MV Isabela II Galapagos

The luxury yacht Isabela II Galapagos is owned by “Metropolitan Touring”. The company operates small-ship Galapagos cruises with mv Santa Cruz cruise ship and the luxury yacht “La Pinta”. The Isabela II is a small Galapagos expedition yacht with a year-round sailing program. The ship was formerly operating as a supply marine vessel, built in 1979 and refitted by Metropolitan Touring in 1988 (in Pensacola, Florida). MV Isabella 2 was last refurbished in September 2020.

History - construction and ownership

The 42-passenger cruise ship mv Isabela has most of the modern luxury amenities that add more charm to her Galapagos Islands expedition cruises. Among the best features onboard are the outdoor lounge and vast observation area, top-deck Whirlpool, modernly equipped fitness room, glass-bottom boat, kayaks, zodiacs, satellite connection, full air-conditioning.

Isabela II yacht

The owner of the luxury yacht Isabela II is "Metropolitan Touring". This company operates Galapagos small ship cruises with the luxury yacht "La Pinta" and mv Santa Cruz cruise ship. Isabela 2 is a small Galapagos expedition cruise yacht with a year-round sailing program for this exotic destination. The ship is a former supply marine vessel, built 1979 and refitted for the Metropolitan Touring company in 1988 (in Pensacola FL, USA). The MT company spends regularly big money on yacht refurbishments. MV Isabella 2 was the last dry-dock refurbished in Sept 2012.

Isabela 2 Galapagos deals provide an affordable opportunity to observe the unique marine life in this region. The boat has an elegant design. The excellent team of expert Naturalists and all the yacht's friendly crew and staff share the charming passion for nature exploration and marine life conservation in the Galapagos' world of mystery and wonder. Isabella 2 has most of the modern luxury amenities features adding more charm to your Galapagos Islands expedition cruise vacations. Among the best onboard features are the top-deck Whirlpool, a modernly equipped fitness room, outdoor lounge and spacious observation area, kayaks, zodiacs, glass-bottom boat, satellite connection (phone and Internet), full air-conditioning.

The nontraditional Galapagos cruise tour package deals are in the category of expedition travel. Isabela's Galapagos cruises are all marked by the yacht's elegant and relaxed atmosphere, exciting island tours, great service. The ship's multilingual Nature experts and the mixture of international and traditional Ecuadorian dishes in the onboard dining menu are just another piece of this beautiful Galapagos Islands cruising adventure puzzle.

Isabela II Galapagos cruise itineraries

• Itinerary 1 - 10 DAY "ECUADOR AND GALAPAGOS" cruise from Quito, starting with a flight to Quito (2 Day / 1 Night hotel stay there). Tours & excursions highlights. The Isabella II yacht operates exclusively 4-night Galapagos cruise deals from Baltra. They include the following feature tours:
• Quito - guided sightseeing (Legislative Palace), tour to the San Francisco Monastery, visiting La Compania Church and the Oswaldo Guayasamin's Museum (Ecuadorian painter and sculptor). In Quito, there's also a welcome dinner.
• On day 3 there's a charter flight from Quito to Baltra Island, with 3 Days / 2 Nights hotel stay at the Finch Bay Hotel. Baltra tour - to the Giant Tortoise Reserve.
• Day 5 of the itinerary - Santa Cruz Island - Puerto Ayora town tour, boat embarkation with a welcome aboard cocktail, Giant Tortoise Reserve tour, visiting Charles Darwin Research Station, lectures. Follows the 4-night sailing portion in the Galapagos National Park, visiting La Galapaguera (giant tortoises), with one professionally guided tour each day.
• Visiting Santa Fe Island and South Plaza Island (on day 6) and North Seymour Island and Santa Cruz Island (on day 7) - for guided walks, snorkelling, kayaking, 1 lecture.
• Visiting Bartolome Island and Santiago Island (on day 8) - for guided walks, panga boat rides, snorkelling, with a farewell onboard cocktail. Next day you disembark from the yacht for a charter flight from Baltra to Quito (1 Night hotel stay).
• Itinerary 2 - 15 DAY "DISCOVER GALAPAGOS AND PERU" cruise from Lima. Starts with your flight to Peru's capital city - welcome dinner, sightseeing (the cathedral, San Francisco Monastery, the Museum of Larco Herrera (politician & philanthropist).
• Lima–Cusco–Sacred Valley-Machu Picchu-Cusco excursions - visiting Awanakancha, Kenko, Puca Pucara, Sacsayhuaman Temple, Pisac, Ollantaytambo ruins, glass-dome train travel to Machu Picchu (guided tour of the ruins), train travel back to Sacred Valley and Cusco (Santo Domingo Monastery tour).
• Follows a charter flight Cusco to Quito: (local restaurant dinner) and Quito touring on the next day. On day 10 of this itinerary, you'll fly from Quito to Baltra Island for embarkation.
• The Galapagos small ship cruise portion offers to visit the following islands in this archipelago:  Floreana (day 11), Espanola (day 12), San Cristobal (day 13, farewell cocktail on the boat). On the next day, there's a flight from the San Cristobal Island to Quito (farewell dinner, next day is the flight back home).

Isabela 2 Galapagos cruise deals

Avalon Isabela II Galapagos cruise deals are inclusive of:

• Door-to-door pick-up by car (within 75 ml / 120 km of your airport, flights from Heathrow (London); all internal flights, transfers. local port charges, airport taxes.
• All hotel stays. On Itinerary 1 - Quito (Swissotel Hotel) and in Galapagos (Finch Bay Eco Hotel). On Itinerary 2 (Peru) - staying in Casa Andina Private Collection hotels (in Lima, Sacred Valley and Cisco), at the Sumaq Hotel (in Machu Picchu) and Swissotel (in Quito).
• All meals. American breakfast is served daily. On Itinerary 1 - a total of six lunches and seven 3-course dinners (including the Quito's welcome dinner and 1 farewell onboard dinner). On Itinerary 2 - a total of eight lunches and ten 3-course dinners (including the Lima's welcome dinner and the Quito's farewell dinner). The International cuisine features traditional Ecuadorian entrees, complimentary regional wines (all onboard dinners), coffee, tea and bottled water on the ship are also complimentary.
• Isabela II Galapagos cruise prices are also inclusive of all multimedia lectures (provided daily by multilingual professional guides). The yacht's staff list also includes 3 Naturalist Guides (including an Expedition Director). Culture/entertainment (nightly) options are performances by local entertainers and artisans and the ship's stargazing enrichment program. "Young Pirates" is the ship's land and sea kids program (ages 7 - 12 years old), featuring special kids menus, games, kids-only themed tours.
• Also included in the fares are all the guided tours and excursions (island walks, kayaking and snorkelling). Internet access is also free of charge (max 30 min pp per session, satellite connection).
• Snorkelling equipment - also complimentary, including different sizes wetsuits ( 1/8") for men, women and kids.

Cabins

All Isabela staterooms are outside, air-conditioned, with private bathrooms and safes. The ship has one Master Suite (170 ft2), 16 Classic Staterooms and 2 Standard Rooms (129 ft2), as well as one Standard of 139 ft2.

Staterooms - Types/Categories/Sizes (high to low)

• 1x Master Suite - (MS, size 170 ft2 / 16 m2).
• 16x Classic Staterooms (cat CC, with twin beds), and 2x Standard Rooms (with 1 double bed) - sizes 129 ft2 / 12 m2), and 1x Standard of 139 ft2 / 13 m2.
•  cabins (port hole window, cat B, U, M) - size 124 ft2 / 11,5 m2.
• MV Isabella 2 ship is fully air-conditioned, all staterooms have private bathrooms (showers, hairdryers. Occupancy is 2 guests per room.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

All meals are included in Isabela II Galapagos cruise deals. American breakfast is offered daily. Dinner is a 3-course experience. The International cuisine features complimentary regional wines, traditional Ecuadorian entrees, tea, coffee and bottled water, also complimentary.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Sailing to the Galapagos Islands onboard the unique Isabela II goes beyond the traditional cruising experience. Such an expeditionary approach allows passengers to discover the natural wonders of the region. MV Isabela II features an elegant atmosphere which lets guests enjoy the Galapagos intimate contact with wildlife. Isabela II expert Naturalists and crew share their love for nature. MV Isabela II features an exercise room, Jacuzzi, outdoor lounge, as well as an observation platform for whale and dolphin watching on ship’s top deck. The bar and lounge are elegantly appointed. So is the well-stocked reading room.

• Boat Deck (3) -  Observation lounge (for dolphin and whale watching), Sun Deck Bar area (serving premium spirits), loungers, Jacuzzi, 2x lifeboats, Bridge, Gym room (open 24 hrs).
• Cabin Deck (2) - Staterooms (category CC classic) - x16 twins, x2 double, x1 Standard double.
• Main Deck (1) - Dining Room (open seating buffet), Bar Salon (for video presentations), Gift Shop, Reading Room (with 2 Internet PCs, Natural History Library with books on Galapagos & Ecuador, nature videos), Master Suite.
• mv Isabella II ship's amenities - Galapagos Cruise Tours Director, English-speaking crew (including 3 expert Naturalists and 1 resident physician), top-deck lounge with bar, complimentary coffee & bottled water, 3 zodiacs (used for ship-to-shore transportation), 1 glass-bottom boat, satellite phone, sea kayaks, automatic pilot system, hydrophone (underwater world exploration).

Time-charter operator Avalon Waterways