Galapagos Cruises 2024 & 2025

Accommodations Review

Beautiful vessel, comfortable cabins, and a top deck that was the best outdoor gathering place we've ever experienced. Even the area where we off-boarded and on-boarded the pangas was designed for smooth access to equipment and for entry and exit.

Meals Review

Especially liked the breakfast and lunch being served as a buffet. Lots of options and opportunity to try new dishes.

Itinerary Review

Our whole family, especially the adults, weighs in on destinations for family trips. Our previous trip, a luxury African safari, set the bar high. Galapagos was an easy decision.[We most enjoyed]...snorkeling with the sea turtles, sea lions and fish probably took first place for everyone. Each animal, especially the first sightings of everything was always awesome, and our naturalists had so much information to enhance each encounter. On board the Theory the teenagers gave the hot tub high marks.

Traveler Advice

GO! This is a trip I would recommend with children/youth old enough to absorb the unique environment, and ecological learning of a truly one-of-a kind place.

Crew & Guides Review

Superlative, since excellent doesn't describe Gustavo and Jose Luis. Gustavo was the "fun dad" for our teenagers, creating special moments, photos and experiences (liking jumping off the top deck of the ship!) We had a 16 yr old grandson who had a fear of open waters and had never snorkeled--our guides successfully took on the challenge, and he snorkeled twice! Both Gustavo and Jose Luis were the most knowledgeable guides we've experienced.

Fellow Passengers Review

Delightful. Our cruise consisted of our party of 11 and a four-person family that was a perfect match. They had two teenagers whose ages fit right in with ours, and soon our families were blended. I think all parties would agree that our trip was enhanced for the adults and teens by the presence of our travel partners.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Well done! With special thanks and commendations to Andrew for all his help in shaping a perfect trip for our family. He was exceptional. We have had a very long experience together, with a delayed trip tangentially related to COVID that he helped us through, and he was with us start to finish. He has probably logged more than 50 email queries from me over planning this cruise (and adding an Amazon extension) and unfailingly responded often within the day, and always within 24 hours. Great advice about which company to book for the Amazon portion, and even provided counsel about logistics of our pre-cruise time in Quito.

Accommodations Review

We really liked the Beluga! It had a good mix of outdoor spaces both covered (for shade) and uncovered (to see the stars at night), and was kept very clean. We also liked our cabins 4 and 5 a lot - they seemed to be the most stable and conducive to sleep due to their location in the vessel and the orientation of the beds.

Itinerary Review

We had our hearts set on seeing the Waved Albatross on Española Island during our original dates in December/January, but were advised that we should consider postponing the trip because the likelihood wasn't that great. I really appreciated this advice vs. pushing other itineraries. In the end we did postpone until June, and so we got to see many Waved Albatross on Española! I found the free time in the two port towns Puerto Ayora and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno the least interesting, but we only had ~1.5 hrs in each town so it wasn't too much time.

Meals Review

All meals were great! Delicious, balanced, and varied. We were SO very impressed by the meals that Luis the chef could turn out in the small kitchen. The only small improvement I could think of was having the delicious fresh fruit juice even more often!

Crew & Guides Review

Karla was very knowledgeable , and also expert in administering first aid!

Fellow Passengers Review

It was a good, diverse group of families including younger children, and older couples.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

I appreciated Lauren's patience and advice throughout the very long process to select the perfect itinerary and timing.

Accommodations Review

The Infinity was a smaller yacht with only 20 passengers. Great rooms with balcony, great food and crew.

Meals Review

Breakfast and lunch were buffet so there was something for everyone. Dinner was served. There was a wide variety of fish, beef, chicken, salads. Most of the food had an Ecuadorian flair but there were also pasta dishes and always great desserts.  We never went hungry.

Crew & Guides Review

The guides were extremely knowledgeable and you could tell they enjoyed what they were doing. They were like a good friend telling us about something they loved. So much fun too!

Itinerary Review

All of the excursions were all fantastic, so many different land and water animals. A one of a lifetime trip.

Transportation Review

From start to finish we were picked up and taken everywhere we needed to be. Guided every step of the way. Made our trip easy.

Fellow Passengers Review

The trip was made extra special because of the great group of passengers that were on the tour. Having a small group made it easy to get to know everyone!  We were lucky.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Arielle provided excellent service. I highly recommend booking through AdventureSmith.

Traveler Advice

Be prepared for rough seas and possible sea sickness.

Accommodations Review

Our room on Natural Paradise was much more spacious than I anticipated with a nice balcony for watching sunrise/sunsets. Nice too to have the option of drying wet clothing outside.

Meals Review

Unbelievable options for food every night, and always a meal unlike a previous one. I was surprised that there were always healthy options. The chef was most accommodating to anyone with food restrictions. I had wine with every meal. Our bartender, Jorge, was great. Snacks in between outings were also wonderful.

Itinerary Review

Espańola was my favorite of the islands that we visited, as was my expectation leading up to the cruise. We were there in the wrong season to see the waved albatross, but still, it was a fascinating place. Easy hiking, mostly flat, and abundant wildlife. We saw nesting Nazca boobies with chicks, many sea lions, Christmas marine iguanas, spectacular vistas of bird covered cliffs, tropic birds in flight, amazing schools of fish, sea turtles, and occasional shark when snorkeling in the warm February sea, no wet suit necessary.

Least interesting to me were the two inhabited towns that we visited, Puero Villamil on Isabela, and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal, although, even these were pretty cool island towns. Great group of travelers on our cruise. Friendly bunch, many laughs, and good company on a small boat cruise.

Crew & Guides Review

Wow, our naturalist guide on board (Marcus) was so nice, and he provided great detail on what to expect on our excursions. His knowledge of the animals and plants was amazing. He was easy to talk to and enthusiastically answered any questions from the guests. The crew of the Natural Paradise were so very helpful and extremely friendly. I was so impressed that our cruise director, Jorge, was fluent in Chinese. Fantastic guide and great group of fellow travelers.

Transportation Review

Our internal transport from mainland Ecuador to the Galápagos Islands was smooth and nothing unexpected happened. We had been well informed as to making connections with guides and when to be where and ready.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

We felt very reassured that we were going to have a great trip and thanks to Lauren, we were confident that we were adequately prepared for this adventure.

Traveler Advice

Relax, this is a very comfortable cruise and you will be so glad that you did it.

Accommodations Review

Cabin was very comfortable, ship had everything we needed.

Meals Review

The food was incredible. Some of the best soups I've had in my life. The change I'd recommend is instead of having dessert directly after lunch, to serve it at 3pm as a mid afternoon snack. The dessert was too enticing to pass up and having it after delicious food made for a very full belly.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Aaron was very helpful, providing not only specific and high level information but also addressed all my questions and put me at ease (which he can tell you is not an easy job, as I am a worrier). He helped me understand logistics and pros/cons of various situations.

Crew & Guides Review

Carlos, the expedition leader, was organized and helpful in making decisions about which excursions to take. He helped make things funny and memorable where possible. The suggestion I have for him would be that he can be a bit long winded. I process better with brief oral instructions and information followed-up in writing. There was always written information but I'd prefer a shorter speech, or not to tie critical information in with non-critical so I could leave early if I needed to go rest. Sebastian was phenomenal. I couldn't imagine better care or being treated more like family. Throughout the trip, I felt like Sebastian was taking care of just my family. It wasn't until the last day that I realized many families felt that way. Sebastian changed the feel of the trip from a vacation with strangers to vacationing with extended family, all of whom cared for us and our well being. In every moment I felt safe, cared for, and that anything I could need was not only met but anticipated in advance. The Zodiac crew - drivers and boat loaders - were extremely helpful. Passengers had varying physical abilities and they made everyone feel cared for and that it was a pleasure to help them enjoy themselves rather than a burden to adjust and accommodate. The wait staff was warm, friendly, knew us by name.

Accommodations Review

Seaman Journey was exquisite. Great food. Great staff. Great guides. Tried to recommend to someone else already. All other hotels were above expectations.

Meals Review

I think on meals, a little more explanation would be helpful. Included hotel meals were a nice surprise as I didn't realize as many were included as they were. 

Crew & Guides Review

Guide Andres on Seaman was funny, a unique individual with great knowledge. He was excellent.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Excellent management of all travel plans. Taylor was great. Setting up this trip was simple and easy and she was helpful with any and all my questions.

Traveler Advice

Don't trust weather websites on the weather in the Galapagos. It is entirely island dependent and we overpacked warm clothes a bit.