Galapagos Family Cruises Showing 2010 Discounts Now

This may be the year to finally do it!  Discounts are coming in steadily on cruise deals to the Galapagos, one of those once-in-a-lifetime family vacation destinations that most families book way in advance. Picture sailing back and forth across the equator to the surrounding islands of Santiago, Santa Cruz, and many others. Families will get to experience so much: snorkeling with penguins and sea lions, guided wildlife hikes on remote islands, photography, star gazing, and more will keep your days full.

So here are a few options for the upcoming summer and fall cruise season. And in a new promotion from LAN Airlines, families can arrange a complimentary roundtrip ticket to the Galapagos Islands if they book their international travel to Ecuador on LAN. Bookings can be made with a travel agent, online, or by calling 866-I FLY LAN but must be made by July 21, 2010 for travel after September 16, 2010.

Adventure Smith Cruises

This Lake Tahoe-based Adventure Smith Explorations company prides itself on carbon-free and super eco-friendly, small ship cruises. For 2010, they are having some 2-for-1 specials on select departures. Families can consider the discounted "Galapagos Grace Cruise" which has half-price sailings for the Aug. 19-29, 2010; the Sept. 2-12; the Sept. 23-Oct 3 departure; and the Dec. 2-12, 2010 departure -- some for specified cabins and some for all cabins. This program can save families between $5,195 and $5,945.

The "Galapagos Evolution Cruise" has a Dec. 2-12, 2010 departure when discounts apply to specified cabins, and a Dec. 9-19, 2010 departure when all cabins are at half price. Waiving the second fare can save between $4,395 and $5,695. For details and bookings, please see Adventure Smith Explorations.

Athala Cruises

The Athala Luxury Catarmaran Cruise Ship is offering a 10% discount on parties of 6 or more, when booked together on cruises through June of 2010. The Athala II provides the generous accommodations of a larger vessel, but maintains the relaxed exclusivity of a smaller ship.

While we're not personally familiar with this company, their offerings look great and should be worth considering. For booking this Athala offer, please visit the ultimate guide to The Galapagos Islands.

Ecoventura

If you’ve got a family member who just graduated high school, is suffering from senioritis, or is departing college, you can celebrate with Ecoventura. Their 2010 Graduation Celebration has a few June departures -- the week-long, all-inclusive cruise starts at rates of $3,150/PP and will take you all over the Galapagos. Although the adventure-filled days are enough to keep everyone busy, you won’t want to miss out on the spur-of-the-moment activities like diving off the deck, or a graduation party with live entertainment provided by the captain, crew, and other guides. Check out Chris Vandenhuevel's review of his cruise, A Galapgos Eco-Adventure and find out what awaits you on your eco-adventure.

Family Cruises are a popular part of Ecoventura’s offerings, with specialty cruises that cater to specific age groups like the 7 to 11-year-olds and the 12 to 17-year-olds, who get a more action-packed, adventure cruise. Older kids will enjoy the special activities like movie and popcorn nights and the King Neptune costume party. Younger kids will like learning how to tie knots from the experts, ice cream socials, boardgames, and DVD’s. This season, sailings on the Eric, Flamingo and Letty June departures are 15% off, and sailings through year's end are 5% off, with the company donating another 5% to Galapagos Marine Biodiversity Fund administered by World Wildlife Fund. For more information on Ecoventura or to book a cruise call 800/644-7972. 

ROW Adventures

Another company we like for its family-focussed whitewater rafting trips is ROW Adventures. They have branched out to offer several other family adventure options too, including Galapagos Family tours for ages 5 and up. According to founder Peter Grubb, "We have the only program in the Galapagos with two days of beach camping." Talk about getting up close and personal with the islands' animals!  ROW’s journey allows a small, 12-person group to visit sites off the main tourist routes. Transportation is by sea kayak, hiking, and actually camping on the Galapagos Islands during this family adventure. New this year for ROW is a new lodge-based program in the Galapagos that is quite flexible in terms of length of trip.

For 2010, trips vary in length from 5 to 11 days, with departures from Quito, Ecuador. On the basic family trip, the minimum age is 8 though on custom trips (perhaps your reunion books the whole date), kids can be as young as 5. Rates vary from $3690 to $3890 per person, depending on the number of participants and the itinerary and travel style you choose. Contact their agents at ROW Adventures or call 800/451-6034 for more information.