MLH

You picked the Genie option didn't you? just read through the blog. That's great. You will enjoy!

I just saw that 3/4 passengers sail free. A couple of bookings I looked at jacked up the price for passsengers 1/2 ,but for Suites it is actually a really good deal. Especially Star Class. The All-In Sale | Loyal To You Always @Lovetocruise2002

They also gave us 5,000 in FCC. Even my ta was shocked. I booked a w and got an upgraded room and they even gave me that. So totally satisfied!

Bad news! There was a propulsion issue on an engine that required changes to the iternary due to speed limitations. They cancelled the August 10 and 17th sailings to go into dry dock. They did offer to move to any other sailing, price protected, and a very generous FCC, so we have to push it out a year since our bingo card is full this fall and winter.

This information is not true. Genies are attentive to each room. The only difference is the AQ suites are not as fancy as the other ones on 17. No great bathrooms and only 1 room attendant. Still is very nice though.

No had the treatment and hounded with the upsell and had a heart attack when they rang up the price.

Were the flowers in the room or is that something Lisha gave you?

?Can you ask Lisha how may packages are available to purchase on each sailing? How many rooms could she have if it is fully booked?

And we are throwing in Boston to Canada with friends in September! I barely have time to book any Caribbean vacations to relax!

August 8-18th, 2025.

Checked my reservation today and my GTY has been assigned. Not the Royal Suite as my documentation stated but it is a Premium Infinite Veranda Suite. It is "an upgrade" from the Sky Suite because unlike the other Sky Suites it has a tub and shower with a giant window so you can soak and enjoy the scenery. There are 2 Royal Suites available. I may try my luck on bidding for them.

Trip planning I am the planner in the family. I thought there would be much to do to plan this. Boy was I wrong. Once we figured out the sailing (no brainer based on cost) and airfare options from ATL then we were pretty much set. Everything is done for you! One thing to note is Time Zone. Quito is Central Time always, no DST. Also Balta is an hour different, but they stay on Quito time. Flights There is one flight from ATL to Quito non stop on Delta (yeah I'm in Atlanta are there other airlines?) which gets us into Quito at 8 pm. Then off to the hotel a 45 minute ride. Coming back there is a 1120pm non stop red eye that seems to be popular. That means you spend the whole day in Quito on an optional paid tour to the Rainforest and then head out to the airport. You do not have facilities to freshen up before the flight. We decided on a 9 am flight with a stop over in Miami getting in about 6 pm. It was a little more expensive but worth it! The first flight is operated by LATAM a Delta partner so you have to go to their website to select seats after booking. We book economy for anything under 6 hours since we can snag exit row seating due to status. During the seat selection we upgraded for 62.00 pp to Premium Economy which gets us off the plan fast and on to customs to catch our next flight. This also allows for lounge access in Miami during the layover. For early morning flights they put you at a hotel closer to the airport to avoid the long drive. Excursions BALTRA (GALAPAGOS) GARDNER BAY (ESPAÑOLA) SUAREZ POINT, (ESPAÑOLA) CORMORANT POINT (FLOREANA) BAHIA POST OFFICE (FLOREANA) ESPINOZA POINT, (FERNANDINA) VICENTE ROCA POINT (ISABELA) SOUTH PLAZA (SANTA CRUZ) DAPHNE ISLAND DRAGON HILL (SANTA CRUZ) MORENO POINT (ISABELA) URVINA BAY (ISABELA) PUERTO AYORA (SANTA CRUZ) These are the islands we are visiting. Basically, we go to 2 places each day with a morning and afternoon excursion. They are not on the website but are given each night on the ship and then you pick which ones you want. I gather there are hiking, kayaking, snorkeling and zodiac tours and a few others available. This is nice as you dont have to plan anything ahead of time. Vaccines They recommend certain vaccines but they are not required. I ended up getting a MMR because I never had the Mumps vaccine or the Mumps and a Hepatitis A/B shot. Some people if going to Machu Pichu get yellow fever and typhoid. That is all the planning I have done at this point. It was very simple, no scouring for flights, hotels, Ubers, taxis, restaurants, excursions, drink packages, show planning, embarkation times.

Here is the initial PDF's they send you to prepare.

Trip Options Looking at a Galapagos trip seems to be a different pricing structure than other ships and can be confusing. The ship is all suites with the Sky suites with balcony cheaper than the suites with infinite verandas. Many mixed reviews on these. They do have 2 Royal Suites and 1 Penthouse but the only real difference is you get liquor bottles in your room, get to pick your excursions without waiting in line, a really nice room and I am sure a few other subtle difference. The max capacity is 100 people. They offer the 7 day,10, 11 or 16 Day trips. The 7 day includes only the sailing and no transportation, wifi, tips, drinks. The 10,11 day includes 2 nights pre cruise hotel and 1-2 nights post cruise, all meals except the first night, transportation to Baltra, an excursion in Quito, transportation to and from airport. Normally it is the JW Marriott in Quito and a charter flight to Baltra. The 16 includes all of the above plus Machu Pichu. With the 10-16 day options depending on the sale you can get a 750.00pp air fare credit if you use Celebrity Air or 500.00pp credit if you book on your own and a Loyalty discount. Since we are now Zenith we got 750.00pp. Make sure you put in your loyalty number or create one and get the matching status. One thing to note is you cannot look at airfare on the website. You have to call to get pricing and book the flights. Also note that you are required to show proof (if asked) of medical evacuation/medical insurance. We have an annual policy as well as our primary work insurance. Itinerary The Galapagos sailings have an Inner Loop and Outer Loop sailing. Just different destinations, but one isnt any better than the other. There are also 2 seasons wet and dry. Once again one isn't any better than the other. It seems to be a little hotter in the dry season. Wildlife cycles will change based on the season, so do your research if something interests you. What we are doing Since I watch prices daily, if not a few times a day, I noticed over the last year the Celebrity Flora has price reductions after final payment which is 160 days before sailing. I saw a price reduction about a month ago on the August 10th sailing, I was a decent price so i talked to my husband about going. He couldn't commit as they lost a big contract and was unsure of his job situation and if he would be allowed part time or not. I put it on the back burner. Then lo and behold last week saw another price drop! This was a sign we had to go! We opted for the 10 night Outer Loop package. It does add about 2k per person, but you get the air allowance and hotels and meals and transportation. You could do it a little cheaper if you have airline miles and hotel status (they will honor your status at the hotel to get your benefits), but for once I did not want to plan anything. All in for 2 people was just a little over 13K. Had I booked when bookings became available it would have been 12K for 1 person. I did book a GTY room, but all are suites and there is not a bad room on the ship. When I looked at my reservation i saw this: The picture didn't show but it is a photo of the Royal Suites. There are 2 still available. One can hope but I do not think it will come true. The Flora is not on the App, so I can't keep checking. They do not offer much on extra spending other than Glamping under the stars and spa services so no hounding to pre purchase anything.

I love all of the reviews from everyone and I am not that great about live reviews, but there are not too many out there on Galapagos to guide people when doing the Galapagos especially pre cruise and booking. As with most people Galapagos is a bucket list trip. It has been on my radar for a while, but couldn't fit it in. We are in our 60's and I do not work and my husband is getting ready to retire by going part time (which gives us insurance). He normally is hovering around 0 vacation days so going part time will allow us a little more freedom to travel when something good pops up. We are not a couple who books years out, that seems to bite us in the butt. I booked my Pinnacle cruise and then my daughter gets engaged and the wedding is the week of the cruise. I booked a great deal on Ascent when bookings came out which now coincides with my niece's wedding. I booked a Norway cruise with a friend when they came out and her DIL is due with their child. See a pattern? I am perfectly content with a 6-9 month booking window. I scan prices daily almost neurotically and always seem to find reasonable prices on trips which are below what the initial release dates are. @twangster did a great review of his sailing on Silver Seas, my photos will not compare, so If you want wildlife photos check his out!

If you are staying there, the luggage people from pan will come and get your luggage and take it from your room. Just give them a call early to come as it may take a while for them to get there. From there you simply walk out of a door and go to check in in one of the conference rooms and then to cbp. Twangster pictures are very accurate. By checking in at the Pan, you bypass the basement/garage step. We ended up walking to the rail station after the cruise and taking the train to the airport. So much easier than fighting the crowds looking for ubers and traffic around the port.

We sailed out of Vancouver a few times. The process is a little different. There is a lot of walking. First of all, even if not staying there check your luggage at the Pan Pacific hotel with the porter. That beats having to drop off your luggage in the basement and then having to walk to the check in area. Also note that you clear customs before boarding the ship after checking in, no separate lines for suite/pinns This took us over 1 1/2 hours. We had 3 ships in port and they all funnelled through the same customs line. Vancouver is known for this. I would suggest going earlier than later. We did a day tour after dropping our luggage and came back to this mess about noon.

We did this last year. It was an amazing cruise. Enjoy

I felt the same way when my kids "aged out" with new jobs and no vacation time and one or more could not come.

Just caught up! My daughter got married this weekend and finally had a chance to sit down and check the blog. It was so great to see a live one from you. We will be on Icon in 2 weeks, this is making me excited!

So glad to follow along! Family cruises are so good! My daughter is getting married Saturday and the late night snacks at the after party will be Canes.

They are given a budget.In the past they were allowed to buy things off ship to cater to your survey likes and such, but now they all tend to get things from the ship. Our last Star cruise , we received a watch that broke the first time my husband put it on.

We rent a car at fll and them drop it off at the rental car place and they shuttle you to the ship. On the way back we use SAS to the airport.

Another thing Zenith gets when booking a suite is a discounted rate since beverage package and wifi are included.

Are you doing the Eclipse Cruise? I am! @lovetocruise2002