if there was something small to take to the ships staff as a 'thank you' do you have any suggestions as to what that should be. Maybe something small they don't have access to easily.

By the way - did you try the Blue Footed Booby drink? I read about it on another post and have the Captain's Club Desk e-mailing the ship for the recipe ... crazy isn't it!

Katie

[Babo02]

It was a light blue colour and one day half the passengers were drinking it. They also have a red-footed booby drink, but I didn't try it. If you get the recipe would you mind posting it? Don't know why I didn't ask while on the cruise; guess I was having too much fun and forgot.

 

As far as shoes go, if you own Crocs they're perfect. One entire family was wearing their Crocs and found them very comfortable for getting around.

 

Bonnie :)

[cruisePRN]

I loved my trip to the galapagos on X. I bought aqua shoes at target for a whopping $5 and was glad to have them for the wet landings.

[Roland4]

Kamper - I should have been a bit clearer on the trail and the footwear. The trail on Espanola is composed entirely of black volcanic boulders the size and shape of an oversized football. It's not overly hard to walk on but you do need to be constantly looking where you are placing your feet. Partly because of the rocks, but also so that you don't step on a sea iguana!!! While some people did the walk in open shoes/sandals you really do (IMO) need good walking/sport shoes to protect your feet and ankles. Since some of the trails and landings can be wet and a bit slippery, something with a thick, treaded sole would be ideal. Hiking boots would be a bit of overkill and would take up a lot of your 30 lb luggage limit! To your other questions, it was always warm enough for shorts and, to the best of my knowledge, nobody had sickness problems.

 

katiekatie - For the wet landings all you need is something that can get wet and will dry well. Most people did them barefoot and carried sandals/tevas for wear on the beach and/or hike. We bought tevas for the trip and they worked just fine. They are lightweight and take up next to no room in a suitcase. As to a thank you gift, I find cash works. I really can't think of anything else. Being a non-drinker, I will bow to Bonnie's expertise on the Blue Footed Boobie. I must admit I don't recall seeing it on the cocktail list, but then I didn't look that closely either.

[Kamper]

Thanks for the clarification. I won't be one of those in sandals on the trail. I will be wearing my hiking boots to support my bad ankles. The way to get around the weight problem is to wear them on the plane. We camp and hike several times a year so, my feet and boots are well aquainted. I also like the protection that the heavy sole gives the bottom of your feet.:) I'll probably wear my Tevas on the wet landings and then change into my boots.

 

I asked about the shorts because, some people commented that it was chilly on deck at night. If not then I may try to get night and day use out of a couple pairs of shorts to cut down on what I have to bring.

[drfun48]

Thanks for the clarification. I won't be one of those in sandals on the trail. I will be wearing my hiking boots to support my bad ankles. The way to get around the weight problem is to wear them on the plane. We camp and hike several times a year so, my feet and boots are well aquainted. I also like the protection that the heavy sole gives the bottom of your feet.:) I'll probably wear my Tevas on the wet landings and then change into my boots.

 

I asked about the shorts because, some people commented that it was chilly on deck at night. If not then I may try to get night and day use out of a couple pairs of shorts to cut down on what I have to bring.

When we were there last July the temps in the evenings were in the low 60's and there was a breeze.Most wore long pants,some were in shorts,many wore sweatshirts,windbreakers or light sweaters,but you don't have to take an assortment--no one is going to fine you for repeats.

Also the "Hot" drinks when we were there were the Caipirinha(potent) and the Chocholate milk shake,followed by the Peach Daquiri and the Raspberry Margaritas and the Mudslide.

[Roland4]

drfun's comment triggered something I had forgotten. All of the naturalists said that the weather does get cooler in July, August and September. Their explanation was that the Humboldt Current, which starts in Antarctica, and the Equatorial Current (which is a deep water current) really start to affect the archipelago then. The days and evenings are cooler and there tends to be more misty-type rain. As I recall this tends to affect the outer islands (Espanola, Floreana and Isabela) the most. The upside to this is that the cooler water means more food in the water and therefore all of the animal populations are more active. Of course the naturalists also said there is a La Nina happening in the South Pacific this year and it always does strange things to the weather in the islands.

[DGF]

Great write up

 

For our contact info, If you google DGF Group, Markham you will find our real estate development office

 

DEAN

[tjcox9]

Thanks for the great review of the Xpedition. We and some friends are booked on a January 09 trip and it's great to get all this helpful info.

 

We're just curious if there are onboard photographers such as larger ships have. My guess is that they don't due to limited space for production, but have never seen the topic discussed.

[drfun48]

Thanks for the great review of the Xpedition. We and some friends are booked on a January 09 trip and it's great to get all this helpful info.

 

We're just curious if there are onboard photographers such as larger ships have. My guess is that they don't due to limited space for production, but have never seen the topic discussed.

 

No formal photographers,but the naturalists shoot many candids of you ,mostly on excursions.

[tjcox9]

Thanks for the info on the photos. Are the naturalist shots provided at no charge. If not, what is the cost.

 

Thanks

[Roland4]

Thanks for the info on the photos. Are the naturalist shots provided at no charge. If not, what is the cost.

 

Thanks

Surprised the heck out of me to see this thread resurrected! Obviously it was two years ago, but back then, everyone was given a DVD with a "slide show" of a selection of the naturalists' pictures. There was also a DVD that had ALL of the pictures but I don't recall if that was free or if we paid for it. I suspect drfun (who has been back since) will be able to tell you.

[Roland4]

Great write up

 

For our contact info, If you google DGF Group, Markham you will find our real estate development office

 

DEAN

 

Not quite neighbours, but close. We have friends who live in your area. We are over by The Village Grocer in "Greater Downtown Unionville"!:D

 

Larry