Live from Seabourn Spirit, Oct 25 - Dec 20 2008

[GrannyLorr]

Just did an "interesting" exercise regards the numbers of passengers from various countries........added up a couple of the legs of the South American cruise and also the Trans Atlantic.....all had approx 100 Americans....in Steves figures that has now cut to half! Havent found my Guest Lists for our cruise Oz to Europe yet....will be interesting to see the numbers there....(when I find them)

[dmb707]

Was the crate of champagne cases for the Belgium guests on board;)

 

I have always been told when there are lots of Belgium guests, that the quantity of champagne bottles that are drunk on board goes sky high is that the case:D

 

deb

[johnnycruise]

If you look closely at the photo of the pallet of champagne, you'll notice one of the boxes is open - bet there is a happy group of longshoremen on that dock!:)

[CruisinMatt]

If you look closely at the photo of the pallet of champagne, you'll notice one of the boxes is open - bet there is a happy group of longshoremen on that dock!:)

 

In April, I watched the receipt of endless pallets of goods in Fort Lauderdale prior to the crossing. The restaurant and bar manager open one case of each pallet and inspect the contents.

 

Makes me wonder if they actually opened the champagne ;)

[cands]

Was the crate of champagne cases for the Belgium guests on board;)

 

I have always been told when there are lots of Belgium guests, that the quantity of champagne bottles that are drunk on board goes sky high is that the case:D

 

deb

 

Some unverified heresay.

Normal daily bottles of champagne in Sky Bar - 12.

Normal number when significant number of people from Belgium aboard - 20 to 30.

Number consumed on the day we transited the Corinth canal - 70!

Number of cases left when we restocked - less than 1.

 

Cheers!!!!:D

 

Steve.

[cands]

Day 18 – Aghios Nikolaos

Today we had a quick glimpse of Crete. I had always wanted to see Knossos Palace, since studying the Minoans at High School. We first had a pleasant stroll around the beautiful town of Aghios Nikolaos. We then rented a car and set off for the one hour drive to Knossos. Crete has a quite large population of half a million and there is lots of traffic. Once we were familiar with the driving style things improved but were still a little harrowing. At least the car was better than the previous ones!

The road signs are confusing and after a few ‘Amazing Race’ moments we arrived at Knossos. We spent a couple of hours roaming the ruins and reconstructions on the site. A lot of people are critical about the way things are displayed here. Nonetheless we found the experience enjoyable.

We decided to take a different route back to the ship and after becoming lost a couple of times made it back with about 20 minutes to spare – a little close for us.

Dinner tonight was the chef’s tasting menu and was excellent. We dined with four of our new friends, two of whom are leaving us in Alexandria. Here’s the menu for those foodies out there. (and a special hello to one of them - Hi Mum).

Smoked Salmon Pastrami and Malossol Caviar

Wild Mushroom Soup in Cappuccino

Seared Scallops and Sage

Lemon Vodka and Rosemary Sorbet

Chef Lobster Thermidor or Rack of lamb Provencal (Guess who had both?)

Hot Chocolate Flourless Cake with white chocolate berries and Grand Marnier Ice Cream

Chocolate Bailys Truffles.

Bye for now,

Steve.

 

 

 

 

[wripro]

Steve,

 

I find myself gaining weight just reading about your meals. By the time I board the Spirit in February nothing will fit. Keep enjoying!

[cands]

Day 19 – Rhodes.

This was our last stop in Greece. We have enjoyed Greece immensely and hope to come back one day.

We opted for a simple walking tour of the old town after our experience of venturing further afield yesterday! We were back at the ship by 1:30 to join the third of our “Seabourn Experiences”. There were no busses this time. We formed into groups and ‘followed the teacher’ back into the old town to a charming restaurant. The experience was similar to the one in Navplion, but in a classier setting. The buffet variety was extensive and we filled up for our last meal on Greek soil. The dancing was energetic and the music fine.

The dessert was a revelation – Plain yoghurt sprinkled with walnuts with honey drizzled over the top – just delicious.

This evening we went to Restaurant 2 with our ‘Curry Friends’ from the USA. The menu was the Indian Spice Market. It was very good.

We had a post dinner drink in the Sky Bar with a couple staying on until Hong Kong; that’s 2 weeks after we leave! Still, we have over five weeks left to enjoy.

Tomorrow we have a sea day and then our Egyptian adventure begins.

Bye for now,

Steve.

 

 

 

 

[Proper Lady]

Hi Steve, These photos are so nice to look at each evening. You have a keen eye for varied detail. It surely makes me hope to take such a grand trip someday (we have done already up to Egypt). Great PR job, surely everyone reading is enjoying this very, very much. Have a relaxing day tomorrow and thanks again for bringing a smile each time I see your latest post. Sincerely, Rene'

[cands]

Day 20 – Sea Day.

Today started with a Code Alpha in one of the cabins just after 9am. We haven’t heard exactly what happened but apparently some poor soul is in the medical facility aboard.

The effect of this on the rest of us was twofold. Firstly, crew on breakfast duty were diverted, and secondly it was like a call to breakfast for all on board, as those still asleep were awakened by the announcement.

By 9:30 there was pandemonium in the Veranda cafe. The place was packed, inside and out. We had a strategic table, watching the kitchen. Soon extra troops were called in and all and sundry were helping with the load, including some senior staff.

After being second ranked in the Trivia contest on every sea day we finally won today and are the proud owners of two Seabourn umbrellas. Everyone keeps telling us how vicious contest will become once we have several sea days in a row.

It’s sad that more friends we have made over the last three weeks are leaving us tomorrow in Alexandria. We tried to catch up with as many as we could today.

It was the Galley Market Lunch again today. We found that by going a little later we avoided the long queues. This made it a much more enjoyable event for us. I am becoming a little addicted to Seabourn’s version of Baked Alaska.

Tonight we dined late by ourselves in the Restaurant. Maitre d’hôtel Armand escorted us to one of our favourite corner tables. He has been personable and helpful during our trip and is luckily for us, staying on board until well after we leave. He also mentioned to us that he will be responsible for setting up the new dining room on Odyssey.

Tomorrow is a big day for us with a long trip to Cairo and back, so tomorrow’s post may be delayed until Sunday.

We’ve also just realised the lifeboat drill for the newcomers is tomorrow afternoon, so we won’t be here to welcome the new Steves, (Steve and Linda, Steve and Camille) or any other ccers joining us in Alexandria. We’ll catch up with you guys soon.

Cheers for now and thanks for the continuing comments and support.

Steve (and Chris)

Sorry, no photos today.

[DisneyJen]

Thanks for another wonderful report!!

 

Someday DH and I hope to take a two-month cruise similar to yours!

 

In the interim, we will live vicariously through you:D

[Aussie Gal]

Steve.

 

Again wonderful photos and great reports. Congratulations on your win at Trivia. It is always a thrill to win and what a great keepsake. Much better than luggage tags!

 

Jennie

[josephone]

Hello

What is a code alpha? Clearly it is an announcement for everyone, but what it means is a mystery.

You will love your trip to Cairo. It is quite a long drive, but well worth it to have seen the Pyramids which I assume is your destination. If you pass the new Alexandria library I hope you take a photo. It is supposed to be spectacular.

Enjoy your journey

Josephone

[Host Dan]

Hello

What is a code alpha? Clearly it is an announcement for everyone, but what it means is a mystery.

You will love your trip to Cairo. It is quite a long drive, but well worth it to have seen the Pyramids which I assume is your destination. If you pass the new Alexandria library I hope you take a photo. It is supposed to be spectacular.

Enjoy your journey

Josephone

Code Alpha is a medical emergency. The announcement is intended for crew members.

 

Host Dan

[cands]

Day 21 – Alexandria.

We had room service breakfast at 6:45 this morning! We were on the dock by 8am for our tour to Giza to see the pyramids and Sphinx and to Cairo to visit the Egyptian Museum.

The drive from Alexandria to Cairo is about 3 hours. We had a security escort the whole day. There were about 40 buses at the pyramid site – people everywhere swarming around. The vendors were out in force, too. Our guide told us to totally ignore them and this seemed to work. There was garbage everywhere and camel droppings covered the ground. Somehow the sense of history and achievement of these ancient wonders of the world managed to shine through!

After our quick walk around the site we were taken to a viewing area to get some distance shots. We took some fun photos, too. The one below is of Chris and Judy (of Margate Cruisers).

We then proceeded to the Sphinx, which was even more crowded. Our guide only allowed us 20 minutes so things were a little rushed. We were then taken to a store for a 30 minute shopping stop. (Some of us were not amused!).

We then had a really nice lunch at the Oberoi Hotel in Giza. All our rules about eating in 3rd world countries were broken including the golden rule of never eat from a buffet. The lamb biryani and chicken curry were excellent.

The next stop was the Egyptian Museum across the Nile in Cairo. If we hadn’t have seen it we would not have believed it was possible to fit so many visitors in a museum. Chaos!

No cameras were allowed. We managed to shuffle past most of the Tutankhamen exhibits. It was quite an experience seeing the real things close up.

Then we travelled another 3 hours across the desert back to Alexandria, reboarding the ship at 8:20pm. We had a very nice room service dinner and hope to get an early night. We have a short tour of Alexandria in the morning before we depart at 1pm.

Cheers,

Steve.

 

 

 

 

 

[Aussie Gal]

Steve,

 

Once again great photos. It brings back recent memories of when we were in Cairo on our 35 day cruise from Hong Kong to Athens on Oceania's Nautica. I too got a shock seeing the built up area so close to the Pyramids and so many tourists even in May.

 

We too had a lovely lunch at the Oberoi which has a great view of the Pyramids.

 

I always wonder when it is Code Alpha on a ship that every stateroom gets the message as well. We thought it should only be for crew members but we had a couple of Code Alpha's on our cruise in April/May and each time we all knew about it.

 

Jennie

[On the way]

Is great to see your travel experiences as it unfolds. Could you guide us in the right direction how can we also experience your photos....enjoy your voyage:)

[cands]

Day 22 – Alexandria.

We had another big day today, starting with a 3 hour tour of Alexandria, mostly involving driving along the Corniche. We didn’t stop at the library but I did manage to snap a few photos as we went past. We were back on the ship by midday. The sailaway followed at 1pm.

After the sailaway we had lunch in the dining room. I have taken photos of the food to include in a later post. We noticed it was very dark in the Restaurant. All the porthole covers are in place. We asked about this and were told it was part of the heightened security that would exist until at least Dubai.

After lunch it was time to catch up with processing some of the photos, followed by a snooze. It was then off to the gym to work of some calories before dressing for our first formal night. We had a great evening and even went to the show after dinner.

We saw guest performer Jonathan Johnston who is a flautist. He put on a very entertaining show. We adjourned to the Sky Bar for a quiet drink and some good conversation before heading back to the cabin at 11:45 pm.

Cheers,

Steve.

 

 

 

 

 

[cands]

For the foodies out there. Lunch in the dining room.

 

Gravlax

 

Farfalle with spinach and garlic

 

Veal

 

Plaice

 

Rice Pudding

 

The lunchtime food in The Restaurant gets top marks from us. Excellent!

[josephone]

Thank you for the marvelous pictures of the Alexandria library. It looks amazing. Now, you are making me think that I must go back so i might do into this incredible new building. When we were there, we were told that the original famous library of Alexandria was the town garbage dump. The world certainly changes.

We loved the food photos. They made us all the more hungry for our first Seabourn cruise. I am looking for expandable clothes!!! Although, if one were dieting, I bet they would make the food fun!

Do continue to keep us all updated and many thanks

Josephone

[cands]

Day 23 – Suez Canal

Today we are making our way through the Suez Canal. We reached Port Said at about dawn and entered the canal in a small convoy of 4 ships. By late morning we were tied up at El Qantara el-Sharqiya where the canal splits in two and the convoy travelling in the opposite direction can pass. This is where you can get the great shots of ships apparently sailing along the sand.

We remained tied up all afternoon. The weather was very pleasant and there were lots of people out on deck. We sat and watched ship after ship glide by. It was a very relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

At about 6:30pm we were underway again. The ship has a huge spotlight mounted on the bow which lights up the left bank of the canal and a stretch of water in front. There are flocks of birds wheeling into the light to catch insects.

We ate outside at Restaurant 2 tonight, enjoying the Asian themed meal while watching the lights of Egypt pass by. At about 9:30 the moon rose large and red over the sand.

Chris has gone off to the show while I am taking a few minutes to write this. We are approaching the end of another perfect day.

Cheers,

Steve.

 

 

 

[Martita B.]

Steve

Many, many thanks for your outstanding writings and for sharing your "cruisin' travel" with us! Sounds soooo exciting!

Please tell Captain T.T. and Staff Captain Nils (both former Capt.'s of the Seabourn Pride) biggg Texas "howdy's" are sent from the Cowgirl! We certainly missed them on our recent Nov. Pride TA Crossing ~

Have a continued grand time ~~and thanks again for taking your valued ship board time in "keeping us in the loop!"

Martita B.

[BalconyBumz]

I've been following this daily and am really enjoying it. The pictures help a lot! Thanks for sharing!

[cands]

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for reading this thread and making such encouraging comments. I am really enjoying writing my thoughts and capturing a few photo memories each day.

 

I'm sorry I can't respond individually to each post (due to the high cost of the internet on board), but I certainly read and appreciate all of your comments.

 

By the way, all the Steves are now on board. I don't think we have been all in one place at the same time, yet:rolleyes:.

 

Cheers,

Steve.

[Suite Travels]

Hi Steve, we are really enjoying your posts and pictures. We leave Dec 7th on the Crystal Symphony from LA-BA. We are on the Seabourn Odyssey next November. I am so looking forward to try something different.:D