***Live from the Sojourn, 20-day Iberian and Celtic Sojourn***

[Seabourntraveller]

Activities Onboard Today;

 

7:00am Arrival

7:00am Local Representative Hospitality Desk, Seabourn Square, Deck 7

9:00am Shuttle Bus Service begins (every 10 minutes)

10:15am Crew Lifeboat Drill

10:30am Golf-Putting Enthusiasts, The Retreat, Deck 11

12:00 noon the Colonnade opens for Lunch until 2:00pm, Tapas

12:30pm The Restaurant opens for lunch until 1:30pm

12:30pm The Patio Grill opens for lunch until 3:30pm, Panini

2:00pm Spa Seminar; The Spa Deck 9

3:30pm Shuffleboard, The Retreat Deck 11

4:00pm Afternoon Tea Time & Melodies, Observation Bar Deck 10

5:00pm Sojourn Team Trivia Challenge, The Club Deck 5

5:30pm Friends of Bill W. Meet, Conference Room#1, Deck 5

 

Evening Activities Onboard;

 

Tonight's Attire: Resort Casual

 

6:30pm Panoramic Piano Moods with Nick, Observation Bar Deck 10

6:30pm Club Cocktails, The Club Deck 5

7:30pm All Aboard

8:00pm Departure: The Sojourn set sail for Cadiz, Spain

8:30pm Brian Chartrand on Guitar, The Club Deck 5

9:30pm Smooth Melodies with Nick, Observation Bar Deck 10

9:45pm "Rock the Boat Dance Party", the Club Deck 5

[Seabourntraveller]

That's too funny .... You always get caught out hahahaha!

 

Yep there I was outside my cabin door stuffing my face until someone arrived to open the door for me.:D

[Seabourntraveller]

Post Breakfast Update;

 

Good morning from beautiful Malaga, Spain. I just finished having two poached eggs as usual in the Colonnade and it was very busy....full on ATTACK at 8:30am as most people are taking advantage of our early arrival to go ashore.

 

Speaking of going ashore, it really makes no sense to leave the ship early as most places do not open before 10:30am or 11:00am here in Malaga. It's already 21C or 70F under sunny skies and not a cloud around.

 

I will be suntanning early this morning until noon and then heading out into Malaga. It's also important to note that many shops/stores close down in Malaga in the afternoon from generally 1:30pm-2:00pm un til 5:00pm for "siesta".

 

We have another cruiseship alongside us, the "Astor" today here in Malaga, Spain. The new Cruise Terminal is finally finished. I will walk into to town as the boardwalk here in Malaga is very pretty to walk as long as it's not a 100 degrees!

 

More to come later today from the Sojourn here in Malaga, Spain until 8:00pm tonight.;)

[Seabourntraveller]

ST

Please tell "Sister" A. I'm fine ~busy with 2 Grandkids graduating from Texas A&M on April 11th. I'll send her an e-mail ~(to her suite) Yes, please go and visit with her before dinner up in the Observation Lounge ~she always has an Officer or a Purser who join her for pre-dinner cocktails. She is soooo funny! I could tell you true saga tales, as to the "Witzke Sisters"~ would curl your hair.:confused:

Do you know if Chief Purser Ann-Cathrin is aboard? Or Crew Purser Thomas? Both charming and alot of fun!!!:D

 

Have a grrrreat sail-away

Martita

 

Martita....Ann-Catherin left us in Barcelona the other day and Tomas is leaving us in Hamburg on May 24th.;)

[Seabourntraveller]

Extended Weather Forecast;-next 5 days

 

I was checking the extended weather forecast and for the next 5 consecutive days it will feel like summer with average temperatures of 27-30C or 80-86F and sunny. Then after Porto the weather will be dropping like a rock to back to low 60's or 15-16C and the Polar Express Cruise looks to be back in full force.:mad:

Stay tuned....:eek:

[billichka]

Evening Update, Enroute to Malaga, Spain;

The ship tonight is very quiet....hardly anyone out....apparently Room Service guys got KILLED tonight because people did not like the Chef's dinner.

I am sure this happened on your last cruise - is the menu the same?

[Seabourntraveller]

I am sure this happened on your last cruise - is the menu the same?

 

No actually. The menu last night was NOT the same as on the last 14 day cruise. I just think people do not have an adventurous side to them when it comes to sampling new foods. For example I always laugh when I see people from the ship racing off to go eat a KFC or MacDonalds.:rolleyes::eek::rolleyes:

[fairbourne]

Extended Weather Forecast;-next 5 days

 

I was checking the extended weather forecast and for the next 5 consecutive days it will feel like summer with average temperatures of 27-30C or 80-86F and sunny. Then after Porto the weather will be dropping like a rock to back to low 60's or 15-16C and the Polar Express Cruise looks to be back in full force.:mad:

Stay tuned....:eek:

 

Good morning ST!

 

It's a lovely sunny day here with highs of 9C - 48F! - expected this afternoon. We are looking forward to improvement tomorrow with a high of 10C! But I'm sure the sun always shines on the righteous, so it will be lovely and balmy by the time you get here! ;):D

 

I love the white tomato soup that Miss M was talking about - the patience to make that little gem!

 

I had a KFC for the first time in about 30 years the other weekend, only because we were hungry and on the move and we thought it would be a laugh but we didn't remember how awful it was .... Yeuch, yeuch, yeuch .... How do people eat this junk??

 

Enjoy Malaga and the sun! :D

[MARIANH]

Extended Weather Forecast;-next 5 days

 

I was checking the extended weather forecast and for the next 5 consecutive days it will feel like summer with average temperatures of 27-30C or 80-86F and sunny. Then after Porto the weather will be dropping like a rock to back to low 60's or 15-16C and the Polar Express Cruise looks to be back in full force.:mad:

Stay tuned....:eek:

 

The 10 day forecast for Celtic Climes is not encouraging. Cold with lots of rain and plagues of frogs ( made the last one up).

 

So best to soak up as many rays as poss before entering our northern waters.

 

I hope you have packed your thermal underwear and protection ( against the rain).

 

Best advice is to take precautions internally to guard against the rigours of our weather. So when in Ireland, seek out Guinness ( must be quaffed in prodigous quantities) and if possible some potcheen ( failing that a drop of Black Bush will suffice). And in Scotland a wee heavy( or two or three) and a good Malt whisky should do the trick. But I defer to fairbourne on this, given her more local knowledge. And given your leanings to matters gastronomic, could I recommend a Scottish delicacy - deep fried Mars bars. Calories with a crunch ( beats churros). Available from most chip shops. Enjoy:D

[fairbourne]

The 10 day forecast for Celtic Climes is not encouraging. Cold with lots of rain and plagues of frogs ( made the last one up).

 

So best to soak up as many rays as poss before entering our northern waters.

 

I hope you have packed your thermal underwear and protection ( against the rain).

 

Best advice is to take precautions internally to guard against the rigours of our weather. So when in Ireland, seek out Guinness ( must be quaffed in prodigous quantities) and if possible some potcheen ( failing that a drop of Black Bush will suffice). And in Scotland a wee heavy( or two or three) and a good Malt whisky should do the trick. But I defer to fairbourne on this, given her more local knowledge. And given your leanings to matters gastronomic, could I recommend a Scottish delicacy - deep fried Mars bars. Calories with a crunch ( beats churros). Available from most chip shops. Enjoy:D

 

Deep-fried Mars Bar ... now you're talking ..... ;):p

[purpleally]

Extended Weather Forecast;-next 5 days

 

I was checking the extended weather forecast and for the next 5 consecutive days it will feel like summer with average temperatures of 27-30C or 80-86F and sunny. Then after Porto the weather will be dropping like a rock to back to low 60's or 15-16C and the Polar Express Cruise looks to be back in full force.:mad:

Stay tuned....:eek:

 

We arrive Friday in Lisbon and I'm looking forward to almost three days of beautiful weather and then the layers come out! This is my first cold weather cruise...see you soon.

[Seabourntraveller]

We arrive Friday in Lisbon and I'm looking forward to almost three days of beautiful weather and then the layers come out! This is my first cold weather cruise...see you soon.

 

Pack your thermal undies and knickers purpleally...looks to be another "Polar Express Cruise" to Hamburg!:eek:

[Seabourntraveller]

Good morning ST!

 

It's a lovely sunny day here with highs of 9C - 48F! - expected this afternoon. We are looking forward to improvement tomorrow with a high of 10C! But I'm sure the sun always shines on the righteous, so it will be lovely and balmy by the time you get here! ;):D

 

I love the white tomato soup that Miss M was talking about - the patience to make that little gem!

 

I had a KFC for the first time in about 30 years the other weekend, only because we were hungry and on the move and we thought it would be a laugh but we didn't remember how awful it was .... Yeuch, yeuch, yeuch .... How do people eat this junk??

 

Enjoy Malaga and the sun! :D

 

We call KFC "Dead Bird in a Box":eek:

Enjoying the Wifi and the Sun here on Deck 11, the Retreat!;)

[Seabourntraveller]

Deep-fried Mars Bar ... now you're talking ..... ;):p

 

This I gotta try!:eek:

[Seabourntraveller]

Post Lunch Update; Malaga

 

Had lunch in the Colonnade early so that I would avoid the tours returning abck around 1:00pm and there would be a full on ATTACK of the Colonnade. Had a really nice Linguini Carbonara with Pancetta which was very tasty and started off with a Venisson Loin and Seafood Salad. For dessert was a delicious chocolate truffle cake with one scoop of vanilla ice cream.

 

I will be going out into Malaga after 4:00pm for a coffee and some churros and walk back to the ship to burn off the calories.

The weather this afternoon is superb 80F or 26C sunny skies and light winds out of the west. I am upstairs on Deck 11 in the Retreat by myself here enjoying the Malaga sun this afternoon.

 

More to come later today from the Sojourn in Malaga, Spain.;)

[marazul]

Hi seabourntraveller,

have you met any other CC members on this cruise?

Hope you enjoyed the churros! They have no calories at all...

[cello44]

We are on this cruise, our second with Seabourn. Our first was a year ago, on Spirit. I could write many nice things about the ship and cruise, to be sure. However, we have noticed a number of not quite nice things that make us reluctant to try Seabourn again - or, perhaps willing to try alternatives.

 

We've noticed a certain snippiness in a few of the crew members, including one of the women staffing the Seabourn Square. Most of the crew are wonderful, so these few stood out. This has been the trip's greatest disappointment.

 

The Internet access has been terrible. We bought the unlimited package. Had we bought one of the hourly packages, we would have devoted most of our time to trying to sign on. We are tech savvy folks.

 

This group does not seem terribly adept at communicating with inexperienced passengers. Or perhaps I am singularly inept at receiving their messages. A small example - I discovered today, more than halfway through the cruise, that Seabourn has local maps for each port available at a desk near Seabourn Square. It would have been great to know that several ports ago!

 

The shuttle service between ship and city has been spotty in my experience, with long lunch breaks. I suppose Seabourn subcontracts that shuttle service, and may have to accommodate local working rules. This concern may arise from my inexperience with cruising; it just seems that, if you are going to dock in an ugly commercial port, you ought to provide pretty good access to the city.

 

There's more, but that's enough for now. My problem may simply be that cruising is not for me, I'd prefer to stay in the center of a city in a first rate hotel. All in all, though, we loved our experience on Spirit but have been disappointed by Sojourn.

 

Respectfully, Cello

[Seabourntraveller]

Hi seabourntraveller,

have you met any other CC members on this cruise?

Hope you enjoyed the churros! They have no calories at all...

 

I have not met anyone on here from CC.

churros were ZERO CALORIES...all 6 of them!:D:eek::D

[Seabourntraveller]

We are on this cruise, our second with Seabourn. Our first was a year ago, on Spirit. I could write many nice things about the ship and cruise, to be sure. However, we have noticed a number of not quite nice things that make us reluctant to try Seabourn again - or, perhaps willing to try alternatives.

 

We've noticed a certain snippiness in a few of the crew members, including one of the women staffing the Seabourn Square. Most of the crew are wonderful, so these few stood out. This has been the trip's greatest disappointment.

 

The Internet access has been terrible. We bought the unlimited package. Had we bought one of the hourly packages, we would have devoted most of our time to trying to sign on. We are tech savvy folks.

 

This group does not seem terribly adept at communicating with inexperienced passengers. Or perhaps I am singularly inept at receiving their messages. A small example - I discovered today, more than halfway through the cruise, that Seabourn has local maps for each port available at a desk near Seabourn Square. It would have been great to know that several ports ago!

 

The shuttle service between ship and city has been spotty in my experience, with long lunch breaks. I suppose Seabourn subcontracts that shuttle service, and may have to accommodate local working rules. This concern may arise from my inexperience with cruising; it just seems that, if you are going to dock in an ugly commercial port, you ought to provide pretty good access to the city.

 

There's more, but that's enough for now. My problem may simply be that cruising is not for me, I'd prefer to stay in the center of a city in a first rate hotel. All in all, though, we loved our experience on Spirit but have been disappointed by Sojourn.

 

Respectfully, Cello

 

Cello44;

 

We must be on different ships.:eek:

I have had only wonderful and great dealings with all crew members that I have come across in my dealings while onboard.

 

I have also bought the unlimited package for the internet and at times it is slow, but nothing near dial up or anything to really complain about. Remember it's satelite communications your buying and not Direct TV hook up here onboard like in your living room.

 

As to the local maps provided; you were given in your Suite small booklets on emabrkation day that describe in detail each port we are visiting on this cruise. Beyond that, in the Herald each day, there is a Hospitality Desk that has published hours with a set times each day in the Herald to answer your questions, litterature, information and maps etc. Today the Local Representative was onboard from 8:30am until 11:30am.

 

As to the Shuttle Bus breaks, again it is published in the Herald as in today's as in each port whereby Seabourn provides a Shuttle Service and I quote from the Herald "There is a break in Service between 12:45pm and 1:30pm".

 

Maybe it's your approach and/or expectations that need realignment and not the Sojourn IMHO.;) Hope you can manage to enjoy the rest of your cruise and make lemonade out of your lemons.

[Seabourntraveller]

what??? no pinot noirs??? please fix this by the 12th!

 

I don't have such good news for you.:(

I ran into Robert the Bar Manager and he indeed did confirm that we do not have any Pinot Noir onboard on the Complimentary Wine List. The container is only coming in Hamburg the day you and I disembark!:eek:

You better pack some in bring them onboard and/or purchase some locally in some ports.

[Seabourntraveller]

Pre-Dinner Update; Departure for Cadiz, Spain

 

What a magnificent day here in Malaga, Spain. The place is immaculately clean, friendly people, great food all around and churros.;)

 

Our current temperature is 27C or 81F and under sunny skies at 7:20pm.

We are just making final preparations to leave Malaga for Cadiz, Spain in less than 35 minutes time. We have just shy of 160 nautical miles before we reach Cadiz, Spain tomorrow morning at 8:00am.

 

The forecast for this evening is much of the same as we have currently low winds and clear skies overnight and tomorrow we will have the same high of 27C or 81F under sunny skies again.

 

I will be going up in 10 minutes time to the Patio Grill for CHOP HOUSE dinner under a sunset and stars as soon as they open as I suspect they will have yet again another full house upstairs tonight with this fabulous weather.

 

They have decided to move "Rock the Boat Deck Party" outside tonight because of the great warm weather we are having today in Malaga. Should make it for a great evening outside tonight under the stars.

 

More to come later this evening from the sojourn about to set sail for Cadiz, Spain in less than 30 minutes time.;)

[Roxburgh]

Pre-Dinner Update; Departure for Cadiz, Spain

 

What a magnificent day here in Malaga, Spain. The place is immaculately clean, friendly people, great food all around and churros.;)

 

Our current temperature is 27C or 81F and under sunny skies at 7:20pm.

We are just making final preparations to leave Malaga for Cadiz, Spain in less than 35 minutes time. We have just shy of 160 nautical miles before we reach Cadiz, Spain tomorrow morning at 8:00am.

 

The forecast for this evening is much of the same as we have currently low winds and clear skies overnight and tomorrow we will have the same high of 27C or 81F under sunny skies again.

 

I will be going up in 10 minutes time to the Patio Grill for CHOP HOUSE dinner under a sunset and stars as soon as they open as I suspect they will have yet again another full house upstairs tonight with this fabulous weather.

 

They have decided to move "Rock the Boat Deck Party" outside tonight because of the great warm weather we are having today in Malaga. Should make it for a great evening outside tonight under the stars.

 

More to come later this evening from the sojourn about to set sail for Cadiz, Spain in less than 30 minutes time.;)

 

Always good to eat at the Patio Grill on Rock the Boat nights. That way, you get to claim a premium place for the party.

[Martita B.]

ST

Enjoy your day in Cadiz ~a favorite ship's call of mine. If time permits stroll over to the center of town to the Plaza. Grrreat people watching ~and maybe a few food carts and fun, nice gift stalls. Last time I was there Miss A and I took a Taxi to the Plaza ~on a weekend, I recall. A band was playing, children dancing and we had homemade ice cream! I found a gorgeous silk red rose and a matching red Spanish fan ~wore it that very evening to the Club! (this was before the carpet/sofa seats were REfitted with the RED ROSE design~~thank goodness:eek: ~matchy, matchy)

And enjoy the Deck Party tonight! Invite Crew Purser Thomas to join you for a cocktail ~he is special!

Miss Martita B

[DottieD]

Hi ST, we are waving to you from our balcony, about 20 mile south of Malaga We flew back on Sunday. Glad the weather has warmed up for us both

DottieD.

[soc1965]

Cello44;

 

We must be on different ships.:eek:

I have had only wonderful and great dealings with all crew members that I have come across in my dealings while onboard.

 

I have also bought the unlimited package for the internet and at times it is slow, but nothing near dial up or anything to really complain about. Remember it's satelite communications your buying and not Direct TV hook up here onboard like in your living room.

 

As to the local maps provided; you were given in your Suite small booklets on emabrkation day that describe in detail each port we are visiting on this cruise. Beyond that, in the Herald each day, there is a Hospitality Desk that has published hours with a set times each day in the Herald to answer your questions, litterature, information and maps etc. Today the Local Representative was onboard from 8:30am until 11:30am.

 

As to the Shuttle Bus breaks, again it is published in the Herald as in today's as in each port whereby Seabourn provides a Shuttle Service and I quote from the Herald "There is a break in Service between 12:45pm and 1:30pm".

 

Maybe it's your approach and/or expectations that need realignment and not the Sojourn IMHO.;) Hope you can manage to enjoy the rest of your cruise and make lemonade out of your lemons.

 

I haven't posted on this board for quite a long time, in fact since around October 2011 when I was shouted down for making not such great remarks about our September cruise on Odyssey in September 2011 which certainly did not come anywhere near our experience on Spirit in September 2010 in terms of food, wine, service & everything else. No matter, as ST evokes, we made our lemonade out of our lemons & enjoyed nonetheless. However, it does seem to me & maybe others who don't wish to make any posts with negative comments that might be shot down by the 'regulars' who enthuse on here daily, that honest criticisms by ordinary folk which are valid to themselves are dismissed. We all don't have either the good fortune or opportunity to travel as regular as some and therefore know the ropes; Cello 44 has every right to their opinion in the points made & I for one value that opinion - ST is no doubt completly au fait with everything Seabourn by virtue of the fact of being a regular/repeat customer & known to staff & guests alike; others do not have that priviledge but those guests have no less rights to make their feelings known.