Maybe I’m biased but there’s just so much to love about Seabourn :-). Then go and plonk Seabourn in Alaska and you’ve got yourself a winning combination.

⁃ There were some things about our Alaska cruise that didn’t live up to ‘expectations’. Like the weather. So Day 1 and there in your cabin is a brand new jacket. A proper hardcore windproof, waterproof, fleece lined jacket. Fit for Alaska and proudly bearing the Seabourn logo. And unlike the fluffy bathrobe, which makes it clear it is there for your use during the cruise, the jacket is yours to keep. Shame then, that the weather didn’t play ball, as I became as attached to that jacket as I am to my woolly hat. But oh no, instead of the icy wind and the battering rain that me and my jacket were ready for in Alaska, we had glorious sunshine and blue skies. What is all that about?

One of the few opportunities we got to wear the Seabourn jacket, right when we first got onboard

⁃ The weather also shattered my illusions of sipping hot bouillon on deck, or snuggling up with a hot chocolate after returning from a chilly kayak trip. Instead it was more fitting to have a baileys with ice, a chilled shot of vodka or a cold beer. We coped.

⁃ Speaking of beer, Darren soon made his love of craft beer known onboard. Not that we are spoilt but by day 2, the minibar in our suite was topped up with all five of the Alaska Brewing beers available onboard. A few days later there was a tap at our suite door, accompanied by a “special delivery for Mr Hamilton”. This time a six pack of Icy Bay IPA. Happy husband, happy life (or something like that).

We even had beer with the caviar

⁃ Meanwhile, I was trying to avoid drowning in champagne. There’s something about champagne that it seems only right to drink it in the hot tub. Or maybe there’s something about the hot tub that makes it the done thing to drink champagne. Either way, champagne + hot tub on deck, relaxing in the bubbles with the bubbles, as you cruise through the Inside Passage: priceless.

We liked to think of this area at the front of the ship as our own personal hot tub 🙂

⁃ Whilst I tend to over-index on the alcohol, I cannot say enough good things about the food on Seabourn. One of our favorite dining experiences was the outdoor patio grill that they turned into Earth & Ocean in the evening. They did a great take on fresh vs slow-cooked. Like freshly caught local rockfish, simply prepared and seasoned with lemon, garlic and herbs vs 72 hour braised bone-in short rib. Can’t possibly choose? Best to go all in and share. Followed by baked Camembert, oozing with deliciousness. Hang on a minute, dining outdoors gives me that long awaited opportunity to wear my Seabourn jacket 🙂

Of course, I somehow managed to not get any good pics of Earth & Ocean, but this was a special galley market lunch in the dining room onboard

Beautiful table settings

The outdoor seating at The Colonnade. Orange blankets available if you haven’t got your Seabourn jacket handy

⁃ In between all the hiking, biking and kayaking, believe it or not there was actually some downtime. One of our favorite places to hang out was on our own balcony. Cue kindle, iPad or guide book and depending on the time of day, cheeky pastries, champagne & caviar, or beers while planning the next day’s activities.

Our ‘go to’ breakfast, smoked salmon

⁃ The Seabourn Sojourn Dog. What is his story, I have no idea. A silver daschund (btw not a real dog) that hangs out on the ship. Like a mischievous pixie, he moves only when no one is watching, and then the next day he turns up somewhere else. I did a double take when I spotted one of my favorite pastries in his dog bowl (especially as they had run out of these in the passenger area). Bad dog!

⁃ Our trip coincided with the 4th of July, better known to our friends in the US as Independence Day. This is traditionally celebrated very much in line with Bonfire Night in the UK, i.e. with fireworks. There were some forlorn faces earlier in the day, as the passengers gradually realized that fireworks on a cruise ship were not a thing. Umm, bit of a fire hazard come to think of it! But there was a buzz of anticipation building during the afternoon as the rumor mill started that there would be fireworks after all. The Captain’s announcement over the tannoy finally put the rumors to bed as he announced he was diverting the ship to pass by Ketchikan in order to gatecrash their fireworks display. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. His timing was perfect as we cruised slowly along the shoreline, the firework explosions illuminating the skyline, the reflections lighting up the water. When the final burst was done, after a moment of respectful silence, we tooted our thanks with a deep sounding of the ship’s whistle, and continued gliding our way through the dark night.

⁃ On the last evening, all the passengers were encouraged to gather for the big event: an epicurean evening to showcase some amazing food and drink, recognize the ship’s crew, and watch a video. Not just any old video but a video of our cruise, including footage of only the most cool excursions (not surprisingly, our bear trip punched above its weight). When we returned to our stateroom, there on the bed was a USB stick in a Seabourn presentation box, containing the video. Nice touch!

⁃ There’s something about the whole being better than the sum of the parts. I can only give you small touches, things that stood out to us and things that we’ll remember. But if you ever get a chance to do Alaska on Seabourn – I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Cheers!

Nice to wake up to a different view every morning

What a lovely surprise and warm welcome

Sailaway from Vancouver

A stormier day in Alert Bay, BC

Beautiful sunsets, fond memories…

Until next time…

We’ve had some good bear sightings over the years. One in particular that stands out (maybe just a little too close for comfort!) was in the Grand Tetons just last year Grand Tetons: In Search of Bears. But for me, wildlife watching is a passion, and you can’t get too much of a good thing.

We’d pre-booked a bear viewing trip from the ship which specifically mentioned the salmon run. I was starting to get worried this would be a huge let down as the salmon run notoriously doesn’t start until August. And our trip was early July. So when I got the opportunity for an extra bear trip to the Olympic Park in Whistler, I jumped at the chance.

In an off-road Jeep, we toured the back roads through the park and after sufficient time of not seeing any signs of wildlife to build up the anticipation, we were rewarded with a bear. Not that I’m being fussy but this bear was not in a picturesque spot. We were in a huge parkland area with gorgeous scenery, interspersed with Olympic memorabilia. And this bear hung out by some very unattractive buildings, sooo intent on eating it would barely lift its head for a photo. Cue some challenging photo attempts.

A few other sightings followed but the photos didn’t get much better.

Almost a Heather and the bear selfie

Why did the bear cross the road…? I think to hide from us!

OK now, time to go home!

Kind of ironic that Darren had some better sightings (maybe even photos!) while he was mountain biking.

Our bear trip from the ship was something else however. Like an episode of Planet Earth. In fact, I think the BBC may have filmed the salmon run here (and if they didn’t, they missed a trick). Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Our trip started with a jet boat ride from Wrangell, Alaska (kind of in the middle of nowhere) to Anan Lagoon in the heart of the Tongass National forest (even more in the middle of nowhere). Far from being just a means to an end, the jet boat ride was an experience in itself. In between bouts of bouncing, jolting and jerking across the water, we stopped to take in some interesting sights along the way. An eagle’s nest high up in a Sitka Spruce tree, harbour seals gracefully swimming and diving yet reluctant to haul themselves out onto the rocks (too hot, methinks – yes, yet another unseasonably hot day in Alaska).

And then there was the dead whale. A grey whale washed up on a beach, about 3 weeks into its decay cycle, a very proud and protective bald eagle perched atop what used to be the whale’s head, looking like he didn’t want to share.

Mine all mine

As we continued our bumpy jaunt in the jet boat, our driver saw some tell-tale porpoise splashes in the distance, and with lightning reaction – like a dog that’s seen a squirrel, she veered hard left and floored it towards them. Turns out Dall’s porpoise are attracted to fast moving boats, and between them and us, we maneuvered into position. With a “woohoo, I love me some Dall bow-riding” from our driver, we were soon enjoying an acrobatic display from a dozen or so porpoise flanking the boat, as they danced and leapt out of the water alongside us.

After all that excitement, it seemed very peaceful as we arrived at Anan Lagoon. We were escorted by a guide with a big bad ass gun. He advised us sagely “it shouldn’t come to that”. (In other words, pay attention, listen to my instructions and don’t wander off.) And so we stayed in a close group, talking loudly as we tramped over the half mile boardwalk through the dense forest of cedar, spruce and hemlock.

As we arrived at the observation area, built by the US Forest Service to allow bear viewing in relative safety, we realized the fenced area was but a symbol to the bears. A token gesture to indicate a barrier over which the bears should not cross (and vice versa).

In addition to the observation platform, there was a photo blind – a camouflaged covered area right by the creek where you could practically come face to snout with a bear. This was where we spotted our first black bear.

He appeared from nowhere out of thick brush on the steep riverbank, eyes only for the river. A juvenile male with quite honestly not too much of a clue about fishing. He waded into the creek with a swagger, surveying the bounty of salmon before him. “Look at me!” And then he splashed around ineffectually. He leapt and he pounced – persistent yet futile. While there was no eye contact with the bear, I’ve gotta think he knew he was being watched. “Aw man, need to step up my game, this is getting kinda embarrassing”. And with a last forlorn glance in our direction, he pounced again – only this time he struck gold. Or technically pink. Salmon anyway. The fish was doing a bit of wriggling but the bear held fast, his sharp teeth clamped (“Don’t mess it up now!”). And with that, off he scampered to a nearby cave at the side of the waterfall.

No shortage of salmon

Check me out, I’m gonna catch me some fish

Give me a minute, it’s not as easy as it looks

Gotcha!

Easy does it

Show’s over, move along

He was just the first of many black bears we saw that day. We spent the best part of three hours at the creek and the time just flew by. Another highlight was a mother trying to show her cub how to catch salmon. He was paying about as much attention as that other guy probably did when he was younger.

And there were times we didn’t know which way to look – bear exits stage left, eagle swoops in low, bear appears stage right. Repeat.

Bear being photobombed by an eagle

Eagles rule

And remember that tiny wooden fence between us and the bears that wouldn’t even stop a teddy bear, never mind a real live bear. Well we kept our end of the bargain, and luckily the bears kept theirs. Just.

I’d like to say this is how Seabourn Does Bears. But let’s face it, the bears do their own thing. You pay your money and you take your chance. But when the salmon are there for the taking, seems like every day is the Teddy Bear’s picnic day. If you go down to the woods today…

You can’t do southeast Alaska without including some heavy hitters like Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. Unlike the smaller ports, we were no longer the only cruise ship in town – and surrounded by 3 or 4 other cruise ships, there could be up to 15,000 passengers flooding into the area. The best option then for keeping it real is to go a bit further than the t-shirt and nik-nak shops. Or in our case, a lot further.

5!!! Ships in town. Seabourn Sojourn is on the far right.

SITKA

Darren had a hike in mind, so after walking through the town to get to the trailhead, we set off up the Gavan Hill trail. It was a heavily forested trail which included a number of boardwalk sections, which soon turned into wooden steps. Which turned into steeper wooden steps and steeper still, until we were practically climbing this damn hill up wooden ladders.

At around 75 degrees, we had chosen the hottest day of the year so far in Alaska to do this walk. Apparently only 2 degrees cooler than in Hawaii! And for us being acclimatized to SoCal weather, it was the super high humidity that was the killer. We passed a sign telling us it was 1 mile to the first viewpoint. As I wiped the sweat from my eyes for the umpteenth time, hauling my feet up yet another wooden step, it felt like going a mile directly upwards.

Eventually we reached the viewpoint, which meant a view down to the ship (yay!). We also lost most other hikers at this point – for them, this was a full on hike they could brag about to their fellow passengers over dinner. For us… onward and upward.

I spy a Seabourn Sojourn

The going didn’t get any easier. In fact, in whose definition was this a ‘hill’ rather than a ‘mountain’? I swear I’ve been up easier mountains. (Side note, I googled it. If you type in ‘hill vs mountain’, the very first definition listed, courtesy of the National Geographic Society, is this: “Hills are easier to climb than mountains. They are less steep and not as high.” Well NGS, I do not concur. I would bet a small fortune that the person who wrote that has not been up Gavan Hill.)

But oh, was it worth it when our 3 hours of climbing and clambering through the trees brought us out into the open onto a ridge line with views to die for. Look right to see back down to the sea with its pretty little islands and inlets and teeny tiny ships. Look left over to grand mountain ranges, barely sporting the last of their winter snow. Not only that but a welcome breeze – bliss!

We hadn’t figured on this walk taking quite so long, and we had a brewery to fit in before getting back to the ship, so couldn’t hang around for too long. The way down was arduously tough on the knees, and my calves and quads were beyond broken for days after. All in, we did around 10 miles and over 3,000 feet of elevation gain (which was pretty much all in 3 miles).

As you might guess, the beer at Baranoff Island Brewing was very welcome and refreshing! We were cutting it fine though, so even Darren could only squeeze one beer in. We were indeed the last passengers back to the last tender (and therefore the last people to get back onboard before the ship left Sitka), but we thought we judged it perfectly – in fact with 4 whole minutes to spare, Darren was wondering if he should have had another beer after all.

KETCHIKAN

Our day in Ketchikan was kinda similar to Sitka. Hike and brewery.

The Hike: slightly less humid; less boardwalk & steps and more rock, shale & tree roots; more flies (Do not get me started on the flies – big nasty black things that circled my head relentlessly causing me at one point to throw my arms in the air, hands flailing wildly, and yell at full volume “What do you want from me?”. Darren gave me ‘a look’.) Similar distance and elevation gain to Sitka; awesome views; oh and the important difference here is that we get to call this one a mountain!!! Deer Mountain to be precise (although we didn’t see hide nor hair of a deer).

The Brewery: We very nearly missed out on Bawden brewing. They take a relaxed attitude to opening and closing times here, and given that custom had dried up for the day, they were about to shut up shop just as we rocked up. Our desperate eyes and lolling tongues suitably communicated our thirst, and they obliged by staying open to serve us a beer.

We were not in danger of missing the ship this time, but again we couldn’t hang around for fear of missing out on curry night (or as they refer to it on Seabourn – the Grand Indian Buffet). Beer and curry after a hike like that, yes please.

As usual, I forgot to take any pics of the curries… but here’s a little selection of Indian desserts we tried

JUNEAU

Sometimes you need to give your legs a break from all that hiking lark. Use some different muscles at least. Straight to the bike rental shop in Juneau then for a couple of road bikes.

A network of bike lanes, quiet back roads, and bike paths led us up to Mendenhall Glacier. The air was hazy from a number of huge forest fires that were burning in central Alaska and BC (the closest of which was still 250 miles away). So without the sun burning through it was a cool day to start off with – and as we approached the glacier it got noticeably colder. Like when the fridge door is open and you can feel the chill – wait no, more like the freezer door.

We locked up our bikes while we went for a walk to get a better view of the glacier and Nugget Falls. Because we were cycling, we only had very limited stuff with us, so no woolly hat or cap. I kept my bike helmet on instead during the walk for warmth. Darren walked a few paces behind in an attempt to disown me.

Nugget Falls with Mendenhall Glacier in the background

A bike ride isn’t complete without a brewery. Good old Alaskan Brewing is a few miles out of town, so the bikes came in very handy for getting there. We shared a flight of taster size beers. Their Pilot Series Imperial Oatmeal Stout stole the show, better than any of the beers we’d had at the smaller breweries.

A ferocious headwind cut the bike ride short to 30 miles. I wasn’t complaining (well, maybe a bit about the weather and my bike, but not about finishing early). As we had a full day with a late sail from Juneau, this meant there was still time to hit up a couple of other breweries in town. We rounded off our Bike & Brews day at Devil’s Club and Barnaby Brewing. And bonus, we were able to get an Alaska Brewing tin tacker for our little garden display back home 🙂

Beyond the champagne and caviar, one of the differentiators for Seabourn is the Ventures program, which consists of highly credentialed knowledgeable guides leading zodiac trips (i.e. on rigid inflatable speedboats) and kayak trips. Right from the ship. So you don’t need to go to ports with a big tour infrastructure, the ship just hangs out in a particularly scenic area, they bring out the boats, and off you go.

Our first pre-booked kayak trip was not until 4 days into the cruise, around the Inian Islands. As soon as we were onboard, we knew we couldn’t wait that long. We were chomping at the bit to get into those kayaks and out onto the water, so we booked an extra trip in the Misty Fjords wilderness area.

Misty Fjords

It was such a gorgeous sunny day, the mist that gives the Misty Fjords their name wasn’t really happening. When some mist and fog swirled in later, I was actually quite glad to see it (fickle, I know!).

A very sunny day in Misty Fjords, courtesy of our ship’s photographer and his drone (gives you a far better idea than any of my shots)

And the Misty Fjords looking misty and mysterious later in the day

This being a trip from a cruise ship where creature comforts are upmost, and liability being what it is in the US, all kayakers are required to wear drysuits. Impossible to look good in neck to toe orange, but it makes you feel the part. After an initial safety briefing and paddle technique overview (paddle goes in at the feet, out at the seat), we were ushered into the zodiac. So we got a little speedboat ride in too 🙂

The zodiac towed the kayaks behind us to a sheltered area from which we could maneuver from the zodiac into the 2 person sea kayaks. I pitched this somewhere between ‘could be entertaining’ to ‘surely a recipe for disaster’. But it was surprisingly straightforward and no one fell in. Not even me.

The water was deep dark and glassy, like paddling over a mirror at times. The granite rock towered above us (and below us, the reflections being what they were). Some of it was heavily forested while other areas formed sheer near-vertical cliffs – according to John Muir, the Yosemite of Alaska. With just the gentle plink of the paddle entering the water, it was incredibly peaceful and the vast surrounding wilderness reminded us of just how small and insignificant we are. And then we were brought back to our senses by a nearby splash, as an inquisitive seal popped up near our kayak. He stared at us and sniffed with his nose in the air, probably wondering what sort of banana yellow and orange creature we were. Plenty of other seals followed suit and we also spotted a mink running along the shoreline. Quite happy we managed to sneak a cheeky extra kayak trip in.

So beautiful, like drifting over glass

Look harder, there’s at least 3 seals in this pic!

Inian Islands

The Inian Islands lie perched near the entrance to Glacier Bay, where the Inside Passage meets the Gulf of Alaska. The intersection of these chilly waters gives rise to ideal conditions for marine life, including (bring it on…) whales.

Once again, the anticipation was building as we watched the zodiacs being lowered from the aft deck of the Seabourn Sojourn.

A sliver of low mist clung to the water, such a great sight as we boarded the zodiac and left the ship. Right on cue, there in the distance was a humpback whale arching gracefully through the water, showing off his tail fluke as he dived deeper in search of food. By the time we got to the kayaks, the ship itself was shrouded in cloud, just a tell-tale silhouette belying its existence. Magical.

Can’t take credit for this awesome pic, this is courtesy of our guide – but we’re in it, over on the right

The paddling was a different experience from the Misty Fjords. Slightly more exertion required as this was more open water, although nowhere near approaching the near death experience of some of Darren’s previous personalized tours. We were still relishing the surreal and serene atmosphere from the mist when we heard a loud crashing noise. Turns out it was a humpback whale tail slapping the water – too far away for us to see but the echo had carried a few miles, booming out across the water loud and clear at sea level.

When we paddled into shallower waters, we spottted a sea otter, chilling out on his back, minding his own business. A shy creature, he didn’t hang around for long to check us out – or for us to check him out.

No more whale experiences in the kayak, but in the zodiac on the way back, we saw a number of birds circling up ahead. This can sometimes be a sign of a whale feeding below, so we detoured to get closer. Sure enough, out pops a humpback, giving us a great close up show.

We were due back at the ship, the officers onboard radioing us patiently but persistently for an ETA. You’ve gotta give the Ventures team their due – if there’s a whale hanging out right by your boat, you’re not about to up and leave until you’ve had one last sighting. #static crackle… “sorry what was that, you’re breaking up”. He he 😉

So we eked out our last whale experience… up he popped, and as he deep dived, he gave us a wave goodbye with his tail. #static crackle… “sorry, lost you there for a minute. On our way back, ETA 5 minutes. Over.”

If you think of Southeast Alaska, what images spring to mind? For me, Alaska is intrinsically linked to ice and snow, and one of the iconic images I think of is a ship surrounded by floes of ice, in front of a majestic glacier. I was very excited at the thought of us being that ship. Even better, replace that ship with a kayak or a zodiac. Now you’re talking!

It was early morning as we cruised down Endicott Arm, a 30 mile fjord lying on the southern edge of the Fords Terror wilderness. I drew back the curtains in our suite, blinking into the light, and did a double take when I saw ice floating past the window. Time to get down to the aft deck and into that dry suit, this time with a few more layers underneath.

The Kayak Experience

As we left the ship, for the first time we saw the impressive Dawes glacier at the head of the U shaped valley (fact of the day – apparently glaciers form U shapes in the landscape and rivers carve out V shapes). We also saw a Royal Caribbean ship not too far from us, but what was that monstrosity on the top deck? Turned out to be the ‘North Star’: an observation pod at the end of a huge crane-like contraption that takes passengers 300 feet above sea level and out over the side of the ship. Imagine the queues for that. Actually, you can keep your North Star – I’m good with a more up close and personal experience in a kayak.

We transferred from the zodiac into our kayak without incident, and paddled up towards the glacier. As we hit small patches of ice, we tried to dance delicately around them. Not always possible, and I winced at the crunching and scraping under the belly of the kayak as we bumped slowly through a sea of ice. Luckily it would take more than that to gouge a hole in a plastic kayak. There would be no Titanic moments here, not today thank you.

As we approached the 1/4 mile safety perimeter beyond which it was deemed too close to go any further towards the face, the wind chill coming off the glacier intensified. Not only that but as this is a tidewater glacier, the current at this distance intensified too. We had our work cut out paddling just to stay in the same place, as the current was constantly pushing us back.

Going nowhere fast

There was one iceberg floating around that dwarfed all the others. Relatively close to the face, it must have calved not long before we arrived. At a respectful distance, we circled the berg. Awe inspiring to gaze up at it from sea level in a kayak, and almost too vivid blue to be real. There’s nothing like kayaking amongst icebergs and glaciers to put you in your place.

Living the dream!!

The Zodiac Experience

With such breathtaking sightseeing opportunities on this cruise, we didn’t want to feel like we’d missed out on anything, and in an earlier fit of panic, we’d booked a zodiac trip later the same day as the Endicott Arm kayaking trip. By this time, we were both thinking we’d had such an amazing experience kayaking that it couldn’t be topped, so we didn’t really need to do another trip. But by this time, it was also too late to cancel.

No drysuits needed for the zodiac trip, instead we layered up and donned our sturdy weatherproof Seabourn parkas.

There were only 5 of us in our zodiac, plus the Ventures guide/driver, Eric, which made for a very interactive and conversational trip. It wasn’t like a guide giving a lecture, I would pitch it somewhere between a Show and Tell with someone keen to give you a well-rounded experience, and a chat with a friend who is far more knowledgeable than you.

First and foremost, in just a few hours the landscape had changed. That big blue iceberg the size of a 3 storey house had broken up into maybe 2 or 3 ‘smaller’ icebergs – but still the biggest around by far. Actually, that’s similar to the state of Alaska – if you broke Alaska into 2 states, it would still be the biggest AND the second biggest of all the US states.

The Dawes Glacier is incredibly active right now. We’d seen, and heard, much calving on our morning trip. But it’s actually quite difficult to see the cracking and calving action in full, because by the time you hear it, it’s already happened and you just see chunks of ice falling into the water. With his sixth sense (or maybe experience), Eric told us to watch a particular spot on the face of the glacier, as he’d noticed some action going on there. Sure enough, not even 5 minutes later, the shelf of ice we’d been keeping an eye on cracked and plummeted into the water, followed by the telltale explosive calving sound. Kudos indeed.

It’s difficult to appreciate the scale of a glacier when everything around you is also so massive. But we got a small sense of proportion when we realized how long it took for the wave from the ice calving to reach our zodiac. As we learned more about the glacier, the geology of the valley we were in, and the flow of water underneath us (all the time with the backdrop of rocks and ice smashing and splashing loudly), the newly formed ice floes were slowly drifting towards us. We leaned over the inflatable sides of the boat and listened carefully to the fizzing and hissing as the ice relaxed and released its compressed air. Like the snap, crackle and pop of a rather large bowl of Rice Krispies. This air had been entrapped as falling snow became densely compacted into glacial ice, so we were now breathing in 300 year old air.

Eric was all into making memories, not just momentos. Photos will remind us of how things looked but he wanted us to use all our senses. At that, he donned some industrial rubber gloves, reached over and scooped a mini iceberg from the water. Passed it around so we could get a feel for it (whoah, it was heavy for its size – and super cold). It was crystal clear and glassy, like one of those uber cool ice cubes you get in a posh bar. Really smooth to the touch, all except for one edge that was rough and white, rather than clear. Turns out that was the 10% or so that had been stuck out of the water and had started to react to the air. I have to say I was skeptical, but when he released it back into the water, it all but disappeared, literally just a tiny insignificant ice floe left hovering above the waterline. There is no bettter way of making this real. Gobsmacked.

Check out those gloves

Yeah, we all got a go. Hurry up, it’s freezing cold!

Much larger icebergs still have the same 90% underwater – from above you see just a glimpse of what lies in the depths

To say we’re glad we did the zodiac trip after all is an understatement. All that remained was to see some seals doing yoga on the ice floes on our way back to the ship. Which we did.

There are certain advantages to working for a cruise company. Like holding a series of offsite work meetings on a ship in the Caribbean in February, just when the rest of the US is going through a Big Freeze.

After barely a glimpse of land for the first few days, we escaped for a lunchtime breath of fresh air in Grand Turk. Nothing like a stroll along the beach under the warm winter sun to re-energize you for the afternoon.

After four days of hard labor, there was a treat before returning home: a shore excursion in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. First up, a trip to Dolphin Cove with an opportunity to swim with dolphins.

The Dolphin Cove lagoon where all the action took place

A belly ride on Yaku

The best bit – being propelled through the water by dolphin power!

Giving Yaku a tickle

We rounded off the afternoon with a visit to the beautiful Dunn’s River Falls.

A nice waterfall to chill out with a beer

And then this happened…

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 🙂

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 🙂