fun_to_travel

My family of four is thinking about our next vacation planned for March 2009. We are thinking about the Galapagos islands. My girls are age 10 and age 15. We like adventure. We like being active. We don't want to sit around. Galapagos is expensive. Do you think it is worth it? Do you think it is good for kids? We are looking at both the Celebrity Xpedition and La Pinta as our ships of choice. We don't want to go on a really small boat because we want to increase the likelihood of other kids being on the boat. La Pinta is very new and I've yet to see any reviews. So should we do galapagos? And would you recommend Xpedition or La Pinta for the trip?
Thanks so much!

SusieQQ

Your family will love it! I went with Lindblad Expeditions on the Polaris and although Lindblad is thought of as being for older adults there were all ages on board including children. It is one of the largest ships in the Galapagos and the staff, food, service, etc. was outstanding.

http://www.expeditions.com/

lifelist

Second the recommendation for Lindblad. They certainly provide enough activities to keep people busy. In addition to the nature walks, there are zodiac cruises, snorkeling, and kayaking. Lindblad pioneered expedition-style cruising in the Galapagos, and they are really very good at it. About the same price as Celebrity.

Also, they do have family-oriented departures with kid-specific activities, so there's an even better chance to see other kids. However, summer may be better to guarantee the presence of other kids. Otherwise, as noted above, the clientele tends to be older than 50.

Oh, and yes, the Galapagos is a great family destination.

atravelynn

If your kids like nature and wildlife, they'll like the Galapagos. Nature is about all there is to look at in the Galapagos, so they would have to remain interested in blue footed boobie after boobie, sea lion after sea lion, and iguana after iguana, with some tortoises thrown in. If they think that stuff is cool, then Galapagos is a paradise.

You could get a DVD from the library on The Galapagos and see what your girls think about it.

You will certainly be active on the trip with a couple of island visits a day and often a snorkel trip. But the hiking is very controlled--no venturing off the paths, no running ahead. The hiking can be very slow because there is so much to see and photograph.

There are special family departures in the North American summer months that would be worth investigating. Those times are also great for visiting the Galapagos because all the species are present. I believe August is a good time for newly hatched birds. I've read this and I saw lots in early Aug. vs. April. Plus it is not so beastly hot in those summer months.

If the girls show enthusiam, it will be an outstanding trip!

fun_to_travel

Thanks so much for the input so far!

SusieQQ

atravelynn's post is exactly why a large ship is best for kids. The Polaris offered snorkling, kayaking, beach time, etc. once or twice a day so there were always active things for kids. But true, the walks are controlled and would not be considered hikes. The kids on our trip were fascinated by the wildlife.

StanKase

Having visited the Galapagos twice, once 15-16 yrs. ago and again 4 yrs. ago I think the trip is worthwhile with the caveat that with children a trip of more thsn 5 nights I think you will be pushing it to maintain their interest unless they really are nature lovers. So go but a trip with a larger group like Lindblad but keep it to 5 days. Then the question is is it worth all that money for 5 days? The answer is up to you or can to combine it with one more destination for 5 days like Peru for there is not much more that we saw in Quito or elsewhere.

fun_to_travel

Great feedback.

Heather49

I just came back from an 8 day trip on a 16 passenger boat with my kids - 13 and 15. There were no other kids and they still loved it all. The crew and guide treated them well and they enjoyed the hiking and snorkeling.

fun_to_travel

Anyone know anything about Celebrity Xpedition versus La Pinta?

Sharonkelly

Just come back from a trip to Galapagos with our 11 year old. It's the most perfect holiday for active keen teens. We travelled on the Santa Cruz and because it was the Easter holidays there were plenty of children on board (most from the US via a tour company called Tauk) although they did say that they do not often have children aboard. The crew are fantastic, very indulgent to children and the naturalist guides could not have been more helpful. Carlos at Magic Globe Travel organised our trip and he thought of everything, from arranging a tour of Quito, to finding us a boat which had the most highly qualified guides and a jacuzzi! The Santa Cruz is a great boat. High end, highly safety conscious, geared towards eco-tourism, lots of fun. The expedition is well organised and most of the time we didn't see anybody else on the islands except our group of nine. I could go on and on but let me know if I can answer any specific questions Oh, March is a good time to go as the blue footed boobies have their young and the marine iguanas are nesting - often right on the path in front of you.

fun_to_travel

Thanks so much.

ggctheworld

We took the Xpedition in Feb 07. The ship and naturalists were excellent. With 2 excursions a day we were kept busy. I think that your children would love it. We can hardly wait for our grandchildren to get to your girls ages so we can do the Galapagos again with them.

NGail

We're thinking of this for Dec.'09 for the whole family - 14 in all. Our youngest grandchild will be almost 8 at that time. Will she be able to participate in the shore activities? How's the weather then and the wildlife sightings? (we're locked into that time cause it's almst impossible to coordinate school calenders from 3 different states!)
Which of the larger ships (@ 75 passengers )offers good naturalists and kid programs but isn't too high end?
Thanks for your suggestions.

vbelyavsky

Hey Sharon can you tell me through which agent you booked your santa cruz trip?

I really love the ship and the itinerary but don't know which tour operator is reliable to book through.

Thanks!