Galápagos National Park
Cruise ship Celebrity Xpedition
After the Galápagos National Park suspended the license of the Celebrity Xpedition for 45 days, Celebrity Cruises tells the Miami Herald that the cruise ship will be back in business on June 30th. The cruise line previously told passengers on the June 23rd sailing that their cruise has been canceled. This followed the cancellation of trips on June 2, 9 and 16.
The suspension occurred after park officials charged the cruise line with storing and transporting out-of-season lobster.
Celebrity stated that the lobster had been caught during the legal season and that the rules regarding storage of out-of-season lobster had not gone into effect at the time the ship was inspected. But that argument failed to sway an Ecuadorian judge who allowed the suspension to stand.
Passengers on the cancelled cruises are being offered a full refund as well as a 25 percent credit for a future cruise on the Celebrity Xpedition in the next two years. Those who booked plane tickets through Celebrity will get a full refund; those who booked separately will get a refund of their change fees.
The 98-passenger Celebrity Xpedition has been sitting at anchor off Santa Cruz Island since the suspension went into effect.