Galapagos - Onboard Celebrity Xpedition

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Before we depart the Celebrity Xpedition, I'd like to tell you more about the ship and life onboard during the past seven days. She is small compared to the mega ships that are being built today, like Celebrity Solstice for example. Xpedition weighs in at 2,842 Tons and has a capacity of 92 Passengers. It is 296 feet long (about the size of a football field).

Despite the small size, there still are multiple locations to gather with the crew and your fellow passengers. Because of her size, and the size of the passengers and crew, you can't help but become a n extended family by the end of the cruise.


The first location that you'll become familiar with once you board the Xpedition is Discovery Lounge. It is the hub of the ship serving as meeting room, cocktail party room, and entertainment center. For those wishing to stay in contact with the outside world, it also serves as the internet cafe.

Before dinner each night there was a cocktail party in Discovery Lounge along with a briefing about the next day's activities. Unlike other ships, you don't have to pull out your cabin key to pay for your drinks - they are included in the cruise price. You can try the special of the day or enjoy your favorite drink. Mine drink of choice while cruising is a chocolate martini. I am happy to report that the bartenders made excellent martinis (as well as many other drinks).


For the past ten years, one of the first things we do is check out the spa once we get onboard. Xpedition does have a spa and fitness center. There is a hot tub, sauna, and massage room along with treadmills, stationary bicycles and other fitness equipment on the Sunrise deck. My husband and I both booked Swedish massage appointments for one of the afternoons.

Later in the week we spent some time on the Sunrise deck in the hot tub and laying on one of the lounges. We didn't use the exercise equipment since we figured we were getting enough of a workout on our activities. Whether you want to relax or workout, the facilities on the Xpedition should be satisfactory.

Safety is an important concern on any cruise ship and the Xpedition does have lifeboats in addition to the Zodiacs which provided transportation for all our activities.

You may be wondering about the restaurant facilities. We'll talk about food in my next post. For now suffice it to say that this cruise had all the amenities of larger ships including parties, musical entertainment, and several enrichment opportunities.

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Galapagos - Final Night on Xpedition

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Saturday night and it's time to say farewell to the crew of Celebrity Xpedition. Captain Fausto Pacheco hosted a Farewell Cocktail party in Discovery Lounge before dinner.

As is customary on all Celebrity cruises, the staff is called on stage to be recognized by the passengers with a round of applause. Our Cruise Director, Jorge, served as MC for this event.

The farewell greeting was from the heart: "During these past 7 days, we have sailed with you around the Enchanted Islands, covering a total distance of 611 nautical miles. It has been a pleasure to host you in the beautiful and unique Galapagos Islands. We sincerely trust that you have enjoyed this experience on board the M/V Xpedition and we wish you a happy and safe journey home. Thank you for being with us."

At the conclusion of the captain's greeting, the entire staff of the Xpedition circulated through Discovery Lounge personally thanking each of us for sailing with them. It was a very emotional experience for all of us. We've been on many cruises, but never before have experienced a farewell like this.

Farewell dinner was served following the cocktail party. The meal consisted of steak and lobster. The wait staff concluded the meal by parading through Darwin Restaurant with flaming baked Alaska.



The evening concluded with a Local Folkloric Show in Discovery Lounge. Local folkloric performers had come onboard to treat us to music and dancing complete with colorful native costumes.

Many of the passengers joined in the dancing as the evening progressed. It was a very enjoyable conclusion to a wonderful week in the Galapagos Islands. We were truly sad to see this cruise end.

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Galapagos - Day 3 - Welcome Aboard

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Passengers gathered in Discovery Lounge for a welcome aboard drink and check in. The Guest Relations staff made their way through the passengers to complete the embarkation process. the process went rather smoothly and soon we were off to our cabin and then on to a lunch buffet in Darwin's Restaurant.

We had time to settle in before returning to Discovery Lounge for a briefing about the afternoon activities.

At 3 PM, Jorge Parrales, our Cruise Director, made a short presentation, explaining the shore excursion we'd be doing later in the afternoon. As was the case most of the time, there were two choices - High Intensity Activity - Dry Landing at North Seymour Island or Low/Medium Intensity Activity - Zodiac Ride & Dry Landing at North Seymour Island. The presentation showed the terrain and the wildlife we were expecting to see. The major difference between the two excursions was the length of the hiking.

I'll detail the shore excursion in a separate post. Following the excursion, we returned to the ship, freshened up, and once again met in Discovery Lounge for drinks before dinner. Every evening, around 7 PM, the Cruise Director gives a briefing concerning the following day's activities. At the conclusion of the briefing you then sign up for the activities that interest you. This helps the crew plan for Naturalists and Zodiac crew needed.

Dinner was served at the conclusion of the presentation. Other than the extra briefing when we got onboard, this is a typical day aboard the Celebrity Xpedition in Galapagos. For some more pictures, see our Celebrity Xpedition - Welcome Aboard Album.

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Celebrity Xpedition - Day 3 - Flight to Baltra

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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.

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