Xpedition to Galapagos--fly into Quito or Guayaquil

[RachelG]

I am new to this board as I am a die-hard Regent cruiser, but Regent doesn't go to the Galapagos. So here I am. DH, myself and 17 yr old son are scheduled for the 5/25/08 Galapagos cruise. I always make our airline reservations and am doing so this time, mainly because we have tons of airline miles to use for upgrades or to get the tickets outright, and DH doesn't fly coach.

Anyway, we will fly AA to either Quito or Guayaquil then Tame to Baltra. What are the pros and cons of flying either into or out of Quito vs Guayaquil? I know that Quito is the more historic city with probably more to see, but I have heard that it can get fogged in at night a lot with diversions to Guayaquil. If my plane is going to be diverted to Guayaquil anyway, I would just as soon have that as my final destination. We will fly in a day before the cruise, so I was thinking of maybe flying into Guayaquil then flying out of Quito on the return. That way, we would have part of a day to sightsee in Quito if we wanted. What are your thoughts on this?

[BurBunny]

I actually recommend at a minimum the 10-night Xpedition package which includes pre and post in Quito rather than the cruise-only 7-night package. Trying to make your own way to Baltra is just a pain. Celebrity has the logistics from Quito to Baltra down to a science, and the JW Marriott in Quito is fabulous.

 

Aside from that, I'd recommend Quito in general for quality. In addition, while you're down there with your son, have you considered a side-trip to Maccu Piccu?

[johncruises2]

Rachel,

 

I actually have a client I booked to the Galapagos and he did not want to do the Quito tour and also had tons of miles. He is flying into Guayaquil two days early and booking Tame for his short flight into Baltra and then getting his flight back to Guayaquil. I am working with a gal at Tame airlines as the flights are not in the system for 2008 until Nov/Dec. If you go to the Tame site, you can make a temp. reservation and they send you a email when they are on their system to book. It can be done and just my .02 cents

 

 

John

 

I am new to this board as I am a die-hard Regent cruiser, but Regent doesn't go to the Galapagos. So here I am. DH, myself and 17 yr old son are scheduled for the 5/25/08 Galapagos cruise. I always make our airline reservations and am doing so this time, mainly because we have tons of airline miles to use for upgrades or to get the tickets outright, and DH doesn't fly coach.

Anyway, we will fly AA to either Quito or Guayaquil then Tame to Baltra. What are the pros and cons of flying either into or out of Quito vs Guayaquil? I know that Quito is the more historic city with probably more to see, but I have heard that it can get fogged in at night a lot with diversions to Guayaquil. If my plane is going to be diverted to Guayaquil anyway, I would just as soon have that as my final destination. We will fly in a day before the cruise, so I was thinking of maybe flying into Guayaquil then flying out of Quito on the return. That way, we would have part of a day to sightsee in Quito if we wanted. What are your thoughts on this?

[frankpc]

Rachel,

 

Have to agree with Burbunny ....

We used AA miles to fly to Quito from Miami a day before the Celebrity tour starts. We booked this private tour from Grayline for the first day:

 

http://www.graylineecuador.com/pages/andes_otavalo_market.htm

 

Great intro to the local culture and an opportunity to see the market before the crush of people the next day.

 

If you get diverted flying into Quito the extra day then gives you have plenty of time to catch up. We had a fair number of exhausted folks on our trip, although some got to visit the Panama Canal :-) ....From then on leave it to Celebrity.

 

The only downside to this is the Quito altitude ... we were fine but it does effect some folks.

 

Frank

[RachelG]

Thanks all. I'm glad to hear a few people have done this. I have already been in touch with Tame--they told me pretty much what you said, John, and were really nice. Whichever I decide, Quito or Guayaquil, we will definitely fly in a day in advance. Logistics don't really bother me as we flew all around in Peru last summer, and we have also done this in Belize and had to deal with a little airline that didn't book anything online. At least Tame appears to have a functioning online booking system.

We have been to Machu Picchu already--it was really amazing, and I would go back, but the Cuzco attitude (much the same as the Quito attitude probably) does get to you. I just hate being asked for money every time I step one foot outside the hotel.

[Liat]

We did the air ourselves and flew to Quito the day before. We had no problem with TAME; except that you must arrive at the airport early.

We stayed at a hotel called the Dann Carlton both the day before and the night after our cruise, and it was both very nice and quite reasonable.

[florisdekort]

I actually recommend at a minimum the 10-night Xpedition package which includes pre and post in Quito rather than the cruise-only 7-night package. Trying to make your own way to Baltra is just a pain. Celebrity has the logistics from Quito to Baltra down to a science, and the JW Marriott in Quito is fabulous.

 

I agree. I never book organized tours and always arrange my own flights and hotels, but in this case, Celebrity's 10 day package is by far the best option. With Celebrity, you at least know you won't miss the ship (domestic flights are very unreliable), have access to the VIP lounges at the airports (outside the lounges, it is total chaos), have your luggage taken care of without the risk of it getting lost, have all transfers included, have a way to make it from Baltra Airport to the Zodiac landing point (apart from that, the island is deserted), have a great pre-cruise welcome dinner, etc. I could go on and on. Of the 77 passengers on our cruise, 75 had booked the 10 or 11 night package...

 

Floris

[Roland4]

I agree. I never book organized tours and always arrange my own flights and hotels, but in this case, Celebrity's 10 day package is by far the best option. With Celebrity, you at least know you won't miss the ship (domestic flights are very unreliable), have access to the VIP lounges at the airports (outside the lounges, it is total chaos), have your luggage taken care of without the risk of it getting lost, have all transfers included, have a way to make it from Baltra Airport to the Zodiac landing point (apart from that, the island is deserted), have a great pre-cruise welcome dinner, etc. I could go on and on. Of the 77 passengers on our cruise, 75 had booked the 10 or 11 night package...

 

Floris

 

By all means book the American flights to Quito youself, but book the earlier flight. It is the flight that arrives in Quito around 11:00PM that tends to have problems with fog. There really is no upside to dealing with TAME directly to book your own flights to the islands. The plane is (or was last June) an Airbus A320 and it is all Economy, configured 3/3 across. Wth the Celebrity package there is no standing in line for check-in or boarding passes as it is all done for you in advance. Believe me, you DO NOT want to try and do that yourself if it can be avoided. The airport in Quito isn't too bad, but the airport in Baltra is a zoo and it is not airconditioned. Better to wait in the airconditioned comfort of the VIP lounge.

[EnidSooner]

We did the Celebrity package in February and it was well executed. A number of folks we met did there own bookings which worked ok, but the concensus was the X transfers with Tame were superior. Don't worry about transfers in Quito, just take a cab to the Marriott which by the way is an excellent hotel. You will love this trip and it is worth every penny!