Celebrity Xpedition Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Extremely well managed especially for the agressive schedule of daily tours.

This smaller ship and cruise itinerary provided a warm vacation experience... Enjoying not only the Galapagos Island nature/wildlife but the ship guests/staff were like on big happy family! (And this is from a couple that typically like wildlife/nature first...)

The ship is almost a private mega yacht, operated by the most highley trained, knowledgable and courtious staff at every level; one on one service throughout. The onboard nature guides are very professional, inteligent and pasionate about their careers which makes every island landing fun, exciting and truly amazing to be at one with nature and those wonderful creature on all of the Galapagos Islands, also the swin & snorkel tours are just amazing too.

Celebriity did an awesome job in all phases of this vacation!  The JW Marriott in Quito was a nice land base. Good restaurants, shops, and rooms. Nice Quito tour. The trip from Quito to Baltra was well organized and Celebrity' handled everything! We left our luggage at the hotel and it showed up in our room on the Xpedition! FYI no liquids allowed in luggage to the Gallapogos it all needs to be in your carry-ons! Bought a wide brined hat for $20 at the airport in Baltra! Best investment I made! Transition to the Xpedition was easy and rooms were ready when we arrived along with lunch. Lectures on board by the naturalists were informative along with videos and constant attention on excursions. The pace was creatively set up to accommodate all agendas with different opinions available every day.  They really want everyone to be able to do what they like. Groups are small and plenty of down time is available and you really do not have to participate in excursion if you don't want to go out.  Transport back to Quito and airport departure was well organized. Bring plenty of sun screen , water shoes of some kind, sun hat, a few sun protective shirts , and be prepared to have a really fun educational vacation! The ship was amazing and so much fun! 

Best Price Guarantee  -  Celebrity Cruises offers a “Best Price Guarantee” but pay attention to the fine print.  In my case, this was nothing but an empty gesture.  In December 2016, I booked a May 14 sailing.  I made the full payment in January as this was the due date.  In March, I noticed that they were advertising a cabin in the same category on the same cruise for $1,000 less.  When I called to ask about this “Best Price Guarantee”, I was told that I do not qualify for any refund or concessions because this was after the due date of final payment.  While I do understand the cruise line’s reluctance to part with money that they have pocketed, I thought they should have offered me some shipboard credit that I can use for laundry, gift shop purchases or, at least give the crew a generous tip if the services were good.  Again, read the fine print!

The crew and naturalists of the Xpedition were outstanding. We had a wonderful trip and they catered to our every need. They were always willing to go the extra for any of us. What a wonderful experience. Don't miss it!!

Finally getting to the Galapagos islands ended a long desire to see the unusual array of birds and animals that we had heard so much about.  We spent considerable time examining and evaluating various cruise options and based on a desire for some luxury as well as an experienced ship and crew we selected the Celebrity Xpedition, a cruise line that we had not used previously.  We also liked the inclusion of two days in Quito before and after the cruise.  From the very first excursion to an island we knew our desire to visit the Galapagos was correct and now fulfilled.  Every excursion brought new and wonderful sightings made all the more appreciated by the wonderful naturalists that accompanied us and provided amazing knowledge.

A major negative aspect of sailing on the Celebrity Xpedition that absolutely every conversation we had with fellow cruisers verified was the poor quality of the food.  Time and time again there were dishes that had little taste or suffered in other ways.  It became common practice to taste a dish, decide it was not worth eating, and then order another dish or try something else from the buffet table.  An enormous amount of food ended up as waste.  We found it fascinating that our waiter at the first dinner advised us to skip meat and chicken dishes because they were frozen and would not satisfy us.

There were no problems or surprises with our stateroom.  Though relatively small it was well designed and quite pleasant and satisfactory, with the odd feature that one person has to sleep adjacent to a wall and get into and out of bed in a strange way.

This ship rocks considerably, sometimes even when anchored.  A bridge tour provided an explanation.  The stabilizers are just too small and the ship is somewhat top-heavy because an upper deck was recently added to provide some suites.  The routine rock and rolling was far worse than previous cruises on Seabourn and Regent ships.

As we knew the ship was small with just under 100 possible passengers we did not expect a lot of things which we have enjoyed on previous cruises.  But we really appreciate the single musician that often played at cocktail times and in the evenings; he is quite a talent.  The simple "shows" offered by crew and some passengers were also pretty good.  The daily briefings on the next day's excursions by the naturalist cruise director were both informative and enjoyable.  A special treat was the bridge tour where we learned how much Celebrity does on this ship to protect the environment and provide safety to all on board.

Don't miss or stay away advice for excursions?  Everyone who goes on this type of Galapagos cruise should absolutely go on every excursion, because every one offered some unique nature watching experience.

The ship’s doctor was kept very busy, because at least 20 percent of the passengers became sick, some with digestive problems and others with upper respiratory issues, and still others had injuries because of some very difficult walking conditions on shore.

On the plus side, we were glad that we selected a Galapagos cruise that included days in Quito, because Ecuador is a unique and most beautiful country with some of the most gorgeous people on the planet.  But the disappointing food on the ship was a real negative.

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.

This was our 17th Celebrity cruise and 24th total cruise. This was the most unique, the most crew and voyager friendly, the most pampering of them all. Missed the Machu Picchu portion, however, that was an act of nature. Celebrity thinks of every detail, and as an Elite Captain's Club member out does other cruise lines, by a mile.

Well, I had a complete review written, but got timed out and deleted. Not gonna do it again. We liked the ship and the cruise, hated the inept booking process.

Great trip for young and old. 4 generations went and all had a good time from the snorkelling to the iguanas litterally at our feet. Spring break saw 12 pre teens on the ship and they all had fun together. Plenty of family groups and older couples. The guides were fantastic and offered 3 different levels of excursions in the am and pm. Crew was great and someone always there to help. EVERYTHING included in the price even the alcohol so NO bill at the end!! I would not take anyone younger the 10 due to the trips and walking and the smallness of the ship which does not offer any child care as it is an expedition not a cruise. Beware of staying in Quito as it is high and afew of us suffered altitude sickness. Celebrity coul not have improved this trip.

Great cruise. Please see YouTube video at https://youtu.be/9eGvAPFcef0?si=0bJPWx1QaHKSlOsz

Awesome. No complaints. Staff was wonderful and friendly. The ship was clean. Food was very good and a wide variety of choices

Adventure cruise for the active cruiser. This would be difficult but possible for someone with limitations. The crew and naturalists go above and beyond to give each person the best experience. We had two naturalists who were there 9 years ago! They are still passionate about what they do and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend this cruise. The price is steep but the service and “all included” is worth it!

It was my best cruise, because, it was so beautiful to see the animals on their environement and the islands and all the team of the cruise, give their best and we feel in the beginning of the world and the respect of the nature is an exemple for all the world. In the ship, leaves the naturalists , that are from Galapagos and explain all to us. We feel in an true expedition...

Not all ports were landings, some were ‘drive-bys’ (Zodiac trips). We had a great time on this cruise. It is not like the big ships but given the size of the boat, the crew did a great job of making this a great trip. Lots of close animal encounters. This is a very casual cruise so don’t over pack. Lots of snorkeling and beach landings. Zodiacs are the only way on and off of the boat so you have to be physically able for this cruise. Several of the shore excursions are very rigorous and not for folks that are not in shape. Having said that, I am 76 and did all of the hikes.

Great trip Lots of great geology flora and fauna. Structured all inclusive trip.

A most memorable journey!! It was well worth the wait for us and I urge perspective travelers to take this trip while still in good health. It is a physical trip that requires stamina.