ABD Galapagos Trip Reports?

[sugarland]

We returned from Quito yesterday (after a few extended days beyond our trip). It was wonderful - incredible - amazing. If you are considering signing up for this itinerary, I strongly recommend it.

I have not done a trip report yet, but will be happy to answer your questions in the meanwhile.

Here are a few packing tips: (1) an underwater camera is priceless on this trip - pick up a digital one before you go, (2) washcloths are generally not provided - beachbunny thanks for your advice in this blog; I'm so glad we brought a couple!, (3) if you need a women's XS wet suit (for a petite adult or normal tween), you need to bring your own - as of Aug. 09 they are not available on the ship, (4) if you don't bring your own and you need a wet suit size that is in short supply on this ship, once you find a wetsuit on the ship that fits you, leave it in the provided yellow mesh bag and hang it in your shower to dry rather than hanging it in the ship's locker as they suggest. (Another way to go is to wear two larger suits - our daughter size 0 ended up layering two suits size S and M because no XS suits were available and that worked OK for her). (5) don't fret about nice clothes. Our group generally wore shorts, capris or casual slacks for all events including the ship's dinners. A few people dressed up the final night - that's all. It is very cool in the highlands and you definitely need layers and warm clothes there - the rooms are cold at night. (6) a small flashlight is helpful. (7) really good binoculars are very nice to have - try using them even to look at the things that seem to be close to you (Disney will give you a small pair in your amenity bag, but good ones make a huge difference), (8) bring lots and lots and lots of 1s and 5s - you will not want to use larger bills than that when you are shopping in the markets.

 

[sugarland]

For our family, snorkeling was absolutely the highlight of the trip. You can wear one of the lifejackets that the ship gives you if you don't feel comfortable with the buoyancy the wet suits provide. I can't say strongly enough how much fun the snorkeling is and it is definitely worth it to face your the initial fear. We have SCUBA-ed and snorkelled in many places before, and this experience clearly topped them all.

The jellyfish stinging only happened one day (the 'fish/shark' day), and it only happened to the three folks who ventured out to deeper water chasing the sharks. The crew in our Panga had remedies readily available and the people who were stung (even the kid whose face was stung) all seemed to agree that it was worth it to be able to swim with the sharks. I happily stayed closer to the rocks with my family where we had absolutely no jellyfish problems and I have to say that was the best snorkeling day of them all. We were told to expect only fish, but once we got in the water, many sea lions were all around us chasing fish as well as a few penguins.

 

[Bobo912]

Thanks beachbunny and sugarland for the snorkeling info. I let my DS zip line last year when he had just turned 8, so maybe I can take watching him swim with a shark. I think we need to take a trip somewhere tropical over his Christmas break so we can get in some snorkeling practice. At least, that the excuse I'm going to use.

 

[bekkiz]

I didn't go on an ABD trip to the Galapagos, but we went on our own in Dec '06. We brought our own wetsuit "shirts" to make sure we were warm enough. They did not take up too much room, and we were SO glad to have them, because then we didn't have to worry about finding things that fit through the tour guide. I can't remember the brand right now, but it was considered a neoprene shirt/top and it had long sleeves.

The Galapagos are just amazing, I hope you have an awesome time!

 

[Bobo912]

For you folks who have taken this trip, wanted to get some feedback on airfare. I've been doing some research and found a schedule, route, fare combination with American that looks reasonable to me. For the early June dates the roundtrip airfare is $863 adult and $715 child. Last week of June it goes up to $1058 & $799. In July is goes up again to $1078 & $812. I know we're all coming from different places, but do those airfare look okay from your experience? Our school is out the last week of May so we could take advantage of the lower fares in June. Anybody aware of any reason why it would be better to go in July rather than June? I would like to save some money, but I want to best experience too. So if June is hurrican season or something like that, I would be happy to pay the extra $$$. TIA.

 

[Dahly]

Bobo - sorry, I can't be much help on the airfare...we were lucky to have a direct flight from Houston (where we live) to Quito on Continental so I didn't do a lot of comparision shopping..the direct flight of 5.5 hours was more important than price for me.

So a question for you...does this mean you have possibly decided to book with ABD after all, or are you still looking at other tours? I know the cost is a consideration, but my two cents, for what it is worth: We had an absolute ball and my son (he is 11 and would go back next year if he could) has latched onto the idea of someday working in the Galapagos...he already wanted to be a biologist, but now he has a focused goal...if a trip can do that for him, it was well worth it! Certainly doesn't mean he wouldn't have reached the same conclusion on another company's tour, but I really think the guides on our trip really made a huge difference for him, especially the local naturalists on the islands.

Good luck in whatever you decide!

Dahly

 

[Bobo912]

Bobo - sorry, I can't be much help on the airfare...we were lucky to have a direct flight from Houston (where we live) to Quito on Continental so I didn't do a lot of comparision shopping..the direct flight of 5.5 hours was more important than price for me.

So a question for you...does this mean you have possibly decided to book with ABD after all, or are you still looking at other tours? I know the cost is a consideration, but my two cents, for what it is worth: We had an absolute ball and my son (he is 11 and would go back next year if he could) has latched onto the idea of someday working in the Galapagos...he already wanted to be a biologist, but now he has a focused goal...if a trip can do that for him, it was well worth it! Certainly doesn't mean he wouldn't have reached the same conclusion on another company's tour, but I really think the guides on our trip really made a huge difference for him, especially the local naturalists on the islands.

Good luck in whatever you decide!

Dahly

Thanks, Dahly. I haven't decided to go with ABD. I've been comparing ABD and Thomson Family Adventures. Thomson has the same itinerary - same hotels and same cruise ship. At first glance, their price looks a little higher, but the price quoted on their website includes travel insurance and tips for the guide, so Thomson comes out to be a little less, I think. Thomson offers some interesting features, such as matching your child with a pen pal before the trip and then you get to meet them once you arrive. And they have a "mentor" for the kids who according to their website "engage the kids in fun games and activities" and "help break the ice". They limit their groups to 25 and they help match your child with children of a similar age. All very important to me, a single mom, and my DS with no siblings. And they guarantee that your trip will not be cancelled. And at this point, Thomson is way ahead in customer service, since they actually answer my emails. ABD has offered $100 loyalty discount through Nov ($200 total for us) vs. Thomson $500 per family discount thru Dec (just an incentive to anybody, since I haven't traveled with them before). I'm disappointed that ABD doesn't seem to place much value on my return business. But I have loved my ABD trips and I am comfortable with the familiar. So I've still got some thinking to do.

 

[Bobo912]

BTW...I booked the 3-day DCL Bahamas cruise for Dec 17 this morning. I want DS to get a little snorkeling practice in before he is swimming with the seals and penguins. And hopefully it will help me with my own anxiety over the water.

 

[Grifdog22]

Bobo:

Thanks for your posting. We have traveled with ABD for two summers, and like you were looking to the Galapagos for 2011. We've also looked at Tauck Bridges and Thompson. We're doing a Tauck Bridges over break, and we've decided to take the leap for the Galapagos for 2011. Haven't worked out the details, but we're excited.

Like you, I appreciate the customer service I'm seeing with Thompson. I still remember Peru where we were told changes to the schedule were made, and I ALMOST went ahead and booked side trips - turns out the ABD folks gave me lots of wrong information. 2008 was a good year. 2009, not so good on the back office support.

Hope you choose to join us on Thompson!

 

[beachbunny]

Bobo: The best priced flights I found were on Continental, connecting through Houston, and Copa, connecting through Panama City. We flew from LA to PTY to UIO on Copa. I used my Continental miles to book the free ticket on Copa. The Copa flight arrives in the early afternoon. The Continental flight arrives late at night.

I know that many who book ABD also book their airfare with ABD because if they cancel your tour, you don't have to worry.

 

[Bobo912]

Thanks beachbunny. I checked out Continental and Delta, and the fares were slightly higher than American, and, as you mentioned the the Continental flight arrives late at night, and so does the Delta flight. The American flight arrives around 4:30 in the afternoon. I'm going to keep my eyes on all of them though, just in case a good deal pops up.

Griffdog22, I'm impressed with Thomson so far, so there is a good chance that we'll be traveling with them. I'm planning to wait a few more months and see if ABD comes up with anything interesting in the meantime. I considered Tauck for this trip, but they only offer a 3-day cruise, except at Christmas time, and I figure if I'm going all the way to the Galapagos, I should stay as long as I can. Which Tauck trip are you taking? I remember reading several posts about Costa Rica - are you part of that group? Costa Rica is a beautiful place to visit. Whatever trip you're taking, I would really like to hear your impressions of Tauck.

 

[sayhello]

I know that many who book ABD also book their airfare with ABD because if they cancel your tour, you don't have to worry.

Booking with ABD works well, but just thought I'd mention that even if you *don't* book your airfare with ABD, if they cancel your tour you don't have to worry. They will refund your money or pay any extra fees to change your ticket whether you booked through them or not. I did not book my Canadian Rockies airfare through them, and when they canceled the tour, they absorbed the difference to rebook my tickets for the Alaska tour I took instead.

Sayhello

 

[Bobo912]

Question for all of you have have taken the 5 day/4 night Galapgos Explorer cruise. Did it get to be redundant after a couple of days? One of the reasons I didn't book this trip for 2009 was because I was afraid DS might possibly get a little bored, since there were so many days where you go to an island, walk around, see the wildlife and snorkle. The scenery and animals are so unusual and fascinating, but I thought he might appreciate it more if I let him get another year under his belt. But he will be 9/10 years old next summer (July birthday, so exact age depends on when we go - but still young). So it's still a concern.