maryogreen

A Little Background This was my husband's and my third Seabourn cruise and first on the Ovation. We sailed to Antarctica (Buenos Aires to Santiago) on the Quest in 2017 and traveled to Australia and New Zealand on the Encore in 2018. We were originally booked on a Norway Ovation cruise last summer, but cancelled when we learned that our grandson's due date was the day of embarkation! Seabourn transferred our payments to this cruise and refunded excursion payments. There were no issues with booking new excursions. We had not traveled on an ocean voyage since 2019 and were a little concerned about life on board post-pandemic. In September 2021 we had dipped our toes back in the travel waters on a Tauck river cruise on the Seine, and in May 2022 we sailed on the Celebrity Flora in the Galápagos Islands. Both cruises were highly controlled pandemic-wise – vaccines required, Covid testing needed and masks mandatory in certain areas. We felt incredibly safe and as far as we know, no one on either cruise contracted the virus. These were small groups – 32 people on a riverboat that could house 100, and the full contingent of 100 on the Galápagos trip. It was a completely different travel scene in June – almost as if the pandemic had never happened. We packed masks, which we didn't use, and hand sanitizer, which we did use. We had also opted to get another Covid booster before we left home. It was quite liberating to travel like it was 2019! But still we were careful, and thankfully stayed healthy. The Ship Walking on the Ovation was truly a trip back in time. The ship looked wonderfully clean, fresh and inviting. Our verandah cabin – we were in 823 – was just as we'd found on the other Seabourn ships. I smiled when I remembered all the terrific storage options, a welcome sight for a highly organized soul. There were even a few shelves we didn't use. The bathroom and walk-in closet were just as we remembered as well...perfect and functional and easy. The Crew The morale and attitude of the crew was high and energetic. The ship seemed to be exceedingly well managed. Our cabin attendants Priscilla and Marvin were fabulous. I don't think they ever stopped smiling! We recognized Seabourn Square barista Yuri from our Australia cruise, and I'm quite confident that he may be the best barista at sea. Rajiv, who runs the Colonnade, acted as if were were old friends and was constantly offering to help, even personally serving our oatmeal at breakfast. Our team in the Restaurant – Christian, Esther and Boris – was first-rate. Thank you @SLSD for recommending that we request Christian's section! We also enjoyed meeting Bronson in the Restaurant and Colonnade. The 19-year Seabourn veteran introduced himself to us by saying, "Bronson's my name; service is my game." The Restaurants and Food We enjoyed two dinners at the Thomas Keller Grill – the first was outstanding; the second – even with the same food - was good, but not up to the previous meal. Service was, for lack of a better word, intrusive, especially when dining with new friends. There was a fantastic Indian specialty night at the Colonnade – don't miss this one! Restaurant dinners were consistently and even surprisingly good, with "always available" dishes offered in addition to the daily specials. The special Chef's Dinner was especially good. We ate breakfast and many lunches in the Colonnade. Service was always great, except when ordering tea. It's a small complaint, but I found it odd that it took so much longer to get tea than other beverages – something about one woman handling all the orders. When coming back from late excursions, we ate at the Patio, which is now open until 4 p.m. On two mornings, we ordered room service for breakfast before early excursions. Food was hot and arrived on time. The Excursions As the delightful writer @Fletcher recently posted on these boards, we cruise to "see stuff." The itinerary is always key when we choose where to travel, and the excursions within that itinerary also contribute to our decision. We picked this itinerary not only for the chance to visit a variety of ports in Norway, but also to travel north of the Arctic Circle and stand at the North Cape. On this trip, we booked six excursions, including one zodiac cruise, and toured the other ports on our own. All our guides were capable and did a fine job, but there wasn't anyone we'd add to our list of all-time memorable favorites. The North Cape was clearly the highlight of the trip. It was especially moving after standing on that cliff to see it from the ship as we sailed away from Honningsvåg into the midnight sun. The top of the world, as they say. The Internet The internet was the surprise of the trip. It worked incredibly well almost all the time! Connections were spotty as we navigated some of the fjords, but compared with other cruises, it was outstanding. At one point, we lost our connection for almost two days and later learned that all we needed to do was sign in again to the Seabourn Source...and voilà, it was back on. A Couple of Tips We hadn't seen any information on galley or bridge tours, but asked at the Seabourn Square excursion desk and learned they were offered late afternoon on two port days near the end of the cruise. The galley tour turned out to have only four other people in the group and was led by Executive Chef Trevor Connolly. It was the most thorough and interesting galley tour we have experienced. Herb attended the bridge tour while I stayed back to finish packing and said it was also excellent. You hear a lot about asking for things on a cruise and having them magically appear, be it a special drink or food item in your cabin or – as several people on this cruise discovered – fluffy bath towels. After our North Cape visit, I was expecting to find Arctic Circle certificates laid out on our bed next to the daily Herald and Seabourn chocolates. We have a wall in our home office with special travel photos and mementos, and I had been hoping for something to frame and hang next to our Antarctica and Equator photos and certificates – bottom, middle and top of the world! I waited a few days, expressing my disappointment to new friends before Herb suggested asking about it. We spoke with the head of destination services, who told us they don't usually hand those out on this ship, but that several people had asked about it and they didn't have the right paper for printing them. I doubted it would happen, but I felt better, knowing that at least I had asked. The following evening, laid out on our bed next to the daily Herald and the Seabourn chocolates were two "Reaching for the Arctic Circle" certificates...complete with our names, date and ship information. For anyone who is interested, I've just posted my first blog from the trip – we spent a few days in Germany on our own pre-cruise – and will have photos and stories from every port on the cruise in the coming days. https://www.themodernpostcard.com/dear-berlin-weve-got-to-stop-meeting-like-this/ Mary Travel Blog: https://www.themodernpostcard.com

@SLSD It was great to meet you on board! This thread has been terrific and should be extremely useful for anyone planning a similar itinerary. Thanks for sharing such a thorough day-to-day recap of our voyage. 😊 Mary Travel Blog: https://www.themodernpostcard.com

Thank you @Fletcher for your fantastic trip reports. A pleasure to read, as always! Mary Travel Blog: https://www.themodernpostcard.com

That's so kind of you, Bob...many thanks! 🙂

@flossie009 This is a terrific conversation-starter! I found myself nodding "yes" as I read each comment. Our last Regent cruise was Barcelona to Dubai in late 2019, and the excursions couldn't have been better – some small group tours, fabulous overnight in Luxor and Bedouin dinner under the stars at Wadi Rum. I hope these types of memorable experiences will continue to return post-pandemic. @papaflamingo and @slidebite I loved your suggestions on factory tours. My husband and I will be in Hamburg in a couple of months before a cruise and have booked a tour of the Airbus factory. I'm guessing established tours like this could accommodate small groups and could be offered by Regent at an additional cost rather than as a "free" included excursion. My husband is especially excited about this one 🙂 Mary Travel Blog: https://www.themodernpostcard.com

@boblerm How fun to relive our time in Buenos Aires through your terrific photos! It was six years ago already, but reading your trip report made it seem like we were there last week 🙂 So glad your tour spent time in the ever-fascinating Recoleta Cemetery. Thanks for sharing...looking forward to the next installment! Mary Travel Blog: https://www.themodernpostcard.com

@boblermSo happy to see you and Jeannie traveling again! Your review was delightful and wonderfully informative, as always. Herb and I were glad to hear that the Voyager lived up to your past expectations, in spite of the carpeting 😊. The disappointing ports would have upset me as well. Itinerary is always the driver for us when selecting a cruise. I will be interested to read more in your upcoming posts! Mary Travel Blog: https://www.themodernpostcard.com

@shulmanac Thank you so much! I believe we left the boat between 8:00 and 9:00 am, depending upon the distance to the excursion. Most of the bus rides were fairly short – the longest was the drive to the Normandy beaches – and a couple of times we docked right by the town and walked to our tour. The earliest excursion was our special access of Monet's Gardens, which hosted our Tauck group before it opened to the public.

Thank you so much @Gourmet Gal! I really appreciate your kind feedback😊

@Lois RI have not sailed with Uniworld or AMA and can only comment on our experience with Tauck. We did this cruise in September 2021, just as travel was beginning to open up after the pandemic. It was absolutely extraordinary in every way! I was attracted to the "special access" tour of Giverny and the private after-hours tour of the Louvre as @Gourmet Galand @Coralmentioned. We only had 30 passengers, but Tauck treated the cruise as if we were a full riverboat of 100, carrying on with all activities and tours. Here's a link to the review I posted on this CC Board: I also have blog posts with stories and photos from each port, which will give you an idea of the excursions. They are posted in order of oldest to most recent, starting with "Paris in the Fall" and ending with "Traveling Internationally in 2021." And as others have mentioned here, it's a great idea to spend a couple of days in Paris before the cruise. We didn't stay at the Tauck hotel, but did choose a location where we could walk or take the Metro to places we wanted to visit. https://www.themodernpostcard.com/category/france/page/2/ Best of luck with your decision! I'm happy to answer additional questions that you may have. Mary

@shulmanac I don't have copies of the daily itineraries, but I do have blog posts from every port and tour that you may find helpful. This was not a cruise with multiple excursion options at each stop, except for Paris – where I highly recommend the fascinating Perè Lachaise Cemetery tour. I can't say enough good things about Tauck and the Seine itinerary. You are certain to have a wonderful trip! Here is a link to my blog posts from the cruise. They are in order of oldest to most recent, beginning with "Paris in the Fall" and ending with "Reflections on Traveling Internationally in 2021." https://www.themodernpostcard.com/category/france/page/2/ Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions! Mary

Thanks @SLSD for your thoughts on this. I had to laugh when you mentioned the survival floatation suits! I'm not sure we're up for that, either. I was planning on wearing our Seabourn Antarctica parkas and waterproof pants for this excursion before I heard about the floatation suits. I spoke with someone at Seabourn Excursions who recommended double-booking this and a Nordkapp tour from Honningsvåg – which is our main priority – and cancelling one of them once on board when we've had a chance to speak with an expedition member about Storstappen. We are on the June 11-25 cruise. Hope you meet you on board! Mary

@cruiseej Thanks so much for the information on your excursion. It sounds similar to the one being offered on this cruise, but there is no hiking involved. After the zodiac tour, a bus transports passengers to Nordkapp. I'm impressed that you climbed to the top!

My husband and I will be on this cruise, and I was delighted to see that the "on your own" port recommendations are similar to what we've planned. The only place that has me stumped is Storstappen Island. Has anyone done the zodiac excursion around the island, followed by the drive to the North Cape? We've had terrific experiences with Seabourn expeditions in Antarctica and Australia/New Zealand and have booked several on this cruise. But I can't seem to find much info on Storstappen. Thanks for any help you may be able to offer! Mary Travel Blog: https://www.themodernpostcard.com

@Canal archiveSo happy to have rekindled some great memories 🙂

@knoxcloneThanks so much and good luck with your plans!

@knoxcloneMy husband and I had a fantastic experience last fall (September 2021) on Tauck's "Impressions from the Seine: Paris to Normandy." It was our first time on Tauck, and we hope to sail with them again in the near future. Here's the review I wrote for the Cruise Critic River boards: Please feel free to contact me if you have specific questions. Based on our experience, I highly recommend Tauck! Mary Travel Blog: www.themodernpostcard.com

@GreenFamilyThat's so kind of you...thanks so much!

@Fletcher Many thanks for your delightful and insightful postings from the Mediterranean. I especially enjoyed your thoughts on the value of cruising – we're in the "see stuff" camp as well – and your philosophical takes on travel. I hope you'll be sharing stories from your next adventure, wherever it may take you, and I also hope that one day you will find yourself on a boat to Budelli Island. 🙂 Mary Travel Blog: www.themodernpostcard.com

@lincsladyand @GillyWe said with Captain Dag on the Seabourn Quest to Antarctica in 2017. He was such a great presence and was always stopping to chat with everyone. We had to leave Antarctica early because of a medical emergency on board, and Captain Dag assured us he would make it up in some way. And what a way he did! He took us on an unplanned sailing to Cape Horn before heading back to Ushuaia and the itinerary through Patagonia. It was an emotional place for him as a sailor, he told us. Wonderful memories and a wonderful captain! Mary Travel Blog: www.themodernpostcard.com

@Sarah1974Many thanks for your lovely comment!

@eddieg07410Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm confident that you will be able to navigate the cruise quite well. The crew and naturalists were extremely helpful and tuned into everyone's needs. There is a meeting every evening before dinner when the cruise director goes over the following day's expedition options and discusses what to expect with the terrain and any issues with each choice. There typically was a zodiac-only option, and walking sticks were also available. You're correct about the design of the zodiacs. They are equipped with a small staircase – several steps with railings on both sides – which make getting on and off much easier than traditional zodiacs. On the last day's visit to see the giant tortoises, anyone with mobility issues or who needed assistance walked in their own group at a slower pace. I can't stress enough how helpful, kind and enthusiastic the naturalist guides were, and I would recommend letting them know any concerns you might have throughout the voyage. It's one of those "trips of a lifetime" that you will carry with you long after the trip is over. 🙂

@pantherkatI'm delighted to know that you enjoyed the review. Many thanks! You will have an unforgettable time in the Galápagos. Every day offers a different adventure! Wishing you safe and happy travels 🙂

@directionfinder You're very welcome! Please feel free to email me (info on my blog Contact page) or ask here if other questions arise. Best of luck with your plans 😊

@NouCruzer, thanks for adding that...very helpful perspective. And yes, not cold..."refreshing!" 😊 Sounds like you had as much fun as we did!