A First Fond Farewell for Odyssey

[lincslady]

Let's hope he is not going to be on a menu tonight!  By the way, I always though gazpacho was Spanish?

 

Anyway, enough carping - it sounds as though you have reached that blissful state of almost nirvana which can happen onboard a Seabourn ship in lovely weather, and long may it last.

[BasandSyb]

Still enjoying every moment on board. Gratuitous pic of Lifou, just because I have one or three.

 

 

[sfvoyage]

13 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

Yesterday evening the Captain announced that there is COVID on board. Passengers and crew, five altogether according to our stewardess, have been quarantined. All crew must now wear masks from this morning, and all passengers have been strongly advised to wear masks while indoors.

And currently on the Encore, no such announcement or mask requirement or advisory, even though there are more than 5 covid cases among the guests (including 2 trivia team mates in quarantine).

[Flamin_June]

Yes, of course gazpacho is Spanish. My sun-addled brain conflating all things Mediterranean. 

[Flamin_June]

Sunday, 2nd April, 11.15 am.

At sea again for two days, crossing the Pacific on our way to Fiji.

A heavy mist descended around us as we sailed away from Lifou in the late afternoon, the air thick with heat and humidity. After dinner we sit out on deck with a drink or two, enjoying the cooling breeze, the sound of the sea, the waxing moon, the stars, the occasional company of charming, softly-spoken fellow passengers and inebriates. I usually have cognac after dinner, but have made two, new to me, discoveries: Appleton Estate 8 year Rum, and B & B on the rocks. There is no light pollution out here and the stars spread out across the immense, black, night sky are astonishing in their unfamiliar southern hemisphere constellations.

 

[Flamin_June]

Sunday 2nd April, 15.00.

An ‘epicurean event’ , the Odyssey Food Festival, took place poolside and in the Colonnade today over lunchtime. I think it was a slimmed down version of the galley lunch, which presumably cannot take place because of the C19 situation. When I say slimmed down, I am speaking metaphorically, it was, of course a spectacular spread, though at noon the sun was so intense it drove us inside to the Colonnade which was largely devoted to desserts, cakes and puddings, baked Alaska, a profiterole mountain and other delights. It worked better for us than the galley lunch, I don’t know if it was the heat, the much larger area, or the lack of expectation because of the absence of the words ‘galley lunch’, but it proved to be much less of a feeding frenzy and an altogether more enjoyable experience.

Just before noon the Captain announced, among other things, that those quarantined were comfortable and doing well, and advised all passengers to continue wearing masks indoors if at all possible. I notice the suite directly opposite ours has an ottoman outside, with two tied blue plastic bags containing plates etc. I was just chatting to the guests therein less than 24 hours ago. A tells me that she was doing yoga with the lady of the suite yesterday at tea-time, she was right next to her….. I immediately feel as if I am about to collapse with every documented Covid symptom. A feels fine. She has just had a facial, so feeling fine is to be hoped for if not expected.

The ocean is like a mill-pond just now, the sea a pale azure that merges almost imperceptibly with the sky at the far horizon. No wonder Magellan named it Mar Pacifico -  the peaceful sea. We have left the boobies and petrels far behind, but now scores of flying fish freely zip and skim away from our advance, free of flying predators. We passed closely by an active volcano at around 11.00 am but I missed it, probably because I was writing this blasted journal.

Because of its vastness, it seems to be an empty sea, with nary another vessel to be seen. At night I miss the twinkling lights of fishing boats and sea gypsies that dot the seas of SE Asia. But as I write I can see a solitary trawler at the edge of the horizon.

Back to the Colonnade tonight for Ad Hoc night with hickory smoked bbq ribs. It is formal night, so we will dress to the nines, or seven point fives in my case, although we don’t have to.
 

 

 

[Darspurs]

Flamin_June I just wondered whether you are a novelist, I have never seen such descriptive writing as yours other than in books. I can picture everything through your words and I have not yet taken my first Seabourn cruise - 35 days to go and counting 😀

[Mr Luxury]

3 hours ago, Darspurs said:

Flamin_June I just wondered whether you are a novelist, I have never seen such descriptive writing as yours other than in books. I can picture everything through your words and I have not yet taken my first Seabourn cruise - 35 days to go and counting 😀

Ok,that's enough smoke already.

[Flamin_June]

12 hours ago, Darspurs said:

Flamin_June I just wondered whether you are a novelist, I have never seen such descriptive writing as yours other than in books. I can picture everything through your words and I have not yet taken my first Seabourn cruise - 35 days to go and counting 😀

Thank you for your kind words. I’m not a novelist - I enjoy trying to put a few descriptive paragraphs together, but the whole business of devising a plot and, as Raymond Chandler said, getting a character into and out of a room, is beyond me. Mind you Chandler’s plots were often convoluted, almost byzantine, and it is in his acerbic wit, descriptions of L.A. In the 1940s and character studies where his genius lies.

 

Monday 3rd April, 11.15 am, at sea.

An investigative stroll past all the deck 5 suites reveals only two ottomans, disconcertingly close to our suite, but not next door. The vast majority of passengers are now sporting masks indoors. Sometimes people forget, sometimes they are just dashing from one maskless zone to another. Clocks went forward one hour last night. The Ad hoc ribs were splendid, we ate and drunk with great gusto and woke late, missed breakfast and are reverting to type. I will add more, but my battery is now at 10% and I must prepare myself for one final round of trivia for this leg. Many will depart tomorrow in Fiji.

 

[Vineyard View]

Thank you for these continued thoughts and observations.

I actually believe that it is a really good thing that Seabourn has informed passengers that the dreaded C is onboard. I am reading that other lines are not doing this. Seabourn doing son allows passengers to make the informed choices I applaud them for doing this and being transparent. 
Stay healthy and continue enjoying this journey! 

[Flamin_June]

21 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you for these continued thoughts and observations.

I actually believe that it is a really good thing that Seabourn has informed passengers that the dreaded C is onboard. I am reading that other lines are not doing this. Seabourn doing son allows passengers to make the informed choices I applaud them for doing this and being transparent. 
Stay healthy and continue enjoying this journey! 

Yes I agree. Again today during the Captain’s noontime announcements, all passengers were strongly advised to wear masks, especially indoors. We were also told that those under observation were all comfortable and in good spirits. A fellow passenger told A this morning that there were a couple of ottomans on deck 7 and one on deck 9; I haven't walked along decks 4 and 6 but it seems as if the outbreak is limited and being contained.

Absolutely full marks to the Captain for taking decisive action early on and keeping everyone informed. Life goes on pretty much as normal, and seeing most passengers in masks when indoors actually contributes to a more relaxed and assured atmosphere. Much better than having uninformed rumours and conjecture circulating, which can be as bad, if not worse than having a virus circulating.

The sun is shining, we are having a heatwave, a tropical heatwave, the temperature is rising, it isn’t surprising and Odyssey certainly can Can-Can.

It must be around 30 C, we are surrounded by brilliant blue sea and sky and cumulus clouds, though Odyssey seems to navigating between rather than beneath them. I am sitting in a shady nook by the sky bar, sipping a cool Corona (beer, I hasten to add). People are sunning themselves by the pool or on the loungers, or relaxing in the shade. There is a very relaxed atmosphere, slightly subdued, unsurprisingly,as many (around a 100 I have been told) are leaving tomorrow. The same number will be embarking, so it will be another full complement for the next leg. It will be interesting to see how the demographic changes. I suspect that many of the very elderly Ausssies will leave us.

When we booked this I thought it was a sort of mini-grand voyage, and was not aware the Pacific repositioning was also being marketed as three two week segments and a final 11 day cruise from Honolulu to Vancouver. We booked in the belief that departing in March and disembarking six weeks later we would avoid the dreaded Easter School holiday brigade. Bad enough having Covid running around, but spotty teenagers? 

[Flamin_June]

Further investigations reveal: around 170 will depart tomorrow and the same number will embark. There are nine suites in quarantine on deck, 6 and seven on deck 8, but only two crew have tested positive. 

[Mauzac]

4 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

Further investigations reveal: around 170 will depart tomorrow and the same number will embark. There are nine suites in quarantine on deck, 6 and seven on deck 8, but only two crew have tested positive. 

 

Do you know how long they have to quarantine for?  On our Grand Pacific voyage it varied depending on what waters we were sailing in.

I know someone who came out of their suite after just a few days, and someone else who was quarantined for 10 days!  

[Lord Haw Haw]

Not sure if this is correct but I have been told that passengers that are disembarking who have tested positive need to quarantine in a hotel for at least three days (at there own expense) prior to leaving the country. 

[Flamin_June]

Tuesday 3rd April, Lautoka, Fiji, 10.15 am

Dinner with a ship’s officer and a Seattle Head Manager last night. The official protocols Seabourn currently followi stipulate 6 days quarantine. A number of quarantined guests were due to disembark today. To cut a long story short, Fiji will not allow them off the ship. Guest services management on board worked almost 24 hours non-stop over the last few days to rearrange flights and find hotels where the affected passengers could quarantine. No hotels were prepared to accept them. Consequently they will have to stay aboard until we reach Samoa, who are more open to cooperating.

However Odyssey is fully booked, so alternative accommodation had to be found for the  dozen or so passengers. Various officers  and other crew members have agreed to give up their cabins and share with others so the five or six couples can be accommodated until Samoa (another five days). Seabourn will be arranging flights.

I have nothing but praise and admiration for the ship’s staff who have tried tirelessly to resolve things for the passengers. I don’t know if affected passengers have to pick up the bill for quarantine hotels or not, in any case their travel insurance should cover that eventuality. They obviously will not be charged for their extra four nights on board. Odyssey have asked Seattle to not take any further bookings on the next leg, from Papeete (there are a few suites still unsold), so that should the situation repeat itself, there will be spare capacity.

 

 

[lincslady]

Wow, that is a bummer.  It is good to read that the Captain and staff have obviously done a great job in sorting out a rotten situation as well as is possible.

 

Here's hoping it gets sorted out asap - and also that no one else gets ill  or tests positive.

[BasandSyb]

Yes the number of affected passengers has remained fairly constant for the last 2 weeks. Upon identification it is been 7 days of isolation. If partners have tested negative they may still more about the ship. However, most have restricted themselves and masked up. Partners are tested day 5. From conversations most have had the mildest of initial symptoms, self identified and kept to quarters and been generally ok. The staff have been outstanding in their responses for room service and comfort support.

 

Given the change over today of people who were aware, it will be interesting to see how long it takes the newbies to pick up on health issues and avoid the spread, or if it extends.
 

Have been pleased the way the captain has acknowledged this is life, rather than keeping it under wraps.

 

[Vineyard View]

I have read on other threads that there are other lines who, when you present yourself to medical not feeling well, have been responded to in a manner I find disconcerting - it’s up to you to test, but if you do and you are positive, we will have to quarantine you. One passenger asked if there were any others who had tested positive, and the response was that we do not share that information. I find that alarming. It’s almost as if, well, if you have it and don’t want to quarantine we will just look the other way. 
 

I am sincerely sorry for those who are impacted with C on this journey. I  remain so impressed with how officers, crew, and communications on Seabourn are responding. There’s no guarantees one will not become ill, but it certainly is reassuring that Seabourn continues to take spread of infection seriously, as are their passengers. Thank you for sharing

[jondfk]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

I have read on other threads that there are other lines who, when you present yourself to medical not feeling well, have been responded to in a manner I find disconcerting - it’s up to you to test, but if you do and you are positive, we will have to quarantine you. One passenger asked if there were any others who had tested positive, and the response was that we do not share that information. I find that alarming. It’s almost as if, well, if you have it and don’t want to quarantine we will just look the other way. 

...

 

Following this with interest.  Handling certainly does vary line to line, the very idea that officers would give up their cabins to avoid having joining pax's denied boarding is let's say surprising.  Does make we wonder how wise it is to book ships full on these itineraries with small ports / limited shoreside services.  Perhaps there's still a bit of learning to be done on that front.  

 

As to sharing of information, I'm reminded of our first sailing back, which was with Oceania last April from Papeete.  At the time Tahiti still required pre flight testing of 100% of arrivals, perhaps that made people over comfortable.  Oceania never said a word about masks or covid, but tray stands started to appear outside doors about halfway across, by the time we arrived in Los Angeles, still no word about C onboard, certainly no numbers shared, but we watched as 44 people were taken off by bunny suits which is a fairly large fraction of the 652 aboard.  At least as many departed with hacking coughs.  Communication seems better on SB at least as described here.

[Flamin_June]

The number of guests with C19 continued to increase, though I have learned from staff that it appears to have stabilised and at least two have been released. The Captain announced at sailaway that the level of response has also increased and mask wearing indoors by all is now mandatory. This must have been a blow to all the new passengers on board, who were heartily enjoying the sailaway atmosphere around the pool bar and sky bar. But they all appear to have complied, and we all keep our fingers crossed that cases will continue to decline. 
it seems telling that the number of crew in quarantine, all of whom have had to wear masks, has remained stable, while the cases among passengers, a small but significant number of whom chose to ignore the strong advice to wear masks, increased.

The average age of passengers, on the other hand, has decreased dramatically, by about a quarter of a century, I’d guess. There seems to be more than a touch of entitlement among some of them, and a distinct ‘holiday crowd’ feel. One family who have brought their late adolescent or younger adult son, and what appears to be his girlfriend, seem to have set up base camp in one of the double bed loungers in the shadiest part of the pool deck. How the chogs who had previously occupied this prime spot will react, if they are still on board, remains to be seen. Said offspring later strolled into the Colonnade in shorts, or possibly bathers, and a bright red t shirt, while we were dining. One hopes that a few days in this intense and humid heat combined with the soothing sound and motion of the sea will dull the thrusting edginess and intensity of  power playing some seem to have brought with them from their working lives. Regardless, there is an influx of positive energy and a carnival atmosphere aboard (a typo and predictive spelling had suggested a carnivorous atmosphere…..).

Some thoughts on Fiji will follow, but breakfast beckons, as does the idyllic looking Dravuni island.

Edited April 4, 2023 by Flamin_June

[Mauzac]

@Flamin_June. I do hope you enjoy Dravuni.  It was actually my favourite island of all on the Grand Pacific Voyage.  Do have a peek at the little school, the children put on an impromptu show for us, it was wonderful !

Here are some of the 'stars' !

[cruiseej]

3 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

Regardless, there is an influx of positive energy and a carnival atmosphere aboard

 

Hopefully it remains "carnival" and does not morph into "Carnival". 🤣

[texanaust]

Is Seabourn still compensating passengers for quarantine days?  Most cruise lines are no longer providing any compensation so it is normal to have lots of hacking people wandering all about.  I found this out most recently on QM2.  Lovely trip but given a parting gift of Covid-19 upon disembarkation.  

[Flamin_June]

 

1 hour ago, texanaust said:

Is Seabourn still compensating passengers for quarantine days?  Most cruise lines are no longer providing any compensation so it is normal to have lots of hacking people wandering all about.  I found this out most recently on QM2.  Lovely trip but given a parting gift of Covid-19 upon disembarkation.  

We booked under the Seabourn Worry Free Promise guarantee, which applied to sailings departing up to 31st March, under which terms any days in quarantine would be compensated with FCC.

 

Wednesday 5th April, 17.20, Fijian waters.

Odyssey raised anchor about 20 minutes ago and we are sailing away from Dravuni Island, population c. 250. Yesterday we docked in Lautoka, a typical tropical port town, somewhat impoverished in recent years, but with a warm, relaxed and friendly vibe. It reminded me of Sri Lankan towns we visited over a decade ago, though the buildings and shopfronts are more modern. Perhaps it is partly the influence of the very large Indian expat community. There was a little street hustle here and there and some beggars, mostly Indian ladies, probably professionals,  but nothing overly insistent, intense nor threatening, and many smiles and greetings of ‘Bula’ (helo).  Lowering clouds were welcome, keeping the intense sun at bay and offered up only a few light spatters of rain. I wandered a little off the beaten track, was offered numerous taxi rides, and at one junction, some ‘weed’, which I kindly declined. The huge market was full of exotic, never previously seen, locally grown produce as well as chillies, turmeric root, ginger, pineapples, all sold by the ‘heap’. There was a kava drinking den at the back. At a local supermarket I bought - could not resist- some Bongo cheese flavoured corn snacks, made in Fiji, of course.

No wonder Dravuni island was Mauzac’s favourite. It was a delight for all the senses. I intend to try and wax lyrical about it, but now it is time to change for dinner. Looks like the Colonnade again. Last night we ate there while sailaway was put back because of bunkering delays. It was quite dramatic to sit outside, while directly aft a container ship was being loaded under floodlights, cranes and derricks working in tandem with astonishingly delicate precision. They are getting to know us and our foibles there.

[BasandSyb]

Quick note - the FCC applies regardless of the worry free etc. if isolation is required.

Edited April 5, 2023 by BasandSyb