Explorer II Balcony Room
Written: Feb 25 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wildlife, luxury ship, tropical weather
Cons: Expensive, possible seasickness, possible mosquitoes
The Bottom Line: Unique destination worth splurging on at least once in a lifetime. Strenuous touring in sun and fresh air.
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| obsoperator's Full Review: Galápagos Islands |
Because I found the Epinions review helpful in planning our January, 2008 trip, I wanted to update this topic. We were in a small (20) group set up by General Tours, a big U.S. tour supplier. Their local contractor in Ecuador, Canodros did a very good job. Despite the fact that we had arranged our own international air because we were the only New Yorkers in the group, and a day early in case of Northeast snow storms (Continental: NYC-Houston-Guayaquil), a Canodros guide met us and took (just) the two of us in a van with a driver to the best hotel in town, the Hilton Colon Guayaquil. This luxurious hotel (massive buffet breakfast with many local dishes was included the next day by General Tours, not by the hotel) is closer to the airport than to downtown. But cabs are cheap enough to go on excursions.
Guayaquil is not a world-class city, but it's attractive enough for our one extra day we were there. We went to the Botanical Gardens (long cab ride), the indoor artisanal market (attractive, but mostly disappointingly mass-produced), the gleaming "Malecon 2000" riverside promenade, and the 340 steps up the Cerro Santa Ana. Despite Guayaquil's past reputation for street crime, the current mayor has said, "Enough!", and we had no trouble downtown, and no trouble with cab drivers. As we climbed the twisting modern (deserted at lunchtime-we were a little out of season) steps, were never out of sight of a tourist police officer. I even thought one of them eavesdropped on our 30-cent purchase of a half-liter bottle of water to make sure we weren't overcharged. (Ecuadorian currency is the U.S. Dollar. There's no time change from the East Coast of the U.S. .) If you don't want to climb the stairs, there's a slick new Art and Archeological museum called MAAC on the waterfront.
There are only two airlines that fly from the mainland to the Galapagos, so you will have difficulty getting a cut-rate price or a last-minute seat. Our local air tickets were all provided by General Tours. You can assume that your planes will be full. We flew on brand-new Airbus 320s that were in better condition than lots of the aircraft you fly in the U.S. The airport on Baltra is... well... picturesque, kind of like the Carribean twenty years ago. So one advantage of using a larger, high-end Galapagos cruise company is their airport service. If they herd you quickly to a bus, and if they get your boarding pass for you on your return, it's worth it. As we waited in the open-walled departure lounge, the plane before ours made a 270-degree turn after loading, hitting us with the jet blast from 200 meters away. Luckily I closed my eyes in time.
Also note that many flights run Quito-Guayaquil-Baltra and reverse. That means that you'll have to get up earlier if you leave from Quito. And Guyaquil has a gleaming, brand-new airport (2007) that makes Kennedy (and especially LaGuardia) look like dumps. The Quito airport is not as nice. Because we were with a (well-run) General Tours group, we were forced to spend the night in Quito on our return, and fly on to Lima the next day. The only reasons I could see for this are to generate local income in Quito, and assure not missing a pre-paid connection.
I don't pretend to know the exact business relationship, but it appears that Canodros operates the Explorer II, our Galapagos cruise ship. Whatever its age, this is a well-kept, luxurious ship. All of the rooms are very large for a coastal cruise ship, even those on the lower decks. We paid extra for a 28" deep balcony (Cabin 515), which was nice, but its best value was a discrete place for our clotheslines to be up all the time! (The ship has a perfectly good laundry service, but we washed out our own underwear.) I'm inclined to believe my Frommer's guidebook's statement that this is the most comfortable group-travel ship in the Galapagos.
You won't be spending much time in your cabin. A public-address system gently wakes you up at 6:30AM for a huge buffet breakfast at 6:45. There's an omelette chef, and attractive pastry too. At 8:00AM, groups of 14 put on life jackets and board their rubber zodiacs by the side stairway. A different group boards "first" at each departure, so everyone gets a chance at being first. You're taught to grab the guide's forearm (not hand) to get a better safety grip for climbing in. Many of the island landings are slippery and difficult. They tell you in advance whether the landing is "dry" (really, damp) or "wet", the latter requiring surf shoes and a towel to dry your feet.
You do not want to hike 1 1/2 miles on the island in loose surf shoes. Sometimes there's a boardwalk, but most of the marked trails that you are required to stay on are firm but uneven rocks. Sometimes you walk over beautiful but razor-sharp lava flows. There were plenty of older guests who had to step carefully, and a few children under twelve, but you need to pack exactly the footwear you need and to know your abilities for these walks. Except for one hill (with a boardwalk stairway) on Bartolome Island, you won't be "climbing". But it's hot, steady going. I think the ship has walking sticks, but I'd think you want to practice with your own before you get here, if you need one. You must watch your footing on the rougher sections.
They issue you a water bottle which you refill from purified water dispensers all over the ship. Of course, the pitcher water poured in the dining rooms is safe to drink, and all the salad and vegetables are safe to eat. By good fortune, the tea/coffee/cookie/fruit room was on our deck, so I could easily bring a coffee to our room after an excursion.
You come back to the ship for lunch at 11:30 or so. Lunch is a wide-ranging buffet, including the popular Ecuadorian cevice and a local stew, but also plenty of familiar foods, with a huge salad bar, and pasta-to-order chef. Then you either go to a naturalist's slide talk, or take a nap until the 2PM or 3PM afternoon excursion, at a different island. (That's to avoid the hottest hours of the day ashore.) We had three snorkeling opportunities, one off a beach, and two times from the Zodiacs. Sometimes there was noticeable current, but I'm a weak swimmer and I was still very glad I went. We often had sea lions swimming alongside us. We often saw turtles nearby, and lots of tropical fish. You can rent gear from the ship, or use your own. They let me have a snorkel flotation vest for free, because I didn't need the rest of the gear. In any case, you want one of their numbered snorkel bags (free loan) because the crew delivers all the bags to the beach if the day starts with a nature walk and ends at the beach. How's that for service? You bring your own bag back to the ship, and rinse your gear in a barrel. Then you leave the bag on the sport deck for the next excursion. (Don't forget to pick it up yourself if the snorkeling is from a Zodiac.)
You're back in your spacious shower (plenty of hot water - our cruise had 90 passengers of the 100 capacity....) by 6:30PM. There are more naturalist lectures, and a briefing for the next day before dinner at 8PM. The food is very good, at least as good as you'd get in a national chain restaurant (I mean that in a good way), but a little more adventurously seasoned. You've chosen your entree from 5 or so at lunch (plus one vegetarian offer), but that doesn't commit you to a table or group; You repeat your order to the waiter at dinnertime. The far reaches of the dining room (single seating, no reserved tables) took a while to get served. But we never went on to the evening lounge events, rather straight to bed. We often sat with different couples, and found this very pleasant. There was never a wait to enter the dining room after the announcement was made.
It appears that Galapagos Explorer II simultaneously carries people on 3-night, 4-night, and 7-night trips. We were on a 4-night trip, which was just about right for us. Real wildlife lovers might find our trip too short. I wonder if the ship keeps coming back to Baltra Island to swap out departing guests.
You visit Santa Cruz Island to see 18' high lava tubes and the ecological reserve with giant tortoises. This is a worthwhile excursion, but it's the most like an "ordinary cruise". That is, you get on an (air-conditioned) bus for 45 minutes, and you have time at the bar/souvenir shop before boarding the return bus. (Free watermelon if you dare, and lots did.) I don't mean to sound disappointed; It's just that it was very different from the experience of landing on slippery rocks and hiking across an uninhabited island day-after-day!
Unlike ordinary cruises I've been on, you have a leisurely disembarkation day breakfast and a short excursion before leaving the ship at 10:30 AM. You get one envelope to tip the hotel staff, and one envelope to tip the nature guides, which you slip into a box at the reception desk. We got good, cheerful service, so we were happy to tip. Other people had more interaction with their cabin steward than we did, but our room was well kept. You are free to tip individuals who gave you special help.
Guidebooks warn you that the seas off the Galapagos can be rough. We were very lucky, but took Bonine (over-the-counter) at night just in case. We had tried Scopalamine prescription "patches" at home and found the side effects to be unpleasant, so we were glad things were so calm. Our trip was at the beginning of rainy season. But we were very lucky - and it can rain at any time. You need plenty of sunscreen, and to be ready with bug repellent, but we were also lucky there. We never had any mosquitoes. It happens that the albatrosses migrate away this time of year, so we didn't see any. But we saw plenty of mating frigate birds, blue-footed boobies sitting on their eggs, sea lions, marine iguanas, fur seals, Galapagos penguins, and lots more. It's just as advertised - they are so unafraid that you have to avoid stepping on them because they don't know you're on a marked trail!
If you can afford it, you'll be going on from the Galapagos to either Machu Picchu or the Amazon jungle. We met a few guests on the ship who were on their second lifetime trip to the Galapagos!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
obsoperator
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Location: Bergen County, NJ, USA
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 0 members
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