Diary of Celebrity Xpeditions Galapagos

 

A Land Beyond Xpectations

Over 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.  Travel with us as we follow in his footsteps and discover a land that is inhabited by species that can be found nowhere else on earth.

Come with us on our Celebrity Xpeditions adventure that begins in Quito, Ecauador where we had the opportunity to visit local sites including the Equatorial Line Monument.   Here you can stand on a line between the two hemispheres.

Our ultimate destination is an archipelago of volcanic islands near the equator in the Pacific Ocean.  We are met by a team of naturalists who transport us by Zodiacs to our waiting ship, Celebrity Xpedition.  

Celebrity Xpedition recently had their license suspended as we had reported (Lobsters Keep Cruise Ship from Entering National Park) and have now resumed sailing (Celebrity Xpedition to Resume Galapagos Sailings).  We are assembling past articles, posting images, and adding new material in this diary so that you can easily follow our complete adventure.   If you have any unanswered questions, we'd be happy to answer them and also help plan your own unforgettable adventure.

	Port	Blog Posts	Photo Albums
	Celebrity Xpeditions	Packing for Galapagos Why Visit Galapagos Galapagos - Onboard Celebrity Xpedition Celebrity Xpedition Food	Celebrity Xpedition
1	Quito, Ecuador	Celebrity Xpedition - Day 1	J W Marriott Quito
2	Quito, Ecuador	Celebrity Xpedition - Day 2 - Quito Old Town Celebrity Xpedition - Day 2 - El Crater Celebrity Xpedition - Day 2 - Equatorial Line Monument	Quito - Old Town Quito - Lunch Stop Quito - Equator
3	Baltra North Seymour	Celebrity Xpedition - Day 3 - Flight to Baltra Galapagos - Day 3 - Welcome Aboard Celebrity Xpedition - Day 3 North Seymour Island	Celebrity Xpedition Galapagos - North Seymour Island
4	Kicker Rock; Puerto Baquerizo Moreno; Española Island	Galapagos - Kicker Rock Galapagos - Puerto Baquerizo Moreno  Galapagos - Day 4 Snorkeling Orientation  Galapagos - Española	Galapagos - Kicker Rock  Galapagos - San Cristobal  Galapagos - Espanola Islands
5	Floreana Island; Cormorant Point - Baroness Lookout	Galapagos - Cormorant Point (Floreana) Galapagos - Baroness Outlook (Floreana)	Galapagos - Cormorant Point Galapagos - Baroness Lookout
6	Bachas Beach (Santa Cruz); Bartolomé Island	Galapagos - Bachas Beach (Santa Cruz) Galapagos - Bartolomé Island (Day 6) Crossing the Line	Galapagos - Bachas Beach Galapagos -Bartolome Islands Crossing the Line Party - Galapagos Cruise (video)
7	Urbina Bay (Isabela);  Espinoza Point (Fernandina)	Galapagos - Urbina Bay Galapagos - Fernandina Island (Day 7 Afternoon) Galapagos Surprise - There She Blows	Galapagos - Urbina Bay Galapagos - Dry Landing Fernandina Island Galapagos Fur Seal Pups Playing (video) Galapagos - Scenic Cruising Galapagos - Zodiac Ride Fernandina
8	Santiago Island;  Santa Cruz	Galapagos - Santiago (Day 8 Morning) Galapagos - Santa Cruz (Day 8 Afternoon)	Galapagos - Santiago Island Galapagos - Snorkeling (Santiago) Galapagos - Dragon Hill (Santa Cruz)
9	Santa Cruz; Puerto Ayora	Galapagos - Charles Darwin Research Center (Day 9) Galapagos - Santa Cruz Highlands (Day 9 Afternoon) Galapagos - Final Night on Xpedition	Galapagos National Park Galapagos - Santa Cruz Highlands  Farwell Party - Celebrity Xpedition Galapagos (Video)
10	Baltra to Quito	Celebrity Xpedition - Disembarkation Galapagos - Quito (Day 10)	Xpedition Disembarkation
11	Quito	Galapagos - Mindo Cloud Forest (Day 11) Galapagos - Return Home	El Pahuma Orchid Reserve El Siete Restaurant - Mindo
	Additional Posts	Many Faces of Galapagos Hope for Lonesome George End of a Species - Lonesome George

Lobsters Keep Cruise Ship from Entering National Park

Celebrity Xpedition Cruises Temporarily Suspended 

  

June 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd Cruises Canceled

With all the cruise line stories in the news this year, here is one for the books.  Twenty-six pounds (12 kilograms) of frozen lobster has prevented Celebrity Xpedition from entering the protected waters of Galapagos National Park.  Authorities have suspended the ship's license when it was discovered that the ship was transporting the frozen lobster out of season.   The lobsters were purchased legally during season, but according to a recent change in the laws, should have been consumed within 5 days of the end of the season.

Celebrity Cruises contends that it wasn't aware of the law change and both the cruise line and the authorities did confirm the purchase had been made legally within the season.   A $2,000 fine has been levied against the line along with a 45 day suspension.  Celebrity is appealing the fine and suspension and at press time it isn't known when this matter could be resolved and sailings continue.

According to the line "Celebrity Cruises is committed to complying with the rules and regulations of the Galapagos, which are put in place to protect and safeguard this unique and pristine environment"
We know this first-hand from our Xpedition cruise.  The naturalists onboard explained all the rules and regulations and carefully monitored passengers to be sure all were in compliance.

Booked on a Future Cruise? 

Celebrity Cruises is hopeful that the license can be restored sooner, so they are making decisions on a cruise by cruise basis. June 16th passengers should monitor the situation. We'll provide updates here as we have updates.

Celebrity also has a travel alert dedicated to this topic on their site. Consult this for updates.

Booked guests can also contact them directly at 1-888-829-4050 in the U.S. and 1-408-916-9001 internationally.

Passengers are being compensated for the canceled cruises and also being provided with future credit equal to 50% of cruise fare.  They will have 2 years to rebook.

We hope that Celebrity Xpedition will soon be sailing again in the Galapagos.   This is an amazing voyage - see our series of articles to learn more about visiting the land where Darwin explored.