Galapagos – WOW! What a trip!!! (Cabin 506)

[voyageur]

during the Aug 21st sailing! I would like to know if the the cabins on this deck have a full window or a porthole? The deckplan indicates a porthole, but my TA says it does have a full window. I would love to hear from someone who has actually stayed in one these cabins so I can determine if I need to upgrade.

Thanks!

 

Marcia

 

My husband and I stayed in a "300" room, and the rooms have a window not a porthole. The windows are slightly larger in the 400's, but the rooms are identical. Don't spend the extra money.

[mmark14]

Thank you for the information about the 300 rooms. My TA also told me to book a room on the marina Deck, but I am happy you could verify her findings. We will stay with room 304----August will be here sooner than we think!

Thanks again,

Marcia

[SandyR5]

Marcia - We just booked cabin 304 for our December Xpedition trip! You'll have to report when you return. ;)

[susiesan]

I understand that Celebrity has wetsuits for the pax to use, but none in women's sizes. Could those of you going soon see if this is still the situation? It seems that since 50% of the pax are women 50% of the wetsuits should be in women's sizes. I have asked Celebrity customer service to look into this for me. They have 11 months to go buy some.

 

Dan + Jean, we are in 318-got the last of the cheap cabins for that date. We are doing the 10 day package. Vistadeck (Tina) and I have started corresponding direct. After I get back from my Dawn Princess cruise Jan, 19-29 I will start a roll call. Meantime, e-mail me: sueburke at kcairfilter.com

 

Susie

[Gillian2]

They had women's sizes, or at least many of us women fit into the wet suits. However, they were very limited on suits for svelte women (I don't qualify in that category) and also the opposite end of the spectrum. That is why I suggest trying on immediately then finding Jason to do a swap before the official 'swap time'. I observed smart people doing this!!!

The other recommendation is asking for a specific size at the airport when they ask for your shoe size. At no time was I asked for a suit size..they either based it on the shoes or from a once-over glance at your body frame.

I am off to England and then on the Diamond (Mexico) and the New York, England again and Egypt. Talk to you all sometime inbetween all the traveling.

Gillian

[Vistadeck]

Just noticed on my cruise on Dec 11th they have just added another OX cabin, the lowest price available, but a bit smaller cabin category.. it may be opened up on other sailings as well. They didn't seem to be selling this one before but have added it -- its at the blank space across the hall from 317.

Tina

[poultry_in_motion]

We are looking at 12/4/05 sailing. Travel agent has available (2) suites w/verandah on top deck (501 and 509) and (5) oceanview staterooms on Vista deck (403-409-411 port, 402 and 416 starboard). Any comments regarding these specific staterooms? Agent is pushing 501 (next to Blue Finch Bar) and 403 (2 doors down from Guest Relations). Any thoughts on noise levels in these or other locations? Is balcony a definite plus or a "nice to have"? Help!!!!!!

[voyageur]

Just my opinion... The 500 rooms are in the quietest part of the ship, but whether it's worth the extra money to have a balcony??... I think not on this particular cruise. I can't imagine when or why you'd use it. They keep you very busy outside all day. And it's a very social group. I would choose a 400 room, but go down the hall a bit more to be sure of quiet, not right by guest relations.

[Cruisergal1208]

We had 501 on our Dec. cruise and enjoyed having the balcony, even if it was a little on the small side. It was great to dry the shoes and to take pictures from. The location was great. Just steps away from the stairwell and the deck outside was like having your own private deck. It was seldom used on our cruise and had a tarp for shade over part of it. The Blue Finch Bar was not used on our cruise.

The ship has a very definite "rock and roll" to it while anchored. Beware of the closet doors swinging into you if you need to access something in the closets.

Overall experience was awesome!! Highly recommend it.

Mary Ann

[SandyR5]

Hi Poultryinmotion - We're booked on the 12/4 trip. We always have a balcony cabin when we cruise, but not for this trip. Although I'm sure it will be nice, everything I have read says you will not use it as much as on a regular cruise. We booked room 304. We were going to book the 400 rooms, Category XP, but we found out the the windows are just inches bigger than the XD 300 rooms, so we went with that level. I think it's going to be awesome no matter what room you choose. If you do book, find our "roll call" on that board. We're up to 3 couples now.

[barryw1111]

We are also booked on the 12/04 trip. We too have 3 couples signed up.
It sounds like a fantastic cruise.
We also opted for the XD cat. WE prefer a balcony but could not justify the $1000 extra expense per person for such a short trip as well as a trip in which we would spend litle time in the cabin or on the balcony. I guess we will just have to befriend someone with a balcony.

Barry

[goldendaze]

Hi all,

We were on the 12/5 sailing in 2004 - had a blast! We were in cabin 411, a good location. Middle of the boat, just steps from all the action, and no noticeable noise (except the anchor of course which you will hear on occasion from anywhere).

Just my 2 cents.

[SandyR5]

HI Barry - That's great that you're coming. Bill & I are traveling alone, but we've already "met" 2 other couples coming on the same trip. Come on over to the roll call board. The post is under Xpedition 12/4/05. Since you're traveling with 2 other couples that makes 12 of us already. We're going to have a fantastic time. It's funny how we all booked almost a year in advance. Just more time to be excited.

Goldendaze - I waited for your trip report before booking. You convinced me that early December is a great time to go. Thanks for all your help.

[Lube]

To all interested in the Xpedition trip to the Galapagos Islands, we just returned and it was fabulous! Any questions?:D

[SandyR5]

Hi Lube - Glad you just returned from a wonderful vacation. I have 11 months to go, but love hearing from returnees. What was your favorite part? How cold was the water? Did you snorkel?

[starsjohn]

Hi Lube,

Did people scuba dive on your trip? Any details? Are any of the naturalists proficient in photography? Leave in just 7 weeks now.

John

[Lube]

I went scuba diving on Wednesday during the trip. You don't miss much with respect to other activities. Diving was great. Only 30-40 foot visibility but we saw sharks, sea lions and many other creatures. There were only four of us. They cut several people because the did not have enough experience.

I had considerable photo equipment with me. The naturalists also took candid photos of the groups. While they don't coach you, they are very willing to wait while you compose your shots.

Water was "cool" but not by Boston standards. It was around 70 degrees but varried by island. Most people wore "shorty" wetsuits which they provide. I chose not to use them on several occasions and was fine with a t-shirt. (More mobility to chase sea lions.) There is beach snorkeling and "advanced" programs off the Zodiacs.

It is hard to decide what our favorite parts were. Everything is new and exciting. Highlights included N. Seymour Island (the best place for land iguanas), Espanola, Isabela, and Fernandina. They have the most wildlife.

Make sure you take plenty of pictures all through the trip (we took 34 rolls which my wife says is nuts). You may see something one day early in the trip which you will not see again. Also, the "high intensity" activities are not always the best. A zodiac ride along the cost can offer much better photos than a hike.

We plan to post pictures on [url="http://www.boston.com"]www.boston.com[/url] in the next week. Take a look...

[SandyR5]

Thanks for answering those questions. Can't wait to see those pictures. Please post when they're ready for viewing. Interesting about not seeing the most during the high intensity excursions. Guess you just have to be lucky in your choice.

[CruiserJen]

Lube,

Were all of the naturalists certified divers or just the lead naturalist? My brother said that when he went on this trip a few months ago, they weren't able to scuba dive because they were told there wasn't a dive master on board. Maybe the naturalists who are divers weren't working the week he was there. Which naturalist did you have for scuba? If I schedule this trip, I definitely want to go diving. I know my brother was disappointed that he wasn't able to go. Any suggestions on how to find out in advance whether you will be able to go diving?

Thanks, Jen.

[goldendaze]

SandyR5,

Glad to be of assistance. This is a once in a lifetime trip!

[starsjohn]

thanks Lube for the dive info. I am a professional photographer so plan to take the big lenses along. I was happy to hear that the guides give time for photo composition.

John

[jruth]

This is the third time I am posting, but I can't find my previous posts - I guess they are lost in cyberspace. I am looking for other people who are going to be on this trip. Please answer this post , or send me a private email.

Is anybody else concerned about the GI problems reported on some of the threads? Has Celebrity done anything to prevent this problem since the trips that were a few months ago?

[email="JRuth4@aol.com"]JRuth4@aol.com[/email]

[thrpy]

Know that I have asked this one before, but anyone RECENTLY returning, have they changed the computers to allow CD burning?

I have scoured way too many sites for general information, and these are some of the best. So, if you have time and the questions, may of them can be answered somewhere in this list, including which month to see what, temps, etc.

[url]http://www.guide2galapagos.com/gps_map.html[/url]
[url]http://www.virtualtourist.com/vt/8d3/[/url]
[url]http://www.ecuadorexplorer.com/html/quito_overview.html[/url]
[url]http://www.ecuadordiscover.com/info/weather.htm[/url]
[url]http://www.celebrity.com/deck.asp?s...MA&s=531963C5E5[/url]
[url]www.galapagosadventures.com[/url]

[Cruisergal1208]

On our Dec. cruise, the only computers we saw were for use by the staff. The ship does not have a computer lab like on the other X ships. My husband took a gadget along that he downloaded his card to each day and it made a CD. We usually take a laptop for that but were cutting back on weight. Strongly advise taking several cards for your camera in case one fails. We had that to happen on our trip and we made a CD for the lady after each day she used her camera. Will try to answer any other questions you might have.

[SandyR5]

Cruisergal - Could you be more specific as to the gadget you husband used to download and make a CD? That sounds like the perfect thing to bring. Thanks.