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Celebrity Flora – Galapagos Cruise Blog – Day 1 – Baltra

It was finally time to start our visit to the Galapagos! While the previous two days had been enjoyable, they were just an amuse-bouche before the main course: exploring the Galapagos Islands. Today, we’d board a privately chartered flight to Baltra, where we’d board Celebrity Flora.

celebrity flora tender in baltra port with sea lion

Celebrity Flora Day 1 Overview

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Celebrity Flora Outer Loop Cruise – Day 1 Schedule

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Leaving Quito
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Onboard Flora

Breakfast at Botanica Restaurant

We started our day by heading downstairs to Botanica Restaurant for the included buffet breakfast at the JW Marriott Quito. It was open from 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM.

jw marriott quito botanica table

The options were pretty similar to the ones the day before, with dishes like pancakes, waffles, omelets made to order, fresh pastries, and lots of fruit. They also had more savory options like cold cuts, soup, and rice.

breakfast from hotel
The buffet had lots of local fruits, juices, and jams.

The fruit and juices rotated each day, and I got to try more local selections. My favorite local fruit to try was “tree tomato,” technically called a tamarillo. It had an interesting flavor profile, equally tart and sweet, with notes of kiwi, guava, and passion fruit.

The buffet was slightly busier than the previous morning, but it was still only about one-quarter full, with no lines.

Travel to Quito Airport

At 8:10 AM, we met at the same meeting point in the lobby as the previous day. You could tell energy levels were much higher, with everyone buzzing with excitement to get moving. Since people had become friends with their tour groups, they talked much more than the day before.

Our guide, Pedro, gave us our boarding passes and the forms required to get on the flight. He told us the airline representative had already inspected our bags that morning, approved them, and put them on the buses waiting for us.

We loaded onto the same bus we were on the previous day and headed out. Although there were probably about 70 to 80 of us on this pre-cruise portion, it always felt more intimate. That’s because we were always in our groups of 10 to 14 people. It never felt like a massive group. When our group was ready, we headed out. We didn’t have to wait for other groups or coordinate with them. It was done really well.

As we started the roughly hour-long trip to the airport, Pedro explained the upcoming process in detail. Then he filled us in more about the geology of Quito, which is surrounded by volcanoes, some active and some inactive.

quito airport sign

Flight to Baltra

When we got to Quito Airport, he walked our group over to the check-in counter. The staff had already tagged our bags for the plane, but for security purposes, we had to physically roll them about 5 feet to check them in. Then he walked us over to the domestic security checkpoint.

quito galapagos luggage inspection
Because Celebrity had our luggage inspected ahead of time, we got to skip the standard Galapagos luggage line.

We said goodbye to Pedro and then scanned our passports. We headed through security, which was a lighter version of what you’d see in the U.S. There was no full-body scanner, just a metal detector, and we were allowed to have liquids in our carry-ons because this was a domestic flight.

Tip: You can carry liquids in your carry-on because this is a domestic flight.

The level of service was impeccable. I think the longest we went without a Celebrity representative with us was maybe 50 feet for the security check. On the other side was another Celebrity representative, Gabby, who’d be flying with us.

quito airport private gate
The gate and seating area were only for Celebrity guests.

After security, we went to a dedicated airport area that was basically only for our privately chartered flight. The flight was operated by Avianca, the same airline we flew to get to Quito, but this time it was different. Celebrity booked the whole flight for guests on the 10- and 11-day sailings.

avianca airline
Each cabin on the ship got their own aisle on the plane, with the middle seat open.

That meant every row had only two people, with a window and aisle seat occupied and the middle seat kept open. The seats were assigned by cabin number. Like our flight to Quito, the seats were pretty tight with little leg room.

I’ve never flown private or on a charter, but this whole experience felt very exclusive, even though it was a budget airline. We were sitting in an international airport with basically our own boarding gate. All the guests sitting near us were on the cruise as well, and the gate agents welcomed all the Celebrity guests in the announcements. And since the plane wasn’t anywhere near full, boarding was a breeze.

Each guest was allowed (1) 23 kg bag (just a little over 50 pounds), one carry on, and one personal item. Most of Celebrity’s official documentation said 40 pounds, but that was outdated.

celebrity flora charter flight menu

The flight was scheduled for 10:19 AM and would take 1 hour and 50 minutes. Even though it was a short flight, Celebrity provided meal options along with wine and beer, which isn’t standard on Avianca. While the meal wasn’t amazing by any means, it was really nice of them to provide it and, again, brought a feeling of luxury. The food cart even had Celebrity drapery on it.

airline meal on avianca
The included meal was a nice touch, but it still tasted line standard airline food.

Baltra Airport – The Gateway to the Galapagos

We arrived at Baltra Airport around 12:30 PM, right on time. The airport doesn’t have a jet bridge since it’s small, so we deplaned by walking down a set of stairs onto the tarmac.

avianca airplane in baltra

Immediately, I could see how different the landscape was compared to Quito. Baltra was much more desert-like. As we walked toward the airport, we saw several land iguanas. They seemed large at the time, but after visiting the islands, we realized they were just babies.

galapagos airport sign

The next step was the part Celebrity couldn’t control much: Galapagos security. Celebrity had prepared all our forms and already paid the $200 fee for us to enter the national park, but we still had to go through the process ourselves. (If you skip the tour and just book the cruise, you have to pay the $200 fee yourself, but then Celebrity will reimburse you).

balta galapagos entrance line
It took 30 minutes to get through the Galapagos screening, which was frustrating, but they were processing everyone coming onto the islands, not just this cruise.

That line was a bit long. It took us about 30 minutes to get through security, with our passports checked and our bags X-rayed again to make sure we weren’t bringing anything dangerous onto the islands.

As soon as we exited security, smiling Celebrity naturalists greeted us. They gave us our room keys and directed us to a line to exit the airport and take a bus to the pier.

Tip: You don’t need to print or download your boarding pass as you do on other cruises. They look you up by cabin number.

baltra waiting for bus
Waiting in line for the shuttle bus to take us to the port felt like forever because I was so excited to get this cruise started (in reality, it was about 15 minutes).

This was probably the most frustrating part. I was ready to start the adventure, but it’s the national park’s buses that shuttle guests, not Celebrity’s private transportation, so we were at their mercy.

After what felt like an eternity, but was really only 15 minutes, our group loaded onto a bus and started the 6-minute ride to the pier.

Boarding Celebrity Flora

We arrived at a small pier, where more naturalists instructed us on how to put on our life jackets and get ready to board the Zodiacs.

Celebrity Flora never actually docks at all. The only way to access the ship is through 10- to 15-minute tender rides back and forth. Our large bags would be brought onto the ship later, but any carry-ons and backpacks would come with us in the tender.

sea lion boarding in baltra
Our cruise literally just started and we already had our first wildlife encounter.

As we waited to board, a sea lion lounged on the dock, bringing joyous gasps from passengers getting their first close encounter. We’d have so many more.

Tip: At this point, they also shared that we’d be staying on Quito time for the sailing, which is the same as the Central Time Zone in the U.S., rather than switching to Galapagos time, which is another hour earlier. Everyone adjusted their cell phones so they wouldn’t automatically change to the new time, and we’d all be on the same page.

zodiac too celebrity flora
The zodiacs/tenders are the only way on/off of the Celebrity Flora.

The tenders usually hold 10 to 14 people, so it took about 20 minutes for us to board one. It felt so adventurous to get onto the tender and head out.

As the zodiac, or tender as they refer to them, bounced along the water and small bursts of mist hit our faces, I felt like I was on the first episode of “Survivor,” with a bunch of strangers sitting in complete silence as we headed out on our first adventure, surveying the landscape and sizing each other up.

celebrity flora ship on water

Within a couple minutes, the Celebrity Flora slowly come into focus. The executive staff of the ship, including the captain, were all on the back of the ship to greet us as we arrived, waving hello to everyone. It almost felt like something you’d see in a TV show like “The White Lotus” or “Fantasy Island.”

celebrity flora marina with staff
The entire executive staff of the ship were out to greet us as we pulled up.

We climbed out of the tender using steps that lined up with the deck, took off our life jackets, and tagged in by tapping our Celebrity room keys at the kiosk. Then we were given a glass of champagne and escorted to our room.

Celebrity Flora First Impressions

Celebrity Flora isn’t your traditional cruise ship at all. In reality, it resembles a mega-yacht more than one of the Celebrity ships you’ll see sailing out of Florida or in the Mediterranean.

It’s an expedition cruise ship purpose-built for the Galapagos. It’s the largest ship, by tonnage, to operate in the Galapagos and replaces the two previous, smaller ships, Celebrity Xploration and Celebrity Xpedition, which now operate under National Geographic as Gemini and Delfina.

That doesn’t mean Flora is large, though. The ship is only 5,922 gross tons, with just 50 cabins for a total of 100 guests. It’s roughly 1/15th the size of the next smallest ship in the Celebrity fleet, Celebrity Millennium, so it almost feels silly to compare it to a traditional ocean liner.

You really understand how small it is when you realize that some bars on Royal Caribbean ships can hold more people than the entire capacity of Flora.

Celebrity DNA on a Smaller Scale

Even with its small size, though, the ship still feels unmistakably Celebrity. Celebrity Flora was built in 2019, just a year after the revolutionary Celebrity Edge debuted, and you can feel that influence throughout the ship. It’s almost like an “Edge Lite” experience.

celebrity flora hallway and lobby

From the contemporary art and copious amounts of floor-to-ceiling windows to the highly debated Infinite Verandas, there are plenty of familiar Celebrity design elements. But they’ve been adapted for a very different type of ship. The whole ship felt very high-end without being stuffy, while still feeling incredibly open and airy.

shop on celebrity flora

Designed Explicitly for the Galapagos

Because Flora was designed specifically for the Galapagos, you can see choices throughout the ship that are meant to make the scenery and expedition experience the focus. As we sailed up to it, one of the first things I noticed was that you could literally see through the ship across much of Deck 4.

The interior uses an “outward-facing concept,” with the main dining room and lounges surrounded by panoramic windows so you’re rarely disconnected from the scenery outside.

celebrity flora stairwells
Even the stairwell had beautiful ocean views.

That idea carries throughout the ship. On the top deck, guests can enjoy a casual meal outside in the fresh air with unobstructed views. The ship’s lone hot tub is elevated above the railings so they don’t block your view while you’re using it. Outdoor camping cabanas also let guests spend the night under the stars, one of the few extra-fee experiences aboard Flora.

celebrity flora marina
The Marina was built to help easily get guests on and off the tenders.

The expedition side of the ship is just as thoughtfully designed. Flora has dedicated space to store the Zodiacs that serve as tenders throughout the cruise, since the ship never docks at the islands. The Marina on Deck 3 is designed specifically around getting guests on and off those Zodiacs, with space to store wetsuits and shower off before heading back inside.

It quickly became clear that nearly every part of Flora was designed around making it easier to get guests off the ship and out exploring the Galapagos.

Standard Verandah Cabin on Celebrity Flora

One of the Food and Beverage staff members immediately showed us to our cabin, and we took a short walk down the modern-looking hallways.

Every Cabin is a Suite

celebrity flora with spacious veranda cabin 505
Sky suite with veranda (Cabin 505)

Let’s start off by saying I’m not a suite person. I’ve never stayed in a suite, and usually the cabin is the least of my concerns when booking a cruise. I’m pretty low-maintenance, so standard cabins typically suit me fine.

But on Flora, every cabin is a suite. In fact, you’ll never hear them say the word “cabin” while sailing. It’s always “suite.”

I tapped my room key against the door and opened it to be greeted by bright sunlight pouring through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows and glass door. I immediately noticed the size of the cabin.

celebrity flora cabin 505 bed
By default, all cabins are made up as King Beds, but they can split them into two twin beds instead.

The standard cabins come in at 330 square feet, 65% larger than a standard cabin on Celebrity’s Edge Class ships. The size made a huge difference. Not once did I have to shimmy or walk sideways while going through the room like you might have to in newer cruise ship cabins that have little clearance between the bed and the wall, sometimes as little as 18 inches.

The entryway is lined with dark brown wood hiding massive closets that can easily accommodate a week’s worth of clothing. Further in, the walls switch to a soft cream color. The whole color palette is muted and relaxing, a bit more subtle than the pops of orange Celebrity is using on its new and renovated ships.

celebrity flora suite 505 closests
There was tons of storage space available.

Unlike typical cruise ship cabins, the beds on Flora face the balcony and windows, further emphasizing the inside-out design. Behind the bed is a large glass wall that separates the room from the bathroom. It’s completely frosted, so you can’t even see an outline of whoever is in the bathroom.

celebrity flora welcome snacks
In addition to the glass of champagne we received upon boarding, we had chilled sparking wine and snacks waiting for us.

In the corner sat a comfy white couch and a driftwood-style end table, with chilled white wine and snacks waiting for us on arrival. A large TV hung on the wall across from the couch and could tilt toward the bed if needed. I never even turned it on.

celebrity flora fridge selection
The fridge was stocked twice a day with complimentary drinks.

Tucked under the desk was a fully stocked mini-fridge and, unlike on other Celebrity ships, everything inside was included. It had a variety of sodas, water, and the Ecuadorian beers they have onboard. I got totally spoiled by having two emergency diet sodas in the cabin at all times, and our cabin steward would restock the fridge twice a day (although it was Coke Zero, not Diet Coke, which I would have preferred).

celebrity flora balcony cabin outlets
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In terms of outlets, a standard suite has two U.S. outlets on the side of the bed closest to the hallway. The counter has one U.S. outlet, one standard USB outlet, and one EU outlet. In the bathroom, you’ll find two U.S. outlets as well.

Tip: If you like to charge your phone overnight next to you but will be sleeping on the wall side of the bed, consider bringing a 10-foot USB cord that can easily tuck behind the bed to reach the other side (see the cord I used here).

Bathroom and Storage

celebrity flora sky suite bathroom cabin 505
The bathroom was spacious with two sinks, a tap with filtered water for bottles, and a large glass shower.

The bathroom was just as spacious as the room, with a double vanity and a beautiful glass shower with polished river rocks embedded along the sides. Both sides of the vanity have shelves and drawers that can easily hold a week’s worth of toiletries.

celebrity flora sunscreen
Celebrity provides reef-safe sunscreen and lip balm with SPF. If you need more, just ask.

On the counter, Celebrity provided high-end, reef-safe sunscreen and SPF lip balm with cocoa butter. I’m very particular about sunscreen, but it was probably one of the best mineral sunscreens I’ve ever tried (I still bought a separate mineral face sunscreen just in case). You can always ask for more of both if you run out. They also provide Q-tips and cotton balls.

Tip: Your cabin has a dedicated water bottle refill tap for the refillable bottle they give you. All water on Flora is safe to drink, but the bathroom tap has an additional charcoal filter that removes any chlorine taste you might get from the regular tap water.

celebrity flora shower suite 505
The shower was spacious, but the lack of a lip meant when the ship was tilted, water would run out into the bathroom.

Most cruise ship bathrooms feel dark and cramped because they’re in the interior of the cabin and surrounded by metal walls. A frosted glass wall in front of the vanity lets sunlight into the room and bathes the bathroom in soft light, making it feel almost like you have a window, even though you can’t see through the frosted glass.

Under the sink is an always-on, gentle blue-hued light. It’s needed because while the glass wall design is great during the day, at night, if you turn on the bathroom light, the entire cabin is filled with nearly blinding white light. I’m guessing they didn’t think that through when they designed this bathroom.

Balconies on Celebrity Flora

The curtains open with the press of a button, and the floor to ceiling glass panels let in tons of natural light.

Flora has two main suite configurations. Deck 5 has standard, traditional balconies, or verandahs as Celebrity insists on calling them. In contrast, Deck 6 has the highly debated Infinite Verandas with a large window that can lower to provide a balcony-like experience.

celebrity flora sky suite balcony
The balcony has a min-day bed and also a standard chair on the other side.

Our balcony was the biggest I’ve ever had, with roughly double the space of a standard balcony on most lines. It had a comfy daybed in one corner and a regular chair in the other.

The balcony doors had large windows that blurred the line between regular windows and a door. Opening the curtains, you could see everything without even going onto the balcony.

celebrity flora view from balcony
With the large class doors and bed facing the window, you could enjoy the view right from bed.

There were quite a few days when I just relaxed on the bed with the sliding balcony door open, enjoying the breeze, ocean sounds, and views of the Galapagos. The air conditioning does turn off if you open the door, but the room cools down quickly once it’s closed.

I do wish they had a way to latch the balcony from the outside so one person could enjoy the air conditioning in the cabin while the other was on the balcony.

Tip: In your cabin will be the whole schedule for the week (rather than Celebrity Daily left each night like the rest of the fleet. You can scan a QR code so you can have the PDF on your phone as well, which is handy for planning later in the week.

Lunch in Seaside Restaurant

Even though Celebrity had already fed us on the flight over, they were serving a full lunch onboard from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM. They served it in the main dining room on Deck 4.

I was hoping to eat outside on the top deck, as I’d heard others had that option on their sailings, but ours was just inside.

celebrity flora seaside restaurant
Lunch was served buffet style in the Seaside Restaurant.

Like the rest of the ship, the dining room featured huge windows that let bright sunlight pour in. Tables were arranged throughout the space, with standard two-tops, four-tops, and larger round tables for groups.

The maître d’ said that for breakfast and lunch, you could seat yourself, and meals were buffet-style in the back of the dining room. Dinner was also served here, but it was table service.

celebrity flora lunch buffet
The Flora has one main buffet station with a made-to-order area behind it. Food changed each day.

Being such a small ship with so few people, the buffet section was smaller than what you’d see on a normal cruise ship. It felt more like the size of a hotel buffet. But they still had a large selection, including light sandwiches, salads, soup, fish, and a whole variety of other options.

Waiters came around to take drink orders and bus tables.

Muster Drill

Because Flora is so small, Celebrity still uses the old-fashioned physical muster drill for the safety briefing, rather than the newer eMuster in the Celebrity app.

At 3:30 PM, all guests had to report to Deck 7, the top-deck, open-air location for a quick muster drill demonstration.

I forgot how frustrating it was to have to wait for everyone to come up before beginning. Even with just 100 guests, it took a while for everyone to trickle up to the deck. It’s like herding cats.

Still, it took less than 15 minutes, and we got to take in the scenery as we waited.

Top Decks on Celebrity Flora

Deck 7 is a large outdoor space. At the aft of the ship is a 12-person hot tub that’s elevated above the deck to provide perfect views of the landscapes while you’re in it. It’s another great little design decision made by the Celebrity team.

the vista outdoor lounge on celebrity flora
The rear top deck area, The Vista, had tons of comfy seating, although the space was rarely used.

Dotted across the back area are clamshells, loungers, and chairs. You’ll also find a small smoking area here.

Midship on the top deck is Ocean Grill & Bar. It’s only open for lunch, and it wasn’t available on embarkation day. Here, you’ll find tables, couches, and lounge seating you can use anytime.

celebrity flora top deck area
Midship has covered tables that can be used on lunch every other day and provide great views of the surroundings.

It’s shaded by a curved ceiling structure with dotted openings that allow light to still pour into the seating area without exposing guests directly to the strong equatorial sun.

celebrity flora observatory
The Observatory was rarely used, but was great for playing games or reading a book.

At the front of the ship is The Observatory. Located right over the bridge, the space provides some of the best forward views from the ship. It was filled with tables, loungers, and games, along with strong air conditioning to fight off the sun pouring into the room.

Above it is a small stargazing area that’s used at night to look at the stars with no light pollution.

I was really impressed with how well they’d designed the whole top-deck area. You can tell they really thought about how to make this space perfect for a nature cruise.

The only thing that was a shame was that it was rarely used. Cruises on Flora are so jam-packed, that you don’t have much downtime to use the ship.

While the tables at Ocean Grill & Bar were used at lunch and dinner, the loungers in the back, in an area called The Vista, almost never had anyone in them until the last day. I wish they had found a way to better utilize these spaces, maybe for cocktail hours or after-dinner parties.

Ship Wi-Fi

At this point, it was time to connect our devices on the onboard network. The Celebrity app doesn’t work at all for Flora, so unless you want internet access, there’s really no reason to connect to the onboard network.

celebrity flora internet speed test
Internet is included, and connectivity was quite better than what I’d see on a mega ship.

Wi-Fi is complimentary on Flora, with each guest getting what would normally be considered the four-device Premium streaming package.

The internet connection was really good, pulling down around 15 Mbps most of the time with little to no lag. It’s some of the best internet connectivity I’ve had in years, likely because only 100 guests share the Starlink connection compared to thousands on larger ships.

Our First Expedition Briefing

At 4:00 PM, we met in Discovery Lounge, the main congregation area of Flora on Deck 4.

With plenty of varied seating styles, a bar, a massive LED screen, and floor-to-ceiling windows, it would be one of the places where we spent most of our waking hours on Flora.

It was a really well-designed space, except for the fact that when they show presentations on the big screen, only guests in the front row can see the bottom third of the screen.

celebrity flora daily excursion briefing

This was our first expedition briefing. Embarkation day followed a slightly different schedule, but for the rest of the cruise, we’d have a briefing around 7:00 PM each evening to go over the following day’s adventures.

There, we met Gio, the Expedition Director. Flora has no cruise director; those responsibilities are split between the Expedition Director and Hotel Director.

Gio explained all the rules of the Galapagos, which aren’t necessarily Celebrity rules but are set by the Galapagos National Park Directorate. The rules include not being able to go anywhere in the national park without a guide, not bringing any food onto the islands, and staying at least 8 feet away from animals whenever possible.

The ship had nine naturalists onboard who’d be with us throughout the week, helping us explore the different islands in the Galapagos. They’d undergone extensive training on the islands and were incredibly knowledgeable.

The ship doesn’t have a Cafe al Baccio for all-day snacks, but in Discovery Lounge you will find candies, crackers, cookies, and electrolyte powder.

Picking Excursions for Tomorrow’s Adventure

Gio started the presentation about the next day’s activities. On Flora, all excursions are included in the price of the cruise. Usually, there was one set of excursions in the morning and another in the afternoon. The ship would change locations during lunchtime.

For the rest of the cruise, at 7:00 PM, they would present our options for the following day, and then we’d sign up with the naturalists.

The excursions usually ranged from passive activities, like simply taking a tender ride, to a “long walk,” which could be 1 to 2 miles. During the briefing, they showed pictures and shared tips on what kinds of people could handle each activity.

You could tell they usually got an older clientele, some of whom might have unsure footing or mobility issues, so they made a point of clearly explaining the difficulty level.

After the presentation, we walked up to one of the naturalists, gave our cabin number and the activities we wanted, and we were all set.

Suiting Up

At the briefing, each cabin was given a time to go down to the Marina and get suited up for snorkeling.

Each person who wants to participate in water activities for the week goes down to be fitted with a snorkel, a shortie wetsuit, and fins. All of those items are placed in a personalized bag with your cabin number on it and hung up so they’re easy to grab before heading right out on an excursion.

equipment fitting on celebrity flora
You’ll get a shortie wetsuit, flippers, and snorkel mask which you’ll store in an individual bag.

If you’re unsure if you’ll be doing water activities, just go down and get fitted. It only takes a few minutes, and then you’ll be set throughout the week. Otherwise, it’s a whole process for them to get you the equipment you need later.

The whole process of outfitting all the guests was incredibly well-run. It took less than 10 minutes to get everything squared away.

Tip: When you go to the fitting, wear what you’ll be wearing when you go swimming, like your bathing suit and rash guard. That way, you can make sure everything fits properly.

celebrity flora outfitting area
Your wet suits and bags were stored out here so they were easy to grab before boarding the tender.

After that, we had a couple of hours to ourselves before the welcome toast and boat familiarization meeting at 7:00 PM. I used that time to unpack into the spacious closets.

Welcome Toast and Boat Familiarization

At 7:00 PM, we headed down to Discovery Lounge for the meeting. Even though the whole ship was there, plenty of seats were still available.

celebrity flora familiarization meeting
Even with everyone attending the presentation, there was plenty of extra seating.

Waiters greeted us with a glass of champagne for a toast as we arrived, and other waiters circulated, taking additional drink orders during the presentation.

Lauren, the Director of Hotel Operations, handled this briefing. On this ship, it feels like the position is much more of a hybrid role, part cruise director, part hotel director, and part officer.

She was everywhere on the ship, greeting us on excursions, checking in before briefings, and even knowing us by name as we returned. At one point, she was helping a waiter bus a table at the upstairs café. It was so impressive.

But she did mention that things are a bit different on Flora because it’s so small. Most of the crew have hybrid roles. The Director of Security was also involved in navigation, and all the servers handled meals, drinks, and bussing tables.

celebrity flora discovery cove

It meant everyone knew a little bit of everything about the ship, which I liked. But it also meant you might not get the same level of service you would on a Celebrity ship in The Retreat.

Still, our sailing had 97 guests onboard, and 90 crew members, so the crew-to-guest ratio was fantastic.

First Dinner Onboard

After the presentation, everyone headed across the hall to Seaside Restaurant for our first dinner onboard.

Lauren warned us this might be a bit harried, not because it was the first night, but because all the guests were heading to dinner at once.

On other cruise ships, there’s usually an early seating, late seating, and then anytime seating. This means service and food preparation are stretched out over four hours, helping improve service.

On Flora, there’s only one dinner service at 7:30 PM, with everyone on the ship dining at the same time. On other nights, it wouldn’t be as much of an issue since there would be an excursion signup after the presentation and before dinner, which would naturally stagger the flow of guests.

We got in the short line, and within a few minutes, they showed us to our table.

celebrity flora seaside restaurant dinner
The dining room has a much more subdued feel at dinner, with a panel sliding in to elegantly hide the buffet area.

It was the same dining room where we had eaten lunch earlier in the day, but it felt so different. Sunset is always around 6:30 PM in the Galapagos, so the large windows were already black by the time we arrived.

The lights were dimmed, and the color temperature warmed to an amber hue, creating a warm, intimate feeling.

Celebrity even designed a solid wall with décor that slides over the buffet portion. If I hadn’t looked for it, I wouldn’t have realized the restaurant ever had a buffet area. Other cruise lines have tried mixed spaces with buffet service at lunch and specialty dining at dinner, but none have executed it as well as this.

Our waiter this evening was Wellington, the same staff member who had shown us to our cabin on arrival and served us champagne at the event earlier. As on other Celebrity ships, each meal was three courses. For all courses, Celebrity has a “classics” menu that stays the same each day, along with a rotating section.

celebrity flora dinner menu day 1 page 3

For dinner, all the rotating selections had an Ecuadorian focus. All produce and meats have to be sourced directly from Ecuador, so you won’t find many of the staples you’re used to on Celebrity, like French onion soup and escargot.

They also have a much more limited wine selection. Each night, there’s typically a red and a white wine to choose from. You won’t find a wine or drink menu anywhere on the ship.

celebrity flora banana and strawberry crepes
The banana and strawberry crepes were one of the best desserts I’ve had on any Celebrity cruise.

On a normal Celebrity ship, you typically have a waiter, assistant waiter, and sommelier handling each table. On Flora, you only have one waiter, so the service wasn’t at the same level you might see across the fleet.

The staff was always personable and friendly, but you could tell they had a lot to do. For example, each night you’d get three custom breads and three dips, like on other Celebrity ships, but they never explained what they were. On other ships, it’s usually part of the opening spiel.

It didn’t bother me at all, but it was noticeably different.

Still, even with everyone arriving at once, we finished dinner service within an hour, at 8:30 PM.

After-Dinner Plans

The after-dinner activities on Flora are usually pretty light. And it’s not because Celebrity hasn’t planned anything, but because people are just too tired to do much after long days of activities.

Tonight’s activity was piano music in Discovery Lounge, but I decided to skip it and get ready for bed. We’d have a long day tomorrow with snorkeling and hiking.

Overall, I was really impressed with Celebrity Flora. The ship was stunning, the staff was warm and welcoming, and the whole operation seemed like a well-oiled machine.

But as impressive as the ship was, tomorrow was what we had really come all this way for. We’d finally head out into the Galapagos, with our first hikes, snorkeling trips, and wildlife encounters of the expedition.

Follow Along on Our Galapagos Adventures

  • Celebrity Flora - Galapagos Cruise Blog - Pre-Cruise - Quito
  • Celebrity Flora - Galapagos Cruise Blog - Day 0 - Quito
  • Celebrity Flora - Galapagos Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Baltra (coming soon)
  • Celebrity Flora - Galapagos Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Española Island (coming soon)
  • Celebrity Flora - Galapagos Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Floreana Island (coming soon)
  • Celebrity Flora - Galapagos Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Isabela Island (coming soon)
  • Celebrity Flora - Galapagos Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Fernandina and Isabela Islands (coming soon)
  • Celebrity Flora - Galapagos Cruise Blog - Day 6 - South Plaza and Santa Cruz Islands (coming soon)
  • Celebrity Flora - Galapagos Cruise Blog - Day 7 - Santa Cruz Island (coming soon)
  • Celebrity Flora - Galapagos Cruise Blog - Day 8 - Baltra and Disembarkation (coming soon)
  • Celebrity Flora - Galapagos Cruise Blog - Day 9 - Quito and Home (coming soon)

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Randy Young

Randy Young is the founder and editor-in-chief at Cruise Spotlight. He has been in marketing for 20 years and has been cruising for just as long. Over the years, he's worked with products like TVs, copiers, light bulbs, and EV chargers, but cruising has always been his passion. There's nothing Randy likes more than the first couple of hours on a ship, exploring every nook and cranny and seeing how it's different from everything else out there. He's known for providing detailed and analytical coverage of cruising to help cruisers get a comprehensive picture of a ship's offerings.