Xploration to Galapagos going out of commission?

[waterbug123]

1 hour ago, XCXCruiser said:

My partner and I just finished the 7 day Xploration southern loop from March 16th to March 23rd. We got to Ecuador early and did the tours through Quito with Celebrity.

 

As for the Quito tours with Celebrity, they were OK, but having Celebrity deal with the airports and Galapagos paper work made the trip easy and worthwhile. The JW Marriott in Quito is really nice.

We will be on Xploration in a few weeks and wonder if you can answer a few questions-

 

1. I recall reading somewhere that regular luggage doesn't fit under the bed on Xploration, but in pictures it looks like it would.   Did you have normal luggage space under the beds?

 

2. How was the food?

 

3. We did not purchase air through Celebrity and have made our own flight reservations on Avianca from Quito to Baltra.  I believe Celebrity told us at one point that there would still be a Celebrity rep to meet us at the airport in Baltra and take us to the ship.  I know you booked air through Celebrity but do you recall if, when you arrived at Baltra airport, the Celebrity rep was also greeting pax who booked independently?  We do plan to confirm with them soon, just hoping someone who has been there recently can confirm.

 

4.  Is there anything else about Xploration that surprised you, good or bad, or that you think would be worth noting? 

 

Thanks so much!  We leave for Quito 4/30 and sail 5/4 and can't wait!

[mahdnc]

12 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

Nothing official has been provided by Celebrity yet but there has been zero mention of anything other than Flora for the 2026 cruises that were just released.  

I noticed that, too. When I was looking over Galapagos cruises a while back, I noticed a very uneven rollout of the itineraries.  So I think that this could mean anything. We will see. 

Edited March 28 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

22 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

We will be on Xploration in a few weeks and wonder if you can answer a few questions-

 

1. I recall reading somewhere that regular luggage doesn't fit under the bed on Xploration, but in pictures it looks like it would.   Did you have normal luggage space under the beds?

 

2. How was the food?

 

3. We did not purchase air through Celebrity and have made our own flight reservations on Avianca from Quito to Baltra.  I believe Celebrity told us at one point that there would still be a Celebrity rep to meet us at the airport in Baltra and take us to the ship.  I know you booked air through Celebrity but do you recall if, when you arrived at Baltra airport, the Celebrity rep was also greeting pax who booked independently?  We do plan to confirm with them soon, just hoping someone who has been there recently can confirm.

 

4.  Is there anything else about Xploration that surprised you, good or bad, or that you think would be worth noting? 

 

Thanks so much!  We leave for Quito 4/30 and sail 5/4 and can't wait!

On our Xpedition sailing last November, there were Celebrity naturalists at the GPS terminal to receive all passengers including people that booked their air independently. And they were there for both Xploration and Xpedition as both ships started their cruises on the same day.  I’m pretty sure there had to be a Celebrity rep to receive independent guests because there is a special shuttle bus that takes you from GPS to the zodiac dock which takes you to your ship. 
 

We had about 12-13 passengers on our Xpedition sailing that booked the trip cruise-only. 
 

Xpedition Director and her naturalists at GPS

Edited March 28 by mahdnc

[Jeremiah1212]

9 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

I noticed that, too. When I was looking over Galapagos cruises a while back, I noticed a very uneven rollout of the itineraries.  So I think that this could mean anything. We will see. 

I would keep an eye on Silversea and see what they do mid 2026. Although their Jan-March 2026 Galapagos just released in Nov 2023 so it will be a while. 

[catspaw1]

Thanks XCX. Really appreciate the information as there is not much posted on the Xploration. How was the food? Normally at anchor, boats face into the wind. With a smaller boat they can usually hide behind an island to minimize boat movements.  Did they do that or was it cross wave & wind action that caused all the rolling? I wonder why they needed to keep engine on 24/7 but maybe they don't have a generator? How were the cabins? Any other pros & cons to the Xploration? Thanks for taking the time to post.

[XCXCruiser]

57 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

Very nice first post on Cruise Critic (and very nice second cruise!)!

 

For your group of 12, did you sail with two naturalists?

 

Happy 10th anniversary, btw. So next cruise is not until 2034 (10 years)?

 

Thanks 🙂

 

Yes! We still had two naturalists so each panga typically had 1 crew member and 1 naturalist on board (and an extra crew member for wet landings.

[airhose]

We decided to book the Xploration for the May 31, 2025 sailing, although we would have preferred 2026 (Flora, while awesome I'm sure, just too expensive for we Canadians, considering other future travel already booked).  We have been to mainland Ecuador 10 years ago, so are spending a few days in Galapagos prior to the sailing.  Thank you for the previous posts,  and any further posts, about the Galapagos, either sailing or on land.  Exciting trip!

[XCXCruiser]

42 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

We will be on Xploration in a few weeks and wonder if you can answer a few questions-

 

1. I recall reading somewhere that regular luggage doesn't fit under the bed on Xploration, but in pictures it looks like it would.   Did you have normal luggage space under the beds?

 

2. How was the food?

 

3. We did not purchase air through Celebrity and have made our own flight reservations on Avianca from Quito to Baltra.  I believe Celebrity told us at one point that there would still be a Celebrity rep to meet us at the airport in Baltra and take us to the ship.  I know you booked air through Celebrity but do you recall if, when you arrived at Baltra airport, the Celebrity rep was also greeting pax who booked independently?  We do plan to confirm with them soon, just hoping someone who has been there recently can confirm.

 

4.  Is there anything else about Xploration that surprised you, good or bad, or that you think would be worth noting? 

 

Thanks so much!  We leave for Quito 4/30 and sail 5/4 and can't wait!

 

1. Our carry on fit underneath the bed, but our checked luggage we just sat it close to the washroom.

2. Food was consistently solid. There were several "special" meals, like a whole turkey one day! Lunch and Dinner both had special separate dessert served. We never asked for food otherwise, but there was a couple of baskets of crackers/cookies and a fruit bowl that was out that we could take whenever. Jonathan the hotel manager was often found in the dining room, or Christopher who was the bartender and whenever you needed a drink (wine, beer, soda) they would provide it. The bar on the second floor was sparsely used as we all were often too beat. Often when coming back from an excursion Jonathan and Christopher would greet us back on the boat with a welcome drink.

3. There was a meeting point in the Baltra airport where those who were JAC (just a cruise 🤣) and like you said, they met those who arranged their own travel. 10/12 of the people on Xploration did the pre cruise tours, and 2 were there previously in Santa Cruz and once they met at the airport were taken with the rest of the group who had done the Quito tour.

4. I am a poor sleeper so the constant hum of the engines was kind of annoying. Even with earplugs it only helped a little. The bedroom itself (we were in the internal cabin) was great, all the drawers were pushed lock. Due to some of the choppiness during the night there was a lot of banging if you didn't have things properly locked down. A couple of nights we didn't lock the safe and you'd hear "bang bang bang" until it was locked. There was turn down service with a chocolate treat during dinner which was fun. I am a notorious overpacker (on any trip!) and found that since we spent so much time in the water that I didn't end up using as much socks and underwear as I thought. Often I had a set of "evening attire" that I wore several consecutive nights because I'd only wear it for 2 hours. The wet suits that they had on board were shorties so your arms/legs are uncovered so be sure to wear a rashguard and/or have enough sunscreen.

[waterbug123]

43 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

On our Xpedition sailing last November, there were Celebrity naturalists at the GPS terminal to receive all passengers including people that booked their air independently. And they were there for both Xploration and Xpedition as both ships started their cruises on the same day.  I’m pretty sure there had to be a Celebrity rep to receive independent guests because there is a special shuttle bus that takes you from GPS to the zodiac dock which takes you to your ship. 
 

We had about 12-13 passengers on our Xpedition sailing that booked the trip cruise-only. 
 

Xpedition Director and her naturalists at GPS

Thank you so much, that is reassuring to hear!   As I said, I called quite a while back with a few questions, and have vague recollections of the conversation, but for the life of me I can't find the notes I took during the call.

[catspaw1]

waterbug, would appreciate your doing a TR when you return also.

 

We are also independent travelers so getting to Baltra on our own. We thought we would spend anywhere from 1-3 nights in Baltra before our cruise so please let me know what you think & how many days.   My current plan is arrive day 1 probably pm. Day 2 walk around & look for a boat ride the next day. Day 3 snorkel trip. Day 4 go to the ship. How does that sound? It's still a lot cheaper to DIY than Celebrity wants even paying for air, food & 2-3 nights hotel in Baltra.

 

We will also get our own guide in Quito. Please let us all know if the current situation in Ecuador affects your tip at all. We would like to go up to Mindo for a few days prior to the cruise also if it's safe.

 

 

[waterbug123]

2 minutes ago, XCXCruiser said:

 

1. Our carry on fit underneath the bed, but our checked luggage we just sat it close to the washroom.

2. Food was consistently solid. There were several "special" meals, like a whole turkey one day! Lunch and Dinner both had special separate dessert served. We never asked for food otherwise, but there was a couple of baskets of crackers/cookies and a fruit bowl that was out that we could take whenever. Jonathan the hotel manager was often found in the dining room, or Christopher who was the bartender and whenever you needed a drink (wine, beer, soda) they would provide it. The bar on the second floor was sparsely used as we all were often too beat. Often when coming back from an excursion Jonathan and Christopher would greet us back on the boat with a welcome drink.

3. There was a meeting point in the Baltra airport where those who were JAC (just a cruise 🤣) and like you said, they met those who arranged their own travel. 10/12 of the people on Xploration did the pre cruise tours, and 2 were there previously in Santa Cruz and once they met at the airport were taken with the rest of the group who had done the Quito tour.

4. I am a poor sleeper so the constant hum of the engines was kind of annoying. Even with earplugs it only helped a little. The bedroom itself (we were in the internal cabin) was great, all the drawers were pushed lock. Due to some of the choppiness during the night there was a lot of banging if you didn't have things properly locked down. A couple of nights we didn't lock the safe and you'd hear "bang bang bang" until it was locked. There was turn down service with a chocolate treat during dinner which was fun. I am a notorious overpacker (on any trip!) and found that since we spent so much time in the water that I didn't end up using as much socks and underwear as I thought. Often I had a set of "evening attire" that I wore several consecutive nights because I'd only wear it for 2 hours. The wet suits that they had on board were shorties so your arms/legs are uncovered so be sure to wear a rashguard and/or have enough sunscreen.

Thank you so much!  I'm not going to worry about our luggage; it will just go wherever it goes.  Appreciate all the other info as well.  We got full body dive skins to wear under the wet suits so we don't have to worry as much about sunscreen while snorkeling.   You mentioned beer, wine and soda, but there are cocktails available too, correct?   A few in our group are wondering how well stocked the bar is; I'm guessing it may be somewhat minimal in selection due to the small sie of the boat.  ???

[catspaw1]

I am concerned about putting 2 large pieces of luggage in that small room. is there anywhere else to store them?

[catspaw1]

I have splashguards & was going to buy a neoprene pants. We are going to Bermuda in July so will test them out.

 

Did you bring sunscreen & bug spray?

[XCXCruiser]

38 minutes ago, catspaw1 said:

Thanks XCX. Really appreciate the information as there is not much posted on the Xploration. How was the food? Normally at anchor, boats face into the wind. With a smaller boat they can usually hide behind an island to minimize boat movements.  Did they do that or was it cross wave & wind action that caused all the rolling? I wonder why they needed to keep engine on 24/7 but maybe they don't have a generator? How were the cabins? Any other pros & cons to the Xploration? Thanks for taking the time to post.

Food was buffet style... dinner service was typically about an hour at which point the crew staff would take away the main meals, by the end of the trip I had to really control myself because I'd often overeat 🙂

 

The cabins consisted of a long dresser with a wardrobe at the end that had room for the safe. The bathrooms had a standup shower, and toilet paper does not go into the toilet but instead the bin beside the toilet. We found that our toilet had _some_ issues where we had to call the hotel manager to have the crew unclog it (not due to toilet paper!) but they were very quick in resolving those issues. The curtains would often open due to the swaying of the ship so I'd recommend bringing a binder clip to ensure they remain shut.

 

Re: ship / cross wave / etc... I'm not sure, I'm not much of a sailor. I do know the captain after the first night took manual control to try to minimize the choppiness for successive evenings and tried to travel between dinner/bedtime.

 

I would highly recommend the Xploration, being able to easily get on and off the ship with minimal time allows for so many more activities it felt like. The crew knew each person and it just felt so much more luxurious / exclusive. Having small excursions to beaches where you were the only ones on there just felt special.

[waterbug123]

3 minutes ago, catspaw1 said:

waterbug, would appreciate your doing a TR when you return also.

 

We are also independent travelers so getting to Baltra on our own. We thought we would spend anywhere from 1-3 nights in Baltra before our cruise so please let me know what you think & how many days.   My current plan is arrive day 1 probably pm. Day 2 walk around & look for a boat ride the next day. Day 3 snorkel trip. Day 4 go to the ship. How does that sound? It's still a lot cheaper to DIY than Celebrity wants even paying for air, food & 2-3 nights hotel in Baltra.

 

We will also get our own guide in Quito. Please let us all know if the current situation in Ecuador affects your tip at all. We would like to go up to Mindo for a few days prior to the cruise also if it's safe.

 

 

I'll be happy to write up a review when we get back.  I will likely post it here on the Celebrity boards, rather than in the general cruise review section, so that it can be seen easily by anyone booking Celebrity Galapagos.

 

We are not spending any pre-cruise time in Baltra, but your itinerary looks good to me.   We are spending our pre-cruise time in Quito.  Our schedule is:

4/30- 4 of us arrive late evening

5/1`- the 4 plan to take the Teleferico cable car, and have also booked a walking street art tour in the late afternoon.  Just seemed like something different and interesting, and includes a drink or two and snack.  The other 6 arrive late than evening (we're a group of 10 friends).  I'm searching for places with good empanadas for dinner!  🙂

5/2- all 10 have a walking food tour at 11

5/3- 6 of us have booked an all day birding trip to the Mindo Cloud Forest with a private guide including hotel pickup/dropoff; not sure what the other 4 will do

5/4- booked our own flights on Avianca to Baltra, and board the ship same day

[XCXCruiser]

5 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

Thank you so much!  I'm not going to worry about our luggage; it will just go wherever it goes.  Appreciate all the other info as well.  We got full body dive skins to wear under the wet suits so we don't have to worry as much about sunscreen while snorkeling.   You mentioned beer, wine and soda, but there are cocktails available too, correct?   A few in our group are wondering how well stocked the bar is; I'm guessing it may be somewhat minimal in selection due to the small sie of the boat.  ???

Yep you could have cocktails too... they have a full bar on the second floor and sometimes had margaritas, pina coladas, etc, etc... there just wasn't really enough time to drink as we were pretty exhausted being out in the sun all day. They also provided some drinks with espiritu du ecuador https://espiritudelecuador.com.ec/web/spirit-of-ecuador/ which was fun.

[XCXCruiser]

3 minutes ago, catspaw1 said:

I have splashguards & was going to buy a neoprene pants. We are going to Bermuda in July so will test them out.

 

Did you bring sunscreen & bug spray?

We brought coral safe face and body sunscreen and bug lotion... we didn't really need the bug lotion often but did go through about 400mL of the body sunscreen

[mahdnc]

2 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

I'll be happy to write up a review when we get back.  I will likely post it here on the Celebrity boards, rather than in the general cruise review section, so that it can be seen easily by anyone booking Celebrity Galapagos.

 

 

 

Posting a review on the main Celebrity board is tons better as you pointed out and you will get really important Q&A that cannot occur in the Cruise Review section.  Also it is nicer to embed your photos in a post than as attachments in a cruise review.

[XCXCruiser]

7 minutes ago, catspaw1 said:

I am concerned about putting 2 large pieces of luggage in that small room. is there anywhere else to store them?

Unsure, we used our carry on to help keep the curtains shut and then wedged shoes to make sure it didn't roll around.

[waterbug123]

30 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Posting a review on the main Celebrity board is tons better as you pointed out and you will get really important Q&A that cannot occur in the Cruise Review section.  Also it is nicer to embed your photos in a post than as attachments in a cruise review.

Now I just need someone to explain how to add photos to a post. I think I figured it out once a long time ago but forget now

[catspaw1]

waterbug- about going up the teleferico... remember that's at a much higher altitude than Quito which is already high. Altitude seasickness is a real possibility. I got it in Cuzco & we had already been in Machu Pichu & surrounding areas for almost a week. With altitude, it's better to go up gradually. So let us know how that works out. At the teleferico in Merida VZ once, I got it so bad I had to immediately descend.

 

Let us know how you like Mindo. We would like to stay 2 nights to see the birds at dawn. 

 

If the boat is rolling around so much, 2 pieces of luggage won't stay upright. will they store it somewhere? We really don't want to buy more luggage!

[waterbug123]

32 minutes ago, XCXCruiser said:

We brought coral safe face and body sunscreen and bug lotion... we didn't really need the bug lotion often but did go through about 400mL of the body sunscreen

Definitely taking reef safe sunscreen.  We have individual packets of deet bug wipes. We used them in Africa and liked them so much better than spray. Ordered on Amazon I think

[waterbug123]

2 minutes ago, catspaw1 said:

waterbug- about going up the teleferico... remember that's at a much higher altitude than Quito which is already high. Altitude seasickness is a real possibility. I got it in Cuzco & we had already been in Machu Pichu & surrounding areas for almost a week. With altitude, it's better to go up gradually. So let us know how that works out. At the teleferico in Merida VZ once, I got it so bad I had to immediately descend.

 

Let us know how you like Mindo. We would like to stay 2 nights to see the birds at dawn. 

 

If the boat is rolling around so much, 2 pieces of luggage won't stay upright. will they store it somewhere? We really don't want to buy more luggage!

We have Diamox we plan to take for altitude sickness.  We’ve been at altitude many times, snow skiing and gorilla trekking in Rwanda.  It’s never bothered me but I’m taking the Diamox anyway, just in case.  My husband has occasionally been affected so he’s taking it as well! 

[catspaw1]

 waterbug,good idea on the wipes. Let us know if flying out the same day as the cruise works as we might consider doing that also. Getting to Puerto Ayova will transferring on a ferry bus & taxi seems like a schlep with luggage so leaving right from Baltra would be better. I haven't look at flights yet since it's 15 months away. what time does your flight leave Quito & arrive? & how much was flight?

[airhose]

Are kayaks available on Exploration?