Mother-Daughter Galapagos Adventure
My mom and I had a Galapagos cruise and land-based adventure! I enjoyed the larger ship more than expected. Such a great destination to kayak, snorkel, experience wildlife up close and personal such as blue-footed boobies, iguanas and giant tortoises. This trip was such an action packed adventure and I am so happy that I had my mom by me.
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Big or Small Ship?
Oct 25, 2018
Going into this Galapagos trip, I thought for sure that I’d have a strong preference for a small vessel, something in the 16-20 passenger range. Quaint and cozy, where everybody knows your name. After my cruise on the 100-passenger Galapagos Legend, I now see major advantages to both and was surprised by how much I loved a larger crowd and more room to roam on board. In the cruising world, relatively speaking, a 100-passenger ship is still quite small! But for some travelers who wouldn’t necessarily want to identify as a “cruiser,” it can sound like an intimidating leap in size.
Large ship misconceptions. Let’s clear the air, shall we?
- Bigger groups? Not at all. Since the Galapagos National Park service enforces a strict 1:16 guide-to-passenger ratio for all guided services, each ship will have an appropriate number of naturalist guides on board in order to not exceed this ratio.
- Long wait times? Not to worry! On the Legend, we were always summoned to the disembarkation area by groups - rotating the order in which we were called - and the process from start to finish would take about 10-15 minutes. This didn’t eat into our time for excursions, and we were never standing around waiting. Remember, these cruises are offered year-round, and the crews have it all down to a science.
- Crowded excursions? Nope. The guides do a great job of starting in slightly different locations so that the groups aren’t on top of each other, competing for space and air time. If you’re on a smaller ship, you can expect to see a few other vessels at your landing sites in order to maximize the number of travelers that can be in a location at one time. The larger ships will usually max out that particular landing site, so you’re rarely landing with other ships nearby.
Would a bigger boat be the right fit for me?
- If you’re seriously worried about seasickness, a larger ship is definitely something to consider.
- If you're an older traveler with more limited mobility, the larger ships will often have more amenities on board to make your experience more comfortable. Most ships over 40 passengers will have a doctor on board (the Legend did), and the Legend always had the glass bottom boat ready to go for travelers who weren’t comfortable with snorkeling in open waters - a great alternative!
- If you’re looking for a few more creature comforts - fitness center, lounges, bars, pools, libraries, hot tub (all of which the Legend has) - a larger vessel might be for you.
- If you’re stressed out at the thought of sharing each excursion and meal time with the same 16 travelers, you might enjoy the ability to meet more people and/or blend in with your surroundings - nothing wrong with a bit of anonymity when on vacation!
- If you're a large family traveling with young children, the larger ships will usually have more options for triple cabins and interconnected rooms.
