Once spent 10 days on a leased sailboat with 11 other people. Sailed around several Greek Islands. We had a captain and so didn’t know how to sail very much, only when and how to pull a rope. One of the most relaxing holidays I’ve spent. No itinerary, just went where and when we wanted.
Venice and cruise ships make for ugly scenes, the city is being loved to death.
Hit the Peggy Gugenhiem Museum for a change to modern art, right on the Grand Canal for a few hours respite. She bought major works during times of upheaval in Europe, excellent collection.
Day trip on the Lagoon to Burano, Murano-hit the glass museum there-fascinating.
As Mark put it early AMs and evenings are fine in port cities. We were welcomed as tourists, as some other visitors have supplanted us as the Ugly American tourists. The locals made that obvious with some subtle comments and some not so subtle acts.
Decent piece in the Washington Post about overbooked tourist destinations (Nov. 2019) and alternatives. Many are over-touristed to begin with…and the problem is compounded when there’s a massive surge created by a mega-cruise ship, or two.
It turns out that my wife is booking us for the Galapagos in 2020. It’s a National Geographic cruise and eco-focused. 96 passenger capacity. Largest ship I’ll have cruised on since the age of 7. We used to do liveaboard dive boats…which probably don’t qualify at 20 - 25 passengers. Despite the effort to reduce our travel impact, the Galapagos Islands are one of those overrun destinations with an unsustainable level of tourism. We’ll discover firsthand how much our sh!t stinks.
RT
where do you get the “overun destinations with an unsustainable level of tourism” comment from? I believe that’s highly inaccurate but would certainly entertain some data points.
When visiting the Galapagos Islands, a National Park and World Heritage Site, all visitors are expected to act responsibly and to treat the environment with respect. Below are 14 rules of the Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) that all visitors are expected to abide by while in the Islands: Visitors to any protected areas within the Galapagos National Park must be accompanied by a naturalist guide authorized by the GNPD.
- Travel only with tour operators and/or boats authorized to work in the protected areas of Galapagos.
- Remain on marked trails at visitor sites and respect signs at all times for the protection of wildlife, and for your safety.
- Maintain a distance of at least six feet (two meters) from wildlife to avoid disturbing them, even if they approach you.
- Never feed wildlife, as this can cause health problems.
- Flash photography is not permitted when taking photos of wildlife. Professional photography and videos recorded for commercial purposes must be authorized by the GNPD.
- Camping is only allowed in a few authorized areas in the Islands. Request authorization to camp at the Galapagos National Park’s offices at least 48 hours in advance.
- It is your responsibility not to introduce food, animals, or plants into the Archipelago. Cooperate fully with all environmental inspection and quarantine officials during your visit.
- Do not take or buy any products or souvenirs made from banned substances, including black coral, shells, lava rock, animal parts, or any native wood or vegetation prior to leaving Galapagos. This is illegal and must be reported.
- Practice “leave-no-trace” principles in order to maintain the beauty of the environment.
- Pack out all trash and dispose of or recycle it in the populated areas or on your tour boat.
- Smoking and/or campfires are strictly prohibited within the Galapagos National Park, as fires poses a serious risk to the flora and fauna of Galapagos.
- Fishing is only permitted on recreational tour boats authorized by the GNPD.
- Motorized aquatic sports, mini-subs, and aerial tourism activities are not permitted in the Galapagos National Park or Marine Reserve.
Happy to provide more info:
The Galpagos were designated as the first UNESCO world heritage site in 1979. In 2007, the UN put the Galapagos Islands on the list of world heritage sites endangered by environmental threats or overuse. It was voted off in 2010, but a number of conservationsists remain concerned. One of the main reasons for the list was that over the previous 15 prior years, the number of days cruise passengers spent on the Galapagos increased by 150 percent, which caused immigration growth, and subsequently increased inter-island traffic, leading to the introduction of invasive species.
The Galapagos Conservancy indicated that despite being delisted, concerns remain that the: “growing human presence in Galápagos, both through tourism and residents, has put biodiversity at risk. Introduction of disease, alien and invasive plants and animals are all factors which must be addressed immediately and aggressively. I believe the decision (to de-list) is premature and I hope it does not signal a relaxation of vigilant management and conservation efforts.”
Nevetheless, despite improvements, visitors increased by 39 percent from 2007 to 2016, with land-based tours jumping 90 percent during that time. Ship-based tourism decreased by 11 percent over that same time period.
In February of 2018, the International Galapagos Tour Operators Association sent a letter to Ecuador’s tourism minister, Enrique Ponce de Leon, asking for increased regulations on land tourism. My understanding is that there’s been no progress.
Are the Galapagos becoming like Santorini or Venice? Absolutely not, but the ecosystem is remarkably fragile. And the pressure is on.
RT
Richard: We took the National Geographic cruise in October/November of 2015. It was simply amazing and the people from Nat/Geo are extremely concerned with the environment. I believe that they have replaced the ship we were on with a newer version but absolutely no ship is allowed in the Galapagos with a capacity above 100. Each stop was unique, well monitored, and well thought out and on some stops we were completely alone. The rules that Brig posted are strictly adhered to and all the passengers on our ship were extremely respectful. The Galapagos is incredibly unique, and no doubt increasing in popularity, but I don’t think it can be fairly compared to other areas visited by mega cruise ships. Hopefully, you will enjoy the experience but please don’t go with this quote " It turns out that my wife is booking us for the Galapagos in 2020. It’s a National Geographic cruise and eco-focused. 96 passenger capacity. Largest ship I’ll have cruised on since the age of 7. We used to do liveaboard dive boats…which probably don’t qualify at 20 - 25 passengers. Despite the effort to reduce our travel impact, the Galapagos Islands are one of those overrun destinations with an unsustainable level of tourism. We’ll discover firsthand how much our sh!t stinks." as your expectation. It will be hard to enjoy yourself under those preconceived notions.
Cheers!
Marshall ![[berserker.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/8600bbd4810d342b8fbd4ffb62b4f0026275fd37.gif "berserker"){kind=small}
Sounds like you had a great time Marshall. Thanks for the feedback. She’s not kidnapping me! National Geographic Has a reputation for doing things right… as you’ve confirmed. Despite my cruise ship trepidation, I have no doubt that we will make the best of it!
RT
We did Dubrovnik and the Dalmatian coast on a small ship with Grand Circle offseason and loved it. Cooler temperatures but no crowds or large ships (most gift shops closed) which was a desired trade off for us. Will do it again in the in the future.
We have done the Douro with Viking and enjoyed it. Did the Elbe, Prague to Berlin, with Viking and had a wonderful time.
We cruise. We love to cruise. Some ports are getting overrun with tourists and some are addressing the problem. It is their problem to address. Many ports are gateways to inland cities. Many cruise ships overnight in some ports providing an opportunity for tourists to visit inland cities and sites. We have ended two cruises in Buenos Aires. On one, we stayed a month in country to tour. On the other, we stayed two weeks and were met by relatives. Like others here, we also vacation sans cruising. We have begun cruises in ports after having spent several days or weeks in country. But for us, cruising gives us the opportunity to see many places we want to see but that we would never consider spending many days there. Petra, Jordan and Yangon, Myanmar come to mind. There are many others. They have all been unforgettable experiences but for us, not a candidate for a long-term stay.
We sail this December for 24 days from Rome to Miami. Yes, one or two of the ports are overrun with tourists but the ports are open and collecting sizeable fees for cruise ships to land. Port fees for cruise ships are considerably more for than fees for freighters. Those fees help to maintain the ports and feed the governments’ coffers. And next year, we sail for 93 days (49 cities, 14 countries) from Auckland to Vancouver. Imagine the places we will visit and the things we will see. Try to figure out how to do that any other way. And we only unpack and pack once.