Quasar ExpeditionsReviews of quasarex.com

Reply from Quasar ExpeditionsNov 7, 2019

IMPORTANT UPDATE: M/Y GRACE HAS NEW STABILIZERS AS OF OCT 2019 We are very happy that this passenger found the trip amazing. As you can see from the many reviews on this site about the Grace, the majority of our passengers consider the Grace to be the ideal yacht for experiencing the Galapagos on what we like to call our cruise safaris. For her layout, size, number of passengers, history, charm and the crew and guides she attracts many consider the Grace the best in the Galapagos. Our aim is to provide passengers with an authentic, up close experience of the Galapagos and its wildlife and few yachts do that better than the Grace, starting with not having to compete with large numbers of passengers to see the wildlife or take photos. We take passengers comments very seriously and use these to improve our product. While we regret that this passenger did not sleep well, the other passengers on this same cruise did not share similar comments. This cruise took place during an outing when seas were a bit more choppy than the usually calm seas one finds in the Galapagos. The Grace was built by famed Camper & Nicholsons in South Hampton, England for the North Seas so she is very sea worthy. Practically all small yachts in Galapagos will rock a bit on rough seas, which is a small trade-off for the many advantages they provide over the larger ships due to their smaller group sizes. Even so, Quasar plans to install stabilizers in time for next Fall to make her even more stable, but please be aware that all yachts will rock when not in motion, with or without stabilizers. Yes, when the Grace pulls up to a landing site the crew does have to drop anchor and when she leaves the crew raises anchor as with any yacht. We do contest the claim that the bathrooms on the Grace are substandard for a yacht. One can find many reviews on this site where we receive compliments on the amenities and how clean our crew keeps the yacht. Over the years we have found that the best way to experience the Galapagos and its amazing animals is in smaller groups designed aboard yachts that maximize ones experience of the Galapagos habitat. These days you will only encounter a crowd in the Galapagos is you bring one with you on a ship of 50 to 100 people and because these larger groups tend to change the character of the landing sites from marine wilderness to crowed beach, Quasar has elected for yachts, like the Grace Thank you again for traveling with us to the Galapagos Islands! - The Quasar Expeditions' Management Team

Reply from Quasar ExpeditionsSep 28, 2018

Dear Patagonia girl, Thank you for your thorough review and feedback. We are very glad to hear you found Patagonia as spectacular as we do and that you enjoyed the beautiful properties, the delicious food and the breathtaking sites that Patagonia has to offer. Quasar Expeditions takes your safety very seriously. Our Jeeps are maintained as per the schedule indicated by the brand at the local maintenance shop, and any issues that arise are managed with original spare parts and repairs, always with the brands indications and suggestions. When this trip took place in February 2018, we did experience unexpected mechanical issues with two of our Jeeps that required repairs. Being at a remote location as Patagonia, the nearest maintenance shop is located 155 miles away from our pick-up location, which is not ideal, and why we inform our clients in our terms and conditions about our right to provide a substitute vehicle of equal or greater quality, due to unforeseen circumstances like mechanical failures. In order to prevent and foresee similar situations we have now expanded our fleet to 6 jeeps with the addition of new 2018 Jeep Wranglers. We are sorry to hear your feedback regarding the sound system in your third vehicle. The model of the vehicle you were provided with does have speakers in the front, but unfortunately not in the back. Our staff addressed this during your trip to make sure that the speakers in the front were working. Our local guide also looked into the possibility of exchanging your vehicle, but due to it being in the middle of peak season, no other rental vehicle was available at the time. We have also looked into the challenges you and your group experienced with the GPS due to a closed road to the Mylodon Cave. Due to Patagonia’s remoteness, detours are not as easily calculated by the device and Quasar Expeditions is actively working with Garmin GPS Systems to improve the Garmin maps in Southern Patagonia to optimize our guests experience in the wilderness. All our vehicles are equipped with paper maps and field guides as well as a satellite phone that our guests can use whenever they experience any issues, however small or big they may be. Satellite use of minutes to call Quasar operations team is unlimited, and we highly encourage all guests to call us, even if it’s just to ask us if they should make a left turn or a right turn. Our Patagonia team is available 24/7 to help our guests have a hassle-free trip. We apologize for the misunderstanding that occurred with the transfer for one couple of your group. Our team did everything in their power to solve this unfortunate situation as promptly as possible and we are working with every member of our team to ensure that these types misunderstandings do not occur in the future. Hotels in the region can definitely offer a great experience Patagonia, nevertheless, the activity options are more limited. Hotels generally do not offer to set up other activities than what is found on their program and it may be difficult to secure space for some of the best activities in Patagonia such as kayaking and ice-trekking. Local guides are plenty, but the good ones are very scarce. Quasar Expeditions hand-picks only the top naturalist guides in Patagonia to ensure an exceptional adventure for our guests. We regret that you did not feel your trip to Patagonia was all it could have been, as our goal is to always provide all our travelers with wonderful memories of a lifetime. The abundance of amazing reviews on Quasar Expeditions and our products, that you can easily find on this and many other review spaces across the web, make a great point of this. We recommend that anyone who has doubts or concerns give us a call us at any of the numbers found on our website www.quasarex.com or email us directly at [email protected]. Thank you, The Quasar Expeditions' Management Team

Reply from Quasar ExpeditionsApr 16, 2016

Hi George, Thank you for your review and great comments about the boat, crew and food! It’s important to understand that the primary responsibility of the Galapagos National Park Guides is protecting the National Park, including its habitat and amazing creatures. With that responsibility comes reminding passengers of park rules such as how close passenger may approach an animal, etc., which in some cases may be a bit repetitious, but that is their job. We understand that personalities do not always mesh and we understand what you are saying happened. Other passengers have had a different experience of Alex per his reviews: · “Alex Cox was an exceptional guide. He was extremely knowledgeable and led the tours in an organized and professional manner. He has a good sense of humor and was delightful to be with.” Walt Cottrell · “Alex was fantastic. He is both extremely knowledgeable and engaging. As a native of the Galapagos, he was able to add a lot of personal insights and color regarding the recent history of events on the islands. Observing other groups and guides as we toured the islands, I really think you have two of the best.” James Doran We apologize for your opinion on Alex and we hope you consider changing your mind on this review and can contact Quasar Expeditions' at any time to discuss further. Thank you, The Quasar Expeditions' Management Team