Cabins seem small, also the window doesn't appear to look directly out to the sea but into a corridor with a window. How's the view from the cabin in this situation.
If you are talking about the Isabella II, I have been on the Galapagos tour twice. You must understand that the ship is an expedition ship and is very basic. I think the last cabin on each side of the back of the boat may be beyond the ‘corridor’ and we had one of those rooms on our first trip. We actually preferred being in the ones in the corridor on the second trip. The rooms are small and the bathroom too, but you spend little time on the boat and it does most of the moving of location at night. You can see plenty of scenery from the corridor which has big windows. The crew are wonderful and friendly like a big family, the food is basic but good and cooked and presented with pride. There are no locks on the room doors, you do not have to worry about that at all. I believe Tauck will be using a newer and bigger boat for some tours, I bet it does not have charm like Isabella. My comment to Tauck about Isabella was that I thought some people might find her too basic but for us she was part of the charm of the place.
Next year the Hidden Galápagos & Peru trip will be using the Silver Galapagos. While I respect British's opinion, this change to Silverseas convinced me to use Tauck for this particular adventure. It is selling very well.
As I said in my posting about regular vs small groups- you'll get differing opinions here.
That being said, British described the Isabela II correctly- it is an "expedition" not a "cruise" ship- it is comfortable and clean, but not luxurious. The cabins are small with small baths (smaller than a Cat I cabin on the river boats.) But the group is small- 40 max (vs 100 on the Silver Galapagos) which is what we like. As far as the cabin size- the only time we spent in our cabin was at night to sleep (and for a few brief naps : ) ) so it didn't matter.
The window is above the bed and looks out into the corridor, which itself has large windows- double glazing helps keep the interior of the ship cooler- remember, the Equator goes right through the Galapagos archipelago so it is hot and humid and the outer windows "sweat." If you want to sit and view the fabulous scenery during the few instances when you have a short amount of free time or if you decide skip an activity, it is best to go to the lounge area on the upper (sun) deck.
You can see photos of the cabins and other spaces and the ship's deck plans on the Tauck or Isabela II websites.
We have done the Galapagos three times on Celebrity’s Xpedition. Little time to look out the window, and most of the time you are in the room it is dark. The room is where you change clothes, shower, and sleep.
As Alan said, there are differing opinions here. I totally respect the views of three of the most traveled and prolific posters to these forums. However, there is a reason why Celebrity is replacing the Xpedition and Seabourn, Scenic, Ponant, National Geographic, and others are all launching new expedition ships in 2019. Many travelers want newer ships with more amenities, better platforms to get into zodiacs, larger cabins, higher level of service, etc. Almost everyone who takes a Tauck adventure is pleased. Based on the most recent reviews of the Galapagos trip, the ones that were not five star primarily had a comment about the ship. This is consistent with what we heard from a Tauck tour director who told us about the new relationship with Silversea. When we go in six months, we won't be able to compare the two ships, but I am sure we will have a wonderful experience!
I’m sure the trip will be great. But, correct me if I’m wrong, but the Silver Galapagos is not exactly a ‘new’ ship. A quick search reveals that she was launched in 1990 and has had at least two previous owners. I did not know that Celebrity was replacing the Xpedition, but she’s been around for a while as well. No matter to us, as three trips were enough. There are other places for us ... and there is always Africa. (;-)
And we are pleased with Tauck. I currently have three future bookings, including one on a brand new Ponant expedition ship ... Le Champlain. We have also cruised on Le Soleal, and we have a booking on Le Ponant. That being said, I loved the Xpedition, and they did a very fine job. They did provide a ‘Tauck-like’ experience, and it was truly all inclusive. NatGeo (Lindblad) the last time I checked was not. We have also cruised on Silversea, and we liked them a lot also.
OK ... another search. Xpedition just emerged from refurbishment, and new amenities are being added when Celebrity Flora ‘joins’ the Galapagos fleet in 2019. It does not sound to me like Xpedition is going anywhere.
Agree Sealord, the Silver Galapagos is an older ship, and I carefully considered the Celebrity Flora but decided to go with Tauck especially considering the Machu Picchu experience. The Flora is taking over the Xpedition itineraries and the Xpedition is replacing the Xploration and Xpereince itineraries. We are getting ready to reserve the K&T Classic Safari for 2020.
Yes ... the loops. The Xpeditions itinerary in 2020 is roughly what we did the last time in 2013. On our first two trips, we saw what you would have to do a back to back to see now. A few years ago the park’ made a rule that the boats could only go to the most popular sites once every two weeks. That toned down the experience a bit. They also built a new air terminal. I thought the ‘wooden shack’ was rather charming. They also used to go to Kicker Rock in the pangas at dawn. That was spectacular. They have a bit of a dilemma. They want to keep the place from getting over run with people, but they want the entry fees.
So to add more confusion. Silver Seas announced today they are building the new Silver Origin which will be delivered in March 2020 and replace the Silver Galapagos. It will be interesting what Tauck decides to do with all of these new ships in the Galapagos.
All the new ships! I hope Ecuador doesn't change their policy on the number of ships and people going ashore in any one location. They maintain strict control over that which helps to preserve the environment and helps maintain the special atmosphere of the islands. Peru, on their own and under extreme pressure from UNESCO, has put strict limits on daily visitors to Machu Picchu. I think this is starting to become the norm rather than the exception at other UNESCO and historical sites around the world.
While we usually enjoy our fellow travelers on Tauck tours, they are secondary to why we go. One of our best experiences was on Classic Italy when we had a private guide all to ourselves during pre-tour visits to Herculaneum, Naples, and Capri.
I can't imagine walking or snorkeling excursions in the Galapagos with a group of much more than a dozen or so. 100 passengers on a ship will mean much larger groups or a lot more groups sharing a limited area. I will be interested to hear how it all works out.
When we did the Galapagos the ships could carry no more than 100 passengers, but each tour group could be no more than 16, which was exactly one ‘panga’ load. They responded to more shps by limiting the number of visits to each site to once every two weeks for the more sensitive or popular sites.
Most of the boats hold considerably less than 100. Everyone must stay on designated paths, and you cannot approach the animals, although they are allowed to walk on you if they wish.
I think the way Tauck will get around the limit to numbers of people on the islands is to expand the ‘Choices’ they give for excursions, which I personally do not like the direction that is going with Tauck. I feel we missed out on some site seeing we wanted to do on the Tauck Iceland cruise this year, we could have done more each day.
Perhaps I wasn’t clear ... all 100 or so of us went to the same places (mostly) but we toured in groups of 16 or less. Each group had their own guide, and the guides worked for the Park, but lived on the ship. They would sometimes dine with the guests. Some of the guides had worked on other ships as well.
Comments
That being said, British described the Isabela II correctly- it is an "expedition" not a "cruise" ship- it is comfortable and clean, but not luxurious. The cabins are small with small baths (smaller than a Cat I cabin on the river boats.) But the group is small- 40 max (vs 100 on the Silver Galapagos) which is what we like. As far as the cabin size- the only time we spent in our cabin was at night to sleep (and for a few brief naps : ) ) so it didn't matter.
The window is above the bed and looks out into the corridor, which itself has large windows- double glazing helps keep the interior of the ship cooler- remember, the Equator goes right through the Galapagos archipelago so it is hot and humid and the outer windows "sweat." If you want to sit and view the fabulous scenery during the few instances when you have a short amount of free time or if you decide skip an activity, it is best to go to the lounge area on the upper (sun) deck.
You can see photos of the cabins and other spaces and the ship's deck plans on the Tauck or Isabela II websites.
And we are pleased with Tauck. I currently have three future bookings, including one on a brand new Ponant expedition ship ... Le Champlain. We have also cruised on Le Soleal, and we have a booking on Le Ponant. That being said, I loved the Xpedition, and they did a very fine job. They did provide a ‘Tauck-like’ experience, and it was truly all inclusive. NatGeo (Lindblad) the last time I checked was not. We have also cruised on Silversea, and we liked them a lot also.
OK ... another search. Xpedition just emerged from refurbishment, and new amenities are being added when Celebrity Flora ‘joins’ the Galapagos fleet in 2019. It does not sound to me like Xpedition is going anywhere.
While we usually enjoy our fellow travelers on Tauck tours, they are secondary to why we go. One of our best experiences was on Classic Italy when we had a private guide all to ourselves during pre-tour visits to Herculaneum, Naples, and Capri.
I can't imagine walking or snorkeling excursions in the Galapagos with a group of much more than a dozen or so. 100 passengers on a ship will mean much larger groups or a lot more groups sharing a limited area. I will be interested to hear how it all works out.
Most of the boats hold considerably less than 100. Everyone must stay on designated paths, and you cannot approach the animals, although they are allowed to walk on you if they wish.