Experience Galapagos in 2014 on Celebrity Xpedition

Exploring the legendary Galapagos Islands aboard Celebrity Xpedition®

2014 Galapagos Islands Deployment

Many destinations promise visitors the chance to "step back into history." The Galapagos Islands perhaps best exemplifies that promise, as Celebrity Cruises take you to a destination that helped shape one of the world's leading scientific doctrines, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

DESCRIPTION	SAIL DATE(S)2014	ITINERARY
7-Night Galapagos Islands - A	Jan 12,29; Feb 09,23; Mar 09,23; Apr 06, 20; May 04,18; Jun 01,15,29; Jul 13,27; Aug 10,24; Sep 08,21; Oct 05,19; Nov 02,16,20; Dec 14,28	Baltra, Galapagos; Daphne Island, Galapagos; Gardner Bay, Espanola; Punta Suarez, Espanola; Cormorant Point, Floreana; Bahia Post Office, Floreana; Punta Moreno, Isabela; Urvina Bay, Isabela; Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela; Punta Espinoza, Fernandina; South Plaza, Santa Cruz; Dragon Hill, Santa Cruz; Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz; Baltra, Galapagos
7-Night Galapagos Islands - B	Jan 04,19; Feb 02,16; Mar 02,16,30; Apr 13,27; May 11,25; Jun 08,22; Jul 06,20; Aug 03,17,31; Sep 14,28; Oct 12, 26; Nov 09,23; Dec 07,21	Baltra, Galapagos; Daphne Island, Galapagos; Puerto Egas, Santiago; Rabida, Galapagos; Elizabeth Bay, Isabela; Caleta Tagus, Isabela; Sullivan  Bay, Santiago; Bartalome Island, Santiago; Las Bachas, Santa Cruz; North Seymour, Galapagos; P. Baquerizo, San Cristobal; Cerro Brujo, San Cristobal; Kicker Rock, San Cristobal; Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz; Baltra, Galapagos

TRULY ALL-INCLUSIVE CRUISE VACATIONS

Your Galapagos Islands cruise onboard Celebrity Xpedition includes nearly everything you need to relax and enjoy one of the world’s most pristine environments.
• All beverages, including bottled water, wine, beer and spirits, as well as coffee and tea service,
including espresso and cappuccino.
• All shore excursions, with choices of activity levels and locations.
• All gratuities.
• Pre- and post-cruise hotel accommodations and tours on 10 or more night packages.
• Air to/from Quito and Baltra on 10 or more night packages.
• All transfers on 10 or more night packages.
• Park entrance fees and Galapagos Tourist Card fees.
• All meals, including room service and in-stateroom dining during meal hours.
• All snorkeling equipment, including masks, snorkels, fins, wet-suits and snorkeling vests.
• All onboard briefings and lectures led by Xpedition expert naturalists.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS AND SERVICES
AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE ONBOARD

• Massage services.
• Scuba diving (where available).
• Internet access.
• Select high-end liquors, apéritifs and wines.
• Laundry services.

There is no place on Earth quite like the Galapagos Islands, and no better way to experience all that this incredible archipelago has to offer than with Celebrity Cruises. In fact, they are the only major cruise line to travel to these enchanting islands. They combine up-close glimpses of some of the world’s rarest wildlife with generous amounts of the good life onboard.

These cruises take place year-round so you can choose the time of year that feels just perfect for escaping to a tropical hideaway.  Celebrity Cruises offers an environmentally conscious vacation that will leave you feeling connected with the incredible creatures we share the world with.  


Photos on our Facebook Fan Page:  Galapagos Critters      Enjoying Galapagos

Celebrity Xpedition - Galapagos - Great Offers

Galapagos Great Offers

Celebrity Xpedition

Take advantage of these special offers on October & November Sailings

If you haven't read my articles on our Celebrity Xpedition to Galapagos last year, I suggest you do so. I am often asked what my favorite cruise vacation is and my answer is usually "the one I'm on now". If you pressure me more, I will tell you that it was our Xpedition to the Galapagos.

One hundred fifty years ago, a man wrote about his quest that took him to a place where he would discover how life evolved thousands of years ago. You have the opportunity to follow in his footsteps and discover a land that is inhabited by species that can be found nowhere else on earth.

What do you think it was like to come face to face with a Red Marine Iguana or a Giant Galapagos Tortoise? What was it like seeing one of those cute Sea Lions or Galapagos Penguins?

You don't have to guess - you can find out for youself if you take advantage of one of the following special offers that Celebrity Cruises has announced.

Celebrity Cruises Itineraries & Pricing

Captain's Club Elite members receive 10% discount on a Celebrity Xpedition to Galapagos.

Celebrity Xpedition is an all-inclusive cruise vacation. Purchase the entire land/sea package and you can forget about doing any planning of daily activities. Your only decision will become do I want medium or high intensity activity in our next Galapagos island.

Celebrity Xpedition staff greets you at the airport in Quito, Ecuador and puts you on a motor coach to your nearby hotel. You explore Quito for two days before being escorted to the airport where you board a charter flight to Baltra, the starting point of your sea portion of the vacation.

Onboard the vessel, all meals and entertainment are provided as is the case on most cruises. In addition to that, you can belly up to the bar with your newly made friends for cocktails any time you want. It is hard to spend money onboard the ship. Most things are included except for items in the gift shop or a massage from the spa attendant.

Celebrity Xpedition was just refurbished, adding some additional cabins and sprucing up the ship. I think you will truly enjoy the improvements. I can't say enough about the ship's staff and naturalists - they are the best in the industry.

Call me today before the limited space is sold out.

Celebrity Xpedition - Disembarkation

click images to enlarge

Day 10 (Sunday, September 7th) was disembarkation day from Celebrity Xpedition. We had breakfast in Darwin's Restaurant, went back to our cabin to get our bags, and went up to deck 4 to wait for our departure. The Zodiacs took us back to the same pier where we had begun our cruise just a week earlier.

When we arrived at the pier dock, there was a sea lion resting on the bench. It was almost like he was waiting for us to arrive and had fallen asleep. People (including yours truly) were sitting next to the resting sea lion and having their picture taken while we waited for our buses.

The buses took us to Baltra airport where we had some time to shop in the local stores before being called to go through security and into a VIP waiting lounge. Once inside the lounge we were able to get refreshments while waiting for the charter TAME flight to arrive from Guayaquil.


The VIP lounge didn't have enough room for all of the passengers, so the airport staff opened another lounge which wasn't currently in use so everyone had a place to sit. It was quite warm in the building since it is not enclosed.

People were standing around outside the building watching for our plane. My husband even took a video of our plane landing. Once the plane landed, the airport personnel did ask people to go inside so that the disembarking passengers could make their way into the airport building.

The plane was serviced and it was time for us to board for our flight to Guayaquil and then on to Quito. Just as we did on the flight to Baltra, we had a refueling stop in Guayaquil. That is where the Xpeditions staff that were on our flight departed for the most part. We all clapped for them as they exited the plane. They really were a fantastic group of people.

Celebrity Xpeditions staff and the hotel staff handled all of our luggage. The luggage was delivered to our hotel room at the Quito Marriott shortly after we arrived back at the hotel. We picked up our additional bag from the bellman and went up to our room.

I'll talk more about the rest of our day in Quito in my next post.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Additional Photos can be found on our Exotics Shutterfly page

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Celebrity Xpedition - Day 3 - Flight to Baltra

click images to enlarge

Sunday, August 31st we bid farewell to JW Marriott Hotel Quito for our new home for the next seven days: Celebrity Xpedition. Our luggage was taken to the Quito Airport via truck and we followed by motor coaches.

Upon arriving at the airport, we went through security and were shown to VIP lounge where we waited for our flight to Baltra. Our flight was a charter on TAME Airline. We flew from Quito to Guayaquil where we made a short stopover to refuel. On the flight from Quito, we had breakfast which consisted of yogurt topped with cereal. The flight to Guayaquil was about an hour.

We landed in Guayaquil and were instructed to remain seated with our seat belts open. This was a security measure incase anything were to go wrong during refueling. It didn't take long for the refueling. Additional passengers boarded our flight. We learned later that they were the naturalists and some crew members.

On the flight from Guayaquil to Baltra we were served lunch which consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich. Drinks were available, including wine which was the same wine we'd be served throughout the cruise.

Once again, the flight was about an hour. We deplaned and walked to the airport lounge. We checked in with Celebrity and received our Galapagos National Park paperwork and cards. After completing our check in process, we boarded a bus for a short ride to the site where we'd meet the Zodiacs which brought us to the ship.

The first thing we learned was the Galapagos handshake. Every time we entered or exited the Zodiac, we'd use this handshake to assure our safety. As you can see from the picture, the handshake involves clasping right hands of a naturalist or crew member and yourself. Even if the Zodiac were to move due to a wave, you have a firm grip and can safely exit the craft.

Once onboard we were greeted by the staff, shown to Discovery Lounge, and offered a glass of champagne. Embarkation was completed in the lounge and we headed to our cabin to drop off our carry-on bags. Lunch was being served in Darwin's Restaurant on Deck 3.

In my next post, I'll continue with the activities for the remainder of our first day onboard Celebrity Xpedition.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Additional Photos can be found on our Exotics Shutterfly page

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Packing for Galapagos

When planning for your Galapagos adventure aboard Celebrity Xpedition you will learn that there are weight restrictions for your checked and carry-on luggage. Xpeditions arranges a charter flight on Tame Airlines from Quito to Baltra with a stop in Guayaquil for refueling. On this flight, you are limited to 30 pounds of checked luggage per person and one carry-on bag weighing 14 pounds or less. You can leave additional luggage at the JW Marriott Hotel in Quito.

At first these restrictions sound daunting, but with some careful planning and packing you'll find this is not a problem at all. Assuming double occupancy, select two soft-sided (duffel type) bags for your checked luggage. We used bags that even had wheels for easy handling. Also use a backpack for your carry-on bag. This will easily fit under your seat on the plane.

As I mentioned, you can leave additional luggage in Quito, so keep your pre and post-cruise clothes in the luggage you check at the hotel. In our case, we used a roller-bag carry-on for that purpose. We had purchased a few souvenirs in Quito, and we also left those at the hotel.

Attire onboard Xpedition is casual, so there's no need to bring dress attire for the evenings. We opted for the very casual evening attire - simply substituting long pants for our shorts. Some women did bring dresses along for the evening, but that isn't necessary. Don't bring formals or suits or you'll be out of place.

Your clothes should include t-shirts, shorts, long-sleeve cotton shirt, sweatshirt, lightweight nylon or similar jacket, wide-brimmed hat, cargo pants, jeans, and rain gear (your waterproof jacket would also work), two or more bathing suits, Teva (or similar) shoes.

Make sure to bring cameras, extra lenses, filters, extra film or memory cards, batteries, chargers, waterproof camera bag, disposable waterproof cameras or underwater camera, bug spray, and suntan lotion. If there are any medicines or toiletries that you like to use, make sure you bring ample supply since you can't run out to the nearest Walmart to purchase them during your trip.


There is a small gift shop onboard where you can by logo wear, including the Celebrity Xpeditions wide-brimmed hat. Even though we had one with us, we did purchase another one.

Each day you'll receive the daily guide of events. There will be suggestions about what to wear and bring on the excursions. Depending on the location, there may be certain colors you'll want to avoid wearing. For example wasps would be really attracted to bright colors and flowery clothing. Stick with white, dark colors, or beige and you should be fine. Check out my photo albums for ideas about what people wore on our cruise.

Good shoes are a must. I already mentioned Teva shoes. We used Teva shoes and were very glad we had them for wet landings. In addition to your water shoes, you'll want either hiking boots or sneakers. To keep the weight down in your checked luggage, you might consider wearing the heavier shoes on the flight to Baltra.

Each night the crew will brief passengers on the next day's excursions. It is highly advisable that you attend these sessions. There will be slide shows which will help you decide on the proper attire and select the tour that is best for you.

There will be plenty of opportunity to go snorkeling and swimming during the trip. Xpeditions has wet suits and complete snorkeling gear. We have our own gear, but opted to use theirs. We were satisfied with the equipment, although some of the gear looked to be starting to show some wear. If you are advanced snorkelers, you might want to bring your own mask and snorkel (assuming you haven't hit you weight allowance yet).

Luggage will be handled for you most of the trip. It goes without saying that you should have luggage tags on your bags. It doesn't have to be the Celebrity tags - any tag with your name will suffice from airport to hotel.

After claiming your luggage at Quito airport, you won't see it again until they deliver the bags to your hotel room. You'll want to keep your carry-on bags with you. All your medications, cameras and other equipment should be packed in your carry-on bags. You don't need to worry about 3-1-1 restrictions when you travel to Baltra. You can even go through security with water bottles.

We are still working on our website for the cruise. There are several photo albums linked from the Photos page now. Additional resources will be added which will help you plan.

Hopefully this answers most of your questions about what to bring with you on your cruise. Next time we'll start detailing our actual Xpeditions experiences.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Additional Photos can be found on our Exotics Shutterfly page

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