Review: Seaman Journey catamaran in the Galapagos

The rich have an awesome lifestyle. How do I know? Because I just spent four days on the Seaman Journey, a luxurious catamaran in the Galapagos, having my daily schedule sorted by the crew and being feed a delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner without even having to ask. (Yet, believe me, we’re not rich!)

There’s no doubt a live aboard cruise on the Galapagos is expensive – four days on board the Seaman Journey will set you back about US$2,000. But in my opinion, it’s so worth it.

After all, it’s not cheap being treated like royalty – but who doesn’t enjoy being waited on?

Location of the Seaman Journey

The Seaman Journey sails in the Galapagos and it doesn’t get much better than that. If you didn’t already know, the Galapagos Islands are situated off the coast of Ecuador and are a haven for unique wildlife, sea animals and landscapes.

Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution after visiting the Galapagos Islands in the 1800s and you too will be in awe as you sail around this magical place. During our time with the Seaman Journey we swam with sea lions, saw Frigate birds mating, witnessed Boobie birds diving for fish and spotted sharks, dolphins and sea turtles from the boat’s deck. We even walked among reptiles and cacti as tall as a two-storey house.

Food on the Seaman Journey

The food on board the Seaman Journey is to die for. Each meal we had was delicious. Mostly it was served buffet style (seconds aplenty, yay!) and every lunch and dinner came with a dessert. Needless to say, I think I put on a kilo during the four days on board.

The food was a delightful mix of both traditional Ecuadorian dishes, like plantain, yucca and patacones, and more familiar Western food such as home-made pizza and scrambled eggs.

Every time we went on an excursion away from the boat, we were greeted on return with a fresh drink of either hot chocolate or juice and a snack such as fruit skewers.

Rooms on the Seaman Journey

The rooms were much plushier than I expected, considering we were on a boat. They were very roomy – possibly even slightly larger than the average hotel room. A lot of light was let in from large windows and our beds were very tidily made, Navy-style.

There was abundant storage space in large cupboards for our clothes, six or more power points to charge our phones and cameras, and even a dressing table with a mirror and stool that doubled as a writing desk.

The bathrooms were also spacious, although a little plain, and the showers were very hot and powerful – something I also didn’t expect for life on board a catamaran! Biodegradable soap and shampoo are provided so you don’t have to worry about polluting the sea water surrounding the boat.

Other amenities of the Seaman Journey

The Seaman Journey had really great social areas. The dining room was large and comfortable for everyone to sit at and interact over meals, and there was also a dining space outside which we used a couple of times during the day. The top deck features a very large sun bathing area with massive day beds and sun lounges. We’d relax up there and watch the birds flying above us.

Snorkel and flipper hire was included, although we had to hire wetsuits for US$5 a day. We didn’t on the first day but we found the water a little chilly so we did on the days following.

What we liked about the Seaman Journey

Our guide Geoff, who was born and raised on the Galapagos, was extremely knowledgable about everything we did and saw and could answer any questions we had. He also gave us a couple of presentations about the history of the Galapagos Islands, the problems it’s faced from politics and invasive species, and about eco-tourism.

Speaking of eco-tourism, the Seaman Journey is very conscious of recycling, minimising its waste, not polluting the sea and using reusable products. The crew were also all from the Galapagos and the 16 of us guests were supporting nine different local families which was a great feeling.

The boat itself was spotless and during the day the crew could be spotted in various areas of the boat scrubbing the decks. Safety was paramount too and we were given a thorough briefing at the beginning of our stay.

The excursions to the islands were also a highlight and we learnt a great deal about the animals and landscape. But the icing on the cake for me was snorkelling with the sea lions for a good 45 minutes – they’re my favourite animals!

What we didn’t like about the Seaman Journey

It would have been nice to have a small cupboard or drawer in the bathroom to store our toilettries. Also, most of the rooms on the Seaman Journey are twin rooms, meaning Dave and I had to sleep in separate beds. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as all the pitching and rolling at sea when the boat’s in transit wouldn’t be too great in tight quarters!

Anything else you need to know:

Cost: You can take a look at the prices for various trip lengths on the Seaman Journey website.

Booking: If you book last minute, you might be able to grab a good deal. Be careful though – the Seaman Journey books out fast and is already mostly fully-booked for the rest of this year.

A special thanks to the Seaman Journey for hosting us during the four days we spent on board. As always, our opinions are our own.