Tips for choosing the best cruise to vacay on the Galapagos Islands
Do you want to have a nice vacay in the Galapagos Islands, and you do not know how to do it? Well, a cruise is the best option to enjoy your stay in the Galapagos Islands, because you can visit more islands in less time, and also you’ll have the opportunity to know more about the flora and fauna that Columbus Archipelago offers to you.
Maybe at the time you are looking for a cruise, you will wonder: how do I choose a cruise? What things should I keep in mind? Here you will find some small tips, which will help you with the decision to choose the best cruise to vacay on the Galapagos Islands.
1.- Availability of days to travel
Prior you select a cruise, you should analyze the amount of time you will be free to go on vacation, with the objective of choosing the range of cruise days that you want. Please take into account the time that you will need to transfer yourself to the place of destination.
2.- What do I want to observe and do?
When choosing the time of year to visit the Galapagos Islands, prioritize, decide what you would prefer to do and look, since not all animals are present at all times of the year, because this depends on the season and the weather condition that at that moment it is. Please for planning your trip take into account the following information, detailed month by month, about the flora and fauna of the Islands,
3.- Activities
Find out the type of activities that the cruise offers you. Most of the ships allow you to do snorkeling, hiking and activities guided by naturalist guides, but there are also those that only do diving activities. Prioritize the activity that you need to do.
4.- Choose the itinerary that suits best to your requirements
Due to the different routes that each ship handle, It is important to look the itineraries that each cruise offers you,. Please verify that the itinerary meets your expectations. Please read all cruises itineraries only as a guide. All routes and programs may change without prior notice due to National Park policies and regulations, weather conditions, seasonal changes, safety reasons and wildlife found during the trip.
5.- Think about the budget you will spend on your dream cruise
Establish a budget of how much you are going to spend in this trip. Notice that cruise ships move seasonally and therefore you can find different types of offer, according to the season in which the boat is handled. Please remember that you can get good discounts if u make an early booking. For a good price, be aware of the promotion offers.
6.- Comfort
Comfort is one of the most important options to choose a ship, because you should feel comfortable as possible at the moment of sailing on a cruise.
There are ship cruises of different categories that range from: Yacht expedition to luxury cruises, please take into account the comfort you want, how big is the ship, and the capacity of people on board that it has.
7.- Cabin Type
Choosing the cabin type is one of the most important parts of your cruise planning since not all cabins offer the same comfort. There are many types of cabins: from standard ones (located on lower deck ) to luxury suites (located on upper deck). Consider the location of each cabin in the general plane of the ship, and decide what you want.
8.- Spoken Language
All of the Galapagos cruises have as official languages: English and Spanish, however in the cruises of bigger peoples capacity, they include other languages (German, French and Italian) depending on the number of passengers that are grouped under the same language.
9.- What includes and what not?
In the chosen cruise, all the 3 daily foods, transfers in Galapagos and all the excursions guided with a naturalist guide are included.
Do not include: Personal expenses, drinks, tips, wetsuits, air ticket to / from Galapagos, entrance tax to the Galapagos National Park, transit control card and everything that is not mentioned in the program at the moment of booking a cruise.
* Please consider that it is recommended that flights must be purchased at the moment of the cruise reservation , because if for some reason the purchased flight by your own self have a problem such as a delay, the cruise will not be responsible for that inconvenience, and you could lose your cruise; for this reason we recommend you to buy the flight ticket with your cruise. (Prices of flights are between US $ 490 to US $ 590 per person depending on the airline, route and availability at the time of reservation)
10.- Entrance fees to the Galapagos National Park and Transit Control Card.
To enter to the Galapagos National Park, you have to take into account that certain taxes must be paid.
Please, in the following link you will find the values of the entrance payment to the Galapagos National Park:http://www.galapagos-cruises.ec/galapagos-entry-tax/
The Transit Control Card payment (TCT) is USD$ 20 for all people, without exception
Please, took time and be patient at the moment of looking for the cruise that suits the best with your requirements, so that you can enjoy and have the best experience. And remember that flexibility means success.
Learn more about Galapagos Cruises here : http://www.galapagos-cruises.ec/
