I am torn between two yachts for a Galapagos cruise in May 2011. I am interested in visiting Genovesa Island and both the Isabella II (Metropolitan Tours) and the Athala (galapagosislands tours) go there on an 8 day cruise. Can anyone recommend one of these boats over the other? Has anyone had experience with these two tour companies?
I am also weighing the pros and cons of the 16 (Athala) versus 40 (Isabella) passenger size. Does anyone have comments?

Thank you

www.cruisecritic.com

Best non-biased info about local cruise boats.BE CAREFUL everywhere especially TripAdvisor where "DE" agency owner tout re-seller with for profit motives give you incorrect/biased advice.

The Nina and the Athala are the only two high end catamarans cruising the Galapagos Islands. They are both new boats and offer great itineraries.They each have an on-board bilingual Cruise Director, which is something that most other small boats don´t offer in Galapagos.

www.galapagosXpedtions.com

www.saexplorers.org are

2 good sites for me to find best price

DEEP discounts for some voyages.

For value www.gotmyfare.com

the Legend packages from $2k all in

For true upscale at great value

Celebrity Xpedition from $3K on www.priceline.com

Linblad/National Geo very best but quite pricey.

Many local agency owners middlemen/resellers
book you at $350-500/day resell you from $35-50
pocketing a nifty up to 90% profit so book as direct
as you can.

Another scam they run is hiking up airfares to you
because of "no international connections" In truth
there are 3 carriers now serving GYE GPS LOTS
of flights available from $100-150 per leg all in
on sites like www.farecompare.com

So Caveat Emptor!

(and do lots of careful research so as not to get scammed)

Happy Hunting,
resell you

www.saexplorers.org/clubhouses/quito for precise cruise links

www.galapagosXpeditions.com sorry missed an i...

Have fun prospecting www.insuremytrip.com

always wise,

I can't comment specifically on the boats you're considering. But personally, I always recommend smaller boats (e.g.,16-passenger) over larger boats. The intimate experience we had on the 16-passenger Tip Top II was absolutely wonderful. You can really get to know the entire group as well as the crew (which I found a special treat). Of course, if there's a person or 2 you aren't that fond of, you don't really have anywhere to hide. ;-)

A 40-passenger boat isn't as large as some, and you'll have at least 3 naturalist guides if the boat is full since the Park requires 1 naturalist guide for every 16 passengers. So on the positive side, you can probably find a guide that fits your style and the groups have the opportunity to sort themselves out a bit more than the "all-for-one" approach required on a 16-passenger boat. Some people report that more time is spent in transporting people to and from each landing, and it can feel like you're traveling with a crowd in larger boats, although careful planning on the boat's part can minimize this.

Either way, though, you'll have a great time. Enjoy the anticipation!

Tina
trip report at http://galapagos2009.wordpress.com/

HI, I cruised on the Athala last summer, and would definitely recommend it! We had a fantastic time and enjoyed the wildlife and the atmoshpere on board. We had a nice group of passengers and we enjoyed getting to know them all well during the 8 days. I haven´t been on the Isabela II myself, but it certainly looks nice in the pictures,and has a good reputation. It is a larger boat, so offers a different syle of cruising than the smaller ships. Good luck with your research.