Jump to content

Galapagos


DaveandDiane
 Share

Recommended Posts

Going to the Galapagos and Macchu Picchu has been on our bucket list for almost 20 years. We are planning on actually doing it in 2019!

 

While on board a Celebrity ship last year we booked the Expedition with a land tour extension to Macchu Picchu. Recently we got a mailing from Overseas Adventure Travel with some amazing deals, and it is significantly less that Celebrity. I know that there are a lot of other companies out there also, but would like some recommendations.

 

I would love to hear from someone who has been there, and who you have used. This is a dream trip for us, and I would love to save some money but also want to have a great experience.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We like to cruise, but think this particular trip is better done with OAT. Small groups (we had 12), less expensive, lodging, meals, and guides were wonderful. The boat we were on in the Galapagos was small enough to go close to shore and then used zodiacs to go ashore, yet large enough to have several areas to relax and not feel confined. It was well equipped, the crew and guides were excellent. With OAT, you also get to spend some time in Cusco and Quito, which were delightful. You are also able to interact with locals throughout the trip if you are interested in that.

 

The only warning would be that the OAT trip is for active people. Several hikes at Peru ruins in addition to MP, getting in an out of the zodiacs, and hikes on land in the Galapagos make up a trip that would not be suited for persons with mobility issues. The people in our group were in their 60's and 70's, but active people in relatively good condition.

 

We have not done the Expedition cruise in the Galapagos, but would highly recommend the OAT tour.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did the celebrity expedition...it was a great cruise, well organized...glad we did it with Celebrity.

 

Thank you for your response. We love Celebrity and know that we would have a wonderful time. The only reason that we are considering another tour company is because of the price. It is almost 10,000 more total to go to the Galapagos and Macchu Picchu with Celebrity!

One thing that concerns me about the OAT trip is that it is only 4 days in the Galapagos on the boat. Is that enough time to really see everything? We like that Celebrity spends 7 days there. On the flip side, OAT does a more extensive tour of Peru and Macchu Picchu.

 

Another thought would be to do OAT for the land based and Celebrity for the cruise. Has anyone done this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We like to cruise, but think this particular trip is better done with OAT. Small groups (we had 12), less expensive, lodging, meals, and guides were wonderful. The boat we were on in the Galapagos was small enough to go close to shore and then used zodiacs to go ashore, yet large enough to have several areas to relax and not feel confined. It was well equipped, the crew and guides were excellent. With OAT, you also get to spend some time in Cusco and Quito, which were delightful. You are also able to interact with locals throughout the trip if you are interested in that.

 

The only warning would be that the OAT trip is for active people. Several hikes at Peru ruins in addition to MP, getting in an out of the zodiacs, and hikes on land in the Galapagos make up a trip that would not be suited for persons with mobility issues. The people in our group were in their 60's and 70's, but active people in relatively good condition.

 

We have not done the Expedition cruise in the Galapagos, but would highly recommend the OAT tour.

 

Thank you for your response! All the reviews for OAT look great, but it is good to hear from someone that has actually done a trip with them.

Did you feel that the amount of time that you had during the cruise portion of the trip was enough?

We are in our 50's but very active and like to hike. The fact that OAT looks more active is a plus for us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can tell you that for me, 4 days would NOT have been enough....there are so many different sights/animals.....plus we were very active...there was hiking and snorkeling. Zodiacs brought you to shore or they were your tour on some days, going out by the penguins. Every day you had a choice of the long or short excursion...we always took the longer one except one day that we wanted to swim/snorkel with the turtles...the longer hike did not leave enough time for that at the end. Whatever you decide, it is a trip of a lifetime.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We (a group of siblings and spouses in their 50s and 60s) are considering a Road Scholar Galapagos and Machu Picchu trip next year (https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an-adventure/20974/Discovering-Machu-Picchu-and-the-Galapagos). They are much cheaper than Celebrity (at least as far as I could tell since I find the Celebrity website infuriatingly bad).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

DaveandDiane--Having 4 nights vs. 7 would be one negative for OAT, although we did an excursion the afternoon that we arrived and the morning before we left, so that did make it more like 5 days. We saw everything we expected to see on land and more. The land based hikes and animals were amazing. Our snorkeling was not great, but not because we didn't try and not OAT issue. We had some rough water and current stirring up the sediment so the snorkeling was not great. We did see sharks, turtles, sea lions, fish, but wasn't good for photography. We were there in late February. That was our only disappointment. BTW, the smaller boat was not really affected by the rough water, so no one was seasick.

 

Anyway, answer to your question, yes we had enough time in Galapagos, but if you wanted more,for the difference in price, you could add on another 3-4 day tour piggy-backed with the OAT trip and still be $$ ahead.

Talk with OAT and see if they would postpone your return flight a few days.

 

Good luck, any of the trips will be amazing!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
DaveandDiane--Having 4 nights vs. 7 would be one negative for OAT, although we did an excursion the afternoon that we arrived and the morning before we left, so that did make it more like 5 days. We saw everything we expected to see on land and more. The land based hikes and animals were amazing. Our snorkeling was not great, but not because we didn't try and not OAT issue. We had some rough water and current stirring up the sediment so the snorkeling was not great. We did see sharks, turtles, sea lions, fish, but wasn't good for photography. We were there in late February. That was our only disappointment. BTW, the smaller boat was not really affected by the rough water, so no one was seasick.

 

Anyway, answer to your question, yes we had enough time in Galapagos, but if you wanted more,for the difference in price, you could add on another 3-4 day tour piggy-backed with the OAT trip and still be $$ ahead.

Talk with OAT and see if they would postpone your return flight a few days.

 

Good luck, any of the trips will be amazing!

We took an 11 day Nature Workshop on the Tip Top IV arranged by Galapagos Travel. FABULOUS trip.

Went to more places than most trips, which was a major plus for us. Seeing the mating dances of birh the waved albatross and the blue footed boobies was amazing Even better, they provide 2 guides for 16 passengers, rather than the 1 required by the National Park. One led and one brought up the rear on hikes. On panga sightseeing, each of the 2 pangas had a guide, which was invaluable.

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I am currently booked on the Celebrity Expedition for March of next year. I visited Machu Picchu on a separate trip with Friendly Planet 2 years ago and have used OAT in the past as well. Both are great companies. My suggestion is to do the 7 day Celebrity Galapagos cruise, then get yourself to Lima to meet the Machu Picchu 7 day trip with either OAT or Friendly Planet. Both are priced in the $2 - $3K pp range. I believe that would get you more time in both places for less money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

We did the Celebrity Xpedition trip this year with a couple of nights in Quito beforehand and then Machu Picchu and Cusco afterwards. We seriously couldn't fault anything about the trip. We loved having 7 days on the boat as the islands were all different from each other. We always took the long hike (only about 1.5 miles so not exactly long!) and the snorkelling was amazing with sharks and seals swimming around. The trip to the Middle of the World Museum in Quito was brilliant and then the tour afterwards withMachu Picchu was brilliant as well. All the hotels we stayed in were really lovely.

 

I would definitely recommend this trip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...