Galápagos

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Galápagos — Christmas 2026

Party: Carlos + Maheva + Mom (uncle a possible 4th). Plan shape: ONE family cruise (Tip Top V, Dec 18–21), then a land-based chapter from Puerto Ayora with day boats, and possibly a second cruise if a chased cabin frees up. Mom wants to be back in Canada for Dec 31 — a preference, not a hard deadline, so options ending Jan 2–3 stay live.

🚢 Tip Top V — Dec 18–21 (the lead) EMAIL SENT — AWAITING SANDRA

Price$2,338 pp main deck, no single supplement for Mom · $7,014 for 3 · $9,352 for 4 (uncle shares Mom's cabin) Route4-day East, includes Genovesa on day 2 · flights + transit cards included · flights can be on your preferred dates PaymentFull payment by wire confirms · card costs +10% · effectively non-refundable (50% back only with a hospital medical certificate) HoldConfirmed in writing by Sandra until Wed Oct 28

Sent Sun Oct 25, 8:06 PM (in Sandra's thread): Carlos's confirmation email asks for the final total in writing; whether the park fee sits inside the $7,014 or on top (and at $100 pp for Colombian passports — Carlos, Mom, uncle — vs $200 for Maheva, French); the wire instructions; what passenger details she needs; per-person flight flexibility (arrive separately, return on different dates, whether that changes price, until when dates can be set); what help exists for Mom at Prince Philip's Steps on Genovesa day; and adding the uncle later at the same $2,338 rate. At the correct park fees the all-in totals are $7,414 for three / $9,852 for four.

Why the park fee matters: Sandra quoted $200 pp flat ($600–800). On passports it should be $400 for three / $500 for four — a $200–300 swing, and park fees are cash-only USD on site, so the answer changes both the wire and the cash to carry.

Wire routes (researched to completion Oct 24–25): Fidelity is $0 either way — online same-day domestic wire if Sandra's account is the Miami one she mentioned in her Oct 21 quote; phone wire (800-544-2976, 2–3 business days, tail 4–5) if Ecuadorian, with Tip Top's bank deducting a flat ~$10 on arrival. SoFi is the fallback for the US-account case only: it DOES send domestic wires ($30, same-day before 3:30 PM ET) but cannot send international ones. The money is in the brokerage SPAXX — $33,121.58 available to withdraw, covering the fare 3.5–4.7×; the Cash Management account holds only $339.60. Wise is a viable backup; Remitly is the wrong tool (person-to-person only).

📨 Second-cruise chase — 7 inquiries sent SENT OCT 25

All sent by Carlos on Sun Oct 25, ~5:12 PM: Galaxy Orion Dec 26–Jan 2 for 4 (Galagents) · EcoGalaxy Dec 29–Jan 2 for 4 (Galagents) · Seaman Journey Dec 24–28 for 4 (Latin Trails) · Monserrat Dec 24–31 for 4 (Galapatours) · Bonita C Dec 30–Jan 3 for 4 (Royal Galapagos) · Coral I Dec 30–Jan 3 for 2 (GO Galapagos — sent twice, two addresses, harmless) · National Geographic Islander II Dec 22–28 for 4 (Deluxe Cruises).

Why this works: unpaid 60-day balances auto-cancel Oct 23 – Nov 1 (Orion ~Oct 27, EcoGalaxy Oct 30, Bonita C + Coral I Oct 31). Operators learn their true inventory around Nov 1–5, and inquiries already sitting in their inboxes get offered the freed cabins first. No operator has confirmed anything yet — replies are the event to watch from Oct 27 on.

Closed threads: Eden (G Adventures) is WAITLIST ONLY — booking 2826484 was never confirmed, nothing paid, nothing due; Carlos also replied to G on Oct 25 and asked SEV07DA questions, and G's written answers closed SEV07DA (no double cabin left). Letty's cabin block lapsed Oct 26 as planned. Beluga (Dec 16–23) remains backup only, hold to Oct 28.

🛶 Day tours (Dec 22 – Jan 2) — 18 emails sent SENT OCT 25–26

Carlos sent inquiry emails to 18 operators on Sunday night (verified in Sent). Each asks — in conditional framing — about some mix of Bartolomé, North Seymour, Pinzón, Floreana, Isabela and the Bay Tour for Dec 22 – Jan 2: total price for 2, late-December operating days, whether anything runs Dec 25 / Jan 1, what's included, and gentle options while Mom is there (to ~Dec 25/26).

What the replies settle: no seller shows verifiable Christmas-week seats online, and nobody has confirmed Dec 25 / Jan 1 operation — the replies are the only real availability signal. Prices seen so far (unverified for the window): Bartolomé $245 local vs $480+ OTA · North Seymour $230–390 · Santa Fe $145–230 · Pinzón $130–180 · Bay Tour $35–75.

Still unsent (second wave, if replies are thin): Galapagos Local Tours (North Seymour $390 pp, published in-window departures Dec 24/26/27/28/31 + Jan 2) · Agora Tours (Santa Fe $230, Dec 23 + 26) · Galapagos Outdoors (Tortoise Experience $150, no boat — cleanest Mom fit; Santa Fe $200) · Galapagos Frontier (land tours, low urgency).

💬 Ready to send — WhatsApp (you paste these)

Muse can't send WhatsApp as you. These two yacht owners have no email — WhatsApp is the only channel, and owners control the actual seats. Both texts are conditional (no commitment) and ask the Dec 25 / Jan 1 question directly.

1 · Altamar (own yacht) — Bartolomé Tue/Sun, North Seymour Wed/Sat rotation. Number: +593 99 948 3738

Hi team,

I am planning a land based stay in Puerto Ayora with my partner, and one possibility we are considering is booking a few day tours on the Altamar between December 22, 2026 and January 2, 2027.

If we did that, would it be possible to join your North Seymour, Santa Fe, South Plaza or Bartolomé day tours in that window?

What would the total price be for 2 people for each tour?

I saw a rotation published with South Plaza on Monday and Thursday, Bartolomé on Tuesday and Sunday, North Seymour on Wednesday and Saturday, and Santa Fe on Friday. Would that same rotation apply in late December?

Would the yacht run on December 25 or on January 1, if we were interested in one of those dates?

What is included in the price, for example lunch, snack, snorkel gear, wetsuit, guide and hotel pickup?

What would the pickup point and pickup time be for each tour?

One extra question: a family member aged 65 may be with us until about December 25 or 26. She does not snorkel and can only do short, gentle walks. If she joined one tour, would North Seymour or Santa Fe suit her better, staying on the boat or beach during the snorkel stop?

What deposit would be needed to confirm, and what would the cancellation terms be?

Thank you very much.

2 · Yacht Windrose / Galapagos Eco Group — $380 pp listings; its Fridays are North Seymour, which is exactly the Dec 25 / Jan 1 question. Number: +593 99 414 6421 (fallback +593 99 918 5784)

Hi team,

I am planning a land based stay in Puerto Ayora with my partner, and one possibility we are considering is booking a few day tours on the Windrose yacht between December 22, 2026 and January 2, 2027.

If we did that, would it be possible to join the North Seymour and Bachas tour, the South Plaza and Santa Fe tour, or the Bartolome tour in that window?

What would the total price be for 2 people for each tour if we book directly with you?

I saw your Day Expedition listings at $380 per person for the Monday and Tuesday tours. Would that same price apply to the other weekday tours in late December?

Which days of the week does each tour operate in late December?

Would any tour run on December 25 or on January 1, if we were interested in one of those dates?

What is included in the price, for example lunch, snorkel gear, towels, guide and the transfer to the yacht?

I saw that wetsuit rental is extra at $10 per person. Would you be able to confirm that?

What would the meeting point and meeting time be in Puerto Ayora?

One extra question: a family member aged 65 may be with us until about December 25 or 26. She does not snorkel and can only do short, gentle walks. If she joined the North Seymour tour, could she stay on the yacht or on the beach during the snorkel stop?

What deposit would be needed to confirm, and what would the cancellation terms be?

Thank you very much.

Carlos Riveros
carloseriveros@gmail.com

3 · Tour de Bahia (Bay Tour $35–45 pp, daily 09:00 + 14:00, 3–4h, gentlest Mom fit) — +593 996 566 630. Short ask: availability Dec 22–26 for 3–4 people, price per person, what's included, pickup point.

4 · Rodrigo — Galapagos Natural Life (Seaman Journey Dec 24–28 availability, separate from the Latin Trails email) — +593 98 457 9397. Ask: any cabins for 4 on the Dec 24–28 sailing, price per person, and whether the quoted rate carries a surcharge.

🏨 Land stays — shortlist with links SWEEPS RUNNING

Quality filter (your rule): 3–5★ hotels, quality boutiques, good apartments only — no hostels, nothing super cheap. Prices below are published floors; exact December prices are unverified everywhere until a direct quote lands. Sweeps refresh every 2 hours; Hotel Cucuve and Hotel Fiesta have already replied no availability.

Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz) — the day-trip base

San Cristóbal — the gentle base (own airport, flat town, Kicker Rock; best for a 2–4 night add-on, especially with Mom)

🛡 Travel insurance READY TO BUY LATER

Researched to checkout level. Medical + evacuation cover is legally required for Ecuador/Galápagos and G Adventures demands proof of it; none of Carlos's cards pass that proof test. Cancellation cover is a deliberate SKIP (~$900–1,000 to protect ~$16k against listed perils only — self-insure instead). Medical+evac-only totals ≈ $209–296 for the group, buyable any time before travel. Residence splits the policies: Mom needs a Canadian policy (OHIP base); the uncle Colombia; Maheva's base (France vs Colombia) still unconfirmed; Carlos can't honestly use Colombia as residence for everyone.

✈️ Mom's Toronto → Quito flights IN ITS OWN CHAT

Her first vacation day is Mon Dec 14, departing Toronto. The Galápagos flights themselves are inside the Tip Top V fare (and Sandra's email asked about per-person date flexibility). Her Toronto–Quito round trip is being worked in the dedicated "Mom's Toronto-Quito flights" chat. If she needs a Dec 14 airport night, the staged pick is the Wyndham Quito Airport (free 24h shuttle, ~3 min to terminal).