Xpedition Gty?

We are thinking of booking a last minute trip to the Galapagos on Xpedition in November. Only OV cabins available are guarantees and we don't want to take on the expense of a suite (though there are some available). Can anyone tell me if there are one or more bad cabins on Xpedition? I read lots about the anchor noise but am wondering if there are other reasons to avoid booking a guaranty.

Thanks. We are obviously eager to make this decision. We want to go but don't want to be miserable.

We are thinking of booking a last minute trip to the Galapagos on Xpedition in November. Only OV cabins available are guarantees and we don't want to take on the expense of a suite (though there are some available). Can anyone tell me if there are one or more bad cabins on Xpedition? I read lots about the anchor noise but am wondering if there are other reasons to avoid booking a guaranty.

 

Thanks. We are obviously eager to make this decision. We want to go but don't want to be miserable.

You are right about the suite. Makes no sense since you are off the ship almost as much as you are on.

Yes, there is some anchor noise and they will drop anchor 2-3 times a day. Obviously, the noise is most pronounced foreward. We were dead mid-ship and heard it but would not consider it a major problem.

It is a great trip.

I was in the cheapest category OV (305). It was great, u r barely in the room. I'm surprised u found cabins at all, OV or otherwise. E N J O Y !!!!

Thanks to both responders. We have a hold on a guaranty OV so your comments are helpful. Apparently there are no "assignable" OV cabins so my TA thinks we could end up with a suite. Of course, it would be nicer if they would upgrade someone who booked long ago and give us their room.

Just figuring out the particulars before making a deposit and a final payment at the same time! We've never done last minute travel like this but are excited about the freedom retirement provides :)

You're lucky to find anything available this close in. Grab it. There are really no bad cabins on the Xpedition. You'll spend very little time in the cabin, and you'll be so exhausted at the end of the day that you'll sleep through anything.

It is the trip of a lifetime. Enjoy it.:)

The important thing is to get on the ship! We had the least expensive cabin and it was the best cruise ever. (We booked onboard and were told cabin didn't matter.)

We made our first and final payment last night! Very excited about this trip thanks to all of the good tips on CC. I'll let you know what we get assigned.

Did any of you arrive in Baltra on your own? I know it is uncommon but it's what we are going to do. Curious about the time we need to arrive (we are flying in the day before) and the time of disembarkation.

Did any of you arrive in Baltra on your own? I know it is uncommon but it's what we are going to do. Curious about the time we need to arrive (we are flying in the day before) and the time of disembarkation.

You'll find very useful info in those sites [and also on TripAdvisor "Galapagos Islands" forum, there is a trip report of someone who arrived independently to Baltra]. "Sealord", who is the unofficial host, has made the math for all of us, and, in the end, u r not saving much by arriving independently to Baltra, but u r saving lots of hassle and stress. Don't forget that the flight from Quito to Baltra is included in the 10-day package. Believe me, arriving from Israel, I made my "PhD" on how to save every penny. I even booked a cheaper hotel for the Thursday night, not staying at the Marriott because it was not included in the package. Another advice: arrive at least 2 days early prior to the cruise, u'll need to be fit and rested for such a "summer adult camp".

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=43353240#post43353240

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=32175863#post32175863

You'll find very useful info in those sites [and also on TripAdvisor "Galapagos Islands" forum, there is a trip report of someone who arrived independently to Baltra]. "Sealord", who is the unofficial host, has made the math for all of us, and, in the end, u r not saving much by arriving independently to Baltra, but u r saving lots of hassle and stress. Don't forget that the flight from Quito to Baltra is included in the 10-day package. Believe me, arriving from Israel, I made my "PhD" on how to save every penny. I even booked a cheaper hotel for the Thursday night, not staying at the Marriott because it was not included in the package. Another advice: arrive at least 2 days early prior to the cruise, u'll need to be fit and rested for such a "summer adult camp".

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=43353240#post43353240

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=32175863#post32175863

Thanks, Dani. I have tried to read most of the helpful info on these boards including those from Sealord. And we ran the numbers for the celebrity package and determined that we could save $1400 (for some reason Celebrity wanted $1600 per person for the package). That is real money to us that we can use on the Peru portion of our trip.

Other considerations for us ed the fact that we are Hilton Gold members and would get upgrades at thei hotel in Quito and that we are flying to Lima after the cruise so do not want to go to Quito with celebrity on the way back.

We know we will have to do some schlepping in Quito but in Baltra our hotel will send a porter/taxi to meet us at baggage claim and help us to the hotel and back the next day. We will arrive early the day before the cruise.

I know this is not for everyone but wea are in our mid 50s, in good shape, and frequent travelers. It should be o.k.

We know we will have to do some schlepping in Quito but in Baltra our hotel will send a porter/taxi to meet us at baggage claim and help us to the hotel and back the next day. We will arrive early the day before the cruise.

 

I know this is not for everyone but we are in our mid 50s, in good shape, and frequent travelers. It should be o.k.

If that schlepping includes carrying suitcases or anything physical, you may start to question that "good shape" :) Quito's altitude can change well trained runner into a very slow walker....and little rises in the sidewalk as you walk suddenly become major hills.

It's a terrific cruise....best cruise we've ever done.

ghstudio, if you say it's your best cruise ever, it must be fantastic! I have always appreciated your posts.

And, yes, the more I read about Quito the more I realize that the altitude will be an issue.

Unless you have experience with high altitudes, you never know if it will "hit" you or not and sometimes that is even variable. I had slight problems in Taos (7000 ft-2100m) but no problems in Quito (9300 ft-2800m) I was on the treadmill a couple hours after arrival. Wife had no problems in Taos, slight problem in Quito.

We both felt the effects in Cuzco (11200 ft-3400m)

Drink lots of coca tea (its legal). It does work.

Just wanted to report back on our OV guy so that anyone needing this information in the future can learn fro our experience.

Our online TA got in touch with us yesterday saying that celebrity was offering us the chance to upgrade to a junior suite for $1250 total. Knowing that the only real benefit to us for this would be the balcony, we turned them down. We were then assigned - premium OV 410. I feel like we lucked out. Midship location, slightly bigger than some deck 3 cabins and we 'only' paid $2999 per person.

Thanks for all of the help!

I think you were wise to save on the suite. We were in 406 when we did the cruise and were very happy with the cabin and location.

A couple on our cruise were upgraded from deck 3 to a suite because the occupants of the suite couldn't manage the stairs and wanted to move downstairs. The new suite occupants said that while they appreciated the suite, they would never have paid extra for it because they were so busy they didn't have time to use the balcony. With the small number of passengers, it becomes a very social cruise, so any free time we had was spent in the public areas enjoying an (included) coffee or drink with new friends.

It is my all-time favourite cruise, and I would go again in a heartbeat if there weren't so many other places in the world to explore.

Sheila