Suite

Silversea

Colon (Cristobal)

South America

Galapagos

Excellent

Very Good

Poor

Average

Silver Spirit

Silver Shadow

Silver Muse

Silver Whisper

Silver Dawn

Silver Moon

Silver Nova

Silver Origin

Trip of a Lifetime on the Silver Origin

Chose this trip due to Silversea's high reputation, plus the destination (Galapagos Islands) had long been on our bucket list. With confirmation, SS advised us to book  door to door transportation. Unfortunately their contractor does not serve our area. The app we were advised to use could not locate our trip. Instead we used the airline app, which allowed us to upgrade seats. Airport to hotel to ship to airport to hotel to airport transportation went exceptionally well.

Information for the first night's dinner noted "no jeans or shorts." When we went to the dining room clothed in what some call "country club casual," we were told that formal was expected and we must take dinner in our room! It appeared that the message to the staff and to the passengers differed-a lot. The misunderstanding did not last long, and the staff apologized, and we were treated beautifully the rest of the trip.

We had some difficulty accessing the premium wi-fi, but the main desk took care of that--I think. Still, at the end of the trip when I tried to access the QR code for the trip evaluation, I could only get an error code.

Shore activities were awesome, as were the guides. The chef was unsurpassed. The butler and housekeeping services were delightful. When bad weather caused a last minute change in schedule, SS smoothly rebooked the day's excursions and schedules.

Would I recommend SS? Not sure. Consider the snags.

Great ship but multiple communication snags

There were six of us on our May 7, 2022 sailing of the Silversea Origin and we are all in our 60's. We flew into Quito a day earlier than is part of the cruise package. We were very happy we had an extra day in Quito. It allowed us to arrange a private tour on Thursday of the city and on Friday we had the same tour guide take us out in the country side to see the Equator park and then we went to a beautiful hacienda to have lunch. Both days were wonderful. Quito is a beautiful city and the surrounding country side is spectacular. The city is in a bowl surrounded but mountains and volcanos. We really enjoyed staying at the JW Marriott  in downtown Quito. It is a very nice hotel and has a nice full breakfast included. 


We did have an issue with the transfer from the Quito airport to the Marriott. No one showed up to pick us up. It was after midnight we were tired from flying all day. After 20 minutes of looking for the Silversea Rep. or a  sign outside of Customs we took taxies at the airport to the Marriott. We did complain to the Silversea 

desk in the Marriott and left a message for our super duper Travel Agent Julie Garcia.  I think heads rolled with the local Silversea team for not showing up at the airport. Within 24 hours we had an apology and an extra $300 per cabin credit for our inconvenience. All the other transfers and flight were very smooth and we had a Silversea rep with us the entire time until we boarded the Silversea Origin.


The Silversea Origin is a very nice ship. We had 91 passengers on our cruise. The ship was in excellent shape and the service was 5 star. We had cabin 606 with the enclosed balcony that had the power window. We were thrilled with our cabin. It allowed us the extra interior space and allowed us to lower the window at night  while we were cruising between islands. It was such a cool feature. 


The food was mostly Ecuadorian and was of very good quality, but not over whelming  in portions . The wine and cocktails were very good.


I would recommend that you have breakfast in your room.  We usually ordered breakfast for 6 or 6:30am. The excursions usually start at 7 to 7:30am. We had 2 to two excursions a day. All the excursions were well run and the naturalist that lead the excursions were excellent. Our butler was very attentive and provided excellent service.


This is not your normal cruise experience. It is more of an active expedition type of experience. Whoever takes this trip really should be in good physical shape and able to hike up inclines and handle getting on and off zodiacs. 


The Galapagos Island were so wonderful and unspoiled. It was an experience of the lifetime. I imagine of what the earth must have looked like five thousand years ago. Overall, the trip was five star and exceeded our expectation. I would highly recommend Silversea Origin and this trip.

We sailed with Silversea because we had heard it was a line where we would be "well cared for".  The entire trip was extremely well organized with all the staff providing friendly, personable service.  The Silver Origin is a wonderful ship filled with friendly helpful staff.  We had to take advantage of the medical staff and Dr. Dan was wonderful.

Food, cabins, expeditions all top notch. 

Expeditions were well planned and geared for most levels of ability.  Zodiac embarkation and disembarkation were assisted by several staff to ensure safe boarding and off loading.  

Food while not the variety of a typical cruise was diverse enough.  Ecuadorian items were offered with most menus, adding interest and adventure.  Civiche, Ecuadorian style was offered frequently, as well as a cooking class on ceviche preparation.  

This expedition cruise offers diverse options, most exciting was the deep water snorkeling.  We snorkeled with colorful fish of all types, viewed a few sharks, rays, penguins and had the excitement of a visit from a group of playful sea lions. 

This was a trip of a lifetime.

Excellent in all aspects

This Galapagos cruise, 10 years in the making, was the 3rd time charm after 2 cancelled cruises. The Silver Origin is a beautiful ship. The cabins are well appointed with a comfy bed, long desk with chair, mini fridge, flat screen tv, bedside tables with storage and lamps. The covered balcony with a chair and love seat was very large and comfortable. The bathroom was large, with a big shower, fresh water faucet, large sink with faucets on each side, 6 shelves and great toiletries, including sunscreen. A lighted walk in style closet had a safe, shelves, drawers, hangers with room for lots of clothes, snorkel gear, etc. Slippers and robes were provided. We had 3 adults in the cabin and another chair was made into a single bed. 

The public areas were filled bright, comfortable and filled with comfy furniture. The boarding area was well organized.

The food was generally good, with a focus on local seafood. However, service was lacking. 3 times dinner service took over 90 minutes and twice the order was wrong, both in the dining room and at Hot Rocks, the specialty restaurant. Other service issues also occurred including my place being cleared while I was geting buffet breakfast. While they apologized profusely for each lapse, the damage was done. 

Other items needed work too. When getting ready for excursions, early arrivers were told to sit in an area by reception. As others arrived, they lined up in the aisleway and were often loaded on to zodiaks before those waiting in the chairs, frustrating for us eager and on time. The lack of attention to detail continued as canapes were not delivered each day (suspect the cabin next door got ours as I heard them say on the balcony, 'no idea where appetizers came from'). 

The cabin was always clean and despite hanging up towels to reuse, they were always replaced. Laundry service was prompt and they did a great job. Unfortunately, billing had some issues. Laundry was included for us, yet we received a bill for almost $300! That was a shock.  Luckily I had the note saying it was included and they fixed the bill promptly.

Not being big drinkers, the bar service seemed prompt and bartenders helpful. We tried many new drinks.

The naturalists are the best asset to Silversea. Leading small groups of 8-12, they were knowledgeable, patient and enthusiastic to share their love of the islands. Marco and Greg were 2 of our favorites. The excursions were interesting. However, many demanded walking over very rocky terrain which my ankles would not handle. I was ok with that as we were told upfront what conditions for the excursions. Zodiaks took us to all excursions and we're a challenge to get on and off. But we saw sea lions, blue & red footed & nazca boobys, penguins, golden rays, iguanas, pelicans, albatross, etc.

The 2 days in Quito before the cruise at the JW Marriott were good. The room was large and had everything we needed. Breakfast was good. The Silversea process to get ready for the cruise was frustrating as they needed releases to be signed,  flight info which we had supplied twice before, and Covid testing. Instead of saying we tested negative, if we didn't hear, we were to assume the covid test was negative. Apparently the Silversea systems don't talk to each other. 

Would I spend that amount for this ship again? Unlikely. Will I go back to the Galapagos? Also unlikely. It was mesmerizing, amazing and beautiful, but a once in a lifetime trip.

Great ship, Galapagos amazing, service spotty

So we have not cruised in almost two years like everyone else, we wanted to go on a small ship so we wouldn’t be too crowded.  Since we had previously sailed on Silverseas they were offering some good discounts for this Galapagos voyage. Everything was well organized including our prior Covid testing we did before flying out to the islands. It was nice having everything looked after from hotel to the ship.  The ship was in new condition and the biggest improvement over the silver Galapagos was zodiac ramp at the rear of the ship, no gangways to go up or down just an easy jump onto the huge ramp at the stern of the ship.  Our cabin was very roomy with a huge veranda.  Our butler Jimmy and steward Ivan looked after us and kept the cabin in tiptop shape.  Xavier was chief guide and kept all the groups organized for departures to the various landings.  This cruise is all about the native animals and it did not disappoint, the zodiac drivers knew how to position their boats so that everyone was able to see.  In particular Aldolpho was taking us on a mangrove excursion and found out that a group of penguins were sharing a rocky outcrop outside our planned trip, he told us to hang on for one small side trip.  WOW were blown away.  The guides were all knowledgeable and went out of their way to educate and allow us to enjoy the moment. 

Christian was our maitre d for this voyage and made us feel at home and went out of his way to accommodate any requests we had, in addition he is a trained Sommelier who took us through a range of Ecuadorian wines which was quite enjoyable.  The food choices were okay but the menu seemed to repeat itself, even for a short voyage.  We knew there was going to be prawns featured at every meal.  We went for the expedition so this didn’t detract from the cruise.  I made good friends with Roberto who was the morning Barista who supplied us with cappuccino every day.  The one additional comment I would make is that after disembarking the ship Silverseas looked after us until we boarded our flight to Quito.  The shore company who Silversea used transported us to a Covid-19 test site as 6 of us need PCR testing done for our return flights when we got there the laboratory doing the test was typical nonchalant and the company representative had to keep on top of things as there was no sense of urgency even though we only had a couple hours before our flight from Guayaquil to Quito.

Overall the cruise was fantastic and Silverseas rightfully deserves its 6 * rating

Great new Ship with exemplary crew

Most likely if you are reading this review, Galapagos is on your bucket list.  Silversea Origin is the way to do it.  You will see what you are looking for:  Sea Turtles, Sea Lions, Giant Tortoises, Marine Iguanas, Land Iguanas, Blue Footed Boobies (they really have blue feet), Penguins, Sharks, Seals, and all kinds of birds.

We simply cannot imagine that any other operator delivers better tours in as much comfort.

Silversea has a purpose-built ship for exploring the Galapagos.  It is well designed for its purpose.  Boarding the Zodiacs is well planned.  I do not want to promise that it is easy, but it is nowhere close to as difficult as I had feared. And just in case you are wondering why I start with a comment on Zodiacs, Zodiacs are central to all Galapagos tours.

I want to cover a couple of preliminary matters before I cover the cruise proper.

COVID TESTS

Silversea requires that all passengers be tested for Covid the night before boarding the ship.  If you do not test negative, you cannot board the ship.  We dutifully reported for the test at 7:00 am the day before boarding as dictated by Silversea.  Or noses were swabbed, and we began waiting for the results.  We waited, and waited, and waited, and we never heard a word.  Silversea apparently communicates that you passed by allowing you to travel to the ship the next day.  That is rude.  If you are conditioning travel on passing a last minute Covid test, you should affirmatively communicate to your guest that they passed as quickly as possible, and not leave your guests to wonder.

TRAIN THE CONTRACTOR

Silversea uses a tour company in Ecuador to handle the logistical issues in country:  transfers from airport to hotel, transfers from the hotel to the airport for the flight out to the Galapagos, and the reverse on the way home.  Silversea makes all such arrangements for the guests.  The guests have absolutely no visibility into those arrangement.  It is just a package that the guest purchases from Silversea.  The details of those arrangements are not disclosed to the guest by Silversea.

Because of international air travel, we arrived in Quito, Ecuador they day before most of the other guests.  A Silversea rep greeted us and transported us to the hotel.  He instructed us to check-in at the Silversea desk in the lobby of the hotel the following morning.  We did as instructed.  When we did, the Silversea rep ask for our flight numbers for our flights out to the Galapagos and back to Quito.  We obviously, had no idea because all of those details were handled by Silversea.  We were shaken by this interaction, because it sounded like Silversea had not made the necessary arrangements for us to be able to take our cruise.  We are not sure what happened, but the following morning we were informed that the necessary flights had been booked and all would be well.

This was a failure of training by Silversea causing us unnecessary stress.  

We were never told, but here is what I think happened.  Silversea was having systems issues—the MySilversea site had been down for two weeks prior to our cruise.  Probably because of Silversea's systems issues, our travel details were not sent to the Silversea Ecuadorian representative.  Since she had not been trained on how Silversea packages its Galapagos' cruises, she decided that it was our job to make the arrangements.  This would not have happened if Silversea was properly training the people interfacing with its customers.

But the miscommunication between Silversea and their Ecuadorian contractor did not end there.  After the cruise we were flown back to Quito where we were met by Silversea's representative who insisted that he was driving us an hour into Quito so we could sit in a day room for four hours and then he would pick us up for an hour-long ride back to the airport for our flight home that same night.  Except that our flight was not that night.  It was the next night, and we were spending the night in Quito.  We had to pull out paperwork to prove to Silversea's representative that our flight home was the following night.  (Our overnight at the Marriott turned out to be another disappointment, but I have attributed that to the Quito Marriott trying to extort American tourists and it is covered in my review of the Quito JW Marriott.)

TRAVEL DETAILS

A Galapagos cruise is not as simple as an ordinary cruise.  A few days prior to our departure we were required to upload our Vaccination records.  Silversea requires that you arrive in Quito, Ecuador two days prior to your cruise.  (Because of flight arrangements we were there three days early.)

The morning before your cruise you must be tested for Covid.  We had never been tested before.  I think it was the original test because they stuck a swab way up our nose, to the point that it was very uncomfortable.  That night you had to surrender your luggage for inspection and transport to the airport.

The morning of your cruise you are taken by bus to the airport.  Your luggage is briefly returned for you to individually check it.  You cannot open it though because it has an inspection seal on it.  From Quito, you take a half-hour flight to Guayaquil.  We sat on the ground in Guayaquil for about an hour, discharging some passengers and taking on others.  The second flight out to Galapagos took another hour and a half.

Finally, you are transported by bus about a half mile to the dock, where you board a Zodiac for transport out to the ship.

OWNER’S SUITE

The owner`s suite is very spacious.  Because it encompasses the entire stern, it affords both a starboard and port view.  The balcony wraps around both sides of the ship.  This was our fifth cruise on Silversea.  We have always rented the owner`s suite.  On their conventional ships, they locate the owner`s suites midship to minimize movement.  Locating it on the stern made it the largest suite we have ever rented.  I have two thoughts about the size.  On the one hand you will be very busy on this cruise.  You will not have much time to lounge in your room or on your deck.  On the other hand, as we were exiting, we looked in a conventional cabin.  I must say, it felt shockingly tiny compared to the owner`s suite.  

There are two rooms on the deck below the owner`s suite that are each half of the stern.  We did not see them, so I cannot represent whether they feel cramped or not.  There are also two larger rooms on the bow of the ship.  I would caution against them.  There is quite a bit of movement on this cruise.  Those bow rooms would move a lot.

Bottom line for us, if we were booking again, we would still want the owner`s suite.  We just prefer a spacious room.

We did note two architectural errors peculiar to the owner`s suite.

The first is in the shower.  They installed a barrier free shower pan, so that the floor of the shower is level with the floor of the bathroom with no curb to contain the water.  Most likely this was done because it looks modern and increases accessibility to the shower.  But without a curb to contain the water, as the boat rocks, the water flows toward the door, and under it.  Significant amounts of water flow under the door.  I took pictures of the wooden bench that is adjacent to the shower.  You can see water stains an inch up the legs of the bench.  We do not know if this issue is common in all of the rooms or if this design is unique to the owner`s suite (we heard both explanations).

The other architectural issue is in the living area.  There are no power outlets in the living room. You cannot sit in the living room and keep your device charging while you use it.  There is a table lamp at each end of the sofa.  Those lamp bases should have power outlets, but they do not.

WIFI

Obviously, Silversea has had some very serious IT issues.  Their MySilversea site was down for about two weeks prior to the cruise.  I assume that it was those same IT issues that caused Silversea`s agent to be confused about our travel arrangements.  We are fairly certain that Silversea had suffered a ransomware attack.  

Every time you got off the ship or returned, you were supposed to swipe your key card as you got off and on.  About half the time the system did not work and a guy with a clipboard checked you off and back on.

As a preliminary matter, access to the internet is essential when we travel.  We do not need it for anything high bandwidth.  We are not downloading movies or playing video games.  We simply need to access our financial accounts.

When we first boarded and tried to sign-on to WIFI they wanted to charge us $150 for “premium WIFI.”  Premium WIFI was included in the owner`s suite fare.  We spent the first two hours of our cruise working with the ships IT personnel trying to get logged onto WIFI.  But it was of little use.  On Monday I spent an hour and a half trying to place one trade.  I never succeeded.  I did share my frustration.  The next day it was not good, but it was at least minimally functional, and I was able to place the trades that I needed to.  By Friday, the internet was working well.

TOURS

Just in case it is not clear, every time you either board or leave the ship, you do it via Zodiac.  Nonstop activity is available:  Nature walks, snorkeling, kayaking, Zodiac tours, and educational lectures fill your days.  Neither of us attempted kayaking.  My wife did the first two snorkeling trips, but I did not.  The water was just too cold.  (Silversea does supply a 2.5 mil. Shorty Wetsuit, but it was not enough for me.)  Both of us did all of the nature walks, Zodiac tours, and lectures.  We found the guides and Zodiac operators to be delightful.  We honestly did not have a favorite guide, we liked them all.

SERVICE

Service on board was comparable to what you have come to expect from Silversea.  However, you will not need as much conventional service as you might on a normal cruise.  For example, I stocked our bar with a bottle of Bourbon.  At the end of the cruise, I had not yet broken the seal on the bottle.

FOOD

The chef`s menu features Ecuadorian flavors and traditions.  She includes some Americanized (cheeseburgers, pizzas, etc.) items for us picky eaters.  The boat holds a maximum of 100 passengers.  On our cruise, there were 67.  We heard on the cruise after us that there were only 46.  So obviously, they cannot offer the same quantity of selections as they can on a cruise with hundreds of passengers.

SUMMARY

We can strongly recommend this cruise.  I cannot claim to have sampled a variety of Galapagos tours.  But based on discussions with guides (who had worked on other tour boats) I feel confident Silversea offers the best planned and most luxurious tours.

If my criticism makes this review sound negative, I regret that.  This was an excellent trip.  I write my reviews with two objectives.  One, to inform fellow travelers evaluating trips.  Two, to inform management where they need improvement.

Silver Origin Owner`s Suite

Preliminaries

 Ever since I read "The Voyage of the Beagle" in college in 1957 I have wanted to visit the Galapagos. I thought I was out of luck.  I am an 83 year old woman who has been on 32 cruises, but  I had a hip replacement in 2019 and can no longer navigate an airport with luggage by myself.  But my daughter-in-law Kathy had always wanted to see the blue footed booby's courtship dance and my son Rob said he would go too.

I picked Silversea because the single supplement, was less than on other ships. I was concerned about my ability to do the excursions from the ship but the Silversea travel agent assured me that I would be able to do everything, and that I would be able to snorkel.  

I never believed him that I would be able to do everything.   I found a review of a cruise by AngieS very helpful - from that, I knew I would be unable to do any of the land expeditions.  It wasn't until I read her review that I realized that the ship would not come in to a dock even for embarkation.  Silversea does not do a good job of communicating.  

I told Rob and Kathy that whatever happened I would be happy to do what I could do and see what I could see and not complain (too much) about what I couldn't do. 

Although I cannot walk far, I was SCUBA certified and I was doing an hour of water aerobics or snorkeling four or five days a week to prepare myself to snorkel.  I thought I could at least do that.  I knew it would be cold, so I bought an extra wetsuit vest.

I got an email from Silversea on Wednesday which said that we would need a negative PCR test "from Wednesday" to fly to the Galapagos.  I called Silversea and the people in the office could not tell me how this would be handled.  I thought that we would have the test done Friday in Quito, but Silversea reps could not tell me if the Friday test would meet the requirements or whether I needed to do a test now - Wednesday.  My doctor's office said the test results took 48 -72 hours.  If that were the case the Friday test would not be in time.  So we all went ahead and did the test on Wednesday.  

We flew down to Quito on Thursday 2 Sept on Delta.  They fed us dinner on the plane but it was lame -   a few pieces of cheese and some crackers, some grapes and a couple of pieces of apple, and a piece of chocolate.  

We were met in the airport by the Silversea rep who said they had a rapid PCS test that would come back in a couple of hours and that was all we needed. We hadn't needed to get the tests on Wednesday. 

She took us on socially distanced bus (every other seat) to the Marriott hotel which was not in the downtown historic area.   Some of what she said was wrong - she said we just had breakfast included on Saturday and it was included both days. We were in rooms 509 and 511 - adjoining rooms.  

Friday Sept 3rd we went down to take the Covid test and I was still filling out forms for Snorkeling and Kayaking which basically said that if I had any problems, the only person to blame was me - Silversea would not have liability for anything. They wanted me to be able to walk a mile in 12 minutes. I answered honestly (which was a mistake) that I couldn't walk at all but I could swim a half mile.  A person's fitness to walk really doesn't have anything to do with their ability to snorkel.  I do not have any heart or lung problems, but because I was crippled by arthritis for 10 years, I am only able to move well in the water.  And the medical officer, just based on this answer to the questionnaire without any tests pontificated that his medical opinion that I should not snorkel

We had the whole day free Friday, and I wanted to see something of Quito.  I knew we couldn't walk anywhere from the hotel,  but one of my daughters is a Captain on American Airlines and she flies to Quito regularly.  She gave me the name of a guide and told me to download Whats Ap to contact him.  We had a guide named Jorge, who took us first to the Equator museum and then we took the cable car up the mountain.  Rob and Kathy walked up the hill from there to the swings which swing you out over the valley.  We had lunch up there and then Jorge took me back to the hotel and Rob and Kathy toured the old town. 

There was an old town walking tour scheduled for the evening, but it started to rain, so we didn't go.

Embarkation

Saturday we went to the airport to fly to the Galapagos.  I had with me a walker in a box to check and I was riding a battery powered scooter.  The guy checking us in said he had never ever had such a long check-in with anyone. Finally they said that we could either spend 25 minutes filling out paperwork, or we could check the scooter without the battery. So of course we did that.

You got off the airplane the old fashioned way - by going down steps. They were disembarking at the front and the rear. Kathy went out the rear and they told me to come to the front. They asked me if I could do steps and I said that I could (we have steps at home and I go up and down the stairs 3 times a day), but before I could show them, they had put me in a wheelchair and carried me down the steps!!!  

Now because the scooter had been checked, I had no transportation.  I had to walk down the pier without the walker or the scooter. I was a little stiff from the plane trip and very nervous and scared about whether I could do it. I couldn't see how long the pier was and when I asked the man who was escorting me he didn't understand my question. Fortunately, there were places to sit along the pier.  I can walk with a walker about 400 feet before I have to stop and breathe. I don't know how long the pier was, but I had to stop and rest twice and I was more out of breath than usual because of the stress and because I need to steady myself with both hands and I only had one cane with me to help me hobble.

I had watched the whole lifeboat drill on the TV in the room so when we went up for the briefing on deck 7 after lunch, it was pretty much a repeat. There were 3 groups of us and after they drill they took us to see our lifeboat and explained how we would get on

The first night, I was sound asleep and the phone rang at 1:00 am - a wake-up call which I had not asked for.  And when I did ask for a wake-up call, it did not work.  I would ask for a wake-up call and the phone would ring 15 minutes later - I wasn't asleep yet.   The front desk said just to call her and she would give me a wake-up call. Which she did.

Although the internet on the ship says that you can purchase the internet for a second device, you really can't. So if my phone was on, the computer couldn't also be on the internet.  It took me a day to figure this out.  

The concierge was great - he got me a chair so I could sit in the shower - he unboxed the walker and took the box away and then reboxed it and taped it up for disembarkation.   

Most of the time I just used the walker - the doors were heavy and had thresholds.  It was too hard to hold the door open and pick up the scooter over the threshold.  And the ship was small enough that I didn't need the scooter.   

Dining

Breakfast and lunch were buffet or part buffet which are difficult for me. I can't stand long and I have no place to put the food I take.  I had room service for breakfast a couple of times.  Mostly, I just went to the dining room and sat down and the waiter would bring me the rolls I liked, butter, jam, and cheese from the buffet, cranberry juice and hot tea.   

One of the iconic foods of Ecuador is ceviche.  I never learned to like it.  Their breads were good and so were the french fries and the grilled fish.  The portions were generally small enough that I didn't leave food on the plate.  Plus I could have several desserts without being over stuffed.   

The menus were organized a little differently

Lunch was

From the Buffet - Ceviche - Soup

From the Galley - Comfort Food- Main Courses

Chefs Station (buffet)

Dessert Station (buffet)

I would order From the Galley and Rob or Kathy would bring me soup or a salad and some desserts from the buffet

Dinner would be Appetizers, Soup, Salad, Rissoto or Pasta, Main  Courses and Dessert.

We went up and had dinner at Hot Rocks once.   That was fun.

Each afternoon, we would assemble in the Explorer lounge and there would be munchies and drinks, and there would be a little lecture on some aspect of the islands, and then Xavier would tell us about the expeditions for the next day.  There was a big screen TV and the lecturer had a mike but there was also a small TV at each group of chairs so you could see right in front of you what was on the big TV and didn't have to crane your neck around

Expeditions - since the doctor had forbidden me to go on any snorkeling expeditions, and I couldn't do any of the hiking ones, I was limited to zodiac tours.  The expedition leader Xavier did an excellent job of showing me everything that I could possibly see from a zodiac. The naturalists were great.  I saw so many of the things I had heard about and even some that I had not expected.  I was able to take a lot of photos which is my second greatest joy (after being in the water)

Rob and Kathy went snorkeling. Kathy panicked and Rob had to help her - they let her go snorkeling even though she is not as good a swimmer and definitely a less experienced snorkeler than I am.  But she can walk.  They were afraid that I would not be able to climb the ladder to get back into the zodiac.  I could, but I didn't get to try.

Rob had a Go-Pro that he took snorkeling, and I looked at his photos.  The things he saw were for the most part not things that I minded missing. The one day he didn't go they saw the penguins in the water, and also the diving cormorants, turtles, starfish and sea lions. I would have liked to see photos of that.   Kathy took photos on the land excursions.

At the end of the tour they gave us a thumb drive with the photos that the photographer took on it.  But there was no narrative or identification of what was in the photos or where they were taken

Because I wasn't snorkeling, and the ship had a nice (fast) elevator so I wasn't climbing steps like I was at home, I was actually less fit when I got home than I was when I left.

The ship was new and was beautiful.  There was a whirlpool, and a small exercise room, but I don't know that anyone would have had time to use them.  Every day was filled with activities.  There was an area called Base Camp which had a console and a huge screen - it was some kind of interactive exhibit.  It was beautiful but only saw it in use once.  We just didn't have time to look at videos when there was real life to be seen.

I had $1000.00 credit for shopping but I was only able to use less than $200 of it. I just got a couple of T-shirts for the great grandchildren. I donated to the Galapagos fund.

There was one night when we went around outside the islands when it was quite rough and the ship was rolling enough that I thought it might roll me out of bed.  I heard the table on my veranda sliding back and forth all night and one of the glasses in the cabinet fell over.  I thought it was quite fun, but Kathy was not amused.

Disembarkation.  They took me, Rob, Kathy, the scooter and our carry-ons to shore first. The scooter was acting up, so I sat on the bus and waited for the rest of the group to walk though town before they took us to the airport.  This time I got to climb the steps myself.

At the hotel in Guayaquil, they gave us our covid tests and then gave Rob the room keys and also an envelope with a welcome letter and a place to say what we wanted for dinner. I didn't get a letter. 

I had refused to accept the original schedule which was to get off the ship, Saturday Sept 11th fly to Guayaquil, have a room for a few hours, get back on a plane at midnight and fly back to the states and home.  Instead we were to stay overnight in Guayaquil.  We each had living room with a big TV, a dining room table, a closet with a microwave and a fridge and a separate bedroom with another big flat screen TV, and a bathroom. I've also had a closet with an ironing board.  Silversea only paid for either lunch OR dinner.  

We were to fly out the next day- Sunday Sept 12th. There were a whole bunch of us on our flight. Including the group of 12 people who went to Cusco and Machu Picchu before the cruise.  Some of them got letters (the one I didn't get) saying that they had transport to the airport and some of them their letters didn't say and some of them said they had to make their own way to the airport. They didn't pay any attention to the letters and just got all of us into a van and our luggage into a truck. And delivered us all to the airport for the afternoon flight.     

I was little nervous about this - I should have asked to take the early morning flight instead of the afternoon flight, because.... 

.. the plane was a little late leaving and then we were held up in Miami for about half a hour because of thunderstorms. Instead of landing at 7:13, it was 7:46.  Then it took 45 minutes to get our luggage because the thunderstorms put the baggage guys behind.  When we finally got the luggage our outgoing flight had closed the gate.  

Rob and Kathy had to be back at work on Tuesday.  The gate agent offered us the same flight or an earlier flight Monday, but that would not get them back in time to go to work.  So I asked about flying in to D.C. rather than Baltimore.  She ticketed us to Raleigh Durham - checked our bags through, we spent about 4 hours in a motel there before a 6 am flight to D.C.  We took a shuttle from DC to BWI and we were back on schedule.

Crossing one off the Bucket List

Dover

Arrival Quito:  We arrived late at night and there is a Silversea hospitality desk at the JW Marriott.  We were told to report the next morning between 8 and 10am for a covid test provided by Silversea in the business center at the hotel.  Let me just say that for the four of us travelling together and many other guests, the whole covid testing was the most stressful part of the trip.  Rules kept changing before we left and although Quito only required a vaccination certificate, we knew the Galapagos required a negative pcr test.  Some information said 72 hours and some said 96 hours.  We got ours done at CVS on Wednesday before we left on Thursday and were very worried we wouldn’t get the results in time.  We did but were disappointed when we were never asked for them!  After all that angst!  The JW Marriott is a lovely hotel and breakfast was provided by Silversea.  We walked around a little and went to the Carolina Park nearby to get some fresh air.  Masks are required everywhere in Ecuador – both inside and outside.  I was the only one who had trouble with the altitude in our little group of four, but other people I chatted with did have some trouble with it too.  I had a headache and some nausea and dizziness.  I took Tylenol and it helped some.  We did the Quito by night tour and as the weather was good, it was mostly a walking tour.  As the hotel is in the new part of Quito and the tour is in the old town it is worth doing.  Be sure to check with the tour guide what you can and cannot buy along the way as the Galapagos has strict rules about when can be brought in.  Example – there was a street vendor selling cute paintings but they were done on sheep skin so that was a no no.  Same for colored pencils as they are deemed to be organice. The next morning we were taken to the airport to fly to the Galapagos.  There is a stop in Guayaquil en route and you stay on the plane.  On arrival in San Christobel we were met by the Silver Origin guides and taken directly to the pier where we boarded the zodiacs to get to the ship.  They take your suitcases directly to the ship and you take your hand luggage with you on the zodiac to the ship.  We went directly to lunch and then afterwards to our cabins.  We were in a Horizon Balcony superior cabin and our friends were in the Classic Verandah.  We loved the openness of the cabin and there is plenty of storage and hanging space. The crew all wore masks, and for the guests they were optional.  As there were only 58 of us on board, I think we all felt comfortable enough not wearing them having had vaccinations and covid tests. We did have to wear them if we went into a town where there were other locals.  The guests were almost all American.

There is a complimentary backpack and water bottle provided, along with ponchos (which we only discovered in the top of the closet on the second to last day!).  You will also be given the snorkel and mask you used all week as a gift.  They provide wet suits and flippers and a bag which is hung up on Deck 3 when you come back from snorkeling.  As I am not a great swimmer, they gave me a lovely little inflatable vest I could wear and I loved not being able to worry about staying afloat and trying to look at things!

First and foremost, this is an expedition not a cruise.  We have never done anything like this before and we embraced it fully.  We chose to have breakfast in our room almost every morning as the first expeditions usually left at 7.30.  I have every single daily chronicle and would be happy to scan them into my PC here and email them to you or post them in this thread.  If you are going on this trip, it will be challenging and exhausting but oh so worth it!  The naturalists are passionate and their knowledge extensive.  There are lectures during the day and before dinner and I encourage you to go to them.  They are only 30 minutes and well worth it.  We learned so much.  There is also a briefing on the next day’s activities with a slide show showing the terrain so you know exactly what to expect and what to wear.  It isn’t that the hikes and nature walks are long, but the terrain is sometimes very challenging.  They key is to look carefully where to plant your feet and take small steps.  The temperatures were lovely – warmer than we thought it was going to be.  Lower 70’s.  The water the first day for snorkeling was rough and a bit cold and then we moved closer to shore and it was better.  When I first jumped in it took my breath away but then we live in Florida and the water is very warm!  Having snorkeled in French Polynesia which is magical, this is a little different.  We did see lots of things though and I am glad I participated.  

The meals.  The cuisine is focused on Ecuadorian specialties.  We very much enjoyed all different options.  The portions for lunch and dinner are small but the upside to that is one can try several courses and not be stuffed to the gills by the end of the meal.  There is ceviche at lunch and dinner and I had it many times.  Always refreshing and delicious.  There are not a lot of meat options during the cruise like steak, roast beef etc.  Pork is plentiful, as is fish.  The chef is very creative and the waiters are eager to please and share their country’s special dishes.  You need to remember the crew is almost entirely from Ecuador.  They are not the seasoned waiters from around the world you may be used to on other Silversea cruises.  That being said they are gentle and kind and fun.  We did eat one night upstairs on the deck at the Hot Rocks.  It was fun and you can opt to cook a couple of main course items on the hot lava rocks.  We ate in the dining room the rest of the time.   We did go down for breakfast which opens at 6.30 a couple of times but with having to leave the boat so early, I preferred to eat in the room.  Sometimes things got mixed up on our orders but upon reflection, I realized that it must be hard to serve almost an entire ship room service breakfast!  The dress code is casual but no shorts or jeans in the evenings for dinner.  My hubby wore long pants and either golf shirts or dress shirts.  I wore slacks and blouses or maxi dresses.  

Clothing/things to pack.  I went on a website about what to take to the Galapagos and got some great hints.  I took two pairs of very light hiking pants. I also took some capris.  I had planned to wash them out as I thought there was a self service laundry.  If you look at the deck plans it shows a laundry but there is in fact not a self service one.  I don’t wear shorts but many did.  I took my Brooks running shoes as they afford good traction and support.  I did get some water shoes that have laces as my other ones I had had for a long time tended to slip off.  My friend wore her Tevas for all the wet landings.  The Galapagos is strict about sun tan lotions that are “reef friendly”.  I found some Coppertone that was but Silversea had a large tube of suntan lotion in the bathroom that was 50 so that is available if you decide not to take your own.  The shampoos and soaps are all eco friendly too.  I took a small container of Off but we never seemed to need it.  Take a hat or baseball cap.  I took a panama hat I found on Amazon and a baseball cap.  Some people wore the floppy material hats.  I recommend a swimsuit that doesn’t have a skirt if you are going to snorkel.  I took two swimsuits – one with a skirt and one regular and I never wore the skirt one as it would have been too hard to put into a wet suit! Many of us wore shirts that had sun protection factor in them.

The Expeditions were amazing and the naturalists had  an extensive knowledge.  There were usually three a day and varied between hiking and nature trails, snorkeling and kayaking.  We opted not to kayak because I have a shoulder issue.  We were not disappointed in any island.  Each one is different and I checked off my bucket list of things I hoped to see like blue and red footed boobies, red frigate birds with their gular sacs inflated, sea lions, giant tortoises, sea turtles, iguanas and many other different kinds of birds.  You are able to stand right next to the wild life as they are not afraid of humans.  Silversea has outdone themselves with the quality of the excursions and the guides.

The public rooms are beautifully appointed.  The decor was stunning and restful.  There are lovely lounge chairs on deck and huge sofas to lie on (if one has any time!).  There is also a lovely little star gazing deck on deck 8.  The dining room is also beautiful and the waiters couldn't do enough.  

Disembarkation.  Be prepared – this is a long day!  We had to be out of our cabins by 7 and we disembarked at 7.45.  As almost all the flights from San Christobel are in the evening, we were taken on a morning tour of a tortoise conservation place, and were given a boxed lunch (ham and cheese sanwhich).  From there we went to the airport to fly back to Guayquil (and some went on the same plane to Quito to take their flights).  Ours was from Guayaqil at 1.35am today.  Silversea took us to a hotel and provided a day room and covid testing on arrival with a certificate that was ready in a couple of hours.  They also provided dinner.  It was nice to be able to shower and change clothes for the flight.  

So all in all, this was a trip of a lifetime and we saw many wonderful birds and animals.  Silversea was five star all the way and we loved every single day.  If you are wanting a luxury cruise with a lot of time to relax and shop this is not the cruise for you!  We thought Silversea outdid themselves in all aspects of this cruise and we feel very fortunate to have been able to go to this incredible location on such a beautiful ship.

Silver Origin Galapagos Cruise

Su and I are experienced cruisers. Our normal choice of cruise line is small ships and very good service. We selected this cruise about 5 weeks before the start and have been pleasantly pleased with both SilverSea and more so the crew of the Silver Origin. On arrival in Quito our trip from the airport to the hotel was easy, the cab driver was outstanding and we arrived at the JW Marriott ready. This is the hotel that SilverSea has selected for the guests to meet and prepare for the cruise. We were 3 days earlier than expected but the staff here was super, friendly and attentive. When the SilverSea representatives arrived we had a good idea what we would need to know. Let me tell you they are on top of their game. We had all the documents needed and everything was prepared so we were ready for the cruise. Next day all passengers/guests received a Covid antigen test so there would be no hiccups arriving in the Galapagos. The trip to the airport was excellent as there were guides to ensure all of the guests made the airport with all the baggage and forms ready,  processed all through formalities to the gate. One of the guides accompanied us on the flight, so when we arrived in San Cristobal, we were organized and ready for the bus to the port. Every bus is small they could handle about 20 people but SilverSea placed 10ish on each bus. Which coincided with the capacity of the RIB (Ridged Bottom Inflatable) that was the majic carpet to the ship Silver Origin. By now I hope you have the idea that SilverSea’s planning is great, the next part gets way better!  

Arrival at the Origin was as expected. New boat, handsome, shipshape. It took me all of three steps to understand the crew gave this ship a soul !! Welcoming, efficient, but in every way making sure all the guests were kept SAFE. Tough under any circumstance, but transferring from a small boat to the ship was handled with the finest seamanship yet with respect and sincere appreciation. I can go on at length of how much we are enjoying the Ship, itinerary, food, service, but this crew is second to NO ONE. 

The bottom line is we extended to a second week, earlier today we will enjoy a third week with this SUPER CREW!  Oh, we are paying our own $$$ for the Smiles and experience.

We arrived on the boat and needed to get key/ access cards while these we being made it was up to deck 4 and the Restaurant. I’m sure many may wonder how the Restaurant was named us included, we’ve discovered it’s not in a name but the Food. So many people have cruised, and have an expectation of what might be included on a buffet, with in minutes of our first pass by the selection of food we knew there were many tasty surprises in store. 

Many of the dishes were familiar but each had some thing unexpected. This unexpected quality was everything had an Ecuadorian touch. We love eating, we really love foods that have an amazing flavor. Two weeks since we first crossed the stern of the Silver Origin every meal has challenged our taste buds in the most wonderful ways. Thankfully, there have been a few repeat dishes, because all of the flavors are super, some I can not have enough. Beef, fowl, pork, fish, vegan, all play a role, it is the addition of the Ecuadorian spice and starch, combined with the whimsy of the Chef and kitchen staff. Please get a Ecuadorian cookbook I cannot in a few sentences do Justice to all the wonderful tastes awaiting.

The ORIGIN of smiles!

After learning that Silversea was starting up their cruises in the Galapagos, and it was was on the brand new Silver Origin, we decided this was a great time to finally see these legendary islands. As a brand new ship, the public areas, cabins, and overall set-up of the ship was absolutely wonderful. Seeing these wonderful islands on a small luxury cruise ship was ideal for us. 

The excursions were varied and always interesting. There was a wide range of choices, from semi-strenuous hikes, snorkeling, and even just cruising around an island in one of their Zodiacs, with expert commentary provided along the way. The onboard naturalists are incredibly knowledgeable about the islands, and their love and commitment to their protection was very apparent.

The meals were always interesting and tasty, with extra effort made in presentation. The focus on Ecuadorian menu items was a welcome switch from typical cruise fare.

But, more than anything, what made this cruise  among the best we've ever taken was the crew and staff! There was never an occasion when virtually any crew member wasn't polite, helpful, knowledgeable, and doing their absolute best to meet whatever needs we had. We also appreciated the vigilance of all crew members staying masked up during the entire cruise, with top notch hygiene being practiced throughout the ship.

For either a first-time cruiser, or a veteran of other cruise lines, this cruise was the most comfortable, interesting, and welcoming as any ship we've been on. Just a perfect experience!

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