wkwb42a

My husband and I are planning a trip to the Galapagos in April. We are considering the Celebrity Xpedition 7 night cruise, with 2 nights in Quito both before and after the cruise. We are also considering Lindblad. Has anyone been on either of these? We would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Any other alternatives? We would appreciate any info on the topic. It is difficult to choose. Thanks so much in advance.

Carole

Percy

I went on the luxury yacht , the Isabella II and it was just fantastic.

It is a 40 passenger Yacht.

I have the name and e-mail of the fellow who operates a tour company out of Quito, and he booked everything for me .

Because he is based out of Quito he knows all the good deals that come up.

He also booked me for 4 days in Quito prior to the Galapagos and got a private tour guide for me,for the 4 days I was there.

I was a bit apprehensive at first...but the whole trip went smooth as silk!!!

would you like his e-mail address.?

wkwb42a

We are from NJ, the metropolitan NYC area. How did you fly to Quito? Some of the routes look rather curcuitous, and so it would be time-consuming to get there. Yes, we would like the email address. Thank you so much!

How were the accomodations on the yacht? How was the food and wine? Were there kayaks? Anything else you can think of that might be important? I assume that the group size that went out each day on the zodiacs was limited to about 10 to 14, acc. to regulations? How were the naturalists? Age of yacht? Thank you again. Also, when did you go?

Percy

I flew from my home city to Houston Texas and then from Houston straight to Quito.

The yacht accomodations were terrific...better than I had on some cruise ship.

Yes, About 10-12 went on the zodiacs,we had dry landings and wet landings.

The Naturalists were all University Graduates with degrees in Zoology and Marine Biology...they were excellent and very knowledgable.

I do not know the age of the Yacht but it sure looked new to me. It was spit and polished to a "T".

On your behalf I e-mailed the Travel Agent in Quito , as I have not e-mailed him this year.... we usually exchange greetings at Easter and Christmas,and during the summer.

In my room there were two singe beds and a large window...the bathroom was very neat.

I went 3 1/2 years ago.

e-mail me at [email protected]

and I will send you some inside pictures of the yacht.

Hopefully Martin ( Agent in Quito) will e-mail me tomorrow.

I will send you a picture of Martin also.

SusieQQ

I went with Lindblad and it was absolutely outstanding. They are very organized and had great food. I can't say enough good things about them.
I am also from New Jersey. I flew to Miami where a Lindblad representative met us.

Louise

I went with Lindblad also with an extension to Peru. Both were fantastic. There were only 20 who continued on to Peru and we stayed in absolutely top of the line accomodations. I don't see the Polaris any more though and I think the extension might just be with the Endeavor. I would have a tendency to choose the smaller ship "Islander" but either would be great.

wkwb42a

Percy, SusieQQ, and Louise - thank you so much for your helpful and prompt replies. We are undecided between Isabella II, Lindblad, and Celebrity Xpedition.

Does anyone know about the Celebrity Xpedition? Has anyone been on it? It sounds similar to Lindblad, except that they don't have kayaks. We are afraid that if we book our airfare through Celebrity, we might get flights with huge layovers, which would make our total flight time 18 hours or so.

Percy

wkwb42a

I can only say what I did.

I let Martin book my whole trip in Quito and the Galapagos.

Martin said to me "You just get down here and I will handle everything else ...and boy did he ever ".

So I then booked my flight on my own ,arrived in Quito and had a private driver and guide waiting for me at the airport. !!

Then for the next 4 days ,they toured us all over Quito and the countryside.

When it came time to go to the Galapagos,the driver and tour guide drove us to the airport and stayed with us right up to the point where we went through security....

I though we were just going to be dropped off at the airport
so how nice it was that they just sat and talked with us..and

when it was time to go through security, Carlos was right beside me, ... right at the entrance I was prepared to open my suitcase, but Carlos knew her and said a few sentences in Spanish and she just motioned me through...

I felt very important but on the flight to the Galapagos I thought to myself....hmmm, what if I had "something" in my suitcase.

I can only send you pictures of the Isabella II....perhaps other can tell you more about the other two Yachts ,which I am sure are equally as good.

heyjude2919

Percy, I have read many of your posts when planning different trips and really appreciate your input. I am hoping to do that trip in 2010.Could you post the email of the travel agency or Martin? I like warm wter but not sweltering hot. I am thinking Jan or Feb. What do you think? When was your trip and what was the weather like? thanks

Percy

Hi my trip was in August of that year, and the weather was great.

The birds were both nesting and hatching.

We had no rain and the cruising from Island to Island was seamless !

I do not think there is a bad time to go to the Galapagos.

I am waiting for the e-mail reply from Martin, he must be away for the weekend.

If I do not hear from him in the next few days...I will give you his e-mail for sure.

heyjude2919

Thanks, I checked out Isabella II on google. It looks like a lovely small ship....but pricey like all of them.

Percy

Probably more pricey now than when I went.!

I remember Martin e-mailing me and saying, "if you can go next month , I have a real deal on the Isabella II...they have one cabin left."

I said " Book it Dano " (Like in Hawaii Five -O) !!

heyjude2919:

Here is a summary of the weather;

<b> January </b>.. This is the start of the warm season and also the rainy season.

The temperature is going to rise until June and then the cooling starts.

<b> February </b>.. if you are into diving or snorkeling, the water temperature is at it's highest in mid April.

<b> March: </b> ..During the month of march the rainy season is at its peak,but then so is the temperature ( 85F to 95 F), alos the Islands are most lush now !

<b> May and June </b> .. weather is slowly cooling a bit , no more rain and dryness is setting in.

<b> July and August </B>.. These are the two windiest months but the weather is nice and comfortable.

<b> August</b> ..The temperature is very comfortable now, birds are nesting and hatching, however if you want to swim or snorkel...the water temperature is at its coolest now (70 degrees F ,down from almost 80 F in February !!)

<b> September ,October , November </b> You get strong currents and the water can get a bit rough..this is due to the Humboldt current coming in from the south.

<b> December </b> Ahh!!! Christmas in the Galapagos..a nice time to go, before the rainy season and the start of the very warm season !!

But like I said , There is not a bad time to go to the Galapagos !!

here is the e-mail for Martin Slater:

[email protected]

heyjude2919

Thanks so much for the email and all the info. I'll have to give some thought as to when to plan to go. Decisions, decisions, decisions!!! Thanks again!

Percy

well heyjude2919 : You have a choice to make... as to when to go.

I virtually had none... as I had about 5 weeks to book a flight , pack and do a little research.

Good Luck