Celebrity Expedition Galapagos

[Annod]

Hi,

We are taking the Galapagos cruise this November.

Could I get some imput on luggage allowance?

I've heard that 25 pounds it the limit.

Any suggestions what to pack?

Do we need own snorkling gear?:confused:

Thanks so much for your help

 

Annod

[Kami's pal]

Try my Post "Xpedition, incredible" Nov. 16, 2004 or do a search using 'Xpedition', 'Galapagos' and you'll get a lot of information.

 

To answer the one specific question you asked, the weight limit is for the Tame airline leg when you go from Quito to Baltra. I think I remember it as 35 pounds in one checked bag and 14 pounds in the carry on. You are allowed a bit of leeway on that, especially if the ship is not full. Most people left one bag in the hotel in Quito.

 

I sailed in early November and found the temperatures in Quito cool enough to need a jacket in the evening. The altitude causes a drop in temperature.

 

Snorkelling gear is provided. I didn't use it so can't comment. I'd be afraid to use anyone else's mouth piece. The water temperature is quite cold. The Humbolt current comes past there straight from Antarctica! Again, if you read the other posts, you'll get lots of information.

 

On the ship, you do not need any formal wear. You do need good sunscreen, a hat, a waist pack with water bottle holster (or small daypack), light weight hiking shoes or boots, sandals, swimsuit. I wore a mesh type long sleeved jacket bug screen/sun screen jacket because I am very fair. Most people didn't want long sleeves during the day. After the sun goes down, it might get a bit dewy or misty so a light rain protection might be welcome. I never needed it, but others have reported rain. I appreciated a light wrap in the air conditioned lounge or on deck. Most people could get by with one pair hiking pants/ shorts and 4 T-shirts (you'll find lots more to buy on the islands) and one pair dressier pants and a polo type shirt or blouse in the evening. Lots of undies, your personal toiletries and you're set!

 

Camera or photography set up was anything from disposables to very professional digital. The animals pose for you! I used 400 speed and was very pleased. We are begged to NOT USE FLASH! You can imagine that so many flashes would harm the animals' eyes.

 

Lots of Pepto Bismal, Immodium AD, Cipro etc Consult your travel clinic, and read the posts about the Gastrointestinal virus that has plagued the passengers since last October. This is a seriously painful 'tourista' type infection. It can seriously incapacitate you for up to 72 hours, though most healthy people can recover from the worst symptoms within 24 hours. Some have also reported getting a respiratory 'flu' (as in influenza) as well.

[Annod]

Thank you for your reply to my questions. I did read you original posting, but

additional info about packing was great.

 

Annod

[mikiew]

About packing..........I was shocked, but I had everything I needed in my wheel bag and tote. There were people that took big suitcases, and nothing was said, however, I found it a challenge to get everything in my small suitcase. We had been traveling for a few weeks before, so left the big bags at the Marriott.

 

 

With the laundry on the ship, and quick turn around time, plus the casual dress, you could get by with much less.

 

Also, no one was sick on the ship. It was immaculate. I think that it is easy to blame a ship for the travelers stomach problems, when it could have come from the plane, or just a change in location.

 

The Xpedition really has their act together, and I recommend it highly.

[kkgds]

We are going on the December Xpedition. Some posts talk about getting to Quito very late at night, then touring the next morning.

 

What airline does Celebrity use from Florida, or other gateway? When did they arrive? Suggestions for a better alternative.

 

Thanks.

 

Kathy and Gerry

[SandyR5]

Hi Kathy and Gerry - When in December are you going? We're booked for the 12/4 cruise. We did the air on our own. We're flying AA from New York to Miami and then on to Quito. We arrive in Quito about 8:15 in the evening. The other Quito flight arrives around 11:00 p.m.

[Mahini]

We are going on the December Xpedition. Some posts talk about getting to Quito very late at night, then touring the next morning.

What airline does Celebrity use from Florida, or other gateway? When did they arrive? Suggestions for a better alternative.

 

We flew Contintental Detroit-Houston-Quito. Our flight arrived close to midnight. By the time we cleared immigration, were bused to the hotel, checked in, waited for our suitcases to be delivered to the room, and finally got ready for bed, it was close to 2:00am before "lights out". We were up at 7:00am the next morning to allow for getting ready time and breakfast. The tour started at 9:00am.

[susiesan]

I got this e-mail from Cruise news daily-a short version of an article they wrote about Xpedition:

 

* A rumor has persisted about norovirus cycling between

sailings on Celebrity's Xpedition, the small ship the

line has based in South America for their weekly cruises

to the Galapagos. A check with Celebrity found the

opposite to be true. The ship has had no cases of

norovirus. There were two significant occurrences of what

the CDC terms Travelers' Diarrhea on the November 28 and

January 19 sailings, involving 23 and 19 passengers

respectively. Those are significant numbers since the

ship only carries about 100 passengers. Since Xpedition

doesn't call at US ports, the CDC does not inspect it,

but Celebrity does maintain the same standards and health

and sanitation protocols aboard Xpedition as the rest of

their fleet. They also report all illness figures to the

CDC as they do on their other ship, except for Xpedition

it is on a voluntary basis.

 

I hope Celebrity is on this. We sail Dec. 11 and I can't

wait!

 

Susie

[mikiew]

They use American if your flight goes through Miami, and Continental if you go through Houston.

 

There was no sign of illness and we were on board Jan 23. I really hate to see these rumors fly, because it is one of the nicest ships out there.

[voyageur]

We flew Continental... Toronto - Newark - Quito, and arrived at 11:10 p.m. We arrived with about 4 other couples from Newark. The Celebrity hosts were waiting for us and we were settled in our rooms by midnight.

[Kami's pal]

Cruise News Daily says that the report is based on information received from Celebrity. Celebrity owns Xpedition. Celebrity needs to sell that product. Where does Cruise News Daily get most of its revenue? I would certainly be more comfortable if those figures and that disclaimer were backed by information from other sources.

 

However, I know from my own experience that the report is incorrect. I was on the Xpedition Oct. 31 - N0v. 6, 2004. I became ill during the night. The first episode of diarrhoea (from which I base all the time factors before and after) occurred at 02:00 Friday, Nov. 5.

I called the doctor at 15:00. His bill indicates that he attended me at 15:30, Nov.5, 2004.

 

I did ask the doctor to give me his opinion. He did come to my cabin. He did take my temperature, ask a few questions about the illness. and did leave with me 4 containers of Pedialyte and a bottle of Kolin-Pectin suspension.

 

He did not take a blood or urine or stool sample. I did not fill out any form to list my symptoms, my food and water ingestion etc.

 

I do know that another 4 passemgers on that cruise consulted the doctor. I was told by one passenger whose husband was very ill, that I "made #14" of that 70. Another passenger told me that his wife was "vomiting blood".

The doctor came into my cabin and examined me without wearing gloves, or mask, or gown. I was surprised by that because when I spoke to him on the phone, I had described my symptoms in sufficient detail that I expected to see him ready to protect himself (and the other passengers and crew) by wearing the same type of protection that my own doctor uses when I visit him for an opinion.

 

After hearing that I had had 15 episodes of liquid stool, 4 episodes of violent vomiting, 9 hours of very painful abdominal cramping, headache, joint ache, and a slight fever, the doctor said, "Well, you must drink. Do not take any more Imodium or Tylenol #3. Use the Pedialyte tonight and any other fluid that you can." I learned afterward that he had already seen others on this cruise with the same symptoms. Yet, he disposed of the cover from the thermometer in my bedroom waste basket. He did not, in my presence sanitize his hands after leaving my room.

 

The doctor told me to "take a shower and go upstairs." I did do so. I went to the lounge where I sat at a table and a waiter brough me tea. He had been dispatched by the doctor. That was after 16:00 Friday, Nov. 5. Most of the passengers were off the ship on the afternoon's excursion. However, I suspected that I was contagious, and decided that the doctor was being less cautious than I was copmfortable with. Therefore, I returned to my cabin by 16:30. I saw the cabin steward remove her rubber gloves and continue to clean my cabin wearing no protection. My bed linen and towels were not kept separate from the rest of the things on her cart. She touched and removed items I had used (water bottles, contents of the waste paper basket). I did not witness any actions that would indicate she would not transmit my pathogens to the other surfaces she would touch after leaving my cabin. She had to push her cart. Therefore her handles were contaminated. How long would the pathogens live on that handle? We are sailing in a very open ship in an equtorial cilmate. The air had to be warm and humid.

 

I stayed in my cabin. I phoned room service for the special diet. That's what the doctor told me to ask for. It was delivered to my room. The waiter did not wear gloves. He touched door handles going out. That evening I ate only the tea, the jello and the pedialyte. I placed the tray outside the door. I did not see who removed it and do not know if my dishes (tray, tea pot) and food remains were disinfected differently from the rest of the passengers.

 

I stayed in my cabin until 16:00 Saturday. I then took the afternoon zodiac ride. Therefore I was not quarantined the number of hours recommended by the CDC. I attended the evening's wind up activities and went into the dining room. Because I still was not feeling well, I drank only a glass of water. I moved from table to table, visiting briefly with those I had come to know. Everyone knew that I had caught 'it' too. So small exchanges about our symptoms occurred. but we did not dwell on it. I watched the folk dancers for a few minutes, returned to my cabin and packed. My suitcases were picked up along with the others. I did not see whether the porters wore gloves. They should have. According to CDC, I was still contagious. Therefore the porters picked up and moved contaminated surfaces. I ate my breakfast in my room and left the ship with the others. The drivers and guides who helped us enter the zodiac did not wear gloves. At the airport, I talked with a woman who said that she had had a "relapse" and we wryly commented that adult pampers should be part of our first aid kits.

 

I went to bed immediately that I had access to my room. I attended the evening meal and sipped water and picked at a few bites of chicken. At 01:30 Sunday morning, Nov. 6 I had a relapse. My return home took 15 hours.

 

I did wash my hands scrupulously during the whole of my trip. I was very careful in Quito. I drank only bottled water. I ate only in the venues provided by Celebrity. We had been assured that they were safe. In fact, our guide told us that we would likely be OK if we used the tap water to brush our teeth. I did not.

 

Now, you decide if Xpedition is following Vessel Sanitation Protocol to prevent transmission of any disease. Read the symptoms of Noro like illness (go to CDC site which is listed in CC home page) and decide for yourself what this doctor should have suspected.

 

I paid $39.00 for his visit and $16.85 for the rehydration solution and Kaolin-Pectin suspension that he prescribed. I have his bill and I have a picture of the bottles he brought lined up on my desk.

 

Mr. Wilson's report in Cruise News Daily needs to be viewed with suspicion because I know, as I have testified here, that I was ill on Xpedition with something very contagious, something that resembled the description of a Noro virus, yet no CDC protocols were followed while I was ill. Celebrity and RCCL could have long ago instituted testing of crew and passengers. They have not. Proper sanitation protocols were not followed.

I fully expect that the passengers who boarded the zodiac touched unwashed hands of the guides, contaminated stair railings, and 14 cabins which had been occupied only hours earlier by me and 13 other very sick people.

 

Did the Xpedition report? I was not contacted by CDC. Why not?

[CruiserJen]

I received the following 'unsolicited' email from Michael Sheehan, Director at RCCL re. the GI illness in Galapagos. I would urge anyone who suffered illness while on Celebrity Xpedition to contact Michael to discuss the issue. I'm sure the offer is extended to anyone who became ill. Jen

 

"I'd be happy to talk to you about your recent experience on Xpedition

and your illness. If you'd e-mail me your phone number I could call you,

or,you are welcome to call me at my office number below. Thanks you."

 

Michael J. Sheehan

Director, Corporate Communications

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Phone: 305-539-6572 Fax: 305-536-0140

E-mail: msheehan@rccl.com

[kkgds]

Sandy, we joined your roll-call some weeks ago. Looking forward to meeting you December 2 in Quito, or on the ship.

Kathy and Gerry

[SandyR5]

Hi again - Sorry, you must have joined the Xpedition thread while I was away in Puerto Vallarta. I tried to check the post there but I guess I had too many strawberry margaritas to remember. ;) Looking forward to meeting you in Quito.

[Annod]

Glad to hear that we'll be sailing together. Have you gotten any info about packing? Heard that most people leave extras in hotel in Quito and just take

necessary items on cruise. This is first "soft adventure" cruise for us.

Usually do Celebrity sailings and get a balcony room. I think we're spoiled!

We're originally from N.Y. and have lived in Georgia for 25 years.

 

Have a great summer. See you in November.

 

We are flying from Atlanta to Ft Lauderdale. Catching Avianca at 6 pm to Bogata and them flying on to Quito. Should arrive at 11:15 pm. Hope to do some sleeping on the plane!

 

Annod