We started by flying in to Quito for two nights. The transfer from airport to hotel was flawless. Two days later the transfer back to the airport was also flawless. We flew from Quito to Quayaquil and on to Baltra, in the Galapagos, where we boarded the ship. Our cabin was lovely, the staff was outstanding. The guides in particular were incredibly well educated and seemed to be able to answer any question--about birds, geology, water life, land life--we were extremely impressed by the caliber of the guides. Dining was lovely---inside they had a dining room, and they always had one Ecuadorian dish to try. I ate most of the Ecuadorian dishes and they were all outstanding. Up on the deck, outdoors, the Grill served steak, jumbo shrimp, and chicken that you cooked yourself on a hot lava rock. Wines were included with every meal. Cocktails were included. Once we boarded the ship it was hard to spend any money! ALL the excursions were included. It was a much more active itinerary than we realized when we booked, but we all loved it. Hiking early in the morning (7-730AM to about 10AM due to the Equatorial sun), then there were usually two snorkeling excursions, one easy from the beach, one a 'deep water snorkel' where you jumped off of the zodiac. Back on board there was lunch, a 2PM lecture (or a nap!) and then at 330PM there was another walk/hike. Some of the walks were easy, others were more challenging, but everything was extremely clearly presented. Since our cruise was the week before Easter there were many children---they would need to be strong swimmers to enjoy the trip. We would definitely go again! Highly recommend Silver Sea and WE will travel with them again.