I had an amazing trip on the Elite in the last week of June. I had been transferred to this vessel as my original ship had a fault on the... read more cabin, so wouldn't normally have been able to afford such luxury - however, the guide, crew and ship itself soon won me round!

Thank you to Carlos, our guide who was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about not just the wildlife but also the history of the islands. Thanks to Francis and Sebastian for supporting this crazy panicky snorkeller (who knew you could still be scared of heights under water?!) - with their support I enjoyed my snorkelling experiences with turtles, sealions, penguins and iguanas, as well as the myriad of other sea life to be found. And, of course, thank you to Michael our Cruise Service Officer, who really did look after our every need, whether that was spraying alcohol on my knees after I cut them on rocks, or handing another passenger a cup of hot chocolate while helping pull off her wetsuit!! Nothing was too much trouble.

The food was good, the accommodation was good, the experience was fantastic.

  Let me start with the positive, the crew was amazing the cabins were large and the housekeeping man was a ninja, our cabins were always clean and tidy yet we... read more never saw him. the food was excellent and every time we came back from an excursion there were refreshments, the vessel is marketed as new but it looks like it was refurbished, nevertheless it is very nice clean and comfortable. however on our departure date they scurried us off like yesterdays news, our cruise was suppose to be 4 days but it they cheated us out of over half a day. so if you decide to book with them make sure you plan accordingly so you don't get treated like the red headed step child and get woken up at the but crack of dawn so you can have your breakfast and get the f... off the boat. and btw I brought my complaint to them and they could care less and the jacuzzi never worked.

  We travelled on the Endemic. We enjoyed the cruise- lovely fellow guests, great crew that anticipated your needs and prepared a tasty variety of food for each meal, and... read more made the best towel animals- our guide Walter was terrific, funny, knowledgable, informative. Would highly recommend

  It's hard to pick one favorite thing about this cruise! Everything exceeded our expectations. The islands are breathtaking, the boat is impeccable, the crew incredibly professional and kind. Ana Lucia,... read more the cruise director, made sure everything ran smoothly. All meals and desserts prepared by chef Angel and sous chef Jonathan were delicious! José, the bartender, was always kind, had a great sense of humor and also welcomed us with snacks and juices when we got back from the activities (hiking, snorkling, panga rides, kayaking, etc). I tried many different kinds of juice for the first time! Captain Marcelo and first mate Pablo were usually there to greet us and to make sure all was safe. The activities were great and led by our naturalist Enrique. He was very kind, knowledgeable, and always made us laugh. He also taught us a lot about the islands' wildlife, flora, history, and geology. Sterling and Dario were awesome and always around as well taking us to and from the boat from the various activities. Whenever we got back, the rooms were clean and the bed made with awesome towel art on them (thanks Rei!). Luis and Jesus were the engineer and electrician (respectively) on board and also very kind and helpful to all. I wanted to mention everyone in the crew because everything was above and beyond our expectations and big part of it was because of them! Every island had its magic and I would highly recommend a cruise at the Galapagos islands- Elite if possible! What an incredible journey...

  Just back from a 7 Night/6 1/2 day adventure on the Endemic ... advertised as 7 Night/8 Day (Sunday-Sunday) but what you really get is a half day on... read more your arrival Sunday, Full days Monday-Saturday, then a get the F... off the boat by 8:15AM Sunday, hence 7Night/6 1/2 day. The boat is beautiful, the Naturalist was excellent and the crew were mostly excellent ... we give an extra shout out to Captain Jimmy, who brought the boat around so we passengers could jump in the pangas to be taken out to SWIM WITH DOLPHINS, EPIC!!! Our naturalist (Enrique aka Galapagos Obama) said that this only happens 2 or 3 times a year - lucky us!! The breakfasts and lunches served were the best meals, IMO. Dinners were spotty and the desserts were a failure - honestly, we are in Ecuador- known for it's chocolate- so maybe chocolate mousse, souffle, lava cake (on a day we did a lava walk), brownie, CC cookies anything but what was served... BTW desserts are not my thing but my husband is a connoisseur... for the price point, a little more thought and quality could go into the dinners & desserts. Some spotty communication from the concierge i.e. one night we were told the boat was going to be anchored however it started moving, we went out and asked our barman Fernando (Fernando is the best, a huge asset to Golden Galapagos) and were told that we're under way because of rocky waters - which is great however an announcement would have been appreciated; same thing happened another evening (when I was in the shower - good thing I have excellent balance) again a heads up that the boat would be moving ahead of schedule would have been appreciated. Then on the last evening, passengers were called to the social area at 6:45 PM for a "farewell cocktail", at 7PM nothing happening (we could have been packing) then the concierge said "It's going to be a little longer wait the Captain still dropping anchor and some of the crew will not be attending because they are loading the supplies on the boat for the next cruise" .... at 7:15PM the drinks were served - again spotty communication and the concierge was sitting right in front of us, working on his computer, while passengers were chatting and wondering what was happening. And on more than one occasion the concierge was overheard to be a little flippant in his answers to questions from passengers - a bit more schooling in how to interact/communicate with passengers would serve him well. Be sure to ear plugs to block out the sound of the engine and the window hitting the wall on nights motoring. All in all, it was an amazing adventure to remember ... the wonderful wildlife sightings, including my bucket list Blue Footed Boobies, the history and getting to know our fellow passengers made for a lovely holiday.

  This was long-anticipated, bucket list trip. It is so rare when something not only meets your considerable expectations, but far exceeds them! We spent 2 weeks on the Elite, and... read more could not have been happier with our choice. The crew took exquisite care of us: for example, Michael, our cruise director, attended to our every need, Romolo kept us plied with excellent cocktails, El Capitan Douglas allowed us to share his bridge as we crossed the equator, and Jose attended to our rooms with great attention to detail. Our mates and sailors, Pablo, Jordan, Marcos, and Francis gave us great and occasionally thrilling panga rides, all with great good humor--they were a lot of fun. Angel and Bolivar gave us tasty, fresh meals, including barbeques on the top deck and a cake for on my birthday!Finally, our naturalist guides Carlos (week 1) and Enrique (week 2) were incredible at spotting animals and even predicting imminent behavior so we could get our cameras ready. The itineraries were well thought out and we never felt rushed as I've heard can happen on larger ships (ours held 16 passengers). In short, best money I ever spent, and I will carry memories of these weeks with me forever.

  5 nights and 4 days of happiness on the Endemic Was it … The walks The snorkeling daily The itinerary The ship being pristine The crews... read more want to please The guides knowledge The food and drinks The service The cleanliness The panga rides The fellow guests I don’t have anything to add but that the crew of the Endemic along w guide Daniel and the fellow guests made the trip with my old son very special and a real memory for us …

  Fantastic trip on the Endemic - staff were great fun and looked after us without fault! Lots of activities in the agenda, coupled with brilliant food back on the boat... read more (hats off to the chef). Enrique, our guide, was brilliant too; great sense of humour...More

  What a lovely part of the world to visit – kudos to Ecuador for taking the initiative to preserve such a treasure for future generations to see. The Endemic is... read more a beautiful boat with wonderful staff - all did everything they could to make this...More