Celebrity expanding Galapagos operations with two more ships
You probably know Celebrity Cruises (celebritycruises.com), best for its stunning megaships, like Celebrity Solstice, that sail to nearly every corner of the globe. What you might not know, however, is that Celebrity has quietly operated small-ship expedition cruises to the Galapagos for several years — and it’s ready to expand.
In addition to the 100-guest Celebrity Xpedition, Celebrity recently acquired a Galapagos based tour operator called Ocean Adventures. In the process, Celebrity gained two intimately sized ships that will operate exclusively in the Galapagos: the 48-guest Eclipse and the 16-guest Athala II. After a substantial refurbishment scheduled for January 2017, the two ships will be renamed Celebrity Xperience and Celebrity Xploration, Celebrity announced.
The Galapagos is one of the most strictly regulated regions in the world. Only ships carrying fewer than 100 passengers can sail here and each ship must carry officially licensed guides, provisions with Ecuadorian goods, and operate in the islands year-round.
Celebrity has said the addition of these two new ships to its Galapagos fleet will allow it to offer new itineraries, including those featuring cruise and land packages with overnight stays in Ecuador and nearby Peru.
Nineteen islands make up the Galapagos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. More than 95 per cent of the islands are protected with national park status, which has resulted in little change over what Charles Darwin witnessed on the islands when he arrived there in September 1835.
Today, the Galapagos is a living time capsule. Iguanas don’t scurry away from tourists observing from a respectful distance and giant tortoises lumber slowly along the same pathways, retreating into their shells only occasionally. It’s a nature-lover’s paradise and an amazing destination for couples, photographers, solo travellers — you name it.
My first voyage to these islands made a huge impact on me; the contrasts between islands were so strong I could scarcely believe what I was seeing.
There’s rugged and desolate Floreana Island, which was set on fire in 1819 as a prank by a crew member of the whaleship Essex (this ship was later the inspiration for Herman Melville’s Moby Dick after it was rammed and sunk by a sperm whale).
At present, Celebrity offers three separate types of itineraries aboard the 100-guest Celebrity Xpedition. There’s the seven-night Galapagos Loop itinerary that sails round trip from Baltra; the 10-night Galapagos Ecuador Xpedition that includes a two-night pre-cruise stay and a one-night post-cruise stay in Quito, Ecuador; and the 11-night Galapagos-Ecuador Xpedition itinerary that adds another precruise evening in Quito.
These cruises are true expedition voyages. To that end, Celebrity Xpedition is equipped with licensed on-board guides and naturalists who will help you interpret these diverse islands. Their knowledge is infectious, particularly in such a well-preserved and unique ecosystem.
Unlike big-ship cruises that
It’s a nature-lover’s paradise and an amazing destination for couples, photographers, solo travellers ...
dock alongside massive piers, Celebrity Xpedition carries a fleet of Zodiac rafts guests board for in-depth explorations of the shore line or to land on shores inaccessible to traditional boats.
In fact, this is one of the few itineraries on which you’ll never encounter a dock — without suitable piers, even embarkation is conducted by Zodiac raft, with Celebrity Xpedition anchored attractively in the bay in Baltra.
On board, the 296-foot-long Celebrity Xpedition looks more like a billionaire’s private yacht than a rugged expedition ship — to Celebrity’s credit.
The line has lovingly refitted this ship since she entered service for Celebrity in 2004. To that end, you’ll find some very pleasing decor (and cuisine), in the intimate Darwin’s Restaurant on the port side of Deck 3, while the social hub is the Discovery Lounge on Deck 4, where daily briefings and cocktails are served in equal measure. When the weather is nice (it nearly always is), you can dine outside at the Beagle Grill, with views off the ship’s stern.
With the new Celebrity Xperience and Celebrity Xploration just around the corner, Celebrity is expanding its true expedition offerings even further.
Both ships will debut in 2017 and, as the line says, more details are sure to come.