Outer Loop: Galápagos 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

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

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

88 crew and 91 passengers -- hard to beat I am not a cruise traveler. But, I grudgingly admit this was a great trip. Seven days in the Galapagos Islands on a new, basically luxury ship. Most days, two outings a day by "Zodiak"-like shuttles. 1 naturalist per 10-12 passengers. Most or all of the naturalists were natives of the islands, and the job requires completion of a set of real natural history courses, so a curious passenger can learn a lot. The islands, of course, are renowned for their diverse and mainly indigenous wildlife. (The islands are largely not pretty -- often, the vistas on the newer islands are like moonscapes with a bit of shrub foliage here and there.) Snorkeling is well worth the effort; all the animals, particularly the ubiquitous sea lions, are either playful towards or indifferent to humans. The ship staff were to a one helpful and seemingly sincerely nice people. We were there over Christmas, so the crew members were also separated from their families, and that made for a sort of pseudo-family environment that was quite touching. Food is good and not fussy. This was not a budget trip, but one can leave home with $100 and easily return with $50 of it left. It is not a trip for folks who place much value on on-board entertainment or swimming pools but, there is stuff to do on board. Source: shorturl.at/hlxJT

Amazing once in a lifetime adventure This is a specialty cruise on a luxury ship. It is not your typical, laid back cruise. So don’t expect lots of glamour, glitz or specialty dining and entertainment. This is a once in a lifetime experience that really can only be enjoyed if you participate in the excursions. This was a wonderful and exceptional cruise. The Flora is an amazing ship. It is minimalistic in its design, making it very pleasurable and enjoyable. None of the Avant Garde and extreme designs that the newer ships like Edge have but really don’t add any functionality. The Flora is extremely functional in its design, and provides a very pleasing environment for the passengers. The rooms, being suites, are exceptional. Tremendous amount of room and storage. There are two negatives for the rooms. First, there are limited outlets, especially on one side of the bed (none). Bring a multi-socket adapter for charging your cameras and phones. Second, the glass between the bathroom and bedroom is mostly clear, with some minor opaqueness at the bottom. That means that if your suite mate turns on the bathroom light, it will illuminate the entire bedroom. It needs a night shade to prevent waking up the other occupant if the light is turned on (no way to turn on just dim lighting in the bathroom unless you turn on the entire set of bedroom lights first). OK, the pros and cons of the trip. The total experience is amazing. From arrival in Quito, Celebrity is there every step of the way to get you to the hotel, take you on local excursions, and then deliver you to the Galapagos. Totally amazing service. The excursions with the naturalists are exceptional. So much information is provided that it is almost overwhelming. Seeing the wildlife up close and personal is an experience you will never forget. The currents sometimes cloud the water up limiting visibility for snorkeling, but you still get to see some of the underwater life. Wet shoes are a must as several excursions had wet landings (slippery) or wet treks. If using hiking or tennis shoes, a second pair would help. The casual environment means not having to pack formal clothes or anything special. Since luggage is limited to 44 pounds, this certainly helps. We probably took over 1000 photographs and are still sorting them out, so make sure to have plenty of storage. Even the sunsets at night are spectacular. The food is good, but nothing spectacular. A variety of ceviche was common each night, and it was excellent. There is a huge variety of food at the lunch buffet, so even the person with dietary restrictions should find plenty of choices. Service in the evening is via menu, and the staff provides excellent recommendations, and not just pushing a dish. Choices are more limited than big cruise ships, but no one should leave hungry. There were some glitches on the Flora. Weather on the TV in the rooms is for Quito and not the islands. They need to show current conditions where the ship is, and not Quito because it will be 20 degrees cooler there, and the weather is completely different. The sound for the Celebrity presentations was intermittent the first couple of days on the TV (not the other channels, only the Celebrity videos for the Galapagos). Also, the vacuum suction for the toilets quit working a couple of times and the system had to be reset. The pool was closed at first, then opened, then closed again. Not a big deal (use the whirlpool), but it was somewhat surprising for a new ship to still have these problems after six months. One of the best features of the cruise is the staff. I think we saw the Captain every single day, intermingling with the passengers. Amazing! Every single staff member goes out of their way to make sure your needs are met. They get to know you and your requests by the end of the week. The personal touch makes the Celebrity Flora cruise so very special. Source: shorturl.at/hlxJT

Least expensive cabin on the ship was fantastic We were booked on the Celebrity Xpedition, at the last minute (actually 3 days before) Celebrity moved us to the brand new Flora, 100 Passengers, all suite ship, Everything was top notch, the room was clean, spacious, with a large balcony with roomy chairs, Bathroom was expansive , beautiful rain shower, double sinks, fresh water dispenser. Dining area was great, good food, excellent service. Some nights you had the option of dining on deck under the stars, that was a lot of fun. All bars were open with drinks included in the fare, in fact everything was included hotel before and after, flights to/from Galapagos, all shore excursions. Speaking of shore excursions, this was not a lay on the beach cruise. You hiked, climbed, walked, swam, snorkeled every day, Beautiful. The tender/landing craft were the best, easy to board, easy to get off even on a lava beach. You got up close to the animals and your naturist guide would explain everything you needed to know. Source: shorturl.at/hlxJT