The Santa Cruz II was originally built in 2002 to sail around the waters of Patagonia, so conceived to operate in remote areas. In 2015 it was completely refurbished & from October 2015 started to sail around the Galapagos Islands.
The ship has 50 cabins, with 4 different cabin types located over 3 of the decks, but carries a maximum of 90 guests, with 62 crew members including naturalist guides & a Medical Officer. For the zodiac / shore excursions there are on average only 11 passengers per guide, which is a great guest to guide ratio to visit the landing sites. Groups will be split into languages & families kept together.
On the Panorama Deck there are 3 Darwin Suites & 3 Explorer Double cabins. On the Expedition deck there are 17 Explorer Double cabins, & on the Horizon deck we have 2 Voyager single cabins, 2 Explorer triple cabins & 23 Explorer double cabins. 36 cabins are interconnecting.
For 2017 the Santa Cruz II has two 4 night cruises- the Northern Islands & the Eastern Islands plus a 5 night Western Islands cruise. From 2018 this will change to offering a 5 night Northern Islands route, then a 7 night Eastern Islands sailing followed by a 5 night Western Islands sailing. Cruises can be combined for a longer & more comprehensive itinerary. Also from 2018 the great news is that all itineraries will also start & end in Baltra, therefore ideal to have a pre or post cruise stay @ the Finch Bay Hotel.
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