Our group of 8 friends decided to splurge and choose Haugan Cruises and the Ocean Spray to explore the Galapagos Islands for an entire week. We only have good... read moreOur group of 8 friends decided to splurge and choose Haugan Cruises and the Ocean Spray to explore the Galapagos Islands for an entire week. We only have good things to say. The crew was friendly and courteous, the food was excellent, cabins are roomy, and most important of all, the natures guides that Haugan Cruises hire are outstanding (based on our experiences and other friends who had a different guide in a previous year). Our nature guide (Morris Garcia) was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining, speaks very good English and simply made our trip memorable. Every day we were busy with 3 to 4 activities (nature walk, dingy boat ride and snorkeling) and Morris was happy to share more of his time in the evening to describe the night sky of the southern hemisphere. read less

We visited the Galapagos aboard the Ocean Spray in late January-early February. It was an incredible experience. The cruise director, Sebastian was absolutely delightful. The attention to detail, the readiness... read moreWe visited the Galapagos aboard the Ocean Spray in late January-early February. It was an incredible experience. The cruise director, Sebastian was absolutely delightful. The attention to detail, the readiness to help, the informative and pleasant conversation and the discretion he demonstrated were only some of his qualities. He and the wonderful crew made this an incredible trip, worth every dime we spent. Also, our guide on the Islands, Josie, was just as wonderful. Knowledgeable, pleasant, well organized, excellent communicator and passionate about her work are qualities that she has in spades. She was also very patient with some of our co-travellers who had difficulty in the "getting organized" department. We were two of only 4 passengers for this trip with a crew of 12, so we did not lack for attention. A small group like this has its advantages for sure, but also some downsides. I will not get into the downsides as they had nothing to do with Haugan cruises or Sebastian, Josie or the crew. They were all marvellous. Visiting the Galapagos is a trip of a lifetime that few people get to do. Haugan cruises and, mostly, the crew of the Ocean Spray made it that much more special. Thank you Sebastian, Josie and the crew. You will be forever in the fondest part of our memory bank. read less

I recently returned from a great trip to Ecuador. Paola from Haugan Cruises helped set up a trip to remember for years to come - Thanks Paola! ... read moreI recently returned from a great trip to Ecuador. Paola from Haugan Cruises helped set up a trip to remember for years to come - Thanks Paola! We started with a few days at the Hotel Mama Cuchara in Quito and then flew to the Galapagos for an 8 day cruise aboard the Camila. Every aspect fo the trip was taken care of for us and the crew aboard the yacht was there for every need. After the cruise, we flew back to Quito for a few more days before heading to La Selva deep within the Amazon. Everything about the trip was great. I've been on other expedition type vacations to Antarctica and Svalbard aboard other luxury cruise lines, but the service with Haugan was far superior! read less

We had a lovely time on the cruise. The ship staff were amazing and went out of their way to accommodate everyone. The cruise director was personable and the panga... read moreWe had a lovely time on the cruise. The ship staff were amazing and went out of their way to accommodate everyone. The cruise director was personable and the panga drivers were amazing. However, we were disappointed in two respects. First, we have a son with Type One Diabetes and, as such we requested the menu in advance so we could plan for his needs. We were also told that we could request special food to be onboard the ship to make it easier for him. First, the menu provided was not adherred to in any way and, more importantly, the items we requested (such as sugar free maple syrup and sugar free beverages) were not provided although we were assured that they would be onboard. This made dining for him very difficult. Additionally, our experience with the naturalist, Fabricio, was mixed. He was very knowledgeable, but seemed to cater to only a few of the passengers. He had a tendancy to be very long-winded with his explanations of things and repeated himself over and over again, making hikes unnecessarily boring. He was also very rude to both me and my son. On one ocassion my son (age 13) was on the beach and he yelled at him that he was not allowed to be in that area. He had mentioned the night before that there would be an area of the beach that we could not be on because it was a turtle nesting area; however, when we arrived at the beach he did not point out the area and my son literally stepped about two feet from the rest of the group before getting called out by the naturalist. My son is quite sensitive and the situation could have been handled much more delicately by simply pointing out that the area he was standing in was getting close to the turtle nesting area and not yelling at him and embarrassing him in front of the group. Similarly, on another beach we were posing for a picture in front of a group of sea lions (an appropriate distance from the animals). Without my knowledge, one of the animals approached me from behind and touched my hand. I did not know what to do so I simply froze in my spot - Fabricio had mentioned mere minutes earlier that we were not to approach the animals as they could bite, but he never mentioned what to do if they approached us. As such, I simply froze in place not knowing what to do. He was on the other side of the beach and started screaming at me that I had basically killed the sea lion because it's mother would reject it since it had my scent. Again, this situation could have been handled much more tactfully as I was not deliberately doing anything. read less