Buzz’s comments on his cruise from Lisbon to Barbados on the Seabourn Ovation November to December 2022

 

My previous cruise on Seabourn was very good and since Crystal was still not operating after its bankruptcy and repurchase, I selected a cruise with a 50% single supplement.  I was a great cruise and I booked another 31 days from Singapore to Dubai. 

 

I really liked the community atmosphere on the ship.  The hosted tables offered a great opportunity to meet other guests, lecturers and staff.  By the end of the trip, most guests and staff knew me.  Food onboard was very good; a little fewer alternatives than on Crystal but it is a smaller ship.   I especially liked the Sushi restaurant for lunch and the ribeye steak at the Thomas Keller specialty restaurant.

 

Wednesday, November 23, 2022 AA 1623 Depart PHL at 11:22 AM arrives MIA 2:16 PM

Wednesday, November 23, 2022 AA 68 Depart MIA at 3:40 PM arrives MAD Thursday, November 24, 2022 at 6:05A

Thursday, November 24, 2022 Iberia 3110 Depart MAD at 11:25 AM arriving Lisbon at 11:50 AM

 

Friday November 25 – I booked an interesting bus tour that was enjoyable.  It was less expensive when I booked it at my hotel and it included pick up and drop off at the hotel: Sintra - National Sintra Palace, Cabo da Roca, Boca do Inferno & Guincho, Cascais & Estoril

 

Sat Nov 26 to Saturday Dec 10, 2022 Cruise on Seabourn Ovation

 

SAT 26-Nov-22  Sail from Lisbon, Portugal – I had a hosted dinner in the Main dining Room with Kathy Donato the resident artist.                          

         

SUN 27-Nov-22 Sea Day – I had a good lunch in the Sushi restaurant.  Since this was a formal dining night, I dusted off my tuxedo – it still fit. Today’s discussions: Paul Deegan - “In The Shadow Of Mount Everest” After becoming embroiled in the most infamous climbing disaster on Everest, Paul Deegan vowed never to return. Eight years later and he broke his promise. Why did he go back? And would he fulfill his ambition – which had begun as a teenager when he co-led the first Everest clean-up expedition – to stand on top of the world?  Debbie Macomber discussed the difficulties she faced before becoming a successful writer.  Terry Greenberg - “The Sea – Impacts on Human Culture” The first in a series of talks which treats the ocean as a cruise ship “destination” that has a culture, a history, a population, a number of important commodities, and a future. This talk focuses on the influence of the sea on human cultures.  Sandy Grigelis was featured in the evening show featuring 1950’s Rock n Roll, to classic rock, to modern pop hits.

 

MON 28-Nov-22 Funchal (Madeira), Portugal -  I took the excursion: Scenic Madeira - Departing the ship, panoramic sightseeing by coach took us through eucalyptus and mimosa trees in the heart of Funchal's diverse countryside. Along the way, the views open out considerably on both sides until the road comes to an end at the summit of Pico do Arieiro at 5,937 feet in elevation. We had a foggy and rainy day so the viewpoint was obscured.  We headed back down to the village of Santo da Serra, known for its beautiful houses and gorgeous yards. We were served a light refreshment and time to take in the bucolic surroundings’  We reboarded the coach for the drive back to Funchal  and a visit to wine lodge and taste Madeira wine - the product for which the island has been famous the world over for more than 400 years.  I had a hosted dinner in the Main dining Room with Paul Deegan, the guest conversationalist who successfully climbed to the summit of Mount Everest.                                                               

                                                                                                                   

TUE 29-Nov-22 Sea Day - Terry Greenberg discussed “Pre-Modern Seafaring” The early history of human activity on the seas.   Paul Deegan discussed “The First Ascent Of Everest – What Really Happened?” On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest, mountaineer Paul Deegan introduces the original 1953 documentary of Hillary & Tenzing’s conquest.   I had a hosted dinner in the Main dining Room with Billy Hicks, a Seabourn Singer.  The show featured a celebration of Soul icons and Musical Theatre performed by the West End’s Dom Hartley-Harris.                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                 

WED 30-Nov-22 Sea Day - Terry Greenberg discussed Citizens of the Sea.  I had a wonderful dinner at the Thomas Keller Grill.  I went to the show featuring COMEDY MAGICIAN Mel Mellers : "MAGIC WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THIS FUNNY!"                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                 

THU 1-Dec-22   Sea Day   I enjoyed a Fire and Ice pedicure in the Spa.  Paul Deegan discussed Crossing the Continent, a story about Antarctica.   I had a hosted dinner in the Main dining Room with Paul Deegan, the guest conversationalist who successfully climbed to the summit of Mount Everest.  I went to the production show Latin Days.                                                                                         

 

FRI 2-Dec-22     Sea Day - Terry Greenberg discussed "Outlaws of the Sea" - The story of piracy in the Age of Piracy (1680 - 1730).  Debbie Macomber took questions from the audience during this Q and A.  I had a hosted dinner in the Main dining Room with Irene Aneas, the Assistant Destinations Manager.         

                                                                                                                                 

SAT 3-Dec-22    Sea Day - I had a Pre-Collagen Grooming Treatment with a Shave at the spa.  Terry Greenberg discussed "Legacy of the Spice Trade".  Spices were commodities that could only be traded in long-distance voyages and they had a huge impact on human history.   Debbie Macomber and Paul Deegan - While it may seem as though bestselling author Debbie Macomber and Everest mountaineer Paul Deegan have little in common, From risk-taking to collaboration, Debbie and Paul have found the journey to their respective summits has required them to keep taking one small step forward on what has invariably been an arduous climb.  As a sailor, David has always maintained a keen interest and one of his heroes in this respect is Frank Worsley who was Shackleton’s Captain of Endurance and whose skill has recently been highlighted by the discovery of the Endurance close to the position he plotted over 100 years ago. David Mills adopted the character of Frank Worsley and gave a firsthand account of his epic 800-mile journey across the Southern Ocean from Elephant Island to South Georgia in a 22ft open boat.  I went to the Suchi restaurant for the special formal night menu.  Dom Hartley-Harris performed a brand new show that celebrated the great sounds of Motown, Pop and Musical Theatre.            

                                                                                                                                 

SUN 4-Dec-22   Sea Day - Terry Greenberg discussed “How Sweet It Is” Sugar, with its related production factor of slavery, greatly influenced society and they both depended on long-distance ocean trading.   Paul Deegan discussed  “Minus 100ºF” which describes his farcical ascent of Western Europe’s highest peak, an encounter with a four-legged friend on the roof of South America, and the worst storm in a decade on North America’s highest mountain – when the wind-chill temperature plummeted to minus 100°F.  There was a presentation of “Oceans Alive”-Environment Management on Ovation. I had a hosted dinner in the Main dining Room with Lille Bone, the Assistant cruise Director.  The production show featured songs from the Musical Theatre productions and hit movies.               

                                                                                                                                 

MON 5-Dec-22  Sea Day - I had a Swedish half body massage at the spa.   Terry Greenberg discussed “The Columbian Exchange".  The voyage of Christopher Columbus turned the Atlantic Ocean that had been a barrier, into a bridge that facilitated the massive exchange of food products, people and diseases between the New and Old Worlds.  I had dinner at the Thomas Keller Grill                    

                                                                                                                                 

TUE   6-Dec-22    St. Johns, Antigua and BarbudaI took the excursion: Zip-Line in the Treetops - Journey to the Antiguan rain forest,   The Hells Gate Streel drum orchestra performed pre-dinner music.  I had a hosted dinner in the Main dining Room with Dmytro Samoilov and Karyna Nehinska, the Seabourn Dancers.     

                                                                                                                                 

WED 7-Dec-22  Carambola Beach, Saint Kitts and Nevis – Seabourn hosed a BBQ on the beach. I had a hosted dinner in the Main dining Room with Kathy Donato the resident artist.  The production show featured Tom Seals, UK Boogie Woogie piano man.       

                                                                                                                                 

THU 8-Dec-22   Point-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe I took the excursion: Highlights of Guadeloupe - Explore Basse-Terre Island, venturing into the heart of the rain forest to visit Crayfish Waterfall.  Next stop was Morne-à-l'Eau with a stop to view its checkerboard cemetery.

Returning to the city via the town of Sainte-Anne, located on the southern coast of Grande Terre, I stopped at an outdoor market located near the beach.  I had a hosted dinner in the Main dining Room with Cameron Smith, Public Safety Officer.   The production show featured songs from the Motown classics.        

                                                                                                                                 

FRI 9-Dec-22     Fort-De-France, Martinique.  I had a hosted dinner in the Main dining Room with Paul Lewis, the bridge instructor.   The production show featured songs from Sir Time Rice.                                                                               

                                                                                                                                 

SAT 10-Dec-22  Debark Ship Bridgetown, Barbados  I took the excursion: Discover Barbados with Airport Transfer - Our journey began by heading north along the West Coast also known as the "Platinum Coast". This coast is not only home to Holetown, the site where the first settlers landed in 1627, but is also now home to many of the rich and famous residents of Barbados. The first stop was Bathsheba is well known around the world as the "Soup Bowl", a surfer's haven. We continued to Sunbury, where you will visit a superb example of a Barbadian Sugar Estate Great House. Sunbury Plantation House, located in the tranquil St Philip parish countryside, is a living monument to plantation life of a bygone era. The house has been carefully restored.                                                              

 

Saturday, December 10, 2022 AA 1192 BGI to MIA departing Barbados at 4:12 PM arriving Miami at 7:24 PM

AA 2329 MIA to PHL departing Miami 9:06 PM arriving Philadelphia at 11:53 PM

 

Enjoy the pictures.

 

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