You may find the thread below useful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Galapagos

Thank you! I did a search before posting with no results:(

You will see all about my upcoming trip in the post that Mtn linked. I can add that my DH works with a guy who went to the Galapagos last year and he let DH borrow his photo book from the trip. It looks amazing! All sorts of wacky birds, and in one photo the guy's wife and daughter are standing in the water a few feet away from several flamingos...how cool is that?

We are going in June, and I'll be happy to share any info when we return, if you're planning to go after that.

My son's MIL in there right now. When she gets back next week I'll have to ask if she has any tips. She researched accommodations before she booked the trip and I'm pretty sure she decided to stay on the ship.

At this point we have no definite plans so any feedback on your trip, Sue, and your MIL's trip, MC, would be most appreciated. Will look forward to hearing about both!

My strong recommendation is to take a cruise if you go. The amazing thing about the Galapagos is the huge variations in landscape and species of animals among the various islands, which you will miss if you don't do the cruise. I am not a cruise person at all, but I think it's a must for this trip. The people that I know who were disappointed by the Galapagos were the non-cruisers. I would not recommend staying on a developed island in a hotel, as the developed islands are not very interesting-- all the interest in the trip is in the undeveloped/uninhabited islands, as walking them really takes your mind back almost to some prehistoric time. On the cruise most of the traveling between islands is done at night, so you can max out your time during the days.

We went on the Lindblad/National Geographic cruise. I highly recommend it. Small boat (maybe 40 people), decent, fresh food (although not a foodie adventure) and highly trained tour guides. The group was a nice mix that skewed toward educated, well-traveled people. It was a very active trip, but the nice thing about it was that there were options each day that covered various interests and fitness levels (ie, hikes, zodiac trips, snorkeling, etc.). I think everyone on our cruise loved the experience (except this one couple who for some reason never left the boat because the wife thought animals were "smelly"-- strange trip for those two!!).

Sas, thank you for your reply. I'm off to check out the Lindbald site!

I have friends who have done the Linblad trip and loved it.

Beth P.

Thank you, Beth. I've explored the site and this looks like it would be a good fit for us. I'm excited to learn more!

Galapogas cruise ranks high as the very best trip ever. We went on Celebrity. About 90 passengers. Twice each day the boat stopped and we took little rubber motor boats to the island. We were always in groups of 16 with a guide. The food on the boat was excellent and the other passengers were fine.
Our trip was similar to sas25. good luck

Thank you, 60ohno (love that!); I'm off to check out Celebrity. We're now considering the best time of year to go and looking at September.

I've heard that Overseas Adventure Travel does wonderful cruises to the Galapagos at a reasonable price. I have never gone, but wish I could!

Here is a link that might be useful: OAT trip to Galapagos

Thanks for that recommendation, ded. I took a look and am impressed with what I see on their site.