+
  • The Grace Difference
  • The Yacht
  • Itineraries
  • Activities
Grace Galapagos
  • The Grace Difference
  • The Yacht
  • Itineraries
  • Activities

TO BOOK, PLEASE CONTACT A TRAVEL AGENT

Explore the Galapagos Aboard Princess Grace Kelly’s Royal Yacht

A safari-style wildlife adventure aboard our historic luxury yacht from the Golden Age of Travel

WATCH VIDEO
  • AFAR Traveler's Choice Award 2018
  • Condé Nast Traveler Award 2021
  • Lux Global Excellence 2018

The New & Intimate Grace Yacht
EXCLUSIVELY FOR ONLY 16 GUESTS

Meet Grace: a classic, historic yacht that has been completely rebuilt with features ideally suited to the Galapagos Islands.

Since her royal beginnings, our award-winning Grace Yacht has been renewed from bow to stern, and continues to be updated with features that make her the perfect home away from home in Galapagos. Refined yet adventurous and agile, it’s no wonder Princess Grace Kelly selected this ship for her honeymoon.

Guests who cruise aboard the new yacht will experience the Islands the way Darwin did in the past: personally and privately, but with the added distinction, comfort, and elegance of today. This luxurious 16-Guest yacht offers expanded deck space, stabilizers for smooth cruising, naturalist guides with 15+ years of experience, and itineraries crafted for maximum wildlife encounters. Welcome aboard Grace for the journey of a lifetime.

Discover the Grace Difference
Grace Kelly History
CRUISE WITH THE CLASS OF GRACE KELLY

Experience the Galapagos from the vantage of Grace Kelly’s former yacht, a symbol of her timeless style.

Read Full History

Immersive Galapagos Itineraries
MAXIMIZE YOUR ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS

We craft flexibility into our yacht safaris so you can capitalize on unexpected peak wildlife experiences.

Galapagos Small-ship Exclusivity
ENJOY SMALL-SHIP EXCLUSIVITY FIT FOR ROYALTY

Bask in expanded space, supreme comfort, and ultimate privacy aboard our 16-Guest yacht.

Ecofriendly Galapagos Cruise
INSIDER ACCESS TO DARWIN’S ARCHIPELAGO

Experience what others don’t led by the most experienced, knowledgeable and entertaining Galapagos guides.

GRACE YACHT HISTORY

INTRODUCTION

Although the M/Y Grace looks as young and chic as the princess who honeymooned aboard her in the 1950s, she is nonetheless what the French call une femme d’un certain age: born in 1928, just before The Crash silenced the Roaring Twenties, she’s surrendered none of her youth’s glamour to the scars and wrinkles of a gallant life, including a stint chasing submarines during World War II. Combat aged on her, but benefactors like Aristotle Onassis, John Issa, and Prince Rainier ensured she was kept in the style to which she was accustomed. Now, as the M/Y Grace, she plies the waters of the Galapagos Islands, once again the elegant hostess to carefree, adventurous, perfect parties.

READ NEXT: 1928 – 1932 M/Y MONICA
1928 – 1932

M/Y MONICA

The M/Y Grace bore many names since Santiago Soulas, an Argentinean, commissioned her in Southampton. She weighed 298 tons, was 147 feet long, with a 23-foot beam and a draft of 12 feet. Soulas named her after his daughter Monica, and kept her four years before selling her to Zarch Couyoumbian, a Greek gentleman who named her Rion.

READ NEXT: 1938 – 1939 – RION & THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR
1938 – 1939

RION & THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR

In 1938, Sir George Tilley, chairman of the Prudential Insurance Co., acquired and enjoyed her until 1939, when the British conscripted her for the war effort. The War Years The Royal Navy—well-heeled in warships—needed smaller vessels for coastal patrols and snatched yachts from the Mediterranean and the Caribbean playgrounds. Rion found herself in a Tynemouth shipyard, stripped of her furnishings and paneling.

Read more

She was strengthened to carry a 12-pound quick-firing gun on the forecastle, twin 40mm Oerlikons alongside the bridge and a rack on the stern holding eight 300 lb. depth charges. The corporate crew quarters were removed and hammock-hooks were welded to the deck. The forward suite became the operations and sonar room, another suite became the radio room, and the aft suite was an ammunition magazine.

READ NEXT: 1939 – 1940 – THE ROYAL NAVY & THE BATTLE OF DUNKIRK
1939 – 1940

THE ROYAL NAVY & THE BATTLE OF DUNKIRK

On October 21, 1939, she joined the Royal Navy with a crew of 20 under the command of Lt. T. Brydon, RNVR. She and 15 other vessels patrolled the entrances to the Solent and along the Isle of Wight: calm waters with the Germans focused on the skies. On patrol off the Nab Tower, however, a Dornier 110 returning from a bombing raid strafed Rion. She took some damage to her superstructure but suffered no casualties. On May 26, 1940, during Operation Dynamo, Rion was dispatched to the beaches of Dunkirk to evacuate the British Expeditionary Force.

Read more

She made three 39-mile runs from Dunkirk to Dover, each time delivering 300 soldiers. On her third run, a near-miss from a bomb off her starboard bow killed 14 soldiers and one sailor and left shrapnel holes in the hull. Repaired in Portsmouth, she resumed duty in the channels from Portsmouth to Southampton.

READ NEXT: 1940 – HER FINEST HOUR
1940

HER FINEST HOUR

Rion’s finest hour came on November 22, 1940 with a daring nighttime capture. She was patrolling south of the Isle of Wight with HMS Shemara and HMS Valera. At 2:44 a.m. radar contact was obtained 10 miles southwest. Lt. Brydon ordered pursuit and discovered a German E-boat floundering in the swells, and Rion and Shemara opened fire from astern of the boat. The Germans returned small-arms fire but surrendered when a shell from Rion hit her bridge. Rion escorted the E-Boat to the Portsmouth Harbour naval base.

READ NEXT: 1941 – 1945 – THE END OF THE WAR
1941 – 1945

THE END OF THE WAR

Rion had not finished yet: she discovered a submarine on the night of March 23, 1941, and made numerous depth charge runs, but the large oil slick seen at dawn was insufficient evidence to confirm that Rion had destroyed the U-boat. By June 3rd, Rion’s port engine had been crippled, and she was decommissioned for three months before returning to duty: stripped of armaments and refitted with three-tier bunks and a red cross painted on her sides and upper deck, she became an annex to the Royal Navy Hospital. Here she remained until the war’s end, when she was rechristened HMS Noir.

READ NEXT: 1945 – 1951 – RESTORATION AFTER THE WAR
1945 – 1951

RESTORATION AFTER THE WAR

On October 1945 she was decommissioned and 17 months later she arrived at her original builders—Southampton’s Camper & Nicholson—for restoration. On September 16, 1947 she was returned to Sir George Tilley who kept her until his death in 1951.

READ NEXT: 1951 – 1955 – ARISTOTLE ONASSIS & WINSON CHURCHILL
1951 – 1955

ARISTOTLE ONASSIS & WINSON CHURCHILL

In 1951, Aristotle Onassis’ charter firm acquired HMS Noir and renamed her Arion. He kept the yacht for just over 3 years, hosting countless celebrities on her decks during this period. Sir Winston Churchill, a known friend of Aristotle Onassis, cruised aboard HMS Noir during this period.

READ NEXT: 1956 – A WEDDING GIFT TO GRACE KELLY & PRINCE RAINIER OF MONACO
1956

A WEDDING GIFT TO GRACE KELLY & PRINCE RAINIER OF MONACO

In January of 1956, shortly after hearing of Prince Rainier’s engagement to Hollywood Film legend Grace Kelly, Aristotle Onassis presented the yacht to the principality of Monaco as an early gift for the royal couple’s upcoming wedding. Prince Rainier spent over a month refurbishing the yacht to be in perfect conditions to welcome Grace Kelly to Monaco on her arrival aboard the SS Constitution.

READ NEXT: 1956 – THE ROYAL HONEYMOON
1956

THE ROYAL HONEYMOON

After the wedding, the royal couple began their honeymoon with a short stay in Mallorca, Spain, followed by a cruise aboard the yacht—which they christened Deo Juvente II—along the coasts of Corsica and Sardinia.

READ NEXT: 1958 – 1960 – MONACO & DASKA
1958 – 1960

MONACO & DASKA

The yacht was kept by the principality of Monaco for 2 years, until a Jugoslav businesswoman living in Monaco purchased her in 1958 and renamed her Daska, after her daughter. The yacht cruised the waters around Monaco for about 2 years under her new owner, before Crest Shipping’s charter business purchased her and brought her to the Bahamas in 1960.

READ NEXT: 1975 – 1982
 – ANGELA
1975 – 1982


ANGELA

Around 1975, Vassilios (Bill) Lefakinis, the owner of Valef Yachts in Greece, purchased the yacht, signing the sales contract on a cocktail napkin inside the iconic Athens Hilton Hotel. He promptly renamed her Angela after his mother. The newly christened ship was available for charter for a short time under Cove Shipping Charters in the Caribbean, headquartered in Montego Bay. The yacht remained here for a couple of years until she sailed back to Middle East to help evacuate passengers during the Lebanese Civil War. Then, she underwent a massive upgrade that included a refurbished interior and a new teak deck before re-entering the charter market, where she served passengers until Lefakinis sold her in 1982.

READ NEXT: 1982 – 2007 – DASKA RETURNS & ZEIN IS BORN
1982 – 2007

DASKA RETURNS & ZEIN IS BORN

She again became Daska in 1983, before seizure by the Jamaican government for non-payment of taxes. She languished in Montego Bay until 1985, when John Issa, chairman of SuperClubs, discovered her at auction. Thoroughly refitted in Tampa, Florida, she cruised along the East Coast, bearing the name of one of John Issa’s daughters: Zein. The M/Y Zein arrived in Negril for the opening of Grand Lido Negril in 1989 and remained there until 2006, tempting buyers from around the world, including Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, who hoped to use her as a shadow boat for his mega-yacht, The Octopus.

READ NEXT: 2007 – TODAY – GRACE IN GALAPAGOS
2007 – TODAY

GRACE IN GALAPAGOS

In 2007 Grace acquired the M/Y Zein and rechristened her the M/Y Grace: a name that would take her back into her history, to her most elegant times. Over the course of the next 2 years the yacht was refitted to embark her new era as one of the most elegant and tasteful ships cruising the enchanted Galapagos Islands.

READ NEXT: GRACE YACHT HISTORY – INTRODUCTION
Tour the Royal Yacht
Galapagos Cruise Onboard M/Y Grace
WATCH VIDEO
GRACE YACHT VIDEO

WATCH THE ADVENTURE

Grace Yacht Cabin Photos
Layout, Staterooms &
Social Areas

VIEW IMAGES & DETAILS

Princess Grace Kelly Yacht History
Historical
Archive

VIEW IMAGES & DETAILS

Grace Yacht - Galapagos Experience
the grace
experience

VIEW IMAGES & DETAILS

  • STATEROOM SIZES
    & BED CONFIGURATION
CABIN DETAILS and BED CONFIGURATION

CABIN AREA IN SQ FT (SQ M) WINDOW TYPE CONFIGURATION
Grace Kelly Suite 183 (17) Ocean-view Windows Queen
Master Suite A1 178 (16.5) Ocean-view Windows Queen
Master Suite A4 194 (18) Ocean-view Windows Queen
Twin Suites A2 & A3 138 (12.8) Ocean-view Windows Twin or Queen
Premium Stateroom C1 148.8 Ocean-View Portholes Queen
Premium Stateroom C2 160 (15.8) Ocean-View Portholes Queen
Premium Stateroom C3 140 (13) Ocean-View Portholes Twin or Queen
Premium Stateroom C5 148 (13.7) Ocean-View Portholes Twin or Queen

(SWIPE LEFT AND RIGHT)

Choose from Three Immersive Itineraries
Which itinerary is right for me?
clickmouseover to enlarge
Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Cruise Itinerary
BEYOND DARWIN’S FOOTSTEPS
– 8 DAYS –

view itinerary

clickmouseover to enlarge
Baltra Island, Galapagos Cruise Itinerary
FOLLOWING DARWIN’S TRAIL
– 8 DAYS –

view itinerary

clickmouseover to enlarge
15 Days Galapagos Cruise Itinerary
DARWIN’S MUSE
– 15 DAYS –

view itinerary

Beyond Darwin’s Footsteps: Starts in Puerto Ayora (8 Days)
Following Darwin’s Trail: Starts in Baltra (8 Days)
Darwin’s Muse: Depart from Puerto Ayora or Baltra (15 Days)
which itinerary is right for me?

You’ll be happy to hear that you can’t go wrong.

Our Grace itinerary options are not better or worse–they are simply different. Each guarantees authentic experiences and lifetime memories.

What is the right length of time for a yacht safari?
One of the biggest mistakes travelers make when visiting the Galapagos is simply not leaving enough time to experience the islands to the fullest. We’ve crafted a just-right 8 day/7 night and 14 day/15 night itinerary options to maximize your time for exploration, breathtaking wildlife encounters, and optimal relaxation.

8 Days / 7 Nights Itineraries
Over the course of 30+ years of Galapagos experience, has crafted two 8 day/ 7 night itineraries of equal quality in terms of site visitations, expedition activities, scenery, and wildlife encounters. Join us for a week of discovery through the lens of Darwin.

15 Days / 14 Nights Itinerary
For those time-privileged travelers seeking deeper Galapagos immersion, we offer a 15 day/14 night itinerary. This expedition covers the entire archipelago, ensuring no experience is left a mystery. Guests enjoy a higher chance of encountering the rare species that inspired Darwin’s brilliant works.

How do these itinerary options reduce your footprint?

In 2012, Galapagos National Park began requiring all cruise organizations to wait two weeks before visiting the same landing site. This regulation was introduced to disperse boats more evenly and lighten the environmental load for the Park’s 80+ visitor sites, and resulted in 2-3 cruise itineraries for every ship in Galapagos.

One of our Galapagos experts will happily offer itinerary guidance and answer questions about the journeys we offer.

Exclusive Galapagos Experiences
Wine & Dine
Wine & Dine
the Galapagos Way

Feast on sustainably-sourced, thoughtfully-prepared cultural cuisine and become immersed in the history, gastronomy, and people of Galapagos.

READ MORE
Local Expert Guided Tours
See Through
the Eyes of Locals

Our friendly team of hand-picked naturalist guides, crew members, chefs, and tour conductors has over 3 decades of experience.

READ MORE
Connecting with People & Locals
Celebrate
Human Connection

The most knowledgeable, friendly team of local experts and hospitality specialists in the region has been selected to enhance your Galapagos experience.

READ MORE
Galapagos Cruise Activity - Bird Watching
Bird
Watching

Bird watchers delight in daily opportunities to see some of the most rare, bizarre, and exotic bird species in the world.

READ MORE
Galapagos Cruise Activity - Star Gazing
Stargazing

Galapagos skies are starry and bright. Enjoy star-gazing experiences during several nights of your cruise, led by our experienced naturalists guides.

READ MORE
Photography
Photography

An internationally famous photography destination, the Galapagos Islands are packed with unique landscapes, captivating wildlife, dramatic sunsets, and otherworldly terrain.

READ MORE
Galapagos Scuba Diving
Scuba Diving
(available at extra cost)

With vibrant marine life encounters and turquoise blue coves, this world-class experience is a Guest favorite.

READ MORE
Galapagos Cruise Activity - Kayaking
Sea
Kayaking

From crystal clear waters to calm inlets, sea kayaking offers insider access to secluded coves, mangrove estuaries, and beautiful beaches.

READ MORE
Hiking & Walking Galapagos Islands
Guided Walks
& Hikes

Explore Galapagos by foot, guided by naturalist guides with 15+ years of experience touring the islands. They are the real pioneers.

READ MORE
Snorkeling Galapagos Islands
World-Class
Snorkeling

Explore the vibrant underwater world of the Galapagos from the ship or shore, with wildlife encounters that will spark your sense of wonder.

READ MORE
EXCLUSIVE GALAPAGOS EXPERIENCES

Sea Kayaking Galapagos
kayaking

Offered on all Grace Yacht departures, guests of any experience level are invited to explore the ins and outs of Galapagos. From crystal clear waters to calm inlets, sea kayaking offers insider access to secluded coves, mangrove estuaries, and beautiful beaches.

EXCLUSIVE GALAPAGOS EXPERIENCES

Guided Walks & Hikes in Galapagos
Guided Walks & Hikes

Experience the Galapagos by foot, guided by naturalist guides with 15+ years of experience touring the islands. With colorful plantlife, inspiring wildlife encounters, and other-wordly terrain, Guests of any age enjoy land excursions on every island.

EXCLUSIVE GALAPAGOS EXPERIENCES

Snorkeling in Galapagos
Snorkeling

Explore the vibrant underwater world of the Galapagos from the ship or shore. One of the most renowned daily activities in Galapagos, snorkeling requires no prior experience and can be enjoyed immensely by guests of all ages.

EXCLUSIVE GALAPAGOS EXPERIENCES

Wine & Dine the Galapagos Way
Wine & Dine The Galapagos Way

The Grace Yacht vision is to create authentic, meaningful land and sea experiences for our fellow travelers – unforgettable dining experiences included. The sustainably-sourced, thoughtfully-prepared cultural cuisine we serve pays tribute to the unique history, gastronomy, people, and agriculture of our destinations.

Feast on freshly caught tuna, sip on locally-grown coffee, and enjoy Ecuadorian flavors brand new to your pallet. Grace Yacht menus are carefully crafted by celebrated chefs to nourish our Guests and fuel your Authentic Experiences and Lifetime Memories.

EXCLUSIVE GALAPAGOS EXPERIENCES

Galapagos Guides & Locals
See through the eyes of locals

Each of our naturalists have over 15 years of experience providing Guests with an insider understanding of the Galapagos. All are level-3 certified, the highest level of guide expertise attainable in the archipelago.

EXCLUSIVE GALAPAGOS EXPERIENCES

Team of Local Experts & Specialists
Celebrate Human Connection

The most knowledgeable, friendly team of local experts and hospitality specialists in the region has been selected to enhance your Grace Yacht experience. Prepare to be delighted by the friendliness and great service of one of the best crew teams in the Galapagos.

EXCLUSIVE GALAPAGOS EXPERIENCES

Bird Watching in Galapagos
Bird Watching

Bird watchers delight in daily opportunities to see some of the most rare, bizarre, and exotic bird species in the world. Keep a lookout for the quirky Flightless Cormorant, which due to the lack of predators, has lost its ability to fly.

EXCLUSIVE GALAPAGOS EXPERIENCES

Star Gazing in Galapagos
Stargazing

Galapagos skies are starry and bright. Enjoy star-gazing experiences during several nights of your cruise, led by our experienced naturalists guides.

The location of the archipelago right at the equator, combined with the absence of light pollution, makes Galapaogs skies ideal to witness the constellations of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

EXCLUSIVE GALAPAGOS EXPERIENCES

Galapagos Photography Destination
Photography

An internationally famous photography destination, the Galapagos Islands are packed with unique landscapes, captivating wildlife, dramatic sunsets, and otherworldly terrain. Kodak moments await around every twist and turn.

EXCLUSIVE GALAPAGOS EXPERIENCES

Scuba Diving Galapagos
Scuba Diving (OPTIONAL AT AN EXTRA COST)

Scuba diving is offered as an additional activity for those guests seeking full Galapagos immersion. With vibrant marine life encounters and radiant coves, this world-class experience is a Guest favorite.

Please inquire for full details on how to book a dive trip directly with an island based diving outfitter.

Exploring for Over 37 Years | Est. 1986

© 2023 GRACE GALAPAGOS