Travelergeoff’s Blog

My colleagues know that I am not a ship show enthusiast, but last night’s poles apart performance is better than any show I’ve seen on any ship. It’s called “Illusions”. The photo above is moments after a puff of smoke and an entire helicopter appeared. The old “saw the woman in half” was kind of basic, but then the bottom half of the woman walked around the stage. Nothing I write will begin to illuminate the magic of what happened on that stage last night.

A hint; the doors to the theater open at 10 PM. To get a good seat be at the door at 9:45. There will be a short line. The doors open, and in you go for that good seat, but, what to do for the half hour until Showtime. If you have an eReader, take it with you to pass the time. It works.

Not an illusion in any sense, but strangely mesmerizing to me is what I call the tub dump. The yellow tub fills and then about every minute it dumps!

I love the whole idea of this, and it just keeps on keepin’ on.

The whole water area is a kid’s haven. Carnival for years has had a wonderful children’s program but this takes the top award.

Amazingly, kids who hate to take a bath at home can’t be dragged away.

Adults have the spa.

Never mind a Jacuzzi, the effervescent pool works just fine, thank you.

Ok, children are all around, music playing, people dancing, water splashing, so where to hide? Look for this sign.

This may be the coolest warm spot on the ship.

Just think while you are unwinding, others are working hard to generate the power

for the bubbles in the tub.

Want water and some company. Dangle your feet.

Or stand in a pool.

Or if you really want to get soaked.

Also there’s Texas hold em, and then there’s Texas touch them

As you may guess, a ride down the big slide may well leave you dizzy and not sure which way to go. No hay problemo…just read.

Last night I had dinner in Cucina del Capitano.

This is a lovely restaurant with some great Italian food, plus some of “Grandma’s Recipes”. Our server was from Romania and smiled as she eased me through avoiding garlic. (weird allergy). I would pick what I wanted and she’d go to the chef and check. She then would come back with suggestions. Back to the chef. Suggestions narrowing down. Hooray for salmon and buttered pasta.

The Italian wine was in lovely bottles,

but poured from a barrel.

I think it’s important to have a fair amount of wine so you’ll be prepared when the staff sings and dances to “That’s Amore”.

But no pictures please.

We now leave Progreso for Cozumel. The question on many passengers minds is did the thruster that pushes us away from the dock get fixed. We report, you decide.

Night, night.

There are two incentives to make this trip. Galveston Texas is a fascinating small city, and Carnival’s new ship, Magic soon starts sailing from there with me aboard.

I booked air to Houston on Southwest. This is the first time for me on this ubiquitous airline, and I’ll be happy to take it again. Here’s a hint if you fly Southwest: for ten bucks you can be first to board in section “A”. you also can check in online 12 hours before “the others”. Be sure to check www.seatguru.com to see the best place to plunk.

The flight to Houston was smooth, on time, and goodies were distributed, and two bags; no charge.

The drive to Galveston is about 45 minutes, with lots of Texas space, some taken up by the Space Center. (sorry). Then Galveston. As I approached I couldn’t help but notice the out lying homes build on pylons to escape flooding waters from hurricanes.

After the big storm in the late eighteen hundreds, the worst natural disaster in history, an immense seawall was erected

and Galveston also raised the level of the ocean facing part of the island. Yup, raised it. But, Ike came a few years ago and frustrated by all this, Ike’s water was forced into the bay, and, yes, the lower part of Galveston got very damp. The salt water killed the roots of most of the island’s Oak trees, but hey this is Galveston. The wood from removed dead oaks has been made into lovely bowls, and some of the still standing dead remains, cut to about 6 feet tall have been beautifully carved.

Galveston has mansions built over a hundred years ago,

and more recent less sedate homes.

Oh, and just houses too.

It is quite a mix.

I stayed at Hotel Galvez which is across the road from the beach and just hit the century mark.

It is rumored to be haunted, especially on the 5th floor. My room was on the fifth floor. I was, of course, not concerned, but late at night I heard a barely audible moaning. It was a woman’s voice. My pulse doubled and I thought “Wow, it’s true”. Then I remembered the huge wedding party in the hotel earlier. Oh well.

There are many things to see and do in Galveston. My favorite, especially for families, was the Schlitterbahn Waterpark. Slides,

ride the waves,

splash around,

and river raft.

Christmas rules the area; lights, decorations, and even Santa raising kids hopes. Thanksgiving?? well, it’s kind of on the way.

When you sail Carnival from Galveston, be sure and spend a couple of days in this great community. Be sure to eat at Rudy and Pacos. www.rudyandpacos.com

The Magic is in town!The new Magic holds 3690 passengers. We will be full for the cruise, but tonight is Gala night for half of Texas to explore the ship, eat, and overnight. The booze was free for all. Late at night some staggered down the passageways putting their card keys into slot after slot.

“What was our cabin number?”

“I told you to write it down.”

“Are you sure this is our deck?”

“I’m not feeling well.”

Talking about keys in the slot, when I entered my cabin

I couldn’t get my lights on. I pushed button after button. Frustrated, I pushed a button with a little green light on it really hard. It went into the wall. The green light went out, but no other light turned on. Wait, what’s this slot? Ahh, slide your key into it and lights on! Whee ha. Take your key when you leave and lights off. Brilliant energy saver. (Just thinking, is brilliant the right word, I mean the lights go out. Perhaps clever?)

I’m eating with the press group in the Northern Lights restaurant. Unlike most Carnival ahipa, although bright and flashy,  the slightly weird and Joe Farcus are gone.

Tomorrow we go on the Magic deck.

Hundreds of people cowered for about two hours inside a shopping mall in this resort town Saturday while security forces traded sporadic gunfire with armed men in the parking lot and then searched stores for suspects.

No one was injured in the gun battle, and arrests were made, but hey, a shopping center?

Mexican tourist authorities have been yammering for weeks about how safe “tourist cities” are, and Cabo has never been a dangerous area. But hey, a shopping center.

What do the cruise lines do now? Mexican Riviera cruises are already feeling the Mexican malaise. Even now they no longer go to Mazatlan, and are getting nervous about Acapulco. (I will no longer get off the ship in Acapulco).

Or maybe they’ll feel safe knowing tourists are protected by the Mexican military.

Buena Suerte!

It’s the little things that count and emphasize the luxury of Seabourn Sojourn. Most ships, when you visit a port tell you to be sure and take ID ashore with you; a driver’s license or your passport. On this ship, you are given an ID card the size or your room ”key” with all pertinent info on it. This is especially handy for those aboard taking the entire world cruise. Oh, and for those on longer cruises, the best Internet choice is $399, which pays for access during the trip. Stay connected if you want. It is so great to be on the net and not sweat over how many minutes are eating up your account as you wait for a site to appear.

I needed to quickly fax material to Westways magazine. Other ships you havetoshow up at purser’s desk, maybe wait in line, and cross your fingers that it gets sent. Sojourn? Go to Sojourn Square and hand it to the attendant. He will reach over and pull the Fax machine out of the wall and off it goes.

Another plus I love, the menus for all restaurants are in your suite the night before. That sure beats going to read the menus in front of the different serving areas. There is a small problem. It makes me hungry. Tonight it will be braised veal osso bucco.

There are dance activities every day, and what I presume are individual lessons. I am pushing for a reality show called “Deck Dancing”.

Ta-da

We are a couple of days east of Fort Lauderdale, and going through sunshine, then big rainstorms, then sunshine.

There are some lovely rainbows but they are extraordinarily camera shy.

This is where I spend my “sun” days.Lots of room, a steward giving constant attention, and a great Jacuzzi.

There are tons of other choices for sunning, but this is not that much of a tanning crowd.

Not many golfers either.

As we approach Fort Lauderdale, it’s time to say goodbye to places visited for the last time.

Tonight there is a show on deck called “Rock The Boat”. Tomorrow some photos of the boat rocking.

We have nine days at sea. I’ve made an editorial decision to write about the sea time in general terms rather than day by day. I mean, “slept until 11 AM” might fill space but who is interested.

Cruise Critic just named Seabourn the top luxury cruise line:

“Seabourn’s new Odyssey and Sojourn are the largest true luxury ships in cruising, and yet the size works. It allows for more onboard choice – especially the fantastic Seabourn Square, a combination library, coffee shop, bakery and social hub — and yet attention to detail in its cuisine, service and upscale yacht-like ambiance, is impeccable.”

That statement is a complete misrepresentation. The Silversea Silver Spirit is larger, and certainly true luxury.  Regent, should be counted too. But as my Grandmother used to say, never mind.

Sojourn and Odyssey, unlike competitors, do not have butler service. Truth be told, I don’t miss it. First off, my room stewardess, Nicole, brings me milk and cookies each night.

Room service is prompt. I ordered a five course dinner from the restaurant menu and it was delivered in ten minutes. Faster than calling butler, giving order, etc. And I love Seabourn Square. In addition to what Cruise Critic mentioned, there are four desks in a semi enclosed space that take the place of the usual Purser’s counter.

No lines, no hassle, just fast service no matter what the concern.

I ate with Cruise Director Jan Stearman last night (table for 11).

There was much discussion about luxury lines. It’s relatively impossible to pick the best. So much depends upon personal taste, and how many luxury ships have been experienced. For instance, no one mentions the German ship Europa.Is this luxury? Ja wohl!!!!

Cruise Critic terms Sojourn and Odyssey as “largest” , but 450 passengers is not large in the scheme of things. Showtime will not be a group of gyrating dancers. On this ship there are only four performers; they sing. They separately joined a production company in London where they were put together and trained. They learned well, and are a pleasure to listen to and watch.                           

The Grand Salon (theater) is more of a lounge; comfortable, but with problems.

The supporting pillars in many places narrow the view of the stage. There’s a lot of scrambling to find a place that is not blocked.

And then there’s The Club. Team trivia at 11:45

melds into tea at 4:45 with music, and later drinks and canapés before dinner.

Earlier in the cruise I sat next to Laura, a social hostess from England who, in addition, sometimes sings at tea. When she does, Britain fades away.

She is superb, and music, I hope, will be her future.

More about the ship coming as the days float by, but right now it’s time for a nap.

By Avid Cruiser Contributor Geoff Edwards

Funchal

Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat, and has been the capital of Portugal’s Autonomous Region of Madeira for five centuries. It’s been a rocky road for Funchal.

The island, and Funchal specifically, were vulnerable to privateer and pirate attacks. In 1566, French corsairs attacked with a force of 1,200 men, on three main ships and small fleet of eight support craft. This armada anchored in the beach of Formosa, disembarked a contingent of 800 men that marched toward the city in three columns. Funchal’s fortifications were assaulted by land, where its defense was thin; the defenders could not reposition the canons directed toward the sea. The city suffered a violent sack that lasted 15 days until the last of the armada left.

Little remained of Funchal, but today, the population is 140,000, and it is a bustling city.

Although another attack is not to come, they are still alert.

It is lovely to walk along the pedestrian way. There are tons of outdoor cafes and no empty tables. It’s lunch time.

And, as is typical of Spanish type towns, there is a statue of one of the cherished in the middle of the square

There are also those not so important, but hey, put up a statue.

One of the things that puzzled me was the white area on the cathedral.

All I could think of was it was space for a coming advertisement;  “Praise God and shop here.”

Another building had me questioning. I couldn’t imagine the space inside and wondered what caused it to be built so slim. Maybe the architect only had a narrow roll of paper for his plans.

Heading along the waterfront, back to the ship,

I was captivated by a sign that said, “Sardine Salad and Sangria 8.50 Euros.” I was sold. It was very tasty, and  I just bet those sardines were caught that morning.

A sad sight was waiting at the pier.

A man with whom I had chatted was being taken to the hospital. When I met him he was on oxygen and in a motorized wheelchair. I don’t know what happened. He talked to me as they wheeled him out, but certainly wasn’t happy. Better it happened early than in the midst of the Atlantic.

I was looking forward to dinner as I was a guest at the table of two of the social hostesses. Yeah right, once again I was at the end of a table for twelve. There was some fun conversation, but it felt weird not to be able to talk to either of the hostesses except to say goodbye.

Tomorrow is the first of nine days at sea.

By Avid Cruiser Star Contributor Geoff Edwards

At Sea

First off, please excuse the the order of this blog. Since we are sometimes satellite impaired, the publishing can work one day and not the next.

This day, after a redeye from Los Angeles, is always a catch up day for me.

Today, I slept until 2 PM.

One of the things concerning me was eating alone as I am traveling alone, and it’s not simple for me to walk up to a stranger and say, “Hey, can I eat with you tonight?” As I found out last night, there will be an invitation in my mail each day to join a hosted table. This is a wonderful gift from Seabourn, and makes things so much easier. However, not everyone at the table is solo, but couples are not seated together.

We are not a full ship, and a good many on board are from Britain and Germany. With the Euro treating our dollar like a bully kicking sand in our face, cruise ship fares are incredibly attractive to the Euro folks.

Tonight, it’s the ship’s doctor’s table. Again, a long table for 12, which limits conversation. There are four on each side and two at each end. That makes it close to impossible to converse with the host and basically limits the chitchat to the people immediately to the left and right.

I was seated at one end; on my left, a man from Belgium, and on my right, a man who never stopped talking and waving his arms. He is from England, but not with an accent I could decipher. I caught every 4th or 5th word. I got that he had taken a cruise on the Mississippi river. I asked if it was a Paddle Wheel boat. He said he’d only played that game a few times, waved his arms and went on. There was not much room for anyone else to talk. That, for me, was a relief.

The doctor sat with a closed lip smile and only spoke when asked a question. I’m not sure what country he is from, but English, I’m sure is not his primary language. I hope I don’t fall ill with anything complicated.

My goal on this trip was to get the recipe for the incredible French Fries served at The Grill.

They have some kind of coating, just enough to give a sense of crust.

When we were on Seabourn’s Odyssey, we persisted in asking for the recipe. Everyone we asked persisted in avoiding the question. This afternoon I cornered an inscrutable Chinese serving the French Fries. Much to my disappointment he became scrutable.

“We get them frozen from a company in San Francisco.”

Tomorrow, we’ll see land for the last time this trip. We arrive in Funchal, which is an island due west of Casablanca, Morocco, about noon. The ship has a shuttle service to town, and I’m on a mission to find Pomegranate juice, something I drink every morning, but mine is still sitting in the Fridge at home. Oops.

Days so far are sunny and warm.

There has to be some sort of vaccine that can be administered to people who live more than 10 miles north of LAX. I am over 30 miles away, and making a flight on time is always a gut squeeze; my wife calls it my airport mode. I was particularly stressed as TSA was tightening security after the Yemen mess and Continental’s web page advised to arrive at the airport 3 hours early. (I’ve come to believe that the airlines have some deal with the airport vendors. “We’ll get’em here early, then it’s up to you.”)

So we left with plenty of time to spare. Oops, accident on freeway….freaking out!!!! I kept checking my cell, just to do something besides sweat.

We made it an hour and 45 minutes before flight time, but I was still hanging on to frenzied. Grab the baggage, quick goodbye, rush to check in. The area was almost empty. TSA was not busy.

Surprised, I decided to call Michael (my wife) to let her know, and to apologize for my up-tight behavior.

My cell phone was gone! I checked with security. Not there! Now, calling Michael became a necessity. I had to tell her why I couldn’t call her for the next two weeks. I haven’t used a pay phone in years, nor do I carry quarters.  Down the corridor to a vendor who couldn’t open her register just to give me change, but went into her own purse. She, thankfully, carried quarters.

My gate was next to security. They were giving me a second look. I mean, who runs towards them. Quarter in the slot, buttons pushed; her line was busy!! I took a seat close to the phones and as I did, the outgoing crew gathered nearby. While I was waiting, I decided to get a paper to read.

As I paid my favorite vendor, one of the crew members yelled,

“Geoff Edwards, your wife wants to speak to you.”

Michael had called back the number shown on her phone.

As I picked up the receiver the female First Officer said,

“Boy, she really keeps track of you.”

My cell phone had dropped between the front seat and the door. Good news it wasn’t lost; bad news, I‘ll need more quarters so I can call her from Newark

To paraphrase almost every politician, “I misspoke”. Newark airport was lovely. My gate for Lisbon was just across from my arrival gate, and right next to an oyster and seafood restaurant. Very good Manhattan clam chowder.

We left on time and the back of the plane gods blessed me with an empty row.

I stretched out and pulled the blanket over my head.

Night, night, until Portugal.

By Geoff Edwards

In six hours, I fly from LAX to Lisbon, Portugal on Continental Air. We connect in Newark for the flight to Lisbon. Let me put it this way: I hate Newark Airport! But, it is what it is.

In Lisbon I’ll board the new Seabourn ship, Sojourn, for 12 days to Ft. Lauderdale.

Nine of those days will be at sea. I’ll be traveling alone and I’m not sure there are enough solitaire games to cover the time.

Sojourn is at the top of the luxury list; out of 5 stars it gets 6+. The food is incredible (the best French Fries I’ve ever had), the crew the friendliest I’ve come across in 41 years of cruising, and the service on the all suite ship is beyond compare. So it’s not as if this will be a chore, but I have a personality that tends to shy away from strangers. If I don’t conquer that flaw, I’ll be spending a lot of time talking to myself and worse, having to listen.

I belong to Cruise Critic, and there is a trip by trip, and ship by ship roll call. People taking the same cruise connect and  have a “meet and mingle” early in the voyage. So, I do have a chance to sit at a friendly table.

And of course, you’ll be with me too, right?

OK here we go……….