Sdory28

On 7/13/2021 at 1:30 PM, sippican said:

Those photos are just breathtaking! 

 

We were recently informed by the Galapagos Desk that all travelers in our party would need coverage for both medical  and evacuation. were you asked to provide proof of either. (Sorry if I missed this in earlier posts.)

 

Any talk about when the extensions may open - both Quito and Machu Picchu?

I went onto Celebrity earlier today and saw that they are selling the Machu Picchu packages beginning in October. I hope that helps

55 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

I know it is possible to book 3 in a stateroom on Xpedition since we got a quotation a couple years ago.  A couple of things I learned:

1. you cannot book it online yourself, you have to call Celebrity because they have to check to see if they have the capacity to do it.
2. The cruise fare for the 3rd person is usually more expensive than the 1st/2nd passengers!  This is true for two reasons.  First, there is no reduction in fare for the 3rd person which at first seems strange but makes sense after you think about the all inclusive nature of the cruise and how there is a severe limitation on the total number of passengers.  Second, there is usually a discount/promotion available and when there is one, it is usually only good for 1st/2nd passengers.

My understanding is that the National Park has capped the passenger capacity size of all vessels to 100. Since the Flora is a 100 passenger sized vessel (50 suites X2 passengers) there is no allowance for a third person. The Xpedition and the Xploration will have the ability add additional persons because of the smaller size. 

11 hours ago, DrKoob said:

 

I have been in the water twice, once in a shorty with a rash on under it and I wasn't cold at all. Neither has anyone else complained. Our naturalist/scientist buddy Ellen Prager (she runs the science side for X–Google her--she is AMAZING) has been doing long swims and snorkels in her swimsuit as have others. 

I did google Ellen and now I want her to be my buddy too! Do you know how long she’ll be aboard, our cruise is 7/25

8 minutes ago, BellKat said:

I did not snorkel but my husband tried it once. Most people wore the short suits but I think I did see a couple of long ones but they looked like people who snorkel a lot so brought their own. Right now is one of the coldest times in the water. It seemed to me from doing water landings that some areas the water was cooler than others (at least at the shore). Just so you know, you have to wear some kind of footwear every time you get on & off a tender (Zodiac) and a life vest.

I’ve got my Teva’s ready for the wet landings. I will bother you with a quick question though. Your husband has mentioned his hiking boots- Are they sneaker height or high-top height? We have both and would prefer to only bring one pair 😉

1 minute ago, BellKat said:

I heartily agree. We learned so much from a tagged thread in the Galapagos boards - especially about clothing & what you should bring & what you don’t need to bring.

Indeed! I’m still trying to decide if we should get skins to prepare for snorkeling. When we did the Great Barrier Reef we were only provided shorty suits (from what I’ve read Flora does the same) and all I can remember is how cold I was! 
 

I’ll probably buy them right before we leave and keep the tags on for return in case we are okay without. 

1 minute ago, BellKat said:

It looks like the Southern Route is also called the Outer Loop which is the one we are on. It’s more about the animals. If you go to Celebrity’s website and check dates, they will say Southern or Northern. You can then click on View Ports and Maps. 

We will be on the Flora 7/25 for the inner loop. It’s definitely the northern route 🤪

2 hours ago, Kylie said:

 What is the difference between Northern and Southern loops?

They were told  the outer loop is more about the animals and the inner loop is more about the landscape. I hope this helps!

I can tell you that this topic is discussed heavily on other threads particular to Galapagos. If you want to dive deeper into learning the differences I suggest reading that thread. 

Loving following this journey on three different platforms! Thank you

3 minutes ago, roberts2005 said:

Here is the relevant part

 

 

Dear Azamara Guest,

We hope that you have remained healthy and safe.

We've been working diligently through the details of our return to service plan, developing new protocols and procedures, scheduling new itineraries and adjusting our plans to welcome you back onboard.

As we continue to review and analyze our itinerary plans, we've made the difficult decision to cancel our upcoming Azamara Pursuit® voyages in Europe from September 28, 2021 - October 27, 2021, due to the ongoing complexities of cruise operations in the region. Unfortunately, this means your sailing has been cancelled. We're truly sorry for this inconvenience and are grateful for your patience through this pandemic.

While this is unfortunate news, we would still love to have you cruise with us this year. We still have cruises on the Azamara Quest & Journey in Europe and the Caribbean and will soon be launching additional cruises in the Caribbean and the Canary Islands. We are still finalizing those itineraries, but we expect them to be available on Azamara.com in late July. We will continue to keep you updated every step of the way. 

We're counting down the days until we resume sailing this summer and remain optimistic that with each day that passes, we're another day closer to less uncertainty and more explorations. Through our Explore Well at Sea program, we have developed advanced screening protocols, more rigorous sanitation measures, and innovative medical services to ensure a care-free Azamara experience.

While all of us wish we were cruising, we have three options to compensate you for these cancellations. Here are your options

Thanks for adding this. My charter was not able to give more information yesterday so I’m grateful for the official statement 

I was on a charter leaving 10/9 from Rome. Got the email yesterday. Where is yours leaving from?