Your leading choices for a Galapagos cruise are set to change soon

Two prominent players in Galapagos Islands cruising, Lindblad Expeditions and Celebrity Cruises, are poised to revamp their offerings in the area following a recent agreement.

On Wednesday, Lindblad Expeditions revealed that two of Celebrity's three vessels in the Galapagos will join the Lindblad fleet come January.

The two vessels — the 48-passenger Celebrity Xpedition and the 16-passenger Celebrity Xploration — will undergo significant renovations after the transfer before commencing operations under the Lindblad name, according to the company.

Lindblad also mentioned that the vessels will receive new names.

The acquisition of the two new vessels, purchased by Lindblad for an undisclosed amount, will double the Lindblad fleet size in the Galapagos from two to four ships, positioning it among the largest players in Galapagos cruises.

For many years, Lindblad has operated two vessels in the area: the 96-passenger National Geographic Endeavour II and the 48-passenger National Geographic Islander II.

The brand provides six distinct itineraries throughout the Galapagos, with over 100 departures annually.

"We acknowledge and value the significant opportunity our company has to operate and expand our expedition cruise services in the Galápagos Islands," stated Sven-Olof Lindblad, founder and CEO of Lindblad Expeditions. "By acquiring well-equipped vessels and employing the most skilled crew and staff who adhere to our high standards of responsible exploration, we can transport guests from all over the world to this iconic archipelago and educate them on the vital importance of protecting and preserving its natural beauty and wildlife through their personal experiences."

Lindblad has been a trailblazer in expedition cruising in the Galapagos for over fifty years, famously conducting the first nonscientific international civilian expedition to the area in 1967.

The company has also established itself as a leader in expedition cruising globally, navigating to some of the most remote and inaccessible locations, including the Arctic, Antarctica, and Australia's Kimberley region.

With the inclusion of the two Celebrity vessels, Lindblad's global fleet of owned, leased, and chartered ships will expand to a total of 19 vessels.

On Wednesday, Lindblad announced that customers would be able to begin booking the two new vessels later this month. However, Lindblad did not specify when the first departures for these ships under their brand would commence.

With the transfer of two of its three Galapagos vessels to the Lindblad fleet, Celebrity's presence in the Galapagos will significantly diminish. The only ship remaining in the region will be the 100-passenger Celebrity Flora.

Launched in 2019, Celebrity Flora stands out as one of the newest, largest, and most luxurious vessels in the Galapagos.

Celebrity's expedition-style sailings in the Galapagos, conducted on very small ships, have been somewhat atypical for the brand. Celebrity is more widely recognized for its traditional cruises aboard much larger vessels.

For many years, Celebrity and its sister brand, Silversea Cruises, have been at the forefront of Galapagos voyages. Currently, Silversea operates one large ship, the 100-passenger Silver Origin, regarded as the most luxurious vessel in the region.

Constructed on a similar framework, Celebrity Flora and Silver Origin are among the largest ships in the Galapagos. The destination restricts the number of passengers on a Galapagos cruise to 100 per trip.