Travel Review: Galapagos, Ecuador, Family Trip, Kayaking, Wildlife, and Chocolate Tasting

Wonderful trip—we left on Feb 29 & back on Mar 9. Obviously, during that time period, the coronavirus escalated dramatically. I took my son, daughter-in-law, & 3 grandchildren as my gift to them. 

This was really last minute as we had talked about Sicily but for some reason, decided not to go there. Had we booked a trip there I would have cancelled as Italy was then in the mid-stages of this awful pandemic. (Initially), 2 years ago when I found Zicasso, I called your company to find out more about it. I remember saying I hate to waste someone’s time if you send me 2 or 3 people. Whoever I talked with said that I should go with the person I felt most comfortable with. With last fall’s trip to Spain, I could have gone with either person.
This time I had a much higher comfort level with both of these specialists than with the other company I was connected with. I’m sure she was fine but they stuck with my budget more. Ultimately, I upgraded the hotel, ship, & added 2 nights when we were in Mashpi but they were able to get really good prices and there was no pressure to upgrade. 
Our specialists answered questions promptly and courteously & had suggestions based on our responses. Both specialists checked in every place we were to make certain things were ok. I had some hesitations about flying into Quito because of its altitude and my asthma, so after having the whole thing planned out for us, I asked if we could do a Plan B & I would fly into Guayaquil & meet the rest of my family in Baltra to go on to the Galápagos Islands. After speaking with my pulmonologist, I decided to stay with the original plan.)

This travel company was happy to make the changes as needed. They had someone meet us & take us through customs. For me, GOOD SERVICE trumps everything. We loved our 4-star hotel in Quito( so glad we upgraded!) and our other accommodation selections. I only wish the ship could include all gratuities as they do in other services. I know I pay more upfront, but it’s just so much easier. I tipped what was recommended. I also like small ( resorts, hotels, etc. ) Our cruise has only 48 passengers but on or trip there were only 13 of us so we did have lots of help with the naturalists. In fact, all 3 places we had excellent food and service.

Forgot to add that our private guide for Quito that the tour company arranged for us, was one of the 3 best I’ve had—the top three were all Equally outstanding. 

I know this answer is long but I thought so much of them that I wanted to mention them & for you to know my background for it to all be on perspective. We ended up splitting my AX Platinum fee. I know small businesses have a large percentage to pay. But this was how much I liked them. I feel a little shallow writing this but when this nightmare is over, I hope we will all get to travel again.