Darwin Explorer
Luc from Québec - 11/2001
Bonjour Gilles
Le voyage a été extraordinaire !
Tout a été sur des roulettes ! Nous avons définitivement fait un bon choix en travaillant avec vous !
Finalement les Iles Galapagos étaient bien sûr superbes bien que le guide que
nous avions n’était pas super dans ce cas là. Il se bornait à énumérer les noms
des animaux que nous voyons sans plus. [ Les guides sont affectés à chaque bateau
par le parc national des Galapagos...c'est la roulette russe, mais en général ils
sont bons; voir autres commentaires ci-dessous]
Nous avions été groupé avec d’autres
familles qui avaient des enfants sur le bateau, ce qui s’est révélé très bien
pour permettre aux enfants de s’amuser.
Le Darwin Explorer est très bien mais ses toilettes pourraient être nettoyées
plus souvent.
Donc c’était super !
Il me fera plaisir de faire des références si certains de vos clients en
demandent.
John, UK - Galapagos cruise with diving - 19/10/2001
After an initial hiccup in Lima when we found that our original flight
reservations to Quito had been cancelled, we have had an excellent time in
Ecuador and the Galapagos. The hotels, boat and guides have been excellent.
Just to let you know that there was no problem with paying for the diving
and Annabelle at Pamir was very apologetic for the misunderstanding. I
should also say that Annabelle was extremely helpful in taking us to the
hospital with Theresa - Theresa was fine but she had fallen and hit her head
on our last night in the Galapagos and the local hospital said that she
should have x-rays in Quito just to be sure. Annabelle drove us straight to
the hospital from the airport and stayed for over an hour acting as
translator. We were very appreciative.
I must also say that the cruise in the Galapagos, and our time in Quito, was
excellent. In the end our only complaint was that we had to come home! The
boat was comfortable and the guide and crew extremely friendly and helpful,
and of course the Galapagos themselves, both in and out of the water are
just amazing! I think that a return visit is definitely on the cards.
So, thank you again Gilles for all your help in putting the trip together
and ensuring that it all went so smoothly. We certainly will not hesitate
in recommending your services to anybody who is thinking of going to South
America, and hopefully we will be giving you another call ourselves sometime
next year!
Claire, UK - 19/10/2001
We had such a fantastic time, that I am hoping to return for another visit.
I would very specifically be looking to go on the Darwin Explorer again and
wonder whether you could advise the following:
Catherine, UK - 22/11/2000
Hello Gilles and Danielle
Just a quick word to let you know that we had a fantastic
trip on the Darwin
explorer in the Galapagos islands. When we arrived in
Quito we found our tickets waiting for
us.
We almost had a problem with a flight to the Galapagos
because although we
arrived at the airport one hour before the flight they
didn't check us in
at
the check in desk. So when we turned up at the gate a
little less than
half
an hour before they said we had lost our seats. Eventually
they found some
for us. We were lucky it was not high season, but could
you warn people
that
they aren't actually checked in until they arrive at the
gate in Quito
domestic airport.
There were no more problems though. The guide Walter was
fun and very
knowledgeable. He was born in the Galapagos so was
interested in the
conservation of the islands. The islands were stunning and
the animals
fantasic. Actually it was amazing how quickly you got used
to being
approached by sea lions and how comfortable the animals
and birds were
with
human presence. We noticed this all the more on day five
when six new
people
joined the boat and we watched their first reactions - the
same ones we
had
had five days earlier.
The boat was cosy! Cabins were very small but you have hot
water to shower
all the time. Meals were excellent. We are vegetarians and
they still
managed to provide something delicious most nights . The
deserts were not
so
good but after such a good main course no one really
cared.
We had no problem finding a hotel in Puerto Ayora. We
stayed in a room
with
a hot shower for $15 per night for the room for two
people. There is a lot
of construction going on there at the moment so I think
hotels will be
even
easier to find in the future.
Transfer to the airport is a bus that leaves from the
plaza about three
hours before the flight leaves. Buy tickets in advance at
the ticket
office,
also on the plaza.
Any way thanks for booking the trip. It was probably one
of my best ever
and
I've been to lots of places! A great hassle free holiday.
Thanks
Helen, US - 01/09/2001
hi danielle,
Sorry i took so long getting back. i live and work
dowtown close to ground zero and just trying to catch
up and get things back into the groove.
the trip to the galapagos was great.
our ship was simple, but very comfortable. the food
was very good, the chef always had a snack and the
meals were hearty and creative. being a vegaterian
isn't always easy when away; however, the chef catered
to everyone's needs.
the crew was the best part. very friendly, helpful
and the crew had a ship band, so every night we would
all gather on deck and sing and dance. they were very
good musicians and it put such a nice touch on the
trip. they were very proud and sweet about playing
and fulfilling their responsibilities. there was a
cute little bar where evryone would gather after the
day and converse. i also felt very safe on the ship.
the crew were professional and knowledgable about the
sea, islands and equipment. we even went diving.
wow!! hammerhead sharks, sting rays, schooooooools of
fish, sea tutles, marine lizards, sea lions. you must
have a certified diver's card with you. on certain
dives it was a bit dangerous, the currents down there
are real fast in parts. the guide took us down.
the only complaints about the trip would be when
lodging on the ship a heavy smell of gasoline was
filling the cabins below (unfortunately that's were we
were) it gave headaches and some of the guests slept
on couches in the dining room or on lounge chairs on
decks. they also had a little roach problem in the
cabins. when booking future guests i would make sure
their cabins were on deck to avoid these problems.
the cabins on deck were smaller but had the fresh sea
air and no roach problems.
the islands were beautiful. we were swimming with sea
lions and up close to blue footed boobies.
walter our guide was *****! spoke very good english,
was very knowledgable about the islands and animal
life, patient and a great sense of humor. I highly
suggest him as a guide. the four days allowed us to
see plenty and get a good sense of the galapagos. it
is an amazing place full of history and spectacular
beauty, i learned a lot.
i would also advise guest that there is a 10% tip to
the crew at the end. the crew really work their butts
off to accommodate everyone and it is disappointing to
them and in general how people can be so
unappreciative and cheap. we were told
some guests only gave a couple of dollars to the crew.
i understand some foreigners are not acustom to
tipping; however, it should be explained that the last
day of the trip 2 envelopes will be given to each
cabin and 10% tip to be given and a tip to the guide
in the other.
i belive it is practice like this that can affect
service and attitude in the future for better or
worse.
if you have any other questions, please feel free to
e-mail me.
thanks again for arranging the trip.
best regards,
Galapagos Explorer II
Michelle, US - 01/04/2002
Hello Danielle,
We had an absolutely fantastic time in the Galapagos and an even BETTER
time
(if you can belieive it) in Kapawi. They were very different. The
Galapagos
has fewer species of wildlife but they are in abundance, and you can
readily
see them on hikes and snorkelling. Although the Amazon has more species,
they are in smaller numbers and are extremely camera shy. I am sure,
even
with my super 600mm camera lens, the birds are going to appear as we
specs
on film! That is, if you can spot them in the foliage of the trees.
Anyway, I'll send my travel update top family and friends about the
Galapagos to you for a laugh.
Hear from you soon,
Michelle
Elke, US - 01/07/2002
Hi Danielle!
Comments on your services: outstanding, couldn't have worked out any
better. I believe the trickiest part in our case was to fit both of our
wishes in such a tight timeframe, visiting the Galapagos and Kapawi in
less than two weeks, and it all worked out perfectly.
Comments on the boat. Well, we are happy go easy kind of people,
especially when on vacation. Nevertheless, we talked to one passanger
about the form we were requested to fill in after the trip, and he said,
he had written 7 (or was it 8?) pages with recommendations of how to
improve the service. He said, since the cruise is quite high priced, he
would have expected better attention. As to us, yes, the guide wasn't
that great, either, but I can't remember his name, and we didn't leave a
big tip for him. Our waiter, Juan, was very nice, polite, and extremely
helpful, and we left him the biggest tip. We also left a tip to the
crew, but just like you, we considered leaving as much as they asked for
was ridiculous. We would have ended up paying
$ 700 just for tips, so we decided to rather give the individuals that
pleased us a personal tip, than tipping as a lumpsum. We also left a tip
to the people who cleaned the rooms, because they also did a nice job,
always on time, always invisible. The biggest disappointment for us was
at the end, I believe we told you. The boat had troubles with the
electricity and we were quite late to get back to San Cristobal. We had
to sit around and wait, the cabins were already cleared, so nobody had a
place to go, it was hot (no A/C), and even when one of the passengers
suggested to the Captain, to provide free drinks to everyone who wanted
one, he declined. At the time we were about 70 passengers, take half of
them wanted a dring, multiply this by $5, that would have been an
expense of approx. $175, we are still shocked that the captain felt, he
couldn't do that. Overall we enjoyed the cruise, but again, putting
price and service provided in relationship, it was probably not that
great.
Best regards from John and the kids!
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