Buzz’s comments on his Cruise from
Bridgetown to Monte Carlo on the Seabourn Ovation March to April 2025
Another
great trip on Seabourn! This trip
consisted of two segments: first one from Bridgetown to Lisbon and the second
from Lisbon to Monte Carlo. Almost all
the cabins were sold for both segments.
There was no bridge instructor on board but my partner, a qualified
bridge director, ran the duplicate games.
On the second segment, we did not have a Cruise Director for the first
four days so the Entertainment manger and her replacement for the next cruise
filled that role.
Day Date Itinerary
FRI 14 MAR AA
1164 PHL-MIA 1:51 PM – 4:50 PM Nice flight in First Class on time.
AA 2393
MIA-BGI 5:35 PM – 9:11 PM
Nice flight in Business Class on time. Arriving flight only
1 gate away from departing flight.
FRI 14 MAR – SAT 15 MAR Palm Garden Hotel Barbados Okay hotel. Adequate breakfast options. Room included a TV,
refrigerator, microwave and free Wifi. Short walk to the beach and stores. $31 cab ride from the airport to the
hotel. $40 cab ride to the cruise ship
port.
SAT 15 MAR Sail from Bridgetown, Barbados After unpacking, I went to hear the Cruise
Director Ross give an overview of the upcoming events. I attended the solo
Travelers Get-Together. I went to
SHOWTIME TONIGHT: DETROIT CITY SOUNDS. I
was at a hosted table with Denise McGahan, Conversationalist.
SUN 16 MAR Saint
Pierre, Martinique I walked around town.
I played social bridge. I went to
the Port Briefing. I had a formal night
hosted table with the Captain.
MON 17 MAR Carambola
Beach, Saint Kitts and Nevis. This was a
beach day and I am not a beach day fan
so I stayed on the ship and completed my safe driving course. I had a hosted
dinner with Ellora Latin and Daniel Allain, Seabourn Vocalists. I went to
SHOWTIME TONIGHT: Adam Berry for his presentation of Irish music. I went to the St. Patrick’s Day party.
TUE 18
MAR Sea Day I attended: A CONVERSATION
WITH COMMODORE RUPERT WALLACE: The Breakout of the West: the
emergence of the Atlantic empires, A CONVERSATION WITH STEPHEN COLE: The News Business. Confessions
of an Anchorman After half a century in journalism, and having launched five
global news channels, TEAM TRIVIA, A CONVERSATION WITH SHANE BENZIE: Eliud
Kipchoge the fastest man on the planet, PRE-DINNER SHOWTIME WITH CAROLINE
MILLER: ‘Judy, Julie & Me’, the music of Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, and
SHOWTIME TONIGHT: SILVERSCREEN. I played
duplicate bridge. I was at a hosted
table with Caroline Miller, Entertainment Manager.
WED 19 MAR Sea Day I attended A CONVERSATION WITH
STEPHEN COLE: Vladimir Putin is the longest-serving leader of Russia since
Joseph Stalin, Team Trivia, and SHOWTIME TONIGHT: MARTIN KAYE
‘Great Balls!’ Dynamic piano showman Martin Kaye,
best known for playing 'Jerry Lee Lewis' in the hit Broadway, West End and Las
Vegas show "Million Dollar Quartet”.
I played duplicate bridge. I was
at a hosted table with Laura Hernandez, Human Resources Manager.
THU 20 MAR Sea Day I attended TEAM
TRIVIA, A CONVERSATION WITH COMMODORE RUPERT WALLACE: The Transatlantic Slave
Trade, and SHOWTIME TONIGHT: TABITHA: A Celebration of Songwriters. I played duplicate bridge. I was at a hosted table with Starr Lydster
and Ellora Latin, Seabourn Vocalists.
FRI 21 MAR Sea Day I
attended A CONVERSATION WITH COMMODORE RUPERT WALLACE: The First World War: A
Century Later: The impacts of this terrible cataclysm resonate clearly today in
many parts of the world, A CONVERSATION WITH STEPHEN COLE: Artificial
Intelligence, and OH, WHAT A NIGHT! – featuring the songs of Frankie
Valle. I played duplicate bridge. I was at a hosted
table with Commodore Rubert Wallace.
SAT 22
MAR Sea Day I attended A CONVERSATION
WITH SHANE BENZIE: The Great White Sharks of Seal Island, A CONVERSATION WITH
COMMODORE RUPERT WALLACE: The Arab Israeli Conflict, A CONVERSATION WITH
STEPHEN COLE: China’s perceived threat to the West and whether, after Ukraine,
China will attack Taiwan as predicted by the US Admiralty, and PRE-DINNER
SHOWTIME: DANIEL ALLAIN presents Night Fever, bringing to life the legendary
hits from music’s greatest icons. I
played duplicate bridge. I had the formal night dinner at the
Suchi restaurant.
SUN 23 MAR Sea Day I
attended A CONVERSATION WITH COMMODORE RUPERT WALLACE: The Sea: Ungoverned
Space, A CONVERSATION WITH STEPHEN COLE: IRAN friend or Foe, Port Briefing:
Funchal, and SHOWTIME TONIGHT: LATIN QUARTER.
I played duplicate bridge. I was
at a hosted table with Martin Kaye, Guest Entertainer.
MON 24 MAR Sea Day I attended: A CONVERSATION WITH
COMMODORE RUPERT WALLACE
American Foreign Policy: Business as Usual? How the United
States views and acts abroad affects us all, A PRE-DINNER CONVERSATION WITH
STEPHEN COLE Open Borders: the world is on the move as never before but is that
a good thing? Is immigration out of control and what is the impact on the
country’s indigenous populations? SHOWTIME TONIGHT: MARTIN KAYE ‘How Wonderful
Life Is: The Music Of Elton’. I played duplicate bridge and Team
Trivia. I was at a hosted table with the
First and Second Navigation Officiers.
TUE 25 MAR Funchal
(Madeira), Portugal I walked around town and went shopping for gifts. I attended the Sail Away and SHOWTIME
TONIGHT: TABITHA featuring male songwriters.
I went to Solis for dinner.
WED 26 MAR
Sea Day I attended: A CONVERSATION WITH SHANE BENZIE: Our Elastic Brain
– How we can Create Super Senses using technology, A CONVERSATION WITH
COMMODORE RUPERT WALLACE
Hotspots: Thoughts on Future Conflict, OFFICERS ON
DECK & TEAM MEMBER SALUTE and SHOWTIME TONIGHT: SIR TIM RICE: CIRCLE OF MY
LIFE. I played duplicate bridge and Team
Trivia. I was at a hosted
table with Lanie Gonzalez, Band Vocalist.
THU 27
MAR Lisbon, Portugal I have
been to this port many times before and I wondered around the old town. I had dinner at the Suchi restaurant
I attended the solo Travelers Get-Together.
I went to the Welcome Aboard Dance Party.
FRI 28
MAR Leixoes
(Porto), Portugal I booked the four hour excursion
Splendor of Porto. There were 23
passengers on this tour. The city of
Oporto, built along the hillsides overlooking the mouth of the Douro River, is
an outstanding urban landscape with a 2,000-year history. Its continuous
growth, linked to the sea (the Romans gave it the name Portus, or port), can be
seen in the many and varied monuments, from the cathedral with its Romanesque
choir, to the neoclassical Stock Exchange and the typically Portuguese Manueline-style
Church of Santa Clara." In Porto,
old contrasts with new. Winding, hilly, narrow streets are a complement to the
wide, modern avenues that spread out to the suburbs. With around 270,000
inhabitants, the city has carefully preserved its architectural treasures,
including monuments of Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, and neo-Classical styles.
Arab and Renaissance, and even Modernist styles are found in the city's famous
bridges. We visited the Palácio da Bolsa (Stock Exchange), considered one
of the most complete museums of 19th-century interior design. Nearby we visited the Gothic São Francisco Church, glittering with the most
elaborate gilded carved wood interior in Portugal. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed inside
the Church. We went to one of the famous
port wine cellars on Vila Nova de Gaia to enjoy a taste of their port wines.
After the tasting, we enjoyed a panoramic tour past the city's highlights,
including many fine churches, City Hall, and Avenida dos Aliados. I attended A PRE-DINNER CONVERSATION WITH SHARON TORRES: The Amazing Age of Discovery: In
the early 1400s the Portuguese were the first to set sail across unchartered
seas to set up new trade routes and spread Christianity, leaving Spain to play
catch up. Sharon Torres looked back at their ground-breaking voyages during the
amazing Age of Discovery and SHOWTIME TONIGHT: HARRY THE PIANO. I played
Team Trivia. I was at a hosted table
with Caroline Miller, Entertainment Manager.
SAT 29
MAR Sea Day I attended Tour
Talk Mahón, Port-Vendres & Toulon, A CONVERSATION
WITH SHARON TORRES The Story of The Moors: Who were the Moors and what were
they doing in Spain and Portugal?, Port Briefing:
Cádiz, CAPTAIN’S WELCOME ROUNDS, SHOWTIME TONIGHT: RICARDO AFONSO: A LIFE
THROUGH SONG. I played Team Trivia and social bridge. I was at a Formal Night hosted table with
Lala Schol, Entertainment Manager.
SUN 30
MAR Cadiz (Seville), Spain I walked around Cadiz to see the Cadiz Cathedral and other historic
buildings. Since it was Sunday, most
stores were closed. I attended the Port
Briefing: Málaga and SHOWTIME TONIGHT: HARRY THE PIANO. I played Team
Trivia. I was at a hosted table with the
Chief Electrical Engineer.
MON 31
MAR Malaga, Spain We passed
through the Straits of Gibraltar at 1 am.
I booked a 9 hour excursion: The Best of Granada: The Granada Cathedral & the Royal Chapel.
There were 10 passengers on this tour.
This outing pasted by some pretty whitewashed villages during a two-hour scenic drive
to the charming city of Granada, perched under the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Founded by the Phoenicians around 1000 BC, conquered by the Romans about 800
years later, and the Visigoths in the 5th century AD, Granada's most
significant building period occurred when the North African Moors occupied the
Iberian Peninsula in AD 800. Islamic art and architecture flourished throughout
Spain until Queen Isabella of Castile married King Ferdinand of Aragon, and
their combined forces led to the Reconquest of Spain. We visited the Old
Quarter of Granada to explore its stunning cathedral (1523),
tucked tightly among other age-old buildings. The foundation and massive
granite columns are Gothic in style, while the main façade
is Baroque. The stunning Renaissance interior holds two praying statues of
Isabella and Ferdinand. A 147-foot-tall dome bathes the cathedral in a surreal
light. We boarded the bus for a 20 minute drive to a
delicious tapas lunch with a Flamenco show at Tablao La Soleá restaurant. This captivating live
dance show exemplifies the nuances of the art. We returned to the central city to see
The Royal Chapel, built in 1504, houses a wealth of Baroque sculptures,
tapestries, portraits, relics and the marble tombs of Isabella and Ferdinand
and several other historic sites. After
returning to the ship, I attended A CONVERSATION WITH SHARON TORRES Columbus – Extraordinary
Explorer or Sinful Sailor? and SHOWTIME
TONIGHT: SILVERSCREEN that featured iconic music from recent musicals and
musical-movies including Dear Evan Hansen and Moulin Rouge – as well as classic
favorites from West Side Story and Les Misérables. I had a great dinner at Earth and Ocean.
TUE 01 APR Sea Day I attended the Tour Talk with
Destinations Manager Jeannie: Ajaccio, Portoferraio & Portofino, A
Conversation with Sharon Torres: Mohammed – His Life and His Legacy Soon after
its founding, Islam spread at remarkable speed across North Africa to the fringes
of Christian Europe and Showtime Tonight: Ricardo Afonso. I played Team Trivia and social
bridge. I was at a hosted table
with John Barron, Cruise Director.
WED 02
APR Mahon, Menorca, Spain I
booked the four hour excursion. There were 11 passengers on this tour. We
explored three archaeological sites of the Talayotic
culture of Menorca -- a Biosphere Reserve. This outing visited its heritage
sites, including landscapes of high ecological value. The chosen archaeological
sites and ethnological points of interest are set in very well-preserved rural
and natural environments. We visited the
prehistoric village of Cornia Nou, located near Mahón
city, where different talayots – like towers and temples were built on a hill.
We saw several monuments ranging from the Bronze Age to the Romanization of the
island. We stopped in a local cafeteria to have a cookie, a pastry and a
croissant stuffed with a little meat. We continued to the site of Torralba D’en Salort which features one of the best prehistoric settlements in Menorca. I
toured the Seabourn Venture docked near us. I played
Team Trivia. I was at a hosted table
with Le Roux van Dyk, Guest Services Manager.
THU 03
APR Port-Vendres, France – tender
port. I booked the five
hour excursion Perpignan Highlight. There were
2 buses doing this excursion,
We had 29 passengers on our bus. We rode a bus for 40 minutes
to Perpignan to view the Cathedral of Saint-Jean, begun in 1324 and completed in
1509. This was followed by a walk through the Old Town to
see the outside of the former Town Hall - a 14th- century stone structure and
the 14th-century red-brick town gate known as Le Castillet.
Once a prison and now a museum, this gate is the last vestige of the
fortifications that surrounded the city until the early 1900s. We rode the bus for 10 minutes to visit the Palace of the Majorcan King.
After the visit, we rode the bus back to the old town center to have a
snack of bread, cheese, ham and salami with a choice of a drink. After the 40 minute
ride returning to the ship, I attended A Conversation with Sharon Torres:
Napoleon: Illustrious Leader or Little Dictator? and Showtime Tonight: Earth
Song. I had a great dinner with another
solo traveler at Solis.
FRI 04
APR Toulon, France I booked a 5 hour tour: Marseille: The Phocaean
City. There were 2 buses doing this
tour. We had 18 passengers on our
bus. We had a 90
minute bus ride via the J.F. Kennedy Corniche road,
which follows the natural contours of the coastline and offers lovely views of
offshore islands dominated by the surrounding massif. We drove up the La Garde hill to the
magnificent Notre Dame de la Garde Cathedral. I climbed about half of the 160
steps and took the elevator another 6 flights to appreciate a 360-degree
panoramic view of Marseille from the top. The Basilica was built in the
mid-19th century in Roman-Byzantine style.
At the Old Port, we heard about the origins of Marseille which date
back to the heyday of the Greek Empire. Always seeking new territory, the very
famous and very competent Phocaean navigators from
the Eastern Aegean were attracted to this superb site and founded the town of
Massalia in 600 BC. Massalia became one of the major trading ports of the
ancient world. Today, the economy of Marseille is still closely linked to its
commercial port, which is the foremost in France. Lunch was not included but we
had an hour of free time to eat and shop.
I ate at a seafood restaurant recommended by our guide (Le Miramar) and had a wonderful large bowl
of muscles. After returning to the ship,
I attended the Port Briefing for Ajaccio and the PRE-DINNER SHOWTIME TONIGHT:
CAROLINE MILLER. I played Team Trivia. I had an excellent dinner at Earth and Ocean.
SAT 05
APR Ajaccio, Corsica, France I have been
to this port before, so I did not book and excursion. I walked around the port and bought some jam
and cheese. After returning to the ship,
I attended the Port Briefing: Portoferraio and ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT:
KLEMENTINA VENCI. I played
Team Trivia. I was at a hosted table with Lanie Gonzalez, Band Vocalist.
SUN 06
APR Portoferraio (Elba), Italy I walked
around the port area and enjoyed the beautiful day. After returning to the ship, I played Team
Trivia. I went to the PRE-DINNER SHOWTIME:
CRUISE DIRECTOR JOHN BARRON: BIG BAND and BEYOND! I had dinner at Earth and Ocean with Lanie,
Miles and Charity from the show band.
MON 07APR Portofino, Italy Tender Port. I walked around the port area. There are very steep climbs out of the port
area to the sites. I viewed the Chiesa San Giorgio and Castello Brown.
I entered the Chiesa San Matino.
After returning to the ship, I played Team Trivia. I went to Showtime Tonight: Skyline. I had a great dinner with another solo
traveler at Solis.
TUE 08 APR Debark Ship Monte Carlo, Monaco I booked the
4.5 hour excursion that took me to the Nice airport where I caught the free shuttle to my
hotel. We boarded the motor coach at the
Monaco pier and travel to the Rock, where elevators and escalators take you up
to the Monaco's Old Town. A
guided walking tour took us up the hill and through the narrow
streets, past the Oceanographic Museum and the cathedral containing the tombs
of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier II.
We had some free time to explore. Next, we descended from the
Rock and drove on a small part of the Grand Prix circuit to reach the Middle
Corniche -- the coastal road that leads to Nice. In Nice, we left the coach for a stroll
through the Old Town, where tall, narrow houses bedecked with bright
flowers block out the glare of the sun and keep the streets cool. I stopped for lunch at a café at the harbor.
TUE 08
APR - WED 09 APR Novotel Nice Arenas Aeroport Limited but pleasant
room with safe, TV (all channels in French), in room coffee and
refrigerator. Onsite restaurant and
several other restaurants very close by.
Free WiFi and free shuttle to the
airport. It was a nice day and only a
short walk so I walked from the bus drop off to the
hotel.
WED 09
APR Swiss Intl Air Lines 563
NCE - ZHR 9:35 AM – 10:55 AM. A220
aircraft. Adequate business class
lounge. Standard coach seats with extra
leg room and every other seat was empty to provide
added elbow room.
Swiss Intl Air Lines 72 ZHR – IAD 11:55 AM – 3:15 PM. United operated this 767
aircraft. Lay flat seats. I did not have time to visit the lounge since
my flight was already boarding by the time cleared the exit customs and took the train the gate.
United Airlines 4539 IAD -
PHL 5:45 PM – 6:59 PM. Operated by
Go Jet Airlines. 3.5 hours late
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