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I've been wanting to see the Galapagos! I fear I am running out of time as I just read that the government of Ecuador wants to put severe restrictions on tourism to the islands. I can't say I blame them.
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I went a few years ago and it was absolutely amazing. I've been to many of the places named so far, but the Galapagos is the most unique trip I've ever taken.
The key to enjoying the islands was being in a small group. I was on a boat that carried a max of 8 passengers. There were only 4 of us on the trip for the week. That gave us total freedom (with our guide) to time our land trips to avoid the larger groups. Usually the boat would travel after dinner. If we got to the next island and there were a lot of other boats docked, we would get up early, skip breakfast and spend a few hours alone on land while the bigger ships were still getting organized. Also, the maximum landing party size is 20, but there were ships with 80-100 passengers. That meant that their trips were severely curtailed by schedules.
This is the company I went with:
http://www.quasarex.com/mainland_ecu...pagos_main.htm
The ship I was on is no longer with them, but is available through another company for private charters. I'd recommend getting a group together and chartering your own ship.
http://www.oceanadventures.com.ec/rachel.htm