Our Honeymoon · 2027♥ Shortlist

What we need to decide together

Tick things off as we agree — ticks are saved in this browser.

Decisions

Diving

  • Galápagos: Scuba Iguana (4.7★, 560+ reviews, PADI 5-star, max 6 divers per guide), ~$295 pp/day incl. gear and hot lunch.
  • Gordon Rocks needs AOW + 25 logged dives — we’ll be ~22, so we ask in writing; otherwise the Seymour boat.
  • Safari: Diving The Crab, Diani (PADI 5-star) — 4 dives ≈ $260 pp; or Mafia Island’s sheltered Chole Bay.
  • Antarctica: diving exists but needs a Drysuit Specialty + 30 drysuit dives and an over-budget ship — not this trip (details).
  • Leave ≥ 24 h between the last dive and any flight. Insurance must cover scuba to 30 m + evacuation (or add DAN).

Seasickness

  • Travel-medicine visit early — get a written plan for boat days and dive days.
  • Scopolamine patch takes ~6–8 h to work; meclizine is less drowsy, not non-drowsy. Trial everything at home; nobody dives impaired.
  • Ask every boat for the lowest, most central cabin.
  • Galápagos rough nights: crossings to Española and to/from Genovesa. Antarctica: the Drake Passage, ~2 days each way.

Questions to send before paying

Golden Galápagos (Monique)

  1. Please confirm our Golden Double Stateroom will be made up as one king bed (a double bed is non-negotiable for us). Which cabin number and deck — lowest, most central preferred for seasickness?
  2. Is the Wi-Fi Starlink? Is it available in cabins, and are there data limits?
  3. Dinner: is there a choice of mains each night? How are dietary needs handled?
  4. Are wetsuits included? What do massages cost?
  5. Exact Baltra meeting time and point on Jan 21; how is luggage handled?
  6. On Jan 28, can you get us to Baltra airport by ~12:30 for a 1:30pm Emetebe flight?
  7. Can you issue our Guayaquil ⇄ Baltra flights (Jan 17 out; Jan 28 or Jan 30 back) to waive the $100 pp fee — at what price?
  8. Honeymoon: cake, cabin decoration, private dinner on deck?
  9. Payment & cancellation: deposit, final-payment date (sailing is ~100 days out), refund rules.

Early-February boats

  1. Integrity: can we have stateroom #9 (fixed queen), or a king set-up in #3–7 — confirmed in writing? Which is most central?
  2. Is a fuel surcharge being added to Feb 2027 sailings — how much? Can you share recent guest references?
  3. Are the stabilizers used at anchor or only underway?
  4. We’ll already be in Puerto Ayora on Feb 6 — where do we join, and how do we get to Baltra on Feb 13?
  5. Starlink: cabins or common areas only? Any data limits?
  6. Can you issue our Guayaquil ⇄ Baltra flights to waive the $50 pp fee?
  7. Honeymoon touches: cabin decoration, cake, private dinner on deck?
  8. Deposit, final-payment date, cancellation terms — and an itemized total including any card fees.
  9. Passion (if we go that way): is Stateroom #1 (queen) or #5 (king) free? (The others are twins — not an option for us.) When were cabins and bathrooms last updated?

Timeline

WhenDo
This weekHold Monique Jan 21–28 on LiveAboard (obligation-free); send the questions above; book in current passport names.
Within 7 days of first paymentBuy trip insurance (pre-existing-condition waivers need it within 7–15 days) + DAN.
Next 2 weeksCopa Boston ⇄ Guayaquil; Avianca Guayaquil ⇄ Baltra (or via Golden Galápagos); hotels. If adding Isabela: Emetebe Flex Plus fares + Iguana Crossing, once quotes pass the budget rule.
NovemberBook Scuba Iguana (Mon Jan 18; Tue Jan 19 Seymour boat); send logbooks; ask about Gordon Rocks.
DecemberTravel clinic for seasickness plan; trial meds at home; pool refresher if needed.
Jan 1💍
Jan 13–15Buy the Transit Control Card online; file the biosecurity declaration; print insurance; get ~$1,500 in small bills.
Before Jan 17Reserve Almar, The Point, Eloise; ask the hotel to arrange the Jan 21 Baltra transfer.