The Prides final two cruises with Seabourn - Live-ish

[Emperor Norton]

Day 1 Embarkation

 

Getting there isn’t half the fun anymore. I have to say however that TSA Pre was great. Total time from check in to the other side of security was about 4 minutes. If only it could always be that fast. Only one of the two flights had a crying baby so I guess that wasn’t too bad. I found out that from Newark to Saint Thomas United loses its DirectTV coverage so you’re limited to movies and re-runs of the kids shows. I left San Francisco at 2330 and arrived in St. Thomas about 1330 the following day. Needless to say I was exhausted.

 

The airport itself was rather odd. I guess its big enough to handle jets at least up to 737s (and every aircraft I saw parked at the ‘gates’ was a commercial jet) yet they don’t use jetways. Instead its the old school jet stairs. Once at the bottom of the stairs you are directed to walk around the outside of the building to the front, then walk back in to baggage claim. Very odd. Baggage claim was chaotic as several flights had arrived near the same time and a single luggage belt was being used for all of them. It seems crown bay isn’t a popular spot with the taxi drivers as it took a while to get a taxi willing to go there.

 

A short and almost disastrous taxi ride (driver in front of us slammed on his brakes then through it into reverse. Great.) I was pier side in Crown Bay. After my luggage was whisked away it was time to fill put the “Honest, I don’t have the plague, no thats not my lung I just coughed up” paperwork it was time to board. Before I’d even boarded the ship I’d seen Richard and Leonie. Once on board it was straight to the Magellan lounge (hello David E and Karl) to check in.

 

After checking it I was escorted to my room (nice gesture but honestly lost on me as this isn’t my first time on this ship). Instead of waiting for my stewardess to arrive (the one time I did that I waited for almost two hours) I headed up to the sky bar where Nelson was working.

 

The muster drill was interesting. This is the youngest group of people I’ve seen on a Seabourn cruise. Interesting displays of tattoos. Staff didn’t either notice or care that people were drinking their way through the lecture and some were yapping away on their cellphones. Muster drill over it was back to the Skybar for sail away. It was probably one of the most energetic spillways I’ve seen.

 

I don’t want to judge the cruise based solely on one night, but the service and food at dinner were better than on my previous cruise. The asparagus was my sole nit to pick with the food. It looked grey and well not fresh. The wine seemed to flow a bit more freely than the last cruise, though the options could use a few fillers. I’m not sure again if staff didn’t notice or care, or if on embarkation day there is zero dress code but I saw several people in blue jeans and a few in shorts. Off to Marigot in St. Martin.

[lincslady]

Emperor - I am sure you will find that the clientele is very different once you are on the crossing - your fellow guests sound more like the kind who enjoy short cruises in the Caribbean than lots of sea days, and if young probably would not have the time to do the TA anyway.

[Emperor Norton]

Day 2 St. Martin Marigot

 

The day started off with breakfast in the restaurant. The eggs Benedict came out as ordered and they still have those has brown squares of random grease content (sometimes they’re good, others they’re a great source for a gallon of bio-diesel).

 

I had nothing planned for this stop so I just wandered around town. There was a small market set up. The first business you saw after you exited the tender area was a Subway. Great. I walked past several restaurants. I could tell some were serving seafood before I saw the sign. Yuck. After strolling through town for a while I decided it was time to return to the Pride.

 

I learned something new today. It seems in the Caribbean that the Restaurant is closed for lunch (BOO). I can understand not having the numbers but the option of indoor/outdoor buffet or outdoor smaller buffet isn’t quite luxurious. Lunch was fine although it seems the only place you can get a milkshake is the Skybar. So off I went to have Nelson add a bit of chambord to some chocolate ice cream and presto! A chocolate berry shake.

 

Dinner tonight was formal optional. There seemed to be less ties than I would have expected. A few people were in tuxes but mostly it seemed jackets and collared shirts for the men. Again dinner service was good. The goat cheese souffle was a trifle disappointing as it was overpowered by what appeared to be raw garlic chunks.

[melody hounddog]

Can't wait to hear more! I love your reviews.

[Emperor Norton]

Day 3 St. John Antigua

 

“There are no complaints on Seabourn - only opportunities to improve” Karl Eckl, Hotel Manager

 

The day started off with room service as once again the restaurant is not friendly to those going on morning tours. Upon arriving pier side I noticed that there was a sign for a snorkeling excursion sans shipwreck. Odd that they’d have two tours - one visiting the shipwreck and the other not. Oops. It turns out my tour had been altered and either it was a last minute change or the shore excursions staff didn’t feel the need to notify guests of the change.

 

The snorkeling tour required that every participant wear a float belt. This was to be on the surface only. No diving for a closer look. The tour was OK but in the future I’d make sure the reef I was visiting was NOT a weather torn mostly bland looking barrier reef. While we did see some fish and a hiding stingray it wasn’t what comes to mind when one thinks of a tropical reef.

 

Lunch today was at the Sky grill. The hotdogs either need to get bigger or the buns smaller - but as it is you end up with 2x as much bun as hot dog. What a waste and it deadens the taste of the dog.

 

Nelson has been his usual excellent self. Smoking is much heavier on this cruise than on ones past. Aside from several cigarette smokers there are also a few cigar smokers. Thankfully they all seem to be following the rules and the cigar smokers aren’t smoking cheap cigars.

 

Dinner tonight included off the printed menu items of steak tartar and crepes Suzette. Justin did a good job with the steak and a very good job with the crepes. Duck. Why am I vexed by this creature at sea? It was offered only well done and was supposed to have crispy skin. Sadly my mutant duck (3 legs, 1/4 breast) had soft flabby skin. I guess he needed to pump it up. As I had overdosed on sun today (too much sun, not enough sun screen) Debbie and Magdalena both offered to see if they could have some aloe gel or after sun treatment sent to me. Jovan suggest I use yogurt - Im not sure if that will work or end up being like oil/butter and intensifying the burn). None of them had to say anything so offering possible suggestions was nice.

 

Tonight was an on-deck flambe and the rock the boat party. The rock the boat show got off to a late start (IIRC ~ 30 minutes). By the time I left there were maybe a dozen people dancing. The dancers and those observing appeared to be having a good time.

[Emperor Norton]

Day 4 Terre de Haut, Guadeloupe

 

It started out as one of those days where the Magic 8 ball kept turning up “No”. I got up late missing my tour (wait - I didn’t have a tour scheduled for today). Then I missed breakfast in the Restaurant (there was a discrepancy between my reading of the room clock and reality it would seem - though one camera didn’t believe there was a time change either). Trying to get a seat out back was an exercise in futility.

 

Last night’s fashion faux pas was the person wearing brikenstocks without socks. I spent dinner with a view of his feet. Yum. The only truly savage heatens I’ve seen have had bare feet on furniture and grab buffet items with their bare hands. The young group seems to have adhered to the dress code after embarkation and have been very friendly. I’ve seen very few grumps on this cruise (there is one man from Australia who has a shirt with his title emblazoned upon it ‘Grumpy Old Man’).

 

Due to my extra red nature I think Ill be spending the day in the shade on the ship. Tomorrow who knows. Lunch again will be reminiscent of either dorm life or fast food. It turns out my next snorkeling adventure was for tomorrow and that along with the 4x4 safari has been cancelled. I wonder if not enough people know how to drive manuals.

 

Today they deployed the watersports platform. This is similar to what the Radisson Diamond had only there were no water jets, you had to sign a liability waiver and the only swimming was in what appeared to be a 6x6x6 cage. I took a ride on the Banana boat and ended up getting dumped. Sadly those things don't have stairs or ladders to re-board so it was a great time time to wait for the rescue boat (they wont let you swim or drift back to the ship). Aside from the banana boat they had paddle boats and kayaks.

 

Today right after I got in the shower it seems there was a mini-tornado followed closely by the green flash. My shower timing appears to be horrific.

 

I was extended an invitation to join people for dinner tonight, however as I had special ordered multiple items I had to decline.

 

The dress code was 99.X% adhered to tonight. There was only one man I found who was too busy to at least bring a jacket to hang over the back of his chair.

 

For dinner tonight I had special ordered seared foie gras (it was a smallish piece that had either never been seared - most likely or sat around long enough to steam off the sear - less likely). They had some vegetable spring rolls that looked tempting but upon inquiry I found they were deep fried so I was afraid they’d be in the same level of greasy mess that is the Vietnamese spring roll in R2. My main course was steak Diane. Justin did an excellent job cooking this from start to finish (last cruise they pre-cooked the beef in the kitchen which lead to no drippings/fond for the sauce as well as over cooked beef). I had a brief conversation with Justin re: Biltong (I hope Im spelling that correctly) and it seems that while it’s not something that can be prepared on the ship there is supposed to be a vendor in St. Barts. Sounds like I have some shopping to do.

 

Dessert was ‘Chocolate chip lava cookies”. Well there were no cookies and the item I did get was singular. It was chocolate chip cookie dough done in a muffin tin and served while the chocolate was still soft.

 

I guess Im enjoying my sleep too much, I missed liars club to get more zs.

[Les Picantins]

Hi Emperor Norton :) Thanks for your updates and I hope you have a great cruise and you will post all your fabulous photos as always once you're home.

 

There is a great epicerie fine in St. Barths. It is either on the main strip next to the port or the one just parallel. You will love it. I have given up on foie gras on Seabourn a few cruises ago, it is just not their thing. More often than not, I am disappointed.

 

Can you find out from David E and Karl what ship they will be on this summer, I need to know how many care packages I need to bring on board.

 

Have fun and take lots of pictures.

[Les Picantins]

One more thing. Since you like Chambord, try having a small shot of it with your Feuillate. "kir imperiale"

[lincslady]

I see that 'heatens' are back with us (post 6). Am I not up to date; could this be a new acceptable spelling for heathens?

[Emperor Norton]

I see that 'heatens' are back with us (post 6). Am I not up to date; could this be a new acceptable spelling for heathens?

 

It's mostly mocking STs spelling of the term IIRC. Though I don't think they're worth the extra h ;)

[Emperor Norton]

Day 5 St. Kitts

 

Houston we have a problem. My tour and a few others were cancelled for today (B00!) Rather than wander around the Carnival and RCCI owned shops that are the port I took a sugar cane train.

 

Breakfast started with Justin and company in the Restaurant. Service was extra speedy today, the only gripe was they forgot the ham in my omelette. On the plus side for the first time ever I had a properly toasted English muffin on Seabourn (kicking myself for not having taken a picture).

 

After breakfast I relaxed in my rooms air conditioning before it was time to disembark for the tour. After the usual hurry up and wait game which was held not in the shade it was time to squeeze into every last seat of the mini bus. After a 25 minute narrative ride to the train (during which the train operator seemed to call our driver every 5 minutes to tell her to hurry up) we were thankfully loaded into the second car.

 

While waiting to board the bus another tour operator mentioned that the first car on the train was loud. He left out smelly. On the second car (that we were on) the train horn was still plenty loud and the smell of diesel was reaching near problematic levels. I cant imagine the stench had we been in the first car.

 

Each car had two levels. The lower level held the bathroom and supposed air conditioning. I spent the entire time on the top so I can’t verify the effectiveness of the a/c. We were offered hard or not so hard typical area drinks. If you’re especially sensitive to things Id skip them as they either had ice in them or were made with ice.

 

The train is a narrow gauge system and rumbles slowly around part of the island. We started on the Caribbean side and made our way to the Atlantic side. There were a lot of fires going for reasons unknown (the on board commentator seemed rather clueless outside what seemed like scripted bits). The more more side to side movement than a normal width railway so picture taking was problematic. Every now and then 3 local singers would up and sing a few songs before disappearing again.

 

After the trip was over we were dropped in the future business center (buy your citizenship now! just XXXX East Caribbean dollars!) which is right next to their 5,000’+ runway. Our bus was not there waiting for us as promised. However one of the RR employees saw to it that we were loaded onto the next available bus rather than left to melt in the sun.

 

About 8 minutes later we were dropped into the maze of Carnival/RCCI shops. I returned to the ship. At the Skybar it seems a passenger who had been asking for dark cherry rum had gone and found some on her own. This annoyed some of the staff who got very defensive on not finding it, especially when it was pointed out that it was stocked in the first liquor store you passed after getting off the ship.

 

Sailaway today was made more interesting by the random rain. Eventually it was time to head down and change for the return cruisers party and dinner. The return cruisers party had a history lesson on the Seabourn line and lasted longer than expected.

 

Dinner tonight was the chefs menu. I shared a table with some hop-headed vinophiles along with Big Boy so that was a nice change. I also learned that I needed order the Foie Gras rare as people had been sending it back when not done to well. Cruisers were given a pin for the Prides final season that looks identical to the graphic Seabourn has been using on its website. Today the most days traveled was deflated to ~700 for one Australian couple (supposedly next week Larraine with over 1400 will get an extra special award).

[Emperor Norton]

I spoke with Karl and David E -

 

Karl: Pride > Sojourn > Spirit > Legend

David E. Pride > Legend > Odyssey > Quest

 

I'm waiting on a note from Karl with the specific dates

[Emperor Norton]

Day 6 Gustavia St. Barts.

 

Upon waking to the motion of the ocean I decided to cancel my snorkeling excursion for the day. We were moored off Gustavia in a mass of other vessels.

 

After another breakfast with Justin and Iilona (I hope I spelled her name correctly) I boarded the rock n roll roller coaster. That is I played the wait and jump game to get into a very active launch. The conditions were probably the roughest I’ve seen for Seabourn launch operations. I enjoyed the random motion of the launch while waiting for everyone to board. Others not so much.

 

After a fifteen or so minute ride we arrived pier side in Gustavia. We shared mooring space with WindStar and WindJammer as well as Paul Gaugin cruises(!?!) and the very originally named yellow submarine.

 

I forgot to ask for the name of the store that sold biltong so I just wandered around they very crowded downtown area. While I was tempted to spend some time in one of the cafes/bars I needed to get back to the Pride before I missed some interesting one time only views.

 

The downtown area was filled with high end boutiques down to your dirtiest beach bum tourist shop special. When crossing some streets it felt like I was the frog in Frogger. The driving here (on the street and sidewalk) was not quite what I’m used to.

 

When I thought I’d seen enough of the shops I headed back to the ship. I arrived in time to have a refreshing dark and stormy (even though they don't have the requisite Goslings Rum) and relax for a bit before the Sky Grill opened for lunch.

 

About the time lunch was finished the first of the one time only views were becoming visible right on the horizon. It seems today was race day for the Buckets Races and there were a lot of yachts participating. And unlike the gee-whiz uber-designed not-at-all-a-yacht trick stuff you now see in Americas Cup these were actual yachts that you could live on. The first notice that the ships were very close was the Captain running onto the deck with his camera in hand.

 

It was fun to watch the yachts race by, especially when some of their captains realized their course was bad so we were split, some coming close to our bow, others the stern. The people in the Veranda had probably the best view on the ship. Sadly the race was only one lap of the island so there were no repeat performances.

 

When the racers had long since passed us I made the mistake of taking a nap. It was hard to get up to make it to dinner (supposedly a Presidential selection was offered but I’m not seeing it on my copy of the menu). It was even harder to stay awake through dinner. I stopped fighting the need for sleep and missed the on-deck flambe and party.

 

It appears that on Caribbean cruises they forgo the Market Galley lunch in favor of the on-beach BBQ and Caviar in the Surf. In a bit of a twist the menu for the final night is the menu I’m used to seeing on embarkation night.

[Emperor Norton]

Day 7 Prickly Pear BVI

 

 

I’m not sure where to start with this portion. Today was a very, very odd day. It started off with a breakfast in the Restaurant with Justin and Ilona (again Im sure I borked the spelling). What was different today was that they were out of orange juice for near 45 minutes. Normally breakfast is fine there but today it was just off (perhaps needing to offload to Prickly Pear).

 

Caviar in the surf started out looking quite nice. However some self absorbed individual blocked the shots of the two dozen plus polite people who were standing off to allow everyone a better image. There was a line up for that which then immediately migrated into a line for the regular food. I have zero idea how on earth this could be a luxury experience on an Odyssey class ship with double the number of people (the facilities were fixed and few). The biggest miss on this portion has me more than tempted to go back to Seabourn and ask for some money back. Why? Because they let obvious non-Seabourn guests partake. First clue was I hadn’t seen her for the previous week. The second? her dog. She was sadly followed by other people from the area. Nothing was done to deter them. How about let your security practice their skills on them? Or perhaps use them as bonfires? Either way they’ve served a purpose other than leeching off what I paid for. I was very disgusted by this and returned to the ship. Sadly I missed lunch there. Oh well. I had a big breakfast and dinner was going to be good.

 

After a while I returned to my room to remove all the (seemingly) useless sun tan lotion (within about 5 minutes of hitting the beach I felt burning from where I was pasty white with the lotion).

 

I returned to deck just in time to have a group of people invite John the blogger over. Ok, this is going to be different. I spent some time with that group which was far more interesting before their husbands entered the equation. I had a long talk with them, eventually focusing on me needing to trust people more (coming from them.)

 

It was then time for the Epicurean tables on deck. Let me put it this way: STOP DOING THESE UNLESS THE CHEF WENT SHOPPING THAT DAY. I mean seriously, a bunch of parma ham thats always available, some sushi thats always available and some salmon thats always available. No cheese or special breads this time. IMO POINTLESS. BAD SEABOURN!

 

Dinner tonight was interesting in that I got to see Karl Eckls mentor and had a brief conversation with Karl about his typical day. Why he isn’t selling himself to Fortune 500 companies is beyond me. What he does is simple, but something that most corporate officers wouldn’t bother with. However it’s something that needs doing and something that improves the overall guest experience because he's done it. It’s also been an interesting trip as someone has been very specific with the problems and cutbacks that can be attributed to Carnival being not quite swift on the uptake for this type of line.

 

After dinner I retire to the club where I find Im now supposedly some critic for the cruise industry. Hopefully I can either work that into free cruises or have them convinced that Im actually Richard Meadows in disguise (not really - just annoyed at a dumb rumor).

 

We all have to see customs tomorrow and it would appear they don’t want to see me in a bathrobe. Perhaps some stars and stripes boxers will get me processed faster.

[ajpeter]

It amazes me greatly that you seem to be able to find flaw in everything possible. It must be very tiring to live your life with a half empty glass. Have another nap and take some anti depressives

[Emperor Norton]

Perhaps that last entry was a tad harsh. You have many more chances this trip to figure out the actual fill level of my glass and prescribe things to me over the Internet.

 

Sent via squirrels and a rotary phone

[Emperor Norton]

The first part of the cruise has come to an end. David E. is on the PA system letting people know when they can disembark. There was a slight delay in getting the ship cleared as not everyone showed up for customs.

 

Overall the service and food on this cruise has been very good to excellent. Yes, I’ve found nits to pick but none of them were truly cruise breaking (perhaps the lack of OJ;) ). Unless things change drastically there should be ~ 130 to 140 passengers for this crossing.

[Martita B.]

Thank you for your daily Pride reviews ~please, "pretty please" do continue these Crossing the Atlantic reports. I am so saddened and my heart heavy that I could not be aboard due to a very inconvenient neurophy illness. I've Crossed on the Pride Queen many times and have loved every minute. The 1st Spring TA I enjoyed was 2001 ~we only had 96 passengers. Alot of fun!

So many of my dear Seabourn Crew members and longtime friends will be aboard this Crossing. Two from Seattle, two from Dallas, other friends scattered a'round the U.S. ~I think a few from England will also board today. Ask Lorraine when you see her, "Miss Martha wants to know if you brought any new designer, evening heels?" (she loves chic shoes) A sweet gal!

I know for so many this Crossing will be bittersweet ~the "last hurrah!" But, it will be a wonderful, grand voyage to Barcelona.

Thank you again for your reviews!

My favorite toast: The best Island in the world, floats and moves....the name of this Island is the Seabourn Pride!" Salute

Martita B.

[Emperor Norton]

It's a breezy 82 degrees here

 

Sent via squirrels and a rotary phone

[Martita B.]

I see Mr Nelson has opened the Sky Bar! He'll be busy as a bee later today ~ as you know the Crossing will have mostly 'ole time, seasoned Seabournite sailors that abide by the dress codes. Yippeee

Have you checked the luncheon menu yet? I see the leather menu booklets. No cookies or fruit however ~

MB

[Emperor Norton]

Lunch will be in the Verandah starting soon -

 

Sent via squirrels and a rotary phone

[Emperor Norton]

We have a rather odd flag flying todayk

 

Sent via squirrels and a rotary phone

[Emperor Norton]

A few other CCers and it would seem a sign on boarding pointing directly to me.

 

Sent via squirrels and a rotary phone

[Martita B.]

A 'lit birdie told me Captain Anderssen pulled this flag joke on Kai ~I surely wish you would post a picture of the Sky Bar sail away.

Would this be possible?

Thanks again for taking time to share the Pride happenings with us.

MB

[Emperor Norton]

Seabourn gets a F for the safety drill. One person who made it to the sky bar under their own power never had to leave.

 

Sent via squirrels and a rotary phone