Sea Star Galápagos Cruise

I cannot say enough to praise the amazing wildlife experience We visited Galapagos the first time in 2013 with my wife, we stayed at the Sol y Mar and did a hotel based program which was really nice, yet we felt we had missed out on the more remote islands like Fernandina and Isabela. The big issue was that we get seasick, yet we fell in love with the Islands and had to return. We contacted the same travel agent and they booked us on the Sea Star. This time we were joined by my son and his wife. We just got back, we did a 6 day cruise from March 2 - 7th visiting the Western side of Isabela, Fernandina and Santiago islands. We had a wonderful time, the planning from our agent was excellent, this time of year the ocean is a bit calmer so it was perhaps the only window we could have and enjoy the western side of Galapagos which is known to be choppier. Another plus of this time of the year was the warmer water for snorkeling, for us it is a big deal, we live in Florida and are spoilt for warm seas. I cannot say enough to praise the amazing wildlife experience, we got to spot everything from orcas to penguins. Swimming alongside both was exciting and really an unexpected adventure. Having our guide in the water with us while we had our surprise encounter with an orca was a small reassurance as well being close to the zodiac to climb out as a precaution. The amount of marine iguanas, sea lions, blue footed boobies was much larger than at visitor sites closer to Santa Cruz. We also enjoyed seeing the flightless cormorant and learning about its evolution process. The difference from staying at a hotel was large, the cruising experience allows for more time efficiency as we did not have to transfer across an island and then navigate back and forth to a visitor site. By cruising we experienced at least 5 hours per day of time exploring the premier wildlife locations of the island vs 5 to 6 hours transfering back and forth from the hotel and then 2 hours of exploring a location and having to cut it short in order to get back. The downside was that we did get seasick, yet in the end with the help of pills we overcame it, it was the price we paid in order to have the superior experience that is cruising around the islands. In regards to our yacht the Sea Star, it was very comfortable, well kept and met our expectations. Cabins were much larger than we expected on a boat. The captain was nice to hold back navigations until meals were finished and tried his best at anchoring inside calm bays to avoid movement, this was the advantage of being on a smaller yacht. The food was really good, we loved learning how to prepare ceviche Ecuador style and appreciated the good amount of food, at first we were worried it might be too gourmet, yet in the end the portions were large and having the buffet for lunch allowed for seconds. All in all I would recommend using the Sea Star, just note that it is also known as Domenica, at first we thought it was the wrong boat but once we walked around it matched the pictures and specifications. I hope this information helps, we had a memorable holiday. Review from: https://goo.gl/GEi7jE

5 STAR Vacation!! HI.. We just got back from a five day Galapogas tour on the Sea Star Journey yacht and it was 5 stars!!! The staff was wonderful, our guide was incredible and the accommodations and food were fabulous.. The yacht has 8 cabins so the experience is intimate and personalized. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we plan on returning next year for the 6 day voyage. Review from: https://goo.gl/DBbwxt

To my knowledge the best yacht in the Galapagos I had the pleasure of the 5 day / 4 night itinerary on the Sea Star Journey and it was incredible - 10/10 on all counts - service, food, excursions, knowledgeable guide. I cannot fault anything it was the experience of a lifetime. I am a travel consultant specialising in Latin America and this is the best 16 passenger luxury yacht in the Galapagos to my knowledge. Review from: https://goo.gl/DBbwxt

You won't regret it I just returned from this yacht last week. Believe me, it worth it! The yacht is in very good shape, it has great facilities on board. The cabins are like it is shown on the website, and very spacious. I was surprised by it. Also, it was very clean, and they always make very nice figures with the towels, and at night they make your bed, just to jump on the bed. The food was really nice. It has a great variety of dishes. Always two types of meat, and most of the time one was fish or seafood. I love it! I has the opportunity to kayaking in a single one, but they have enough kayaks for all the guests, I snorkeled and the equipment was good, and I hiked the hills. I did the itinerary C, which visited the Isabela Island, and has a lot of amazing landscapes. Hope you decide this boat, and you will see that you won´t regreat it. Review from: https://goo.gl/GEi7jE

Uma viagem para lembrar a vida toda! Esteve no Sea Star Journey nas Galapagos em janeiro de 2016 com a minha familia, me ofereceram como primeira classe mas quando a gente chegou o iate era muito mais luxuoso. A tripulacao foi mais que prestativa e a comida saborosa. Uma viagem para lembrar a vida toda!!!, agora tenho a certeza de que a nossa escolha de este barco foi a melhor eleicao. A unica coisa que esteve mal, foi nao ter ficado mais tempo :) Review from: https://goo.gl/DBbwxt

Can highly recommend I was on board in January, it is a great boat! Cabins are huge with panoramic windows. The crew is awesome. The food was really good. It has a great variety of dishes, so you have many options. Cruise director always make me feel welcome and always attentive to passenger’s needs. For me the best part of the trip was snorkeling many opportunities to do it, we saw sharks all the time, great experience!! It is worth it!!