Galapagos Celebrity Cruise - advice needed on travel to Baltra :)

Hello Cruise Critic Friends, hoping to get some wisdom from you to help with our Galapagos cruise this summer (July 2018). So we booked two rooms for our family on the Celebrity Xpedition about two years ago when the itinerary became available but didn't book anything else in terms of flights or packages at that time because we were not sure the dates would definitely work with our work schedules. We don't usually book so far out for any vacation. The Celebrity agent assured us we could always add that on later but when tried to do that now (add local air/hotel package that includes Celebrity charter flight and 3 nights hotel in Quito) it turns out that it would add more than $10,000 to our trip :eek:. So we are consider either canceling the trip or trying to do the travel on our own. Celebrity won't let us purchase seats on their charter flight to Galapagos without the full package I mentioned, so we would need to get ourselves to Baltra on our own. It seems we can buy tickets on several airlines to Baltra from either Quito or Guayaquil but of course if our flight is cancelled or delayed we could miss the boat. I assume I can buy my own trip insurance that would reimburse the cost of the cruise in such event but that would still stink because we would miss the cruise. Questions... anyone have experience flying to Baltra independently? Are these flights reliable? Are we better off arriving in Baltra a day or two early rather than spending a couple days in Quito a few days early? Any other advice?

Go to the Celebrity form and type "Xpedition" in the search function. You will get lots of info. Search Trip Advisor, too.

We did this trip a couple of years ago and Celebrity did a fantastic job with our flights, hotels, transfers, etc. We briefly considered doing the flight to Baltra on our own but after looking into it, we felt the extra $400 (at that time) for Celebrity to handle it was money well spent.

Be aware that there were serious air conditioning issues when we went. Our cabin was fine but another deck was very hot. The problem might have been corrected by now but it had been an ongoing complaint for quite a while.

Hello Cruise Critic Friends, hoping to get some wisdom from you to help with our Galapagos cruise this summer (July 2018). So we booked two rooms for our family on the Celebrity Xpedition about two years ago when the itinerary became available but didn't book anything else in terms of flights or packages at that time because we were not sure the dates would definitely work with our work schedules. We don't usually book so far out for any vacation. The Celebrity agent assured us we could always add that on later but when tried to do that now (add local air/hotel package that includes Celebrity charter flight and 3 nights hotel in Quito) it turns out that it would add more than $10,000 to our trip :eek:. So we are consider either canceling the trip or trying to do the travel on our own. Celebrity won't let us purchase seats on their charter flight to Galapagos without the full package I mentioned, so we would need to get ourselves to Baltra on our own. It seems we can buy tickets on several airlines to Baltra from either Quito or Guayaquil but of course if our flight is cancelled or delayed we could miss the boat. I assume I can buy my own trip insurance that would reimburse the cost of the cruise in such event but that would still stink because we would miss the cruise. Questions... anyone have experience flying to Baltra independently? Are these flights reliable? Are we better off arriving in Baltra a day or two early rather than spending a couple days in Quito a few days early? Any other advice?

We have done Galapagos twice on the Xpedition. It’s a great trip even though the islands are now seriously limiting the number of tourist allowed on each island. On our first trip, there were no restrictions and we saw lots of wildlife up close. On the second trip, almost half the excursions were snorkeling because of the restrictions. It was disappointing that we didn’t get as many excursions on the islands, but it was still a good trip.

As for travel to Baltra. Celebrity pre/post accommodations and flights are VERY expensive. On both of our trips, we booked our own flights from Quito to Baltra. The flights are not reliable and frequently late, but we have never had a problem getting to Baltra and boarding the Xpedition. We just make sure to book an early flight. The new airport in Quito helps a bunch !! It’s now much easier to get in and out of the airport and planes continue to land and take off in poor weather ... this was not the case at the old downtown Quito airport.

For both trips, we arrived in Quito a few days early and hired a wonderful local guide (American guide who has lived in Quito most of his life). He was great ! We toured the surrounding areas, climbed to the top of the mountain, visited Otavalo, the equator, had local food, and he took care of all our transfers to/from the airport, airport fees, etc.

On our first trip, we stayed at Hotel Quito. It was very nice. Great staff, great breakfast and dinner. On our second trip we stayed at the Quito Hilton. Extremely nice hotel. A big step up from Hotel Quito and much more expensive, but still much less than Celebrity! The Marriott that Celebrity uses is nice as well, but we preferred the Hilton.

On our first trip to Galapagos, we traveled with some friends who booked the Celebrity Pre-cruise accommodations and used Celebrity flights. After comparing our two experiences, they wished they had gone with use instead of Celebrity. Celebrity was hassle free, but we got to see more and experience Quito. Celebrity has since added a few tour options to their pre-cruise (otavalo, equator, etc) and they are good, but we would still book with Jonathan if we went back to Quito. He was cheaper, private custom tours, and much more in-depth.

Jonahtan was also flexible on the tours if the weather changed ... which happens a LOT in Quito.

If you would like more info, or details on our previous itineraries, just ask. I still have all our documents and can share them with you.

— Don

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

My opinion is that the cruise lines all peddle their outside arrangements and shore excursions through fear to justify the higher prices. Millions of people successfully travel all around the globe every year without a babysitter. This is a huge money maker for a “captive” audience. Find a great travel agent to assist with your plans and as the poster said above, you’ll have a much more authentic and affordable experience minus the cattle car buses, inconvenient flights and mediocre hotels.

Just my two cents. Your mileage may vary.

We have done Galapagos twice on the Xpedition. It’s a great trip even though the islands are now seriously limiting the number of tourist allowed on each island. On our first trip, there were no restrictions and we saw lots of wildlife up close. On the second trip, almost half the excursions were snorkeling because of the restrictions. It was disappointing that we didn’t get as many excursions on the islands, but it was still a good trip.

 

As for travel to Baltra. Celebrity pre/post accommodations and flights are VERY expensive. On both of our trips, we booked our own flights from Quito to Baltra. The flights are not reliable and frequently late, but we have never had a problem getting to Baltra and boarding the Xpedition. We just make sure to book an early flight. The new airport in Quito helps a bunch !! It’s now much easier to get in and out of the airport and planes continue to land and take off in poor weather ... this was not the case at the old downtown Quito airport.

 

For both trips, we arrived in Quito a few days early and hired a wonderful local guide (American guide who has lived in Quito most of his life). He was great ! We toured the surrounding areas, climbed to the top of the mountain, visited Otavalo, the equator, had local food, and he took care of all our transfers to/from the airport, airport fees, etc.

 

On our first trip, we stayed at Hotel Quito. It was very nice. Great staff, great breakfast and dinner. On our second trip we stayed at the Quito Hilton. Extremely nice hotel. A big step up from Hotel Quito and much more expensive, but still much less than Celebrity! The Marriott that Celebrity uses is nice as well, but we preferred the Hilton.

 

On our first trip to Galapagos, we traveled with some friends who booked the Celebrity Pre-cruise accommodations and used Celebrity flights. After comparing our two experiences, they wished they had gone with use instead of Celebrity. Celebrity was hassle free, but we got to see more and experience Quito. Celebrity has since added a few tour options to their pre-cruise (otavalo, equator, etc) and they are good, but we would still book with Jonathan if we went back to Quito. He was cheaper, private custom tours, and much more in-depth.

Jonahtan was also flexible on the tours if the weather changed ... which happens a LOT in Quito.

 

If you would like more info, or details on our previous itineraries, just ask. I still have all our documents and can share them with you.

 

— Don

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hi Don, thank you SO much for your detailed reply! It is wonderful to hear from someone who has done this trip independently twice :) Can you recall the logistics of getting to/from the cruise ship/Baltra airport for those not on the charter flight? We are under the impression that we would ideally want to arrive in the Baltra airport prior to the group charter flight and join the group to be sent to the ship by bus zodiac. And then on the last day of the cruise I understand they dock at 7am and get everyone to the airport pretty early so we may be able to book a late morning flight. Please let me know if this sounds about right and if there are any surprises that you recall that may not be obvious to us. We are also considering arriving in Baltra a day or two early to avoid feeling stressed about flight delays/cancellations on the morning of the cruise.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hi Don, thank you SO much for your detailed reply! It is wonderful to hear from someone who has done this trip independently twice :) Can you recall the logistics of getting to/from the cruise ship/Baltra airport for those not on the charter flight? We are under the impression that we would ideally want to arrive in the Baltra airport prior to the group charter flight and join the group to be sent to the ship by bus zodiac. And then on the last day of the cruise I understand they dock at 7am and get everyone to the airport pretty early so we may be able to book a late morning flight. Please let me know if this sounds about right and if there are any surprises that you recall that may not be obvious to us. We are also considering arriving in Baltra a day or two early to avoid feeling stressed about flight delays/cancellations on the morning of the cruise.

Suzanne,

Both times we flew from Quito to Baltra the same day as the cruise. If we do this trip again, we would definitely spend a few days in Quito again, then probably fly to Galapagos a couple days early and spend some time on Santa Cruz Island before our cruise.

Trip #1

LAN Ecuador 9:15 AM flight from Quito to Guayaquil and then arrived in Baltra at 11:50

Boarded Celebrity Xpedition at 2:00 PM. Xpedition crew met us at the airport and escorted us and our bags to the pier. The Xpedition crew ALWAYS meets everyone at the airport. They drop off at the airport after the cruise as well.

Our return flight was at 12:35 PM, again via Guayaquil and landed in Quito at 5:15 PM.

Both ways ... to and from Baltra, we did not even have to change planes. The same plane flies to/from Quito and Baltra with a stop in Guayaquil.

Trip #2

We booked these flights ourselves. Exactly the same flights and arrangements as ChoiceAir, but much cheaper.

LAN Ecuador 10:15 AM flight from Quito to Guayaquil, then on to Baltra. Arrived at Baltra 12:45 PM.

Once again, Xpedition crew met us at the airport and escorted us to the ship. Boarded around 1:30 PM.

The return flight was scheduled for 12:25 PM, through Guayaquil, and then scheduled arrival back in Quito at 6:00 PM. However, the airplane had mechanical troubles in Guayaquil and we had to switch planes in Guayaquil. Not a big problem .. LAN Airlines took care of everything !

If you want to show up a day or two early ... there are no hotels or anywhere to stay at all on Baltra. It really doesn't have much more than an airport, small seaport down the hill, and a few houses. But, on neighboring Santa Cruz Island there are plenty of hotels, restaurants, tours, etc. You shouldn't have any trouble getting a small water taxi to take you around Santa Cruz Island to Baltra the morning or your cruise. It would simply be the reverse route of "airport to Santa Cruz hotel via water taxi" that you would take when landing on Baltra. The hotel can arrange it for you.

If you go to Santa Cruz Island a couple days ahead of time, be sure to check the immigration and VISA issues. You may need special documents to visit Galapagos in addition to what Celebrity has already arranged for you. The Galapagos Islands are VERY peculiar about having the correct documents, custom stamps, and tax stamps. You will need to pay your "taxes" at the airport in Quito before the flight to Baltra. Show up EARLY ! Get in line, weigh your bags and pay the tax. I think it was around $10-20 per person, or $10 per person and $5 per bag. Of course ... you pay it in local currency. It wasn't much, but still a very important step.

And, save ALL your documents and stamps. Galapagos airport will want to see everything again when you leave. If you lose a document ... they won't let you leave until you have gone through the process again and recreated it !

-- Don

Suzanne,

You could also rent a car or take a taxi to/from the airport to your hotel on Santa Cruz Island. It's about an hour to hour and half drive from Baltra airport across the ferry to Santa Cruz, and then across Santa Cruz Island to the other side where all the hotels are. I think there are busses as well from the airport to the little town on Santa Cruz Island. Your hotel will have the best information on getting to Santa Cruz Island from Baltra airport.

-- Don

Suzanne,

 

You could also rent a car or take a taxi to/from the airport to your hotel on Santa Cruz Island. It's about an hour to hour and half drive from Baltra airport across the ferry to Santa Cruz, and then across Santa Cruz Island to the other side where all the hotels are. I think there are busses as well from the airport to the little town on Santa Cruz Island. Your hotel will have the best information on getting to Santa Cruz Island from Baltra airport.

 

 

 

-- Don

Thank you for all of the great suggestions Don. After reading your messages, I looked into the hotels in Santa Cruz and it seems that we could indeed stay there for a night or two pre-cruise and that these hotels can arrange for someone to get us to the hotel as well as back to the airport to meet the other cruise passengers. I will have to check on entry requirements as you very aptly pointed out to be sure I can comply with all permits, fees, etc.

I’m looking into booking the flights myself (since Celebrity’s Choice Air now only books flights for those doing the cruise plus tour) and it looks like we can fly straight to Guayaquil from our area (Miami), spend a night, and then fly straight to Galapagos the following morning. I think this may be more appealing to us than touring Quito as my husband is sometimes affected by altitude and Guayaquil is much lower than Quito.

I’m also checking on trip insurance options. My understanding is that if you miss this boat it will not be possible to board after day 1 so the normal trip delay/missed flight type coverage that would be in most travel insurance policies wouldn’t be useful in this itinerary so we would need to see if the policy would cover the whole cruise cost in the event that the flight from the mainland to Galapagos was delayed or canceled. Obviously less risk if we fly into Baltra early but maybe something to worry about if flying in the morning of the cruise as departure time for the cruise is set at 2:30pm. Is this something you might have looked into on your second trip when you booked your flights yourself instead of through Celebrity? I know it’s unlikely, but the cruise is so expensive that it’s hard not to worry about missing the boat.

Thank you again for all the advice. It’s so kind of you to share your experience and insight.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thank you for all of the great suggestions Don. After reading your messages, I looked into the hotels in Santa Cruz and it seems that we could indeed stay there for a night or two pre-cruise and that these hotels can arrange for someone to get us to the hotel as well as back to the airport to meet the other cruise passengers. I will have to check on entry requirements as you very aptly pointed out to be sure I can comply with all permits, fees, etc.

 

I’m looking into booking the flights myself (since Celebrity’s Choice Air now only books flights for those doing the cruise plus tour) and it looks like we can fly straight to Guayaquil from our area (Miami), spend a night, and then fly straight to Galapagos the following morning. I think this may be more appealing to us than touring Quito as my husband is sometimes affected by altitude and Guayaquil is much lower than Quito.

 

I’m also checking on trip insurance options. My understanding is that if you miss this boat it will not be possible to board after day 1 so the normal trip delay/missed flight type coverage that would be in most travel insurance policies wouldn’t be useful in this itinerary so we would need to see if the policy would cover the whole cruise cost in the event that the flight from the mainland to Galapagos was delayed or canceled. Obviously less risk if we fly into Baltra early but maybe something to worry about if flying in the morning of the cruise as departure time for the cruise is set at 2:30pm. Is this something you might have looked into on your second trip when you booked your flights yourself instead of through Celebrity? I know it’s unlikely, but the cruise is so expensive that it’s hard not to worry about missing the boat.

 

Thank you again for all the advice. It’s so kind of you to share your experience and insight.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I didn’t buy insurance. We kinda had built in insurance... we had booked ALL the suites on the Xpedition. They weren’t leaving with us !!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Keep in mind that barring one or 2 ships, other cruisers in the Galapagos Islands do not have charter flights. There are frequent flights from mainland Ecuador, and there are also flights from the US to Galapagos Islands if you want to bypass a stayover in Quito or separate tickets. LAN codeshares with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, so there may be some benefits in linking your flight plans.

Not infrequently, flights are delayed an hour. I would say about 80% of all cruisers arrive the same day of; however, for peace of mind, by all means arrive a day or so early. Having a lodging that can also deal with the transfers to airport and ship berth would give peace of mind.

They are very stringent about inadvertent entry of insects, pests or disease, so anticipate your luggage and interior plane being sprayed and food to be checked. If not packaged, it won't be allowed in. All luggage is xrayed; particularly leaving - no smuggling home those iguana babies....

Keep in mind that barring one or 2 ships, other cruisers in the Galapagos Islands do not have charter flights. There are frequent flights from mainland Ecuador, and there are also flights from the US to Galapagos Islands if you want to bypass a stayover in Quito or separate tickets. LAN codeshares with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, so there may be some benefits in linking your flight plans.

Not infrequently, flights are delayed an hour. I would say about 80% of all cruisers arrive the same day of; however, for peace of mind, by all means arrive a day or so early. Having a lodging that can also deal with the transfers to airport and ship berth would give peace of mind.

They are very stringent about inadvertent entry of insects, pests or disease, so anticipate your luggage and interior plane being sprayed and food to be checked. If not packaged, it won't be allowed in. All luggage is xrayed; particularly leaving - no smuggling home those iguana babies....

Thank you so much for the advice and for the excellent tips about the luggage! You are right about LAN (now called LATAM) codesharing with AA. We usually fly AA because we live near Miami and it seems that we can book all our tickets through AA on LATAM in one itinerary. They don’t fly from the US to Baltra at this time but we can get a direct late afternoon flight into Guayaquil, sleep at a decent hotel a few minutes from that airport, and then continue with a second leg direct to Baltra the next morning and be in Galapagos before noon a day or two before our Celebrity cruise. I think I could do these same flights and arrive to Baltra on the morning of the cruise but like you said I would probably have more peace of mind arriving a day or two early and feel more relaxed/rested on the first day of the cruise. I would think my travel insurance would cover my “missing the boat” in the event of flight delays but since one can’t board this cruise after day 1, I think the extra day or two cushion is a good thing. And I’m hoping staying overnight in Galapagos will be a neat experience that we probably won’t have an opportunity to do in the future.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Quayaquil isn't a great city for tourists, but some people find some value out of a visit there. It would be a shame to go and miss some time on mainland Eucador, however. Maybe something on the way home via Quito? Some do a stop over in Quayaquil (I am sure I am not spelling this correctly), and to a separate return flight to Quito for a few days, returning to Quayaquil for the flight home via AA.

Santa Cruz is quite congested and such a contrast to the rest of the islands - very touristy. Don't expect the rest of the cruise to be like that. It is quite surreal and a real privilege to be able to see such pristine islands. Let's hope we can keep most of them that way.

Enjoy your trip.

Quayaquil isn't a great city for tourists, but some people find some value out of a visit there. It would be a shame to go and miss some time on mainland Eucador, however. Maybe something on the way home via Quito? Some do a stop over in Quayaquil (I am sure I am not spelling this correctly), and to a separate return flight to Quito for a few days, returning to Quayaquil for the flight home via AA.

 

Santa Cruz is quite congested and such a contrast to the rest of the islands - very touristy. Don't expect the rest of the cruise to be like that. It is quite surreal and a real privilege to be able to see such pristine islands. Let's hope we can keep most of them that way.

 

Enjoy your trip.

Thank you for the heads up on congestion in Santa Cruz as I had not realized that. Maybe we will just do one day and night there pre-cruise. We are most excited about the cruise to see the other areas of course. Can’t wait! My husband travels to Quito and Guayaquil for work occasionally so we’ve had opportunities to visit both cities already and so we are thinking of skipping them this time but considering for post-cruise spending a few days in the Otovalo area about two hours from Quito at an Hacienda that’s been highly recommended by friends. Thank you again for your suggestions; really grateful for these forums and all the lovely people on here

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We are currently deciding whether to take the Celebrity Xpedition 7 day Galapagos cruise but we are concerned about getting to Baltra airport for the pick-up by Celebrity. We have been told we must be there at 10:30 or else since we did not want to do the Celebrity pre-cruise package. We have found that we are able to see more if we do our own arrangements, however, we are finding Baltra challenging.

We are interested in any help others can provide for logistics on transport to Baltra as well as guides for Quito.

Thank you all.

We are currently deciding whether to take the Celebrity Xpedition 7 day Galapagos cruise but we are concerned about getting to Baltra airport for the pick-up by Celebrity. We have been told we must be there at 10:30 or else since we did not want to do the Celebrity pre-cruise package. We have found that we are able to see more if we do our own arrangements, however, we are finding Baltra challenging.

 

 

 

We are interested in any help others can provide for logistics on transport to Baltra as well as guides for Quito.

 

 

 

Thank you all.

We just did this cruise last week as “cruise only” so I’m happy to answer any questions. We flew to Guayaquil from Miami on a Friday, spent the night at the Wyndham about 10-15 minutes from the airport, and then flew to Baltra early Saturday morning on LATAM. We stayed at the Finch Bay hotel in Galapagos Saturday night (which is about an hour and a half from the airport) and the hotel got us back to the airport on Sunday morning to meet the Celebrity representatives and we were on the boat by lunchtime. Everything went very smoothly as the hotel did a great job of transporting us and our luggage and were able to speak to the local Celebrity representatives directly to be sure about timing; but of course it would be easier to just book the tour through Celebrity and not worry about all the logistics yourself.

On our sailing there were a total of about 20 passengers (out of 98) that did not do the pre-cruise tour and got themselves to Baltra on their own. For our sailing, I believe Celebrity used Avianca for the charter flight to Baltra and it arrived around noon on our sailing date. On our departure date, we flew out of Baltra on a 2:55pm LATAM flight to Quito which was on time; as of the time we left the airport, the incoming charter flight which would also be the aircraft for the outgoing charter flight had not yet arrived (tour passengers were told the day before it would be delayed due to maintenance and they could stay on the ship until the afternoon rather than going to the airport on the morning).

One issue to check on before you make a final decision is whether your trip insurance would cover the missed cruise if you were to fly in to Baltra from Quito or Guayaquil on the sailing date. I was having trouble getting a clear answer on that because the companies I checked with seemed to include fine print in their policies that said something to the effect of ... if you don’t leave yourself adequate connection time between flights or adequate time to board the ship they may not pay. So if your flight arrival time into Baltra is late morning and ship departure is 2pm that might be a concern. We decided to stay in Galapagos one night pre-cruise in part because of that concern and in part because our travel agent highly recommended that particular hotel. It really was lovely and relaxing so we’re very glad we did it but the one and a half hour travel back and forth to the airport might not be worth it for others.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums