January 2018 – OurGlobalAdventure

Caviar in the Surf

On 22nd January 2018

When I first started working at Carnival UK in 2005, like many people I’d never set foot on a cruise ship before. Part of the initial training included showing new employees the marketing videos for various Carnival brands, one of which was their luxury cruise line, Seabourn. Over the years, I’ve observed the evolution of the industry, from traditional marketing methods to the rise of online booking and event ticketing platforms, transforming the way customers engage with cruise experiences.

My overarching memory from this ‘training’ is the sight of hunky waiters dressed in smart uniforms with shorts, wading through the surf on a pristine Caribbean beach, delivering champagne and caviar to happy, smiling cruise passengers. That seemed to me to be a long way from reality and a rather bizarre experience. On the other hand, it was right up my street and I vowed, there and then, that it was something I should aspire to.

Twelve years on (good things come to those who wait!) and I find myself still working for Carnival. And here we are, cruising in the Caribbean on a Seabourn ship. Fancy that. For sure, one of the must do’s has to be Caviar in the Surf!

We arrived on the rather exclusive Carambola beach on the island of St Kitts. We watched from the shore as the spectacle started with a speedboat leaving the ship (which was anchored in the bay), bouncing exuberantly over the waves, sirens blaring as it thundered towards us.

We had a front row seat/sun lounger but before long even that wasn’t enough, as we were eager to greet the arriving bounty. We strolled into the shallow turquoise waters, at which point I was slowed considerably, as my feet had to become acclimatized with the change in temperature. (Most people wouldn’t describe the Caribbean Sea as cold, but I’ve always been a bit special that way.)

The sound of Nicolas Feuillete champagne corks popping was barely to be heard over the crashing of the surf. My ears pricked up at the faint but irresistible sound, and it was enough to hasten my progress into the sea. Champagne erupted from the bottles and flowed freely into awaiting glasses (plastic glasses of course). In a rather enterprising Seabourn gesture, a couple of surf boards were used as serving platters, on top of which the caviar was being served with traditional accompaniments.

The waiters weren’t quite as hunky as the ones in my vague recollection from the video. But they were wading through the surf in their shorts and uniforms. The dream had become reality. Caviar in the Surf on Boxing Day? Yes please 🙂

How the Other Half Lives…

By Heather Hamilton

On 22nd January 2018

In Cruise

We knew that Seabourn was ‘the luxury brand’. We maybe weren’t fully au fait with exactly what that involved. In case you weren’t either, allow me to let you in on some of Seabourn’s moments…

– We must seriously stink. There can be no other reason for offering us so much soap. For in addition to the standard toiletries that you get in hotels far and wide (albeit this is top class Molton Brown stuff), we were treated to a range of soaps far beyond what you could possibly yearn for during a two week cruise. I sniffed them warily and chose the nicest smelling one, expecting the others to be removed for future offerings. Surprisingly enough, the ‘rejected’ soaps were also left in our cabin, should our preferences change over the next fortnight. Anyone for soap?

– The personal touch. On our very first morning at breakfast, we were greeted with a very friendly “Good morning Mr & Mrs Hamilton”. I responded with a brief but enthusiastic “Morning!” wondering how on earth the waitress knew who we were. Darren patiently explained this was the very same waitress who had served us the night before – I just didn’t recognize her because I didn’t remember her. Which leads me to my next point…

– Drinks included. Dangerous indeed, especially for The Hamiltons (it’s 5 o’clock somewhere…). At least this time around the bar bill won’t cost more than the cruise. Seriously though, the champagne is flowing, we’re running out of new cocktail options to try, and the acceptable time of day to start drinking seems to get earlier by the day. These guys take their cocktail mixing seriously too, some damn good cocktails.

– Red carpet treatment. Not just caviar and champagne wherever and whenever you want it, but a real red carpet. Rolled out for special events on the top deck, the Christmas day brunch, and even along the pier when you step ashore. They know how to make you feel like a film star! The smartly dressed waiters also had the ability to magically appear from nowhere as you were leaving the buffet, in order to… wait for it… carry your plate to the dining table for you. I really am not quite sure how I’ll cope back in the normal world!

– The food. Best food we’ve had on a cruise ship full stop. Mouthwatering juicy burgers grilled to order on deck (great for hangovers, along with that Bloody Mary!); fresh fish delicately complemented by fresh herbs (or deep fried in a light crispy beer batter with a nod to the Brits); an amazing beach bar-b-q with grilled lobster, oozing with butter and lemon juice; extravagant multi-course banquets for formal nights; an epicurean evening where they set up canapé stalls on deck, served by officers and crew; caviar coming out of your ears; oh, and tiny pain au chocolat and other pastries with coffee (if you need something to ‘put you on’ between meals). And then they throw in Thomas Keller – he of the French Laundry fame.

And would you believe it. Somehow, we seem to barely have a picture of any food we had onboard whatsoever?!? So here instead, is a picture of the yummy coconut custard tarts we made during our cookery day on St Lucia.

Christmas in the Caribbean

By Heather Hamilton

On 22nd January 2018

In Cruise

First of all, you have to suspend any traditional images of a white Christmas, snuggling up in front of a log fire while all around you excited children are opening presents. Christmas in the Caribbean defies all these traditions. No snow, no need for heating, and not many kids on a Seabourn ship. That being said, there was no shortage of festive cheer. They did a fantastic job onboard to make it feel special, both for Christmas and New Year, and the party atmosphere was a-kicking.

The ship was packed with oversized gingerbread houses – building the anticipation with a Christmas countdown in the ‘snow’, and tastefully decorated Christmas trees.

Christmas Eve brought not only a sing-along-a Christmas songs with the elves on the top deck but also a passenger tree decorating sesh. Many people also decorated their cabin doors. Some more than others…

Christmas Day was a sea day, with a special brunch held in the galley, a nice touch that enabled the passengers to see a little behind the scenes action.

After stuffing our faces, we found another way to make it seem more Christmassy. We set the temperature in our cabin down as low as it would go (yes really!), snuggled up under the duvet to watch The Best Ever Christmas movie (Love Actually), ordered room service Baileys, and tucked into our chocolate Santas 🙂

Operation Mouse

By Heather Hamilton

On 5th January 2018

In Basecamp

It was 2:30 in the morning when I first felt it. Something tickled my hand. I peered over at Darren in the darkness, wondering if he was feeling amorous. But no, dead to the world. I put it down to my creative imagination and dozed off.

Half an hour later something nuzzled into my hair and ran over my head. This time I was surely not mistaken. I sat bolt upright and announced to Darren: “We’ve got company!” Groggy from sleep, he stirred slowly and asked how sure I was. “Well… given that it’s got me twice now, pretty damn sure.” The only thing I wasn’t sure about was whether it was a small desert mouse or a large hairy spider.

Darren leapt into action and armed with a torch, he started poking around the deepest darkest corners of the Basecamp. There, under the bed, sat a cute iccle mouse, blinking innocently back up at him in the torchlight. Well it’s one thing to be sat around like butter wouldn’t melt, it’s something else if it takes a liking to chewing through wires. Not to mention that I didn’t relish the thought of it dancing on top of me as I slept.

And so began Operation Get the Mouse Out of the Basecamp.

Darren’s strategy: open the main Basecamp door and coax the mouse out. “Anything I can do to help?” I offered supportively. “Yes – open the door and tie it back”. I paused and thought about that for a moment. That would mean going outside into the freezing night, not a terribly attractive prospect. I snuggled further under the covers. “Erm, I meant anything I can do to help from here?” Darren muttered something under his breath and opened the door.

There was some scuffling, much crawling on all fours, and some darting around in true Tom and Jerry style. I’m pretty sure the mouse didn’t walk out the door, but it was nowhere to be seen. We were getting tired of the drawn out game of hide and seek, and concluded it must have gone out the same way it had got in.

No sign of him the next day either. Regardless, the morning was spent googling how to get rid of mice from an RV!

We unfortunately didn’t get a picture of our little furry friend. So here’s some pictures instead of a very photogenic Alabama Hills. Nestled in the foothills of the Sierras and basking in the shade of Mount Whitney, this is classic Western country. In recognition of that, the main road through Alabama Hills is called Movie Flat Road.