Live from the Pride - So. Caribbean

[Martita B.]

Jane,

You mentioned having dinner at "the engineer's" table.....was this

Chief Eng., Sven Ludvigsen hosted table or Viktor, Staff Engineer?

Mike Price (Reefer Eng.) is a good friend of mine.....a fun, gentleman and I'm looking forward to seeing him soon.

Can you please tell me who the Staff Captain is? (we lost Kai to the Spirit and Nils to the Legend)

I know you will have a grand "picnic" today~~~~

Happy Holidays!:p

Martita

[bgood]

Jane,

 

Your post brought memories of terror flooding back. They do drive like maniacs, don't they? Plus, when I was there the roads were horrid, full of teeth-cracking potholes. I fantasized about starting a pothole-exporting business from there--send them north to the big cities where they are required to keep the repair crews in employment year-round. They cost nothing and you can pack a million of them in a shipping container....

 

I think it was the rum talking...

 

bgood

[blackbird71]

bgood,,,

 

I loved the roads on my trip,,, you should have seen them in the 80s... :eek: There was one mountain we were going up and you could see the bus in front of us and there was times MOST of the tires were on the road, but parts were hanging in SPACE.....

[crystal808]

What a hoot! And what a mammoth undertaking this thing is!! Absolutely amazing.

 

The day got off to a rocky start...clouds, wind & rain while anchoring off Mayreau Island, Grenadines, for our BBQ day. Announcement for tendering was expected to be made at 9 am. No announcement. Then 9:30. Then 10:00. Fingers crossed, but ready to accept the inevitability.... Then, Jan announces around 10:15 that tendering to the BBQ would begin! Whoopee!

 

Jane went over in the first early tender for her dive...the rest of the tenderers were going on a half-day catamaran sailing. The rest of us were on the ship for several hours, watching the clouds & rain. She said she had her best dive of the trip (so far), but will expect her to drop in a line. She's been having different internet problems than I, but I had my own earlier, as well. Finally decided to restart my laptop (Mac) before calling about the problem, and all went through well.

 

A few showers while on the beach...Caviar in the Surf went off without a hitch, and was excitedly attended by many!!! I just took a photo, but not much way to see through the hoards of people!

 

Water toys were out...after one pina colada, Paul decided to check the waterskiing list...and he went next! <giggle> Got up, fell, then got up again and had a nice little spin, before finally falling. At that point, Paul had done enough! Although it didn't look rough, it was extremely choppy, and not condusive to a nice lake-like experience! But he proved this old guy could still "get [it] up" after some 25 years off! Nice.

 

Will be dining in "2" tonight...a Bistro setting. Reservations don't appear hard to come by, at least this week.... When in doubt, book.

 

Whimpering began today...sobbing will start tomorrow, as luggage tags were (prematurely in my opinion) distributed YESTERDAY! Sheesh.

 

Looking back at the barbeque, and realizing the logistics involved to pull off such an elegant and entertaining day, is mind-boggling. The man-hours put in to prepare it, move it, serve it, clean it up, and return is unheard of with ordinary lines. Of course, Seabourn is not ordinary.

 

Another wonderful day upon the Seabourn Pride...with one more (for me) to follow!!

 

Best wishes to all, and to all, a good night....

 

Paul

[johnnycruise]

Paul/Jane,

 

The reports you have written on a daily basis have really gotten me counting the days! I'm glad you both are having such a good time.

 

I'm curious - is your sailing full? Was anyone left behind kicking and screaming portside in Bridgetown?:eek:

 

Keep up the good commentary ... but promise you won't let it get in the way of your final day of fun!

 

Cheers,

 

johnny

the 16th just can't come soon enough!

[Archipelago]

Thank You Jane and Paul for the posts ! Enjoy your final day and I wish you both a safe trip back to your homes for the holidays !

Merry Christmas !!:)

[crystal808]

Thank you, johnny & John III...

 

Apparently photos may come later...

 

Wonderful time at "2" tonight...although "fully booked" and my table for 2 (as requested) was turned in to a table for 6, there was only 4. Must have been a few no-shows. Guess you can't request a table for 2 and get it at "2"...at least, on a fully-booked night. Interesting. Guess it depends on the evening. Had a wonderful meal with my dinner companion and a couple from California, as the other 2 seats weren't filled.

 

Will be sobbing and probably staying on board, in order to get just a little more sun for the sun bunny in me. Always happens on the last day, you know...hope the weather permits. We stayed anchored until after dinner this evening, as St. Vincent is only 35 miles from Mayreau Island. Guess we're sailing "slowly", and just might (!) dock "early"!

 

Ms. Martita: The crew and staff are eager to see you! :D And I have tried to keep your SkyBar stool warmed up and awaiting you. Perhaps some kind soul who will follow on 12/9 will take my place and keep the plaque polished for you! I've been invited to join David E. Green tomorrow evening for dinner, and will mention that something "special" is coming for Christmas! ;) Oh, as an edit: both Jane, and the following evening me, had dinner with Michael Price. I spoke with him tonight and he had wonderful things to say about you, Ms. M.... :)

 

A very good Seabourn night to all...

 

Paul

who is silently weeping, very slowly, some 36 hours from disembarking....<sob sob sob>

[SantaAna,CA]

Hello to all. It’s very late, just after midnight, on Thursday. I read Paul’s good report of today’s beach barbeque. I did arrive on the beach early, as I was having to wait for my dive boat to pick me up. Those clouds were very threatening, and I used the waiting time to send up heartfelt prayers that the weather would clear up. Seabourn makes such an incredible effort, the huge buffet, all the water toys, they even had someone there in the morning raking the leaves off the beach in preparation for all the passengers coming ashore.

As Paul mentioned, I did have spectacular dives today in Mayreau. Not only the best dives of the week, but perhaps the best I’ve ever had. We went to two sites, one around the other side of the island, which was accessed by a small boat over choppy seas. I would say this is the water version of the hair raising auto ride on St. Lucia. We dove on a perfectly beautiful reef and saw a nurse shark, a giant green eel, three absolutely HUGE lobsters, and a gigantic school of jack (fish) that swam back and forth, eyeing us with fish eyes fixed as one. After a surface interval, where we found a beautiful little cove choked with cruisers on rented sailboats and catamarans (getting away from it all is fine unless everyone finds out about the nice little cove you can anchor in), we came back to a wreck dive that was near the anchored Pride. Also saw a nurse shark, lobster, a stingray, and some big, puffy, spotted fish. All in all, a fantastic day. I was dropped off on the beach just in time to run over to the buffet looking like a drowned rat in my wetsuit, to grab a hot dog before they removed all the food. I didn’t get on the banana boat this time, but I did do the whole beach barbeque this past April on Virgin Gorda.

Back to the boat, cleaned up a bit and went out to the bow for awhile. How I love that place! Then up to the SkyBar where I found Paul. We gabbed at the bar for a bit and then I got on that treadmill in preparation for dinner at Barbara’s table. Barbara is the tour director and she was instrumental in getting back my laptop for me! There are so many English people on this cruise; I sat with three couples who travel together often, they’ve been on Seabourn, like, a zillion times. They almost made me fall off my chair laughing. I am very grateful for how inclusive and friendly everyone has been to me this week, a solo traveler. I’ve never known nicer people on any vacation.

Martita, the engineer’s name for dinner last night was Evo or Evu, something like that, excuse my spelling. He was from Norway. I was at Michael Price’s table formal night, sat on his left. He was nice enough to invite me to dinner tomorrow, I thought that very kind of him. I’m sorry I cannot figure how to post my pictures. When I get home I’ll try to figure it out. Jane Pond’s group won the Liar’s Club tonight! That was lots of fun, I did not do that on my last cruise. Oh! And I met Cape Bretton gal tonight in the Club. Very pretty young lady, it was nice to at least meet her before the end of the week!

Tomorrow is St. Vincent and my last dives. Yes, we’ll be packing, won’t we Paul? Even if you are on Seabourn for three months at a time (or one week at a time), that day to depart always comes. I was looking out at the moon casting silver light onto the ocean tonight, once again grateful for the opportunity to experience the excellence of this line. What a privilege to have sailed on the second of the three most amazing vessels on the sea.

Sorry this is so long….there is so much to say about Seabourn, I just can’t stop. But I will, oh my it’s late. I’ll write tomorrow, our last day!

Jane

[Martita B.]

Jane and Paul,

We all have enjoyed your reviews so much.....thank you for posting your fun activities & also for delivering our messages to the Pride Staff. Sounds like you've had a most wonderful holiday voyage!

David E. is gonna "flip" when he sees his new red outfit! Carumba!

I will try my best as to finding someone on the Pride that will post his picture on the CC board! He's going to be the best dressed for the Christmas cruise~~~~:p

 

Oh and my buddy, Mike Price, is soooo funny and clever! One time he loaned me his "white boiler room suit" (swallowed me--but I wore it anyway) and with bucket, squiggy, and old rag I went up and washed Captain Tonis T's bridge windows for him:confused: ~~~~(he said, "thank you Marta, I appreciate you helping us"--- and never even blinked)

Enjoy your day.....surely wish you could simply "stow away" and join us on Dec. 16th.:D

Safe travels!

Martita

[tennisbunny]

Jane and Paul,

I have been reading your posts with much interest and excitement. Thank you for sharing the details of your Seabourn experience! As an upcoming newbie to SB, your stories and many others on this board have done much to help me feel confident in my decision to try the line. (Although it's still a year away :().

 

I will anxiously await posts of your pictures...it's so great when fellow CCers, like BB, post their photos...makes you feel like you've shared in their wonderful experience to a certain extent.

 

Hopefully throughout this next year I'll meet several of you online and will find others taking this same itinerary, 12/15/07.

 

Safe travels!

[JaneBP]

Well! Finally I can log on and find out that Paul and EC Jane have done a splendid account of our trip. Must say that yes, the CC team of ECJane and Fred and Linda (NanaGirl) and Ken won the top proze at Liars Club! Prize was a very nice key ring, not like the blue plastic ones. There are still some CC'ers I have not yet met, but hope springs eternal.

 

I haven't gotten off too much, prefer to visit with Nelson and yes, Martita, he does know you are advancing...the Texas Triumph! I have signed up for the '08 Pride Valpariso to Rio segment, so he was reminding me that at the tip of Chile it can get cold so I should bring a warm jacket. He's such a dear. Gerhard who was on the Legend is the Bar Manager and doing a splendid job.

 

The food is good, but for the first time I opted out of the tasting menu and ordered a la carte. I have had a nice visit with Elisabeth and was hoping she would host the table with Dr Herra, but not this time. He said they are interested in the new ships with new surgeries.

 

We had dinner at '2' on the 'steak night' (not all are the little tasting menus) and it was lovely. I understand that this chef will move to the Legend as Top Chef, so perhaps I will see him in January.

 

Also, the Sky Bar Grill for dinner is the same menu every night and seems to have been established for the smokers. Andreas is the Ass't MD there and he's always so gracious. We had a good meal there, with lovely starters, and then a small fillet and large prawn and grilled veggies, baked potato and then dessert options. Seems that there are lots of officers eating (and smoking) there. The weather has dampened some of the outdoor evening dining pleasures. (In fact it just stopped raining in St Vincent~1030 AST). I must admit that when they start setting up for dinner it's a bit disconcerting when one is still having cocktail hour.

 

Speaking of food, I must say that the Breakfast chef in the Restaurant has made the most incredible poached eggs for my 'Eggs Benedict' with salmon, not bacon. Perfect! The breadsticks are great as usual, as is the goat cheese suffle. (Am I posting too much about the food??)

 

We had dinner also with the Staff Captain, and Martita, forgive me, I cannot remember his name, but he's very familiar and has been with Seabourn a long time. He was filling us in a bit on the new ships. There is a drawing that shows the pool in the middle of the deck, with two spas attached at one end.

 

And, speaking of officers, guess who I saw!!!! Kevin has been off for a bit, and has now started working with Princess and is on the Sea Princess, which has island-hopped with us. He was on board for a 'busman's holiday' I think. It was wonderful to see him (even if briefly) and he looks terrific, as always.

 

Fred is off kayaking today, I am ready for a BBC (the breakfast drink of all Seabourn champions). Dinner tonight with David E who is always such fun. The pianist is Alpen Hong, and I have heard him on other cruises. He is great and his technique is astounding. Seems he was 'island ring shopping' planning to get engaged.

 

Perhaps this will fill in a few gaps. I figure that Disney Jen is ready to leave if they haven't already. I arrived at 6 PM in Barbados with no line, if that helps anyone plan ahead. Peach and Quiet was 'quiirky' with a lovely setting.

 

As they say,

 

'Weather is here, wish you were lovely!'

 

JaneBP

[LaPaloma]

Where are you. This thread shows that you posted..but it is not there. Hope you and Fred are having a delightful time. Lola

[CruisinMatt]

.....the Sky Bar Grill for dinner is the same menu every night and seems to have been established for the smokers..... Seems that there are lots of officers eating (and smoking) there.

 

That's great! I don't smoke myself, but I know there are plenty of Seabournites that do, and were put off over the new smoking regulations.

[DisneyJen]

... I figure that Disney Jen is ready to leave if they haven't already. I arrived at 6 PM in Barbados with no line, if that helps anyone plan ahead. Peach and Quiet was 'quiirky' with a lovely setting.

 

As they say,

 

'Weather is here, wish you were lovely!'

 

JaneBP

 

Thanks foro the great report JaneBP ... and one can never talk too much about food:p

 

DH made it home from Sweden a day earlier, much to my great relief. Bags are packed 95 percent of the way. Just some odds and ends I need to throw in last minute tomorrow a.m.

 

We have a 6 a.m. flight out of Greensboro tomorrow a.m.:eek: Then we fly out of CLT at 9:25 a.m. Will make for a long travel day.

 

Looking forward to seeing the CCers tomorrow afternoon:D

[Martita B.]

Jane,

I was going to post and tell you that Kevin T. is aboard the Sea Princess (docked at slot 4) I will try to see him on Dec. 16th in Barbados.

Oh that crazy Nelson! He is such fun!:p And would Nils, Staff Captain still be on board? I had an e-mail from him a couple of months ago saying he would "lounge in the Caribbean sun before flying home to snowy Norway"........had thought he had already disembarked.

So happy you are having a wonderful holiday~~~and pleeeze continue to post all the "happenings!":)

Martita

[blackbird71]

We have a 6 a.m. flight out of Greensboro tomorrow a.m.:eek: Then we fly out of CLT at 9:25 a.m. Will make for a long travel day.

 

Looking forward to seeing the CCers tomorrow afternoon:D

 

Yiipes,,, I wish I knew you were going to fly from Greensboro to Charlotte. There is a Comfort Suites in Charlotte that will allow you to park you car for free for a week. I drove down Friday night from Roanoke and overnighted there. I just do not trust luggage getting from little plane to big plane.......

[DisneyJen]

We did talk about staying in CLT tonight and skipping the GSO leg ... but we just weren't sure when DH would get back from Sweden. As luck would have it he was able to come home a day early so I am not pacing the floors at this time.

 

We are packing our roll-aboard with a change of clothes, bathing suits, etc and carrying on our formal wear ... we will be crossing our finger and toes that our two checked bags make it:o Actually we could have taken a later flight out of GSO but I didn't want to cut it too close in CLT.

[LaPaloma]

The food sounds wonderful. The Eggs Benedict in particular is a favorite..glad that you like the new chef that we will have on the pride shortly. Continue to enjoy...such a hardship! Lola

[crystal808]

About 45 minutes delay leaving, informed by Captain about a fuel pump repair. Now under way. Captain did alert us to the fact that we might have some rocky seas to Bridgeport...Yaaaah!!!! Whoopee! We're really sailing now!

 

Have already offered heart-felt thanks to Nadia & David, Andreas (Ass't. Maitr D', and the beloved Nelson.....

 

Dinner with David Greene in just a little while...with 8-10 of my closest friends...okay, a few CCers at the table, I know! Internet minutes dwindling...leaving the Pride in the morning...GASP!!!! Sheeks! Sobbing!!

 

Hope all those arriving for the embarking have a safe trip...you will love your sailing on the Seabourn Pride.

 

Good night to all, for now...

 

Paul

who can't believe his luggage is almost packed and laying across his Seabourn bed...

[blackbird71]

That's great! I don't smoke myself, but I know there are plenty of Seabournites that do, and were put off over the new smoking regulations.

 

I am a smoker myself but I saw very few on my cruise. But I did not go to the Sky Bar much. But the Officers did go there. When on cruises, I tend not to eat steak but try other adventures in eating :) so the Sky Grill meal does nothing for me.

[SantaAna,CA]

Well, for crying in a bucket. I had a heckuva time with my internet connection the last couple of days so I wasn't posting a thing. Glad to see the other CCers picked up the slack! Martha, I had dinner with Michael Price last night and passed on your regards and likewise asked him to personally give you mine! Afterwards I took my obligatory last walk around the deck, up to the front of the bridge deck. My goodness were we rockin' and rollin' last night. The ship was sending up sheets of spray and the half moon was reflecting silver light on the water. Magnificient.

 

Is it possible to go from perfection to more perfection? That was my experience of this week on the Pride. I felt warmly welcomed the moment I stepped foot on the ship and it seemed more of the crew called me by my name than I remember on the last journey. If you are a single traveler, I can't imagine a more accommodating cruiseline than Seabourn. Every night, an invitation to dinner. Other passengers, warm and inclusive when you walk into the club or the Magellan lounge or out on the sundeck. What friendliness. The food, perfect. The cabin, well I was lucky to have that balcony, what fun that was.

 

Again, I am struck by the graciousness of the crew, the beauty of the ship itself, and this was one of the best weeks I've ever had scuba diving. Mayreau and St. Vincent were both spectacular. We disembarked this morning and I'm now sitting in my dayroom at the Hilton, looking out at the white beach and aqua water. Already tried their pretty pool and jacuzzi. My plane leaves later this afternoon for Miami and then onto LAX. I think a few Seabournites are on the first leg.

 

What a privilege this week has been! Seabourn is so wonderful, and I wish all of you boarding a bon voyage and a trip filled with laughter and friendship and discovery. As I said in April, our German friends have the best way of saying this: "auf weidersehen", 'till we meet again. I was delighted to have met the CCers I did, and hope one day to meet many more of you. Have a wonderful cruise!

 

Love from Jane :)

[blackbird71]

Jane have a safe trip home.

 

Looking forward to everybody's pictures. Jane did you have an underwater camera?

[ITravelNow]

Jane and Paul thank you for sharing your voyage with us. It was a pleasure sharing a "virtual" cruise with you.

 

I'm taking my laptop on the Legend and hope wifi will cooperate so that I can return the favor.

 

Wishing you a safe trip home and Happy Holidays,

[crystal808]

Sitting at the Barbados airport, with Jane (SantaAna) and they have free access...and quick, too!

 

Will try to work on photos tomorrow while recuperating at home...calling out for Nelson or Martin to refill my wine glass...

 

Waaaah.

 

Thanks to all for the nice thoughts and well-wishes! I hope those who boarded today will have as wonderful week as I have had. Weather was "iffy" very often this week, but no reason not to enjoy!

 

Any day on Seabourn....

 

Safe travels to all...

Paul

[SantaAna,CA]

BB, I had an underwater camera that never saw the light of day. I find that I have my hands full underwater (1) remembering how to breathe (2) trying not to bang into the living coral with my big fat fins (3) trying not to lose the divemaster from my sights....so I decided not to add the distraction of trying to figure out how to use the camera. Also, I think it takes away from the experience of just looking around for fun. Other divers did have cameras, and they got a few pictures of me swimming by, if they come out, I'll try and post them.

 

I understand that Kodak has a site you can post your pictures and then give people a link, if I can figure it out I'll do that I surely will, I think I got some really good ones.

 

Paul (Crystal808) and I are sitting in the Barbados terminal tapping away on our laptops, Art Sbarsky says hello to Carolyn Spencer Brown and her better have, Teijo! He is sitting here with us. There are many Seabournites wondering where the waiters are with their white gloves. We had to stand in line to get a bottle of water and then pay for it.

 

Jane :rolleyes: