Silver Origin Trip Report Feb 2023

[AliceJ]

The Silver Origin Galapagos cruise exceeded our high expectations.

 

Precruise:

Our experience with Silversea once in Ecuador was great. Exiting customs in Quito there was no way we could have missed the SS reps. They corralled all of us, took care of our large luggage and off we went on a bus to the JW Marriott. The hotel is one of the best Marriotts I’ve stayed in. The on-site restaurants were very good. Raices restaurant is truly fine dining, and Botanic offered a really good buffet breakfast and solid dinner menu. Be aware there is no store in the Marriott for anything you realize you forgot to bring, but there is a good mall a $2 cab ride away.

 

We booked a private tour for earlier in the day on Friday with Guanguiltagua Expeditions. Dennis arranged an itinerary for us based on our interests and the time we had available. We were very pleased and have no hesitation recommending them.

 

Friday night we did do the SilverSea tour that is included and enjoyed that as well.

 

Onboard:

Food – The food was great. There is quite a bit of seafood, but there are plenty of delicious options for those, like myself, who don’t eat a lot of seafood. The daily ceviche offering was always very good. There are set times for all meals and room service is available. Aside from eating dinner upstairs in the Grill (Hot Rocks experience) there are no reservations needed for dining. Although everyone eats at the same times, the staff was always very good about arranging tables as needed and there is never a wait to sit down.

 

Excursions – do them all!! Most days offered at least one hike/walk and one snorkeling excursion. The only excursions with limited participants are the kayaking excursions. There are also a few zodiac tours along islands that were not walking-friendly. The guides are all terrific and clearly love what they do. Make sure your cameras/cell phones have full batteries and capacity to take an enormous amount of photos! Each evening, before dinner, there is a briefing on the following day’s excursions. SS is very good with making sure guests understand the difficulty level of the excursions and what you will need to bring along with you.

 

Zodiacs – the SS staff does a great job of getting you in and out of the zodiacs safely. The zodiac drivers are incredibly good at keeping the zodiacs study while you are getting in and out and also make sure that while you are out in them, everyone on board gets a good opportunity to see and photograph the wildlife.

 

Clothes – bring a hat for the sun. Some of the landings are “wet landings” so you’ll want something like water sandals for those. Aside from no shorts or jeans at dinner, people were generally in resort casual clothing. Having a rash guard to go under your wet suit is helpful.

 

Overall it was a fantastic trip! Happy to answer any questions you have.

 

 

[RELS]

Thank you for reporting all this! We leave on Wednesday and board the Origin on Saturday, and I'm so excited!

 

Quick question -- Do gents need a jacket to dine at Raices in the Marriott? The hotel website says it's formal, but my husband would rather not bring a jacket for just one meal.

[AliceJ]

12 hours ago, RELS said:

Thank you for reporting all this! We leave on Wednesday and board the Origin on Saturday, and I'm so excited!

 

Quick question -- Do gents need a jacket to dine at Raices in the Marriott? The hotel website says it's formal, but my husband would rather not bring a jacket for just one meal.

We ended up going to Raices the night we got in. We were definitely not dressed up. He should be fine with a button down shirt and slacks. The meal we had was excellent and the service top notch!

[barbpretz]

@AliceJThanks so much for posting this!  What itinerary did you do?  What were some of your highlights?  What was not so great?  The more details the better!

[AliceJ]

3 hours ago, barbpretz said:

@AliceJThanks so much for posting this!  What itinerary did you do?  What were some of your highlights?  What was not so great?  The more details the better!

The whole trip was just amazing. Highlight is that the animals are literally all around you (you're not "looking" for the animals), the scenery is amazing, and the crew of the Origin is fantastic. So, generally, everything. I didn't give a ton of details. For excursions, the decision is to do the scheduled excursion or not, there really isn't a choice of what to do. And do them all. I really couldn't point out anything that as below par. Dining had great menu options, but it isn't like a large ship where you have to plan where and when you'll eat ahead of time. 

If you have specific questions, let me know. I'm happy to answer. Honestly, one of the really fun aspects of the trip is having so much of it be new and unplanned (for the guests). Origin has everything beautifully organized and planned.

[barbpretz]

@AliceJSome specific questions:

1)  Did you have Silversea handle your flights?  I've been reading some horror stories about this.  Where did you fly from?  Did you have any problems?

 

2)  What cabin were you in?  Any issues with turbulence/seasickness or noise?

 

3)  Anything that you wished you had brought?  Or anything you brought that you didn't need?

 

Thanks again!

[Rothko1]

So glad to hear you had a great time.  We did Silver Origin a year and a half ago and it is still my all-time favorite cruise (just inching out Antarctica slightly).  I'd go back in a flash.

[AliceJ]

3 hours ago, barbpretz said:

@AliceJSome specific questions:

1)  Did you have Silversea handle your flights?  I've been reading some horror stories about this.  Where did you fly from?  Did you have any problems?

 

2)  What cabin were you in?  Any issues with turbulence/seasickness or noise?

 

3)  Anything that you wished you had brought?  Or anything you brought that you didn't need?

 

Thanks again!

1 - We used Silversea for our flights. Probably wouldn't do that again. We flew out of Dulles, but SS originally had us flying out of BWI. I had to ask to change our flights to Dulles as BWI we need to allocate 2 hours of travel time to get to the airport vs. 20 minutes to Dulles. They did change that for us. Flew back on Copa. Not a fan. 

2 - we were in cabin 516, right next to the elevator and stairs. Never had an issue with noise. The ocean was pretty calm on our cruise, so no issues with seasickness.

3 - Wish I had brought a hat. Did wear a rash guard and swim pants under my wetsuit for snorkeling and was glad I did. Hiking shorts with pockets and a hiking/fishing shirt with pockets were helpful. I used my phone to take my pictures - a case with a wrist strap would have been helpful.

[AliceJ]

36 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

So glad to hear you had a great time.  We did Silver Origin a year and a half ago and it is still my all-time favorite cruise (just inching out Antarctica slightly).  I'd go back in a flash.

We feel the same way!! Our next SS cruise is Antarctica!

[barbpretz]

@AliceJWe are trying to decide whether to go with Silversea for our flights or book our own.  Besides having to get them to change airports, what specifically did you not like about flying through Silversea?  I'm hoping to learn from your experience, so details would be appreciated.

[AliceJ]

3 hours ago, barbpretz said:

@AliceJWe are trying to decide whether to go with Silversea for our flights or book our own.  Besides having to get them to change airports, what specifically did you not like about flying through Silversea?  I'm hoping to learn from your experience, so details would be appreciated.

 

One thing that put me off is that considering the cruise and the cruise line, SS really does go for the very cheapest option. We would never have flown Copa on our own (and wouldn't again). 

One thing I wished we had known is that the itinerary they give you is not set in stone. We spoke with people on the cruise who paid for the difference in fare and flew business class. Others who did some online research and came up with alternate itineraries that SS accepted. There's a huge thread on issues people have with SS air, although I haven't read it.

The other thing I didn't like is that although we had our flight itinerary well in advance of the cruise, we didn't get the airline confirmation numbers until about 3 (?) weeks before so we were unable to book seats until that point. And I did ask about that way ahead of time.

 

[Becky2010]

I found it! Thanks for posting the review. We were put in the cabin right above yours - and I was worried about the location, so that's great to hear. We are leaving tomorrow, and getting onboard on Saturday. We booked this so late - just a few weeks ago - and so we had to do our own flights. We are going on Delta there - BWI-ATLANTA-QUITO and then back on Avianca GYE-JFK direct. I'm hoping everything goes smoothly. If you happen to see this tonight - wondering what is on the tour in Quito so that we don't duplicate it during the day! Thanks @AliceJ!

[AliceJ]

3 hours ago, Becky2010 said:

I found it! Thanks for posting the review. We were put in the cabin right above yours - and I was worried about the location, so that's great to hear. We are leaving tomorrow, and getting onboard on Saturday. We booked this so late - just a few weeks ago - and so we had to do our own flights. We are going on Delta there - BWI-ATLANTA-QUITO and then back on Avianca GYE-JFK direct. I'm hoping everything goes smoothly. If you happen to see this tonight - wondering what is on the tour in Quito so that we don't duplicate it during the day! Thanks @AliceJ!

Our tour group visited a city market and then went to the historic district for a walk around (just beautiful) and a visit to a chocolate store. If you found you forgot anything, there is a mall close to the Marriott. It’s a $2 cab ride. Have a fabulous time!

[Becky2010]

7 minutes ago, AliceJ said:

Our tour group visited a city market and then went to the historic district for a walk around (just beautiful) and a visit to a chocolate store. If you found you forgot anything, there is a mall close to the Marriott. It’s a $2 cab ride. Have a fabulous time!

Thank you! Was that the Silversea tour in the evening?

[barbpretz]

@AliceJDo you remember what time the Silversea Friday evening tour started?  I want to make sure to arrange a daytime tour that gets back in time.

 

I'm loving all your details!

[AliceJ]

The evening tour was the Silversea tour and I think it left at 5:00

[Rothko1]

The evening Silversea tour we did was to the old city, to the very historical area (its a Unesco world heritage site).  We walked around the squares and old streets.  It was magnificent - the architecture is just something.  We had police escorts with our group, to keep pickpockets and other unsavory folk away.

 

We then went up to the Virgen de El Panecillo statue on the hill about Quito and toured that also.

[Carol From California]

Thanks for sharing your recent experience on the Origin in the Galapagos. We did this trip in December, 2021. It was absolutely fantastic! Did I recommend Dennis from Guanguiltagua Expeditions to you? We used him too. We booked our own air (business class) and took the credit from SS. We went in a couple of days early and toured around with Dennis.   

[mvogel]

Hi - a couple of pre and post-cruise questions.  

 

1) Did your day tour in Quito duplicate any of the Friday evening tour from Silverseas? 

2) How long is the Friday evening Silverseas tour?  We'd like to go out to dinner after the tour.  What time does it end?

3) We are leaving Guayaquil the next day at 12:30pm.  Is there time on Saturday afternoon for a brief tour of Guayaquil?

[RachelG]

On 2/27/2023 at 10:17 AM, mvogel said:

Hi - a couple of pre and post-cruise questions.  

 

1) Did your day tour in Quito duplicate any of the Friday evening tour from Silverseas? 

2) How long is the Friday evening Silverseas tour?  We'd like to go out to dinner after the tour.  What time does it end?

3) We are leaving Guayaquil the next day at 12:30pm.  Is there time on Saturday afternoon for a brief tour of Guayaquil?

I can answer a couple of these.  People who did the evening tour defintely were back in time to go out to dinner.  Remember, this is South America.  They typically eat dinner later than we are accustomed anyway, but if you are wanting to make reservations, I think 8 pm would be safe.  We ate at the hotel restaurant which was quite good.

We had plenty of time on Saturday afternoon to walk around in Guayaquil.  In the afternoon, it was fine.  We walked over to the Malecon and all around there, and there were families, etc.  But at night, the area around the hotel is full of prostitutes--did not feel safe at all. 

[AliceJ]

To follow on to Rachel's reply above:

Agree about the timing for dinner. I think the tour was about 2 hours. And yes, the restaurants at the JW Marriott are good. 

We also went down to the Malecon, but took at taxi both ways. It's a lovely area with lots of local out and about, and a very visible police presence. 

And no, DO NOT go walking about around the hotel after dark. I think our bus to the airport left the hotel around 4:00 a.m. and there were still quite a few women working the corners.

[VanBC20]

Thank you for the info.  2 questions:

 

1. What time did you arrive in Guayaquil?  I'm booking our own flights from Guayaquil and need to get home early.

 

2. I'm having difficulty finding the correct information on the Covid policy.  Ecuador and Galapagos islands don't have any restrictions/testing requirements but the SilverSea website says they do require tests.  What was your experience on that?

[AliceJ]

Van: I think we arrived in Guayaquil mid afternoon. I didn't keep a record of the flight as SS provided all of the transport from the ship and we were all on the same flight. I don't recall talking to anyone who was flying out right after we arrived in Guayaquil. Most of us had an overnight stay, but the original trip itinerary did show that the accommodations were for a day room at the hotel with an evening departure. I would definitely check with SilverSea before booking your flight out of Guayaquil if you want to fly out the same day.

 

We did provide proof of vaccination to SilverSea. That seems to have been a SS policy, not an Ecuador policy. We didn't need to test. 

[labrasett]

1 hour ago, VanBC20 said:

Thank you for the info.  2 questions:

 

1. What time did you arrive in Guayaquil?  I'm booking our own flights from Guayaquil and need to get home early.

 

2. I'm having difficulty finding the correct information on the Covid policy.  Ecuador and Galapagos islands don't have any restrictions/testing requirements but the SilverSea website says they do require tests.  What was your experience on that?

The flight to Guayaquil left around 10.30 in the  morning and got in around 1.30 ish as I recall (three weeks ago).   We had flights to Lima booked for 9.00 pm that night and took the day room in the hotel and had transport (SS) back to the airport around 6.30.

 

SS check vaccination papers on arrival at the hotel pre cruise.  Fully vaccinated pax with evidence did not need to take further test.

[MBP&O2/O]

What about meat dishes? It is my understanding that there are strict controls on the importation of meat? Pre-packed? Vacuum packed? Part cooked?

 

Does this reflect the available choice?

 

I am also intrigued with the Ceviche comment .. could you supply examples?

 

Thanks