Ecuador/Galapagos

[TravelJunkieHubby]

Day 6 - we went to Floreana Island and the Post Office. We got postcards to send back home, and again another opportunity to relax on the beach/swim/snorkel to see some animals. They even had a make shift soccer field near the beach and my son got to play with some of the other kids and the crew. In the afternoon we did another hike at Cormorant Point - got to see some flamingos here.

This evening had the Junior Adventure night... my kids got to hang out with soda and pizza. The adults dinner was a nice barbeque on the top deck of the ship. Afterwards was the play and the kids got a nice (kid-friendly) drink at the bar for their hard work!

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

Day 7 - my wife was feeling ill and this is around the point where we start to loose momentum on ABD trips, so we just stayed on the ship in the morning while everyone else went to the Darwin Research Station. From what the other guests said, we didn't miss too much as there weren't a lot of turtles out to see. If the afternoon we did a boat tour of Eden Inlet - it was nice to just stop the boat every once in a while and observe the behavior of all the animals. We had our white elephant that afternoon as well which was fun.

In the evening was the farewell dinner on the ship. The crew on the boat did a great job making my son feel special on his 10th birthday and fortunately my wife was feeling better by then. It was a great way to end the cruise.

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

Day 8 - while leaving the ship, we got a brief history of the Galapagos role in WWII and some of the strategic advantages the islands had for the US. We got to the airport only to find out the flight had been delayed a few hours. We all basically stayed in the Airport Executive Lounge and the guides made sure we had plenty to eat/drink. It would have been nice to get to Guayaquil on time as the Hotel del Parque is magnificent! By the time we got there, we basically had to unpack and quickly get ready for the evening activities. We were treated to some traditional Ecuadorian music/dance followed by dinner at the hotel. It's a popular choice for wedding receptions and the food was great, but honestly by then we were pretty tired and had to get up early for the 6am flight back to Miami. I'd consider staying an extra day in Guayaquil just to enjoy the hotel if we didn't have to get back to the US.

While the Galapagos Islands are no doubt impressive and we were thankful to see them, what struck us most on the trip was the friendliness of everyone in Ecuador. I hope everyone gets the chance to experience it at some point!

 

[BluesTraveler]

Thank you - how did you like the Legend? We are doing a Galapagos trip in February and that's the boat we are on.

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

It's a nice ship but admittedly a little dated. They told us it used to be a medic ship during the Vietnam War. They maintain it well and the biggest plus for us was that they gave us connecting rooms for a party of 4 which was really helpful. The crew is very nice and they take good care of the ship... the fact that they are willing to clean bathrooms more than once a day is helpful too, especially with all the sand you bring in from the beach. I also thought they did a good job keeping the menu fresh unlike other cruises I've been on where the meals tend to get repetitive after a while. Hope that helps!

 

[BluesTraveler]

It's a nice ship but admittedly a little dated. They told us it used to be a medic ship during the Vietnam War. They maintain it well and the biggest plus for us was that they gave us connecting rooms for a party of 4 which was really helpful. The crew is very nice and they take good care of the ship... the fact that they are willing to clean bathrooms more than once a day is helpful too, especially with all the sand you bring in from the beach. I also thought they did a good job keeping the menu fresh unlike other cruises I've been on where the meals tend to get repetitive after a while. Hope that helps!

Super helpful, thanks. We don't mind dated as long as it's clean and comfortable. 2 more questions - we are told each room is individually air conditioned - were you able to set your room at a comfortable sleeping temperature? Also, was there space to store suitcases or do we need to use duffels/softsided suitcases? We did splurge for a room with a balcony, which I think is a little larger than the other rooms but storage wasn't clear to me.

 

[BluesTraveler]

Oh, one more! Any wi-fi on the boat?

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

Super helpful, thanks. We don't mind dated as long as it's clean and comfortable. 2 more questions - we are told each room is individually air conditioned - were you able to set your room at a comfortable sleeping temperature? Also, was there space to store suitcases or do we need to use duffels/softsided suitcases? We did splurge for a room with a balcony, which I think is a little larger than the other rooms but storage wasn't clear to me.

Yes - my wife likes it cool so we cranked up the AC and it was fine. There isn’t a ton of floor space, we just travel with roll-on bags and I put them in the full-length closet.

I can’t speak about the rooms with balconies but from what I could tell the people staying in those rooms appeared quite comfortable

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

There is WiFi on the boat but it’s pretty expensive (I don’t recall the cost but if I had to guess it must have been north of $40/day).

 

[BluesTraveler]

Thanks!

 

[DCPhotoGal]

Oh, one more! Any wi-fi on the boat?

Just a comment about wifi in the Galapagos... when we went with ABD it was on a different boat and I think the wifi was included (we wouldn't have paid $40/day), but the signal was not great for most of the time we were cruising around the islands. In most cases I found it was impossible to try to share photos, I could only get text through.

 

[BluesTraveler]

Just a comment about wifi in the Galapagos... when we went with ABD it was on a different boat and I think the wifi was included (we wouldn't have paid $40/day), but the signal was not great for most of the time we were cruising around the islands. In most cases I found it was impossible to try to share photos, I could only get text through.

Thanks. As much as I love totally checking out, it's better if I can at least keep an eye on e-mails while traveling. Not the end of the world if not.

 

[Twitterpaited]

I'm concerned with the altitude for this trip and the Peru trip. Particularly for my asthmatic kid. You can get altitude sickness, even if you've never gotten it before....

Adults can drink coca tea to help with the altitude.

 

[Twitterpaited]

I believe the itinerary for the Ecuador/Galapagos ABD has changed quite a bit in the past year, possible due to the recent acquisition of Nat Geo. In the Galapagos, ABD now stays at the Finch Bay Resort on Santa Fe, which is associated with Nat Geo. (I know because I happened to be staying there at the same time as the ABD group). In the Amazon, they stayed on a river boat.

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

I believe the itinerary for the Ecuador/Galapagos ABD has changed quite a bit in the past year, possible due to the recent acquisition of Nat Geo. In the Galapagos, ABD now stays at the Finch Bay Resort on Santa Fe, which is associated with Nat Geo. (I know because I happened to be staying there at the same time as the ABD group). In the Amazon, they stayed on a river boat.

Well now I don’t think the itinerary we did in March 2019 is available anymore... I only see the Galapagos/Amazon adventure. Up until Dec 2019 they had 2 separate itineraries.

 

[AquaDame]

Well now I don’t think the itinerary we did in March 2019 is available anymore... I only see the Galapagos/Amazon adventure. Up until Dec 2019 they had 2 separate itineraries.

You're right... that's a huge bummer. That was the one my husband was most interested in (we want more time in the Galapagos than that trip offers).

 

[Twitterpaited]

You're right... that's a huge bummer. That was the one my husband was most interested in (we want more time in the Galapagos than that trip offers).

They are only in the Galapagos 3 nights, so 2 full days. If staying at Finch Bay, I would recommend staying 4 full days. If you look at their website, you might be able to plan your trip around the 3 big yacht day trips. It would also be good to have a day to go out on your own, into town, to Tortuga Bay, to the Darwin Research center, and/or to Las Grietas. There is also a sister resort, Salacias, on Isabela island. They have glamping tents.