GALAPEX HOLIDAY INFORMATION

There are quite a range from ships carrying up to 100 passengers down to boats carrying as few as 12. The majority of the boats are equipped for 16 though. Of the 16 passenger vessels or less, there are also sailing vessels and motor boats to choose from. This is often quite a deciding point for many. The thought of a sailing boat seems the more natural way to travel at sea and is more romantic. However, the sailing boats rarely sail in the islands due to lack of winds so they mainly have the engines on. In contrast, motor boats are designed in such a way that they have larger cabins, better sound-proofing from the engine and they rock less. They also travel faster so that the time underway between visits is somewhat reduced. They also tend to have an easier and safer mode of disembarking in the form of a platform at the rear of the boat. The Mary Ann  is sailing boat that break away from this generalization, being larger sailing boat, designed for comfort, space and style.

Boats of up to 16 have one naturalist guide leading them on all. More than 16 and the groups are split between up to 5-6 guides. This leads to a very different experience.
On the larger boats, there are several groups, disembarking logistics and procedures are involved. A draw-back is that everywhere you visit, you will be one of many and the feeling of isolation in the Galapagos will be somewhat reduced. The pros, however, are that the boat is more stable on the seas (if sea-sickness is a concern), the groups can be grouped by language or special interest and you get the cruise feel to the trip (including the 5-star food and service). The Integrity is the only small boat that gives you that same feel and service while in a group of 16. The smaller boats (16 or less) are more intimate, are closer to nature and people generally feel that they are closer to Galapagos due to this. The smaller boats do tend to move more on the waves. Galapagos, however, tends not to have storms and rough seas are few and far between. The presence of stabilizers on the Integrity puts it as one of the more stable of the smaller vessels.