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Was this all you thought it would be?
Want to hear from those of you that saw other ships you may have liked better than the US marketed ones to us here in the states?
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In a word …"Yes!" I say this as an Australian living in Melbourne. I sought Tauck out, rather than the other way round. You may not know, but Tauck doesn't advertise in the regular sense. They rely on word of mouth. The same goes for Australia. I can't speak for how they do business in other, non-US countries. On my trip, there were English and Canadian couples & myself. The rest of our exclusively Tauck group of about 30 were Americans.
The boat used for the Galapagos cruise, Isabella, is a wonderful small ship, perfectly suited to the task. As I understood the situation when I did this trip, an Ecuadorian travel company took care of the local details on behalf of Tauck. Tauck had a TD that was our guardian angel for the entire trip. On-board Ecuadorian naturalists … I think there were about 5 in all … were there to guide the us through the wonders of the different islands.
You are travelling to the Galapagos for a really life changing experience. If I went again … I'd go again tomorrow … in a heartbeat … I would still travel with Tauck. I never set out to travel with an American company. I set out to travel with the experts. When I'm travelling with a group, as distinct from independently, that turns out to be Tauck.
Cheers,
Jan
Isabella is an Expedition boat, 20 bedrooms, not luxurious but very clean. The staff keep the rooms beautifully tidy, there were no locks on our doors, no need. Tauck guide plus the local expert guides to guide us on the islands and the ships dr would accompany most of the walks too which could be comforting for some. Early starts, they wake you at 6am before it gets too hot, tour an island, come back, lecture, rest up, afternoon trip and so on. If you are less able the worst part is getting from the ship to the inflatables to get to land, obviously you have to be able to step into that boat, but of course lots of help. Wet landings are fine, the ship has a drying area to put your shoes when you get back on board. No need to take any fancy clothes for dinner, go as you are to the dining area. Great food great company, the crew are fantastic. Trip of a lifetime
Also, some islands have jagged volcanic rocks to walk over, so listen to the guide's recommendations about footwear each day, have closed toe shoes for these islands.
Cheers,
Jan
We were fortunate to have Tauck guide Armin Geiger along for guide cross training last month on our Ultimate Alps tour. You can watch his video on Tauck's Peru/Galapagos webpage. Since this tour is on my bucket list I took every opportunity to pick his brain about the Galapagos. For eighteen years he lead Tauck tours all over the world and claims Peru/Galapagos and Turkey are his all-time favorites. He also said the Isabella II should be (is?) in great shape after the recent overhaul.
Cheers,
Jan
Yup, I verified both the 2012 refit and the May 2014 refit were both completed- seems they schedule a refit every 2 years or so. Isabella II should be ready for another two years of cruising the Galapagos.
There are some great photos taken ashore and aboard on her Facebook page! Better accommodations can certainly be had, but anyone who wants that should think about riding one of those floating hotels where they can travel with 5000 of their closest friends
also, what do people wear for dinner on the boat? And......................what is a Tauck Ambassador?
Thanks
I wore Merrill water shoes that just looked like any other kind of lace up walking shoes, but were designed to squish out water. I wore socks because my tender little footsies demanded it! I wanted enclosed shoes to protect said tootsies. I know you can get water sandals with an enclosed toe …. but they didn't work for me. I didn't wear the socks for the wading part! Had them in my backpack! I took double the number of pairs of socks I usually take… to allow for extra drying time! I chose as light weight, short ankle socks as I could find, for the same reason. Dinner on the boat … clean clothes!
A Tauck Ambassador is just someone who talks too much!
Cheers,
Jan
better stuff than the exploring clothes?
or the the clean clothes we plan to wear the next day?
men need pants for dinner?
I think it's for the best all round, really.