The Celebrity Xpedition Galapagos cruise was a great adventure that exceeded our expectations in so many ways. When they advertise that it’s all inclusive they really mean it. From the time we arrived in Quito 2 days prior to our flight to the Galapagos to the time we departed for home following a post cruise overnight stay, we were provided with meals, lodging, drinks, transportation, tours, entertainment, and a bevy of unexpected personal touches such as cool towels following our twice daily island excursions and a DVD with photos and a personalized presentation from our week at sea. Gratuities and port charges were also included as was Celebrity’s chartered flights to and from Baltra where we met the ship.
Our previous cruises had only been on small (less than 100 passenger) ships and while truly memorable in their own way, the Xpedition was nothing short of amazing from the clean and comfortable staterooms, to the friendly and helpful staff, to the exemplary dining. While most meals were served buffet style, dinner was a fine dining affair with plenty of choices and impeccable service. Besides, who needs the shows, casinos, and predictable cruise fare when each day is spent in the company of experienced naturalists dedicated to leaving guests with a profound appreciation for this unique and pristine archipelago?
We live in a “connected” world today and if there is one thing they could have done better; it would have been to provide guests with a decent Internet connection. Internet was available only in the bar/lecture area but bandwidth was so limited that if there were more than just a few people online the connection slowed to a crawl if you could stay connected at all. I get that Celebrity prefers you not taint this incredible experience by bringing work from home but the ability to stay in touch with friends and family stateside as well as on the ship was sorely missed. If Internet was available throughout the ship including staterooms, Celebrity could even create their own onboard app to share information about excursions, menus, and special events as well as sending reminders and important announcements. In addition, guests would be able to download books and watch online content on the TV’s in their guest room. I would gladly have paid extra for this service.