• London is 'a series of villages'. Don't always walk on our main streets, turn a corner and discover a village pub, corner shop, local school – soak up the atmosphere! Great areas for village life: Chelsea, Kensington, Pimlico, Belgravia.
• My favourite 'Royal Residence' is Clarence House - you could move in tomorrow!
• My favourite garden is at Highgrove. The Prince is continually changing and reinventing his space – well worth the visit.
• Our Irish drivers sing to their guests – and there may be a few leprachauns to complete the ride!
• To pick up the latest Royal gossip, take Tea with one of our Royal experts.
• Yoga tips - for those of you who practice Yoga, ask us for the nearest classes to keep fit and healthy when you reach our shores…
• All you keen Theatre-goers - order your drinks for the interval at the Bar before you take your seats – they'll be waiting for you when the show breaks for intermission.
• For peace and quiet, and 'getting away from it all' let us plan an island retreat on Scotland's West Coast - great months are May & June, September & October.  Around the time of theSummer Solstice, you only experience two hours of darkness a night!! You'll be blown away by the fresh air and stunning views…
• Susie recently spotted George Clooney at a luxury hotel in Ascot - with his Italian girlfriend – we can't guarantee it, but our guests do report they have spotted similar celebrities and even members of the Royal Family. 

 

I admit it—I stand corrected! In my last blog post, of which I'm sure you savored every word, I gave a lukewarm endorsement of the food aboard Seabourn. Some of my less than enthusiastic feelings resulted from three dinners aboard ship—an overcooked then underdone filet mignon at the Patio Grill, a lackluster Thai dinner at the Colonnade , and a bland Indian dinner also at the Colonnade.

 

Last night we decided to eat in the Colonnade to sample their "Indian Market Buffet." Before committing to consuming our calories there, we walked the buffet to survey our choices. We opened the domed silver chafing dishes and, hoping nobody noticed, we performed the official "I can smell the spiciness and heat" test (lean towards the dish in question as if to look more closely at the contents and then quickly inhale through your nose—works every time!). Lo and behold, our noses were aroused by the fragrant, peppery aroma! We piled our plates full of delectable, and sometimes unpronounceable items and had one of the best meals ever–shipboard or otherwise! For dessert, we decided to combine India and the US as we created Coconut Ladoo (coconut balls) a la mode.

 

One other correction or, more appropriately, a clearer explanation. We liked Dubrovnik a lot and some of the guests aboard the Seabourn Odyssey took advantage of our late departure time from Dubrovnik to wait to wander through the Old City until the mega-sized cruise ships departed—-wise passengers, those were! The sun had set and the crowds had disappeared, thus creating the perfect ambiance for a memorable experience. So, consider visiting Grad either very early in the morning or very late in the afternoon to be able to thoroughly enjoy this jewel of a destination! Who knew?

Time for my opinions on cruising aboard the Seabourn Odyssey:

 

First, I want you to know that I just spent almost 2 hours composing an excellent post about cruising and, by accident, I hit the dreaded "discard" button. I thought I was discarding a photo I had added, but, NO, I discarded the whole post—grrrr!

 

Some history about me, Cruise Critic in Chief:  (while I find this interesting, feel free to skip to the bottom line—just, don't tell me!)I took my first cruise in 1958. My parents ambitiously sought to have us 3 kids (17, 15, and 10—I'm the youngest of 3) experience a vacation at sea. My memory of those 16 days was of a magical time: life aboard ship was fit for royalty, food was delicious, varied and plentiful; midnight buffets were de rigueur; people still used steamer trunks; shore excursions were intimate and led by locals who were passionate about their island; shopping reaped some valuable bargains; and exceptional service, on ship and ashore, were givens. Perhaps my memory was that of an impressionable child, yet it was also a description of cruising back in the '50's. There are many things I don't miss about those days: the ballroom dancing (actually, now it would be fun to learn some of those dances!), the many formal occasions, the prosaic march of waiters carrying flaming Baked Alaska desserts, having to leave from New York to get to the Caribbean and endure the Bermuda Triangle, and the postage stamp-sized staterooms, a lucky few of which had tiny portholes.

 

The '70's marked the decade of the Love Boat, both on TV and at sea. Service began to slip until the second to last night aboard ship. That was when you'd witness the fawning of the waiters, stewards and stewardesses, the bartenders, maitre d's, stowaways (just wanted to see if you're really reading this) jockeying for a healthy tip. The final night was like watching a ridiculous charade—passengers handing out tips in specially designated envelopes to crew members who acted "surprised" and "delighted".

 

Fast forward to the 90's and the cruise industry seeking to expand its market, as seen in the addition of: private verandahs (yes, I truly love them), rock climbing walls, basketball courts, ice skating rinks, soaring multi-story foyers, gourmet menus and occasionally the food matched the description, spending time with favorite cartoon characters or a multi-jointed Cirque du Soleil performer, ships big enough to hold you and thousands of your closest friends, the commercialization of almost all Caribbean ports (and ditto for many ports around the world), and shore excursions that became generic recitations by bored guides to throngs of people, some of whom left their manners at home.

 

The beginning of this century has seen the launch of several floating vessels that more resemble huge cities at sea—if a city looks like a humongous scaled rectangle (the scales, upon examination are verandahs). Mid-sized ships are now considered small and small ships are yachts, yada, yada, yada. Cruising seems to have morphed into an undefined era. Cruising of the 1950's is well, so 1950's…it just doesn't work anymore…the regimen, the formality. It lacked imagination in the 70's and the 90's were defined by the new physical layouts. The 2000's so far has been dominated by the family cruise vacation, a new niche of value deluxe (think Azamara and Oceania) and a return to timeless style and excellence in service (Seabourn and Regent, for example). There are a select number of cruises that focus on off-the-beaten path destinations and/or nature and animals (Lindblad Expeditions is my personal fave). And, if you don't want to buy your own yacht but want to live at sea, you can buy a condo on Residensea!

 

I've discovered on this cruise that I prefer the off-the-beaten path, exotic destinations, or nature/discovery cruises. While this cruise is very enjoyable, there is a sameness to the ports and I'm now convinced I prefer to look at animals or unusual landscapes than centuries old, historic buildings. I've also learned that I detest crowds. I loved Ephesus—hated the crowd. Today, in Dubrovnik, swarms of people crowded into Grad, the old, walled city. I liked the old city, the parts I could see, and have heard that the time to visit dubrovnik is in October. However, a friend who just returned from a Med cruise loved Dubrovnik. Maybe there were fewer cruise ships that day?

 

The bottom line (why is it called the bottom line—an accounting thing, I guess):

Seabourn is as nice and comfortable as it gets! As we approach the end of our two weeks aboard ship, I definitely want to sail on Seabourn again. However…(I just can't leave a comment alone, can I?): I'd pick a different itinerary. While we've traveled the globe and even want to travel into Space, we've never done the Greek Islands and Turkey. I'm glad we've "done it" and I wish we had cruised this part of the world 15 or 20 years ago—fewer ships, fewer crowds, and less commercialization! I expected a more romantic, intimate experience. Maybe I need to discard all those memories of the photos my parents took of their visit to this area in the 1960's! Layout of the ship is terrific and roomy, staff good and sometimes great, food is good, but would I eat there if it was a restaurant at home? Not so sure…

 

My favorite ports:

Istanbul: fun, exotic and yet modern. If you shop in China, the prices at the Grand Bazaar are not a bargain. Definitely take the Bosphorus cruise. Stay in the old city center area to avoid having to fight traffic when sightseeing.

Kusadasi/Ephesus: Splurge on a private tour here. While the shore excursion guides are adequate, the private guides can get you to Ephesus before the crowds (even if you're skimming this post, you must have sensed I HATE crowds!). Fascinating history and a definite "must experience".

Rhodes: Here it was all about the wonderful guide we had, Anthony, on the Virtuoso Voyager Club Shore Excursion. In all my years of traveling, Anthony ranks among the top 4 guides ever! (Other wows were Cape Town, Florence, and China). He was so good I didn't mind that the lunch we had was only mediocre at best (he didn't pick the place!).

Corfu: Enjoyed the Esplanade and old city. Quaint (except for the McDonalds and Starbucks), picturesque and the architecture was refreshingly different from the previous stops. Unlike the meal in Rhodes, we had an absolutely delightful lunch in the countryside (another Virtuoso Voyager Club event, of course!). I'd like to spend more time in Corfu.

Kotor: If you are on a cruise, be sure to awaken very early to enjoy the breathtaking scenery as the ship glides through the fjord into port. Lots of beautiful beaches and a list of well known movie and rock stars have enjoyed them. Go soon because Kotor is in full "tourist" attracting mode and will soon be one of those, "Oh NO! It's too crowded!" places.

Mykonos: I know, I know-touristy to the max, BUT still charming meandering narrow streets and worth at least a stroll to the windmills outside of town.

Athens: We did not tour Athens, having experienced the main sights a few years ago. If you haven't done Athens (and nobody reported any rioting as shown on our CNN International TV), the Acropolis is worth seeing (again, go early!). After sundown, consider having a cocktail or dining at the Rooftop Restaurant at the Grande Bretagne for a lovely view of the Acropolis at night.

Katakolon: Because we arrived in the afternoon, we had to forego a visit to Olympia, home to the Olympic flame and ruins of the original Olympic Games. We were hosting a Virtuoso Voyager Club Cocktail Party and we didn't want to be late to our own party. We heard people enjoyed the shore excursion.

 

Santorini: avoid Fira unless you just want to enjoy the cable car ride up and back. Sunsets are supposed to be incredible in Oia, but I smell CROWDS! Last year we heard about the breathtaking sunsets in Broome, Western Australia and I was underwhelmed there, too.

Lesbos: Sometimes I think cruise ships stop at some ports just to stop

Milos: Ditto

 

Super duper bottom line: Seabourn Odyssey YES Itinerary: It depends. Great itinerary for what it is, but you can take the girl out of Africa, but you can't take Africa off her mind.

 

Last Monday Michael and I boarded the Seabourn Odyssey in Istanbul for a 2 week cruise through Turkey, the Greek Islands, Athens, Montenegro, Croatia, and ending with 2 nights in Venice. We had spent 3 nights in jail—well, actually, the Four Seasons at Sultanahmet, which was a prison in earlier days and just prior to beginning this odyssey aboard the Odyssey, we cruised the Bosphorus for a couple of hours.

 

Our suite aboard ship is spacious by ship standards (300 sq ft plus 65 sq ft of balcony) and our bath room is large. After we unpacked Michael decided to take a shower. I was still putting my clothes away when the phone rang. "Mrs. King, hello, this is Daniece (yes, that is how she spells is), manager of Guest Relations. How are you today? Is everything satisfactory so far? Do you have a few minutes to discuss the Virtuoso Voyager Club cocktail party you and Mr. King are hosting?" Daniece was absolutely charming and quickly gave me the details about the party–food to be served, champagne and other beverages, number of servers and bartenders, and which ship's officers would attend.

 

I thanked Daniece for calling and resumed organizing my wardrobe. The phone rang again—not 5 minutes after the first call. "Hello, Mrs. King, this is Guest Relations. Is everything all right?"

 

"Yes, thank you, it is, " I replied. "You are kind to ask. Thanks for calling. Bye." I was very impressed with Seabourn's service and attentiveness. The second caller probably didn't realize I had already spoken with her boss, Daniece. Still, I mused, it was a nice gesture.

 

I no sooner had hung up the phone when the doorbell rang. I opened the door just a bit because Michael was showering and, while the bathroom door was closed, I didn't want to risk him walking out au naturel. "Mrs. King, is everything okay? We received an alarm notice."

 

"An alarm notice?" I rephrased the words as a question. "No, I didn't punch and alarm buttons. Sorry, you must have the wrong stateroom."

 

As I started to shut the door, the ship's officer asked if she could check the bathroom. I replied rather adamently, "No, not now. My husband is taking a shower and I don't want to disturb him." Closing the door, I sighed deeply. "This service thing that Seabourn is known for was getting old. Can't we have a few minutes alone?" I wondered aloud.

 

As if the walls had ears, the doorbell rang again. With not the most welcoming expression I opened the door. There stood Joani, our Room Stewardess." Mrs. King, I'm sorry to bother you. Apparently someone set off the alarm and I need to go in the bathroom and reset it."

 

"Joani, that's very kind of you; however, Mr. King is currently in the shower. Please come back later." Before closing the door, I placed the Do Not Disturb sign on the outside handle.  I hoped that the overzealous staff would read the sign and leave us in peace.

 

As I sat down to read some of the information about shore excursions, Michael stepped out of the bathroom, still drying himself off. "Well, you missed the onslaught of well-wishers," I quipped.

 

"What do you mean?" he asked.

 

I described the parade of enquiries including the nonsense about setting off an alarm. Michael's gaze shifted and he started to smile. "I may have pulled an alarm cord by accident," he admitted. We walked into the bathroom and he showed me how he was trying to adjust the shower so that it would only spray from the top and not from the handheld wand. Apparently, he couldn't figure out how to change the water flow and pressed or pulled every button, lever, and cord he could find. In tiny letters above the cord he pulled, it read, "Pull in case of emergency".

 

We both started laughing and tears came to my eyes. The sequence of events came together so clearly now. The first call was genuine and necessary. Call #2 and the 2 visits to our suite were reactions to the alarm going off. The alarm doesn't emit a sound in the stateroom so I had no idea anything had happened. I was trying to maintain privacy for my squeaky clean spouse and they were concerned I was hiding a body in the bathroom!

 

I suppose the ship's officers refrained from arresting me when they saw Michael by my side, very much alive, well, and with no bruises or signs of physical violence. Another travel story to add to our collection and I swear I have told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God!

How old were you when you found out there was no Santa Claus? Wasn't that a bummer? Be forewarned: I'm about to reveal something SHOCKING about ancient Greek statues!

 

We've all seen them, right? Torsos carved out of white marble sans head? the elegantly draped white marble woman with her gown rippling down her legs? Whether in a museum or a souvenir shop or the movie Gladiator, we have admired the craftsmanship, the artistry of the ancient Greeks. We've marveled at their ability to turn stone into statue. Nothing says antiquity as an alabaster white marble statue! We've….excuse me? Someone is trying to get my attention…Really? Are you sure? Scientifically proven? Oh my, WHO KNEW?

 

Ladies and gentlemen, excuse the interruption—it seems I stand corrected. The statues which we've admired were NOT always monochromatic. In fact, they were brightly painted, what we might call gaudy or tacky in today's world. I am currently in Rhodes on the island of Rhodes and just learned that startling fact while enjoying our exclusive Voyager Club Shore Excursion! Not believing everything I hear, I checked it out on Google and, alas, it's true! I think this may actually be more upsetting than learning that Santa Claus was really Uncle Ralph!

 

Below is an example of what we see today and what it really looked like 2000 years ago.

Who knew?

 

 

White-washed buildings with brightly clolored doors, and bold swaths of turquoise accent the cobblestone streets…welcome to one of my new faves, Mykonos! With all I've heard about the nightlife on Mykonos, I pictured a place a little too hip, slick and cool for my tastes. Au contraire! In fact, there are a few too many souvenir shops, imho. We leisurely walked through the twisty, winding streets and alleyways to the sight of a series of windmills that were, until 20 years ago, used to grind grain. We heard so many different languages being spoken and had fun guessing what they were. We finally spotted a couple of dogs (I miss our 4-legged kids and our 2-legged kids and grandkids, too!), one riding in a basket on the back of a man's scooter, which sported a Florida license plate! There are cats galore here as there were in Kusadasi, Ephesus, Lesbos and Istanbul so my friends who are cat lovers would have a ball.

 

Photos of Mykonos: https://picasaweb.google.com/travelingking1/Mykonos#

 

Tonight Michael and I host a cocktail party for all guests who arranged their cruise through a Virtuoso travel advisor, this being one of the many perks that benefit our clients! Tomorrow we'll be in Rhodes and many of the same people attending our exclusive event tonight will be treated to a private shore excursion, still another gift of their Virtuoso Travel Advisor on the Voyager Club cruise. Did you know that over 300 cruises offer these benefits? I have cruised since longer than most of you who read my blog have been alive and have been on dozens of shore excursions, most of which were fair at best; however, I can honestly say that the Voyager Club shore excursions are second to none! I'm still raving about one I enjoyed back in 1997—yes, it was that good!

 

Well, time to dress for the cocktail party! Today has been exceptionally wonderful—Seabourn and Virtuoso Voyager Club make a great team!

 

Greetings from Istanbul! We just arrived after a 9 1/2 hour flight from New York (not including the 2 1/2 hour sitting-on-the-plane delay-another story for another time!). We flew Delta's new Economy Comfort Class.

 

In February, 2011 Delta Airlines announced that it would be adding a new class of coach service on its long haul (think International) flights, Economy Comfort, their entry into the Premium Coach arena. While Premium Coach is more popular on foreign carriers, Delta decided to join its partners Air France-KLM and Alitalia, who offer similar products. So what does $80 – $160 buy you? You get 4", 4", new fabric on the headrest to denote "Economy Comfort",  preferential boarding, and a newspaper. I'll translate: we had 4 inches more legroom, 4 inches more pitch to the angle of seat recline; there were no visible stains on the newly upholostered headrests; we boarded after business class; and, we each could choose a newspaper from a selection of four.

 

Not to be indelicate, but inches matter—and 4 inches more legroom is huge. It's like the legroom we used to have in Coach years ago! The extra pitch transformed the back of the seat to something a little more bearable when trying to sleep.

 

At this point, I really want to whine about how airlines treat us like cattle unless we are willing to pay a sizable amount more for Business Class; however, that rant is old and has had no impact on the gods of airline seat design and the gods of airline money management. I still fantasize about the airline's engineer and number crucher being forced to sit in the seats they created on a long flight–but that will never be a reality. I'm sure they fly Business Class.

 

So, was the extra $$ worth it? Yes. I could almost stretch my legs and enjoyed sleeping in something other than an almost upright position. Business Class evolved when First Class pricing became inaccessable for most travelers. Is this the harbinger of yet another upgrade in service that will evolve into yet a more expensive option? Perhaps. Right now, the price is not obscene and I'll pay it….even though you'll hear me protesting that I'm paying more for what I used to get for free. I guess it's just another case of "Back to the Future."