The airport is about a 45-minute bus ride from downtown Quito. Once there we moved our luggage to the airline counter, I notice a blue zip-ties on the zippers – I assume indicating that our luggage was inspected by the park authorities.
During the bus I ride I was struck by the age difference of the passengers compared to my 2019 World Cruise. I then realized it was likely due to the cruise leg duration. The Galapagos cruise is designed around seven-day legs; Silversea has two different legs, one clockwise and other counter-clockwise – stopping at slightly different areas of the islands. The world cruise was 1) four-and-one-half months long, and 2) had legs from two to three weeks long. A Galapagos trip fits much easier into a child’s school schedule. I only saw a single teen on the world cruise the entire time (a passenger’s grand child), whereas there are a dozen teens on board now and several pre-teens. There is a corresponding lower average age of adults.
Nothing to report about the flight – at least it’s easier to breathe on the islands. There are nearly 30,000 people living in the Galapagos, only on four of the 18 main islands. Over 10,000 live on San Cristobal Island, which also has the airport and main port. While there is mobile phone coverage in town, let me assure there there’s nothing once we are underway.
We were greeted on the ship with lunch at the outdoor “Grill”. The shrimp ceviche was fabulous; it’s served kind of like an Italian antipasto. The shrimp was in a tomato-based stock, and in Ecuador you add popcorn like many add crackers to soup. Sounds a bit strange, and looks more so, but it works.
The Silver Origin started sailing June-2021 and carries up to 100 passengers. During our in-briefing we were told this is the first time the ship has sailed full, now with 95 passengers. I guess that means there are several other single guests, like me! I think this is an indication of the virus (finally) winding down. It’s a pretty ship – I’ll do a general room/ship layout post later. But here’s a view of the hallway to tide you over.
In the room there was some equipment I did not have on the world cruise – a Quiet Vox. It’s a portable one-way walkie-talkie headphone so we can hear our guides. I’ve used such things in museums before but never outdoors. I’m not sure if this was a reaction to Covid or the number of passengers, thus the larger size of our tours.
As opposed to my world cruise, there is no “Cruise Director” – the focus of the Silversea “Expedition” style of cruises is the location, not on-board entertainment. Like the world cruise there are destination presentations, but here it’s daily with an explanation of the next day’s plan and highlights. The “Explorer Lounge” has a giant TV with supporting small TVs around the room so the Head Guide and present to all the passengers at once.
Silversea provides us with a backpack and aluminum insulated water bottle (that we get to keep), as well as snorkeling equipment – which we don’t get to keep, mostly. For some reason we get to keep the face mask. Note: Silversea bans the use of full-face masks, they claim a safety hazard. That was news to me. The water is cold enough to need “shorty” wet suits. It has been 20 years since I’ve worn a wet suit, and at my first try I put it on backwards and needed a crew member to help me remove it. Ah, the glamour of travel.
I know I have foodie readers, so here’s a rundown of dinner. I almost forgot how much I enjoy Silversea’s risotto (remember, Silversea is based in Italy). I ate it before taking a picture. “Ate”, hell. I crushed the risotto. But here is the beef medallion. I’m not a mushroom fan, but these were good. The mashed potatoes were very finely whipped. I followed with melon confit.
This was a good start. But we get into the exploring tomorrow.