Intimate expedition ships to operate solely in Galapagos
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 now — and it’s ready to expand.
In addition to the 100-guest Celebrity Xpedition, Celebrity recently acquired a Galapagosbased 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 less than 100 passengers can sail here, and each ship must carry officially licensed guides, provision with Ecuadorean goods, and operate in the islands yearround.
Celebrity has said that the addition of these two new ships to its Galapagos fleet will allow it to offer new itineraries, including ones featuring both cruise and land packages with overnight stays in both 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). Right now, 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 onboard 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 dock alongside massive piers, Celebrity Xpedition carries a fleet of Zodiac rafts that 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.
Onboard, the 296-foot-long Celebrity Xpedition looks more like a billionaire’s private yacht than a rugged expedition ship — and that’s to Celebrity’s credit. The line has lovingly refitted this ship since she entered service for Celebrity back 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 of the ship is the Discovery Lounge on Deck 4, where daily briefings and cocktails are served up 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 their true expedition offerings even further. Both ships will debut in 2017 and, as the line says, more details are sure to come.