Royal Galapagos Reviews 71

The size of the cruise is 16passengers; not too small and not too big for 1 guide. The guide is a licensed naturalist. 8 days 7 nights is optimal, not too long for some repeated activities.

Had a real good time with a great crew, staff, guide on this trip. All five stars except for wanting to eat our evening meal earlier. It was never asked about even though we informed RG of it ahead of time.

The whole experience was fantastic! Our flights got delayed due to some serious winter weather and Royal Galapagos was very helpful in making sure we still got out in time to enjoy most of the cruise. After we finally got on the boat, the entire crew was incredibly professional and helpful. Beyond that, the guides were very knowledgeable and passionate about the history and wildlife of the Galapagos. Overall it was a fantastic experience and we’ll definitely recommend the Royal Galapagos Infinity cruise to our friends and family.

Great experience with very knowledgeable team. Seamless booking and itinerary. Supported by ground team at each airport and tour interchange

Luis our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the Galapagos islands, from the topography to the wildlife! The crew was wonderful! Our chef Darwin prepared unique, tasty meals. Danny our bartender was always ready to help with his fabulous smile. Lorena, the representative from Royal Galapagos, was VERY helpful in answering all my questions before the trip. Truly, a terrific company I will recommend.

Trip was very efficiently organised including associated flights, hotels and transfers. The cruise was excellent. This was very much down to the fantastic crew on the Galapagos Angel who could not have been more helpful and accommodating and the guide, Alejandra Camacho, who was absolutely excellent and really enthusiastic and friendly - she went above and beyond in ensuring we had the best experience possible. We have been to the Galapagos once before and had a great time - we did not think we would equal our previous experience but we did.

I just finished the eight-day Royal Galapagos Itinerary B tour aboard the Grand Majestic. I had gone with no expectations and was completely blown away. I highly, highly recommend that people put the Galapagos Islands on their bucket list and also highly, highly recommend that people book with Royal Galapagos. I've travelled throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America and can honestly say that I've never experienced a better organized tour that delivered on all counts. That's why I;'m going back in December with RG for Itinerary A.

Lorena was my agent at Royal Galapagos and was exceptionally helpful and quick to respond to questions. The crew of nine were also helpful and friendly and charming throughout. Our rooms were tidied three times a day, between excursions, and the chefs provided absolutely high-end buffet dining. The range of food and juices was exceptional and the cabins and public areas were every bit as comfortable and high-end as on the promotional materials. A special thanks to my guide, James Barreno, who went out of his way to provide options and cater to each guest's needs. His knowledge was encyclopedic and his communication and leadership skills were truly outstanding.

This is an action-packed tour, but breathing time is planned between each of the multiple daily excursions on land and in the water. My favourite times were swimming with playful sea lions (one of which blew bubbles in my face) and alongside majestic sea turtles. Snorkelling is a passion of mine: Previously my focus has been on coral life in the Caribbean and Red Sea, but the abundance of marine life in the Galapagos has made me rethink my priorities. Truly, the range and difference on and between each island is something that has to be experienced to be believed. I could go on and on but I fly out of Guayaquil tomorrow and need some shut eye.

The trip exceeded our expectations both in terms of the service we received and the extraordinary wildlife and scenery we were able to see.

Well taken care of and an overall fabulous trip. Luis, our guide, was very knowledgeable and passionate about the Galapagos. The crew took very good care of us as and was very concerned about our safety and well-being as we travelled around the Galapagos. Meals were excellent, many thanks to Darwin, our chef. The excursions (snorkeling, hiking, panga rides) were all excellent.

The yacht was perfectly sized for the amount of passengers, cabin was very roomy. The food was spectacular and the crew were very professional and friendly they would go the extra mile. I highly recommend Royal Galapagos

Our Royal Galapagos Infinity 8B cruise was spectacular! The boat and more importantly the crew, were outstanding. Our guides, Eric and Fernando, were passionate, knowledgeable and fun and every excursion was fantastic. Highly recommend, this was a once in a lifetime trip!

We did the Daphne Day Tour and felt the quality wasn’t as good as other snorkelling tours we’ve done on Cristobal and Isabela. We weren’t given a vegetarian meal at lunch - only rice and salad whilst everyone else had fish so we felt really hungry. The guide also did not introduce himself and seemed less knowledgeable compared to other guides we’ve had. there was also a lot of waiting around at the start of the tour at the channel with no information about when the boat was arriving. Unfortunately it did not meet our expectations.

Absolutely amazing time! The crew and guides were fabulous and the expeditions did not disappoint. The knowledge and information about the Galápagos Islands and the animals was unbelievable, and only matched by their passion and love for their country and what they do. Highly recommend the small group cruise option for more personalized attention and information.

It was the cruise of a life time. We saw more than expected and the crue was fantastic

Fantastic carer in making our experience unique and unforgettable.

Our journey basically consisted of four parts: Quito, LaSelva Amazon lodge, a guided road trip through the Andes, and the Infinity yacht in the Galapagos. We thoroughly enjoyed each part. Both our guides at LaSelva and on the road trip were excellent and we would recommend them without hesitation. The hotels were also excellent, except for our last day unfortunately (see below).

Three issues we found puzzling and annoying. First, for some reason at LaSelva we were placed in one of the three rooms behind the main reception counter, not in one of the separate bungalows. These rooms were noisy both from next door (the walls are thin) as well as above where the restaurant is located. The fact that we had a person who had a coughing problem our entire stay also added to our irritation. We remain puzzled why a bungalow was not offered.

Second, on the Infinityyacht food was frequently buffet. Our issue was the parsimonious amount the staff prepared, leading a number of times to guests at the end of the buffet line confronting empty containers. When this was pointed out the response was a cavalier “too bad” attitude. Not what we expected from what was supposedly a first class yacht adventure.

Finally, flying back from the Galapagos, Royal Galapagos booked a hotel for us in Quito - actually far outside of Quito. Our plane from the Galapagos arrived 6:00 PM; our international flight back home was at 3:15 AM the next morning - requiring a wake up call at 1:00 AM! Unfortunately for some reason we were driven to a resort in the hills over 45 minutes from the airport, passing by various hotels (Holiday Inn, Hilton) minutes from the airport. Given our arrival/departure times plus the second rate hotel room (it was similar to a college room and not worth the ride in the dark) we were put in, it was not the way we wanted to end our Ecuador adventure.

We are seasoned travellers so none of these issues spoiled our adventure. Except these irritants, every other aspect of our trip with Royal Galapagos was first class. We list them here so that others can plan their adventure better.

Quite simply, we were stunned by this trip on the Infinity. Most of the reviews here are correct: outstanding snorkeling, knowledgeable and respectful guides, unique wildlife, great food, fellow travelers who are really excited and curious in the best ways, on and on. But to really sum it all up simply, this trip just left us chock full of unique experiences…and with an overwhelming sense of awe.

Great staff, from Lorena (in Sales in Miami) to the crew on the boat (who were all from the Galapagos).
Luxury, yet informal. Private bathrooms & balconies. Great food, including personalized meals for lactose- and dairy-allergic passengers.

I do not recommend booking a cruise with Royal Galapagos.

We had a very terrible experience with the boat MY Passion for our 5 days 4 nights Galapagos cruise recently. The crew, the naturalist and the itinerary were great but the boat was in a terrible state.

They changed the boat two weeks before our departure. And it was a big downgrade compare to what we initially booked with. We were supposed to be on the Horizon boat but then they put us in another boat, MY Passion (I presumed it’s a chartered boat as it’s not part of their fleet). At this stage we can’t cancel the cruise trip as we have already had scheduled flights, tours, and hotels booked. They didn’t offer any compensation or anything until I told them (via our agent) that we were very upset about the change as it was our wedding anniversary trip. They just offered us bar credits onboard.

We definitely did not get what we paid for. We were supposed to have balconies in each cabin. That was the main reason that we booked Horizon, as I have issues with confined spaces without window openings and good ventilation. MY Passion was exactly that. Our cabin has no open windows as we were at the bottom of the boat. That’s not the worst yet.

The cabin we were in was full of motor fumes, that on the first night we were wearing masks to sleep. And then we woke up in the middle of the night choking with the fumes. The next day, our masks were fully black. I used a CPAP machine, the filter was completely black too. I should have taken a photo. It was shocking to know what we were breathing in. The next day we told the naturalist, she came and denied there was any smell. We were pretty upset about it and we asked another fellow passenger onboard to come to our cabin to ask if she can smell it too. She totally agreed with us. The crew then tried their best to fix the problem, it did reduce the smell of fumes but it was still there. Then we found out it’s coming out from the bathroom so we closed the door at all time. Even so, you can still smell it. We had a terrible 4 nights sleep onboard. Some other cabins had issues as well. We were not the only ones. They had issues with their bathrooms with really bad musky smell,etc.

If it’s not because of the magical Galápagos Islands and the excellent crew onboard, who tried their really best to be hospitable and professional, we would be very upset about this whole Galapagos trip. It was meant to be a trip of a lifetime. However, because of Royal Galapagos, we now have tainted memories of this trip. It was supposed to be a ‘luxury’ class boat, but it was far from it. The hot tubs on the ship weren’t working too.

Since we booked this cruise through Galapagos Travel Centre, we couldn’t have direct communication with Royal Galapagos. I would recommend to book directly with the boat provider rather than an agent just for ease of rectifying issues.

Staff and boat were AMAZING