AliceJ

I do not believe there are any laundry services on board, but we did not plan on using it anyway. They were upgrading the internet to Starlink just after we left, but we did fine with the internet provided (and my husband did have to deal with work emails while we were onboard). LATAM is fine. It's a relatively short flight, so there really isn't time for food/beverage services or other amenities.

Yes, the importation of meat is controlled, but there are meat dishes available. Burgers, some other dishes. Overall it is a smaller menu than you would have on other cruises, but all the food was very good. The ceviche is different than what we have here in the US. It's almost more like a soup. The fish and spices vary daily. If you Google Ecuadorian Ceviche there are plenty of good examples that explain it better than I can. Definitely worth trying.

Van: I think we arrived in Guayaquil mid afternoon. I didn't keep a record of the flight as SS provided all of the transport from the ship and we were all on the same flight. I don't recall talking to anyone who was flying out right after we arrived in Guayaquil. Most of us had an overnight stay, but the original trip itinerary did show that the accommodations were for a day room at the hotel with an evening departure. I would definitely check with SilverSea before booking your flight out of Guayaquil if you want to fly out the same day. We did provide proof of vaccination to SilverSea. That seems to have been a SS policy, not an Ecuador policy. We didn't need to test.

I bought actual swim pants which are pretty much just leggings. As long as the material is reasonably quick drying they should work.

To follow on to Rachel's reply above: Agree about the timing for dinner. I think the tour was about 2 hours. And yes, the restaurants at the JW Marriott are good. We also went down to the Malecon, but took at taxi both ways. It's a lovely area with lots of local out and about, and a very visible police presence. And no, DO NOT go walking about around the hotel after dark. I think our bus to the airport left the hotel around 4:00 a.m. and there were still quite a few women working the corners.

The evening tour was the Silversea tour and I think it left at 5:00

Our tour group visited a city market and then went to the historic district for a walk around (just beautiful) and a visit to a chocolate store. If you found you forgot anything, there is a mall close to the Marriott. It’s a $2 cab ride. Have a fabulous time!

One thing that put me off is that considering the cruise and the cruise line, SS really does go for the very cheapest option. We would never have flown Copa on our own (and wouldn't again). One thing I wished we had known is that the itinerary they give you is not set in stone. We spoke with people on the cruise who paid for the difference in fare and flew business class. Others who did some online research and came up with alternate itineraries that SS accepted. There's a huge thread on issues people have with SS air, although I haven't read it. The other thing I didn't like is that although we had our flight itinerary well in advance of the cruise, we didn't get the airline confirmation numbers until about 3 (?) weeks before so we were unable to book seats until that point. And I did ask about that way ahead of time.

We feel the same way!! Our next SS cruise is Antarctica!

1 - We used Silversea for our flights. Probably wouldn't do that again. We flew out of Dulles, but SS originally had us flying out of BWI. I had to ask to change our flights to Dulles as BWI we need to allocate 2 hours of travel time to get to the airport vs. 20 minutes to Dulles. They did change that for us. Flew back on Copa. Not a fan. 2 - we were in cabin 516, right next to the elevator and stairs. Never had an issue with noise. The ocean was pretty calm on our cruise, so no issues with seasickness. 3 - Wish I had brought a hat. Did wear a rash guard and swim pants under my wetsuit for snorkeling and was glad I did. Hiking shorts with pockets and a hiking/fishing shirt with pockets were helpful. I used my phone to take my pictures - a case with a wrist strap would have been helpful.

The whole trip was just amazing. Highlight is that the animals are literally all around you (you're not "looking" for the animals), the scenery is amazing, and the crew of the Origin is fantastic. So, generally, everything. I didn't give a ton of details. For excursions, the decision is to do the scheduled excursion or not, there really isn't a choice of what to do. And do them all. I really couldn't point out anything that as below par. Dining had great menu options, but it isn't like a large ship where you have to plan where and when you'll eat ahead of time. If you have specific questions, let me know. I'm happy to answer. Honestly, one of the really fun aspects of the trip is having so much of it be new and unplanned (for the guests). Origin has everything beautifully organized and planned.

We ended up going to Raices the night we got in. We were definitely not dressed up. He should be fine with a button down shirt and slacks. The meal we had was excellent and the service top notch!

The Silver Origin Galapagos cruise exceeded our high expectations. Precruise: Our experience with Silversea once in Ecuador was great. Exiting customs in Quito there was no way we could have missed the SS reps. They corralled all of us, took care of our large luggage and off we went on a bus to the JW Marriott. The hotel is one of the best Marriotts I’ve stayed in. The on-site restaurants were very good. Raices restaurant is truly fine dining, and Botanic offered a really good buffet breakfast and solid dinner menu. Be aware there is no store in the Marriott for anything you realize you forgot to bring, but there is a good mall a $2 cab ride away. We booked a private tour for earlier in the day on Friday with Guanguiltagua Expeditions. Dennis arranged an itinerary for us based on our interests and the time we had available. We were very pleased and have no hesitation recommending them. Friday night we did do the SilverSea tour that is included and enjoyed that as well. Onboard: Food – The food was great. There is quite a bit of seafood, but there are plenty of delicious options for those, like myself, who don’t eat a lot of seafood. The daily ceviche offering was always very good. There are set times for all meals and room service is available. Aside from eating dinner upstairs in the Grill (Hot Rocks experience) there are no reservations needed for dining. Although everyone eats at the same times, the staff was always very good about arranging tables as needed and there is never a wait to sit down. Excursions – do them all!! Most days offered at least one hike/walk and one snorkeling excursion. The only excursions with limited participants are the kayaking excursions. There are also a few zodiac tours along islands that were not walking-friendly. The guides are all terrific and clearly love what they do. Make sure your cameras/cell phones have full batteries and capacity to take an enormous amount of photos! Each evening, before dinner, there is a briefing on the following day’s excursions. SS is very good with making sure guests understand the difficulty level of the excursions and what you will need to bring along with you. Zodiacs – the SS staff does a great job of getting you in and out of the zodiacs safely. The zodiac drivers are incredibly good at keeping the zodiacs study while you are getting in and out and also make sure that while you are out in them, everyone on board gets a good opportunity to see and photograph the wildlife. Clothes – bring a hat for the sun. Some of the landings are “wet landings” so you’ll want something like water sandals for those. Aside from no shorts or jeans at dinner, people were generally in resort casual clothing. Having a rash guard to go under your wet suit is helpful. Overall it was a fantastic trip! Happy to answer any questions you have.

We stayed in 516 at the beginning of February. We never heard the elevator or noise on the stairs.

Will do. I know they provide reef friendly sunscreen to use. I'll be sure to check on the other toiletries.