Galapagos with Celebrity Cruises

Yesterday i had the pleasure of assisting one of our events managers in our Galapagos Islands presentation with Celebrity Cruises. I have to say it was a great day and i really learned a lot.

Leon Hand from Celebrity gave us a wonderful insight into the Galapagos having been there and experienced it himself.

Here’s a little taster of what i learned.

Celebrity will have two ships based out in the Galapagos from May 2019. 15 Islands are covered across the itineraries.

The Galapagos are located 600 miles off the Coast of Equador.

Quito is the Capital of Equador. The best way to describe this little gem is Quito is a preserved Spanish colonial City, very European feel, 130 monuments to see, very clean and very safe. The currency is the $US. Galapagos Islands are 1hr 45 min flight from Equador.

You will begin this amazing adventure by flying out to Quito for 2 nights and staying at the JW Marriott. 40 mins transfer time, 5* hotel, All meals included, Close to Downtown Quito, pool and a spa. A full city tour is included and Celebrity take you out for a buffet lunch. Between 6pm-8pm on the last night the Celebrity staff will check you in for the cruise, check your luggage and supply you with your boarding card ready for the ship the next day.

Celebrity charter a VIP flight over to Baltra to pick up the ship. 2 course meal, pillow, in flight entertainment and 23kg luggage allowance all included. From your arrival at the airport it is a 20 mins transfer time to the jetty. From the Jetty the zodiacs will take you out to the cruise ship were a glass of champagne awaits your arrival.

During your 7 nights cruise you will visit two ports every day. The cruise is All Inclusive, includes wifi, all excursions, snorkeling equipment including wet suit, tips, flights and transfers. Flights are available from London and regional airports like Manchester. There will be one stop via Madrid or Amsterdam. No direct flights to Quito. No visas to apply for and your entry fee to Baltra is covered with Celebrity.

There are 2-3 excursions available daily and are available at low, medium or high impact depending on your fitness level. The Zodiac boats that take you out are very safe and very smooth. There will be 12 people to each Zodiac and 1 naturalist to guide you through the scenery and the amazing creatures. After the morning’s excursion you will taken back to the ship to enjoy the open air bbq grill for your lunch, you are also welcome to dine in the restaurant. You will be taken out for the 2nd excursion on the next port of call before coming back to the ship to get ready for your evening meal and review the presentation for the next days exciting activities available.

After the 7 nights on board you are flown back to Quito for 1 more night before your return journey home.

Leon had shown us some of his pictures and videos he had taken during his time there and they are truly stunning. Turtles were swimming right by him. He got pretty up close and personal with the native Galapagos turtle.  Guests are required to got get within arms lengths of the animals as this affects their scent and can make them vulnerable. However they won’t be running away from you as they just see you as another animal of the island.

Celebrity do their part to help protect and conserve these islands. The ships don’t anchor in order to cause no damage, technology helps hold them in place. These two ships will hold up to 168 as no more than this can step onto the islands at any given time. During an excursion guest can take part in replanting and reforesting of the islands, as Celebrity believe in giving something back to the Islands.

It sounds like a wonderful place to visit and has been added to my Bucketlist for sure. We have some great lead in prices on these starting from £5169pp. Itineraries are out up to 2021. For more details or any questions you have on the Galapagos please contact me as i have so much for facts and information available.

Visit my facebook, email me [email protected] or call 0333 300 2656.

We still have availability on our next event 24.01.19 in Oxford if you would like to attend, just let me know.

Thank you.