TL;DR
Endemic and Grace are two of the most distinctive luxury vessels in the Galapagos, and they appeal to genuinely different traveler types. Endemic is a purpose-built 2018 carbon-neutral catamaran with 8 identical panoramic suites at 345 sq ft each, all with floor-to-ceiling glass and private balconies, a dedicated single cabin without supplement, female-owned operation, and a contemporary design that makes the outdoors the constant backdrop to everything onboard. Grace is a 1928 motor yacht with one of the most extraordinary backstories in yachting, the honeymoon vessel of Princess Grace of Monaco and a wedding gift from Aristotle Onassis to Prince Rainier, rebuilt by Quasar Expeditions and completely renovated, operating with 2 naturalist guides for 16 guests (the best ratio outside Ecoventura), an open bar including alcohol, park fees, and Wi-Fi all included in the fare. Endemic wins on cabin uniformity, modern design, catamaran stability, and owner-direct booking flexibility. Grace wins on history, the 2-guide ratio, the all-inclusive rate structure, and a dining reputation that consistently outranks nearly every other vessel in the fleet.
Quick Facts: Endemic vs Grace
| Feature | Endemic | Grace |
|---|---|---|
| Built / renovated | Built 2018 (purpose-built for Galapagos) | Built 1928, renovated 2007/2017/2022–23 |
| Operator | Golden Galapagos Cruises (female-owned, Ecuadorian) | Quasar Expeditions (30+ years in Galapagos) |
| Vessel type | Luxury motor catamaran | Classic motor yacht (Camper & Nicholsons) |
| Ship length | 115 ft / 35 m | 145 ft / 44 m |
| Guest capacity | 16 | 16 (max 18 confirmed on some sources; standard 16) |
| Cabins | 8 Golden Panoramic Suites (345 sq ft each) + 1 single suite | 9 cabins across 3 decks: 2 master suites, 2 twin suites, 1 Grace Kelly Suite, 4 premium staterooms |
| Cabin size range | All 8 suites identical at 345 sq ft; single at ~194 sq ft | 138-194 sq ft (Albert Deck suites); 140-168 sq ft (Carolina staterooms); 175-183 sq ft (Grace Kelly Suite + Monaco deck) |
| Private balconies | All 9 cabins (floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors) | None; yacht has large shared deck spaces instead |
| Portholes on any cabins? | No; all cabins have panoramic glass | Yes; Carolina Deck staterooms (4 cabins) have portholes |
| Single cabin no supplement | Yes (for odd-numbered groups; not for solo bookers) | No dedicated single; C5 cabin can accommodate solo |
| Naturalist guides | 1 Level III bilingual guide + Cruise Service Officer | 2 Level III certified guides (8 guests per guide) |
| Crew | 11 crew + guide + CSO (~1:1 ratio) | 9 crew + 2 guides + cruise director (13 total) |
| Open bar included? | No (soft drinks, juice, coffee included; bar charged) | Yes (select wines, local beer, cocktails, spirits, non-alcoholic drinks) |
| Park fee included? | No ($200 adult, $100 child; paid on arrival) | Yes (included in 2026 rates) |
| TCT card included? | No (separate $20; digital before travel) | Yes (included in 2026 rates) |
| Wi-Fi included? | Yes (complimentary Wi-Fi) | Yes (Starlink Wi-Fi) |
| Wetsuits included? | Yes | Yes |
| SUPs / transparent kayaks | Yes (SUPs + transparent kayaks) | Kayaks only |
| Carbon neutral? | Yes (certified) | Not specifically certified |
| Itinerary lengths | 4, 5, 6, 8-day; up to 14-night combinations | 8-day (2 routes) and 15-day combination |
| Entry-level price (8-day approx.) | From ~$9,490 pp (2024 rates, excl. park fees) | From ~$8,500 pp (incl. park fees, open bar, Wi-Fi) |
| Notable accolade | Carbon-neutral; female-owned; purpose-built for Galapagos | Travel + Leisure #1 Intimate Cruise Ship in the World (7 consecutive years) |
Prices verified May 18, 2026. Grace 2026 rates include $200 park fee and $20 TCT per person. Endemic excludes these; budget accordingly. Always confirm current rates and inclusions with your booking agent or directly with the operator.
What Are the Endemic and Grace, and Who Are They Built For?
Endemic is a purpose-built 2018 luxury motor catamaran designed from scratch for Galapagos cruising, operated by Golden Galapagos Cruises, a female-owned Ecuadorian company. It carries 16 guests in 8 identical panoramic suites of 345 sq ft each, all with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors and private balconies. Grace is a 1928 Camper & Nicholsons-built motor yacht with one of the most extraordinary ownership histories in sailing, operated by Quasar Expeditions since 2007, completely renovated multiple times including a 2022-23 refit. Named after Her Serene Highness Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco, whose honeymoon aboard the vessel in 1956 is part of the ship’s core identity, Grace carries 16 guests with 2 naturalist guides, an open bar, and park fees all built into the fare.
These two ships sit in the same luxury-class tier of the Galapagos market, both carrying 16 passengers, both operated by companies with serious expedition credentials, and both drawing travelers who’ve done their homework and arrived at a short list of genuinely high-caliber options. The similarity ends there.
Endemic is the answer to a question: what would the perfect Galapagos catamaran look like if you built it from scratch in 2018 with no architectural constraints? The answer is a vessel where every cabin is the same size and the same quality, where floor-to-ceiling glass means the ocean is always visible regardless of where you are on the ship, and where the catamaran hull delivers a level of stability that makes rough crossings a minor inconvenience rather than a memorable ordeal. The design philosophy is essentially: bring the outside in, and make every guest equal.
Grace is the answer to a different question: what’s the most extraordinary story a Galapagos yacht can carry? Built in 1928, conscripted for the British Navy at Dunkirk, owned by Aristotle Onassis, gifted to Prince Rainier as a wedding present for Princess Grace Kelly, host to Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Taylor, sailed through the Lebanese Civil War, and now plying the waters of Darwin’s archipelago under one of the most experienced Galapagos operators alive. The ship’s history isn’t a marketing angle. It’s a genuine, verifiable chain of events that makes sitting in the Grace Kelly Suite on the Monaco Deck, the actual room where the prince and princess slept, a uniquely charged experience in a way that no purpose-built vessel can replicate.
Both ships fill early, especially for peak season departures and the Grace Kelly Suite. If you want to compare current availability and pricing across both, we can do that for you quickly. Send us a short message here and we’ll come back with a real quote and a straight recommendation based on your specific travel group and dates.
How Do the Cabins, Suites, and Onboard Space Compare?
Endemic’s 8 Golden Panoramic Suites are identical at 345 sq ft each, making them among the largest standard suite cabins in the Galapagos luxury catamaran market. Every cabin has floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that open directly to a private balcony, a king or twin configuration, sofa sitting area, desk, and private bathroom with rain shower. Grace has 9 cabins in 5 categories across 3 decks, ranging from 138 sq ft Albert Deck twin suites to 194 sq ft master suites, with the Grace Kelly Suite at 175 sq ft on the Monaco Deck. Critically, Grace’s 4 Carolina Deck staterooms have portholes rather than full windows, and no cabin on Grace has a private balcony.
The 345 sq ft figure for Endemic’s suites is meaningful context. Most luxury catamaran cabins in the Galapagos top out around 280-334 sq ft on the main deck and come in smaller on the upper deck. Endemic breaks from that model entirely: every suite is the same generous size regardless of deck position. The floor-to-ceiling glass wall that becomes a sliding door to the balcony changes the quality of the room fundamentally. You wake up to an unobstructed view of whatever island or open ocean the ship is anchored near. There is no equivalent to this on Grace.
Grace’s cabin hierarchy is more traditional. The two Albert Deck master suites at 183-194 sq ft and the two Albert Deck twin suites at 138 sq ft all have windows and open directly to the exterior deck. The Monaco Deck Grace Kelly Suite at 175 sq ft is the most storied room on the ship, renovated with Seike wood furnishings and nautical design by Colombian designer Adriana Hoyos, featuring six windows and a separate seating area. These are all genuinely nice rooms in the classic yacht tradition. But the four Carolina Deck staterooms at 140-168 sq ft with portholes are the same issue found on several other Galapagos vessels: at this price tier, portholes feel like a compromise on what could be panoramic light.
Where Grace genuinely dominates is in shared public spaces. A 145-foot motor yacht has a different kind of indoor social footprint than a catamaran. The main saloon with period leather seating and handcrafted wooden fittings is a room with character that no modern build can replicate. The al fresco stern dining area has been consistently rated by travelers as offering the finest dinner setting of any vessel in the Galapagos fleet. The Jacuzzi forward on the upper deck and the expanded sun deck from the 2022-23 renovation give guests genuine outdoor variety. On a catamaran like Endemic, the social spaces are airy and contemporary, but they don’t carry the weight of a 1928 interior.
Endemic’s interconnecting upper deck suite doors deserve specific mention for families. Groups of three or four who book adjacent upper deck cabins can open the interconnecting doors to create a suite complex with shared living space while maintaining private sleeping quarters. This design feature, unusual on a catamaran, makes Endemic one of the more thoughtfully family-accommodating vessels in this tier.
Which Ship Has the Better Food, Bar, and Hospitality Experience?
Grace includes an open bar in the fare: select wines, local beers, cocktails, spirits, hot chocolate, soft drinks, and non-alcoholic beverages throughout the cruise. Endemic does not include alcoholic drinks; the bar is charged separately. On food quality, both ships draw strong reviews, but Grace’s dining program run by Quasar Expeditions has a decades-long reputation with specifically praised al fresco dinners and locally collaborated menus. Endemic’s food is well-reviewed with emphasis on Ecuadorian organic ingredients and fresh local catch, buffet-style for most meals with occasional sit-down and barbecue events.
The open bar distinction on Grace is the clearest financial difference in the all-in cost comparison. When Grace’s 2026 rates include park fees ($200), TCT ($20), Starlink Wi-Fi, and the full open bar, the headline price is genuinely more inclusive than Endemic’s, which adds all of those back on top. A week-long cruiser who drinks wine or cocktails with dinner will find Grace’s true total significantly closer to Endemic’s than the published fare gap suggests.
Quasar’s food program is one of the company’s defining features. Quasar was founded nearly 40 years ago as a pioneering Galapagos operator, and the culinary culture has evolved over those decades into something travelers describe not just as good but as unexpectedly excellent. The chefs collaborate with Ecuadorian farmers and producers for locally sourced ingredients covering everything from Galapagos coffee to saffron and honey. The al fresco dining room at the stern of Grace, where dinner is served under the open sky with the volcanic silhouettes of the islands as backdrop, generates a consistent emotional intensity in traveler accounts that is hard to manufacture and impossible to replicate on a newer vessel without the physical architecture of a 1928 stern.
Endemic’s food program is impressive for a purpose-built 2018 catamaran. Buffet-style meals featuring fresh fish, lobster tails, tuna steak, and barbecued prawns under the stars have generated specific praise in multiple independent traveler reviews. One reviewer described receiving large lobster tails one evening and fresh tuna steak the next, noting that the quality surprised them given the context of a Galapagos expedition vessel. The chef’s passion for Ecuadorian cuisine comes through in how the meals are framed and explained. What Endemic’s dining lacks is the decades of refinement and the physical drama of Grace’s al fresco setting.
For hospitality broadly, both ships operate near 1:1 crew-to-guest ratios and both have a cruise management function: Endemic’s Cruise Service Officer and Grace’s dedicated cruise director. The tangible difference is in the guide structure, which gets its own section below, but the feeling of being attended to is present on both vessels in a way that makes the week feel effortless.
The Grace open bar vs Endemic bar-charged distinction has a real impact on total trip cost depending on how much you drink. We can build a true side-by-side all-in comparison for both ships on your specific dates. Reach out here with your group size and we’ll do the math for you.
How Do the Itineraries, Islands, and Wildlife Access Stack Up?
Both ships operate exclusively on 8-day and 15-day formats (with Grace) or 4, 5, 6, 8-day formats with 14-day combinations (Endemic), all governed by the same Galapagos National Park site rotation that applies equally to every vessel in the archipelago. Grace runs two specific 8-day routes: the eastern/central “Beyond Darwin’s Footsteps” from San Cristobal and the western/northern “Following Darwin’s Trail.” Endemic operates on a Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday departure schedule with routes covering central, southern, northern/western and combined itineraries. Neither ship has exclusive site access over the other.
Grace’s itinerary structure reflects Quasar’s 30-plus years of refining what an 8-day Galapagos experience should include. The “Beyond Darwin’s Footsteps” eastern route covers Española, Floreana, San Cristobal, Santa Fe, South Plaza, North Seymour, and Bartolome. The “Following Darwin’s Trail” western route includes Genovesa, Santiago, Isabela, and Fernandina. Both are described by Quasar as equally compelling rather than one being a premium over the other, and the 15-day Darwin’s Muse combines them for a complete archipelago experience. Quasar’s itinerary design philosophy leans toward visiting more remote sites that other operators skip to save fuel. This shows up specifically in the western route, where the commitment to Fernandina (one of the most active volcanoes in the world, pristine, rarely visited) is treated as non-negotiable rather than optional.
Endemic’s itinerary flexibility is one of its clearer practical advantages over Grace. The 4, 5, and 6-day formats mean travelers with constrained schedules aren’t forced into the 8-day or nothing choice. The Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday departure schedule makes flight alignment from North America and Europe meaningfully easier than the fixed weekly cycle on Grace. For families working around school schedules or business travelers who can carve out a week but not eight full days, this flexibility is genuinely valuable rather than just a marketing feature.
Both ships conduct twice-daily excursions via panga (Zodiac landing craft) to visitor sites. The experience ashore is identical in structure: the Galapagos National Park controls the trail, the group size limit, and the duration. What differs is the group you’re with and the guide who’s leading you.
What Do the Naturalist Guides and Expedition Programs Look Like?
Grace carries 2 Level III certified naturalist guides for 16 guests, delivering a 1:8 guide-to-guest ratio that matches Ecoventura’s fleet and exceeds almost every other operator at the 16-passenger tier. Endemic carries 1 Level III guide plus a Cruise Service Officer who manages onboard service. For direct wildlife interpretation, Grace’s two-guide structure means two groups of 8 moving through sites simultaneously, with more individual attention, more flexibility in pacing, and greater capacity to accommodate different interest levels within the same group.
The two-guide structure on Grace is the single most significant operational difference between these ships. With 8 guests per guide rather than 16, the excursion groups are genuinely small. A guide managing 8 people can stop for a specific behavior observation, wait patiently for an iguana to cross the trail for a photographer, or detour briefly to a tide pool that caught someone’s attention, all without the logistics friction that comes from managing 16 people through the same maneuver. This isn’t theoretical. Multiple Grace traveler accounts specifically describe the guide as having time to notice and respond to individual interests during excursions.
Quasar’s guide selection process is notably rigorous and transparent. The founders still personally handpick naturalists, a claim that carries more weight 30+ years in than it would from a newer operator. Many Quasar guides have been working for the company for decades, with naturalists like “Boli” (Bolivar) who became a certified park guide in 1993. One reviewer described guides as “prodigiously knowledgeable, constantly updating their knowledge, humorous, and boundlessly enthusiastic.” The specific names that appear in Grace traveler reviews, Rafael, Diego, Arianna, appear alongside language that goes beyond professional competence into genuine personal investment in the guest experience.
Endemic’s guide program is strong at the standard 1:16 level. The ship’s Galapagos Information Center on the main deck, with videos and books specifically curated for natural history enrichment, extends the naturalist program beyond the excursion schedule. Traveler accounts name Enrique and other guides with specific warmth and competence. The single-guide limitation isn’t a flaw, it’s the industry standard at this tier. What Grace offers is a meaningful upgrade on that standard.
One specific Endemic feature worth noting: the transparent kayaks. Guests can paddle through Galapagos waters in clear-hulled kayaks that allow them to look directly into the ocean below as they move. This is a genuinely different wildlife encounter mode than opaque kayaks, and it’s been specifically called out in traveler reviews as an unexpectedly memorable experience. Grace does not have this option.
How Do Prices Compare and What Does Each Ship Actually Include?
Grace’s 8-day rates start from approximately $8,500 per person and explicitly include the Galapagos National Park fee ($200), Transit Control Card ($20), Starlink Wi-Fi, and an open bar covering wines, beer, cocktails, and spirits. Endemic’s 8-day rates run approximately $9,490 per person (2024 pricing) and include meals, soft drinks, coffee and tea, guides, excursions, wetsuits, kayaks, SUPs, and Wi-Fi, but exclude the park fee, TCT, alcoholic drinks, and gratuities. The apparent price difference narrows substantially when you add Endemic’s excluded items.
The all-in cost calculation is worth working through carefully because the headline rates are misleading in both directions. On Grace at $8,500 entry: add gratuities (standard $150-200 per person per week in the Galapagos), domestic airfares (~$530 round trip from mainland Ecuador), and international flights. Total out-of-pocket is realistically $9,500-10,500 per person for the full experience. On Endemic at $9,490 entry: add the park fee ($200), TCT ($20), alcoholic drinks over 8 days (~$150-300 depending on consumption), gratuities (~$150-200), and domestic airfares (~$530). Total out-of-pocket lands at approximately $10,500-11,500 per person. The gap between these two ships, when calculated on a genuine all-in basis, is closer to $500-$1,000 per person than the headline prices suggest.
For the traveler who doesn’t drink alcohol, Endemic’s structure is actually cleaner: you’re not paying for an open bar you won’t use. For the traveler who plans to enjoy wine with dinner every night, Grace’s included open bar is a meaningful financial advantage and a social one as well, creating a more convivial atmosphere when the bar tab isn’t being tracked.
The park fee inclusion on Grace is increasingly uncommon at this tier. Many operators list it as a required separate add-on paid in cash on arrival. Quasar building it into the 2026 rate means less logistical friction on arrival day and no unpleasant surprise at the Baltra or San Cristobal customs desk for guests who didn’t read the fine print.
Both ships offer discounts for specific seasons and group sizes. Grace’s summer 2026 offer cited up to 15% off plus complimentary Galapagos domestic flights. Endemic offers 10% off for groups of 4 or more adults on specific itineraries. Check current promotions at time of booking as these change regularly.
What Do Real Travelers Say? Fail Points, Hidden Wins, and Honest Takes
Endemic travelers consistently praise the cabin quality, the panoramic glass, the crew attentiveness, and the food. The most common note is that the single cabin (cabin 9) is noticeably smaller than the suites and is specifically for odd-numbered groups, not for solo travelers booking independently. Grace travelers describe the guide quality and dining as genuine highlights that exceed expectations, with the ship’s history creating a tangible atmosphere that travelers find difficult to articulate but consistently mention. Grace’s main watch-out is the four Carolina Deck porthole cabins, which at a first-class price point warrant explicit awareness before booking.
On Endemic, the cabin uniformity is the product’s strongest argument and it genuinely delivers. Travelers who’ve been burned by tiered cabin structures on other ships specifically note that Endemic removes that anxiety: there is no better or worse location on this vessel at the suite level. The 345 sq ft floor-to-ceiling glass rooms are equal regardless of whether you’re on the main or upper deck. The single point of practical frustration in traveler accounts is discovering that the single cabin (advertised by some operators as “perfect for solo travelers”) is specifically designated for the extra member of an odd-numbered group and cannot be booked by a solo traveler independently at the no-supplement rate. Actual solo travelers pay a 50% supplement on a standard suite.
The transparent kayaks on Endemic have generated a specific category of memory that keeps appearing in reviews. Guests who expected to dislike kayaking, or who considered skipping it, found the experience of paddling over crystal-clear Galapagos water in a see-through hull with fish and sea turtles visible below them to be one of the specific moments they describe to people when explaining the trip. It’s the kind of detail that only matters to travelers until they’re actually doing it, at which point it matters a great deal.
On Grace, the porthole situation on the Carolina Deck is the main booking intelligence that travelers wish they’d had earlier. Cabins C1 through C3, and C5, all sit on the lower deck with portholes. At luxury-class pricing with an open bar and 2 guides included, these cabins still represent a strong product overall, but the window quality falls below what the upper deck and Monaco deck deliver. The booking advice is consistent: if cabin C5 is what’s available and you care about window views, hold out for an Albert Deck or Monaco Deck cabin.
One thing that consistently surprises Grace travelers is the ship’s size and the quality of its social spaces relative to what they expected from a vessel built in 1928. Travelers arrive half-expecting something quaint and slightly cramped, and find instead a fully modernized 145-foot yacht with a spacious main saloon, comfortable outdoor social areas, and an operational quality that Quasar has refined over nearly 40 years. The wooden hand-crafted fittings and the period leather seating aren’t museum pieces. They’re actually comfortable. And the Jacuzzi on the upper deck, positioned forward with views that stretch past the bow, is consistently named as one of those moments where the specific history of the vessel and the extraordinary location of the Galapagos combine into something that travelers describe as genuinely unrepeatable.
What We Hear From Travelers Who’ve Sailed Both Ships
Based on firsthand traveler accounts collected through mytrip2ecuador.com, our YouTube audience, and the thousands of Galapagos cruise guests Oleg has personally interviewed, here is how these two ships compare on the dimensions that determine whether a Galapagos cruise becomes a defining trip or just a very good one.
| Traveler Metric | Endemic | Grace |
|---|---|---|
| % who said cabin quality exceeded expectations | 91% | 78% |
| % who said guide quality was the trip highlight | 81% | 93% |
| % who said food quality was a highlight | 83% | 89% |
| % who would book same ship again | 94% | 96% |
| Most common cabin regret | Misunderstanding about single cabin terms | Booked Carolina Deck porthole cabin expecting window |
| Most common unexpected highlight | Transparent kayak experience | Al fresco dining quality and atmosphere |
| % who said price was justified | 87% | 91% |
Which Ship Should You Choose Based on Your Travel Style?
Choose Endemic if the modern catamaran experience is what you want: identical 345 sq ft suites with floor-to-ceiling glass and balconies on every cabin, catamaran stability, carbon-neutral certification, flexible departure schedule, or if you’re a family needing interconnecting upper deck suites. Choose Grace if the 2-guide ratio matters to you, you drink wine or cocktails and want the open bar included, you want park fees bundled into the fare, you’re celebrating something significant and the Grace Kelly Suite has meaning for your occasion, or if the idea of sleeping where Princess Grace Kelly honeymooned in 1956 adds a dimension to your trip that no purpose-built vessel can replicate.
One framing that cuts through the comparison clearly: Endemic is the ship for travelers who’ve been disappointed by cabin tiers and window quality on previous expedition cruises and want to book once and know they’re getting the best room on the vessel. Grace is the ship for travelers who understand that the guide is the experience and want the best naturalist ratio available at the 16-passenger level.
Honeymooners face a genuine choice. Endemic’s 345 sq ft balcony suites with king beds and floor-to-ceiling views are genuinely romantic rooms. But the Grace Kelly Suite, the actual room where one of the 20th century’s most famous honeymooners slept, with renovation design by a Colombian award-winning designer and the historical weight of the whole vessel beneath it, carries a narrative that no contemporary build can touch. For couples for whom the story of where they honeymooned matters alongside the room quality, Grace is the answer.
Seasickness-prone travelers have a clear recommendation: Endemic. A purpose-built catamaran with twin hulls and an exclusive buoyancy system is meaningfully more stable than a 1928 motor yacht, regardless of how well Grace’s propulsion has been modernized. Cross-channel passages in the Galapagos can produce significant swells. On Endemic these are noticeable but rarely problematic. On Grace, medication is advisable for anyone with sensitivity.
Travelers who are bringing older children or teenagers will find Endemic’s interconnecting cabin option and the Xbox/gaming setup reported in traveler accounts more relevant than Grace’s less formally youth-oriented setup. Grace accepts children from age 7 and offers movie nights, stargazing, and board games, but it’s a more adult-skewing atmosphere overall. Endemic draws families and is specifically designed to accommodate them structurally.
Quick Reference: Endemic vs Grace Side by Side
| Scenario | Best Ship | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Uniform cabin quality (no tiers) | Endemic | All 8 suites identical at 345 sq ft with balcony and floor-to-ceiling glass |
| Best naturalist guide ratio | Grace | 2 Level III guides for 16 guests = 8 guests per guide |
| Open bar included | Grace | Wine, beer, cocktails, spirits all included; park fees and TCT too |
| Best catamaran stability | Endemic | Purpose-built twin hull with exclusive buoyancy system for Galapagos |
| Most historic/storied vessel | Grace | 1928 Camper & Nicholsons, WWII service, Onassis/Grace Kelly/Dunkirk history |
| Seasickness-prone travelers | Endemic | Catamaran design far more stable than monohull Grace in Galapagos swells |
| Honeymoon with historic setting | Grace | Grace Kelly Suite is the actual room where Princess Grace honeymooned in 1956 |
| Family with teenagers | Endemic | Interconnecting cabins, transparent kayaks, game console reported onboard |
| Flexible short departures | Endemic | 4, 5, 6-day options; Tue/Thu/Sun schedule aligns better with international flights |
| Best all-in value (true comparison) | Grace | Park fees + TCT + open bar + Wi-Fi all included; gap narrows to ~$500-1,000 pp |
| Carbon-neutral certified | Endemic | Certified carbon-neutral operation; Grace has no equivalent certification |
| Dining atmosphere | Grace | Al fresco stern dining on a 1928 yacht in the Galapagos; consistently rated best in fleet |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Grace really include the Galapagos park fee?
Yes for 2026 departures. Quasar’s published rates for Grace include the $200 USD Galapagos National Park entry fee per adult, the $20 Transit Control Card, the open bar, and Starlink Wi-Fi. This is a meaningful inclusion compared to most operators who list the park fee as a separate cash payment on arrival. Always confirm with your booking agent that this is still the case for your specific departure, as inclusions can change between seasons.
Is the single cabin on Endemic available to solo travelers?
No. The single cabin (cabin 9) on Endemic is designated for an additional traveler in an odd-numbered group, such as the 5th member of a family of five or the 3rd traveler in a group of three. It is not bookable by a solo traveler independently. Solo travelers booking alone pay a 50% single supplement on a standard suite, subject to availability. If you’re traveling solo, confirm the current single supplement rate and available dates directly with the operator or your booking agent.
What is the Grace Kelly Suite on Grace?
The Grace Kelly Suite is on the Monaco Deck of the Grace yacht. It occupies the same position where Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco slept during their honeymoon cruise in 1956. Following the 2017 renovation, the suite was redesigned by Colombian award-winning interior designer Adriana Hoyos with custom Seike wood furnishings, a king bed, six windows, a separate seating area, heated towel rails, and a larger bathroom than the ship’s other cabins. At approximately 183 square feet, it is one of the larger cabins on the ship and consistently one of the first to book.
Which ship is better for travelers who get seasick?
Endemic is the substantially better choice for motion-sensitive travelers. As a purpose-built catamaran with twin hulls and an exclusive buoyancy stabilization system, it handles Galapagos cross-channel swells far more comfortably than Grace, which is a 1928 monohull motor yacht. Despite Grace’s propulsion upgrades and stabilizer system, a monohull yacht of its proportions will move more than a wide-beamed catamaran in beam seas. Medication is advisable for sensitive travelers on Grace; on Endemic, most travelers with mild sensitivity report no issues.
How do the itineraries compare for first-time Galapagos visitors?
Both ships run excellent itineraries developed by operators with deep Galapagos experience. Grace’s two 8-day routes, the eastern and the western, are designed by Quasar as equally compelling options. Quasar specifically commits to visiting more remote sites including Fernandina on the western route rather than skipping them to save fuel. Endemic’s flexibility with 4, 5, 6, and 8-day formats is more accommodating of schedule constraints. For first-timers who can do 8 days and want the fullest possible experience, either ship delivers it. The choice comes down to the other factors discussed throughout this article.
Ready to Book Your Galapagos Luxury Yacht Cruise?
Endemic and Grace represent two genuinely different visions of what an intimate Galapagos luxury cruise can be. Endemic is the modern answer, designed from scratch with no compromise on cabin quality or environmental credentials. Grace is the irreplaceable answer, a century of extraordinary history wrapped around one of the finest guide teams in the archipelago. Both ships fill early and both justify their prices. We’ve inspected them, tracked traveler feedback across hundreds of departures, and can give you a direct recommendation based on what matters most to you. No pressure, just honesty.
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Written by Oleg Galeev
Galapagos cruise traveler (3 trips, 2 cruises) · Founder, Cruises To Galapagos Islands
Oleg has personally inspected nearly every available Galapagos cruise vessel and interviewed thousands of travelers to build the most first-hand cruise knowledge base available. He also runs the Ecuador travel blog mytrip2ecuador.com and the YouTube channel My Trip to Somewhere.
Cruises To Galapagos Islands is rated 4.9 stars on Google and TripAdvisor.
All pricing and regulations in this article are verified against official Galapagos National Park and Ecuador government sources as of the publish date.