Hello all,

Looking to finally do South America next year and Galapagos is on our bucket list
I've seen a couple of posts for cruises and tours but quite old, and hoping to get some insight into how these work

For example, I have found this website which lists most of the cruises - https://www.liveaboard.com/search/galapagos/may/2024
But cruises such as Alya have their own website which details the cruise but doesn't let you book - https://alyaonboard.com/

Question: Do I have to go through a third party booking or travel agency to access these cruises?
Question 2: Does anyone have any recommendations for reputable agencies if so? I saw a recommendation for https://www.vayaadventures.com/ but they have longer tours
Question 3: There is a newish boat: https://www.galapagosislands.com/cruises/yacht/angel - Do people think it would be safe to book a newer boat?
Question 4: All of these agencies offer flights return to GYE or UIO for 500USD - a quick google flight search shows these as 300 USD maximum - why would one buy flights with the agency? Are there special benefits to doing so?
Question 5: There doesn't seem to be any reason to stay in Guayaquil, but we need to go back to Santiago, can anyone recommend what to do on the last day. Flying to UIO seems counterproductive if we go GPS-GYE-UIO, then UIO-GYE-SCL....

Thank you so much!!