Silver Galapagos Review

4.0 / 5.0
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Great Cruise but....

Review for South America Cruise on Silver Galapagos
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apandres
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: May 2017

We had a great time on our cruise. The guides were exceptional - we saw an incredible amount of wildlife and learned so much about the animals and birds. We saw mating rituals, chicks - everything. This is a very active cruise and the twice daily hikes involved lots of climbing rock "steps" and travel over uneven rocks and lava fields - expect early mornings and long afternoons. Our cabin butler was excellent - our refrigerator was always stocked the way we requested. Lunch on the grill was our favorite meal and always featured fresh grilled fish and a tasty Ecuadorian dish. Yes, the ship is a little tired, but everything was fine and in good working order. I understand that the ship is going to dry dock in September for refurbishing.

I would have given this cruise 5 stars except for the sub-par domestic air service between Quito and the Islands. It was our understanding that the air service was a charter for Silversea; however, that was not the case and we stopped in Guayaquil both ways and picked up/dropped off passengers. Our LATAM flight to Baltra was delayed for over 2 hours, but at least the airport in Quito is modern and air-conditioned. The LATAM flight back from San Cristobal was far worse. We arrived at the airport around 8:30 a.m. for an 11:15 flight that didn't actually depart until around 4:00. Unfortunately the San Cristobal airport IS NOT air-conditioned, doesn't have fans or wi-fi, and food is limited. We were stranded there for so long that Silversea actually brought sandwiches and drinks from the ship so we could have lunch. We never received a consistent explanation for the delays. If we had known we would be there for 7 hours, we would have walked into town which would have been preferable to doing nothing. Luckily the ship guides stayed with us the entire time and did their best to keep us informed as to what was going on. When we finally got on the plane, my husband and I were seated in middle seats in different rows - unbelievable! It was a miserable ending to our otherwise fabulous trip.

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