Last night we tried out the Observation Lounge on Deck 10 right when it opened at 5:00 pm. The bar is very nice, and there were already quite a few patrons. We sat next to a lovely couple from Florida who are doing the entire 129-day World Cruise. They told us about Seabourn’s pre–world cruise package, which included a stay at the Fremont Century Plaza Hotel, dinner at Spago in Beverly Hills, and an orchestral concert at nearby Fox Studios. Very nice! There are roughly 200 passengers sailing the entire voyage. There are also about 50 solo travelers currently onboard, which is a pretty high percentage of the total passenger count.
We were pleasantly surprised when potato chips and peanuts were placed in front of us.
Princess folks—remember when Princess used to do this? 😊While at the bar, we had the pleasure of meeting the Hotel Director and enjoyed a very nice conversation. The officers are definitely very visible and are frequently seen interacting with passengers.
At 6:00 pm, we made our way down to The Club because we wanted to try their sushi. Their small sushi venue is available nightly from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.
We had several types of sashimi, all of which were quite good. We stayed for a bit, listening to the band, until it was time for dinner.At 7:30 pm, we arrived at The Restaurant and found it very busy. We were promptly seated, but in a different section than we’ve had previously. It appears they keep track of where you’ve been seated in their computer system and try to keep guests in the same sections. Our initial table was along a busy passageway and directly under what felt like a spotlight. I spotted another table nearby that was away from the traffic and had more subdued lighting. I asked if we could move, and they immediately accommodated the request. From there, we enjoyed a very nice meal accompanied by outstanding service.
After dinner, we attended the show in the Grand Salon. The entertainer, Michael Lynche, was the fourth runner-up on the ninth season of American Idol.He’s a soul and Motown singer, and he did not disappoint! He is easily one of the best vocalists we’ve heard on any of our cruises. 🎶✨This morning we were a bit slow getting up, and I was surprised to see it was almost 9 a.m.! The seas were rolling again overnight and into the morning. A quick check of my Windy app shows the rough seas should continue until we get closer to Hawaii. A poster on Cruise Critic who had recently sailed on Sojourn from Montreal to Miami commented on how rough their voyage was and wondered whether the stabilizers were deployed—or even fully functional. I may have to ask one of the officers about that today.
I made a trip to Seabourn Square to grab Debbie’s coffee. The brewed coffee there is self-serve, and Debbie said it was strong but very good. Always a win. ☕
We took our time leaving the stateroom and made it to the pool around 11:30, where we spent a very pleasant afternoon. It was a little breezy but very comfortable.
They were serving stone crab claws poolside—messy, but DELICIOUS! 🦀 The Hotel Director was serving... We also ordered Beyond Meat burgers from our loungers. For our Princess friends, the pool area here feels like an elevated version of the Sanctuary. I could definitely get used to this!
We keep finding things that we can’t help but compare to our Princess experiences. Here’s another one—not a big deal, but something that has always irked me on every Princess cruise: the stateroom doors here do not slam shut if you let them go. No hallway door slammers!!! On Princess, we’d happily pay a bonus just to be on a deck with non-slamming doors.
Well, that’s it for today. Tonight will be our first dinner at Solis, and I’m bringing along our 2001 Ornellaia. 🍷
I’ll update tonight’s dinner mañana…
