The Galapagos Islands are a fantastic holiday destination - most people visit and leave saying it was their best vacation ever. There are such a huge array of Galapagos Islands cruise boats available it can seem difficult to know which cruise to choose, but here we'll help you decide. It's hard to know when to go - have a look at our guide to the seasons in the Galapagos Islands, but bear in find it's a year round destination.
Do bear in mind the impact of your stay on the local environment. This impact can be lessened by choosing a smaller boat rather than a large cruise ship.
The basic decision one needs to make is what type of cruise you are looking for - a big cruise ship or a smaller boat? The larger Galapagos cruise ships (80 to 200+ tourists) will rock in the sea less than the smaller cruises and they often have lots of first class amenities on board. On the negative side, these larger boats can't get so close to shore, and when they do land you are often sharing the island with another couple of hundred or so fellow holiday-makers. The smaller cruise boats (8-20 tourists) offer a more intimate experience of the islands, the service is more personalised but if you're unlucky, you'll be spending your dream vacation with a bunch of idiots you can't stand to be around! Smaller boats also cause less environmental damage. As such, the basic decision you need to make is do you want a large Galopagos cruise ship, or a smaller cruise boat, and when you've decided, you'll need to check availability. It's simpler to let a tour operator do this for you, as you'll need to book your cruise through a tour operator anyway. Just decide - big or little boat?
For further advice, see the article on how to choose a Galapagos Islands Cruise Boat.
