Isla Catalina

Wednesday, December 4th
Seabourn Sojourn
Isla Catalina, Dominican Republic
Arriving:  9:00 AM
Departing:  5:00 PM
Partly Sunny - 86 Degrees

Isla Catalina is just a mile and a half off the coast of mainland Dominican Republic, very near La Romana, a stop on the Amazing Amazon cruise in 2011.  The island itself is just more than ten square miles of beaches, dunes, and mangroves, reaching maximum elevation of 60 feet above sea level.  Isla Catalina is not in the guide books, there is no history to learn, no tours, no resorts.  We have been invited to a beach party.

The Captain and Crew of the Seabourn Sojourn

invite you to this

Seabourn Signature Event

featuring

Caviar in the Surf

BBQ on the Beach

Watersports in the Bay

With Sojourn at anchor in the bay, we boarded the ship's tenders for the short ride to shore, a perfect crescent of sandy beach.  In two feet of water, waves crashing at their feet, waiters dressed from neck to waist in tuxedos passed flutes of champaign and caviar with traditional garniture.  The beach was lined with neat rows of chaise lounges under umbrellas.  The BBQ tent was smoking with good smells, lunch almost ready.  Back on the dock, watersports await:  kayaking, pedle boating, wind surfing, water skiing, inner tube and banana boat rides.  This is the picture they put in the brochure.  This is the island paradise that sells the cruise.  This is the story you tell back home.

Yes, it was very nice, and a huge effort on the part of the ship's crew to pull off.  But, some of the gloss wears off between the brochure and the beach.  We picked our spot and settled in on the beach, then waded into the water for some caviar.  Have you ever been to feeding time at the aquarium?  On a steep beach in strong waves, big people in tiny bathing suits fell all over themselves, and each other, clamoring for caviar.  It was like The Biggest Loser meets Survivor, and it didn't look anything like the brochure.  We got a sip and a taste, and got out of there to sign up for banana boat rides.

It's a banana blast!!!  Four people straddle a long rubber banana, wearing helmets and lifejackets, holding on to a tether, while a Zodiac with a giant Yamaha outboard screams up and down the bay towing the banana on a long rope.  Thumbs up for faster, thumbs down for slower, wave frantically for "Get me off this thing," and something about let go if you fall off.

It was a wild ride!!!  Wooo-hooo!!!  Thumbs up!!!  Wooo-hooo!!!  Thumbs up!!!  Wooo-hooo!!!  Oh shit!!!  Tres was falling off, but didn't let go.  The banana flipped, and everybody split.  Tres couldn't remount the banana from the water, so he had to swim the rest of the way.

Back on the beach, time for BBQ.  The buffet broke every rule for picnic safety:  lots of mayonnaise, meat not cooked thoroughly and held below temperature, no sanitation.  The mosquitos were huge, and mean.  They bit through clothing violating common decency and the Geneva Convention.  We ate quickly and hopped a tender back to the ship.  Next time, we may stay on board and just read the brochure.


Next Stop:  Fort Lauderdale

St. John

Tuesday, December 3rd
Seabourn Sojourn
Cruz Bay
St. John, USVI
Arriving:  7:00 AM
Departing:  3:00 PM
Partly Sunny with Showers - 84 Degrees

Yesterday, we were in the town of St. Johns on the island of Antigua.  Today, we are in the town of Cruz Bay on the island of St. John.

St. John is the smallest, the most beautiful, and the most natural, of the three US Virgin Islands of the Lesser Antilles.  The United States bought the islands, St. John, St. Thomas, and St. Croix, during World War I for $25,000,000.  The islanders were granted the vote in 1936, and greater independence in 1954.  St. John has remained pristine and largely undeveloped thanks to Laurance Rockefeller who donated 56% of the landmass of the island, and most offshore rights as well, to create Virgin Islands National Park in 1956.

In addition to, and within the boundaries of, the national park, Laurance Rockefeller's other legacy is the Caneel Bay Resort.  Built on and around the ruins of a nineteenth-century sugar plantation, Caneel Bay has been host to "celebrities, politicians, and industrialists."

"Set on a 170-acre peninsula amid the lush beauty of the Virgin Islands National Park and seven picturesque beaches, Caneel Bay is a breathtaking destination on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Discovered by Laurance Rockefeller while sailing with the Rockefeller family, this Caribbean hideaway is accessible only by boat or ferry and its beaches are widely considered to be among the best in the world. A steadfast environmentalist and preservationist, Laurance Rockefeller was dedicated to creating a destination that would live in harmony with its natural environment."

Trunk Bay is the most famous and photographed beach on the island, the national park has twenty hiking trails, and Annaberg is the more famous and visited sugar plantation, but there is no better place to resort and relax than Caneel Bay, as Greta Garbo did whenever she wanted to be alone.  With 170 acres, there is plenty of room.

Next Stop:  Isla Catalina

Antigua

Monday, December 2nd
Seabourn Sojourn
St. Johns, Antigua
Arriving:  8:00 AM
Departing:  5:00 PM
Partly Sunny - 82 Degrees

Antigua is the largest of the former British Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, colonized by English planters from St. Kitts in 1632.  Antigua and Barbuda attained self-governance within the Commonwealth in 1967, and full independence as a two-island nation in 1981.  Antigua is the "Island of 365 Beaches," one for every day of the year.

Nelson's Dockyard is "Antigua's Most Famous Attraction."  English Harbor on the southern coast of Antigua was one of the most strategic ports in the Caribbean, a deep, wide bay, with a narrow, well protected entrance.  The Royal Navy began operations there in 1704.  Horatio Nelson Sailed in on the HMS Boreas in 1784, and English Harbor would henceforth be known as Nelson's Dockyard, the world's only Georgian-era dockyard still in use.  The Royal Navy abandoned English Harbor in 1889, its strategic importance no longer of value.  In 1961, Nelson's Dockyard reopened with craft Shops, restaurants, restored hotels, and the Dockyard Museum in the old naval officers' house.

With just one day on Antigua, and 365 beaches, we skipped the history and went to the beach.

We "set sail on a sleek, state-of-the-art Wadadli Cat sailing catamaran to discover the exciting underwater world of Antigua and snorkel over a real shipwreck.  The 866-ton, three-masted steel barque, the Andes, sank in 1905. The wreck remains an historical resource, sitting upright in 30 feet of water.  It is teeming with marine life like parrotfish, damselfish, grunts and angelfish.  After snorkeling, a swim, and a rum punch, there is a guided walk to Fort Barrington dating from 1779."

Antigua has had lots of rain over the last few weeks, kicking up the silt at the bottom of Deep Bay.  This has obscured the wreck of the Andes, which does not make for good snorkeling.  We sailed out to the reef instead, and donned snorkel and mask to swim with the fishes.  There were fish aplenty, pretty fish in yellows and blues, others in camouflage to blend in with the rocks, little tiny ones, and some as big as your arm.

We sailed on to Deep Bay to see just the tip of the mast of the Andes poking through the surface of the water.  The captain beached the boat so we could have another swim and some time on the beach.  We admired the fort from sea level, and left the hiking to the goats on the hillside.

As we sailed back out of Deep Bay, past the rocks that wrecked the Andes, the music got higher, the limbo got lower, and the rum punch really started to flow.

Next Stop:  St. John

St. Kitts

Sunday, December 1st
Seabourn Sojourn
Basseterre, St. Kitts
Arriving:  10:00 AM
Departing:  11:00 PM
Partly Cloudy - 84 Degrees

St. Kitts was the first British settlement in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, a colony of the Crown until it attained self-governance within the United Kingdom, along with Nevis and Anguilla, in 1967.  St. Kitts and Nevis are "The Beautiful Sisters," two islands, two miles apart, and one independent nation since 1983.

Sojourn is docked at the foot of Basseterre in Port Zante, a modern 27 acre marina and cruise ship terminal on land reclaimed from the sea.

The St. Kitts Scenic Railway was once a working railroad, circumnavigating the island on narrow-gauge track beginning in 1912 to deliver sugarcane from the fields to the mills in Basseterre.  It's now one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Caribbean, and has recently been purchased by Orient Express with the intent of total refurbishment.  The two-story sightseeing cars, built in Seattle they say, can accommodate  all passengers in climate-controlled comfort on the lower level, as well as on the open-air upper level covered observation deck.

We went straight up top to the back of the first car.  As the train and the wind changed directions, the diesel fumes from the locomotive were at times overwhelming, and the ride was more "ICKITY-YACK" than "clickity-clack."  With narrow gorges and high trellises, any obstruction on the tracks, whether animal, vegetable, or mineral, could prove disastrous.  A scout car rode the rails just ahead of the train to check the track.

It was a pleasant tour of the island with many lovely vistas.  Lush and green, St. Kitts is an oval bisected by a mountain range from the northwest to the southeast, sloping from a height of 4,000 feet down into the sea to form a tail.  Sister island Nevis is just beyond the end of the tail.  The mountains are flanked by rainforests, the foothills give way to sugarcane fields, the cane running all the way to the coast.  The train winds in and out of the farms and villages of the island, as tropical beverages are served and an a cappella choir moves from car to car singing local and spiritual classics.

The poverty is evident around the island in the ramshackle homes and the endless series of stripped-down cars and junkyards that mar the landscape.  But there is ample evidence of progress too.  St. Kitts is a higher education magnet drawing students from throughout the Caribbean, Europe and the United States to programs in veterinary, island, and infectious disease medicine.  The government of Taiwan has sponsored an agricultural institute to help island farmers maximize yields.  St. Kitts is the headquarters for the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, in charge of monetary policy for the islands that use the Eastern Caribbean Dollar.  Bassetere is "rundown," the streets of the capital radiating out from the "circus," an octagon they modeled after London's Piccadilly Circus.  No one has yet to get them confused.


Next Stop:  Antigua

Puerto Rico

Saturday, November 30th
Tres' Birthday
Seabourn Sojourn
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Arriving:  8:00 AM
Departing:  5:00 PM
Partly Sunny with Showers - 84 Degrees

Puerto Rico, the least of the Greater Antilles, has been a commonwealth of the United States since it was ceded by Spain, along with Guam and the Philippines, by the Treaty of Paris at the end of the Spanish-American war in 1898.  The end of more than 400 years of Spanish colonial rule began with American colonial rule, but gradually led to increasing self-governance under US control.  Puerto Ricans are citizens of the United States and elect a governor and bicameral legislature.  They are subject to all acts of Congress "not locally inapplicable," and are represented by a non-voting member of congress.  Puerto Rican sovereignty continues to be the focus of public debate to determine whether the island nation should pursue independence or statehood.  In a non-binding 2012 referendum, 54% rejected the status quo, with 61% supporting statehood in a separate question.

The future of Puerto Rico is still to be determined, but the past is rich with history.  San Juan is an American city, but it is considered the most Spanish city in the Caribbean.  Old San Juan was founded in 1521, and is graced with elegant 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial architecture.  Now a US National Historic Zone, more than 400 buildings have been restored.  The streets are narrow, steeply rising up from the water, and paved with adoquines, beautiful blue glazed bricks imported from Spain as ballast.  The full spectrum of blue is represented on each brick fading in and out from deep and intense to light and translucent.  They are as treacherous as they are beautiful, jagged and jarring, and slippery when wet.  And they are wet today.  We walked off the ship to a torrential downpour.  With only a day in San Juan, we didn't have the luxury of waiting it out.  As we walked through the city, the rain would come and go, and the sun would come and go, leaving us both soaked, and sunburned.

We paid our respects to the remains of the Spanish explorer and conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon, the first Spanish governor of Puerto Rico, at Catedral de San Juan Bautista.  Rebuilt and destroyed many times since its beginnings in 1520, the current sanctuary dates from the 19th century.  While the glory of God glows ever brighter, the glory of the Catedral is fading.

Old San Juan has some lovely parks and squares, both old and new.  Plaza V Centenario is one of the latter.

We stopped at Don Ruiz Coffee in Las Americas Museum for a refresher and a respite from the rain, while Spanish guitars played in the courtyard.  It is housed in the former Cuartel de Ballaja, the infantry quarters, and fronted by another of San Juan's new parks, the Plaza de Ballaja.

The remains of two great fortresses stand sentry over Old San Juan.  Castillo San Cristobal, a National Historic Site built in stages from 1634 to 1785, was the "Gibraltar of the West Indies."  Castillo San Felipe del Morro, or just "El Morro," is "the promontory."  Perched on a rocky promontory at the northwest tip of Old San Juan, this sprawling six-level fort is spectacular, rising 140 feet above the sea.  Built over nearly 250 years from 1540 to 1783, it is a warren of turrets, towers, and tunnels with commanding views out over the harbor and back toward Old San Juan.

El Morro is the ultimate fortress experience, a well-preserved historic fort, set in an incomparable location.  It could have been medieval England, it was Spanish colonial, and it is all American.

The birthday celebration kicked into high gear back aboard ship.  The cabin was decked out with a banner, a balloon, and a cupcake, soon to be followed by birthday wishes and a bottle of wine from the captain.  Four years ago on this day, we were floating in the Red Sea aboard Oceania Nautica, luxuriating in the Thalassotherapy pool high above the bow, watching dolphins play in the sun.  Today, we were floating in the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Seabourn Sojourn, luxuriating in the hot tub on the bow, watching San Juan recede in the pouring rain as thunder and lightning closed in.  Everything else different, the joy the same.

Restaurant 2 is Sojourn's special occasion restaurant, and this is a special occasion.  It's a modern room in black lacquer and red velvet, the menu set in nine courses, with matching wines from the premium collection.  Johannes from South Africa presented the food, Sebastian from Argentina poured the wine.  It was an evening of hits and misses, but every swing was for the fences.  Our favorite was the corndog / kafta / parcel trio, each hot and crispy, unique and flavorful, paired with its own luscious schmear.  The salsify and apple cappuccino was a surprise success, the odd couple in perfect harmony, silken smooth.  The duck was outstanding as well, pink and pleasant, tender to the touch.  The California chardonnay was the best of the wines, acid, oak, and citrus in perfect balance, and our hearts always melt for ice wine.

Restaurant 2 Menu:

• Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut, Epernay, France
• Chef's Cocktail:  Grilled Octopus Ceviche, Fennel Salad, Lemon Grape Juice
• Pommard, Louis Latour, Burgundy, France
• Lobster Corndog, Truffle Sauce
• Crisp Lamb Kofta, Sun Dried Tomato Coulis
• Chicken Brick Parcel, Mustard Dip
• Butternut Squash Presse, Foie Gras Sandwich
• Salsify & Apple Cappuccino, Mushroom Crostini
• Hanzell Chardonnay, Sonoma County, California
• Roasted Sockeye Salmon in Sake Ginger Brine, Melted Cous Cous
• Orange Soy Burberry Duck, Artichoke Tart Tatin, Quince Puree, Prosciuto Sauce
• Inniskillin Vidal, Ice Wine, Canada
• Florentine & Pumpkin Nougtatine, Banana Toffee, Sauterne, Bourbon Ice Cream
• Birthday Cake

Next Stop:  St. Kitts

Turkeys & Apples

Thursday, November 28th
Thanksgiving
Seabourn Sojourn
At Sea
Cloudy - 77 Degrees
Winds at 30 - 40 Knots

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

It was a quiet day aboard the Sojourn.  Moderate winds and moderate seas made for a bit of a bumpy ride, and the persistent cloud cover put a damper on the fun in the sun, but we are happy to be at sea.

This doesn't feel like Thanksgiving at all.  It's gray enough to look like home, but too warm and humid to feel like home.  We haven't had a single argument about what part of a turkey to cook, by what method and for how long, or whether to cook one at all.  Our germophobe is obsessed with norovirus from the buffet and hand sanitizer instead of salmonella from the turkey and Clorox cleaner.  There isn't the faintest whiff of sage in the air.  There's no football on TV.  There is certainly much to be thankful for, both here and now, and back at home, but that is about the only reminder of Thanksgiving to be found.

Destinations Manager Chad gave the "Port and Tour Talk" today, with a primer on each of our ports of call, and a review of the tours on offer.

Ports of Call:

Saturday, November 30th
San Juan, Puerto Rico
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Sunday, December 1st
Basseterre, St. Kitts
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Monday, December 2nd
St. Johns, Antigua
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Tuesday, December 3rd
Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI
7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Wednesday, December 4th
Isla Catalina, Dominican Republic
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Destination Expert, and guest lecturer, Niki Sepsas gave his first talk today, "The Fairest Sea I Ever Beheld: The Caribbean Sea of Christopher Columbus."

"A pen and a passport have been the tools of the trade for Niki Sepsas for most of his life. He learned at an early age that he had a problem keeping the seat of his pants attached to the seat of a chair. Any chair. After college at West Point and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Niki served in the army before embarking on a thirty-year travel career that has taken him to more than 160 countries and each of the world’s seven continents."

"Niki began fueling his passion for adventure by signing on to work for oil drilling companies operating offshore rigs in the Arctic Ocean of Alaska, Southeast Asia, the North Sea, and the Middle East. Realizing that he was enjoying climbing the hills as much as he relished discovering what lay on the other side, Niki began working as a freelance tour guide and tour manager for travel groups visiting Europe, Africa, Central/ South America, Antarctica, Asia, and throughout North America. His myriad adventure programs now include Mount Kilimanjaro climbs, hot air balloon trips across the Serengeti, kayaking in Iceland, paddling canoes through the Amazonian rainforest, hiking the Peruvian Andes to the lost city of Machu Picchu, and other excursions to the world’s wild and scenic places."

"As a freelance writer, Niki has documented this world of wonders that beckons to each of us. More than 900 of his travel adventures have been published in over fifty national, regional, and local magazines and newspapers. He is a contributing author to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books and has written more than a dozen coffee table books, several personal memoirs, and a novel."

Cruise ship lectures are almost always informative, sometimes well-researched and well-presented, occasionally entertaining, and rarely riveting.  Niki Sepsas brings it all.  If there was a cruise ship lecturer action figure, it would be Niki.  He is like Jack Ryan, MacGyver, and Rick Steves, all in one.  The theater is always the coldest place on a cruise ship.  Niki Sepsas makes it cool.

Finally, this evening, it was time to celebrate Thanksgiving.  We had Thanksgiving dinner in The Restaurant, our first time back in the main dining room since the lifeboat drill last night.  Thanksgiving dinner out, rarely turns out well.  Even at the very best restaurants, the food is prepared in advance with neither the comfort of home, nor the thrill of the road.  This was not the best Thanksgiving ever, but it was far from the worst, and may be the best holiday meal we have ever had at sea.  The turkey was moist and, if anything, just a degree underdone.  The roulade of dark meat was nice in theory, but rubbery and flavorless on the plate, easily passed over in favor of the thick slice of juicy breast, well-seasoned, with an impossibly crisp layer of shimmering golden skin at the top.  I can't remember a better executed bite of bird.  The roulade was the foundation for a matching round of dressing, pleasing in texture, but too subtle in flavor.  The peas and carrots were nicely done, fresh and bright, with the perfect balance of crunch and yield.  The sweet potatoes were not unpleasant, but a side of mashed potatoes soaked up the gravy and rounded out the plate.  The "Traditional Pumpkin Pie," was more a variation on the theme than an authentic reproduction, but satisfied our need for pumpkin spice at the end of the meal.  This Thanksgiving dinner at sea was actually something to be thankful for.

We hope your tables were full, your bellies bursting, and your hearts overflowing with thanks.


Friday, November 29th
Seabourn Sojourn
At Sea
Mostly Sunny - 77 Degrees

This was a much nicer day at sea, some sun to go with the wind and waves.  We took our books, and took a little nap, up on deck this afternoon with the rock of the boat and the sound of the surf.

As much as yesterday didn't feel like Thanksgiving, today does not feel like the Apple Cup.  We can't watch it on TV, but we have ESPN Gamecast on the laptop, and we are ready to rumble.

GO COUGS!!!

GO DAWGS!!!

Next Stop:  Puerto Rico

Seabourn Sojourn

Wednesday, November 27th
Seabourn Sojourn
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Embarkation:  6:00 PM
Departing:  8:00 PM
Mostly Sunny - 78 Degrees

Seabourn Sojourn was delayed arriving at Port Everglades due to a medical emergency on the previous cruise.  As a result, embarkation was delayed until 6:00 PM, and departure was pushed back until 8:00 PM, four hours later than scheduled.  The delay was an inconvenience, and communication was handled poorly by the home office, but not a big deal.  We will still be able to reach our first port of call on time, and there will be no further disruptions to our itinerary.

We arrived at Port Everglades at 6:20 and breezed through registration.  As we boarded the ship, we were whisked into the main dining room, where the lifeboat drill was about to get underway.  By 7:00, we were in our cabin, and by 8:00 Sojourn cast off her lines, pushed back from the pier, and set sail on her Caribbean Sojourn.

The first impression of Seabourn and the Sojourn was a little awkward, but that faded rapidly as we fell in love with the ship and her crew.

"The second of Seabourn’s new class of ships, Seabourn Sojourn, built at the T. Mariotti yard in Genoa, debuted on June 6, 2010.  Like her sisters, the older Odyssey and the younger Quest, Seabourn Sojourn enchants her guests with an array of public areas scaled to encourage a relaxed sociability.  The Spa at Seabourn is the largest on any ultra-luxury ship, 11,400 square feet encompassing indoor and outdoor space.  A variety of open terraces are scattered over seven decks, offering places to gather with a few friends or spend an isolated hour with a book.  High atop Deck 11 is a Sun Terrace with 36 tiered double sun beds.  Seabourn Sojourn offers six whirlpools and two swimming pools, including a whirlpool spa on the open bow deck all the way forward on Deck 6.  The Pool Patio, with a pair of large whirlpool spas and a “beach” style pool, is the setting for a casual Patio Grill and the Patio Bar.  On the sun deck above sits Seabourn’s popular open-air Sky Bar.  The panoramic Observation Bar on Deck 10 offers 270 degree forward views over the sea.  The Club is a lively spot for dancing before and after dinner, while the larger Grand Salon is used for dancing as well as lectures, production vocal shows, cabaret performances and classical recitals."

• Ship's Registry:  Bahamas
• Guest capacity:  450
• Crew members:  330
• Tonnage:  32,000grt
• Length:  650 feet
• Breadth:  84 feet
• Guest Decks:  8
• Cruising speed:  19 knots
• Maiden Voyage:  June 2010

This is our first cruise on Seabourn, the premier luxury line of the World's Leading Cruise Lines.  This is the most intimate ship we have ever sailed on, catering to just 450 passengers.  Sojourn is the most advanced ship we have ever sailed on, her maiden voyage just three years ago.  Seabourn is the most all-inclusive cruise experience we have ever had, with no charge for food and beverages.  Seabourn is the highest rated line we have ever sailed with, earning the top score by virtually every publication in the industry.  It is the highest ranked line we have ever cruised, named the number one small ship line by the largest publications in the industry.

• World's Best Small-Ship Cruise Line
  Travel + Leisure
  2009 - 2013
• Best Small-Ship Cruise Line
  Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards
  2010 - 2013
• International Six Star Diamond Award
  American Academy of Hospitality Sciences
• Best Culinary Cruise Line
  SAVEUR Culinary Travel Awards
  2013

While the itinerary is standard Caribbean fun and sun, this is the most highly anticipated cruise we have ever taken for the shipboard experience we expect to have in terms of quality, comfort, and service.  High expectations as we found our cabin forward on deck 5, starboard side.

Seabourn offers an all-suite experience, so the standard cabin is a spacious 385 square feet with separate sleeping and sitting areas.  There are no inside cabins, all but the lowest category have verandas.  There are also several categories of Penthouse and Owner's Suites.  We are in a standard Veranda Suite, V1507.

The colors are muted and calming, earth tones and natural surfaces.  The cabin is the model of efficiency, back-lit blonde wood cabinets with soft-close drawers.  There is enough storage space for a full season at sea, the walk-in closet is tight, but affords enough space for a private quick-change.  The five-piece bath is wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling natural stone.  The basins and faucets pair to good use, maybe a first for a bathroom at sea.  The shower is a right triangle, the hypotenuse just long enough for elbows in full swing.  The fixed shower head has adequate pressure and volume, plus an additional wand to put the water where you want it.  The entertainment system is also the best ever, with on-demand movies, music, ship cams and route information, account access and transactions, however the television programming is severely limited.  The bar is fully stocked with water, sodas, and mixers.  Passengers are invited to select two standard-size bottles of wine or spirits for the cabin.  The veranda is small with two metal and mesh chairs with matching footstools and a small table.  The railing is two-thirds solid metal, one-third glass, and provides an adequate view.  The veranda is well protected, shielded from the worst of the weather, but also the best of the sun and ocean breezes.  This is just half the space we had last year in the South Pacific, but easily the most comfortable standard cabin we have ever cruised in.  Our cabin stewardess Elen is from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and she is a star.  She does the work of two, with good cheer, admirable grace, and maximum efficiency.

As we noted in 2009 aboard the Oceania Nautica, the classic cruise ship is garish and gaudy, with loud colors and vibrant patterns, totally lacking in subtlety and class.  Nautica was a step in the right direction.  Sojourn completes the journey, with modern elegance and rational design.  Everything is ship shape, clean, and well maintained.  That is not a given, even with a relatively new ship.  It is a work in constant progress.  This ship is as well designed as any at sea.  She is near capacity with 441 guests, but never crowded.  The deck plan flows from space to space in an intuitive way, while still providing places to be surprised and get lost for a while.  The hallways aren't all straight, but they take you where you want to go.  The decks aren't all symmetrical from port to starboard or forward to aft.  On most ships, most decks are dedicated to cabins or public areas, but not both.  On Sojourn, the forward end of most decks is residential, the aft end has public space.  The circular staircase amidships spirals from deck 4 up to deck 9, where it is crowned with a massive skylight that connects the atrium of the ship with the pool deck.

The ship's crew are an international lot, largely from Eastern Europe, South Africa, and South America, and they are fabulous.  Cruise ship work is indentured servitude.  Cruise lines pick and choose which laws from which countries they are going to abide by, and labor laws are not among them.  As we saw in Charleston, however, there are better masters and worse masters.  Seabourn is at the right end of the scale, and it shows on the face of every crew member.  These are some of the most engaged, friendly, charming, and hardworking crew we have encountered.  On Seabourn, "Tipping is neither required nor expected," so the service feels more genuine.  We delight in our interactions with the crew and look forward to seeing them every day.  We hope to be a positive influence in their day, just as they are in ours.  We already have a list of favorites.

There are four dining venues on board Sojourn:

• The Restaurant
  The main dining room, with sit-down service for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• The Colonnade
  The casual venue, with buffet service for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as ala carte items that are made to order and available every day.
• The Patio Grill
  A limited buffet poolside, with pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs on deck for lunch and through most of the afternoon.  At dinner, there is sit-down service of grill specialties.
• Restaurant 2
  The specialty dining room, the only one that requires a reservation.  It is small and very modern, serving a nine-course tasting menu that changes daily.

There are four bars and lounges providing full beverage service all day and evening.  The joy of the complimentary beverage program, though, is that there are self-service beverage carts throughout the ship with water and soda, so you never have to wait for service.  There is service everywhere too, with several wines and virtually any drink available at no cost at any time.  They do have a premium wine list, and fine aged scotch and cognac, for a charge, but you can drink long into the night, and very well, without paying a premium.  The espresso stand is open early, most of the day, and late evening with complimentary coffee drinks, also one of three places on board with ice cream service, all made on board.

And there are a thousand little touches that nobody else has thought of that make cruising with Seabourn a pleasure:  a complimentary customized guidebook featuring all of our ports of call, a ship-issued photo ID so there is no need to carry a driver's license or passport into port, a guest directory to allow easy contact with fellow passengers.

This is not a revolution in cruising, but it is certainly an evolution, and a step above where we've been before.

Tonight we had a very nice dinner in the Colonnade, a walk around the ship and a nightcap in the Observation Bar.

Tomorrow:  Thanksgiving At Sea

Hollywood

Monday, November 25th
Cape Canaveral, FL
Mostly Cloudy - 71 Degrees

The Kennedy space Center was our last "To Do" to do, so we continued another 229.5 miles down the coast on I95 to South Florida and a rest on the beach before the cruise.  The cruise embarks from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.  Hollywood is a beach resort community just south of Port Everglades, on a sliver of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway.


Hollywood, FL
Cloudy & Windy - 76 Degrees

The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa is one of our favorite hotels.  It's a high rise in the shape of an "H" for Hollywood, with great views out over the Atlantic.  It has a fabulous two-level pool and it's right on the beach.  It's a business hotel with an attached convention center in a great location with access to Hollywood / Fort Lauderdale International Airport and Port Everglades, and an easy drive to Miami and the Beaches.  But, we haven't stayed there since 2006, and it hasn't aged well.  It's looking a little ragged around the edges and doesn't hold up to a capacity crowd, which it has this Thanksgiving holiday week, including way more kids than we are comfortable with.  We love the kids we love, and the others, not so much.  With that and the marginal weather, this is not going to be the relaxed and comfortable pre-cruise experience we were hoping for, but it will do just fine.

We checked in late and tired, and in the mood for a little luxury.  The best rated restaurant in Hollywood, according to Zagat, is the steakhouse at the Westin, Hollywood Prime.  They were essentially full for the night, so we went down and camped in the bar to wait for a table.  Standard steakhouse fare:  salads, prime steaks and sides, homemade cookie and ice cream for dessert.  Not cheap, but good, and a good night.


Tuesday, November 26th
Hollywood, FL
Scattered Thunderstorms - 81 Degrees

Since we didn't get our laundry done in Cocoa Beach, and it's not much of a beach day today anyway, we set out to find a laundromat.  We got the job done at Spin Cycle, three loads in about an hour and a half, and about eight bucks.  It was an authentic slice of life at a place where English isn't even the second language, but service is of the first order.

Wanting to stay with the theme, we followed Zagat to the best Cuban place in Hollywood, Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine.

"Mariel Boat Lift 1980, 126 thousand Cuban's abandon the communist island in a massive exodus. The Vilariño family were among the fortunate to make it through the turbulent stretch and reach the land of the free. After years of hardship the family was determined to make the American dream come true.  In 1984 Antonio, his wife Nilda and five daughters bought their first restaurant, Las Vegas in Hollywood. While Antonio learned to cook, Nilda and the girls catered to loyal patrons providing personable service, which has proven to be a drawing factor in their enduring success. Shortly thereafter, Las Vegas became known as the Cuban hot spot in Hollywood, guaranteeing customers authentic Cuban dishes and the friendliest service in town. Today with many more restaurants, the family continues to offer the same quality service, food and atmosphere that attracted locals for the past twenty years."

The matriarch greeted us at the door and showed us to a table.  The place was packed with workers at lunch, in suits and hardhats, and everything in between.  Good people, good food, huge portions, and great fun.

Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine Menu:

• Mariquitas ~ Plantain Chips
  Green plantains thinly sliced and fried, topped with a mojito garlic sauce.
• Empanadas
  Cuban turnovers filled with either chicken or ground beef.
• Ensalada de la Casa con Aguacate
  House salad with avocado
• Sandwich Cubano
  Cuban Sandwich: Serrano ham, swiss cheese, pickles, roast pork, mayonnaise on a Cuban bread crispy toasted.
• El Trio
  A Combination of our most popular entree, Chicken Fillet, Pork Chop, Palomilla Steak, served with White Rice, Black Beans and Sweet Plantains.

We took a swim in the afternoon, but couldn't work off our Cuban lunch, so we had a light progressive dinner at the hotel, happy hour in the lounge, and another cookie from Hollywood Prime.

It was a stormy night, as forecast, and we had a front row seat.  Lightening lit up the sky, defused by low cloud cover and too far away to hear the thunder.  Until it was right on top of us.  A series of three bolts of lightening exploded right in front of our 9th floor balcony, and the claps of thunder that followed had such concussive force, we thought the sliding glass door might shatter.  It was an amazing show.


Wednesday, November 27th
Hollywood, FL
Mostly Sunny - 78 Degrees

There are very few things left in this world that are unique to time and place.  We ate lunch at one of them.  Can you still call it a hole in the wall, off the beaten path, one of a kind find, if it's recommended by Zagat, Oprah, and GQ Magazine?  Maybe not, but this place has tons of personality, great burgers, and you will never find anything quite like The Le Tub Saloon anywhere else.

"Established November 2nd 1959 as a Sunoco gas station.... Closed by the energy crunch of the early seventies, your Host purchased the barren property in 1974 and dedicated a concentrated year personally hand building LeTub totally of Flotsam, Jetsam and ocean borne treasures all gathered daily over 4 years of day break jogging on Hollywood Beach. All landscaping, planting and decor by your host. We are a Multi-level , Outdoor seating Saloon, located on The Intracoastal Waterway. "

This mostly outdoor ramshackle shack has a very short menu, highlighted by a straight-up hamburger.  No fancy accoutrements, no farm-to-table brand name organically sourced ingredients, just real food.  A hamburger that's about the hamburger, and nothing else.  The "kitchen" is just a grill and a cloud of smoke.   So crowded with burgers, more balls of beef than patties, the grill looks like a checker board at the start of play.  GQ called it the best hamburger in the United States.  We're not going to disagree.  The crust is hard and dark and salty, the inside is soft and pink and beefy.  If it's been a while since you've had a real hamburger, maybe you've forgotten what a hamburger should taste like.  This is it.

Le Tub Menu:

• Bloody Mary
• Sirloinburger
  13 oz. ground top sirloin, seasoned, charbroiled, served on a bun with lettuce, tomato, onion.
  w/ Cheese
• Fries
  Fried in Peanut Oil
• Key Lime Pie
  Made with fresh limes

Fat, dumb, and happy, full, and full of smiles from Le Tub, the Southern Charm Road Trip is at an end, after 1,183 miles.  We dropped the car off at the airport and took a cab to Port Everglades to board the Seabourn Sojourn and set sail for the Caribbean.