Wonderful Spirit Med Cruise

Returned a few days ago from our 17 day Athens to Venice / Venice to Venice BTB cruise on the Spirt. Now that the fog of jet lag is starting to lift I'll share my thoughts on this great trip. Despite many Med SB cruises we somehow missed the Adriatic so this trip included many new ports for us.As usual, the worst part of the trip was the flying. Tucson to DC ( for a family visit) included a 5 1/2 hour delay, missed connection and a 2 hour delay on the connecting flight. Next day DC-Zurich-Athens I thought all that bad stuff was behind us. Ha! Got to the airport 3 hours preflight only to find ALL of my flights (but none of DH's)had been cancelled. Finally got sorted out with less than an hour to go before takeoff -- so much for a relaxing glass of champagne in the Club Lounge. Instead we were rushing through security and to the midfield terminal arriving just as boarding began.( Of course I was again premature in my thinking all was well -- a week before the return home I went on line to look at flight info for my disembarkation form only to note my flight Venice to Frankfurt was MIA!!!!)

Anyway, eventually made it to Athens, driver was there to meet us and take us to our hotel and after a long walk, some great food and a glass of wine I began to recover. Next morning we enjoyed a lovely breakfast on the hotel's rooftop overlooking the Acropolis. We have been to Athens on numerous prior occasions but not since the new museum opened. It was a five minute walk and we practically had the whole place to ourselves for the morning.Then we returned to the hotel, picked up our luggage, checked out and our driver took us to the port. By 12:15 we were approaching the gangway and there was the first familiar face , our dear friend Warren Kree ( Sr. Asst.Maitre'd).Yea!!!Since only a handful of guests were embarking that day( most boarded two days earlier in Corfu), we were quickly processed in the lounge and immediately taken to the Veranada to lunch where we continued to spot familiar faces. One of our other favorites, Vindora, came up and informed us that it was formal night and asked would we join the Captain ( Stigg Betten) for dinner.Our hesitation had nothing to do with him,rather it is our general aversion to hosted tables. On more than one occasion we have been stuck with having to make conversation for two hours with a dull or arrogant fellow passenger. Well we did not feel we could say no so we accepted. Then the usually boat drill and finally Sky Bar time to drink champagne meet fellow CC'ers Ralf and Johan. Nice guys with whom we will also have the pleasure of sailing with in September on the Legend.Then a whirlwind of unpacking( me, not DH) and prepping for the cocktail reception. So strange to be doing this on the first night which is usually casual. Anyway, with me in a lilac one shoulder grecian style gown (hey, when in Athens...) and DH in tux we headed off for a nice evening. Ok, so fellow PAX at dinner were fine -- with the exception of one couple. So here is my rant about manners. IF you are invited to a hosted table and accept, IMHO you are agreeing to a certain level of conduct. Number one, even if you are on your honeymoon and can't bear to be 3 feet from your spouse for two hours( and these folks definitely were not on their honeymoon) , you do not rearrange the seating chart at the table so you can sit next to one another. We ended up with all of the men at one end of the table and all of the women at the other.Second, even if the house wine is not to your taste ( and BTW, the house wines this trip were much improved) and you prefer to order from the premium list -- this is the night to either give it a pass or order enough for the whole table. There they sat the whole evening with their decanter between them.And three, you make conversation with multiple table mates -- you do not try to monopolize the Captain the whole evening as if it was just three of you dining together. Ok, rant finished! Thank you for bearing with me.

Tomorrow, I will post more about the crew, the ports of call, the food and wine etc. Let me just say that for those concerned that as the Spirit has already been sold she might be worse for wear, she was in great shape. No one is dropping the ball in terms of maintenance.There was the odd plumbing problem, yellow bath water, (don't worry we were assured it was safe, merely the result of something going wrong when the water tanks were coated) but then the little sisters have been notorious for such plumbing issues for years.

Any questions I'll do my best to answer them.

Thanks for posting this Chairsin. I am glad you had a wonderful cruise, a pity the flights were such hard work!!!

Looking forward to reading more.

Julie

Luckily we haven't had the misfortune to encounter a couple like that at a hosted table.:eek::rolleyes:

Thanks for the review Chairsin we join Spirit on Monday and are hoping that Stigg will be our Captain! Also hope that Warren and Anoushka will still be there!!

I am so ready for that first glass of Champagne when we board!!!!!

So glad you had a good cruise on Spirit - and with Warren and Vindora onboard too.

What a pity about the awful people on the Captain's table - pretty well all the bad things in one, insisting on sitting together, monopolising the Captain and, almost worst of all, buying their own bottle of wine!! I hope they read CC, but think it is unlikely.

Thanks for the report!

So glad you had a good cruise on Spirit - and with Warren and Vindora onboard too.

 

What a pity about the awful people on the Captain's table - pretty well all the bad things in one, insisting on sitting together, monopolising the Captain and, almost worst of all, buying their own bottle of wine!! I hope they read CC, but think it is unlikely.

One might assume that they cannot read at all.

Disgraceful behaviour.

I have seen place cards being moved -- and by an Englishman, to boot! I agree, disgraceful and rude.

Enjoyed your post and look forward to your thoughts on the cruise.

The biggest challenge to cruising always seems to be the flights to and from home and the ship.

Keith

Chairsin,

Thanks for the review and update. I don't understand why someone didn't simply put the place cards back they way they were supposed to be and tell the couple if they want to sit together there are plenty of tables for two.

I agree with everything Chairsin was talking about, with one very slight modification. After enjoying a few hosted table evenings, we realized that the tables are so long, and the room so noisy, that she could not hear the conversations going on at my end, nor could I hear what she and her table mates were discussing. As a result, we couldn't compare notes after dinner. So we began to request that we be seated at the same end of the table. Not next to each other, or even directly across from each other, but close enough that we could feel we had a shared experience. I think that works well, as we can still meet and visit with others without feeling we were at different functions. Of course, we are mindful of the duty (and pleasure) of visiting with all the other guests within earshot, and we certainly avoid monopolizing conversation with our host, etc.

I'll post more of my mini review later today when I am at my computer but for now I'll respond to the comments about the couple at the hosted table. First it does not matter where this couple were from -- poor social graces are not a trait unique to any country nor from which any nationality is exempt. Let me also say yes, there are ways to handle the place card changing but to my mind it is the responsibility of the host to find a gracious was of dealing with the issue, not a fellow guest. But I also have no doubt that had my husband and I been at the table when this switcheroo was being made by DH would have said something. (Glad we were not !) I am not blaming the Captain, some people are just more adept at handling awkward social situations. And while Captain Betten has my utmost confidence as master of the vessel he has always struck me as someone to who is less comfortable with the social side of his job as cruise ship captain. I frankly only posted what happened her to see if my reaction was off base.

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Ibnoland,

I am not sure I quite get your justification. Can you tell me why it is necessary for you and your DW to be involved in the same conversation or be able to compare notes later?

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chairsin

After many years of hosting private parties, dinners., cocktail "affairs,", etc. etc. the most upset I've ever been happened during a formal birthday party I hosted for a good Florida friend ~cocktails followed by the formal dinner in the dining room ~I had earlier decorated the festive birthday table (10 guests) and had carefully selected the seating arrangement. Upon arriving at the table (Captain and the Staff Captain, Stig were present) one of my guest looked at the place cards and loudly exclaimed "I am NOT going to sit by HER!!!" "HER" was his wife......quite swiftly he grabbed the place cards and switched them ~we were all still standing. I politely said, "oh sweetie, you can not change my seating arrangement." He then plopped down, napkin in lap ~~I was absolutely furious! I looked at the Captain and he simply shrugged his shoulders...needless to say that couple was never again on any of my invitation lists ~~! The next morning Captain and I had a 'lit discussion as to the rude guest ~I'm quite certain the couple never ever received another invite from him as well.

I still can not believe his behavior ~~

Happy you and the Sailor Boy (wearing new fancy,chic shoes, I'm sure :p ha ha) had a great Spirit cruise!

I surely do miss 'yall......

MB

Ibnoland,

I am not sure I quite get your justification. Can you tell me why it is necessary for you and your DW to be involved in the same conversation or be able to compare notes later?

 

 

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I wondered that,I found it a bit strange.

If my wife and I are at different table ends then we should have more to compare when we have a de brief later.

The key crew members/officers were as follows:

Capt: Stig Betten

Staff Captain( and part time entertainer)*: Franko Papic

Hot Man :Phillip Reutner

CD Suzanne :Gayle

ASSt. CD's : Robert ( can't remember his last name)and Adam Wescott

Chef :Jes Paskins

Maitre D': Felipe Pereira

Bar Manager :Lajos

Sommelier: Olexander( am sure I have massacred his name -- everyone just called him Alex)

Main bartender: Roberto

Sr Asst. Maitre D's :Warren, Dracon(SP?) & Vindora

I would say that the service was almost flawless. The bar team, dining team and entertainment all seemed to work quite well together. I heard very little grumbling from our fellow passengers.

I'll run through a brief rundown on our ports of call, our impressions(many new ports to us and Seabourn), and what we did. Please keep in mind that if you are looking for tour info this narrative will be of little help --- we almost never do Seabourn tours. We are mostly interested in hiking and wandering around cute towns and places of natural beauty. And ditto too with shopping info -- it is not something we do much on our trips.

Mykonos -- We had been there twice before and somehow never got to Delos. This time after we docked just outside of town and took the shuttle bus in we walked to the far side of the harbor to catch the ferry to Delos. I had made a reservation in advance because I knew a large cruise ship was also going to be in town( arriving and hour before us) and was concerned tickets would sell out. We had also paid not just for the ferry but for a tour guide as well. It was a group of 20( more than I would have preferred) but I am glad that we with someone who could interpret what we were looking at.

Corinth Canal Transit/Itea -- Eleven years ago we transited the canal on the Spirit. It was as much fun this time. We picked up the pilot just before 7AM and for the next hour eased our way through. Naturally being Seabourn there was a party on forward deck 5 with strawberries, whipped cream and of course champagne. Then we cruised on to Itea where many took tours to Delphi.We had gone to Delphi before so we just wandered around and used the day to catch up on our rest. Frankly not the prettiest place -- it really is mostly a jumping off place for Delphi.

Syvota -- This was a new port for Seabourn. We anchored in a charming little bay that was lined with gently sloping cliffs where gorgeous sherbet colored buildings and trees intertwined down to the water. If I had not know better I would have thought I was in a mini Portofino. We tendered ashore and were greeted by a tourist rep and a little boy in costume with the offer of a very strong shot of ouzo and some special local candy.We very much needed some good exercise so we headed up one of the steep hills to the right of town and eventually after a long descent found ourselves at a most beautiful beach. We then hiked back to town to the other side -- also beach ( not nearly as pretty) and the up the main street. Lovely fruit markets and a few hand craft shops.In the afternoon we returned to the beach to go for a brief swim.We don't usually dine in the Veranda at night but did so twice this trip because Warren was up there. It was Trattoria night. The food was terrific and we ordered a very special bottle of the Ornellaia 2010 25th Anniversary wine( not on the wine list but the sommelier told us he had a few bottles).What made this special was that the weather was glorious -- not too hot not too cold and no wind. We were cruising close to numerous island and thought the view could not get better. But it did -- the sun went down and we were treated to a glorious sunset. And the coup de grace was soon after a full moon rose above the hills of the island on the opposite side. Magical!

Kotor --- All on deck that morning for the scenic ride into the bay of Kotor. I felt as though I was back in the Norwegian fjords. We dock at the middle of the town and were soon joined by another monster ship. By the time we were off the ship it was after 11 and approaching 90 degrees. A number of us, armed with sunscreen, brimmed hats,water and hiking shoes headed up the hill to hike to the fortress above the town. This was not a hike for the faint of heart -- loose rocks, steep steps(1300) and slippery surfaces from years of use. Part way up was a lovely little church --some stopped there. Some of us, gluttons for punishment, were determined to go all the way. The views were more than enough reward. Back down straight to the Sky Bar. After quenching our thirst with water we started on champagne and ate a hearty lunch sans guilt. That evening was deck BBQ. We ate downstairs in the Restaurant but did come up after for a fun evening of dancing along with Rock the Boat.

Hvar -- We tendered to shore in the morning a bit past 8 and had hardly made it to the main square before the skies opened up. Luckily some of us found shelter under an awning. We returned to the ship where an impromptu Trivia game was organized. We came in third place -- out of three teams. But we had great fun.After lunch the skies cleared and we returned to town and took a couple hour walk on the paved path next to the water that headed left out of the town. Nice little place but my main impression is that this is where all of the young kids in the UK and elsewhere in Europe go for cheap package holidays and to party. Nonetheless we had a lovely walk with little exertion.

to be continued…..

Chairsin - I infer from your last post that the Captain was present at the dinner table when the switcheroo happened? It would put him in an awful position, if so. Far worse than the poor maitre'd telling passengers to dress properly for the dining room.

Regarding sitting near your spouse, we are both a bit deaf, and actually perform better when we are next to each other, with our 'good' ears next to the other side - we know what we are likely to say by now - but would not dream of moving place cards. The deafness is the main reason we refuse hosted tables, and now ask on boarding for no invitations. Anyway, I imagine your awful couple will have been listed somewhere as 'do not give them any more invitations', hopefully.

Lincslady,

Yes, I believe from what another person told me the Captain was at the table. We arrived when about half the other guests were there. And yes, it is an awkward situation for the Captain. But just as with the jacket issue I think there is a way to handle such a situation without creating bad feelings.I understand you and your DH's hearing issues can make a noisy dinner party a bit difficult and why you would want to sit together. And so while in your situation it would be understandable for you to say to the Captain, "Would it be possible for us to sit near one another so we might fully partake of the dinner conversation?, you chose to decline hosted table invitations. But just moving the place cards on your own ? As you say, you would never do it nor would most of us.(Oh, and these two people clearly did not have any hearing issues.)

The way to organise your seating positions at a hosted table is to see the Maître d' during the day as it is he that decides the seating plan.

Much better than faffing around at the table just before dinner and causing embarrassment.

Ahhh, pleased to see Roberto main bartender from Chile is still with the company, he is great fun, and could easily get another job as a Caesar Milan, the dog whisperer lookalike!!

Yes, Roberto is not only a great bartender but he has such a positive outlook and great fun to be around.As I said, it really was a wonderful crew.

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Personally, some of the most boring evenings I've ever spent on SB have been at captains' tables. There are only two or three captains whose company I would seek out. One of them, Mark Dexter, provided us with what is one of the most memorable moments I've ever experienced the night we left Tahiti.

Personally, some of the most boring evenings I've ever spent on SB have been at captains' tables. There are only two or three captains whose company I would seek out. One of them, Mark Dexter, provided us with what is one of the most memorable moments I've ever experienced the night we left Tahiti.

Agreed - it all depends on both the Captain and the people on the table - some are so starstruck by being invited that they contribute nothing or just platitudes. With the right (socially adept) Captain they can be great.

I throughly enjoyed dining at Captain Leif Rodahls hosted table ~always so much fun ~especially when the flaming desert fire set off the old sprinkler system! All dressed "to the 9's", sitting there, soaking wet!:eek: The other diners pointin' and laughin' at us ~ awww such fond memories.

Martita B

Well Wripro, Lincslady and Martha I guess the moral of this story is Seabourn hosted tables are just like any other dinner party -- how much fun it is depends on the guests and the host!

Anyway, I'll continue my review later this weekend. I'll relate a couple of more odd moments from the cruise.

With regards to hosted tables, once we were invited to one that included interesting and lively people and we were having a lovely time. All of the sudden, the host (a lecturer) stood up and indicated he did not want to miss the show (sort of dismissing all from the table). Most felt awkward and left with him, a few of us stayed for port, coffee, and dessert. I wonder if this was rude or not. I was taught that, as a host, you wouldn't do that. But then, things might have changed...