Trip Index
Another early start to the day...a common theme throughout this trip! Everyone was to pick up their boarding passes at the Xpedition desk at 7:30am, then meet in the hotel lobby at 8:15am to head to the airport. We were so late getting up that we were the last ones to pick up our tickets around 7:45am. We were also given Xpedition stickers to wear again as well as the Galapagos entrance forms (we were specifically told to fill out the address portion of the form). Breakfast was the same fare, though today, no one came by to offer coffee or tea, and I saw other cruisemates try to flag down a server to no avail; the wait staff seemed frazzled. After we finished our meal, we returned to the room to get our carry-ons, headed to the front desk to check out, and waited with everyone else in the lobby. After 8:15am, we were directed to board the tour buses for our short ride to the airport. Most people by habit went with the same colored bus as yesterday.
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| loading into the buses |
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| is the sign yellow or green? this is the green bus! |
We disembarked and entered the terminal where we waited in a long line to go through security. If you had purchased Business Class upgrades, your current boarding passes were exchanged for new ones at this time. There were a couple of people standing around the queue selling hats.
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| Quito airport |
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| in the security line |
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Once we got through security, we sat in a waiting area, listening to flights being announced in Spanish and English. I believe Business Class passengers got to wait in an exclusive lounge. When our flight was called, it was announced only in English. The group headed towards the door where we were directed to board AeroGal buses (packed tightly, people were standing) to our awaiting plane.
The airplane was configured as a 3-3, and our seats were both aisles in row 16. I had read on Cruise Critic that sometimes people had their own row, but the fact that Kaleb and I had aisle seats across from each other suggested that the plane was full, and it was. But fortunately, the couple that was supposed to sit in my row had upgraded to Business Class, so Kaleb was able to jump over.
If you weren't sure if you were on Celebrity's charter flight to Baltra, there were many hints. The front bulkhead walls of the plane were decorated with the now-all-too-familiar Celebrity Xpedition circular logo. Every seat had a pillow with Celebrity embroidery on it. The table linens were also embroidered. Even the serving dishes were stamped with "X". Surprisingly the cloth napkins did not have "X" on it, but a cute little blue-footed boobie.
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| every seat had this pillow |
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| white embroidered tablecloth for the tray table |
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| cute boobie! I wonder if any napkins disappeared |
During the flight, we were served a choice of beverages: non-alcoholic drinks, wine, and champagne (which was actually
Prosecco). When breakfast service commenced, it was similar to first class service in the US (though the drinks were served in disposable cups). The flight attendants handed everyone a hot towel to clean their hands. The tray table was set with a tablecloth. The food was served in ceramic dishes along with a cloth napkin and metal utensils. It was a nice snack, though most of us were probably still full from breakfast at the Marriott.
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| quiche with a side of "Spam"-like meat; business class could choose to have French toast |
As the plane was approaching Baltra, I noticed the flight attendants opening up all the overhead compartments. There was an announcement over the PA saying that insecticide was going to be sprayed in them as required by Galapagos procedures. I watched a flight attendant pass by, spraying the open compartment, with another flight attendant behind her closing the lid. People's carry-ons and jackets were marinating in insecticide...mmm. I was glad that our carry-ons were under the seat, though the chemicals couldn't have been too harmful to humans (but can kill insects...?). I did not notice any harsh smell.
The plane landed in Baltra on the lone runway, and had to turn around at the end of it and double back to the terminal. We could exit the plane via the front or back. Even though it was partly cloudy, you could feel the increased humidity in the air.
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| welcome to Baltra |
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| deplaning on both ends |
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| heading into the terminal |
Everyone went through immigration and had their carry-on bags manually checked for seeds, plants, and other prohibited items. Then we were met by the Xpedition naturalists who were holding signs. The buses to the dock had not arrived yet, so there was time to do a little shopping across the way.
The buses arrived and we rode the short distance to the dock. The Xpedition never docks; all entry and exit is done via zodiac (panga)
boats. All passengers had to wear a life jacket, including the zodiac driver and the naturalist. The life jackets were of various sizes, with most of them sized large or above, so I never really considered the jacket to be of much use if I were to fall out. (during the whole cruise, we never felt the risk of falling out as the zodiac drivers were very skilled, even with big waves in the ocean) The naturalists did take care in locating smaller-sized life jackets for younger cruisers but otherwise, you wore what you were given. From my observation of the 97 guests on board, ages ranged from 8 to over 70+ years old. There were a handful of pre-teen children, then a handful of 17-23 year olds, couple of handfuls from 24 up to 50, then the bulk were 50+. Most everyone was active and mobile, a must on this kind of cruise.
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| the dock in Baltra |
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| cruisemates getting on the zodiac (marked Xpedition), 16 guests max |
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| stairs bolted to the front of the zodiac |
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| at least Kaleb's life jacket fit well this time |
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Our first official encounter with wildlife was the sea lion sleeping next to the zodiac embarkation area, followed by two sea lions sleeping on a buoy out in the bay. Then a bird decided to hop a ride with us to the stern of Xpedition, where we were greeted by a couple of pelicans. We also saw boobies dive-bombing the waters on the side of the ship with a sea lion frolicking back and forth. During the zodiac ride, we were instructed in the use of the "Galapagos handshake" to get on and off the zodiac. You grasp the forearm of the person helping you in or out and they grasp your forearm in return so there is a stable connection.
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| our home for the next 7 nights |
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| people unloading |
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| fearless hitchhiking bird |
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| a pelican welcome |
Once on board, we were directed to the lounge where groups of 16 seats were arranged for each load from the zodiacs. (there were a total of three zodiacs, so multiple trips were needed to retrieve all 97 passengers) A welcome mimosa was served to all (if you wanted non-alcoholic, you could ask for it). We were checked in and our passports were retained by Celebrity staff for processing paperwork, to be returned later that evening. A cabin attendant guided us one floor down to Deck 3, room 311. I had read a review on Cruise Critic that complained about the air conditioning in this particular cabin, but I did not experience any problems, so suffice it to say it got fixed. I also read complaints about a sewage smell in the back of the ship, but the entire week, I did not smell anything (and my nose is quite sensitive) so all was fine.
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| a 3-D map of the Galapagos in the public area |
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| find your cabin on the map, and the relative sizes |
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| Deck 3 hallway |
The cabin was larger than I expected, with plenty of closet space, drawers, and lots of area to walk around. (it may also be that it was wider than other cabins on the floor) There were other extras like the marine life guide, a mini-fridge stocked every day with water and soda, and a pair of binoculars for use while onboard. (there wasn't one in the cabin...I had to go to Guest Services to retrieve one, a dinky sized pair) The bathroom had a good-sized shower, with a glass door (no flimsy flying curtain, yay!). There was a clothesline inside the shower, which we used to dry our clothes. If you brought your own clothesline or rope, you could tie it across the window for additional space. I ended up laying the clothes that were partially dry from the shower clothesline next to the window. There was wireless internet service available (the cruise document say otherwise) which can be purchased from Guest Services. Unfortunately, I made a mess of scanning in A4-sized paper so the newsletters are a bit cut off, but I'll post them anyway to save time, then try to fix it in the future.
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| two twins pushed together to make a queen; the twin configuration only allowed about a 6 inch gap in between |
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| the only time the TV was ever on and it was already on when we entered the cabin |
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| if you did want to watch TV, there were DVD's available to borrow in the library section of the lounge |
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| you could hang your clothesline with the window curtain hooks on each side |
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| plush soft towels |
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| there was also a sewing kit and towelettes |
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| Itinerary A |
After dropping our things, we went to the dining room to have a buffet lunch. There wasn't really a theme today, just standard fare. Hot items were along one side of the buffet, and cold items like salads were on the other side. In general, I found the fish and side dishes to be consistently good. The two ends of the buffet table were flanked with soup on one side, and bread on the other. I didn't eat much bread during the cruise (as the butter that was served was not the rich European butter florets that I am addicted to on the big cruise ships). Dessert was served at an adjacent table. There was always sorbet, fresh fruit salad, jello, something inside a ramekin, and a sugar-free option available, while the rest would fluctuate between cakes, pies, and bite-sized pastries.
Once we were done with lunch, we headed up to the deck to look around. The blue-footed boobies that were fishing earlier were now just floating in the waters beside the ship along with a sea lion. We watched as a sea plane landed and its occupants boarding an adjacent ship called the "Golden Shadow". Kaleb asked one of the crew if they knew who the honored guests were, and they mentioned that they were from Apple Computer. (I searched on the internet for more details, but did not find anything) Then we went back to the room, saw that our luggage had arrived and unpacked (luggage fit great under the bed), completely forgetting about the expedition briefing at 3pm. We did make it to the muster drill at 3:45pm, then hiked up to the top deck for the snorkel gear distribution. Kaleb brought his own mask and snorkel. I brought a mask, but decided to give the Xpedition gear a try. We were outfitted with wetsuits, fins, and a bag that was tagged with our room number to store all the gear. Guests were trying on the wetsuits over their clothes to check the size. We didn't bother and just took the equipment back to our cabin.
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| boobies and sea lion |
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| they loaded the sea plane onto the boat! |
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| cable tie re-applied to bag, an inspection receipt. bags also had big Xpedition stickers stuck on |
Then it was sail-away to Daphne Island; there was no landing, just circumnavigation around the Major and Minor island. It was amazing to see so many frigate birds following us, hovering right over the ship. Some of them perched on the antennas, others were trying to eat the ball on top of a pole. Some guests were lucky to get poo'ed on, which was not a surprise.
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| lounge chairs on the top deck |
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| couple of treadmills; behind them is the spa/massage room |
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| the hot tub, the only pool of water onboard; it'd slosh water out when the ship was rocking |
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| landing on the antenna |
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| she fought with the other bird to bite the tip |
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| male frigate with the red chest (that can puff out) |
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| someone's bound to get splattered |
The ship slowed down once we reached Daphne Major, and the naturalist got on the PA to describe the history and facts about the island as we sailed around it and Daphne Minor. My point-and-shoot wasn't good enough to snap closer details of the birds and nests on the islands. It was cool to watch the different birds flying around the islands and the ship. After the circumnavigation was complete, we headed back to the room for some rest.
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| relative distance between Major and Minor |
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| Daphne Major |
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| Daphne Minor |
At 7:30pm, we were late but we made it to the lounge for the excursion briefing. Your choice of cocktails were served by the wait staff. Our cruise director was Alexis...he had been working as a naturalist for over 20 years. He led detailed excursion briefings every evening at 7:30pm. It consisted of a Powerpoint presentation displayed by overhead projector, explaining the next day's activities, what times were available, what to bring, including pictures of what to expect on the walks, and what kinds of wildlife we could hope to see. (the far sides of the lounge did not have any view of the screen, so if you want to see the presentation, it's best to get there early enough to snag some front-facing seats) Alexis would give his opinion on the level of physical fitness required to do the long walk, short walk, or snorkeling, which was pretty accurate from my experience on the trip. After the briefing, there were three naturalists positioned around the room to take down reservations for the next day's activities. You didn't have to sign up right then and there; you could wait until after dinner as it was a way for the naturalists to plan out the next day based on how many people wanted to do each type of excursion, but there was one occasion where the morning excursion was limited to three zodiacs per departure, so if you were set on a specific time, you'd have to sign up with the frenzied crowd to get what you want. What we ended up doing over the course of the week was one person stand in line (not a lot of time, if you were aware that there were three sign-up sheets; a lot of people mobbed the person at the lounge exit) and the other person would go downstairs to get a table for dinner, as there seemed to be a bit of an advantage to getting there early, as I will discuss next.
Dinner was at 7:45pm, right after the excursion briefing. As you entered the dining room, the maitre d' would ask you how many people were in your party, and then seat you accordingly. Since we were two people, we were usually seated at a table for six with two other couples. Through the week, we dined with different people almost every night, despite the fact that there were large groups on board: a group of retired teachers, and also a group of British travelers who had booked with the same travel agency (but did not know each other until the cruise). In the beginning, Kaleb and I didn't have a preference on table, but then we started to notice that it was uncomfortably warm in the back of the dining room versus the front, and that the food would come slower if you sat in the back. Thus, we ended up trying to get to the dining room earlier to grab a table closer to the front. It didn't always work, as near the end of the week, we'd arrange to eat with a larger group of people, and all the bigger tables up front would be taken. But in the end, these things didn't really matter; it was sharing a meal with people from around the world and listening to their stories and experiences that were the best part of dinner, as the food itself was not a highlight. Tonight we met Pam and Michael, and Kathy and Jack.
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| bread basket was served every night accompanied by individually packaged butter |
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| crab and avocado, it was all right |
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| grilled pargo, very good |
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| creme brulee, decent |
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| chocolate souffle, surprisingly good, but they forgot to bring the sauce (ask for it!!!) |
Dinner went very slow, as we were seated in the back half of the dining room. By the time we returned to our room, it was after 10pm. Our cabin was turned down with Xpedition dark chocolates left beside the bed with the next day's newsletter.
As we were making good pace towards Espanola during the night, the boat was rocking pretty good and it was hard for me to sleep. Despite the movement, Kaleb and I had no problems with seasickness, though I heard the next day that someone had to go to the medical center to get a shot of medication. Since the boat moved so much, we had to close the shower door (it latches shut) and the bathroom door so that it would not smack against the adjacent walls during the night.
Tomorrow, we arrive at Espanola Island, lots of wildlife to see, including the waved albatross!
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