galapagos
CNH Tours - Cultural and Natural Heritage Tours Galapagos
Tuesday October 23, 2018
Ship's crew receives near perfect score
We first offered an "Active" trip back in 2003 - chartering a ship twice a year. In 2005, we moved from our original ship to the Samba, booking 4 charters that year. In 2020, we've booked 30 charters with the Samba. This growth is entirely attributable to word of mouth, along with the growing on-line recognition that the Samba is one of the best, if not THE best value for money ship in the Galapagos. We've done no advertising, bought no Google ads... nothing.
Value for money can be measured in many ways. One of the Samba's several defining characteristics, one that sets it apart from the majority of ships in Galapagos, even the highest end ships, is the extent to which its crew is engaged and pro-actively helpful.
The cook works wonders in the galley; the captain is in the water, accompanying snorkelers who appreciate a helping hand; the crew is on the constant watch for how they can make things better for guests. The all do this while sharing a bit of fun with the guests, engaging in some convivial laughter.
The ship's owner recognizes that an engaged crew contributes to a successful operation. One of the ways he gets his crew "on board" is to offer them and their families a cruise of their own, once a year. This gives them a chance to share their life, and the wonders of Galapagos, with their loved ones. In Galapagos very few residents ever get a chance to see what the hoopla is all about. The owner has even organized a trip to the Amazon for his crew and their family, in an effort to help them appreciate the reason why so many foreigners come to their country.
CNH Tours regularly surveys its returning guests on the quality of their experience. Their overall trip receives very high scores - but no other element of the survey receives quite as high a score as the quality of the Samba's crew (though many come close). Below is the result of the survey of returning guests from March to June this year. 1 out of 122 respondents rated the crew as just "very good", 1 rated them "absolutely terrible" (we have to think that was a typo/mistake on the respondent's part), while all the others rated them as "excellent / couldn't possibly be better".
We are very proud of the Samba and how it's managed. The numbers, both in terms of people approaching us to join an Active Galapagos trip, and in terms of survey results, speak for themselves.
A FEW"CUT AND PASTE" COMMENTS FROM OUR GUESTS
1. We found the crew of the Samba truly exceptional and felt very safe and taken-care-of with each one of them. They were unfailingly friendly and helpful. What we especially appreciated is that there were always several crew members coming along on the snorkeling adventures (even captain Oswaldo at times) to unobtrusively keep an eye on our safety. The entire ship was kept spick and span. I should also mention that the crew was always so quiet, no unnecessary noise ever.
2. WHAT A PHENOMENAL, ATTENTIVE, KIND, PROFESSIONAL CREW!
3. Everyone did their jobs so well, and were always there to help or make us more comfortable. The captain really excelled, especially when we were snorkeling by making sure we all got the maximum from the experience.
4. Great guys all worked well together. They were always laughing and joking with us and really seemed to enjoy their work. Worked well as a team They were all amazing loved our captain.
5. Crew went out of their way to help in any way possible. They were friendly, knowledgeable. They worked as a team, helping each other and us. They had fun with us.