US: (877) 2GO-LUXURY (877-246-5898) UK: 020 8133 3450 AUS: (07) 3102 4685 Everywhere Else: +1 530-562-9232
US: (877) 2GO-LUXURY (877-246-5898) UK: 020 8133 3450 AUS: (07) 3102 4685 Everywhere Else: +1 530-562-9232
– Avalon Myanmar – Myanmar River Cruise – April 2017
Avalon Waterways – Myanmar – Part VI (Kya Hnyat to Kyauk Myaung)
Avalon Waterways – Myanmar – Part IX (The Ship: Avalon Myanmar)
Avalon Waterways – Myanmar (Burma) – Reflections: “Isn’t This Amazing!?”
*Azamara Club Cruises – Azamara Journey – Singapore to Dubai (April 8, 2018)
* Azamara Quest – Southeast Asia and Japan (February 2015)
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? – Part I
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? Part II
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? Part III
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? Part IV
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? – Some Final Observations and Thoughts
– The Prologue to the Travelogue
– The Adventure Begins…With a Bump or Two
– Settling In Made Easy
– Luxury Touches Here, There and OK, Not, Everywhere…But There Are Lots of Them!
– Asian Flair Onboard and On Shore
– Private Tours, Israel and Conflicts in Perceptions and Perspective
Celebrity Equinox 2009 – Egypt…Impressive and Depressing
– Dining With the Captain and the Reidel Wine Seminar
– The Last Dinner (Tuscan Grille) and Disembarkation
– What Happens When A Class Act Meets Highly Discounted Cruise Fare
– Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part I
– Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part II
– Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part III
– Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part IV (Food & Wine!)
– Princess Cruises Doesn’t Treat You Like Royalty; Celebrity Cruises Does! Which is a Better Value for the Upscale Cruise Guest? Part I
– Celebrity Silhouette vs. -Royal Princess – Which Is A Better Value For The Upscale Cruise Guest? Part II: The Standard Veranda Staterooms
– Celebrity Silhouette vs. Royal Princess – Which Is A Better Value For The Upscale Cruise Guest? Part III: Treating You Right From The Start
– Celebrity Silhouette vs. Royal Princess – Which Is A Better Value For The Upscale Cruise Guest? Part IV: The Wine Lists Speak Volumes (As Do The Beverage Packages)
Regent Seven Seas Voyager – August 2017
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part I
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part II (Getting There, The Stateroom and First Impressions)
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part III (“You Can’t Teach Five Star Service” and Bonafacio, Corsica)
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part IV (Calvi, Monaco, Portofino, Porto Azzurro…and Stale Bread)
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part V (My Last Day…and How The Chef’s Team Makes It Happen)
Oh, a day at sea. Time to relax. Well, sort of.
Sea days are a funny thing. You think you are going to have a lazy day…and then you find out your day has disappeared and all those things you were going to do to catch up (like write this blog) didn’t get done because there wasn’t enough time.
I chatted with some of my guests while my DW headed to the Spa for a hot stone massage. Other guests were so thrilled with the quality of the treatments they have been receiving in the Spa that they pretty much moved in there for the day. (Yes, Seabourn does listen to your comments about what needs to be improved.)
After that my DW and some friends relaxed by the pool, enjoying one of the round wicker lounges for two complete with strawberry daiquiris and some snacks from The Pool Grill.
Before you knew it…lunch time. Speaking of lunch, The Restaurant has been open for lunch and it really doesn’t seem to be utilized near enough to justify it being open. I think of it as being something akin to Baked Alaska and the Midnight Buffet: Things that were traditional cruise ship events that as society has changed and the diversity on the ships has increased…dramatically increased…have become less than passé; they have become pretty much irrelevant. The other day I observed only about 10 people dining there at lunch.
Yes, I know some people really enjoy the formal dining experience. But I also really enjoyed the very diverse and tasty themed lunches in The Colonnade. I also noticed that there was a fair amount of diversity in how The Colonnade was utilized by the guests. Some were very much “buffet style” while others were very much “sit down dining” style. Some were more causal than others in their dress. It is totally up to the guests.
Speaking of The Colonnade, much has been said by a few very poorly informed people that there is some sort of issue with the service in The Colonnade during peak breakfast and lunch times. Folks, I have been through this dining venue at many times and never…and I mean never…has someone not be able to obtain a nice table (inside or out – the weather has been incredibly good) for breakfast or lunch and I have never had a significant service issue. (I have been asked for coffee or wine refills a bit too often and did have to wait about 15 minutes for my perfectly poached eggs one morning.) BTW, dinner service is equally as good as are table selections.
That evening was Formal Optional Night. We had a six course Chef’s menu which Chef Fritz said would be satisfying, but not overly filling. That it was. Hard to mess with perfection, so I will leave it there. On the issue of dress, there was most definitely a mix; tending to lean to the formal-sort of formal side of things. It blended just fine. For example, this trip I opted to forego the tuxedo. Our table of six had one gown (beautiful), one LBD (little black dress) and one cocktail dress along with one tux, one suit with a tuxedo shirt and one black cashmere sport jacket/dark grey trousers with a French cuffed shirt (me). It all blended nicely into an elegant table with the feel of richness, but not stuffiness.
BTW, I did observe men being asked to wear jackets in The Restaurant during Elegant Casual evenings. It was done quietly and with a loaner jacket being presented as an option so they would not have to return to their suites. It was not often that I observed it, but observe it I did. (I hate writing about dress codes, but I know it is of interest.)
The food coming out the galleys has been as good as it has ever been. Each evening there are usually two hot appetizers, two salads, two soups and five main courses from the evening’s unique menu plus similar dishes prepared in a “light” fashion plus an extensive range of always available options. So with more than half a dozen choices for each course, and the extremely high quality of the dishes, it is no wonder I have heard no complaints about the menu.
Since I am talking a lot about the cuisine, I will also note that I did dine in Restaurant 2 and found the menu to be totally different from my experiences on the Seabourn Sojourn, but equally as enjoyable. The menu did change about halfway through the cruise and while there is no ability to simply show up for a table, I have not heard of anyone not being able to obtain a reservation in the restaurant if they have a bit of flexibility.
Our cruise will intensify starting tomorrow as we starting hitting our stride with more special events and interesting ports.
Goldring Travel LLC
12177 Business Park Drive, Suite 6, Truckee, California 96161
US: (877) 2GO-LUXURY (877-246-5898)
UK: 020 8133 3450
AUS: (07) 3102 4685
Everywhere Else: +1 530-562-9232
Email: info@goldringtravel.com