Celebrity Flora Galapagos Cruise

Worth EVERY Dollar

This cruise ship is a one of a kind. They take excellent care of everyone. We travelled the Galapagos Islands and loved every moment of our time there.
MUST HAVES IF YOU OPT TO TRAVEL ON THE FLORA:
Your own large sun screen. (You need LOTS of it)
Waterproof pocket holder for around your neck for your cellphone or room card. (This is handy for the zodiac tenders, kayaks and snorkeling)
Motrin, Tylenol or Dramamine. ( These you MUST go to the ship's doctor for and the visit is costly.)
Bring something semi-dressy (Even though it is a casual learning cruise people still dress up for special nights.)
A waterproof/underwater camera. (If you are amazed by what is on land you will be just as amazed with the ocean.)
Baseball caps are not too functional on this ship. Many people lost theirs within the first couple days. The winds are gusty and a sun hat that has a cord is the logical way to go even if you look like a complete tourist.
You are given a refillable bottle on this trip and every room has a faucet to refill. This cuts down on plastic usage which is fantastic.
Anything you need they bend over backwards to do.
Glamping is an add on to the cruise and you get a 5 course meal along with breakfast in your own private area. IT IS BEAUTIFUL TO SLEEP OUTDOORS ON A SHIP IN THE GALAPAGOS! You may bring 2 guests to dinner with you without an additional cost. They give you pajamas to keep and cookies and milk for bedtime.
Just a few photos attached for you get a taste of what this cruise has to offer. I don't want to spoil it for you! It is a life changing experience.

Source: shorturl.at/hlxJT

Peregrination_Lover , 11th March 2020

Wow - Beautiful Ship And Special Crew In A Wonderful Destination

Flora looks stunning and is probably one of the most luxurious ships in th Galapagos Islands. Most guests are here for one week but we did back-to-back weeks so we could do both Inner Loop and Outer Loop itineraries. Our experience started at Baltra airport with Celebrity staff shepherding us to the VIP area and then looked after the admin for us. We were then taken by local bus to the jetty. Here we picked up one of Flora's ribs for the transfer to the ship. This was the best rib we'd ever seen as it was purpose-built for Flora and had a landing craft style ramp with built-in steps and handrail. We were welcomed onboard Flora by the captain and his staff. Our first impression of our suite was "wow". The first afternoon is quite busy with safety drills, unpacking, issuing of snorkel gear and excursion briefings. The cruise is all-inclusive and everything is good quality. A typical day would start with your choice of excursion after breakfast which could include snorkelling, a beach walk, a long walk, a tender ride or even kayaking. You return in good time for lunch and then mid-afternoon you have another choice of excursion. You return to the ship in time to change for pre-dinner drinks in the bar/lounge. There is then an excursion briefing for the next day's destinations followed by a delicious 3 course dinner in the restaurant or on deck 7 underneath the stars. On some evenings the crew will have arranged post-dinner entertainment which is fun but don't expect Broadway shows as it is done by the crew of the ship. Each day feels different in terms of what you will see and do and in my experience was quite tiring in a good way.

Flora is a fantastic ship but what makes her special is the crew.

Hotel Director Paul - this is the first time in around 15 cruises that we have met the Hotel Director. In his welcoming speech he asked that if there were any issues no matter how small they may seem, we should let him know so that he could fix them. That is a great service-focused attitude and was prevalent throughout the ship. He is very personable and it always felt like he was interested in you and cared. If he saw you around the ship he would always stop and chat. At the end of the cruise he felt more like a friend than just an employee of the company. As back-to-back guests he ensured we were always looked after. He is a fantastic asset to the company and hilarious during Liar's Club.

Executive Chef Roger - it was great that he was passionate about his zero miles philosophy about using local suppliers and high quality produce wherever possible. As back-to-back guests we were unable to get off the ship at Baltra on our middle Sunday and Paul arranged with Roger for us to have a traditional British Sunday Lunch of roast beef and Yorkshire puddings. It was wonderful and we felt as if we were being treated like royalty by the crew.

Cruise Director Marvi - he was very welcoming and personable. When explaining the excursion options he had an excellent style and didn't overwhelm you with unnecessary information. He was very organised and didn't treat guests like a group of school children.

Waiter Andres - he was always happy. My husband is not a straight forward eater and he coped brilliantly with his requests and never made him feel awkward.

Waitress Zarella - it didn't take her long to get used to our lunch orders and she always brought us ice cream which was lovely on a hot day. She also ensured our favourite table was waiting for us on Deck 7 for lunch. Again, she was always happy.

Suite Attendant Virginia - it took us a couple of days to get used to where she was putting things but she was always attentive, friendly and efficient. One day she deferred her lunch so she could clean our room to fit around our schedule. This is above and beyond our expectations of any employee.

Bartender Javier - we loved his cocktail presentation so much so we did it twice. He has the most amazing memory for drinks orders especially when all the guests arrived at once.

Chief Engineer Paul - we were very interested in the technical aspects of Flora and Paul arranged a bespoke briefing for us which we really enjoyed. He is so proud of the ship.

Naturalist Martha - she stood out for us. Her delivery of information was always well-balanced and her timing of the excursions excellent which ensured you never felt either bored or rushed.

Captains Patricio and Vladimir - as back-to-back guests we were fortunate to experience both captains. Whilst they have both got different personalities and styles they were both very approachable and proud of their ship. We had two interesting bridge tours, one during the day and the other at night. Vladimir invited us to dine with him one evening. Paul arranged the very pleasant and unexpected experience as we'd never dined with a captain before. I believe standards and attitudes flow from the leadership team and these two should be very proud of their crew.

Overall the Galapagos Islands are amazing but what made this such a special holiday for us was MS Flora and her crew.

Source: shorturl.at/hlxJT

Anne S - Leeds, UK, 27th February 2020

Galapagos Experience

We just returned from the Galapagos and the Celebrity Flora. everything was a big hit,,,, the weather, the ship, the staff, and the excursions
small boat with big amenities
every member of the service team was extra special ... most are from Ecuador and the Galapagos which was a big plus
the lead team ( the captain and the hotel director ) showed us what it means to be a seriously focused management team . everyone treated us as if we were a member of their household ; the bartender knew my drink , the housekeeper knew how we liked to keep our clothes and shoes
they even offered to take care of a limited amount of laundry during our cruise

don't be deterred by the size of the ship; it was perfect for a place like the Galapagos

our trip was late January 2020 -- the weather was sunny every day with limited clouds and no rain ----- but early summer in the Galapagos is a good time for seeing animals, birds and fish

also, we got very used to not having a traditional balcony once our housekeeper showed us how the use the virtual balcony system

this is not a trip for young children and for people who are not moderately active --- too many opportunities to walk, hike ,snorkel and kayak.

Source: shorturl.at/hlxJT

RobertaA3506QD , 20th February 2020