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Odyssey live from Barbados


fudge
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Day 1 (Saturday)

Hi fellow Cruise Critic readers.

We have arrived on the good ship Odyssey to begin a 14 daycruise around the Caribbean Islands.

 

 

After a long journey from Cyprus where we now live, we arrived on board at 5.30pm. The usual welcome of a cool glass of champagne went down very well, a smooth check in and muster drill completed the formalities.

 

 

Because we had a long day travelling we decided to eat at the Patio grill, after a relaxing meal we had a nightcap in the observation bar before retiring, looking forward to the next 14 days.

 

 

If anyone has any questions please do not hesitate to ask.This is our itinerary for the cruise.

 

 

SAT 03MAR18 Sail from Bridgetown, Barbados 11:00pm

SUN 04MAR18 Saline Bay, Mayreau, St. Vincent an 1 8:00am5:00pm

MON 05MAR18 Basse-Terre, Guadaloupe 8:00am 6:00pm

TUE 06MAR18 Charlestown, Nevis, St Kitts and Ne 1 8:00am5:00pm

WED 07MAR18 Fort-De-France, Martinique 8:00am 6:00pm

THU 08MAR18 Saint Georges, Grenada 8:00am 6:00pm

FRI 09MAR18 Charlotteville, Trinidad and Tobago 1 8:00am5:00pm

SAT 10MAR18 Bridgetown, Barbados 7:00am 11:00pm

SUN 11MAR18 Trois Ilets, Martinique 1 9:00am 6:00pm

MON 12MAR18 Carambola Beach, Saint Kitts and Ne 1 8:00am5:00pm

TUE 13MAR18 St. Johns, Antigua and Barbuda 8:00am 11:00pm

WED 14MAR18 Terre-de-Haut, Iles des Saintes, Gu 1 8:00am5:00pm

THU 15MAR18 Port Elizabeth, Bequia, St. Vincent 1 8:00am5:00pm

FRI 16MAR18 Castries, Saint Lucia 8:00am 6:00pm

SAT 17MAR18 Debark Ship Bridgetown, Barbados 7:00am

 

 

The weather is a pleasant 29 degrees today and sunny. :cool:

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Have fun! No sea days. Do people tend to stay on ship for some ports? Is a lot of turnover expected midtrip?

 

Day 1 (Saturday)

Hi fellow Cruise Critic readers.

We have arrived on the good ship Odyssey to begin a 14 daycruise around the Caribbean Islands.

 

 

After a long journey from Cyprus where we now live, we arrived on board at 5.30pm. The usual welcome of a cool glass of champagne went down very well, a smooth check in and muster drill completed the formalities.

 

 

Because we had a long day travelling we decided to eat at the Patio grill, after a relaxing meal we had a nightcap in the observation bar before retiring, looking forward to the next 14 days.

 

 

If anyone has any questions please do not hesitate to ask.This is our itinerary for the cruise.

 

 

SAT 03MAR18 Sail from Bridgetown, Barbados 11:00pm

SUN 04MAR18 Saline Bay, Mayreau, St. Vincent an 1 8:00am5:00pm

MON 05MAR18 Basse-Terre, Guadaloupe 8:00am 6:00pm

TUE 06MAR18 Charlestown, Nevis, St Kitts and Ne 1 8:00am5:00pm

WED 07MAR18 Fort-De-France, Martinique 8:00am 6:00pm

THU 08MAR18 Saint Georges, Grenada 8:00am 6:00pm

FRI 09MAR18 Charlotteville, Trinidad and Tobago 1 8:00am5:00pm

SAT 10MAR18 Bridgetown, Barbados 7:00am 11:00pm

SUN 11MAR18 Trois Ilets, Martinique 1 9:00am 6:00pm

MON 12MAR18 Carambola Beach, Saint Kitts and Ne 1 8:00am5:00pm

TUE 13MAR18 St. Johns, Antigua and Barbuda 8:00am 11:00pm

WED 14MAR18 Terre-de-Haut, Iles des Saintes, Gu 1 8:00am5:00pm

THU 15MAR18 Port Elizabeth, Bequia, St. Vincent 1 8:00am5:00pm

FRI 16MAR18 Castries, Saint Lucia 8:00am 6:00pm

SAT 17MAR18 Debark Ship Bridgetown, Barbados 7:00am

 

 

The weather is a pleasant 29 degrees today and sunny. :cool:

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Have a great trip. We really enjoyed this same cruise a month ago. Some good ports and some not so good. Our favourites were the little ones such as Terre de Haut and Bequia. The beach barbecue on Mayreau was also fabulous. Enjoy! Hope the seas have settled down for you. We had a lot of motion in the ocean!

 

 

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We did the second half (with one or two different ports) in January. Not much motion and very good weather. Our beach BBQ and caviar in the surf was at Carambola Beach and it was delightful! The sea was perfect for swimming and the food was delicious. We did not tour, but rather walked the towns and tried to immerse ourselves in the local scene. The pool at the ship was always busy, and many people sun worshipping, so I tend to think that many passengers did not do full day tours, if at all.

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Have a fabulous time.

 

You’re visiting two of my favourite Caribbean ports, Terre de Haut and Bequia. Plus Carambola beach. Loved our Caviar in the Surf there on the Sojourn holiday cruise.

 

Very envious! Enjoy.

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Day 2 (Sunday)

Saline Bay, Mayreau,St Vincent & the Grenadines

Thank you all for your posts.

 

I forgot to mention we booked the cruise on an OB basis, 7 days before we sailed we were allocated suite 805 which is located at the very front of the ship just behind the owners suite.

 

 

Yesterday we were greeted by our stewardess Maria, a lovely lady who promptly delivered two bottles of spirits to our suite; we won’t go short on this cruise!

 

 

We like the location of the suite, very handy for the pool,Colonnade and more importantly the bar.

 

 

After retiring early to bed I woke at 04.00 hrs with a slightly fuzzy head, must have been the large Cognac I had before going to bed! There was a steady rock and roll motion as we sail to our next destination. Because of the catch up in time zones it was very difficult to return to sleep so at 06.00 hrs I went off to the laundry room to iron my shirts, (I need to get out more)

 

 

After returning to our suite Mrs. Fudge (the boss) instructed me to go for coffees at Seabourn Square at the minute it opened at 06.15, it’s a hard life on board all this running around.

 

 

At 07.00 hrs. we arrived at our first destination. Today is a tender operation, the only thing that’s changed since our last cruise is you now have to get a tender ticket before boarding.

 

 

The island of Mayreau is very small indeed only 271 residents live here, and electricity has only just been brought to the Island in the form of a generator! Its an isolated community only accessible by boat, (copied from Seabourn description,) I would have thought all the Islands are only accessible by boat?

 

 

After a lovely breakfast at the Colonnade with Mrs. Fudge enjoying her eggs Benedict and Champagne, champagne at 7.30 am what’s that all about??

 

 

The main event today was the Seabourn signature beach BBQ and water sports.

 

At 10.30 am the first tender left the ship to the beach, lovely weather perfect for a BBQ.

After a 5 minute tender ride, we arrived about 11.30am, warm greeting, plenty of drinks, lovely beach, sun loungers and towels provided.

 

 

At 12. Midday the caviar in the surf appeared, what a hoot that was. The crew trying to serve the caviar and champagne while the waves were crashing in.

 

After the caviar lunch was served, over 600 lbs. of lobster, steaks, burgers and more drinks!

A steel band played all the time we were there, very good indeed. There is a local market if you wish to purchase wraps or t shirts and a tip box for the band, take money with you.

 

 

All in all a very good day and a great effort by the crew, congratulations to them for a real good day.

 

 

This evening we will eat in the Colonnade, a theme night tonight is an American night. :D

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After a long journey from Cyprus where we now live,

 

Where in Cyprus do you live? I was there a few months ago, what a beautiful place it is, I was pleasantly surprised.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

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It all sounds lovely, fudge. A bit jealous, naturally, as we were stuck indoors for a week with the snow recently, ending up with one slice of toast for two of us for breakfast yesterday!

 

It would be nice to hear who your Captain, Cruise Director and Maitre'd are, if you have time. And I think others would like to know how the airport at Barbados works, I seem to remember it can be a bit less organised than some.

 

Hope you are sunning or shading yourselves outside the Colonnade at lunch, with lots of wine, and the usual friendly service.:):)

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We are on the crossing in April can you let us know who the CD is at the moment and will they be still there in April ?

 

Many thanks

 

john

 

Robert Brendan. Yes - he has just joined and will be on for the crossing according to FB.

Edited by stamfordian
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Day 3

 

Fort-De-France, Martinique.

All change!

Dalliowner, the CD is called Robert Brendan, he will stillbe on the ship in April.

 

 

Yes we are lucky to live on a beautiful Island in the Med, for those who don’t know there was a conflict in 1974, the Island is now divided across the middle, and we are on the Turkish Cypriot side, very unspoilt.

 

 

Due to adverse weather conditions although we have not witnessed any change, we arrived in Fort –De- France, Martinique, a lovely sunny day awaits.

 

 

You can walk through the bustling streets and learn about its rich history. In 1902 there was a volcano eruption which killed 30,000 people, the only survivor was a prisoner held in an underground prison.

 

 

Last evening we enjoyed a lovely fish meal in the Colonnade washed down with a really nice New Zealand White wine from a company called Oyster Bay, Mrs. Fudge indulged in two, yes two Pavlovas much to her delight!

 

 

Before our evening meal we hit the shops at exactly one minute past six the opening time, we (the Royal we) have a huge on board credit to spend, I am told that my allowance is a 40 dollar internet package and a Seabourn baseball cap, happy days. Mrs. Fudge hit the perfume and shoes, the staff will see us in there a lot on this cruise.

 

 

For those of you who partake in on board activities they are all now unhosted which means no prizes for winners anymore, what is the world coming to? I was looking forward to winning a Seabourn umbrella!

 

 

This evening is our first formal night, a chance for me to imitate a penguin and for Mrs. Fudge to wear her best frock, we do like formal evenings it makes a nice change.

 

 

Today we took our first walk off the ship rather than take one of four excursions offered by Seabourn. Of course at port side there were local taxi drivers/tour guides offering trips around the Island. A 15 minute walk takes you into the town centre, plenty of café/bars and souvenir shops,the Island is French, and the currency is Euro.

 

 

Today the lunch is Caribbean style, the creole curry was delicious.

 

 

Thomas Keller: Having never experienced “the grill” I booked on line weeks ago one reservation. While on board the staff could not find the booking? They tried to give us a reservation at 6.15 pm one evening with a shared table, Mrs. Fudge put her boxing gloves on and we now have a decent time on Saturday, apparently that’s the best day if you need to book, (change over day).

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You mention two things that would kid be good to clarify. Here are my experiences on Odyssey from December/January:

 

Tender tickets - This was only on the Beach BBQ day and we were told it was only during by the peak period after the tenders started running when they were ready for guests to avoid people having to queue and not make it on the first tender. I think they ran on tickets for the first 30 minutes or so. We never saw them again.

 

Hosted/unhosted games - There were unhosted games (putting, shuffleboard, etc.) advertised almost every day but they still held hosted times later in the sailing for prizes.

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Thanks for such fantastic daily comments!! We are traveling on 4/7 for a Caribbean and continuing the Trans Atlantic. We are really looking forward to hearing about the second half of your trip which is almost identical to our 7 days in the Caribbean! If it were possible, I’d love seeing photos of the daily Herald and even the daily menu <G>. But that could be too much trouble. Thanks again!!

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Day 4

Charlestown, Nevis,St Kitts and Nevis.

The Captain of the ship is Geir Arne Thue Nilsen from Norway, he is seen regularly on deck a very nice gentleman indeed, the CD is Robert Brendan, a British guy who is very popular, the Maître de is Thomas.

 

 

In answer to two questions on Cruise Critic, yes the tender tickets were on the BBQ day, I may have jumped the gun thinking it happens one every tender day sorry.

 

 

The deck activities are unhosted; the CD has said that there is little interest in the main; however they will consider it on sea days.

 

 

In answer to another question, when you land at Barbados the problem is at least three airlines land within an hour, BA, Virgin and Canada Air, consequently there is a mad dash to clear passport control, it has been this way for as far back as can remember however, in fairness all the passport desks were open and we were through in 30 minutes. The bags came off in good time and we had booked a taxi to the cruise terminal, it took 30 minutes, the cost was 30 US dollars.

 

 

Last evening was the formal evening which we enjoyed very much. We asked for a shared table and enjoyed the company of a couple from L A and a couple from South Carolina. Although we all spoke English the difference in cultures is amazing, we had a very interesting evening indeed.

 

 

After dinner we went to the Grand Salon where the Captain introduced his senior managers after which the crew presented an evening with Sir Tim Rice performance (Part Video from Sir Tim Rice)

 

 

Today is another tender day, we laid anchor at 07.00 hrs. to a lovely sunny day, the temperature yesterday was 31 degrees or 90 F.

 

 

All change again.

 

When we anchored I thought it was strange we looked miles from anywhere? After one hour the Captain announced that the local authorities would not allow tenders in the Port, very odd. The official reason was the swell was too large however, the sea is flat calm?

 

 

As ever though Seabourn had a plan B, we moved along only slightly and are now spending the day at Carambola beach with water sports; all those who had excursions planned will be refunded.

 

 

All change again.

Plan C, the water sports are now from the back of the ship. Hey ho, we are on holiday, the sun is shining, what’s not to like?

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RE: tendering in Nevis. We tendered ashore on our November cruise on the Odyssey. No problem with tendering ashore and had a lovely day ashore. The tender back to the ship was scary with the staff trying to steady the tender against the dock and people already onboard the tender grabbing us to pull us aboard! The ride back to the ship was very rocky, sea conditions had changed while we were ashore. I’m enjoying your report.

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Day 5 Basse-Terre Guadeloupe

Despite all the challengers yesterday Seabourn came through with flying colours.

 

 

They pulled out all the stops to give all on board a fantastic day, the day ended with a great sail away party, the Seabourn singers sang classical music to a large audience, the drinks flowed, the ship sailed away slowly to our next destination.

 

There was a thread on Cruise Critic whether you could have Champagne (by the glass or bottle) delivered to your suite? Yesterday afternoon we rang room service and a full bottle was delivered within minutes, and very nice it was too.

 

 

Something very odd?

An hour before we were due to dock I looked out of the window and remarked how calm the sea was, the calmest I have seen it on the cruise. The ship docked at port the lines were secured all was calm.

 

 

Forty five minutes later the anchor was raised and we left the port? Shortly after the Captain announced that it would be too dangerous to stay in port? What I don’t understand is surely he would have known the conditions before we docked? All very odd, we are now sailing 90 minutes to Terre-De- Haut a very small Island about 10k from Guadeloupe where we have a tender service.

 

 

We arrived at the Island anchored and there was a tender operation to the Island. We took the tender just to stretch our legs, a very quiet place with little or not much to see.

 

 

Lunch today in the Colonnade was a “British” affair which suited us fine. Fish and chips, steak pie, vegetable curry and Eton mess for dessert, all washed down with a very nice red wine.

 

 

Tonight we have the Captains cocktail reception, looking forward to that.

We have taken to having an afternoon nap between 3 and 4.30pm, it could be the side car cocktail which prompts that!

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We were on the previous 14 day sailing and experienced several changes due to sea conditions.

We could not tender at Charlotteville, Tobago, so docked at Scarborough. The shore excursions were still available, although late. We spent 10 minutes ashore - it was not pleasant and felt unsafe. I hope the seas around Charlottesville will co-operate for you.

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Day 6

St. Georges, Grenada

 

Last evening we eat at the Colonnade, we missed the small print on the Herald asking guests to book a table; it looks like others missed it too. The reason was the menu was a sharing menu inspired by Thomas Keller consisting of a salad followed by a shared steak, the steak came medium rare, a few guests sent it back to be further cooked.

 

 

We have now arrived at Grenada, it was a long sail and fairly rocky. The Island is a popular tourist destination, the town has developed in recent years.

 

 

Seabourn is celebrating its 30th anniversary, as such they have created a cocktail called Passion Pearls, and I will be sampling that later.

 

 

Audrey Hepburn’s passion for her craft inspired a generation,her love of pearls and a good drink is well known, Like Seabourn, Audrey’s career spanned the globe and continues to inspire the next generation of world travelers who enjoy the simple pleasures of a luxury lifestyle.

 

 

We arrived one hour late but we are on holiday so no big deal. The cruise director actually said “ at last we have reached a scheduled destination”

 

 

We decided to leave the ship and walk around the town. Just off the ship we were greeted by very polite local taxi drivers, all of whom owned smart taxis offering a tour of the Island, we declined and spent an hour or so walking around.

 

 

We stopped at a bar had two beers for 6 dollars and used their internet, when I came to pay with a 10 dollar bill the owner had no change, as quick as a flash a single guy jumped up asked if we were from the ship and promptly paid the bill, I asked what suite he was from he was the ship’s doctor, I paid my “medical” bill on return.

 

 

Seabourn are encouraging the guys on here to attend the boutique this evening to enjoy a whisky and look around the shop, Mrs. Fudge has agreed on one condition, I don’t spend anything! Anything for a free whisky though, don’t want to impact on her on board credit.

 

 

After a leisurely lunch of Tempura in the Colonnade we spent the rest of the afternoon in the sunshine on deck.

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