I loved this cruise. It was different than the many others I have taken--more nature; less commercial. No Diamonds International or commercials trying to sell something onboard. The naturalists make the trip a cut above. There was no place to buy anything until the last two ports. I liked that.

Doing the package deal with flight/hotel is an addition we do not usually include but we did on this trip since getting to Baltra was more complicated than your average port. Good decision since the time in Quito was well-planned and the accommodations excellent at the Marriott.

We had a late (almost 2am) arrival into the Marriott and this meant that some of the folks with us did not join us on the tour the next day due to fatigue. We pressed on but it was a long day. They should have offered the option to do only half a day as many of the tired people said they were ready to go by lunchtime but had no easy way to join the tour. The tour day in Quito was an enjoyable overview of the city. We felt rushed at the equator which was puzzling since we waited almost a half hour (some more) after finishing eating to leave the restaurant from lunch. It would have been better to hit the road sooner to get more time at the equator. Read more