Hi,

I know Celebrities Xpedition ship does cruises to the Galapagos and found Santa Cruz and http://www.expeditiontrips.com/ in the other forums. Are there other options?

Does anybody know if booking upfront is better (cheaper/better service) than booking a local trip?

Thanks!

Travelzoo has been posting some great Galapagos deals lately. Try there perhaps!

My wife and I were on Xpedition in August....

Great little ship, crew, guides, food, etc.

From the pickup at the Quito airport, to the tours of Quito, the JW Marrriott, and the restaurants (all meals included) to LAN Airways, everything was included in the pricing - no waiters & maids looking for tips, drinks, wines, sodas, et al, all included in the up-front pricing, e.g. - everything was outstanding. Likewise for the return process.

LAN had a mechanical delay for the Quito-Miami return leg, so they put us up for the day at LAN's expense at the Swissotel Quito. And the hotel kept giving us updates, plus breakfast & lunch, throughout the day. All transfers were covered by the carrier.

There was one passenger who was unanimously voted (by both the crew and the passengers!) "Most Likely to Be Lost at Sea," but that wasn't Celebrity's fault. If Celebrity could have put this person adrift in a dinghy, everyone would've cheered. But in the Galapagos, unlike say the Baltic, there's only one place to fly into/out of and you're only there on day one & day last.

The trip ain't cheap, but I can't imagine anyone giving better service.

The only complaint was about late-arriving paperwork. Some items didn't arrive for some cruisers til the week of the cruise. That ailment seemed to hit first-time Celebrity cruisers as well as very experienced Celebrity veterans. But other than that, it's a wonderful experience.

For a summary of ships by type, with some special deals: http://www.discovergalapagos.com/int...go.html#cruise

A lot of people who wait until they get to Ecuador to try to get a deal on a cruise seem to end up wasting a lot of time, without accomplishing much.

I also did Xpedition earlier this year and recommend it without any reservations. I don't know that it can be topped - especially if you like some pampering with your nature.