Caribbean Cruise - Pride Travelogue!

[Host Dan]

Hi all!

 

Last night was a blackjack first. Not only is the dealer pretty, she's also a magician! (She made $50 disappear in less than 5 minutes!) :eek:

 

We had dinner at "2" last night and really enjoyed the company. (5 of us) Unfortunately we couldn't say the same for the food. :( One of the first courses was lobster meat in a watermelon gelee. The watermelon tasted like it had been sitting out for hours, and consisted of mush. Not good. :confused: One of the second courses consisted of double shocked shrimp. This was raw shrimp that would "cook" after having hot broth poured over it.. Problem... Broth was lukewarm, and shrimp remaimned raw and translucent. The only "shock" was us when we looked at the undercooked shrimp! :eek: Another flub was the foie grois atop a braised short rib. Short Rib very good, foie gras like rubber eraser that has been left out to go bad. And last was a Sea Salt Carmel Ice Cream. Low on the carmel and way too much Sea Salt. It could have been fantastic, but the "balance" from sweet to salt was off. The Chef came to our table, and we explained what we didn't find acceptable. He was such a gentleman about it, and made us feel comfortable with our expressions, and claimed that he would use our comments to tweak the dishes in the future. The Chef is a real class act. I'm really looking forward to sashimi / sushi lunch today! :)

 

We are docked in St. Lucia. Only a 10 minute walk into town. Not much to see or do, so it was 1 hour round trip. Friends are doing the Zip Line adventure today. I'll post later how they liked it. I did the same excursion in Cost Rica, so I know they will have a fantastic time.

 

I must mention how wonderful Nelson is at the Sky Bar. I've mentioned previous passengers that he knows (especially you Martita), and he is delighted to talk about fun memories he has with so many of you!

 

Off to the deck for ore sun, and 45 minutes until special lunch!

 

I'll post again later. Have a great day everyone!! :)

 

Host Dan

[johnnycruise]

 

Last night was a blackjack first. Not only is the dealer pretty, she's also a magician! (She made $50 disappear in less than 5 minutes!) :eek:

 

 

Thanks for making me laugh!

 

We went to "2" with that same menu if my memory is right ... I remember watermelon something or other. We left after the first couple of courses. However, we went back on French night and had one of the best meals we've had on SB!

 

Enjoy your sashimi lunch!

 

johnny

[CruiserKit]

Dan,

The blackjack dealer being a magician? :mad: Sounds like the same dealer we have had on the Legend many many times. Sorry to hear about your dinner at "2". I am sure your lunch will be fantastic.

Have a great day in the sun.

Kit

:)

[shefinch]

Hi Dan,

Pleased to hear you're having such a great time and really enjoying your posts. Say hello to Lucca and Stephanie and also to Nick Hale from both of us. Also to Phil.

Shelagh and Larry

[Martita B.]

Dan

Happy to hear you're having a grand time on the Pride! Sorry to hear of your food experience at "2" ~~I'm not fond of "2" ~~but breakfast in the Veranda is wonderful.

Next time you visit with Mr. Nelson please tell him I've packed a very special Christmas gift for him ~~~ (my good friend, G.P. is taking the same to Nursey Elisabeth on Dec. 13th) He's certainly a favorite among the Pride Guests!

Have lots of fun and thanks again for taking your precious ship time to post on our board:p

Will miss seeing you on Dec. 20th.

Martita B.

[Host Dan]

Lunch was INCREDIBLE today! Quite the array of sushi and sashimi for 4 of us! Jealousy abounded all around us! :p

 

I spent most of the day talkng to some new friends that would love to get married on board. Lets see if this can play out..

 

Tonight is the Seabourn Club party. Looking foreward to seeing who has the most days!

 

I'll be posting in the morning... Lets hope the blackjack fairy is good to me tonight!

 

Goodnight my friends!

 

Host Dan

[beachbuddy]

Enjoying your postings Host Dan. Keep em coming! Good Luck at Black Jack tomorrow.

 

Patty

[cctn]

I found you too, Host Dan -- love your postings -

food food food - more food!! heehee!! Corkey Carol

[Host Dan]

Welcome Corkey, good to see you over here!

 

Last nights dinner was fantastic. Each course was paired with a fine wine to enhance each dish. We dined with "Tivoli Cruiser" and his wife. (Jesper and Ea from Denmark) Marja, I believe these are the folks that you referred Seabourn!

 

Today I went on quite the tour excursion. It was a 4 hour Land Rover open-air tour of Granada, with a stop at a sulpher spring. Talk about bouncing around for 4 hours! It was alot of fun at first, but after awhile.... Also the "hike" up to the Sulpher Spring was ridden with slippery mud. My partner had quite the time getting up and down the steep, slippery path. Once up, only myself and another Gentleman from Colombia, had the nerve to get in. It was almost like being in a hot tub, and the sulpher itself was enough to open your sinuses! :eek: Anyway, glad to be back abourd the Pride for a nice hot shower.

 

The blackjack fairy was good to me last night, as I recouped half of what I lost the night before. I also came in second at the blackjack tournament.

 

The couple wanting to marry onboard won't be able to, as Seabourn doesn't have proper jurisdiction. They totally understood.

 

Tonight is casual night, so I'd better get cleaned up and ready for my FIRST drink of the day! :eek: (TRUE!! I know CruiserKit, you can't believe it!) :D

 

Have a wonderful evening!

 

Host Dan

 

P.S. Martita, I'll let Nelson know of your gift! (Christmas) :)

[CruiserKit]

Dan,

Glad to hear you had a good day. Bouncing around for 4 hours in a Land Rover?:eek: I think I would rather bounce around on the high seas.:cool: But I know, it's always great to be back on board. Kind of like being back home when it's Seabourn. :DCan't wait to hear if the evil magic dealer stays away for another night.

Love reading everything about your voyage. Keep it up.

Kit

[Seabourn-nail]

Hi Dan!!

Every morning I look forward to your travelogue!

Yes indeed, Jesper and Ea are with you there! Give them my best regards and I hope they enjoy Seabourn as much as I (we) do.

At the moment they are already playing Christmas songs on the radio, but I suppose (and I've witnessed it before) that on an Island like Granada (did you buy any spices?) they seem out of place. But here, having temperatures around zero, they warm you up a little.

Is Felipe there too? If so, please give him our regards too. And a big hug for Nelson. Ask him about our Canadian adventure a couple of years ago, when he and I were the only two people at the Sky bar, while everybody else was in bed (wind force 11)!

Marja

[tulip 1]

Welcome Corkey, good to see you over here!

 

Last nights dinner was fantastic. Each course was paired with a fine wine to enhance each dish. We dined with "Tivoli Cruiser" and his wife. (Jesper and Ea from Denmark) Marja, I believe these are the folks that you referred Seabourn!

 

Today I went on quite the tour excursion. It was a 4 hour Land Rover open-air tour of Granada, with a stop at a sulpher spring. Talk about bouncing around for 4 hours! It was alot of fun at first, but after awhile.... Also the "hike" up to the Sulpher Spring was ridden with slippery mud. My partner had quite the time getting up and down the steep, slippery path. Once up, only myself and another Gentleman from Colombia, had the nerve to get in. It was almost like being in a hot tub, and the sulpher itself was enough to open your sinuses! :eek: Anyway, glad to be back abourd the Pride for a nice hot shower.

 

The blackjack fairy was good to me last night, as I recouped half of what I lost the night before. I also came in second at the blackjack tournament.

 

The couple wanting to marry onboard won't be able to, as Seabourn doesn't have proper jurisdiction. They totally understood.

 

Tonight is casual night, so I'd better get cleaned up and ready for my FIRST drink of the day! :eek: (TRUE!! I know CruiserKit, you can't believe it!) :D

 

Have a wonderful evening!

 

Host Dan

 

P.S. Martita, I'll let Nelson know of your gift! (Christmas) :)

 

 

Dan,please inform the couple who want to get married on Seabourn of the following.

We got 'sort of' married on Seabourn 2 years ago. We booked a wedding through a company in St Lucia, they can do the wedding in 1 day. We arrived on Seabourn in the morning, were collected by the organisers and later came back on to Seabourn. The staff laid on a fantastic lunch and evening dinner.

If they 'Google' ' Cruise weddings St.Lucia' it will come up. Many other Islands do so as well. We used http://www.awesomecaribbeanweddings.com/

They were very good.

Hope this is of help to them.

[Host Dan]

Tulip 1, we have already been and gone from St Lucia, but I'll pass your excellent info along to the couple!

 

I had BAD news last night. My sister, brother in law and business partner emailed me to say that my mom had a stroke and heart attack and is in ICU. Luckily I was able to get my cell phone to work from Grenada, and spoke with her. They plan on releasing her on Saturday, with no plans for surgery. SCARY!!!

 

The evil blackjack dealer was in prime form last night, and stripped me of any winnings I had in the past! This was after the rock the boat show on deck.

 

Anyway, I'll post later. Not much to do here in St. Vincent.

 

Host Dan

[Seabourn-nail]

Dan,

I'm very sorry that you have to go through the worries about your mom!

I feel for you.

It is a good sign though they will release her soon.

I hope you will continue to have a good time.

Marja

[RachelG]

So sorry to hear about your mom--but sounds like she is doing better. My mom is always a concern when we go away for a while, because even when you are relatively healthy, when you are 90, things can be fragile.

[CruiserKit]

Dan,

So sorry to hear about your Mother. If there is anything you need me to do here, just let me know.

Sorry to hear about the evil dealer again.:mad: You still have plenty of time to show your power.

Hope your having a great day.

Kit

[shefinch]

Dan,

So sorry to hear about your mother but glad you were able to speak to her. Hope you will still be able to enjoy the rest of the cruise.

Shelagh and Larry

[beachbuddy]

Host Dan,

 

So sorry to hear about your mom. Just wanted to let you know she'll be in my thoughts and prayers and you too. Hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise.

 

Patty

[Martita B.]

Dan

I'm hoping your Mother is readying to leave the hospital today and is well on her way for a most speedy recovery. I know she is being well cared for by your family ~~please continue to enjoy your Christmas sailing and don't worry too much ~~all will be fine.

Today in Barbados my good friend, GP will board ~~I know you will enjoy meeting her ~~she's a lovely, fun and cute Gal! (she's bringing Nursey Elisabeth's Santa surprise)

Enjoy your upcoming Ports and the glorious sea days~~thanks again for keeping us "posted!"

Martita B.

[Host Dan]

Hi all,

I'm hoping my cell will work today, and that I can contact my mom at the hospital. I'm sure she is in good hands.

 

Yesterday was a full day of snorkeling and the beach party - caviar in the surf. I got way too much sun, and almost napped past dinner reservations! BUT got up at the last minute to meet Jesper and Ea at the Sky Grille!

 

Today is a trasition day for the ship, as there are only 20 or so staying on for the next cruise. Definately an R & R day! Jesper put this cruise in perspective yesterday... Its exhausting! :D

 

More later....

 

Host Dan

[RachelG]

Dan, your cell phone should work in Barbados--at least ours does. My husband was surprised when his started ringing one night while we were staying at the Barbados Hilton (BTW, highly recommend if you need a hotel on land there).

[Host Dan]

Today was definately R & R day... Spent a bit of time in the sun, had lunch and relaxed. Wasn't feeling too well for most of the day, a combination of yesterdays all day sun, no sunscreen, and alot of champagne! :D

 

Spoke with mom this morning, and she has been discharged.

 

New passengers arrived today, but 2 flights have been delayed. We don't plan on sail-away until 11PM. I met Tulip 1 at the sky bar (and his pretty wife) and John and Liz (Shes pretty amazing as well!) - lurkers on CC.

 

Chris and Ray havent arrived yet, but hopefully after my nap I will see them at the Club.

 

Good night all, and more to come!

 

Host Dan

[CruiserKit]

Dan,

Was good to talk to you and Phil today. So glad that your Mom is home. It's to bad that two flights are delayed. Sail away at 11pm? That's late. You can't even go after that nasty Blackjack dealer. Tables will be closed.:mad: Can't wait to hear all about this next week on board the home away from home.:)

Have a great night.

Kit

[CeeJay11]

Hi Dan

Sorry I haven't posted for a while - we were having trouble with our internet! So sorry about your Mom ... but thankfully you were able to talk with her. I hope she is improving.

Sounds like your cruise has been fabulous and we've enjoyed your travelogue. Has the second week taken on a different feeling? We did 3 weeks in the Caribbean on the Legend a couple years back and it was amazing how different each week felt as the passengers changed ... it was the same ship and same crew but the passengers were completely different on each cruise!

Can't wait to talk with you when its all over.

CeeJay

[Host Dan]

Last night I had an amazing dinner with Jesper, Ea, Ian and Margo. Service was impeccable as was my rare tuna and rare filet! Afterwards we had a drink at the Club and then up to the Sky Bar for lots of fun and laughs!

 

It was a bit rough last night onbaord, so this morning I'm feeling a bit seasick. This is a very new feeling for me, and is not enjoyable. Bronson delivered breakfast right at 9AM, so that helped. It extremely rough right now, so I decided to get off the top deck, and come down to the computer room to post. Hopefully the seas will get calmer as the day goes on.

 

Noon is day 1 of trivia. It will be interesting to see who participates.

 

CeeJay, as far as the mix of passengers from week 1 to 2, they all seem very friendly, for the most part.

 

No news from Mom, go I'm assuming thats good news! :)

 

More later...

 

Host Dan