Galapagos cruise questions
 

My husband and I are thinking about a cruise to the Galapagos islands. I'm currently looking at the Celebrity ship the Xpedition and my questions are-if you've gone what ship would you recommend and what type of people are on the ship. I've read a bunch of reviews on cruise critic and they seem like they're all from senior citizens. no offense to seniors, I think as a couple in our 30's we might enjoy spending time w/couples our own age while cruising. TIA

We sailed on the Xpedition a couple of years ago and highly recommend it. The approximately 80 passenger's average age was around 40, from young children to senior citizens. The land/sea package is excellent, pre and post cruise stays in Quito (with full day tour) most meals at the Quito Marriott, air to/from Quito/Galapagos and all alcoholic beverages on board the ship. The daily excursions were broken down into three activity levels; "low" "medium" and "high" intensity, so you can be as active or inactive as you like. The food on board the ship was pretty good, although not up to the usual Celebrity standards. The cabins were very comfortable, the naturalists were knowledgable and the sailing was very smooth. The snorkeling was great; not so much for the topography or water clarity, but for the ability to interact with the seals and to actually be in the water with penguins! I have four albums of our trip to the Galapagos; posted at www.sceneisle.myphotoalbum.com (one of Quito, one of the Xpedition and two of the Galapagos).

When I (active seniors) first decided to go to Galapagos, the selection of which ship to be on seemed daunting. In the end, it seems to me it is a personal choice, since most ships have much the same itinerary. We had good experience with Celebrity in North Europe, but felt in this case we wanted a smaller ship.
The book by Barry Boyce, "The Travelers Guide to The Galapagos Islands" was an invaluable source to help me dedcide what size boat I wanted. I encourage you to get a copy and give it a read.
After much research, a process of elimination, and other sources, surfing the internet, soul-searching, etc., we ended up on Linblad Islander, with about 48 passengers. Leave in a month. Can't wait, and I will file my reports here.
PS: I think you'll find all age groups on whatever boat, including kids of all ages.

I just loved the Polaris with Lindblad. There were all ages..from pre-teens to one 80+.

I did the Polaris with Lindblad, and at least for my departure, the average age was just a bit north of 50. In general, when you book with Lindblad, they'll tell that the average age is above 50 on most of their excursions. The vast majority are also college educated, quite active, and very interested in natural history and ecology. Most are seasoned travelers, as well.

I think it'll depend on when you go, as well. I imagine that during the summer you'll get more families and thus a broader range of ages. I went in November, so no kids. It was also a photo-oriented trip, so I think that brought the average age down to around 50.

The more active the trip, the younger the crowd. The comment about avoiding school holidays to avoid the really young crowd is correct.

If you choose to do the most active daily options offered by the larger ships, those options will attract more fit and likely younger people.

Ironically on my last Galapagos trip, the youngest person (about 32) sat out the most excursions due to bruises, sunburns, various owies, etc. I was late 30s and early 40s when I went.

The company I’ve gone with does longer trips of 11 days in the islands (13-14 days total) and offers what is probably the most active option you will find. Their Darwin trip includes a good deal of hiking but not at the expense of visits to the unique wildlife. As a result you are really moving. I’ve done two of their other trips, but would like to do the Darwin trip some day. I would choose a time for hiking-intensive Darwin trips other than April or May when it is so hot.

Here is the link to the company I used, Galapagos Travel.
http://www.galapagostravel.com/itineraries.html

It really depends. There aren't any young boats or middle-aged boats. It really depends. I've been a few times and so you really can't say for certain. However, if there are younger people, then chances are they'll be with their parents owing to the financial strains of a trip to the islands! However, as someone said, the more active it is, the younger the crowd will be but don't let that be your only indication.

I would say go for a larger boat because then you'll have a better chance of meeting people your own age but in my experience, larger boats aren't better value and they tend to skimp on certain facilities plus you lose the intimacy if you're exploring the islands in a massive group.

I used Jaguar Touring for my Galapagos trips as I'm really big into Eco Tourism and these guys are pretty much the only tour company that actually gives a damn about their impact on the environment. www.jaguartouring.com. Safe travels, Joe

>they tend to skimp on certain facilities plus you lose the intimacy if you're exploring the islands in a massive group.<

I beg to disagree..all groups have to be 15 or less so you are never exploring the islands in a massive group. Also what facilities would be skpped on a large ship...I went on Polaris and I can't image what facilities were missed...it was a fantastic experience!

My family and I went on a Galapagos cruise on the Letty, one of the Ecoventura boats and a sister ship to the Flamingo and the Eric.

3 out of 4 members of my family and 7 out of 22 people on the boat contracted a stomach virus with symptoms including fever, diarrhea and vomiting.

I would stay away from those boats.