The Celebrity Xpedition made this trip very easy for us. We were picked up at the Quito, Ecuador airport on September 6 and transported to the Marriott Hotel where the check in was fast and the rooms were large and comfortable. A breakfast was provided in the mornings. On the 7th, the cruise passengers were taken on a city tour with a lunch and wonderful dinner provided. The next morning, September 8, the group was transported to the airport and then boarded a chartered jet to Baltra, Galapagos. Upon arrival we were then transported to the pier and taken to the Xpedition via zodiacs.

The cost of this cruise included all the transfers, the tours, the gratuities for attendants and the naturalists who accompanied small groups each day. House wines and local beers flowed freely in addition to cokes and water. The meals were adequate, not awesome, but I will not complain about that. Our major reason for this trip was to visit the islands to see the animal life, the volcanic landscape, and the flora. We were not disappointed. Each day we were given choices for times of the excursions--one in the morning and one in the afternoon. My husband and I did not snorkel, but this was an option for those who wanted to. Naturalists accompanied small groups of no more than 16 on each excursion.

When the cruise was over, Celebrity moved us back to the Baltra airport to again board the chartered jet back to Quito and to the Marriott. We again had breakfast and had transfers back to the airport for our flight home. We took an excursion to the Mindo Cloud Forest on the 16th which was arranged through the hotel. We did not fly out until the 17th. Read more