Aqua Galapagos Kreuzfahrt

Best Cruise On The Best Yacht

Die Astrea-Yacht hat die höchstmögliche Bewertung verdient. Wir verlebten im Rahmen der Naturalist Cruise eine wunderbare Woche, wurden von einer tollen, sympathischen Crew rund um die Uhr hervorragend versorgt (besonders vom Koch, der eine super Arbeit geleistet hat). Unser Guide war Jimmy, der einen tollen Humor hat und alles über die Insel wusste und unserer Gruppe dieses Wissen in angenehmer Weise vermittelt hat.
Täglich sind wir 1-2 an verschiedenen Stellen an Land gegangen sowie außerdem 1-2 täglich schnorcheln gewesen. Jede der Inseln ist eine Welt für sich und sehr sehenswert. Man begegnet Eidechsen, Leguanen, Vögeln, Seelöwen und anderen Tieren hautnah und kan beim schnorcheln Schildkröten, Rochen und auch Haien begegnen.
Das Schiff an sich ist ebenfalls super, die Kabinen sind klein, aber fein, jede verfügt über ein eigenes Bad. Es gibt ausreichend Sitzmöglichkeiten im Freien (überdacht und nicht überdacht), neben dem Speisesaal gibt es eine kleine Lounge mit Fernseher und Büchern. Es sind maximal 16 Passagiere an Bord, sodass es keineswegs überlaufen ist und man ausreichend Möglichkeiten hat, sich der fantastischen Natur zu widmen. Wir würden diese Reise jederzeit wiedermachen, es gibt keinen vergleichbaren Ort auf der Erde und die Astrea Yacht hat uns dieses Erlebnis besonders versüßt.

Stef H. - Berlin, Germany, 16th June 2017

Astrea Yacht Offered Us An Amazing Cruise Experience

We booked the Astrea last-minute May 2017 while in Puerto Ayora for a six-day cruise. Due to the sudden breakdown of another boat originally booked by a group of 12 friends, the Astrea was picked as replacement. Since the Astrea hosts 16 beds, four spots were idle that my friends and I conveniently filled last-minute. Due to this replacement, our itinerary (not a diving one) and crew at that time are not really representative for the Astrea. That is why I will only be commenting on the boat itself, as that will be the only known variable in the Astrea equation. Note, however, that the (special) itinerary and (temporary?) crew/guide were outstanding and we would love to have them back.

Overall, I must say we are pretty happy with the Astrea cruise. The boat really delivered to its mid-range status.

The 8 cabins are small, but appear renovated and come with comfortable beds and own bathrooms (incl. hot water). Unlike some budget and other mid-range cruises, we did not pick up any fuel fumes in our cabins near the engine. However, the anchor is quite rusty and makes an insane amount of noise when let down for circa 5 minutes. The two nights we sailed, I understood almost everyone woke up to this. As one can expect from a boat normally geared towards diving, the snorkeling gear and other equipment was plentiful and relatively new. Don't expect luxurious sunbathing/chillout upper decks. The upper deck has a built-in bench in the front that can sit six people, whereas in the back there's two wide benches that can sit everyone. The food tasted decent, but was not always plentiful. Perhaps that is what you can expect from a mid-range boat, but after a day full of activities, I usually find myself extremely hungry and the three-course meals simply did not suffice. Lastly, the inside social area is limited to a lounge room with a c-shaped sofa next to the dining area. Not super cozy, but it does the trick.

To end, we believe the Astrea certainly is a decent mid-range option one should seriously consider. When picking a cruise, just keep in mind that "you get what you pay for" does not hold more true than in Galapagos. Cheaper is rarely better.

Michiel H. - Belgium, 2nd June 2017

5 Stars With Best Diving Ever

Overall I am now going to give 5 stars, I would have gave 3 but everything was sorted in the end by Dennis, his response time I found to be very good.The actual trip represented good value for money as I got an inclusive deal. The diving overall even with average visibility was out of this world. The guide Luis was good, the food was very nice and the crew made a lot of effort. ACTUAL DIVING : I can only say that Wolf and Darwin Island is the best diving I have ever experienced in the World for "Big Stuff" ..massive schools of Hammerhead Sharks, Galapados Sharks, more Turtles than you can shake a stick at :-) Playful Sea lions with unreserved energy and beautiful eyes dancing through the water. The best underwater experience with 8 or 9 Dolphins, we could hear them before they torpedoed through the water... and more and more life everywhere. Then the ultimate underwater arrival that literally landed on us at 30 m @ Darwin island was a giant female Whale shark ..the biggest fish in the sea... she gracefully said her hello and was gone within less than a minute, aqua gliding away with no chance of keeping up in the current and depth. Words cannot describe this week of diving and the connection to this raw beauty in this volcanic wonderland. This was worth all the $ and effort to get here. Put it on your bucket list and if you don’t dive, perhaps consider learning but make sure you get your experience up or maybe the Wolf might swallow you whole. I can say hand on heart, I will have to return some day.. it was that good

Treveire - Sydney, Australia, 6th March 2017