MV Santa Cruz Review

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Amazing Galapagos expeditions...but you better be in shape!

Review for South America Cruise on MV Santa Cruz
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mgcarnut
2-5 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Apr 2015

We took the Metropolitan Tours 5-day 4-night excursion to the Eastern Galapagos islands aboard the M/V Santa Cruz. The trip was memorable for the number of wildlife species that could be observed close-up. It was also memorable in being fairly strenuous. To begin, my wife and I are not hikers or really “outdoorsy” types. I began preparation for the trip by spending about ½ hour per day on the treadmill, whereas my wife took several flights of stairs every day at work rather than using the elevator. We thought it was enough, but we could have done more.

The days aboard the Santa Cruz began with a buffet breakfast at 0700, followed by the first excursion of the day at 0830. It should be mentioned that all of the excursions as well as embarkation and disembarkation were handled with inflatable zodiac “panga” boats that hold 12-16 people. These are powered by 50 hp outboard motors. You descend a stairway on the outside of the ship and transfer to the panga from a platform. There is a gulde on the platform and one in the panga that assist you in the transfer, pretty simple once you get the hang of it. Most of the landings on the islands are called “wet landings”, these involve backing the panga onto the beach where it is held in place by two of the guides. You step over the side of the panga into the surf, which can vary from 6 inches to 3 feet in depth. Normally not a problem unless you are short like my wife, and happen to hit the surf during a receding wave! We grabbed her before she was swept out to sea!

Most of the excursions were set up to provide a mix of activities, including hikes along the beach or inland, beach swimming and snorkeling, deep water snorkeling, panga rides around the perimeter of the island, or rides on a glass bottom boat. Several were set up to involve alternatives, if you didn’t want to deep water snorkel you could have a panga or glass bottom boat ride instead. Here are some basic things to remember about the pangas:

Cabin Review

Cabin Superior twin

Our cabin was small, but comfortable. Our tour organizer had indicated we were to have a Superior class cabin with a double bed and a floor-to-ceiling window, when we got onboard we were issued a Superior twin bunk cabin with a 3-foot diameter porthole window. We didn’t make a big deal of this, because we still had the “Darwin Elite” perks, including free sodas, a free glass of wine or beer at dinner, and a couple of free souvenirs. The only problem in the cabin was the design of the shower stall. In order to maximize space, the two glass walls of the shower stall folded back against the other walls when the shower wasn’t in use, to shower you had to unfold the walls, bring the edges together at the corner, and secure them closed with an elastic band over the knobs. Suffice it to say, this Rube Goldberg arrangement leaked like a sieve! My wife and I developed a team approach to showering, once one of us got into the stall, the other would roll up a bath towel and put it up against the bottom of the doors to act as a dam for the water.

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