Report on MV Eclipse in the Galapagos

[bbwex]

Unfortunately there are few comments on boats in the Galapagos Islands, and few response when you ask about one. So to fill at least a small portion of that gap, I want to report on our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands on the MV Eclipse. This company also owns the Athala II that operates in the islands.

 

We were originally to be on the Athala II (a catamaran), but about a month before the trip, the company asked us to switch to the Eclipse so that they could accept a week's charter on the Athala. DW was thrilled as the Eclipse has more passengers (48 vs 16) and she thought she would have more people to talk to. She was concerned before the trip as she thought there would be a crowd of dyed-in-the-wool nature lovers and there would be long nature talks all night every night.

 

On to the trip.

We were met at the Quito Airport by a representative from the Eclipse who provided us with boarding passes. The trip over was surprisingly pleasant -- an Airbus 319, with full food service (a hot breakfast and we had our choice of a few) and pleasant cabin crew. At the Baltra Airport (airport is almost a stretch, but they are building a new environmentally friendly one), we were met by two of the guides, and directed to a bus just for passengers for the Eclipse. A short ride took us to the small harbor and the dock for the pangas -- actually Zodiac RHIBs. After putting on our life jackets, and a quick but efficient lesson in how they would handle all boarding and disembarking from the pangas for the week, we were off on the short ride to the ship. As with almost all of the larger ships, there are accommodation ladders that go down from the weather deck to the water, so getting on and off the pangas is simple.

 

Upon arrival at the boat, we went up to the reception area where the cruise director, Ricardo, told each couple their cabin numbers and gave directions as to the use of the safe in the cabin. Due to many lost keys to the cabins, they do not provide keys at all, and cabins are unlocked except if you want to double lock them while you are inside. A bit different, but never a problem. Our luggage arrived very promptly and was distributed to each of the cabins.

 

During a nice lunch on the after deck (Al Fresco deck), the ship moved to our first stop. After lunch there was a panga ride into a small bay that had lots of pelicans and sea turtles. This was our first real time with the guides -- there was one in each panga -- and they were great. They were very informative and gave a great background of the island we were visiting, the various birds, animals and reptiles as well as plant life.

 

I don't intend to give a detailed report on each stop and what we saw, but rather what the Eclipse was like.

 

The boat is kept in great shape, everything is beautifully appointed, clean and well taken care of. Lots of teak and mahogany everywhere, nice cabins, large heads (bathrooms) with showers that do not wet down everything in the head, but rather didn't spread water around at all. There were not a lot of drawers, but there were two large, double door closets with shelves in one. So we were never short on storage space. The beds were very comfortable, and the cabin steward was excellent.

 

The food was also excellent. Buffet service at all meals, though soup was generally served at your place before the dinner buffet. Each meal offered lots of choices including very varied salad offerings and fruit at all meals. There were many choices for each meal, so there was always plenty to eat regardless of whether you wanted to restrict your diet in one way or another. The food was all excellent.

 

Ricardo, the cruise director, really ran a tight ship. If anything, even the smallest detail, was out of place, he would have it corrected immediately. It was evident that he had everything running very well. The crew was also extremely friendly and helpful. There was always someone to carry your plate from the buffet line to your table, always someone making sure you had whatever drink you wanted, and generally the care was perfect.

 

The naturalist guides also can make or break the trip, and the ship had three fantastic guides. Each had a slightly different area of expertise, and they complemented each other well. Each evening there was a 30-minute meeting where they would tell you what the next day's activities would be, and they added information each night about such things as the volcanic origin of the islands, different types of fish in the area, etc. DW's fears were unfounded, as there was just this short discussion each night.

 

The Galapagos are a once-in-a-lifetime experience, there is no doubt. But I am not one to hold back when I have a complaint, or feel that some things could be done better. As for the Eclipse, there is not a single thing that I think they could improve upon. The other couple that was with us felt the exact same way, and frankly we never heard a single complaint from a single passenger. If you want to visit the Galapagos, and you want everything to be perfect, I cannot recommend the Eclipse highly enough. It was fantastic.

[CruisingJs]

What an interesting review...thanks for sharing. Do you have any pictures of the ship you could share?

[Keith1010]

Thanks for writing and sharing your trip report.

 

Keith

[LifeisaVacation]

We just cruised on M/V Eclipse from May 3 - May 10 in Galapagos. First the good: excellent guides (especially Martin); very will organized activities; good food; professional and accommodating passenger support staff (with one exception noted below). The Galapagos Islands are fascinating and beautiful.

 

Second, the bad: some of the cabins on the lowest deck have a serious noise problem that the cruise company has not been upfront in disclosing. There are two water treatment machines on the ship; one is under cabin 12 and the other is under cabin 11. One of the machines is running at all times and if it is under your cabin, it is similar to sharing your cabin with a fast-idling city bus. The cruise director handled the noise problem in a clumsy and offensive manner. Definitely do not book cabins 11 or 12 and it is possible other surrounding cabins on the lowest deck are also affected. The cruise company should be providing full disclosure about this issue to anyone who considers booking these cabins -- in fact, this problem is so bad they should get a written acknowledgement and consent to an excessively noisy cabin before selling these to anyone. It will be hard for you to enjoy all the good things this ship has to offer if you cannot get any sleep!