Galapagos Cruise Reviews

We have been on many cruises and this is the best one yet! Celebrity went out of their way to be assured that everything went smoothly, including helping with flights at the airport when weather caused delays. This is a cruise of a lifetime with lots of activities to learn about the wildlife and the islands. There are 2 activities in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Kayak, snorkel, hike, boat trip around the island are some examples. You pick whichever you want. Everything is planned out and you just have to show up. We were sad that it was over!

Totally worth it! Smaller number of people made it even better!

It lives up to the hype. Mom and I went on this bucket-list trip and are we ever glad we splurged to take it on the Flora. The remoteness of the islands and the magical innocence of the animals - who have no fear of humans, thanks to the consistent and rigorous restrictions on visitors - make for a fantastic week of "Wow" moments. Great to have such camaraderie with the other passengers, since we share such a common interest.

Really enjoyed it. The crew was awesome. Food excellent.

Our Galapogos adventure was beyond expectations. Stay curious and open to the beautiful surroundings - which are like none other on this planet! Challenging to put into words what you will see & do. Our delightful naturalists demonstrated an absolute love of their heritage, their lovely country, and, of course, their marvelous national park: The Galapogos Islands. We will never be the same. Spiritually graces you. Blessings!

I love the Galapagos but wish I had more time on the islands themselves. The tenders are great as are the naturalists that escort us.

Our expectations were surpassed! The beauty and wonder of the Galapagos were extraordinary. The amount of flora and fauna we saw was mind-blowing, and the way we experienced them was incredible. Our time onboard the Celebrity Flora was phenomenal: friendly and knowledgeable naturalists, varied excursion options, luxurious cabins, delicious food, a beautiful ship, and stellar service throughout. It was one of the best trips our family has taken!

An action packed go-go -go experience for nature lovers. The small ship gives opportunities for different kinds of interactions with others on the trip as well as the staff. The Nature staff was outstanding and the Zodiac drives had super skills. All in all a wonderful experience.

This was unlike any cruise we were on. It was amazing to be so in touch with nature. Beautiful landscapes, animals, mammals, fish, etc.

We are experienced travelers and can say that this was the most amazing trip that we have ever taken. The only negative is that it was a very expensive trip.

This cruise delivered an unforgettable experience. We saw so many unique and wonderful animals in these unspoiled islands. And we did it in comfort

We have been on 2 CelebrityX cruises in the Galapagos. Flora is a great ship. For sure, get a balcony cabin. As far as Inner Loop vs. Outer Loop, that is a tough question. Each has some outstanding stops, and each has some less outstanding stops, with fewer animals. I’d like to do a 14 day cruise on Flora and do BOTH. For me, the snorkeling excursions were the highlights.

This was the most fabulous trip we have ever taken! Every day was another amazing experience. We got to know most of the people on board because the number of passengers is so much smaller than most other cruises. This created a lot of fun and laughter. We would recommend doing the package deal to include Quito, Ecuador before and after the cruise. This was a first-class trip from start to finish. We couldn't recommend it more highly.

A cruise not to be missed. Everything was an awesome experience and adventure. A smaller ship, but well maintained. The staff and crew were all amazing......from top to bottom and bottom to top. You will see and experience things like no other place on earth. I'm ready to do it all again!!

Overall excellent experience. Wish we had more vegetarian options.

Except for Celebrity hiding that the ship was not in service and cancelling cruises week by week with two days notice , we were lucky and on the first actual sailing which was a Wonderful experience.

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. The navigation map (TV) never shows the current position of the Flora. It does show the intended stops at the various islands, but there is no real-time position display (like airlines show, or Google Maps). Also disappointing is that the navigation map doesn’t even show the names of some of the smaller islands that the Flora is visiting. These are actual excursion stops, but the island name is not displayed. The navigation display really needs to be updated. It is also the same display that is shown in the Discovery Lounge, so after a week of the same thing over and over, it gets to be pretty repetitive. 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.

Best cruise yet based on level of service and destination. If the food was better it would have been THE perfect vacation!! Other disappointment was fellow cruisers sharing what they paid and we felt Celebrity treated us unfairly when we booked a year in advance...makes us not trust the marketing and will only travel with Celebrity last minute. If a credit was offered for the difference that might change how we feel about Celebrity.

The staff went out of their way to make you feel welcome and at home

This is a great cruise with great people who care about what they do every day. I highly recommend this cruise to anyone think about cruising the Galapagos.