Part of the adventure of travelling to the Galapagos Islands was that Lewis the Lion would be spending 5 nights on a cruise ship.
He was so excited about it the night before he left Guayaquil, that he awoke in the middle of the night and started looking at pictures of it on the Internet! Click here to see details of it. The boat or catamaran that he would be travelling on was called Archipell II and it would be the first time ever that he had been on a cruise ship in his whole life. He didn’t know what to expect?!
So when he first arrived in the Galapagos, he had a bit of a journey to get there in the first instance. There was a bus, then a ferry, then another mini-bus (where he met his guide and lots of other delightful tourists who he would be spending the next few days with), before they eventually arrived in a docking area.
Here they were picked up by a boat called a zodiac which would take them to the cruise ship further off land. There were two zodiacs for the cruise, each carrying a maximum of eight passengers each. They looked a bit like big rubber dinghies but with a motorised engine which someone steered. There were rules you needed to adhere to when boarding and alighting the zodiac. Firstly, you always had to wear a life jacket.
You then needed to board one at a time grabbing the sailor’s arm (grabbing a hand wasn’t enough) to help you on safely. You then had to position yourselves on alternate sides so that the boat was always equally weighted.
Lewis the Lion then loved the ride as it bounced and skimmed over the ocean’s waves towards the cruise ship!
The Achipell II was a mid-range, luxurious catamaran and was delightfully compact: Lewis the Lion thought that the ship’s architects were fantastic the way they had designed it for maximum impact of space. The boat could cater for a maximum of sixteen passengers but in Lewis’ case there was a perfect fifteen with guests from all over the world: America, Hawaii, Japan, Denmark, Switzerland and England.
There were two landing platforms at the back of the boat (or stern) and a sitting area where often snacks were served. (One time the Zodiac couldn’t land there as a sea-lion had come aboard to say hello!).
However, as soon as you got on the boat, there was a ‘shoes off’ rule and they were stacked up on shelves.
At the back of the boat, wetsuits were often hung out to dry after the guests had been snorkelling
and there were two sets of stairs leading to a sun-bed terrace:
a fantastic place to relax in the sunshine or watch the horizon, especially at sunset or sunrise.
Lewis the Lion especially enjoyed observing the stars from there at night or seeing frigate birds following the ship. At one time at the front of the boat (the bow), Lewis even caught sight of a humpback whale, seeing air shoot from its blowhole: Incredible!
Inside the main ship’s deck or galley was a long table around which the passengers would dine like kings, helping themselves to a vast range of foods.
Further back still was a bar and a seated lounge area where often meetings were called. (Lewis also learned to play a Swiss-German card game here one evening with his new friends). A big bell was hung by the bar which was rung to announce meal or meeting times. Things on board ship literally ran like clockwork and timings were very strict throughout the day.
The crew were fantastic at making sure that everything on board ran smoothly and that the guests were happy and enjoying themselves. They even put on impromptu shows to entertain the passengers!
Here’s a short video clip of Lewis the Lion watching William and the crew entertain the passengers.
At the back of the boat, guests could help themselves all day long to coffee, tea and water, with accompanying biscuits and chocolates.
Alongside the galley were doors marked with animal motifs: animals that you could see in the Galapagos Islands, such as a sea-lion or a pelican. On Lewis the Lion’s door was a cormorant.
These were the cabins were the guests’ bedrooms and in Lewis’ room were twin beds: one for Helen and one for another passenger called Martin.
However, unbelievably, Lewis had already met Martin on his travels before: once in Chile and once in Bolivia. What a coincidence to meet him here in the Galapagos of all places!
The bedroom also had its own en-suite bathroom: a shower, toilet and sink.
Lewis the Lion couldn’t believe what clever use of space it was.
The bedroom also had a map of the Galapagos Islands which was also replicated in the lounge area.
However, everyday, Ivan would mark on the route for the boat for that day, as well as writing an itinerary on the notice board of the places they would visit and the animals they hoped to see there.
When Lewis the Lion saw this new list everyday, he just couldn’t believe his luck. Check out the animals he saw in his next few blogs.
Lewis the Lion felt that he couldn’t want for anything more on his cruise ship. There was:
a fantastic crew;
wonderful co-travellers;
a delicious and abundant range of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner;
great relaxation time on comfy sun-loungers;
a compact design so that all the necessary things fitted in a small space, etc.
If you were to design your perfect cruise-ship what would it include?
Can you draw it and describe it?