highplanesdrifters

Hiroshima Castle looks lovely. Thanks.

Brando looks fabulous. Thanks for the pics. Were you on the snorkeling side? Sounds like a rough expedition start. Hope they get their legs under them. Not sure I like the idea of paying for snorkeling on an expedition.....hmmmm. There seems to be a lot of poor planning by the mother ship and inexperienced EL's. Glad they opened the restaurant for lunch on a sea day and dinner was good. Signature Suite question - can you control the hot tub temp or do you have to get Seabourn to do it? We finally scored a SS for an upcoming trip. Thanks again for answers and reports.😃

Crikey!!! What a ride. Thanks for sharing @Reef Knot

I'm ready!

Thanks for the in depth review and especially the whale shark videos.

Thanks much for the added snorkel info @kej1 We tried to Hilton last visit and it was nice, especially being next to the mall. But Lovie loves the Pu Pu platter at the IC, so it's back there next time.😃 Enjoy.

Well done! Or should I say medium rare.😃 Thanks for helping right be done.

Fantastic new. Glad things went smoothly. Love that SFO PPT direct. Sounds like The Brando is delivering. Yay! Thanks for being the Guinea Pig. 😃 Can't wait for more details and pictures. Any expanded info on snorkeling would be much appreciated.

Thanks for taking us along! Great Live report. Look forward to the next adventure.

Got my popcorn ready.

Chance favors the prepared mind. I'm feeling a cruise in Scorsby and King Oscar for 2026. 2027. OH, so many options. Perhaps Somalia or Yemen? To bad it misses @Fletcher favorite Djibouti. Best CC line ever. He went there so we didn't have to. 🤣

Whoa, 6 minutes! That's an eternity. I am so in on that one. Must be my luck, but in my 3 trips to Greenland rarely saw a cloud....Iceland, that's another story.🤣 Good news, we can do both! Let's see what the travel Gods serve us up.

Sounds great! I'm in. And how about Iceland/Greenland August 2026?

Good call Nops. I forgot to look at Voyage Tracker. Here's a link for others, can be a bugger to find. https://www.seabourn.com/en/us/experience/voyagetracker/index.html

South Pacific is my favorite part of the world. Trips there are decadent vacations. Coffee, snorkel, drink, eat, repeat. I did a live from SS Explorer last year Fiji - Broome. Many similar ports. The OP has some stops in NE PNG, all new to me. Look forward to hearing about them. @kej1. T-1. Have a blast!

Ah yes, the Brando! My addled brain forgot about that.😃

@kej1 Thanks much for you're reply, especially the diving. I hope you'll do a live or follow up report. You're hitting numerous ports we didn't. LOL, of course they'll sign you up for kayak, sub, etc. They want the float on your money! I hope I didn't discourage you too much from the fire dance on Rabul. Folks did say it was a great experience. As they say, we were sung sung from sing sings by then. The thought of an hour each way on a small bus with no AC sealed the deal for us. I'm hoping that once Sebourn get a few more expeditions under their belts they will provide more info. We're all in the same boat when it comes to finding value and delivery of the product they promise. It's not fun rolling the dice with these pricey trips. 😁 Wishing you an awesome journey with fair winds and following seas!

Sorry I'm late with this reply, just off a C2C. I would also appreciate any info on the diving program. Specifically what gear is available, what does one need to bring? We are doing the 40 day Guam- Santiago in the fall. It looks like many of the stops you have information about on the first leg are less than remote. So I agree, why can't they publish the basic template! As for the second leg, expedition excursions in that area are a are a challenge....... We did 35 day on SS Explorer last year. All cruise lines have a basic plan of stops. The excursions stops are usually managed through a third party that negotiates with the specific islanders. These islands are usually remote without decent communication and any infrastructure. This makes planning extremely difficult. The expedition leaders are often faced with minimal knowledge of what might happen at a port until a day or so in advance. Will there be a welcome to country? Will there be a sing sing? Will there be hiking, swimming, snorkeling? Each requires a negotiated fee. Your second leg will mostly be what we called SDS, Song, Dance, and Souvenirs with occasional swimming and snorkeling. If mountain hiking is offered, be careful. The distances calculated may be wrong and trails treacherous. It was one of our favorite trips. Enjoy!

Glad you had a good time and want to do another! If you have time could you comment on the expedition part - zodiac tours and landings. What did you see on the cruises and what did you see and do on the landings? Except for Quest, which I consider expedition lite, Seabourn is relatively new to the full expedition game. We were on the first Venture sail and they did a great job. With so much competition for expedition leaders and staff always nice to know how they are currently performing.

@calm down dear So sorry your expedition wasn't up to snuff. I followed it from afar and looked like the weather Gods were not on your side. Fiords do to tend to be cloudy and rainy and angry seas the norm in that area. We were in Antarctica followed by a C2C at the time and knew people on that trip. It shouldn't be, but always a bit shocking that folks do not know what kind of trip they booked and what will or might happen on it. We have had the same issue in the past. On a SS Wind South America expedition, a group of less than mobile people were up in arms and wanted special tours just for them. They often complained about uneven ground, walking to far to the bus, or not being able to climb the bus stairs. Zodiacs were not even an option for them. Crazy. You have been kind to tell us about the ship, service and food. Would you consider commenting on the excursions and expedition staff? Were there good lectures, how was the Expedition Leader? Thanks again for posting.

Those wheels. 😅

Oh my! Thank goodness we have a great TA.

For any expedition travel I always pack the must haves or hard to replace items in my carry-on.

Insane.

@mysty Oh my! Just off the Cloud and finally catching up. What a grand adventure you're having. Loving all the posts. I'm with you on the HHH. AC & GT!