The Evolution of Cruising. Silver Origin to the Galapagos Islands

[John Blahnik]

Looks like such an amazing time - thanks so much for sharing this special journey!

[twangster]

Morning arrived to find the closest thing to a sister ship for the Silver Origin arriving on our port side.  

It was the Celebrity Flora.

Sea Lions playing around the ship.

The Flora was on my list when I looked into this trip but I'm glad I went with Silversea. 

[twangster]

Day 7 - Isla Lobos and Cerro Brujo, San Cristóbal

Choices of a snorkel, paddle boarding or a zodiac tour.  I chose the zodiac tour mostly because they have been pretty awesome so far and I can bring my good camera on the zodiac.

We start with some Brown Pelicans, Frigatebirds, Sea Lions and Iguanas.  

We came to a Sea Lion community with several young pups, their mothers and of course a male Sea Lion responsible for his territory.

The male Sea Lion wasn’t thrilled with our presence and he was very vocal to let us know.

[twangster]

No day is complete without some Blue Footed Boobies.

Sally Lightfoot Crabs were everywhere.

Several Christmas iguanas were warming up in the sun.  Come December they will turn color earning their name Christmas Iguana.

The paddle board folks were nearby.

[twangster]

Our zodiac driver once again was finding various wildlife for our enjoyment.  This Frigatebird chick was hard to spot at first.

Sea Lions doing Sea Lion things but mostly resting.  There was one jumping in and out of the water while swimming at high speed.  Our guide told us this would be a male being chased by another male who was defending his territory.  Too fast for pictures.

 

 

This nursing Sea Lion mother had enough of her pup demanding more so she hid in the rocks for a rest.

 

 

[twangster]

The paddle board species from Origin Island had caught up with us.

Looks like work.  I'm glad I chose the zodiac tour.

Soon enough it was back to the ship.

 

[twangster]

With views like this, at lunch time, I'm back at The Grill.

[twangster]

I’ve been meaning to take some pictures of where I’ve been working out three times each day. 

Instead I dropped by the exercise room on board.

 

 

[twangster]

We had started to make our way to Cerro Brujo during lunch so I took the opportunity to get some pictures around the ship while underway.

Once again past Kicker Rock but this time our Captain presented the other side for our viewing pleasure.

Is it just me or do I see a Booby face looking right at me on Kicker Rock?

With some excellent wine warming up my creative juices I spent some time in the comfort of the Observation Lounge.

The wine tasted like “more” so I had my glass refilled at The Grill for an aft view of Kicker Rock.

Then it was back to the Observation Lounge for a bit.

[twangster]

At 2:30pm there was a talk in the Explorers Lounge to explain the debarking process the next morning.  Luggage had to put out by 11pm so I returned to my cabin to change for the beach and start packing.

Not a bad view from my bathroom.  

I’ve also been meaning to go through the interactive video wall in the Basecamp.

It's a pretty impressive way to research each stop.

[twangster]

Time for our beach break.  After such a hectic go, go, go week it was nice to have a slower day to recuperate.  This brings us to our second last zodiac ride.

 

 

 

 

And then we arrived to a gorgeous beach with fine white sand.

Wet landing of course.

Nikolai calls the wildlife on the radio and tells then to start doing their thing.

The beach time was open for us to do whatever we wanted.  We could swim or lay in the sun.  They only asked that we lay on beach towels and not directly on the sand.

Sea Lions doing Sea Lions things.

This Sea Lion was rolling in the waves as they broke near the edge of the beach.  Most were resting.

It was pretty cool sharing a beach with these Sea Lions.  We didn't bother them and they didn't bother us.

[twangster]

Crabs everywhere who stayed near their holes burrowed in the sand.  Any time one of use got near they all disappeared back into their holes.

[twangster]

More species from the Origin arrive.

[twangster]

 

[twangster]

Blue Footed Boobies were fishing.  It’s hard to catch a small object hundreds of meters away going 100 km/h diving unpredictably into the water to catch a fish but here a few lame attempts.

[twangster]

A week ago I would have said... "Look a bird!"

Now it's "There is an American Oystercatcher".

What a glorious afternoon. 

[twangster]

Back to the ship.  Sigh.  

[twangster]

After a shower and the Gin and Tonic delivered by my butler Danny I ventured top side to find us underway slowly heading back to the harbor where we would disembark in the morning.

The Celebrity Flora joined us for a sunset sail past Kicker Rock.

[twangster]

This never gets old.

Pre-dinner cocktails and in place of a lecture on our last night it was Galapagos Trivia.

We were asked to come up with creative names for trivia teams.  The winner was team “I love Boobies and I can not lie”. 

With my luggage out in the hallway before the 11pm deadline I had some time to enjoy the ship one last night. 

Several people were up on the star gazing deck enjoying a sky full of stars.  Once they left to put their luggage out I walked the ship and discovered some crew heading to shore.  Many of them are local and have family here.  Hopefully some managed to get home briefly between cruises. 

After they left some Sea Lions were fishing using the underwater lights of the ship to attract fish.  Flora joined us again.

[twangster]

Day 8 - We Start Our Return Home

Breakfast buffet from 6am to 7am then we were asked to meet in the Explorers Lounge and be out of our cabins so they could start the cleaning and sanitization process.  It looks like we have a new zodiac captain.

[twangster]

At 7:30am the Blue team was the first to debark the ship for the last time.

 A final wave to our amazing zodiac drivers.

With that it was our last zodiac ride to the harbor of San Cristobal.  

[twangster]

Of course there were Sea Lions doing Sea Lion things.

The 5 minute bus ride to the airport.

[twangster]

At the airport we were reunited with our luggage that was waiting for us.  LATAM once again requires that each passenger check in with their own luggage.

There are a couple of small gift shops before security.

Once they opened security there is a small deli shop and the Magna Lounge for those with Priority Pass access or $35 per person.

Soon enough our aircraft arrived and deplaned the incoming passengers.  Then it was our turn to board.

The picture I took seven days ago versus the picture of our flight today.  

Besides the row I was seated in what else has changed? 

In the first picture we were mostly strangers.  Now?  We are mostly on a first name basis with so many new friends.  

We all shared a special trip aboard a magnificent vessel with an awesome crew.

Seventy nine of us all united with an experience that will live in our memories for a lifetime. 

What a trip.   

 

[twangster]

The flight back to the mainland was uneventful and we were soon descending into Guayaquil.

The arrival back to Guayaquil was very easy.  No customs since we were considered a domestic flight.  A brief wait for luggage and then into the terminal where Silversea was waiting for us. 

Corina who was my guide for a Guayaquil tour on the Cable Cars a week ago was there to queue us together before we boarded busses back to the Hotel Ore Verde.

The Hotel stay was included in my package.  Meals were not.  We are back in the world of having to find our own sustenance.  

Some passengers stayed on the plane in Guayaquil for a quick connection to Quito, some guests had evening flights and some guests had next day flights home from Guayaquil. 

For Guayaquil hotel guests shuttles were arranged for approximately three hours before your flight time.  With an 8:17am flight on Sunday morning I was asked to be down in the lobby with my luggage at 5am.  

It was all very easy.

[twangster]

After a stop at the airport gift shop it was a meal in the hotel restaurant and a few bar drinks then to my room to post a few pictures here before going to bed for a 4am wake up call.

A shuttle bus just for me was waiting at 5am.  A Silversea representative accompanied me, wheeling my luggage right to the Copa Airlines check in counter and he escorted me to the entrance for the terminal security area.  From here I was on my own.  Immigration took my passport and boarding pass for a rubber stamp followed by the x-ray machine and metal detector.  Laptops out but shoes stayed on. 

By 5:25am I was airside in the terminal.  Pretty easy process.  I saw the last of an American Airline flight to Miami boarding but the airport was pretty empty with few international flights at this hour.  There were gift ships, duty free and a couple restaurants open where I grabbed a bagel with egg sandwich for $9 USD including a coffee.  

The whole process of international flights, the two night pre-cruise stay, the charter flight to the Galapagos and the post cruise events in reverse may seem confusing or daunting but it was all pretty simple.  Even a Blue Footed Booby or an ornery male Sea Lion could do it.  

[twangster]

Here are the daily Chronicles in PDF format specific to this cruise.

Day 1 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

Day 2 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

Day 3 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

Day 4 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

Day 5 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

Day 6 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

Day 7 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

Day 8 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

[twangster]

Cruise Summary

This has been hands down one of the best cruises I have experienced.  It was so worth it.  When can I come back?  I want to do the Southern Galapagos itinerary next time.

It’s hard to put into words just how incredible this experience has been.  

The Galápagos Islands have been on my bucket list for some time.  What a phenomenal way to get there.  I realize now there are mistakes I have made.  The first is that I waited too long to visit the Galápagos Islands.  The second is that I didn’t book a back to back cruise to see even more.    

There were so many nights I put my head on the pillow thinking about the amazing experience I had earlier that day.  Can it get any better I thought?  And then it did the very next day.    

Silversea made it all very easy.

As far as food goes we are all unique with our preferences and tastes.   I try not to comment on food because my tastes are different than everyone else.  What I crave or dislike shouldn't matter to anyone.   Having said that I ended up eating more fish than I normally do and I found myself liking it more than I normally do.  I enjoyed the wines offered each night.

Leaving the ship for the last time yesterday was a little emotional.  Over a lot of non-expedition cruising on a variety of cruise lines I have never felt that before.  I'm really going to miss the Silver Origin and the phenomenal team that made this trip something I'll never forget.

I haven’t seen many threads about the Galápagos Islands as a destination so I hope you have found this helpful and I thank you for viewing.  

[FionaMG]

It's been amazing following along with you. Thanks a million for sharing. I can't wait for the next one.

[Xaa]

Incredible @twangster.  You are the pinnacle rock of this forum.  Thanks for the time and vast amount of effort it took to bring us along with you.  I'm very grateful.

[FireFishII]

If you don't mind, I have a few questions:

1) Is there a time of the year that is better to visit the Galapagos Island?  

2) I noticed that some rooms have verandas while others have horizontal balconies. What is the difference between a veranda and a horizontal balcony? 

3) Was the door-to-door package worth the extra money?

4) Did they seem to have enough equipment that everyone could do what they wanted to do (i.e. Kayaks or snorkeling gear)?

5) If SilverSea could do 1 thing better, what would that be? 

 

Many thanks for taking us along.  It is now on my bucket list.  Just trying to figure out when to go.

[Ampurp85]

Thanks for taking us along. Your review really helps me think about my own bucket list cruise. I am looking at a SilverSea cruise that does Shanghai to Australia and it is not bad at $14k per person all in. 

[Curt From Canada]

It's time to play the "Blame @twangster Game":

Galapagos has been booked for NOV 2025.  I told my soulmate that is was all @twangster's fault and she agreed.  I cheated (a lot) by showing her all his pictures first.

There was very little coaxing required.

Everyone feel free to use this not-yet-patented process.

 

Curt from Canada

[FionaMG]

5 minutes ago, Curt From Canada said:

It's time to play the "Blame @twangster Game":

Galapagos has been booked for NOV 2025.  I told my soulmate that is was all @twangster's fault and she agreed.  I cheated (a lot) by showing her all his pictures first.

There was very little coaxing required.

Everyone feel free to use this not-yet-patented process.

 

Curt from Canada

Now you will also have to do a live report with lots of pics...

[Curt From Canada]

1 hour ago, FionaMG said:

Now you will also have to do a live report with lots of pics...

Be careful what you ask for ... because there will be lots of pictures of gears, engine rooms and bridges and no pictures of wildlife, scenery or cultural activities.

Curt from Canada

Professional Engineer and extremely poor photographer.

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

I think that anyone who does this type of Galápagos cruise should get some graduate level course credits from SOMEwhere.  I was exhausted just reading @twangster’s accounts.  This seems more like research than leisure cruising.  I guess anyone that does this kind of cruise understands that, going in.

[FionaMG]

18 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I think that anyone who does this type of Galápagos cruise should get some graduate level course credits from SOMEwhere.  I was exhausted just reading @twangster’s accounts.  This seems more like research than leisure cruising.  I guess anyone that does this kind of cruise understands that, going in.

I may be mistaken, as I've never done a solo cruise, but I kind of get the feeling that when you're cruising solo it's probably more of a pleasure than a chore to share your cruise on a live report partly because your time is all your own to do with as you please.

I have done a couple of live reviews but I've found it's very hard trying to keep up while you're cruising in the company of others. Finding an opportunity to post the day's report isn't always easy when someone else in your party wants to do this, that or the other and it makes you feel a bit anti-social to be focusing on your device instead of the people you're with. Usually I would limit my posting to the time when DH was making his nightly contribution to the slot machines.

For me, it's been generally more pleasurable to write a post-cruise review as that also gives me the chance to go through my pics and sort them out, but I think if I were sailing solo I would really enjoy doing a proper live review.

[Ampurp85]

2 hours ago, FionaMG said:

I may be mistaken, as I've never done a solo cruise, but I kind of get the feeling that when you're cruising solo it's probably more of a pleasure than a chore to share your cruise on a live report partly because your time is all your own to do with as you please.

I have done a couple of live reviews but I've found it's very hard trying to keep up while you're cruising in the company of others. Finding an opportunity to post the day's report isn't always easy when someone else in your party wants to do this, that or the other and it makes you feel a bit anti-social to be focusing on your device instead of the people you're with. Usually I would limit my posting to the time when DH was making his nightly contribution to the slot machines.

For me, it's been generally more pleasurable to write a post-cruise review as that also gives me the chance to go through my pics and sort them out, but I think if I were sailing solo I would really enjoy doing a proper live review.

I get the feeling @WAAAYTOOO was referring to all the excursions and not so much the blog 

[twangster]

On 9/25/2023 at 5:30 PM, Ampurp85 said:

Thanks for taking us along. Your review really helps me think about my own bucket list cruise. I am looking at a SilverSea cruise that does Shanghai to Australia and it is not bad at $14k per person all in. 

When you consider what Silversea includes their pricing isn't that bad.  

I'm looking at some non-expedition cruises on the as well as some more expedition type trips.

[twangster]

13 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I think that anyone who does this type of Galápagos cruise should get some graduate level course credits from SOMEwhere.  I was exhausted just reading @twangster’s accounts.  This seems more like research than leisure cruising.  I guess anyone that does this kind of cruise understands that, going in.

Yeah this isn't a cruise where the emphasis is laying on a lounger working on a suntan.  

Many of us felt a FOMO when it came to the excursions.   "If I go paddle boarding what will I miss on the zodiac tour?"  or "I'm exhausted but if I sit this one out and everyone comes back raving about seeing something I'll be mad at myself so I better go".  

 

[twangster]

13 hours ago, Curt From Canada said:

Be careful what you ask for ... because there will be lots of pictures of gears, engine rooms and bridges and no pictures of wildlife, scenery or cultural activities.

Curt from Canada

Professional Engineer and extremely poor photographer.

 

I've been trading texts with some of my fellow travelers and now friends.  We all agree it was a pretty special trip. 

It's going to stand out as one of my top cruises for a long time, very hard to beat.  

I'd like to go back to see some different islands.