Jan 13, 2025
Amazing 7 day trip on Isabella II!! - My family and I have just returned from an unforgettable two weeks in Ecuador, 7 days of which were spent on the Isabella II cruise run by Metropolitan Touring. The 7 day Galapagos tour on the Isabella II could not have been more perfect for our family of 6 (3 adults and 3 kids, ages 6, 9 & 13). The ship is well maintained, incredibly clean and very comfortable. The crew was welcoming, super helpful and willing to accommodate whenever possible, which was especially helpful when traveling with young kids (who sometimes didn't like parts of the meal, or asked a lot of questions). My kids were welcomed, helped and integrated fully by guides, crew, staff and travelers. The naturalists were quite knowledgeable, friendly and always explaining/pointing out the spectacular things we were looking for. Given that nature is unpredictable (such as waves too high for a safe landing), there was always attentive consideration placed on safety and alternate plans made and coordinated incredibly well. In fact, we were frequently amazed by the level of coordination and thoughtfulness that went into the minute-by-minute planning by guides and crew. The quality of the food on the trip was perhaps the biggest surprise: we were served delicious meals, with accommodations for our kids and the vegetarians in our family. Fresh vegetables, fish, meat with the most delicious preparations were served at every meal. This will be a vacation that will be hard to miss and we wouldn't hesitate to book again if we could! This review would not be complete without the special mention of our travel agent, Melissa Altamirano. I was first connected with Melissa through the Metropolitan website and she guided us throughout the many months of planning. With every interaction, Melissa went above and beyond: she answered all my questions (and many went beyond the scope of the cruise), and was always warm and friendly. All details she planned worked smoothly and this trip would not have been possible without her help. This trip on the Isabella II in the Galapagos was without a doubt amazing and I highly recommend, especially for those traveling with family, including children and elderly!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 6, 2025
A trip of a lifetime - This trip of a lifetime was made possible with the great planning and execution of Metropolitan Touring, Melissa A. our agent was amazing every step of the way and the Guides - Alex, Humberto and Martin on board the IsabelaII; as well as Eduardo - service extra-ordinaire. It was worth every penny.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 31, 2024
All that we could wish for and more - This company met our expectations in every respect. The booking process was easy with constant support. We were able to talk to an agent before the cruise to ensure we chose the right options.
We first visited Quito and a representative met us at the airport. She had tried to contact us while we were waiting at immigration to ensure we had arrived OK. We were taken to the Gangotena Hotel in the centre of the old city. This was absolutely superb with wonderful service and food. The morning city tour was excellent and we were given a choice of timing to start. Our guide told us the stay apparently included one dinner which I was not expecting so I was not surprised when we were charged for it. We were then informed that this had been a mistake and the cost was refunded. We were so glad we did the dinner as the meal was memorable with a table that had superb views of the old square. Before every course the waiter described the food and ingredients which made us feel very cosseted.
The naturalist guides were superbly knowledgeable and it was always made very clear what we were about to do and whether there would be any reasons why we would not want to do any particular activity. They were most concerned about our safety and on the day of any snorkelling activity they would make it very clear what the conditions were and what level of expertise would be needed. Our experience was that your visit would be enhanced if you took up all the snorkelling options but never having snorkelled before we didn't do so.
The experience was really full on and the only time you felt you could relax was when the weather made activities impossible. They appreciate that your time is precious and not a moment is to be wasted.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 11, 2024
Excellent Visit! - Metropolitan’s agent, Camila Vela, was very responsive to all our questions and gave us good advice in planning the itinerary and the trip as a whole. The Metropolitan representative who met us at check-in at Quito airport was helpful in handing out our boarding passes and Galapagos travel documents and guiding us through the formalities.
The trip was fabulous! The itinerary was perfect. The program on the first day before we got to the ship was fairly heavy after a very early start, though we can understand why it was useful to do the trip to the highlands before settling into the ship. We also would have preferred nonstop flights to and from Baltra if available, though maybe they're more expensive or don't fit the rest of the itinerary.
For the trip as a whole, everything went smoothly, just as planned. Isabella II was lovely. Our "owner's " cabin was extremely comfortable with plenty of storage (we thought it was just beginning to show its age but it was spotlessly clean and still very comfortable).
The crew and guides were superb! Our guides, Alex, Humberto, and Johan, were highly trained naturalists who clearly care a great deal about preserving the fragile environment, they were always good humored, helpful and considerate, and shared their expert knowledge abundantly and clearly, and gave well prepared, interesting, and well delivered lectures every night. With their help we got to see an amazing array of wildlife. Whenever we had a problem snorkeling or on any other issue they were always there to help cheerfully. Francesco was a wonderful hospitality manager, always looking to help and full of good cheer and good humor. Eduardo, our main server, learned our names instantly and was tremendously efficient and helpful at every meal. The food was bountiful and delicious - our only complaint is that we ate too much! All the crew from the captain on down were efficient and tremendously courteous and helpful.
All the equipment we needed to enjoy the trip was freely available on board, from the snorkeling equipment to the kayaks. It was useful to have a nice doctor on board to deal with whatever minor health issues cropped up.
After the trip Metropolitan provided free of charge a photo gallery and videos that the guides took during the trip.
Visiting Galapagos was a marvelous, once in a lifetime experience! We have no hesitation in recommending Metropolitan without qualification - we felt we could not have been in better hands!
Date of experience: February 22, 2024
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 4, 2024
Best Galapagos Expedition - Excellent company to work with. Outstanding experience! Fabulous crew, knowledgeable guides, fantastic service, food, excursions. Cannot say enough good about this experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 1, 2024
Great experience - We had an amazing experience on the Isabela II in Dec. 2023. The crew was very informed and helpful. The cabins were well equipped and the food choices were diverse and tasty. There were many activities each day that kept us entertained. Each evening we were giving an informative meeting about the animals we would see the next day. We felt very safe on our expeditions. This cruise is definitely a trip of a life time. We did have one mishap but it was taken care of. We left a Mont Blanc pen in the safe and a pair of shoes in the cabin. We realized it 2 days after leaving the vessel. We were told before we left the ship to make sure we took all our items but we think the pen must have gotten stuck in the edge of the safe and the shoes were left under a bed and the room could use more lighting. We contacted Diego Zapata as soon as we noticed and they were able to locate the items. Even though because of the remoteness of the Galapagos Islands they were able to ship our items to us and we received them a little over a month after we left the ship. Metropolitan Tours is a top notch company and we would recommend this company to someone that wants to go to the Galapagos Islands.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 1, 2023
The Galápagos Islands As They Should Be Experienced. - The experience aboard Isabella II was amazing from start to finish. The crew was wonderful, the service was wonderful, the food was delicious, and accommodations were first class. All of that was overshadowed, however, by the experiences on each of the islands and kodiak trips from Isabella II and each of the islands. The naturalists were so knowledgeable, professional, warm, and friendly. They are really what made the experience as incredible as it was. I would recommend this tour 100%.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nov 3, 2023
Wonderful Galapagos Islands experience on Isabella II - A Galapagos Islands experience on Isabella II exceeds all expectations.
The tour arrangements by Metropolitan Touring Melissa Altamirano worked perfectly with Melissa always responding to emails promptly.
My Galapagos islands experience was proceeded by two days in Quito and four days in Mashpi Lodge. My Quito guide Monica bought Quito to life with her knowledge of art, archaeology and plants with Casa del Alabado the highlight. The Mashpi Lodge experience was beyond expectation with great rainforest walks guided by Lizardo through forests, creeks and night encountering wildlife from Toucans to Glass Frogs. The Mashpi Lodge food was inspiring with waiter Byron providing detailed explanations of each meal including its cultural significance.
The Galapagos Islands cruise provided unexpected access to wildlife including the Big 15 with guests being able to closely (2m) observe always under the guidance of knowledgeable guides Alexis and Gustavo. Swimming with turtles and watching birds managing new offspring will never be forgotten. Again the food was excellent with waiter Eduardo anticipating every desire.
Well done Metropolitan Touring!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jun 26, 2023
Wonderful, unforgettable, extended family tour in Galapagos on Isabela II - Our family of 11 (my husband and I in our late 70s, 2 daughters & sons-in-law, and 5 grandchildren ages 6-12) had an absolutely wonderful, unforgettable, week in the Galapagos, all 11 of us!! The Isabela II, her crew, the very knowledgable, experienced and enthusiastic professional naturalists — everything was fantastic, and it was so exciting to see all the wildlife and sea birds close up, unafraid of humans! Our waiter in the dining room was extremely good with the children, as were the rest of the crew and the naturalists, and since my husband and I aren't as agile as we used to be, they took extra care to be sure we were able to participate in all the activities and had assistance if we needed it. We were with our family group for all excursions -- each small group of 11-12 people on the ship had a naturalist plus 1 or more crew members for every excursion off the ship. For people not comfortable with deep-water snorkeling and climbing a ladder in and out of a zodiac, the glass-bottom boat is a great alternative for seeing the underwater environment. Note that Galapagos tours are fairly strenuous, but are planned well during the day, with all meals on the ship -- breakfast, then an early morning excursion and mid-morning return followed by snacks and juice on the sundeck and 45 min to 1 hour of relaxation, and then a 2nd morning excursion followed by lunch; a 60-90 min early afternoon rest on board, and 1 or 2 afternoon excursions, usually with a brief rest before dinner. The meals were delicious, with just the right amount of food: buffet breakfast with many choices, sometimes a buffet lunch on the sundeck, and for dinners and "set" lunches, pre-ordered choices of 2-3 appetizers, about 3 main courses (always including 1-2 vegetarian options and a seafood course, generally locally caught), and a choice of 3 desserts. The Galapagos National Park is extremely well regulated and is kept awesomely clean and pristine. I VERY highly recommend Metropolitan Touring, the Isabela II and her crew and naturalists, and our MetroTours trip arranger/"destination expert" Melissa Altamirano.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Apr 19, 2023
Best holiday we've ever had - Superb trip with a helpful and friendly crew, great food and everything aboard very comfortable. We had opportunities every day to see unique wild life right up close in a small group. We also snorkelled most days and went on small boat trips too.
The naturalists were well informed, entertaining and caring and took a marvellous set of photos which they sent on to us for free. The best way to see Galapagos.
Review provided by Tripadvisor