GLOBAL QUEST
Galapagos Islands, Russia, Danube River,
Africa, Seychelles, Chile, Patagonia
Some of these ships are
owned or exclusively chartered by Global Quest; they are partial suppliers
to the others.
AMBASADOR I
Passenger Capacity: 86
Built: 1994
Length: 296 ft.
Beam: 43 ft.
Draft: 15 ft.
Decks: 5
Elevator: None
Staff and Crew: 68
Wheelchair Access: No |
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Itinerary: There are three, four and
seven-night cruises that go all year to various Galapagos Islands roundtrip
from Baltra.
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Cabins: 53. All cabins are air-conditioned
and have music, in-house telephones and a private bath with shower. Of
the cabins, 40 are outside and 13 are inside, with various bed configurations.
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Dining: There is one seating. The dining
room has outside views. Cuisine is American and continental with Ecuadorian
specialties.
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Dress: Casual nearly always, with something
a little nicer for the captain’s cocktail party and dinner. Be sure to
bring good walking shoes and a hat, some of the terrain is rough and the
sun is hot. Bring your own snorkeling equipment and beach towel.
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Facilities and Activities: This ship
was designed for more passengers, but because of Galapagos National Park
regulations the ship carries fewer than designed for so the ship is uncrowded
in feeling. There is a pool with a bar, a sun deck and a library. A doctor
is on board. English and Spanish are spoken on board and occasionally German.
There are smoking areas in the dining room and main salon. Boston Whaler
tenders (locally called pangas) are used for shore excursions. Landings
are sometimes wet, sometimes dry. There are multi-lingual guides who accompany
each group of passengers ashore every day to the various islands (maximum
of 20 in a group). Stops include the Charles Darwin Research Station. Wildlife
seen include iguanas, tortoises, red and blue-footed boobies, penguins,
cormorants, Sally Lightfoot crabs and albatross.
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Recent Fares Reported to Us: The
per person fares for the seven-night cruises start at $1,463 for an inside
cabin to $3,045 for a deluxe outside. Three-night cruises are $627 to $1,305;
four-night cruises are $836 to $1,740. Shore excursions are included. National
Park Tax and Municipal Tax are not (they are high). Airfare can be arranged
with SAETA.
VOLGA
Passenger Capacity: 200
Built: 1991, 1983, 1970
Length: 98-113 meters
Beam: 13-16 meters
Draft: 5 ft.
Decks: 4
Elevator: None
Officers: Russian
Staff and Crew: 75-86. Russian
Wheelchair Access: No
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Itinerary: Cruises go from April through
October on the Danube River on a cruise-only basis or with various packages.
The Deltastar cruises from Vienna. The Volga and Rousse cruise from Passau.
A typical 15-day tour includes overnights and sightseeing in Berlin, Dresden,
Prague, Potsdam and Meissen and seven days on board roundtrip from Passau
with stops at Budapest, Kalocsa, Bratislava, Slovakia, Vienna and Durnstein.
Another 15-day package begins with overnights and sightseeing in Amsterdam,
Cochem, Heidelberg and Nuremberg, then seven days on board. A 12-day cruise/tour
includes two days in Prague, seven days on board and one night in Munich.
There are also four and five-day cruises between Passau and Budapest. A
classical music cruise from Passau includes a program of music on shore
and on board from Handel, Schubert and Mozart with stops in Vienna, Bratislva
and Weissenkirchen.
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Cabins: 79-101. All cabins are outside,
are air-conditioned and have a private bath with shower. Some cabins have
two lower berths, one that makes up to a sofa and one that folds into the
wall during the day. Other cabins have an upper and lower berth. Some cabins
have a third bed. Suites have a separate sitting area.
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Dining: Cuisine is international plus
specialty dishes of the regions visited. Breakfast is buffet. There is
afternoon tea and a midnight snack.
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Facilities and Activities: There is
a pool, a sun deck, lounge, bar, sauna and hairdresser. A doctor is on
board. Cruise directors are multi-lingual.
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Recent Fares Reported to Us:
Cruise-only
trips for seven nights range from $691 to $1,924 depending on season, cabin
category and vessel. Cruise/tour (not air) ranges from $1,546 to $2,813
depending on season and cabin category for 14-day trips. A 12-day package
including airfare from New York runs from $2,485 to $3,935 and include
roundtrip air, hotel accommodations, city tours, port taxes and shore excursions.
The seven-day classical music cruise is $1,013 to $1,924.
ROYAL STAR
Passenger Capacity: 220
Built: 1956, renovated 1990
Former Names: Ocean Islander, San Giorgio,
City of Andros
Length: 367 ft.
Beam: 51 ft.
Draft: 18 ft.
Decks: 5
Elevator: 1
Officers: European
Staff and Crew: 130. Swiss and German
Wheelchair Access: No
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Itinerary: Safari/cruise packages include
four to eight-day Kenya stays. The cruises, year-round, include ports in
the Indian Ocean with visits to Comores, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mascarenes
and South Africa. A 21-night cruise/land tour goes from Mombasa to Zanzibar,
Shungu Mbili of Tanzania, Mayaotte of the Comores, Nosy Be and Mauritius
of Madagascar, Reunion of the Mascarenes, and Praslin, La Digue and Mahe
of the Seychelles.
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Cabins: 111. Most cabins are outside,
with window or porthole, are air-conditioned and have private bath with
shower and a telephone. There are several suites with refrigerator and
TV/VCR, some with two bathrooms, one with a balcony. Some triple and quad
cabins are available.
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Dining: The dining room has two seatings.
Breakfast and lunch are on deck or in the dining room. Cuisine is international
with local specialties. There is 24-hour cabin service for an extra charge.
There is a midnight buffet.
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Dress: Casual during the day; jacket
and tie for men on two nights.
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Facilities and Activities: There is
a lounge with cabaret acts and local talent, a casino, a nightclub with
dancing, two bars, library, small pool, fitness center, sauna, hairdresser,
an observation deck and a sun deck. A physician is on board. There are
film shows and lectures. The bridge is open while the ship is at sea. There
are explorations of Mombasa, Zanzibar, and Mayotte. On Nosy Be in Madagascar,
an optional boat trip is available to Nosy Komba to feed a colony of black
lemurs. Fort Dauphin on Madagascar has beaches, mountains, desert and a
reserve for ringtailed lemurs and flying foxes. There is snorkeling and
diving on the atoll of Shungu Mbili in Tanzania. In the Seychelles, trips
include the Vallee de Mai National Park and Mahe.
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Recent Fares Reported to Us: Fares
start at $1,665 inside cabin for seven-day cruise. The fares range from
$4,270 to $12,600 for the 18-night cruise. Port charges are extra. Safaris
run from $325 to $585 per person per day.
LEV TOLSTOY
Passenger Capacity: 210
Built: 1978; refurbished 1996
Length: 380 ft.
Beam: 50 ft.
Draft: 10 ft.
Decks: 4
Elevator: None
Officers: Russian
Staff and Crew: 100
Wheelchair Access: No
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Itinerary: There are 11 and 12-day
cruises between Moscow and St. Petersburg, with several days in those cities
while staying on the vessel, plus ports of Uglich, Kostroma, Yaroslavl,
Irma and Kizhi. The vessel also goes on Siberian cruises.
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Cabins: All cabins are outside and
have picture windows, individually controlled air-conditioning and a private
bath with shower. There are 20 single cabins and two suites with separate
sitting rooms.
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Dining: There is an open-seating dining
room with one seating. Cuisine is continental and Russian. Complimentary
wine is served with dinner.
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Facilities and Activities: The vessel
was formerly used by Soviet officials on holiday and to host foreign dignitaries.
There is a theater, music hall, pool, sauna, two bars and a hairdresser.
There are guest lecturers, lessons in Russian language and song, nightly
entertainment, dancing and folklore shows. English-speaking guides and
interpreters accompany passengers on shore excursions to villages and towns.
There are visits to cathedrals, monasteries, palaces and museums. Shore
trips include an outdoor shashlyk (shishkabob) picnic and a Russian tea
ceremony.
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Recent Fares Reported to Us: The
per person fares are $1,290 to $1,590, with suites running $1,790. A third
person in a cabin is $690. Port taxes are included.
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