The ship was the smallest we have ever used for a cruise. We couldn't help but wonder how well the small ship could meet our needs. The ship was awesome, with almost a one to one crew to passenger ratio. The cabins were a nice size, and the layout was functional. The ship was very clean and offered all the amenities we wanted. Perhaps the most surprising and impressive factor was the quality and variety of food. Every dinner had a selection of five quality entrees.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The quality and variety of food exceeded our expectations. We were greatly surprised that a ship with only 80-90 passengers could offer such a wide variety. The ambiance was very good. The windows in the dining room were a little high, so that the guests are unable to look out the windows while seated. For those who tend to get motion sick, this is probably a good thing, but for others it would have been nice to look out the windows. Cleanliness was obvious. There was a staff member greeting each passenger with a container of hand sanitizer as we entered the dining room. Breakfasts and lunches were all served buffet style, with dinners that were served by the wait staff. My only negative with the buffets was that the hot food could have been hotter. This is usually a pet peeve with me wherever I go. Other than that, the variety was outstanding, and containers were promptly filled should one be empty. For dinner, the waiters couldn't have been better.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
If you expect big ship variety of entertainment in this little ship, you will be disappointed. There is some type of activity or entertainment in the lounge every night, and it was very satisfactory.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The ship has an all Ecuadorian crew. There are a few who speak little or no English, but they typically have little passenger contact. Even so, we did manage to communicate with them on a couple of occasions. The vast majority of the crew do speak English, and it is easy to communicate with them. It is obvious that they want to please the guests. On several occasions I ordered two entrees at dinner and also asked them to modify certain menu items, and it was done in a highly satisfactory manner. I thought the ship's oficers were a little aloof, but the enthusiasm of the crew made up for this with their friendliness.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Xpedition is the largest ship in the Galapagos. It is absolutely a first class experience. Everything we could have reasonably expected was there. The layout of both the cabin and the ship itself indicated that a lot of time went in to designing the ship. The ship was immaculate.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The stateroom was perfect. It was the right size, and the attendant must have been in the cabin several times a day. It seemed that every time we returned to the cabin, she had straightened it up again. The location was great. We were on the lowest passenger deck, in the middle of the ship, which was perfect for the one person in the cabin who tends to get motion sick. It was located only two cabins away from the dining room. We had been concerned about the possibly of noise from the dining room entering our cabin, but that did not happen. We had also wondered about noise from the lounge on the deck above, but that didn't happen either. At night, it was absolutely quiet. Wonderful sleeping conditions.
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1 Comment
glomarrone 9 years ago
How wonderful it is when a cruise exceeds our expectations. Sounds like your cruise was wonderful.