River Chanson Review
Excellent service, fascinating destinations & activities, great naturalist guide
Rating by category
Additional details
We were looking for a smaller ship that could take us into more secluded areas to better explore the land and sea life of the Galapagos, without the crowds. The Celebrity Xploration was ideal for this-- extremely comfortable accommodations, excellent food and service, and lots of fun activities-- including hiking and diving each day to see specific scenes and wildlife specimens or behaviors (which of course, is outstanding and unique in the Galapagos Islands).
Our Captain Natalie (allegedly the only female Captain in the Celebrity line?!) was capable, and ran a tight ship! Fernando and his crew provided the "on-board" services for this small vessel (16 guests total in 8 guestrooms) very smartly, with excellent, bottomless food and drinks, plenty of room to lounge in shade or sun, cleaned-up cabins several times daily, etc.
The dining area was very classy, and we could all recount our daily adventures while enjoying lots of local fish (and other meats as well of course), along with comida tipico such as fried plantains and tropical fruits-- prepared with a light gourmet touch.
Cabin Review
Junior Suite with Veranda
The Cabin was perfectly adequate for us-- roomy enough to spread out, with a small private lanai that enabled us to dry out wet clothes, and to chill at night while watching the nocturnal swallow-tailed gulls fly along with us as we cruised to the next destination. Our cabin was clean and well-appointed. It was nice to not have people walking past our room (since it was a private lanai with no external passage)-- so we could keep our curtains open 24hrs.
Really, however, you'll mainly just sleep in your cabin. All the fun stuff is in the water or on the islands, or in the community areas drinking, dining, or taking a siesta