Amazing and intimate experience in the Galapagos

It's hard to describe how amazing the Galapagos are or to put in words what a wonderful trip we had, but I'd encourage anyone thinking of going to do it! There are many ships to choose from and I think the Xploration was the perfect choice for us. We chose it because of size: the boat can hold 16 guests, but we were a group of only 13. We still had two naturalists on board, so that gave us a lot of opportunity to ask questions and learn more. We picked the Northern loop to hit Genovesa Island and possibly snorkle with hammerhead sharks (spoiler alert: we did!!). The food and drinks was incredible and the size of the ship meant convivial dining at each meal. Every day was filled with activities in both the morning and afternoon, and we stuck to a tight timeline. Activities included hikes, walks, snorkeling, kayaking, or just riding in the zodiac boats. All equipment is provided, including wetsuits, snorkels, and fins. The naturalists were fantastic, especially in communicating what to expect with each activity and how to determine what you might want to do at each stop. Be prepared for A LOT of activity, as even getting into and out of the zodiacs was sometimes tricky (I came home with the shin bruises to prove it!). The cabins were very nice, although don't expect to spend much time there! We booked an upper deck room because it was considerably cheaper, and that felt like the right decision. It would have been nice to have a private balcony to dry clothes, but it was very easy to do that in common areas and we preferred to hang out there anyway. We were worried it might also mean more motion than lower level rooms, but honestly it was pretty intense on both floors some nights! We loved the Ecuadorian chocolates left during turn down each evening. We opted not to do the cruise pretour, which meant a bit more logistical things we had to handle on our own (including flying out to Baltra a day early, but that was a nice opportunity to see more of the islands). I think that was also the right choice as it saved us money and gave us freedom to spend a day in Quito as we wished, but it made for a very seamless trip for those who did it.

Five stars for the itinerary, the landtours and the naturalist only, not for the ship

We picked the Xploration as we believed (and still believe) for Galapagos a small ship and a small group of people gives the better experience. The expeditions were great! The naturalist guiding the tours were fabulous, we have seen very much wildlife and they managed to bring us ashore at times where other groups were not yet there. Also all the staff operating the zodiac-boats were very helpful and friendly. However, the ship did not meet our expectations. It’s 16 years old and does need an overhaul. The furniture was old, one drawer didn’t close anymore (just by luck). Service was very friendly and helpful but room cleaning was beyond Celebrity’s standards. We understand when the toilet paper needs to be placed in a bin instead of the toilet for technical reasons, it’s a small ship, that’s ok. However, we would have expected that this bin would be emptied not only daily but also in between. Food was well below Celebrity’s standard, mostly tasteless. Especially for the soup nearly all guest needed salt and pepper to add at least a little bit of flavor. It was a pity, we thought we would get delightful fish dishes every day. We had the impression the cook uses mainly onions and sometimes garlic to spice the dishes. Don’t get us wrong, the food was not really ‘bad’, it was already eatable, however tasteless and much less in quality than we are used from Celebrity. Drinks selection was good and more than sufficient.

Excellent service, fascinating destinations & activities, great naturalist guide

We were looking for a smaller ship that could take us into more secluded areas to better explore the land and sea life of the Galapagos, without the crowds. The Celebrity Xploration was ideal for this-- extremely comfortable accommodations, excellent food and service, and lots of fun activities-- including hiking and diving each day to see specific scenes and wildlife specimens or behaviors (which of course, is outstanding and unique in the Galapagos Islands). Our Captain Natalie (allegedly the only female Captain in the Celebrity line?!) was capable, and ran a tight ship! Fernando and his crew provided the "on-board" services for this small vessel (16 guests total in 8 guestrooms) very smartly, with excellent, bottomless food and drinks, plenty of room to lounge in shade or sun, cleaned-up cabins several times daily, etc. The dining area was very classy, and we could all recount our daily adventures while enjoying lots of local fish (and other meats as well of course), along with comida tipico such as fried plantains and tropical fruits-- prepared with a light gourmet touch. John Garate was our naturalist guide, with excellent "local" as well as "academic" knowledge of the Galapagos Islands. John grew up in the Galapagos, but also had a Master's degree in wildlife and conservation studies from a Univ in the USA... he was articulate and humorous, and handled well the motley crew of guests, who ranged widely in their physical capabilities (some were snorkeling for their first time!) and interests (some were determined to learn the differences between Nazca and Blue-footed boobies, while others were content to just enjoy seeing so much unusual wildlife). John is also an excellent water-man, who can dive down deep into the green with your GoPro to get close-ups of the plentiful (but largely benign) sharks and other sea life. The Galapagos Islands themselves are a wonderful destination, with unique wildlife-- huge numbers of "tame" sea lions and marine iguanas, and lots of species that occur nowhere else in the world. But also the scenery is to dream for-- both above and below water: you'll be taken to beautiful deserted white or green sand beaches, or snorkel among huge schools of colorful fish being dive-bombed by pelicans and boobies. At night the Captain guides the boat to the next island. So you wake up in a new port near another deserted island where further unique scenery and wildlife await. It is totally cool! My only reservation is that the Celebrity Xploration does cater to the "cruise" crowd as well as a "nature" crowd-- so the clientele are not ALL totally stoked about hiking and diving as much as possible. Most of the passengers on my trip were older (60+ y.o.), and along to enjoy a "cruise experience" as well- with the food, drinks and relaxation. There may be other Galapagos cruise experiences where the "cruising" is more just to get to the next island for diving and hiking, rather than "Cruising" to enjoy the sun deck where you can sip on endless piña coladas. Our ship's vibe was definitely not a Party boat (we saw others that seemed way more so), nor was it a hardcore Nature boat, where everyone is going over their GoPro or DSLR footage with their nature guides out debating what species of finches were seen. Not complaining-- just explaining!

Great Cruise on The Xploration!

The crew works extremely hard to make sure you have a great time, and to overcome issues you may run into. Javier, our naturalist, grew up on the Islands, and knew how to make the excursions entertaining. He was terrific. There is a great attention to safety, and you always feel like someone is there if you falter on land or sea. Cabins are good size. I had been on the Eclipse the week before, and the shower on this boat was actually bigger than on the Eclipse. I, personally, have bad knees, so here are a few things to think about if you have this or some other disability: 1). This is a small boat with steep ladders between decks. You need to be able to climb them. 2). There is only one naturalist on board, and only 1 type of excursion. The larger boats offer options for people who are not as nimble. In spite of what Celebrity tells you, this boat does not. What they did do for me, which worked well, was send an additional crew member with me, to help me over rough spots and to allow me to return early, which I did a few times. They also offered me a Zodiac ride in places where I didn't hike. I got to see most of the same animals on the ride. 3). Everything is done with Zodiacs. You have to be able to get in and out of them several times a day. This is a small boat and it rocks quite a bit. We went during calm seas, and it was pretty bumpy at times. In rough seas this would be an issue, at least for me. There is wireless internet, but its very very slow. Food is good; very fresh, Tasty and plentiful but the variety is far less than a big cruise ship. That was fine for us.