FlyingScotSailors

Food has been good to great. Some standards, such as twice baked cheese souffle, were outstanding. A beef Wellington, made low-sodium especially for us was not so good. We mentioned this to our waiter and almost immediately Chef Ainsley was at our table apologizing. We told him (truthfully) that almost all the food was great, and that we appreciated the special attention. The entire crew has been up to pre-covid standards. A wonderful cruise so far. We started talking with the new executive pastry chef on Sunday. We now get a special dessert at dinner.

Zodiac tours today were at 9:30 and 11:00am. They were about 90 minutes long and the sound of the ice melting, waterfalls and crashing calving glaciers onto the fjord were majestic. Calm skies with majestic peaks made our zodiac experience extra special. Upon our return to the ship, Juan, the Ventures team leader, from his Zodiac, called over to us to wish us a happy 50th Wedding Anniversary. Another Seabourn Moment.

Friday, September 9th. Hello Internet! Yesterday was an unexpected sea day, but no Internet connection, so unable to take advantage of the extra time to post. There were high winds in Umilik Bay preventing kayak and sub trips, and ice blocking the entrance to the Bay itself, so we had a slow sail to Skjoldungen Fjord, where we stayed overnight. Zodiac excursion this morning.

What color is the Venture actually? Important information from Juan's briefing this morning. This is our third cruise with him as Expedition Leader - he would not lie to us, would he?

There are 177 guests on board, and 238 crew. We got up Sunday night to see the Lights, which looked like clouds. Last night we were too tired to get dressed in the middle of the night. Ann looked from our balcony and did not think the lights looked any better,. The pictures we saw from the photo expert were phenomenal, but we are not sure what could be seen with the naked eye. Juan thinks Greenland will provide more opportunities.

Quick rewrite of lost post: Eleanor, we would love to share a zodiac again with you. The AC technician replaced a panel in the hall AC compartment and solved the noise problem. In Heimey yesterday, we did two tours. The included tour was very good, with 26 guests. Heimey is a very beautiful and fascinating place. The story of the volcanic eruption is fascinating, and the views of the lava flow amazing. Very good museum. The afternoon optional (paid) Food Tour was nice, with 23 guests, but the included tour was better. We docked instead of taking zodiacs to shore. The submarine tours were canceled due to sea conditions and zodiac tours offered to all guests.

Thanks for that insight. We had not considered the consequences, and might wait to report. However Ann would like to report the problem and get a large reward. 😳

Well, here is an amazing discovery aboard the Venture. I believe they put the hot tubs on aft deck 5 in backwards. Excitement built as the wind and cold hit me after I took off my robe, I climbed down the ladder and boy that was a really big step to find the ledge! After a few minutes, I discovered two interior entrance steps on the opposite side f the ladder. They had installed the hot tub incorrectly but still it was a glorious soak.

Well, maybe not easier. I just spent 20 minutes writing the next post, and lost it somehow. Usually I can retrieve the typing from the clipboard, but not this time. I will remember what I wrote for next time, and go get a drink now.

Tuesday September 6th, a sea day and a chance to get on with my posting. Note the change to singular; I (Peter) usually write and Ann reviews and adds as required. Now she is off to the hot tub and I am struggling to write on my phone. She may post independently. So far, using a rubber-tipped pen, it is much better than using a fat finger on the phone's tiny keyboard. I don't constantly hit the delete or spacebar instead of letters on the bottom line. It may make it easier and faster, but I still have to watch out for autocorrect! It is much quieter, with many fewer four letter words. I will try posting several smaller posts rather than one long one, to see if that makes it easier for you and me.

We are on board! We will try to post fairly regularly and not get distracted by all the things we should be doing instead of posting on CC. Once on board, the only problem is a noise from the AC in the suite; will update, hopefully that all is well. Getting to the ship was a bit of a problem, since Seabourn did not tell us the departure pier had been changed to the other side of the city. The positive side is that we contributed another $30 to the taxi driver and the Iceland economy. We know many of the crew, and several we did not remember remembered us. There were some crew changes today. Stig Betten (sp?) Is Master and Stefan is HM. Food so far is good. We spoke with the Executive Chef and he seems to understand our dietary needs. The drinks, wine etc.are perfect. The staff are joyful and accommodating and so far, everything has been beautiful.

Thanks. We will try to do a "live from" thread. We did not realize that the "Planet Iceland " in your photo was a book rather than a name on the window! Anyway, with your description of the shop, we found it, and bought a mug. As an aid to all the Cooler coffee connoisseurs who also desperately need this coffee mug, the name of the store is Saga.

We really like the "too few axes" mug, and will look for it. We are on the 14 night to western Greenland, with flight back to Reykjavik. We read your Live From thread, and "liked" some posts, (if we recallcorrectly), and PACruisers also. Thanks JP, you guys are in charge of Albany until we return. Then we need to learn how to use the "@" function.

@highplanesdrifters, we fly to Iceland tonight (and get on the Venture on Sunday). We both looked at the right hand cup and thought of the same cousin. We can't find "Planet Iceland" on google maps. Could you please give us the address?

Mr. L, we gave you a "Thanks", since we could not find an "Amazing" or "Awesome" button!

Thanks Eleanor. 😀

jsea, since we believe you are on the Venture in 3 days, this may not help much. We have ordered parkas for our September 4 Venture cruise. The Roll Call for this cruise has ordering information in posts 10 and 16, as well as packing lists. Since you can exchange jackets on board, they should be available without preordering. Boots are provided on board without preselecting sizes. (As Mr. Luxury has noted, bring lots of socks since all the boots are size 13! 🤥) Remember your waterproof pants for zodiac landings, and please post from your cruise.

Hi Ed. Where did you find the bios? We found the "Northern Europe and Transatlantic Ventures Team" page. That lists Iggy and Luciano as Expedition Leaders, and has 6 photos of Team members, Including Trevor and Rachel, (and the guy who made and sailed the South Pacific canoe). Also, Robin was in the recent Seabourn video of the Venture. Ann & Peter

Thanks. My computer refuses to load the UK conditions, but I think you are saying US clause 8 is the same as UK clause 40. If so, I do not understand the claim of Seabourn trying to evade the clause that says Seabourn can change a cruise for various reasons and, if other agencies are at least partially responsible for the change, Seabourn does not have liability. Is the claim that Seabourn is solely responsible for the changed itinerary?

@phillipahain what is clause 40? We can not find it in the T&C.

It might be outrageous if it were true. The "standard" glasses hold maybe 8 oz. white and 10 oz. red; the "revenue" glasses are almost twice as large.