Live from Seabourn Encore - Bali to Sydney December 2018

[Stickman1990]

 

 

One of my favourite views - so relaxing 

 

 

The Australian party - is this really what the world thinks we drink?

 

 

Chocolate and mint - two favourites 

 

 

The Restaurant

 

 

Thomas Keller

 

 

The Colonade

 

Edited December 8, 2018 by Stickman1990

[galeforce9]

We don’t like fosters either 

[ClefsDor]

Stickman, sounds like you are finding your groove on the Encore - pleased to hear the service has improved, makes such a big difference to the overall enjoyment if service is as it should be. Looking forward to more instalments!

[OceanPatter]

Stickman, thanks so much for posting the sushi/sashimi menu and photos! Can't wait, can't wait. Eating 'dead raw fish' (as a friend affectionately called it) may be the only way to minimize the inevitable weight gain.

[Stickman1990]

We’ve been to Darwin before but enjoyed a circuit on the Hop On Hop Off bus and stopped at the Museum & Art Gallery

 

The ship spends the day here and sails away around 5pm. It is hot and humid here 

 

No swimming at the beaches as there are crocodiles in the harbour. I love the Flame trees - the dominant colour is an orange or bright red

[rols]

On 12/6/2018 at 5:01 PM, Isklaar said:

\

Btw, you probably already know this but if you enjoy caviar you can order it at any time and they bring a larger portion than the appetiser size above. At least they used to - it's been nearly a year since I was on SB and fear that there may have been some changes during that time.

Fear not - that hasn't changed, they still serve a lovely portion on request. If you don't see it within 1/2 an hour, ask again, but that only happened the once! 

[NWX]

Re pillow chocolates- Robin did you forget the whole box (now a platter) of chocolates in the PH that are refreshed nightly?

[NWX]

Hi Stickman! We’re having a great time over here and enjoying mutual friends! Wish you two were here instead of there. 

Enjoy!

Edited December 9, 2018 by suzeluvscruz

[travelberlin]

I love this thread! Thanks a lot Stickman for posting. Seabourn seems to be something I would like. Do you know if they have offers for solo cruisers? 

Ivi

[almostretired]

On 12/2/2018 at 1:41 AM, ellbon said:

I  have sailed Crystal and know I have internet. It is the fact thst there is no water at gangway on either end that gets me. Specially when I walked  by Ncl  andDisney and Hal which all had water.  Plus it took me days to,find the cold towels.

 

I thought Seaborn included everything. $400 is not bad if 2 months or longer

 

for the record of peoole reading here it was the lack of water at gangway thstbshocked me on Crystral. I was told by the HD people thought it looked crowded yet the beach towels were there.

 

laundry is a sore subject with me.  I made it to the laundry room and had to go three times to wash clothes and took  them BACK wet and use the bathroom and anywhere needed to dry them. No dryer..  I thought Seaborn would offer It.

 

internet.. I get only so many minutes  per cruise on AZ  and find many free bars to use it.

i have had an AU card but it was only for 30 days.but it helped traveling. I would never pay fir internet unless the cruise had more sea days than port days.

 

So so tell us about the size of cabin abd the closet. I want to compare it to other PH,s on other ships,

 

But at least you get water..my butler was bringing more dail so I could gdt off the ship.

 

robin 

You realize that there is bottled water available on the bar at the Crystal Cove as you depart -- and that water and cold towels are available at every port where the temperatures are hot.  And there is always bottled water at the Crystal Cove bar as you return (and at there Bistro).  And bottled water is available on all ship tours when you board the bus.  .

[cookingkh]

I too always have water in my backpack. But I always seem to have a ready supply on Crystal. Seems in the South Pacific and Panama, they always had it when waiting for tenders. Our stewards knew I needed H2O. Only wish Crystal, in their conservation efforts, would give each guest a thermal water bottle to refill everywhere. Would be great.(Tauck does on its land adventures and it is great!)

[Stickman1990]

Hi everyone - after a few days of radio silence - ie no free internet included for me, I’m back so here’s a bumper update

 

I should say that friends who have taken the internet package have had no issue with the service - it seems to function reliably and reasonably fast 

 

So getting back to our voyage....

 

Sunday 9 December 

 

After getting back from our tour we had lunch at the Patio by the Pool then I retired to Seabourn Square for a snooze. Nothing on the programme this afternoon but we watched sailaway from Darwin from the forward outside on deck 11 outside the Observation bar

 

We had dinner again in The Restaurant at what is now our regular table - it is so good to have good service and service that delivers. The food we chose was good and the extras we chose including baked potatoes and vegetable such as Brussel Sprouts, Beans and Brocolli  made the meal. I am thinking of forming “the Baked Potato club” - although  not on the menu the number of friends ordering them has grown and last night my wife surprised me by ordering a whole one for herself, sadly she can’t enjoy it with butter. We enjoyed a chat with our waitress and I learnt more about Bulgaria that I’ve ever heard before - that is one of the aspects of travel I love meeting people and learning about different places and cultures. Stoyanka our waitress told us she has a South African boyfriend who works on the ship - I pondered how Bulgarian parents would find their daughter bringing home a South  African from halfway round the world and a different culture, but that shows diversity across cultures can and does work

 

We ran out of time for dessert - not that we needed it - before the show at 8.45pm. The ensemble performed again  and were ok - but just that - the show was called Inspiration and featured a modern day artist and also the artist they say inspired them. I have to say they don’t have the mix of singers and dancers right in my opinion, 4 singers and 2 dancers

 

I then went up to the Observation lounge and enjoyed listening to Vladimir on Guitar & Rachel on vocals, a lovely duo who have a good reptoire and sang my request for an Amy Winehouse number and were very good - Rachel has a great voice for those sort of soulful Jazz numbers. The Strings Trio from Australia who are performing two shows tomorrow night were there but didn’t perform - they certainly stand out as what I would describe as a very young group among shall we say a significant older set!

 

Monday 10 December

 

A nice late sleep in til 8am and then off to read the paper and enjoy a coffee in Seabourn Square while my wife sleeps a little later. We then joined friends for breakfast in the Colonade where we had the same waitress I’ve had a couple of times now. Very good service and she captures the order for poached eggs medium along with a couple of other cooked breakfast from memory

 

By the time we finish it’s time to migrate to the Pool area to play our fiercely competitive but ultra friendly “Baggo” (lobbing bean bags into a small hole several metres away) - we were again off the pace so no prizes. Then off to the Grand Salon to listen to the Astronaut Captain Scott Kelly who has spent over 500 days in space included a year long stint on the International Space Station. The salon was packed - and we stood at the rear of the room - it was well worth it - he had a great style, tremendous knowledge and great photos - his ability to tell the story and pepper it with illustrations was great. Here’s one fact he shared - Given the nearest likely habitable planet for us is 80,000 years by the fastest speed craft we currently have we had better look after our planet - as heading elsewhere is really not an option. I look forward to his Q & A session next week

 

Then we went to trivia where our team came second and had the honour of getting two questions correct that no other team even got - so double points for us for those questions. Overall we remain 4th

 

We had lunch in The Colonade which is becoming our go to during the day - I guess the equivalent of the Lido now Marketplace on Crystal. We enjoyed sitting outside although it is just a little hot and humid to be perfect. I enjoyed a special dish of garlic creamy clams as well as a few other dishes including a salmon in pastry dish which was cooked perfectly. I’ve taken a liking to an Italian Pinot Grigio which is a nice quaffing wine

 

A number of us then went to the Golf Putting competition in the Club bar and we enjoyed comporting and one of our group won and two others god second and third - I was one off the pace. I do like these little competitions that Seabourn have on Sea days - they are a great way to meet other guests and have a little fun

 

Mid afternoon finds me in Seabourn Square which I love - think of it as a giant lounge with electric recliners, great coffee, newspapers and magazines - very relaxing. I have a load of washing on and was happy to find a machine just becoming free as I arrived in the laundry room - I should go to the casino and have a bet as it must be my lucky day to find that on a sea day :-)

 

We enjoyed the 6pm pre dinner show which was Strings En Vogue - a group from Australia who played classical and crossover pieces on piano, violin and (I think) viola. It was a lovely and enjoyable show and on Tuesday they will be the main show performing a more classically focussed show 

 

We joined some friends for dinner in Thomas Keller Grill, we were lucky as it was fully booked but our friends had a booking and we tried our luck and were able to be accommodated. We all tried something different from previous visits. I enjoyed Prawns, Caesar Salad (which I ordered after having seen one of our friends have it), Steak Diane (one of the daily specials) and finished with ice cream sundae. A twist to our evening was that we had many of our dishes prepared tableside including Caesar salads, sole was deboned and then the ice cream sundaes - it’s a nice experience as it gives you a chance to chat to the wait staff

 

After dinner we caught the late show at 10pm - it was Comedian Simon McKinney from New Zealand who used his many voices and accents to poke fun at many nationalities including his own - he was very funny and was able to get the crowd laughing without resorting to foul language (which I see as usually a sign of desperation in a comedian - except for those like Billy Connolly for whom it is almost their native younger :-) )

 

Although we don’t have to get up early tomorrow with another sea day I decided to have an early night and headed off to bed 

 

Tuesday 11 December

 

We awoke around 7am and turned the TV on (which we rarely do at sea) - along with the somewhat standard Brexit news and US market panics the other big news for us was that a tropical cyclone was forming in Australia’s far north - just where we are sailing - so we look forward to the Captains update to tell us what that might mean for us

 

Very much what has become our standard sea day - eat, chat, trivia, golf and Baggo - all of which we enjoyed. There we’re record numbers at Baggo which is held around the pool - I think aided by a little bit of cloud cover which meant it was not as hot as it has been outside. After a great one man show by Ross the Cruise Director at 6pm, he really is a “keeper” and a great Seabourn ambassador and so funny, we went to Sushi restaurant and enjoyed many of our favourite dishes and came away full but as the sashimi is not heavy we were not over full. While we enjoy this restaurant - and especially the wait staff and their bubbly personalities it would be nice to have a wider selection of dishes including some hot ones such as tempura and noodles - but I guess there are limited kitchen facilities available  

 

We had a window seat and could see navigation lights on the coast - we were very close at times and after checking the navigation map back in our cabin we confirmed we had “turned the corner” to begin our trek down the East coast of Australia and passage inside the Great Barrier Reef

 

Then time for a short break before the 8.45pm show  - well that was my intention but I drifted off to sleep and missed going to the show 

 

Wednesday 12 December 

 

I awoke just after 5am and could see navigation lights off the starboard side so we are sailing close to shore

 

Today is another sea day as we head to Cairns - we are very happy to enjoy the pace and range of activities available on sea days 

 

I went for my regular coffee and newspaper read in Seabourn Square and also enjoyed a good chat with the Food & Beverage Manager who was interested in our impressions in comparison to our experience on the other line. It was nice to give (mainly) positive feedback on many aspects of F&B and noting how there were a lot of eggs in one basket with the Thomas Keller bet - good for those who are in his fan club but a little challenging for those who are not given the Grill and several other appearances of TK items in the Colonade and the Restaurant from time to time 

 

Then our sea day routine followed starting with Baggo which my wife won - she won a lovely Seabourn canvas bag which will come in handy - I finished back in the pack. I certainly acknowledge that these simple games sessions are a great way to met fellow passengers and have some fun. Everyone is very supportive of each other’s efforts and improvement in results. It is also nice to win usual and branded prizes to remember tbr experience by - we now have a healthy booty of 2 Seabourn teddies, a wallet, plug adaptor and the canvas bag along with a small collection of eye masks and cleaning cloth left in our room and a great big bag to carry it all in :-)

 

Then it was off to hear Captain Scott Kelly, the Astronaut, Q&A session at 11am - another very engaging and entertaining session and full house

 

We still remain without prizes in trivia but continue to have a lot of fun with our team competing in that. Today we finish 3rd I think and I believe we are fifth overall 

 

The Captains noon briefing made no mention of the cyclone or bad weather in Cairns so hopefully we are ok. It’s interesting cruising through the reef with occasional sandy outcrops visible from tome to time and other ships passing from time to time - I don’t recall this from our previous trip across the reef

 

After lunch which was a Thai buffet focus and a wide range of sea food (there was plenty of choice) it was time for golf putting - whilst I didn’t win overall I was the only one today to get all three balls in on one round so I won a small prize to add to our loot

 

I then stopped by Seabourn Square and put our names down for a bridge tour on Thursday - interestingly Seabourn do allow all passengers to take the tour - Crystal only extend this option to Penthouse guests - I think it will be one of those things that you only need to do once but it is great to have the option

 

We went up to craft group which had around 10 ladies and Ross the Cruise Director attending today - a very social and popular group. I checked out the food on offer and enjoyed a couple of sandwiches as I don’t eat cakes

 

It was formal night and the Restaurant had a special Chefs menu in addition to the classics - we chose from the classics menu and for mains I had the rack of lamb

 

We were finished in time to attend the show which was the Sir Tim Rice “special” show performed by the ensemble and used video clips of Sir Tim speaking about his life and work. It’s a special collaboration between Seabourn and him. I do like his work and lyrics so it was easy to enjoy the show

 

We retired relatively early after the show 

 

Thursday 13 December

 

I woke just after 6am and sat on the balcony and watched the bushy land of Far North Queensland go by - we have been sailing very close to land for 36 hours now - the sea is very smooth. We are due into Cairns at lunchtime with some tours available but we will just have a look around the city and do a tour on Friday as we are in Cairns for almost 2 days 

 

It is nice to be back on the internet and enjoying 4G speeds

[Stickman1990]

Some dishes from the Restaurant (Main Dining Room)

 

My my favourite vegetable, Brussel Sprouts - with lashings of butter 

 

 

Captain Scott Kelly’s presentation was very good - fascinating to hear about the impact of a year in space on the International Space Station

 

 

Good of to see them stocking up for us 

 

 

Afternoon tea selection

 

 

The Rack of Lamb - with mint jelly - this was one of our friends - when I had it I skipped the jelly and had a delicate mint squad which was lovely 

 

Edited December 12, 2018 by Stickman1990

[Stickman1990]

A range of dishes and tableside preparation at the Grill by Thomas Keller. The wait staff were very entertaining as they prepared Caesar salad, deboned the sole and made an icecream sundae for us 

[Stickman1990]

Ross the Cruise Director performed a pre dinner show the other evening - he is such fun and works hard to make sure everyone is having a great time and he wore a sparkly outfit 

 

The roast of Pork was very impressive at lunch time in the Colonade

 

We enjoyed our second visit to Sushi - food was lovely and the serving team a lot of fun 

Edited December 12, 2018 by Stickman1990

[Stickman1990]

 

The very talented Sir Tim Rice’s show

 

 

Captain Scott Kelly’s Q&A proved popular 

 

 

Seabourn booty - my wife is especially pleased with the Teddies 

 

 

Cruising through beautiful Far North Queensland inside the Barrier Reef

 

Edited December 12, 2018 by Stickman1990

[Stickman1990]

One can only wonder what they were thinking when they designed the Grand Salon theatre - there are several poles in the viewing lines - unbelievable in this day and age why they’d do that. Then once they fix that they can start on better sound proofing as you get sound leakage from the Club bar and dance area coming up into the Grand Salon - not great when you have a classical pianist performing...

 

 

[Thecat123]

We are on the same cruise as Stickmam

We have never paid for the internet on Seabourn

What we do is use the $400  OBC referral coupon system which gives us free internet for the cruise

[Stickman1990]

A quiet day onboard with many out and about touring in Cairns. We enjoyed a long lunch with new found friends 

 

I then enjoyed a tour of the bridge and First Officer who hosted us was excellent and happy to answer our questions 

 

I became a little obsessed with standing on the glass panels that allow you to see down to the water 🙂

 

The flags are used for some mandatory signals like bunkering and divers down 

 

It is amazing how ultimately it can all come down to a small joystick to control the ship 

 

A win for Seabourn over Crystal as this priveledge is only extended to those in Penthouses or on the full World Cruise - it was nice for any guest to be able to enjoy this 

Edited December 13, 2018 by Stickman1990

[rols]

15 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

The food we chose was good and the extras we chose including baked potatoes and vegetable such as Brussel Sprouts, Beans and Brocolli  made the meal. I am thinking of forming “the Baked Potato club” - although  not on the menu the number of friends ordering them has grown and last night my wife surprised me by ordering a whole one for herself, sadly she can’t enjoy it with butter.

 

Much enjoying your daily diary Stickman.

 

I'm interested, because I'm that kind of person, in how the kitchen handles orders for baked potatoes. We bake them occasionally, it's a fairly long process. Do they keep a few on-hand 92% baked incase they are requested? There is a quicker way of 'baking' a potato which involves one of those little boxes with a turntable,  a device I don't allow in the house but .. surely Seabourn wouldn't do that. Baked potato in the m!c0wa7e (I can't even type it) takes about 10 minutes. If you're not waiting an hour, they have some on-hand or are doing the unmentionable. 

 

If they have a rotating supply of almost baked potatoes, what else do they have back there I don't know about? I would suggest joining the galley tour and asking the hard questions, no Fox News, get some real answers. 

 

Delighted that Lady Stickman and yourself are having a good time. We also found that the service improves after a few days when you learn the people with whom you are on the same wavelength and the crew, very quickly, learns your preferences (and probably stuffs an extra potato or two in the oven). 

 

Don't forget to try the caviar. 

[MaggyCan1]

Thank you Stickman for your very interesting and informative posts re Seabourn, The  Encore and the itinerary.   I have just returned from a SB cruise in the Caribbean on the Odyssey and enjoyed it immensely.   Having been on both Encore and Ovation, I wanted to try one of the Three Sisters and see how it was.   So, I can very much agree with your assessment of the Sushi restaurant on Encore/Ovation.   I knew I would miss it on The Odyssey, and indeed I did.   Without a doubt, my favourite dining venue on board!

 

I have booked the Sydney to Bali cruise for March 2020, and am therefore most interested in your thoughts on the itinerary, so I will continue to follow your CC musings on this intently.

 

One little item I can personally clarify:   an earlier post on this topic (I can't recall by whom), mentioned the $400 onboard credit and advised that it would be $200 for solo travelers.   As a "soloist" (my terminology!), I can personally verify that the $400 onboard credit remains at $400, even for passengers like me!   

 

Another little piece of advice to the person who posted on this thread, asking about SB's dealings with solo travelers.   SB currently has a very nice special on offer.   A 25% single supplement, versus the usual 75%!!    And a decent selection of itineraries for which it applies.   It is that offer in fact that led me to book my next two SB cruises:   Montreal to Miami in 2019, and the aforementioned Sydney to Bali in 2020.    So, definitely worth looking into for anyone who travels alone.

[Stickman1990]

Rols & Maggycan

Thanks for your kind comments 

Glad you are finding it interesting

 

Maggy - we have had a good number of sea days up until now - with our arrival and overnight in Cairns we begin a series of ports including Townsville, Airlie Beach and Fraser Island so I’ll comment on them as we visit them

 

Rols - Sadly we had a Baked Potato catastrophe two nights ago in the Restaurant - three of us ordered a baked potato - sadly all of them arrived cold, I knew as soon as my butter dressing failed to melt into it. I was the only one prepared to mention it and our server quickly whipped it away (no pun intended) and bought me another one - which was alas also cold! - I didn’t bother for a third one - the moment had passed. But it gives us a clue on their prep - they were cooked as they were soft but given they were cold there was clearly a final step missed out - whether that is microwaving or some other form of quick heating I don’t know 

we will certainly try again next time we are in the Restaurant, but last night was Thomas Kelller Grill so clearly one does not get to go “off the menu” there so it was the fries for us potato lovers last night 

Edited December 13, 2018 by Stickman1990

[MightyQuinn]

Good stuff Stickman.  It seems you've settled into a comfortable pattern on Encore.  Dining ... trivia ... golf ... snoozing in the Square!  But what about cocktails?  Has SB managed to concoct a decent G&T for you yet?  I gotta say you've collected a pretty impressive collection of SB swag.  I'm most envious of the teddy bears! 

 

Did you happen to notice if Shopping with the Chef was offered in Cairns?  I scanned the Herald that you posted but couldn't find any mention. Would be good to know for our upcoming visit.  Cheers!

[Stickman1990]

Shopping with the Chef is offered for Cairns - I saw the bus waiting for those doing that tour - it was in the Herald a day or two ago

 

I’ve settled on Hendricks and Tonic (haven’t pushed for Fever Tree as it just adds a complication to the ordering process) and my wife has Bombay Sapphire - both are available in pretty much all the bars including poolside 

 

Little do the Teddies know that there fate is to be cuddly companions for our two Black Labradors - who if they take a liking to them will only snuggle them - if however they fall foul of them I think their life will be limited 

[ChansonDeLaMer]

Stockman, I just caught up with your recent posts. You do a great job of capturing the details and rhythm of your day’s onboard.  Well done!  It’s a pleasure to read.