Galapagos Islands MV Santa Cruz ship

Old Jun 18th, 2009, 09:12 AM
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Galapagos Islands MV Santa Cruz ship

Has anyone been on the MV Santa Cruz? I am considering a Globus tour which includes 4 days crusing the Galapagos Islands on this ship. Any input would be much appreciated.
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Old Jun 19th, 2009, 10:54 AM
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My daughter and I went on the five-day, four-night cruise in September 2008.

We pride ourselves on being very independent travelers and like to make our own arrangements to be certain that we get the best prices and get to do the activities that we want. We were a little hesitant to commit ourselves to sharing a boat with ninety other people; we had never been on a multi-day cruise before. However, we really wanted to visit the Galapagos Islands and managed to book quite a bargain. We were extremely surprised by how wonderful every aspect of our trip was.

We flew to Guayaquil from the US using AA frequent flyer miles; we were not able to get seats on flights to Quito and knew that we had to fly through Guayaquil so we decided to go to Guayaquil and save Quito for another trip. We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Guayaquil for two nights before and after our cruise. The hotel was much nicer than the typical US Hampton Inn. Breakfast was included in the rate. Our room had two queen-size beds, a lovely bathroom, and great television. The hotel staff was fantastic and extremely helpful. Our special rate for our second stay was supposed to include two tours and a dinner. Because of national elections, one of the tours was not available so the staff booked us a private tour and comped lunch and dinner.

We booked our cruise through Columbus Tours in Quito. Metropolitan Tours was the comapny that coordinated our cruise on the Santa Cruz. We were transported by Metropolitan Tours from our hotel to the Guayaquil Airport. Our bags were checked for us and our boarding passes were provided by the tour representative. Our cruise group was accompanied on the flight by another representative who escorted us through inspection at the Galapagos Airport to our ship.

We were greeted on the ship with drinks and snacks. We had a twin cabin on the main deck. Our cabin had two beds, storage space, a desk, and a small bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower. We were provided three meals each day. Snacks were available at no charge (pop corn, cookies, and water). We even received a few free alcoholic drinks. The food was quite tasty and the portions were not American-sized (we are not big eaters and hate to see food wasted). Breakfast and lunch were buffet-style. Dinner was served each evening with a choice of two or three entrees (usually a beef or pork dish, a seafood dish, and a vegetarian dish). Soft drinks were $2 each and beer, wine, and mixed drinks were quite reasonable.

The ship had a hot tub on the upper deck. The upper deck was a great place for star-gazing. It had lots of space and comfortable chairs and recliners. The main deck had a small library with two computers with internet and email available.

We were provded with a schedule of activities for every day along with advice regarding clothing, shoes, and activities. We were also briefed about the island we would be visiting. We were divided into groups of ten or less and assigned a naturalist;l we had Walter who was absolutely the best! Our group consisted of nine Americans and one Englishman. Groups were assigned based on language and length of cruise.

We were awoken early every morning and ate breakfast. We then visited one island and returned to the ship for lunch. During lunch, we travelled to our next destination. Each afternoon we would visit a second island or location. We travelled from the ship to our destination in zodiacs or pangas (small rubber boats).

On our first afternoon, we visited a small island where we hiked for about three hours. We saw a flamingo, different types of iguanas, lots of birds, and amazing scenery.

On our second day, we cruised around the shore and saw penguins mating, pelicans, sea lions, and other animals. We climbed to one of the highest points in the Galapagos. We also snorkled from the beach (some people had sea lions join them; we were not so lucky). That afternoon, we visited a second island and saw marine iguanas, sea lions, sea turtles, a Bright's whale, and lots of other animals.

Day three was similar to day two; we saw blue-footed boobies, pelicans, nursing baby sea lions, and iguanas. We had another snorkeling opportunity - either from the beach or farther in the ocean. For non-snorkelers, a glass-bottom boat was available to view sharks, sea stars, and lots of fish.

Day four was spent visiting the giant tortoises. We had lunch at a restaurant in a rain forest on the island.

We also visited the Darwin Center and some exhibits. Sorry that I do not have my notes; I'm remembering as many details as I can.

My daughter brought a wetsuit but did not need it for snorkeling close to the beach. Wetsuits were available for a small charge. Snorkel gear (masks, snorkles, and fins) was free.

The naturalists were wonderful! The crew on the ship were friendly and helpful. All of the service people were fluent in English and Spanish; some were also fluent in German.

We had a spectacular time and highly recommend this trip.
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Old Jun 20th, 2009, 05:48 AM
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Thank you, Dorothy, for your reply. I appreciate the details of your trip. It sounds as though you and your daughter had a wonderful time. Our tour will be in February and I am hopeful that we will see as many animals as you did. I wonder if you might provide a bit more information on the condition of the MV Santa Cruz. Was it clean and in good condition? Did you feel the dining facilities and kitchen were clean? I have been on small river cruise ships in both Egypt and China in recent years and felt that they were tattered, threadbare and in need of a thorough cleaning I am a bit concerned about the MV Santa Cruz given the photos I have seen. I would appreciate your comments. Thanks again, Dorothy.
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Old Jun 22nd, 2009, 08:22 AM
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Our cabin was cleaned daily; fresh towels were provided every day and also as needed.

The dining room was clean and sanitary. Towards the end of our cruise, some of the fruit available on the breakfast buffet was looking a tad over-ripe; however, everything else was served fresh.

The main room where we met for briefings was quite clean; I did not see anything messy or objectionable.

We did not use the hot tub so cannot comment on that. The upper deck where the hot tub was located was clear of dirt and sand. The lounge chairs were plastic and were also clean.

The ship is not new and did show some wear and tear. The crew were diligent about keeping things neat and clean.

The other people in our group did not complain about the condition of the ship. Our group consisted of professional people who were well-travelled and included two veterenarians, an attorney, an architect, a nurse, and a financial manager.

I've read where February is a better month to see animals. We were fortunate that we had such a great naturalist who really tried to point out as many animals as possible. We did see sea lions (they are everywhere), seals, sea turtles, blue-footed boobies, penguins, sharks, dolphins,one whale
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Old Jul 2nd, 2009, 12:34 PM
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Hi Papillon,

It's a little late based on when you initially asked this question, but I wanted to share this guide on some of the best cruises in the Galapagos for anyone who comes after to this post looking for info. It's written by one of Ruba's professional travel writers. This doesn't mention the MV Santa Cruz, but I have heard only great things about that particular one! And I do know that lots of tour companies use the MV Santa Cruz so I think you'll enjoy it!

http://www.ruba.com/guide/Denis_Houd...apagos_Ecuador

At any rate, I hope this is helpful to anyone deciding which ship to take. Have a great trip!

Best,
Erin

Community Manager, Ruba
www.ruba.com
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