mahdnc

The whole passenger receiving process was seamless and perfectly executed by Celebrity. The only confusion on my part was whether to tip the baggage handlers and driver or not. I did end up tipping them, but my wife told me that Eduardo said that tips were already taken care of.

I have had technical difficulties that have prevented me from updating until now. Sorry. Our MIA to UIO flight got in on time (10:30pm). It turns out that Miami was being treated to a wind and rain storm that wreaked havoc across the area. Fortunately it did not cause us any problems other than our checked luggage got wet--like it sat out in the rain for a spell. Getting through baggage claim and two separate customs & immigration check without any problems. We left the secure area of the airport at about 11:15pm. In 15 seconds, we found our Celebrity representative, Eduardo (wearing the blue blazer and standing left in the photo). He is a polite, soft spoken man with excellent English as he spent some time in the United States for college. He told me that we were the only two passengers that were going to be picked up. We were quickly relieved of all our bags by a Celebrity supplied porter as they were placed on a cart which is in the foreground of the above photo. Our ride was a mini van which also included a driver as well as Eduardo. By 11:25pm, we were on our way to Quito. By 11:55pm we pulled into the JW Marriott hotel where there was a uniformed (with hat) bellhop/doorman who was there to greet us and he collected our luggage. There is an impressive vaulted glass ceiling lobby with Christmas decorations already put out. My wife checked in at the front desk and then the bell hop took us to our room. This evening's stay was arranged by us. We used 25,000 points to reserve a king guest room. By the time bellhop left our room was 12:04am. I took a photo of the clock to celebrate the event. After munching on our snacks, we unpacked a little, got cleaned up and were in bed by 1:45am.

There is an awesome view of the island from a high vantage point that is often photographed. Here is a link to see the photos. Another iconic landscape view is Darwin’s Arch although unfortunately the arch collapsed in 2021. I don’t know which itineraries, if any, visit Darwin’s Arch which has fantastic snorkeling and diving.

Not stopping at Bartolomé Island is the one thing I do not like about the Southern Loop. You took a nice photo of it. Your weather looked great, too—at least photographically.

We are in the middle of our 4 hour layover in MIA. Truthfully I was expecting it to be a lot sunnier. Instead it’s rainy and dreary which we can get back home in Chicago. We took advantage of our Priority Pass membership through Chase Sapphire and had a free meal (up to $30 pp) at the Corona Beach House near Gate D23. It’s an ok bar and grill. Then we headed to the Turkish Airlines Lounge (Priority Pass) near Gate E1. It was pretty crowded with other Priority Pass passengers (photo). We were able to find a table and seats next to a wall outlet so we’re good.

Xpedition was purchased by Celebrity and put into service in 2004. So by my count this is her 20th year of Celebrity service. I found online this 2004 e-brochure which is a bit interesting. The Penthouse Suite that @prmssk is currently staying at and there Royal Suite next to it didn’t exist back then.

Her is a link to the Guest Ticket Booklet. Pages with personal information were removed.

Our 2 year old dog, Daisy, sensed she was being left behind when we were packing last night. A month ago when my wife was packing to go on a trip by herself to see her parents, Daisy actually placed her favorite toy in my wife’s open suitcase as if to hint that she should also be going. Last night, Daisy tried a different hint that she should be coming on this cruise:

On Monday I called the Galapagos Desk (866-973-8466) to verify that Celebrity had our independent flight arrangements on file as well as a request to have an extension cord + DI water for my wife’s CPAP which they did. About an hour later, the Galapagos Desk called me and said that they noticed my wife and I were flying into Quito a day early. The agent asked me if I had made hotel arrangements to which I told him that we booked an extra night at the JW Marriott. He asked for my hotel confirmation number and said that he was going to relay that information to the ground team presumably so that it was linked with the reservation that Celebrity has made for us. I asked him if Celebrity would be meeting us at the airport to provide ground transportation to the hotel when we arrive at 10:30pm because the Guest Ticket Booklet made it clear that we would not (screenshot below). The agent said that we would because we are staying at the JW Marriott and went on to say that if we weren’t, then we’d have to get our own ride.

Etihad airplane livery is kind of cool ….we are off to Miami.

I like this area, too. We don’t fly on American very often so I usually don’t get to see it.

We have gotten through security and are eating breakfast at ORD.

We have booked an Xpedition Suite (502). I mainly wanted the balcony for seasickness control.

I am not saying these are the best out there, but these are the apps I currently have on my iPhone. Of the three, I use Sky Guide the most

It will be a long day of flights today. 3+ hours from ORD - MIA, 4 hour layover, and then a 4+ hours flight from MIA to UIO. For all the times we have cruised, this will be the first time we have ever been to MIA.

My wife and I will be flying out soon today to Quito. We have booked the 11 night Quito cruise tour package--and we added an extra night on our own before the cruise tour. This will be our 16th sailing on Celebrity and our first time to the Galapagos. @prmssk is currently on Xpedition (Northern Loop) and she is doing a fabulous job with her live thread--the best Galapagos one that I have seen so far and with outstanding photos. If you have not seen it, I would seriously be looking at it (then read mine afterward!). As for our trip, here are some details about our trip (link😞

Like you, I am aware that the written policy does not extend Captains Club free laundry to the Galapagos ships and that only PS/RS passengers get free laundry. However it seems from reports from you and others that the actual practice on the ship is different.

We will be on the 12 night Singapore to Hong Kong sailing next month.

Those magnets are usually not a problem for electronics. Just make sure you transport your magnets so that two of them cannot connect squarely face to face. Depending on their combined strength, they can be difficult to separate!

Nice photos, again. I hope you cruise continues to go well. We will be leaving for Quito tomorrow.

Your pretty bfb photos are missing the artist’s signature and print number….

Thank you for your reply, Rebecca. Your Galapagos morning greeting sounds pretty cool.

Lol. Makes getting through airport security a tad easier. But if you have to run to catch a flight….

Rebecca, Dark skies are sight to behold. You should be able to see the Southern Cross and the Milky Way spilling though it. Also you should be able to see the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds which are satellite galaxies orbiting around ours. They are naked eye objects (dim blurs) but binoculars help quite a bit. So far on your trip, what is your opinion for the need of using a dry (watertight) bag for your camera gear as far as wet landings go? Good night. David

We decided to go with your option.