twangster

Guayaquil airport was smooth and frictionless.  Short line at immigration and outside in 15 minutes. 

Complimentary hotel shuttle. 

 
 

I flew Business Class on Copa.   Gotta say I think the US airlines could learn a lesson in service from Copa.
Both meals were better than US airlines and they took time to talk about the choices of wines and beer.   No hard liquor though.  
Their newer planes feature lay flat seating.   This is an "older" plane.

 

Waiting to take off from Panama on the way to Guayaquil, seeing the mountains of Panama makes me wonder why the French were set on making the Panama Canal a sea level waterway. 

 

They literally would have had to move mountains.  
 

Smooth flight to Panama.  
It was cloudy coming in but we crossed over from the Atlantic side to the Pacific and did a big loop around.
Flying in to Panama gave me a whole new perspective compared to cruising here.
On the Caribbean side:

Somewhere over the middle of Panama:

We did a big looping flight path to join the pattern of aircraft arriving.  That brought us around on the Pacific side so I could see the Panama Canal and the Bridge of the Americas.

Ships at anchor waiting their turn.



New locks on left, original locks on the right.  Culebra Cut in the distance.


Panama City on the right is pretty close to the locks on the Pacific side.



The Pacific coastal waters are more shallow and you could see the effect of the tide going out.  

While at lunch we started underway to our second stop of the day... Sullivan Bay.
I knew a Galapagos cruise was all about visiting the islands of the Galapagos but the scenery today was unreal.  You can't do it justice in pictures.  The slow cruise through the passages to reach Sullivan's Bay was breathtaking.





When we arrived the unloading of the zodiacs began.

There were a couple of drivers for me that led me to Silversea.
Celebrity rarely offers a reduced single supplement on the fleet.  Even when they do on ships elsewhere in the world their policies are still unfriendly to the solo guest.  Even if you do find a solo fare their Always Included packages remains priced for two guests.  For example you pay for two drink packages but as a solo you only get one, and what would as a solo guest do with a second drink package?  Drink twice as much? It makes no sense. When X does offer a solo fare it's generally 'no perks' because it never makes sense to pay for two perks for a solo guest.  Plus, I've never seen a solo fare for Flora in the Galapagos.   
Silversea sometimes (but not often) offers a solo fare on the Silver Origin.  When you can get a Silversea solo fare it's actually several thousand less than Flora would be for a solo guest.  I can sail Silversea and fly business class for less than the cruise fare alone on Celebrity.
Silversea has always intrigued me.  I've wanted to try Silversea to experience a level of cruising above and beyond Royal or Celebrity.   
The Galapagos Islands are not going to be an inexpensive experience no matter how you choose to come here. If I am going to invest this much into a Galapagos visit I might as well do so in luxury.  
When I was on the Edge I attended a Galapagos presentation.  Everything looks fine and for a couple it would be a different equation but for me Celebrity rarely makes sense as a solo.  It's why I don't sail them that often.  Their ships, their rules.  I generally cruise other lines mostly but I do have an X booking next year.  
Putting all of these factors together and choosing Silversea and the Silver Origin was the perfect choice for me.

There were a couple of drivers for me that led me to Silversea.
Celebrity rarely offers a reduced single supplement on the fleet.  Even when they do on ships elsewhere in the world their policies are still unfriendly to the solo guest.  Even if you do find a solo fare their Always Included packages remains priced for two guests.  For example you pay for two drink packages but as a solo you only get one, and what would as a solo guest do with a second drink package?  Drink twice as much? It makes no sense. When X does offer a solo fare it's generally 'no perks' because it never makes sense to pay for two perks for a solo guest.  Plus, I've never seen a solo fare for Flora in the Galapagos.   
Silversea sometimes (but not often) offers a solo fare on the Silver Origin.  When you can get a Silversea solo fare it's actually several thousand less than Flora would be for a solo guest.  I can sail Silversea and fly business class for less than the cruise fare alone on Celebrity.
Silversea has always intrigued me.  I've wanted to try Silversea to experience a level of cruising above and beyond Royal or Celebrity.   
The Galapagos Islands are not going to be an inexpensive experience no matter how you choose to come here. If I am going to invest this much into a Galapagos visit I might as well do so in luxury.  
When I was on the Edge I attended a Galapagos presentation.  Everything looks fine and for a couple it would be a different equation but for me Celebrity rarely makes sense as a solo.  It's why I don't sail them that often.  Their ships, their rules.  I generally cruise other lines mostly but I do have an X booking next year.  
Putting all of these factors together and choosing Silversea and the Silver Origin was the perfect choice for me.

There were a couple of drivers for me that led me to Silversea.
Celebrity rarely offers a reduced single supplement on the fleet.  Even when they do on ships elsewhere in the world their policies are still unfriendly to the solo guest.  Even if you do find a solo fare their Always Included packages remains priced for two guests.  For example you pay for two drink packages but as a solo you only get one, and what would as a solo guest do with a second drink package?  Drink twice as much? It makes no sense. When X does offer a solo fare it's generally 'no perks' because it never makes sense to pay for two perks for a solo guest.  Plus, I've never seen a solo fare for Flora in the Galapagos.   
Silversea sometimes (but not often) offers a solo fare on the Silver Origin.  When you can get a Silversea solo fare it's actually several thousand less than Flora would be for a solo guest.  I can sail Silversea and fly business class for less than the cruise fare alone on Celebrity.
Silversea has always intrigued me.  I've wanted to try Silversea to experience a level of cruising above and beyond Royal or Celebrity.   
The Galapagos Islands are not going to be an inexpensive experience no matter how you choose to come here. If I am going to invest this much into a Galapagos visit I might as well do so in luxury.  
When I was on the Edge I attended a Galapagos presentation.  Everything looks fine and for a couple it would be a different equation but for me Celebrity rarely makes sense as a solo.  It's why I don't sail them that often.  Their ships, their rules.  I generally cruise other lines mostly but I do have an X booking next year.  
Putting all of these factors together and choosing Silversea and the Silver Origin was the perfect choice for me.

This never gets old.


The Silver Origin is such a beautiful ship.  It's so prefect for the Galapagos.

 
 

These male Magnificent Frigatebirds are mostly likely younger males who have matured enough to have the inflatable red chest.  So impressed with their new capability these young male birds inflate their chest and take flight only to discover how awkward it is to fly with a fully inflated chest. 
 

Older males who have been around the block a few times probably know better.
With that it was time to head back to the ship.

 

This never gets old.


The Silver Origin is such a beautiful ship.  It's so prefect for the Galapagos.

 
 

Our second excursion for the day was an advanced deep water snorkel.  A basic snorkel/beach excursion was also available.

A benefit of these snorkel trips is being able to see the coast up close.

Time to snorkel.

The waves and current were a little stronger today leading to more sediment reducing visibility compared to yesterday.  It's the ocean, it is what it is on the day of your visit.

A Starfish.

The waters were still full of life.

Approximately 30 feet down on the seafloor were a number of white tipped sharks.  Unfortunately I didn't get a very good picture of them.  Later our guide said he counted nine of them in different places along our route.


So many fish.  You can see why so many birds breed here due to an abundance of food.



The Origin was never far.

After 45 minutes it was time to get back on the zodiac and return for lunch on the ship.

Another male Magnificent Frigatebird showing off his chest.

A Blue Footed Booby near a nest.

North Seymour had many Blue Footed Boobies.  Along our trail were three sets of Boobies who appeared to going through mating rituals.


"Look at my blue feet!"


They were so close we had to walk around them to maintain some distance.  Absolutely no fear of us.



Pictures don't do this justice, you have to experience it right in front of you.

Check out those blue feet!

This guy had a slight turquoise hue to his feet which he continued to lift up and down to make sure she saw them.

Quite the moves.


She must have been impressed because it looks like success!

Day Three - North Seymour and Sullivan Bay
This is a pretty great way to start the day...

Basecamp is where all excursions depart from.  Here the "Green" group is departing.  The Blue group that I am in will depart 15 minutes later on this occasion.


Team Blue on the move.

It's a short ride over to the shore.  At this point we are all "zodiac pros" like we've been doing this for weeks.

Some housekeeping items... literally.
I'm posting this so those that come after me will know what they don't need to bring or make the determination f you had better bring something.

The included water bottle has worked quite well for going ashore.  Filling station in the bathroom or other places around the ship.

Destination talk time.  

The Cerro Dragon (see bar menu posted earlier).

North Seymour tomorrow morning followed by snorkeling and Sullivan Bay in the afternoon.

Day two dinner menu.

At the same as this tour an optional complimentary Sea Kayak excursion from our ship was exploring the coast.

More variations of finch.


A Yellow Warbler.




Researchers have discovered that the finch can evolve with one generation.  Pretty remarkable.

A young Booby close to our trail watches us with curiosity.

If it's nesting in the trees it must be a Red Footed Booby chick.

Who brought their pet dog?  Oops, just another Galapagos Sea Lion.

With that it was getting close to sunset and time to return to the ship.


 

Our guide takes us in the shallow tidal pool among the mangroves. 
What pictures can't portray are the sounds of the various birds in the mangroves calling out to each other.

A number of Red Footed Boobies are at various heights in the mangroves.  It was basically like a Booby condo.  




Can you find the Booby in the mangroves?

Day Three - North Seymour and Sullivan Bay
This is a pretty great way to start the day...

Basecamp is where all excursions depart from.  Here the "Green" group is departing.  The Blue group that I am in will depart 15 minutes later on this occasion.


Team Blue on the move.

It's a short ride over to the shore.  At this point we are all "zodiac pros" like we've been doing this for weeks.

Time for a bite to eat, and an Ecuadorian beer. 

Not a bad view at all.

Not bad as our first expedition excursion but it was time to return to the ship going back down the steep set of stairs roughly carved out of the rocks.  Our guide explains how best to proceed.

Silver Origin waiting for us.

This is considered a "dry landing" as we don't get wet getting in or out of the zodiac.


Looking back at Prince Philip's Steps.

The short ride back to the Origin.

Some housekeeping items... literally.
I'm posting this so those that come after me will know what they don't need to bring or make the determination f you had better bring something.

The included water bottle has worked quite well for going ashore.  Filling station in the bathroom or other places around the ship.

Destination talk time.  

The Cerro Dragon (see bar menu posted earlier).

North Seymour tomorrow morning followed by snorkeling and Sullivan Bay in the afternoon.

Day two dinner menu.

Day Three - North Seymour and Sullivan Bay
This is a pretty great way to start the day...

Basecamp is where all excursions depart from.  Here the "Green" group is departing.  The Blue group that I am in will depart 15 minutes later on this occasion.


Team Blue on the move.

It's a short ride over to the shore.  At this point we are all "zodiac pros" like we've been doing this for weeks.

Our third excursion of the day was a nature walk starting with a wet landing on the beach of Genovesa.  
Sea Lions were resting on the beach when we arrived and they completely ignored us.

A pair of Swallow-tailed Gulls.  The red ring around the eyes is only present during mating season.  



A young Frigatebird waits on the nest for a parent to return with food.

Along the beach more Sea Lions are resting.  This is a male Sea Lion along with... 

... A female Sea Lion nursing a pup.



A Nazca Booby with a chick.

Another group from our ship is greeted by a very playful Sea Lion pup who was zooming around the sheltered tidal pool and posing for pictures.

A Lava Gull was checking us out.

Another Lava Gull.

A juvenile Frigatebird.


A female Great Frigatebird

An adult male Great Frigatebird.


A Lava Heron.

I still can't believe that CBP allows cruising without a passport.  With all the heightened security awareness since 9/11 it still boggles my mind they haven't closed this loophole.
The kids have had passports their entire life from less than a year old.  Yes it costs money.  However we traveled often and it was so worth it in hindsight.  It's the gold standard for travel documents.  

Some housekeeping items... literally.
I'm posting this so those that come after me will know what they don't need to bring or make the determination f you had better bring something.

The included water bottle has worked quite well for going ashore.  Filling station in the bathroom or other places around the ship.

Destination talk time.  

The Cerro Dragon (see bar menu posted earlier).

North Seymour tomorrow morning followed by snorkeling and Sullivan Bay in the afternoon.

Day two dinner menu.