We are travelling to South America at the beginning of 2009 and will book a cruise in the Galapagos Islands. It is all very expensive and we wonder if anyone on the board can tell us about their experience. There are 3 night / 4 day tours as well as 7 night tours. We understand that we would see more on the longer cruise but would we miss too much on the shorter cruise?
We also need to decide between a ship that has 100 passengers or a smaller one of about 48. There is an even smaller one with 28 passengers we are considering.
We are stopping at Easter Island and will also fly to Patagonia for a cruise and a visit to Torres del Paine before flying to New York to visit our daughter - so not a cheap trip.

Thanks
Jill

Jill, we had a great time in Ecuador, including the Galapagos Island. I have a pretty comprehensive report and photos on my website which you may find interesting and increase your anticipation. Ecuador

We were on a larger ship because of needing a cabin for 3 and safety concerns for a child. This was fine; however, I agree with your idea of a smaller ship of there are only adults going.

You will so enjoy this experience as you watch eggs hatch a foot away, iguanas spitting, etc. It is wonderful!

Hi Jill

What a wonderful trip you are planning! Torres del Paine is amazing. So raw and beautiful and unpredictable!

I am headed to the Galapagos next month! I am booked on a 7 night cruise on a small boat (14 pass.) called the Samba. I really wanted to go on a smaller boat so we have more flexibility and for the itinerary. Many of the smaller boats (and longer itineraries) will go to the western islands. It's a trip of a lifetime, so why not go for the longer itinerary?

Hi - we spent a month in Galapagos in Jan/Feb 2006 - have some ideas about reducing costs and boat size etc - and went to Easter Island......here's a link to our blog

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/liz_and_richard_in_s...galapagos/index.html

We're in Jordan right now (Petra tomorrow!!!) but will be in Barcelona next week for two months and will respond more fully then.

Both are great destinations!

Thank you for your advice. The blogs/ travel journals are a great help too.
The travel agent is coming back to us with a quote for MV Eclipse - the same boat as LizS was on. I like the idea of only 48 passengers, however the larger boats with double the passengers have 4 day cruises which we are considering. We will make up our minds in the next week - very tempted to have 7 days - despite the expense.
LizS - your trip to Egypt and Jordan sounds wonderful - that may be a trip for another year. Friends leave next week for Egypt and I have forwarded a link to your blog.

Jill

Hi Jill - the best way we found to make the decision of 4 day versus 7 day was reading Barry Boyce's book The Travelers Guide to Galapagos.......the longer cruises (i.e. the Eclipse) go to the west side of Isabela - I really wanted to see cormorants so that's the main reason we did 7 days.

Boyce's book outlines the 4 versus 7 day issue very well - it's worth the investment.

We loved the Eclipse and since we were on it it's been completely renovated (although it was lovely at the time).

Best (from Petra - now THAT's amazing!)

Liz

We are still getting our itinerary organised but hope to stay on the Eclipse. We bought Barry Boyce's book - thanks LizS - and have found it very informative. I love your blog.
Thanks Jane, your trip was very helpful - loved your photos too.
Will post when we know which boat we will be on - it depends on the timing of our other Patagonian trips and the time we have. Eclipse leaves on Saturdays and we may not be able to get to Quito by then. Boyces book will help if we need to look for another boat.

Fletch, I just got home from an amazing trip. Will post pictures on another thread. I went on the Samba, a small 14 passenger motor yacht (never used the sails). It had an great 7 day itinerary, which included Fernandina, which ended up being my favorite island. It is not a luxury boat, but we had everything we could have wanted, plenty of hot water and food! We also had an amazing crew and especially want to commend our guide, Juan Manuel Salcedo. He was born & raised in the Galapagos and is so well educated on just about everything. We quite often sat and listened to 1/2 hour lectures while I noticed that other guides did not do much talking. I learned so much from him!

Let me know if you have any questions and I will try and answer them.

In case it is of assistance to anyone currently planning Galapagos for 2008, Intrepid Travelcurrently have 20% off Galapagos trips for 2008 provided they are booked before the end of March.

FYI - I have had wonderful trips with Intrepid in China, Mongolia, Russia and Europe, but have not travelled to the Galapagos as yet - will have to wait for another few years until I have quenched some more of my thirst for Italy!

Cheers
Christine