Special Diets / Food Allergies / Breakfast / Hors D'oeuvres / Lunch / Dinner / Non-alcoholic beverages / Alcoholic beverages during meals / Coffee Station / Bar Service

Shopping onboard / Table Games & Cards / Videos & DVDs / Stereo CD & MP3 Playters / Library

Laundry Service / Drying Clothes / Telephone Service / Internet and Email Service / Medical Services / Sea Sickness / Hair Dryers and Irons / Raincoats & Walking Canes

General Safety / Safety for Children / Safety Boxes / Smoking Policy

ELECTRICITY, WATER & PLUMBING

Electricity
Electricity onboard your yacht is 110 volts, 60 cycles. You will find several electrical outlets (USA Standard 2 flat prong outlets) in your cabin and one in your bathroom. If your electrical equipment has a different plug, please bring the necessary adaptors.

Drinking Water
While our desalinized water is safe to wash with, we do not recommend guests to drink it. We provide daily fresh water bottles for this purpose onboard and we recommend you use that water as well to brush your teeth.

Water for Excursions
For excursions we provide 16 oz (500ml) sports bottles that are for guests to keep after their cruise. We kindly request passengers to refill these sports bottles before excursions and avoid taking the regular water bottles down with them to the islands. The sports bottles can be filled from the water dispenser located either at the bar or at the dining room.

MEALS & RESTAURANT SERVICE

Special Diets
Please let us know in advance if you have any special dietary requirements. With enough anticipation, we can cater to almost all special diets, like vegetarian, lactose intolerant, gluten-free, etc.

Food Allergies
Please let us know in advance if you have any food allergies so our chefs can prepare special dishes if an ingredient which you are allergic to is used on any of our menu items.

Breakfast
Breakfast is served buffet style and we offer a variety of fresh tropical and exotic fruits, as well as cereals, bread, eggs, omelets, pancakes, French toast, sausage, bacon, and more.

Hors d’ oeuvres
These are normally served along with local juices as a welcome treat twice a day upon return to your yacht following your daily Island visits and snorkeling outings.

Lunch
Lunch is normally served buffet style.

Dinner
Dinner is normally served buffet style.

Both lunch and dinner typically include a selection of salads and a choice of two main courses with side dishes. We also typically include desert as well as cheese and fresh fruits.

Non Alcoholic Beverages
Water (sparkling or still), soft drinks and juices are available free of charge throughout the duration of your cruise.

Alcoholic Beverages During Meals
We offer wine or beer with all your meals, which are added to your bar tab.

Coffee Station
We have a self-service coffee station that is open 18 hours per day. It opens at 06:30 hrs with fresh brewed coffee, tea or herbal teas and typically closes at 23:00 hrs. Cookies, crackers and chocolates are available at the coffee station 24 hours a day, as well as instant coffee.

Bar Service
The bar is well stocked with many of the popular beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, recommended by our passengers over the years. When you order a drink, the bar tender or cruise director will put it in your bar tab and will invoice you at the end of your cruise for your bar consumption.

ENTERTAINMENT

Shopping onboard
Our yachts have small boutiques where you can find the basic items you might need or have forgotten: like camera memory, sun block lotion, hats, t-shirts, insect repellent, Teva sandals, sweaters and wind breakers. You can also find some souvenirs & books about the Galapagos Travel and the Galapagos Islands.

Table Games & Cards
We typically carry several games onboard for our passengers’ amusement including playing cards, backgammon, chess, checkers and other board games. Please request these games from your guide or cruise director.

Video / DVD / Playstation
We carry a small library of titles onboard our yachts typically oriented toward natural history, adventure and children. When onboard, please ask your guide for the list of available titles as well as the actual DVDs or video cassettes. Onboard the Evolution we also offer Playstation console for children to enjoy with multi-player games available.

Stereo / CD / MP3 Player
You will find a variety of music available onboard including classical, jazz, popular and folk. There are both English and Spanish - including Salsa and Merengue - selections including some home grown Ecuadorian music. Please ask your guide for a list of what we have available.

Library
Our library includes a wide variety of non-fiction on subjects including natural history, wildlife, the Galapagos Islands as well as fiction including novels. You are more than welcome to check-out any books by writing in your signature and cabin number in the library card.

ONBOARD SERVICES

Laundry Service
While we do not offer laundry service onboard the Grace, we do provide laundry service when your yacht arrives in the town of Puerto Ayora. The cost is $ 5.00 USD per pound.

Telephone Service
Regular cell phone service is available onboard during specific times throughout your trip, depending on signal coverage. If you need to make a call please inform your guide or cruise director. We also carry a Satellite phone onboard that guests can use anytime during their cruise. The cost of international calls is published next to the telephone in the Bridge of the yacht.

Internet and Email service
It is available onboard our vessels when there is cell phone reception, which is normally every other day. This service is available free of charge and you can use the computer onboard or your personal computer as well.

Medical Services
If you need medical assistance please inform your guide or cruise director immediately. We have an infirmary and a doctor onboard at all times aboard Evolution. In the event of a medical emergency we will both radio ahead and make for the nearest port.

Your Naturalist guide is well versed in first aid. The yacht carriers a limited selection of medical supplies oriented toward first aid and minor needs. Please speak to your guide about it.

Sea Sickness
Grace is a very stable vessel when navigating and we seldom have problems with guests getting sea-sick onboard. However, for guest who are vulnerable to this condition, we do carry medication onboard to prevent sea sickness such as dramamine (as transdermal patches and tablets). We also find that pressure point wrist bands also help to eliminate or relive this condition.

Hair Dryers & Irons
Hair dryers are available in all cabins and are typically located in the bathrooms. If you wish to iron something, please ask your guide or cruise director for the iron onboard.

Rain Coats & Walking Canes
We have rain coats available for your use at no charge. If the weather is not good your guide will provide you with a rain coat for your excursion. Walking canes are also available if needed at no charge.

WATER SPORTS

Snorkeling
We provide snorkeling equipment onboard free of charge. You will be given this equipment on the first day of the cruise and use the same gear throughout the length of your cruise. We will also provide you with a numbered bag made of webbing in which to stow your snorkeling equipment. Guests can also their own snorkeling equipment.

Sea Kayaking
We carry durable plastic sit on top sea kayaks onboard our yachts for our passengers’ fun and enjoyment. These are fairly easy to manage even for beginners and are available free of charge. The best times to go sea kayaking are during the down times of the cruise, such as during the siesta period right after lunch, unless the yacht has to reposition. The Galapagos National Park has designated a limited number of sites where Kayaking is permitted. Please do not hesitate to ask your guide when and where kayaking will be possible during your cruise.

Wet Suits & Chicken Suits
We currently carry 5mm wetsuits onboard the yacht for guests to use free of charge. These are shortie-wetsuits, where the arms and lower part of the legs are left uncovered. If you prefer full body wetsuits, please bring your own. Towels We provide bathroom and beach towels onboard. You do not need to bring your own.

PAYMENTS & GRATUITIES

Payments
The night prior the end of your cruise you will be presented with your tab for the items you have purchased during the cruise including charges from the bar, for entertainment equipment, items purchased from the boutique, laundry service and any other expense bills you might have incurred. Please settle your account that evening, as you will find that the morning of your departure allows little time for anything other than the planned excursion and departure.

Onboard our yachts you can pay by credit card (Master Card, Visa, and American Express) or by using recognized traveler’s cheques or US dollars, which is the official currency of Ecuador.

Gratuities
We have provided two envelopes for gratuities, one for your naturalist guide and one for the crew. You can either leave your gratuities in cash or travelers cheques, or you can add it to your credit card charge. If your choice is to add it to the credit card please advise your cruise director or guide accordingly.

We are often asked what gratuity is appropriate to leave your guide and crew while in the Galapagos. Of course the quality of service should determine the extent of any gratuity.

As a recommendation, if the service received has been excellent, the suggested tipping guidelines are:

• Your guide* or dive master*: $40 for the week
• The entire crew: $120 for the week

This is only a suggestion. Tipping is a personal matter based on your discretion. For the rest of your stay we offer the following as a guideline only for excellent service:

*Note: When you are onboard a vessel with 2 guides or dive masters we suggest that you follow the same $40 for the week guideline and distribute the amount as you see fit between the two.

YACHT SAFETY

General Safety
Upon arriving onboard your yacht, your guide and captain will perform a safety drill. Your emergency life vests should always be returned to the place you found them in your cabin. Please do not remove them from that location unless it is for the purpose of a drill or an emergency. We have disembarking life vests (PFDs) in the dinghies (pangas) for use when transferring between the yacht and shore or snorkeling excursions. Your emergency life vest should remain in your cabin at all times, except for those indicated above, so that when you need it you can find it. Please memorize its location in case an emergency should arise.

For your own safety, the safety of the passengers and the crew as well as the creatures of the Galapagos National Park (GNP) it is essential that you follow and abide by the instructions or your guide who is a representative of the GNP and is authorized not only to impart park rules but enforce them. On the back of your cabin door you will find the emergency evacuation instructions along with the route to follow from your cabin to the nearest exit in the event of an emergency. Please read these instructions carefully.

Safety for Children
The Galapagos is a wonderful place to bring a child, but it is critical to take steps to insure their safety. It is critical that you know the whereabouts of children who are traveling with you at all times. The yacht navigates at nighttime from island to island and the deck can get wet and slippery. Always accompany children wherever they go, unless there is a child coordinator onboard, who will be in charge of the children during some periods of time during the day.

Safety Boxes
A safety box is located in your cabin for storage of documents or any items that you may consider valuable. The captain also has a safety box that you may use if you so wish.

Smoking Policy
Smoking is not permitted inside the yacht nor while visiting the Islands. The yacht has specific designated smoking areas. If you smoke please ask your guide to show you the designated smoking areas. Please do not throw the cigarette butts overboard.