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THE ULTIMATE, INTIMATE EXPLORER
Imagine visiting the same islands Charles Darwin did on your very own private catamaran. You don’t have to imagine it, because we’ve created it for you. Celebrity Xploration® is a 16-passenger intimate journey that’s perfect for family get-togethers, getaways with friends, or small groups who want to explore together. Designed for off the beaten path discovery, you’ll discover hidden gems like Los Lobos (named for sea lions) and Kicker Rock (the very icon of the Galápagos). Of course, a luxury venture wouldn’t be complete without a cozy stateroom, with a window or veranda offering a personal view of the amazing archipelago; a personal refrigerator stocked with beverages of your choice; room service; complimentary snorkelling equipment and wet suits; and more.
We chose the Xploration bc it was a small ship and we wanted to have as much time with nature as possible and not waiting around in line behind a ship full of people to go on excursions. We sailed 12/16/23. I am including all the things I was surprised about. The Xploration is good bc you get more time snorkeling bc the ship is smaller and is closer to the sites than the other 2 Celebrity ships. It wasn’t good for the food, very limited in variety and the main dishes were overcooked. We had no options for food outside of the main meals. For example when we got back from excursions we got a drink but the other ships got a drink and a snack. The other Celebrity ships had open grills for you to get hot food anytime. The real question is are you there for a vacation of convenience and luxury or are you there for the adventure? Pre-Cruise Tour: This is a fun trip and made it seem like an entire separate vacation bc it’s so different than the Galapagos. And it gives you a seamless trip bc you don’t have to worry about getting yourself to Baltra at the right time. The Equator is a really fun experience. The Quito tour was also excellent. The food was good. The accommodations are good: the JW Marriott. Pro tip: If you have the time get your own guide through the hotel. We had an all day private tour of the Mindo Cloud Forest post cruise that was spectacular. If we had booked through Celebrity we would have had to be with a group. Ideally try to get the Great Horned Owl tour company, it’s run by a Naturalist who is really experienced. Xploration Ship: It’s an older ship. There are 3 floors for guests to go on. To get to the top 2 floors you have to go up and down a steep staircase. If there are rocky seas you are going to swing and roll on this ship. I missed 2 dinners to try to avoid having too much in my stomach bc I got so sea sick. Several of the 7 cabins occupied experienced sea sickness or just plain illness (bc it’s a small ship respiratory illnesses can spread). For the most part people were okay although a couple of people missed a lot of excursions. Intercom: The intercom was turned off in our room and we missed an unplanned cool excursion bc we did not hear it. So check your intercom when you get in your cabin. Food: The food was not great. I would imagine the chef and his helper have very little room to cook with. Most of the time the meat was overcooked and tough- this included the one lobster night. You know something’s off when people are turning down getting a second tail. The only snacks available are crackers and Oreo cookies. The snacks are the only food available between meals, those can be long hours. Excursions: The absolute best part of the trip!!! We had 2 naturalists one was very good and the other just okay. The naturalists really make the trip for you, it was great having 2 naturalists to split the excursions or to have smaller groups. We went snorkeling, kayaking, and did a variety of hiking. Snorkeling: Don’t believe it when they tell you they have top quality equipment. The equipment was basic and didn’t have any of the features you would expect in a snorkel. Go ahead and buy your own ahead of time that way your mouthpiece will fit and you will not drink a lot of sea water. I purposely did not buy equipment even though it was only something like $20 for a snorkel off Amazon bc I believed them, I really regretted this. I would absolutely book the Xploration again!!! We went on this vacation to see wildlife not have a fancy vacation. It felt good having this ship to come back to everyday and have a home base.
It's hard to describe how amazing the Galapagos are or to put in words what a wonderful trip we had, but I'd encourage anyone thinking of going to do it! There are many ships to choose from and I think the Xploration was the perfect choice for us. We chose it because of size: the boat can hold 16 guests, but we were a group of only 13. We still had two naturalists on board, so that gave us a lot of opportunity to ask questions and learn more. We picked the Northern loop to hit Genovesa Island and possibly snorkle with hammerhead sharks (spoiler alert: we did!!). The food and drinks was incredible and the size of the ship meant convivial dining at each meal. Every day was filled with activities in both the morning and afternoon, and we stuck to a tight timeline. Activities included hikes, walks, snorkeling, kayaking, or just riding in the zodiac boats. All equipment is provided, including wetsuits, snorkels, and fins. The naturalists were fantastic, especially in communicating what to expect with each activity and how to determine what you might want to do at each stop. Be prepared for A LOT of activity, as even getting into and out of the zodiacs was sometimes tricky (I came home with the shin bruises to prove it!). The cabins were very nice, although don't expect to spend much time there! We booked an upper deck room because it was considerably cheaper, and that felt like the right decision. It would have been nice to have a private balcony to dry clothes, but it was very easy to do that in common areas and we preferred to hang out there anyway. We were worried it might also mean more motion than lower level rooms, but honestly it was pretty intense on both floors some nights! We loved the Ecuadorian chocolates left during turn down each evening. We opted not to do the cruise pretour, which meant a bit more logistical things we had to handle on our own (including flying out to Baltra a day early, but that was a nice opportunity to see more of the islands). I think that was also the right choice as it saved us money and gave us freedom to spend a day in Quito as we wished, but it made for a very seamless trip for those who did it.
We picked the Xploration as we believed (and still believe) for Galapagos a small ship and a small group of people gives the better experience. The expeditions were great! The naturalist guiding the tours were fabulous, we have seen very much wildlife and they managed to bring us ashore at times where other groups were not yet there. Also all the staff operating the zodiac-boats were very helpful and friendly. However, the ship did not meet our expectations. It’s 16 years old and does need an overhaul. The furniture was old, one drawer didn’t close anymore (just by luck). Service was very friendly and helpful but room cleaning was beyond Celebrity’s standards. We understand when the toilet paper needs to be placed in a bin instead of the toilet for technical reasons, it’s a small ship, that’s ok. However, we would have expected that this bin would be emptied not only daily but also in between. Food was well below Celebrity’s standard, mostly tasteless. Especially for the soup nearly all guest needed salt and pepper to add at least a little bit of flavor. It was a pity, we thought we would get delightful fish dishes every day. We had the impression the cook uses mainly onions and sometimes garlic to spice the dishes. Don’t get us wrong, the food was not really ‘bad’, it was already eatable, however tasteless and much less in quality than we are used from Celebrity. Drinks selection was good and more than sufficient.
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. John Garate was our naturalist guide, with excellent "local" as well as "academic" knowledge of the Galapagos Islands. John grew up in the Galapagos, but also had a Master's degree in wildlife and conservation studies from a Univ in the USA... he was articulate and humorous, and handled well the motley crew of guests, who ranged widely in their physical capabilities (some were snorkeling for their first time!) and interests (some were determined to learn the differences between Nazca and Blue-footed boobies, while others were content to just enjoy seeing so much unusual wildlife). John is also an excellent water-man, who can dive down deep into the green with your GoPro to get close-ups of the plentiful (but largely benign) sharks and other sea life. The Galapagos Islands themselves are a wonderful destination, with unique wildlife-- huge numbers of "tame" sea lions and marine iguanas, and lots of species that occur nowhere else in the world. But also the scenery is to dream for-- both above and below water: you'll be taken to beautiful deserted white or green sand beaches, or snorkel among huge schools of colorful fish being dive-bombed by pelicans and boobies. At night the Captain guides the boat to the next island. So you wake up in a new port near another deserted island where further unique scenery and wildlife await. It is totally cool! My only reservation is that the Celebrity Xploration does cater to the "cruise" crowd as well as a "nature" crowd-- so the clientele are not ALL totally stoked about hiking and diving as much as possible. Most of the passengers on my trip were older (60+ y.o.), and along to enjoy a "cruise experience" as well- with the food, drinks and relaxation. There may be other Galapagos cruise experiences where the "cruising" is more just to get to the next island for diving and hiking, rather than "Cruising" to enjoy the sun deck where you can sip on endless piña coladas. Our ship's vibe was definitely not a Party boat (we saw others that seemed way more so), nor was it a hardcore Nature boat, where everyone is going over their GoPro or DSLR footage with their nature guides out debating what species of finches were seen. Not complaining-- just explaining!
The crew works extremely hard to make sure you have a great time, and to overcome issues you may run into. Javier, our naturalist, grew up on the Islands, and knew how to make the excursions entertaining. He was terrific. There is a great attention to safety, and you always feel like someone is there if you falter on land or sea. Cabins are good size. I had been on the Eclipse the week before, and the shower on this boat was actually bigger than on the Eclipse. I, personally, have bad knees, so here are a few things to think about if you have this or some other disability: 1). This is a small boat with steep ladders between decks. You need to be able to climb them. 2). There is only one naturalist on board, and only 1 type of excursion. The larger boats offer options for people who are not as nimble. In spite of what Celebrity tells you, this boat does not. What they did do for me, which worked well, was send an additional crew member with me, to help me over rough spots and to allow me to return early, which I did a few times. They also offered me a Zodiac ride in places where I didn't hike. I got to see most of the same animals on the ride. 3). Everything is done with Zodiacs. You have to be able to get in and out of them several times a day. This is a small boat and it rocks quite a bit. We went during calm seas, and it was pretty bumpy at times. In rough seas this would be an issue, at least for me. There is wireless internet, but its very very slow. Food is good; very fresh, Tasty and plentiful but the variety is far less than a big cruise ship. That was fine for us.
Every Suite on Celebrity Xploration will Include
The Celebrity Xploration cruise ship is in a class by herself, designed not just for travel, but for exploration of the Galapagos Islands, one of the world's last pristine environments. Outfitted with a wealth of luxuries that cater to her 16 guests, just as her environmentally sound design helps preserve this immaculate archipelago
Experience the best of the Galapagos Islands on these Celebrity Xploration itineraries.
Explore the land that inspired Charles Darwin during a cruise to the Galapagos aboard Celebrity Xploration®, a stunning 16-passenger catamaran that will instantly feel like your home at sea.
Take your Galapagos adventure to the next level and choose one of Celebrity Xploration’s itineraries that combines a Galapagos sailing with a land tour around Ecuador or Peru. Before sailing off to the islands, spend a few days in Quito, or finish your journey with a memorable tour to Lima, Cuzco, and the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu.
All of Celebrity Xploration’s itineraries visit up to 12 islands in the Galapagos, such as Isabella, Santa Cruz, Santiago, and Genovesa. After a long day of sightseeing, there’s no better place to unwind than on the ship’s airy sun deck, where you can enjoy a gorgeous sunset in the distance.
Please Note: There are no dedicated fitness facilities onboard.
Please Note: There are no dedicated children's facilities on board.
