No longer in-between; time to reminisce …

Hurry, don't be late, I can hardly wait
I said to myself when we're old
We'll go dancing in the dark
Walking through the park and reminiscing

Not sure what made me think of the chorus from this song, recorded long ago by Australia’s Little River Band, but looking back over the pictures taken this past holiday season seemed to be motivation enough to look up the lyrics just to be sure. Christmas and the New Year may already be a distant memory for many of you and yet, for Margo and me it was like picking up the playbook and repeating a well-known play.

With the coming of dawn and the location being Miami it can only mean one thing. We were about to embark on yet another holiday sail deep into the Eastern Caribbean. Call it a repeat of last year’s cruise; the cruise line was the same, but the vessel was different. Last year it was the Seabourn Ovation whereas this year it was the smaller vessel, the Seabourn Sojourn.  

In a previous post I wrote of how there are times when we find ourselves “in between.” By this I mean that there are times in our business schedule where we can afford to take a week or two off work even as we do respond to emails, add new posts to client sites and as the need arises, participate in conference calls. With that said then yes, we enjoyed this latest in between period and now we look back at that cruise with fondness.

As happened last year, we left the Port of Miami well after sunset but looking across the well-travelled channel and catching a glimpse of floodlit palm trees brought the previous experience back into today’s reality. If you need to catch up on what transpired on our last cruise then you may want to check out post, Canal minded, north to south.

The Ovation has a capacity for 600 passengers but last year it was only half full by our estimate, maybe a little more. By comparison, the much smaller Sojourn can carry only 450 passengers when full. Which is to say, Seabourn is for those who don’t need to be entertained (unless they want to) and where escape is the main driver for stepping on board. 

With this voyage we were extremely fortunate. Seabourn bent over backwards to make up for the misery that betook us last year when the new Omicron mutation of COVID ravished the vessel. Testing positive, Margo was subject to ten days of isolation back then even as she exhibited no symptoms.

As for myself, given that I was in close proximity to Margo but testing negative, I was subject to four days of isolation. Furthermore, the majority of ports we planned to visit wouldn’t let us dock. But all of that is in the past and as the Sojourn turned seaward, it too was nothing more than a memory.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the effect COVID is having on us all. For some readers simply stepping onboard a cruise ship has them concerned about our sanity. Isn’t the cruise industry a petri dish where all manners of bad things breed? Are you crazy? It turns out that with the steps the cruise lines are taking these days there is a greater chance of being infected on shore and even as our previous voyage struck down half of the passengers, universally there was a desire to return to the sea.   

There is no ducking the observation that Seabourn looks after its customers. Discounting this cruise to little more than port fees, we were delighted by how well the crew looked after us. Whereas our previous cruise was for twenty one days while this cruise was just seventeen days, the overall experience was similar. Looking after us? More like treating us royally!

Stepping into our cabin there was already a bottle of Scotch on the table – to be imbibed as evenings wound down – and another of Champagne – to be sipped upon in celebration immediately – the cares of the world around were quickly shed.

And did I mention that with a simple call to room service, caviar service was available anytime we wished to indulge in something tasty as we continued to sip that champagne. All of which is to say that Seabourn has returned to its billing of being the world’s best small luxury ship. It may not be THE Love Boat but oh my, we truly did love this boat.

Reminiscing over previous cruises became the dominant starting point for many evening discussions. While last year’s cruise was light on numbers with this cruise, it appeared as the Seabourn faithful returned in numbers. . Yes, it was the holiday season and yet, we would be island hopping but even so, we had very little prior experiences to share about the islands we would be visiting.

Given how it was the holidays, the Sojourn did bring out the season’s appropriate bunting and it made the whole ship a lot more festive than what we recall experiencing last year. But then again, we were locked in solitary for a goodly time and may have missed the celebrations.

No, that isn’t the Southern Cross atop the circular staircase but the decorated tree and the lights along the banister certainly gave us a very starry experience. Seabourn presents itself so well whatever the season but somehow, when it is perhaps celebrating the most important season of the year, you are never left to wonder about what you may have missed out on should you have elected to remain shore bound.

Hurry, don't be late, I can hardly wait … for those who venture out on Seabourn cruises there are two events that dominate the cruise agenda. The islands that are part of the itinerary go a long way to painting that special landscape that is the Caribbean. However, for those who are less than keen on stepping ashore and whose destination can best be described as the ship itself, there is a sameness about the Caribbean islands that is hard to ignore. Standing topside and watching islands pass by is its own reward and for Margo and me, whether it’s dawn or the evening, it is all but a backdrop to what passes as a catalyst to unwinding.

Returning to those two events that are special to Seabourn then it’s the stuff of pure fantasy. Yes, Seabourn holds a special Caviar and Champagne “in the pool” followed a couple of days later by Caviar and Champagne “in the surf.” In full dress they regaled the passengers with abundant supplies of both caviar and champagne even as some of the passengers prefer chilled vodka with their caviar.

Nevertheless, it is a sight to behold and yet, with the passengers we befriended who for the most part were well seasoned in the ways of Seabourn, it all seemed very normal to them. Yes, Hurry, don't be late, I can hardly wait … seemed to be more than an appropriate response. But wait, there is more. Did I mention how this was repeated but not standing ankle deep in a pool but waist deep in the surf?

Call it crazy even ridiculous. Perhaps think of it in terms of what were they thinking. Somehow, through all of the theater this provided it just worked and the banter that went on between crew and passengers was something else. Nobody minded an extra splash of salt on their caviar even as they didn’t think twice about being chased by a crew member anxious to dispense even more champagne into less than full glasses. Anyone looking for a top up …

It worked too that Seabourn had its own beach complete with a covered beach house. As the caviar ceased being dispensed, the crew ushered passengers up into the beach house where lines formed beside a grill dispensing as much lobster as you could possibly eat. This time there was no need to hurry, as no matter how late you were to the party, there was plenty of lobster to go around.

There was always music to accompany any situation. It couldn’t be a Caribbean cruise with a steel band beating out the tunes. While not to everyone’s taste each performance reminded you of exactly where you were should you have found difficulties in recalling specifics with any accuracy? Then again, only a few weeks have passed but even so, time fools us all and as we began to reminisce we did so with an eye on what might come next.

Margo and I continue to work and to serve our clients without hesitation. What our time this past year has taught us is that with the new normal and with our love for what we do, there are no set boundaries. A laptop, the internet and a willingness to rise early and complete whatever tasks have been set before us, has given rise to a recognition that our office location can be as fluid as our desire to take in all that is happening around us.

The sound of the steel drums has left us and the smell of grilled lobster no longer tempts our taste buds. The stories we shared are likewise only a faint memory.  I said to myself when we're old, we'll (be) walking through the park and reminiscing. It’s started and it’s bound to continue throughout this year as a mix of business travel together with moments of escape will see us return to Europe as well as to Australia. Then again, it’s difficult to admit that we may be old just as it’s hard to fathom where our journey has taken us. 

As a cruise line, Seabourn isn’t perfect. No voyage performs flawlessly and yet with Seabourn they do set the bar high in this regard. Having been on Princess to Alaska and Viking Ocean to New England (for leaf peeping), this year provided us with ample opportunities to make comparisons. Seabourn and Viking appear to mirror each other but the Viking ships are much larger. Should you come across an itinerary that features either cruise line then you won’t go wrong choosing either one of them.

Of significantly more relevance however is the prevalence of COVID strains. For those who have had COVID more than once and yes, there are family members where this is the case, there is no certainty over the long-term effects. We are keeping our fingers crossed, but seriously, this isn’t enough. But then is any potential of catching COVID again worth putting your life on hold or to accept a kind of new abnormal then no, it isn’t. We have lost too many “off our shelf” over the past three years for reasons other than COVID and we have no plans to step back to live a hermit existence. Perhaps being in between has other connotations apart from cruising.  

With what transpired this last holiday and recognizing that Seabourn did itself proud to ensure we truly did enjoy ourselves, this time, with what was clearly a positive make-up cruise, what we can say is our journey isn’t over. We will be back and already we have plans afoot to join Seabourn yet again. Perhaps not this year, but next. The sea is a fickle mistress and one not to be dallied with but all the while, she cannot be ignored.

I have been on the sea, in the sea and yes, under the sea and every experience has been the stuff of commentaries for as long as I can recall. Reminisce? It comes naturally to Margo and me as with snow continuing to fall along Colorado’s front ranges, the pull of the sea cannot be understated. And to all those sailing around the world on Seabourn Sojourn, our thoughts are with you just as it is so easy for us to say and yes, to mull over, we wish that we were there too. Bon Voyage!