Join Pete and Judy on their first Seabourn Cruise to Antarctica

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Nov 19th - Lima, Peru

Seabourn Quest - Patagonia & Antarctica Exploration

Today is the first day of our first Seabourn Cruise. This will be the 31 Day Patagonia/Antarctica adventure. Antarctica has been one of our dream destinations for some time and we have researched the various options available. The first decision to make is whether to go on a ship that offers landings on the continent or sails near the continent. Ships carrying more than 500 passengers may not send passengers ashore. This rules out the mass market cruise lines who only offer sailings that go near the continent. 

 

We found that Quark and some of the other expedition lines offered more landings per day, but also more austere accommodations. We chose the Seabourn Quest since they offered their luxury experience along with Antarctica landings and the price was competitive when we booked one of the early season sailings.

 

We left San Diego on 13 November and spent 6 days pre-cruise visiting Machu Picchu. I will write about that experience later, but I want to focus now on the cruise portion which started on 19 November.

 

Leaving San Diego and Arrival in Lima

Our driver picked us up at 4:30 AM for our 6:15 AM Delta Flight to Atlanta which would connect to another Delta flight non-stop to Lima, scheduled to arrive a little after midnight.

My sister, Cindy, and her husband, Brad, will be joining us on this adventure.

 

Machu Picchu Pre-Cruise adventure

For those considering a pre-cruise trip to Machu Picchu, we learned that the Lima Airport Hotel, (Costa del Sol Wyndham Lima Aeropuerto ) would store our bags for the 5 days we would be visiting Machu Picchu and Cusco. The trains to Machu Picchu and the Flights to Cusco restrict baggage to basically a carry on - so it is best to travel light and store your bags in Lima. The Lima airport also offers a luggage storage service called Left Luggage

 

Peru Immigration and Customs

While researching the procedures for Peruvian Customs I came across a Peruvian customs declaration form HERE. This lists a variety of electronic equipment and limits the quantity that you are permitted to bring into Peru duty free. As it turns out, we were never required to fill out this form or an Immigration form. Clearing Customs and Immigration on our arrival was quick and easy. After we claimed our luggage we had to send them thru large X-ray machines, but we didn’t see anyone get asked any questions while we were in the X-ray line.

 

Transfer from the Airport to the Callao Cruise Port

The Seabourn Quest would be moored in the Callao Cruise Port. Vehicle access to the ship is limited to companies that have special permits and their vehicles must have a rotating beacon type light on their dashboard. This eliminates most taxis that are available in the taxi stand. I recommend arranging your transfer in advance with a company that has port access. Otherwise, you will be dropped of at the port gate and must transfer to the ship using the shuttle bus that runs from the gate to the ship.

 

Our tour company arranged for a small bus – 20 seats – to take the four of us and our baggage to the ship. The ride to the ship took about 20 minutes and another 5 minutes or so to clear security at the port gate. We arrived at the Seabourn Quest gangway a few minutes later.

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Arrival at the Seabourn Quest

Four or five smiling crew-members greeted us at the bottom of the gangway while dockworkers in orange vests gathered our luggage. We were expecting to have to show some sort of paper work before we boarded the ship, but we were simply waved aboard. Once we boarded the ship, we passed thru a standard metal detector and the security guard asked us for our name and suite number. He checked his computer and welcomed us aboard after he confirmed our name and cabin number matched and directed us to the Grand Salon on Deck 6 where we would complete our check-in. The gangway was on Deck 4 and we took the elevator to 6 and continued to walk aft, following the signs to check in.

There were 10 stations set up to accommodate guests. There wasn’t anyone else waiting or being served when we arrived. Check-in was very quick and after they confirmed our credit card and took our picture, we were on our way with our cruise cards. We didn’t fill out the health questionnaire – maybe that is a requirement for USA departures only.

 

On the way out of the lounge, there was a small podium set up with a crewmember to handle requests for any celebrations or dietary restrictions. We are celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary and they made of notation and asked us which day we would like to celebrate the occasion.

 

Our Suite

The Seabourn Quest is gorgeous inside, with everything sparkling and looking new. Our suite, 522, was toward the front the ship and one deck lower than the Grand Salon. Once inside our suite, we were surprised that all our luggage was already delivered – that set a record for us in the speed of getting our luggage. A few minutes later our stewardess, Sandra, introduced herself and offered us some champagne and canapes from a silver tray. She was very friendly and charming. We learned that she was from Malaga, Spain, and was on her first Seabourn contract joining the Quest only a few weeks ago. Sandra showed us around our suite and made us feel very welcome. She made an outstanding first impression for our first cruise on Seabourn.

Our stewardess, Sandra

Suite 522 is nice and roomy for a verandah stateroom. The bathroom is huge and has a dedicated shower, double sinks and a full-sized tub. The closet is a large walk-in closet with plenty of space for clothes along with several drawers. The rest of the suite has numerous drawers and there is plenty of space for storage. The deck is a nice size with a table and two lounging chairs with separate foot rests.

 

The TV is a 23” flat screen, which now seems small, but it is perfectly fine for our cabin. The small refrigerator held the beverages we selected during our pre-cruise check-in along with a bottle of Jack Daniels. Sandra asked if we would like anything else and I asked for a bottle of Grand Mariner which was promptly delivered in about 1 hour.

 

Lunch in the Colonnade

It was almost 3 PM which was the closing time for the Colonnade today. The Colonnade is one of the dining venues and is the closest thing to a LIDO deck you will find on Seabourn. Lunch is served buffet style, with a nice selection of self-served dishes along with some meat and fish that you must request and they are served by the staff. There are some additional items listed on a large chalkboard behind the buffet which you may or may not find on the line. Simply ask for what you don’t see, and they will bring it to you at your table.

 

After the main buffet line, which wraps around and forms an L shape, there is another buffet area which serves salads and other cold items, including some of the largest shrimp you will find on any cruise ship.

 

During lunch you seat yourself with your food and a waiter/waitress will soon appear to take your beverage order. Everything on Seabourn is included in the basic fare (Except for Spa services, Casino, Retail shops and expensive wines or other high-end drink selections.) Your cruise card will most often remain in your pocket except when you need it to scan off the ship.

As long as you are seated before closing time, you can stay as long as you would like. Before they close the buffet line, the staff will ask if you want to make any final selections before they wrap things up for that meal service.

 

Seabourn Square and the “Front Desk”

We had arranged a private cooking/food tour in Lima tomorrow. The ship will be spending the night in Callao. Our meeting place for the tour was at the Plaza San Miguel, about 6 miles away, and was also the drop off spot for the complimentary Seabourn Shuttle. Our meeting time was 8:30 AM but we learned that the first shuttle bus wasn’t scheduled to leave the ship until 9 AM – so we would have to make other arrangements by taking the port shuttle to the port gate and then get a taxi or Uber from there.

 

NOTE: Seabourn Square is the location of the library, computer terminals and a Starbucks equivalent coffee bar, complete with sandwiches, espresso drinks, ice cream and pastries. They also have alcohol available to make Irish coffees and other similar drinks.

Seabourn doesn’t have a traditional front desk, but a separate area in Seabourn Square called Guest Services. There are 3 desks in this area and staff is available 24 hours to help in any issue from getting tours to questions about your bill.

I stopped by guest services in the Seabourn Square and explained my problem with the private tour and the meeting time and a helpful staff person made a phone call and then explained that they would run a shuttle bus at 8AM to accommodate our early starting time.

 

I have learned that on Seabourn, that you should always ask for whatever you would like, even if it is not an advertised service or outside normal hours, and they will try to meet your request. They may not be able to accommodate every request, but they don’t default to No as their first response.

 

Mandatory Guest Emergency Drill

Our next major event was the Mandatory Guest Emergency Drill which was scheduled for 5:30 PM. All guests have the same muster location which is the Main Dining Room (called The Restaurant) in the center of the ship on Deck 4. They scanned our room key at the door and once everyone was seated, they proceeded with the standard emergency procedures description followed by a demonstration of donning a life jacket. I can’t say for certain, but the script read by the Captain sounded very much like the script we heard numerous times on Holland America – which is a sister line to Seabourn – so I suspect that certain procedures are getting standardized.

As soon as the drill was over, we headed back to our cabin to finish unpacking.

 

Welcome Aboard Party

 

After we were settled, we went up to Deck 8, by the pool, to catch the end of the Welcome Aboard Cocktails and Cruise Directors Introductions. The Cruise Director, Jan, was wrapping up when we arrived but we were able to hear the excellent singer, Anne, and the Seabourn Band. Once the band finished playing, we spent a few minutes exploring some of the open decks above the pool area. We noticed that there was a small refrigerated bench with a glass door that contained a variety of complementary soft drinks and beer. If you don’t like being nickled and dimed on the mass market lines, there is another option, albeit more expensive, with the luxury lines such as Seabourn and Crystal.

 

 

Dinner is available in 4 venues: The Colonnade, The Restaurant, Thomas Keller Grill and the Patio Grill. Room service is available 24/7 and during dinner hours you can order off The Restaurant Menu and they will serve your dinner course by course in your suite.

 

We headed to the Colonnade for dinner, expecting it to be buffet style as it was during lunch, but we were seated by the staff and presented with menus. No buffet style for dinner. We had a choice of Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon or Prime Rib. I had the prime rib which was delicious. Judy was able to get an end cut, which she found very tasty.

 

NOTE: The menu for each dinner venue is delivered to your room the evening before to help with your dining venue selection. Copies of the menus and Daily Herald can be found on my blog.

The Restaurant has the most options for dinner and is also the most formal, requiring a tuxedo or suit and tie on formal night. On formal nights, the other dining venues maintain the “Elegant Casual” dress code which prohibits jeans and requires a collared shirt (jacket suggested). Seabourn is a little more dressy than the mass market lines. (If you want the Classic Formal Night experience then Cunard line is your best and possibly last choice for old school formal nights.)

 

Dinner took almost 2 hours – longer than we expected – but in the future we will let our server know if we want faster service and will see if they can adjust their pace accordingly. If the ship is not meeting your expectations, a polite, discreet comment to the management is appreciated – closer to the time of service rather than on the post cruise survey.

The food was fabulous, served hot and in reasonable portion sizes.

 

Evening on board

 

The evening’s entertainment was a local Peruvian Show at 9:45 in the Grand Salon on Deck 6. We took a pass on this show and headed back our cabin to finish getting settled.

Our room was prepared for the evening, with the bed turned down, the next day’s Daily Herald, the menus and a breakfast hang-tag laid out on the bed along with 2 of the largest pillow chocolates we have experienced on any cruise line.

 

The breakfast hang tag offers pretty much anything you might desire from standard egg orders to Eggs Benedict including Belgian waffles and French toast. I am almost certain that you could write in any request on this tag and they would probably bring it the next morning.

 

We had a wonderful first day on Seabourn and are looking forward to a fantastic cruise.

 

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

 

Day 2, Nov 20 – Callao (Lima Peru)

 

Room service breakfast was delivered promptly at 6 AM per our request the evening before. They offered warm milk as an option for your oatmeal or coffee – a nice touch. We did miss chocolate croissants, but they did offer a chocolate twist, which while good, wasn’t the same. 

 

The larger bathroom is nice and it is possible for two people to maneuver around at the same time and each use one of the two available sinks.

 

Leaving the Ship

The ship gangway is always on Deck 4 at the same location near the middle of the ship. We left the ship at 7:52 and were pleased to learn that the shuttle bus would be arriving at 8AM despite the signs saying 9AM would be the first bus. We were pleasantly surprised that this adjustment to the schedule per our request the previous day was executed perfectly with everyone we encountered being aware of the schedule change to accommodate our desires.

 

We would spend the day with Lima Gourmet Company on their Lima Day Food Tour .  

 

NOTE: There is a lot of competition for cooking tours in Lima, but we chose Lima Gourmet base on its option of a nice mix of sightseeing along with making ceviche, pisco sours and enjoying other treats. We had a wonderful time and the Lima Gourmet Company is highly recommended.

The shuttle bus arrived at 8:00 and once the four of us were onboard, the bus left promptly. Plaza San Miguel was only 6 miles away but took thirty minutes (the ship said to plan for 45 minutes). The traffic was heavy, but there were numerous traffic signals, each with a long cycle time, that seemed to be the major reason for the slow trip.

 

We were fortunate that our trip was on the faster side and we arrived exactly at 8:30 AM where we met our guide, Lucas, who turned out to be one of the founders and owner of Lima Gourmet Tours. The tours normally start in Mira Flores but they will make accommodations for cruise ship passengers and the options are available when you first make your booking.

 

The tours take place in the Mira Flores and Barranco districts of Lima, which are about 1 hour away from the Plaza San Miguel.
During our one-hour transit from the Callao district to Barranco, Lucas gave us a fascinating overview of recent Peruvian history from about 1980 onward and explained the migration from the farms to the city, years of hyperinflation and political unrest and finally reaching stability and prosperity over the last decade.

 

Our first stop, a coffee shop called Tostaduria Bisetti, located at Av Pedro de Osma 116, Lima, Peru.  
which is in the district of Barranco.

 

NOTE: Districts in Peru are political subdivisions which have a certain amount of autonomy from the city, electing their own mayors, and are responsible for providing certain services. Each district has its own police department, but only the national police carry weapons and enforce/investigate the more serious crimes.

After we parked  we came across a nice park with an interesting lovers bridge that promises eternal happiness if you are able to cross holding hands while holding your breath. We probably could have done this easily years ago, but today we didn’t bother to try.

 

Tostaduria Bisetti

Tostaduria Bisetti is a nice coffee shop with a small museum area that displayed various techniques for processing coffee. We enjoyed our choice of espresso drinks along with some nice pastries for about 25 minutes.

 

La Bodega Verde

Our next stop La Bodega Verde – was a few minutes away and we enjoyed a smoothie made from the fruit from the lucuma tree. The smooth drink has a distinctive butterscotch flavor and was very good.  

 

 

Our next stop was the Mercaso Santa Cruz  (Calle Gral Mendiburu 1175, Miraflores 15074, Peru) which is a small, but very nice municipal market featuring sparkling clean stalls and none of the pungent smells you normally experience in similar venues.

Lucas explained the various fruits and vegetables for sale and the clerks at one stall produced a small basket with sample sizes of the fruit that were being discussed. We spotted a women preparing Causa -Peruvian Mashed Potatoes – that are rolled up and then sold in smaller packages.

 

Lucas explaining the fruit We 

 

Embarcadero 41

Pisco Sours and Ceviche are probably the most well-known foods from Peru.  Embarcadero 41, a restaurant that is part of a small chain, was our next stop where we would have an opportunity to prepare both ourselves in the restaurant before it opened to the public.

 

Near the front door, was a bar with samples of two types of Pisco: Pisco Puro and Pisco Aromatico. Pisco Puro is used as the main ingredient for the Pisco Sour while Pisco Aromatico is usually consumed as an aperitif.

After we sampled these two types of Pisco, one of the bartenders, Diego, showed us how to make a Pisco Sour using sugar syrup, egg whites, lime juice and of course Pisco!

 

Making Ceviche was our next task and we headed over to one of the tables that had all of the ingredients laid out and divided into 4 groups for the 4 people in our group. Dilbert was our instructor and he would assist us in making the ceviche, which is simple once you have the ingredients – fresh raw fish, citrus juices, a secret seasoning sauce consisting of aji, peppers, onions, salt and cilantro in various proportions. When you marinate the fish by soaking and swirling the raw fish in the citric juices, the citric acid in the juice causes the fish to become denatured and looks as if it has been cooked. You must make sure you only use very fresh fish since this process doesn’t actually cook the fish and kill any bacteria. Marinating the correct type of fish takes only a few minutes and is ready to eat almost immediately. Peruvians don’t eat ceviche after lunch as they assume that it is impossible for fish remain fresh after the noon meal.

 

We all made our ceviche in a few minutes and it was delicious.

 

Huaca Pucllana

Our final stop of the tour was at one of the nicest restaurants in Lima: Huaca Pucllana. This restaurant is adjacent to the Huaca Pucllana, a large adobe and clay pyramid built on seven staggered platforms and was in used between 200 AD and 700 AD. The site was largely abandoned until the owners of the restaurant offered to finance restoration in exchange for permission to operate the restaurant.

Once seated we sampled four of their distinctive dishes: Corn Croquettes, Causa (Peruvian Mashed Potatoes) topped with shrimp, Parmesan scallops and Peruvian Chinese Chicken. All of the dishes were delicious and this restaurant would be a nice choice for dinner if we had more time.

 

The ruins were closed today so we couldn’t visit.

Plaza San Miguel

A little after 2 PM we said goodbye to Lucas and piled back into our van to head back to Plaza San Miguel. The ride took 40 minutes and we arrived at the Plaza around 3 PM, We had a little more than 1 hour to shop at the large Plaza San Miguel Mall before we would catch the 4:15 shuttle back to the ship.

 

The mall was modern and was spread over 3 levels with some stores having a 4th floor. The stores were mainly familiar American brands with a few local stores in the mix. If you are starting a cruise here, this is a good place to pick up anything you may have forgotten on your cruise.

 

The shuttle bus arrived a few minutes early, departed on time and we were back on the ship about 30 minutes later.

 

Formal Night

 

Tonight, was our first formal night of the cruise. Formal night remains formal night on Seabourn and tuxedos or suits are required for men in The Restaurant (aka Main Dining Room) after 6pm. Unlike Cunard lines, the dress code is only applicable to The Restaurant and the other venues and public rooms only require Elegant Casual.

Elegant Casual attire is defined by Seabourn as follows:
Slacks, with a collared dress shirt or sweater for men (jacket Optional)
Blouse with skirt or slacks, a cocktail dress, dressy pantsuit or similar for ladies.
Jeans are not appropriate in the main Restaurant after 6:00p

Captain's Welcome Reception

The Captains welcome reception was at 6:45 in the Grand Salon. There was a short receiving line consisting of the Hotel Director, Cruise Director, Executive Chef and Guest Services Manager. Staff was passing champagne and canapes as people chose their seats. The Seabourn orchestra along with vocalist, Anne, were entertaining the crowd as people found their seats. The room was about 1/3 full and I estimated 100 people were in attendance once the reception started.

 

Anne entertained the crowd before the reception

 

Promptly at 6:45, the cruise director, Jan, welcomed everyone and introduced Captain Alex Golubev. Captain Golubez has been at sea since 1977 and working on passenger ships since 1987 and has been a Captain of cruise ships for over 23 years. Captain Golubev made some brief welcoming remarks and then introduced his senior officers: Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Hotel Director, Ship’s Doctor, Executive Chef and Cruise Director.

Captain Alex Golubev

 

He provided the following numbers of the different nationalities of the over 400 passengers:

Switzerland 1
France 1
Romania 1
Brazil 2
Chile 2
Malta 2
Luxemburg 3
South Africa 4
Austria 6
Germany 6
Netherlands 7
Belgium 10
Philippines 10
New Zealand 11
Canada 31
Australia 56
UK 73
USA 177

There are 247 crewmembers.

 

The Restaurant

We chose to eat in The Restaurant where they had a choice of Broiled Lobster, Chateaubriand, Codfish or Roasted Spring Chicken. We chose the Lobster and Chateaubriand, which were both outstanding.

For desert I selected the 30th anniversary desert, a Lemon Chiboust, St Honore which was moist cake with a cream filling, topped by a chocolate 30th anniversary medallion.

 

The Restaurant is large enough to accommodate every passenger so there is never a line here, or for that matter, we haven’t been in a line anywhere except for a short wait to see someone from guest services on the first day. Service in the restaurant is efficient, but like most cruise ship dining rooms that offer anytime dining, there isn’t the same level of interaction with the servers as you find when you have a fixed time and table, with the same wait staff every day. If you desired, I am sure that they would give you a table in the same area every evening.

 

Everyone we spotted followed the dress code with about 20%-30% of the men wearing tuxedos, the rest were in suit and ties.

 

Starlite Club

Seabourn has a single evening show at 9:45 PM and tonight’s show called "Starlite Club"  featured the 4 Cast Singers: Stephen Butler, Tom Langdale, Jade Spivey and Aoife Clesham and 2 dancers: Oleg Gluschenko and Uliana Khudaalong along with the Seabourn Orchestra.   The show's premise was to take you back to a time when there were many supper clubs that offered entertainment.  They sang a variety of classic hits from an earlier era including:

• This Town – Frank Sinatra
• Shine my Shoes – Robbie Williams
• Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of you – 4 Seasons

The stage on the quest has a relatively low ceiling which requires the two dancers to be careful when executing their lifts and other elevated dance moves.

Jade Spivey and Tom Langdale

 

The singing and dancing was excellent and we enjoyed the show very much.

 

When we returned to our room, we discovered some special decorations from Sandra to celebrate our anniversary.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 3 – Pisco, Peru - Nov 21

Today we arrived at a desolate cruise port, General San Martin (Pisco). There is nothing near the cruise port and not many taxis, if any, are waiting nearby. You need to arrange any private transportation in advance. The ship offered a shuttle (about 30 minutes) to the town of Pisco, but there doesn’t seem to be very much of interest here.

 

NOTE: Before we moored at General San Martin at 9 AM, we anchored near the Islas Ballestas to put the ships Zodiac boats in the water for a sighting excursion near the island for $199. 

 

Islas Ballestas Ship Zodiac Tour

I suspect that the main reason for stopping here was to allow the people who went on the overnight to Machu Picchu to return and provide an opportunity for guests to take an aerial tour of the NAZCA Lines.

 

NAZCA Line Tours

The ship offers a NAZCA Lines tour for $799, but we were able to find a package online from a company called Nazca Flights for $310.  They used an airline company called Aerodiana.  It may be possible to book directly with the airline, but I was never able to establish contact with them to find out their pricing. Nazca Flights arranged for a driver – it turned out to be someone in a private car – to pick us up from the port, take us to the airport and return. The whole experience took about 4 hours from pick-up to return. One of the negatives of this company was that we didn’t know the exact flight time until the night before. When booking with this company make sure you are clear when the ship will be in port, so they don’t assign you a flight that will risk you missing the ship.

 

General San Martin

The Quest arrived at General San Martin at 9:00 AM and was scheduled to depart at 7:00 PM. Our departure time was originally scheduled for 6:00 PM and when I received the email with our pickup time for our NAZCA tour of 1:30 PM, I was a little concerned since that would put us back at the port exactly at the all aboard time – a little closer than I prefer. Fortunately, when the Daily Herald arrived, the ship’s departure was an hour later than expected, so we would have a nice buffer. As it turned out, we left the ship at 1:30 PM and returned at 5:32 PM, so we would have been OK in any event, but it was nice to have a little more time in reserve.

 

NOTE: The ship always has water bottles available near the gangway on Deck four, so it is easy to grab one on leaving the ship. The all aboard time is displayed on a flat screen TV near where our room cards are scanned when leaving the ship and we always take a picture of this sign with our phone to avoid any confusion later about the all aboard time. Sometimes, the time will change from what was published before the cruise, or in some cases after we’ve sailed, and if you leave the ship without taking that picture, you may have a “discussion” later as different people will remember different all aboard times. A quick picture snapped on a phone is useful to clear up any confusion. Our room key also has the ships phone number which could be used if necessary, and if you do ever find yourselves delayed, you should always call the ship an keep them apprised of your situation.

 

At 1:20 PM we left the ship and found our driver immediately. There were only a few other vehicles along with a small tent with someone selling local wares. The drive to the Pisco airport took about 30 minutes. There wasn’t any traffic, and from the looks of the town, I don’t think they ever get much traffic in this area. The driver didn’t speak much English, so there wasn’t a lot of commentary along the way.

 

Pisco Airport

 

The airport is modern (built in 2015) and much larger than current needs. There are large areas for ticket counters and baggage claim and the second floor, which is empty, has plenty or room for restaurants, shops and arrival gates. Unfortunately, it appears that the only scheduled flights are the small Cessna Caravan aircraft used for the NAZCA Line flights. Maybe they will get commercial air service in the future to justify the money they spent on such a nice airport terminal.

 

Checking in for our flight was a breeze and our driver helped us navigate the process, although that wouldn’t have been necessary since there was only one check-in counter open. They had us hop on a scale to get our weight – not disclosed or displayed – and asked our age, to assist in assigning seats based on our weight. On small aircraft this is more crucial than on larger aircraft. There is a small window around from the check-in counters to pay an airport departure tax, but our driver paid this as part of our total fare and he gave us a sticker that we gave the airline clerk that he put on our boarding passes.

The airport has signs for various restaurants and other services (none of which exist at the moment), there was, however, a small gift shop that also sold a few snacks in the waiting area.

 

Our flight was scheduled for 3 PM and they opened up Security at 2:30 to process the 8 people or so who would be on this flight. There weren’t any other flights boarding or arriving in the time we were there. Security screening was the same as you would find at any other airport.

 

We had a short wait at our gate before they called for our flight to board. There were only 8 people in the boarding area, which could easily hold 100 people, and we cracked up when the gate agent used the public address system (we were only 10 feet away) to tell us we should exit the boarding area and walk the 200 yards to our parked aircraft, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan.

 

Takeoff!

Once we were onboard, there was a short safety brief from the co-pilot who turned around in his seat to give the brief before they started the single engine turbo prop and we taxied to the runway for takeoff, taking off at 3:16 PM.

 

The aircraft isn’t pressurized, which wasn’t necessary, as we climbed to 7500 feet enroute to the NAZCA Lines area – about 30 minutes away. As we arrived in the NAZCA Lines area (at 3:53 PM), we descended to 2,500 to 3,000 feet above sea level with the elevation of the NAZCA Lines being about 1800 feet above sea level. This means we would be around 700 to 1100 feet above the Lines (ground).

Here is a screen shot from MAPS.ME that shows the Lines in relationship to each other.

Overview of the NASCA lines and their relationship to the port

This map is the above map zoomed in on the lines

More zoom

 

Touring the Lines

As we approached each Line, the pilot would bank the aircraft quite steeply, probably 30 to 45 degrees, and announce that the particular Line was visible under the wing tip on either the left or right side. They would circle around so everyone had a chance to see each Line out the windows on each side of the aircraft. The Lines were hard to pick up, since the contrast between the Line and the surrounding terrain is small and the Lines are much smaller than we expected, even at this low altitude. Additionally, we only had 3-5 seconds to see the Line before the aircraft leveled or started to bank to the other side, and it took us a second or two before we could pick up the Line. Taking pictures was difficult as picking out the Lines thru a camera viewfinder was even more difficult. My advice is to forgo trying to take pictures and enjoy the spectacle while airborne and then find photos of what you saw on the internet later – they will be better pictures than you can take while on the aircraft as you can see from my examples here:

This photo is unretouched and shows how hard it can be to pick out the lines from the air[/caption]

 

This is the same photo with the haze removed in Photoshop

The observation tower here allows you to see two of the NAZCA lines without taking an airplane flight

 

We spent about 30 minutes flying over the various lines before we headed back to Pisco at 4:17 PM, landing about 30 minutes later at 4:51 PM. By the time we walked the 200 yards back to the terminal, used the restroom and walked to the curb outside the Terminal to meet our driver it was 5:05 PM. We arrived back at the ship at 5:32 PM.

 

First Time Seabourn Cruisers

At 6:00 PM in the Club, Seabourn hosted a reception for first time Seabourn Cruisers. We arrived about 6:15 and Jan, the Cruise Director, was just starting to speak and welcome everyone. She then introduced members of the various departments, shops and spa along with some of the staff entertainers. They served champagne and passed hors d'oeuvres.

 

Guest Lecturer

David Stansfield, one of the guest lecturers, had a presentation on Peru – Legacy of the Incas in the Grand Salon at 6:30 PM. We headed there after the new cruiser reception. We enjoyed David’s talk, but he covered a lot of history in a short period of time and we would have enjoyed him spending more time on a few topics rather than covering such a large time period.

 

Dinner

For dinner this evening we chose the “Earth & Ocean at the Patio” venue next to the pool. Arriving around 7:30 we were seated alongside the pool on the ships starboard side. We found the area to be breezy and chilly. They provided blankets and had heat lamps above, but it was still not as comfortable as we would have preferred, but it was tolerable. If you come a little earlier, you can be seated near the forward end of the pool and get better protection from the wind and find more heat lamps in this area.

We selected the Yellowfin Tuna Ceviche for a starter followed by Tandoori Style Rotisserie Chicken. Both dishes were delicious and the service was outstanding. We decided to forgo desert here by the pool and head to the Seabourn Square coffee bar to get something sweet.

 

The shops were open, and we took a few minutes to browse. They have a nice selection of logo wear, dressy clothes and a full line of items for Antarctica. They also had a small selection of snacks for purchase which was something they didn’t sell on our recent Crystal Cruise – Crystal’s position was – why would you want to buy a snack when there is so much available 24/7?

 

Evening Show

After a brief stop in our cabin, we headed to the Grand Salon to see Davie Howes perform. He put on a wonderful show, playing the piano, trumpet, fluegelhorn and the pocket trumpet. He also plays percussion instruments and had a interesting bit where he was joined by the Seabourn drummer as they both donned yellow hard hats and they played “drums” on each other’s yellow hard hat.

 

Davie can take any object with a hollow tube, like a walker or folding chair, and play a tune by blowing thru one end. Davie’s show is high energy and a lot of fun.

 

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 4 - Nov 22 - Thanksgiving

 

Sea Day

Sea days are always a joy. We like having the time to explore the ship and take advantage of the various activities available. Sometimes simply relaxing in a public area or our cabin fits the bill.

 

Breakfast

As always, we started our day with room service breakfast. Seabourn’s breakfast offerings for room service are the same as what is offered on the menus in the MDR “The Restaurant” or Colonnade. The Colonnade has a much more extensive buffet and offers the most choices of any of the breakfast venues.

 

Lunch

The Colonnade was our choice for lunch today. They always have a nice buffet set up along with a special written on a chalkboard. Today’s special was a grilled Swordfish steak – which I ordered while in the line and they brought it to my table a few minutes later. It was outstanding, and not what I would expect for a lunch entrée as it would rival any dinner entrée anywhere else.

 

The lunch special in the Colonnade in written on a chalkboard behind the buffet line

 

Activities

Today’s NFL Football Games will be shown on special events channel and the 8:15 PM game will also be broadcast in the Card Room.

There are also a variety of other activities available throughout the day. You can see them all in the Daily Herald which is posted on my blog. Here are a few highlights:

• Watercolor classes at 10 AM and 2:30 PM
• Bridge Classes for various levels at 9:45 AM, 11 AM and 2 PM
• Scarf Tying Class in the Boutique
• Shuffleboard
• Golf Putting
• Team Trivia

Our homework for today was to complete our Chilean Immigration and Customs form and return it to the Seabourn Square. Seabourn filled out everything they could, name – passport number, etc. and we only had to sign and check off that we didn’t have any contraband or a lot of cash.

Early in the afternoon we stopped by the Fitness center – very nice – completely empty. It was a nice size for the size of the ship. I may have to stop by in the morning and see if it is busy before 8 AM.

 

On the way out of the Spa we poked our heads into the Serene Suite. This area was larger than we expected and we found 1 couple relaxing there. The price per day is $25 but they offer packages for the cruise that give you a discount.

 

Serene Suite

 

Needlepoint and Craft Social

The assistant cruise director, Ashley, hosted a Needlepoint and Craft Social at 4pm in the Observations Bar. Judy stopped by and joined 5 other ladies who were working a various projects including counted cross stitch, needle point and knitting. Afternoon tea is also held at the same time. Afternoon Tea on the Quest is not nearly as formal as you will find on other ships – but the service was excellent with a nice choice of teas and sandwiches, including scones and clotted cream.

 

5 Minute Port Brief

Today at 5:30 PM, Alice from Excursions presented a 5-minute port brief for tomorrow. This consisted of discussing the location of the ship and the various shuttle bus options available.

 

Thanksgiving Dinner with Stephen

Guest services called this afternoon and asked if we were interested in joining a table with one of the ships singers. We always enjoy the opportunity to meet the entertainers, so we quickly said “yes” and we were all set for 7:30 PM.

Today is Thanksgiving and we originally planned to go to the Colonnade for dinner where they were featuring a Thanksgiving Market Dinner which would be an elaborate spread – served buffet style. Since we accepted the invitation to eat with one of the singers, we changed our plans and would miss out on the buffet.

 

We arrived at The Restaurant at 7:30 PM and were promptly seated at a table for 7. Our host was Stephen Butler, one of the cast singers. Joining Judy and me were Andrew and Jordan from Arizona, along with my sister and BIL. Seabourn had printed place tags to assign us seats, with spouses not sitting next to each other. Stephen sat in the center and was a wonderful host.

Our choices for dinner included: Pan Basted Monkfish, Char Grilled Jumbo Shrimp, Slow Roasted Turkey Breast, Roasted Rack of Lamb or Black Trufle Risotto. Since it was Thanksgiving, most of the table ordered the Turkey Breast. The Turkey breast was moist and tasty but was carved from a larger Turkey roll as opposed to a whole Turkey you would roast in your own home. I couldn’t help but wonder if the Colonnade had actual Turkeys that they would carve as you waited on line.

We enjoyed learning more from Stephen about the life of an entertainer and his experiences in the industry over the years.

We celebrated our Anniversary – again tonight – and the staff brought us a nice Anniversary cake for the table to share. Pumpkin pie was on the menu and we had to order a few of those as well – Hey it is Thanksgiving!

 

 

Jo Little, one of our favorite entertainers, was the featured performer in the Grand Salon this evening. We saw her on our previous Holland America Cruises where she was advertised as a singer on HAL, but on Seabourn she was referred to as a comedienne. Her performance is based on comedy with a few nice vocal renditions thrown in the mix. We enjoy her show very much.

 

Our anniversary celebration continued in our suite this evening as we discovered that our Stewardess, Sandra, decorated our bathtub with rose petals, along with the word “Love” in shampoo and a dozen small battery powered candles along the edges.

 

[Host Dan]

Awesome travel blog!  Thanks for taking the time to post here!

[SLSD]

Fabulous report of your cruise!  I am so impressed with your writing and the level of detail. 

[wripro]

I just hope the OP has some time to actually enjoy the cruise. But thanks for the report.

[Williwannago]

Sounds like your off to a great start. Thanks for sharing the highlights.

[florisdekort]

On 12/1/2018 at 2:51 PM, wripro said:

I just hope the OP has some time to actually enjoy the cruise. But thanks for the report.

 

That’s what I was thinking. My partner wouldn’t be amused if I spend my anniversary vacation behind my computer 😝

 

We’re (still) on Quest as well and having a great time. The ship is in excellent condition, service has been outstanding, the food as delicious as ever. Everyone going to Antarctica this season has a lot to look forward to!

 

Floris 

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

On ‎12‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 12:41 PM, Host Dan said:

Awesome travel blog!  Thanks for taking the time to post here!

 

On ‎12‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 12:53 PM, SLSD said:

Fabulous report of your cruise!  I am so impressed with your writing and the level of detail. 

 

On ‎12‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 2:51 PM, wripro said:

I just hope the OP has some time to actually enjoy the cruise. But thanks for the report.

 

On ‎12‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 7:52 PM, Williwannago said:

Sounds like your off to a great start. Thanks for sharing the highlights.

Thanks for following....Glad you are enjoying the posts

 

Pete

[The-Inside-Cabin]

5 hours ago, florisdekort said:

 

That’s what I was thinking. My partner wouldn’t be amused if I spend my anniversary vacation behind my computer 😝

 

We’re (still) on Quest as well and having a great time. The ship is in excellent condition, service has been outstanding, the food as delicious as ever. Everyone going to Antarctica this season has a lot to look forward to!

 

Floris 

 

She is busy knitting!   We are having a great time....give me a call - let's have a drink - 522

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 5 - Nov 23- Maratina, Peru

The port is very industrial and the nearest town – Maratina – is small with no tourist attractions.

The ship offered a complimentary shuttle bus to a town called Mallena, about 30 minutes away. There wasn’t much there either and we were warned that the town didn’t accept credit cards or USD – so we needed to have or get local currency. A money changer and an ATM were available nearby the spot where the shuttle bus drop off.

 

Arequipa

The main purpose for this port stop is to allow guests to visit Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru, a two and ½ hour ride away.

Before the cruise, I inquired about hiring a local company for a private transfer, but they were the same price that Seabourn was charging and for traveling so far from the port, its nice to be inside the cruise ship excursion bubble if something goes awry. (Which proved helpful this time.)

 

The tour’s meeting spot was on the pier where we were directed to one of 3 busses taking part. Each bus appeared to be about ¾ full.

The bus ride was over nice roads for the most part, but toward the end, we took a detour due to road construction which was quite bumpy. The landscape was barren until we closed on Arequipa when we spotted some greenery for the first time. There wasn’t much to look at until we got closer to some of the extinct volcanic cones that are visible from the city including: Misti, Pichu Pichu and Chachani. Arequipa is about 7,500 feet above sea level.

 

The Monastery of Santa Catalina

We arrived in Arequipa about 12:15 pm and walked 2 blocks through narrow streets to get to The Monastery of Santa Catalina which was established in 1580 and was home to over 400 nuns when it was at its peak. Most of the nuns moved out in 1970 so that it could be restored and opened as a museum.

 

Two tour guides met our bus and we divided ourselves in half with each guide taking about 15 people for the 45-minute tour. The guides spoke excellent English and were very knowledgeable about the monastery and what life was like back when it was in active use.

After the tour we walked a few blocks back to the main plaza called “Plaza de Armas” which is the center of old town Arequipa. We were given about 1 hour to explore the area and get some lunch.

 

There were a lot of choices of places to eat along the nearby streets. The weather was perfect, so we headed off in the direction our guide said had most of the cafes and restaurants including fast food. We elected to grab some fast food, so we would have more time to explore the area afterwards. We discovered a nice food court with USA Brands – KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut and Starbucks which fit the bill of something quick and predictable.

 

After eating we spent the rest of our time wandering around the Plaza de Armas which was beautiful and was lined with the Basilica of Arequipa, some municipal buildings and shops.

 

Our guide was 15 minutes late for our meeting time due to some issue with paying the bill at the traditional restaurant she chose for anyone interested in more traditional Peruvian fare. This delay required us to walk the ½ mile to our next stop at a faster pace than we would have preferred, and the rest of the tour felt rushed as we had to meet our bus at 3:30 PM.

 

Mundo Alpaca

By the time we arrived at Mundo Alpaca, we only had a few minutes to feed the Alpaca’s and had to skip the museum and other parts of the tour so we would have time to shop. They didn’t have the type of yarn that Judy was looking for, but since we visited on Black Friday, everything was 50% off which made the normally high prices reasonable.

 

Not many people bought anything, so the shopping part was done quickly, and we boarded the bus for our 2.5 hour drive back to the ship. In retrospect, I would have preferred to have been dropped off at the Plaza Armas at noon and given 3.5 hours to explore on our own. After I reviewed the tour description I realized that we were not supposed to go to the Monastery but only Mundo Alpaca. A different tour would go only to the Monastery, but not Mundo Alpaca. Our tour combined both spots, which some people may have enjoyed, but it did cut back our free time.

 

The drive back was 2.5 hours and we arrived on the pier about 6 PM. The ship was scheduled to depart at 6 PM, but they waited for us to arrive and the Quest departed about 20 minutes late.

 

2 Hour Time Change!

Today was our last day in Peru and we arrive in Arica, Chile, tomorrow which is in a different time zone - 2 hours ahead requiring us to advance our clocks this evening. To allow everyone to get more sleep, they moved the evening show to 6:45 instead of 9:45. As an extra treat, the 4 Seabourn Singers performed classical songs by the pool for about 45 minutes from 5:45 to 6:30. Caviar and Champagne was served in this wonderful setting during the show and we were blessed with gorgeous weather. Since we were late returning from our tour, I could only catch the singer’s final number - Time to Say Goodbye written by Francesco Sartori and Lucio Quarantotto and first performed by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman in 1996. The performance was fantastic and they will have an encore performance later in our next cruise segment.

 

Room Service Dinner

After our long day we didn’t feel like leaving our cabin, so we ordered dinner from the room service menu. During normal meal hours, room service includes the menu from “The Restaurant” in addition to the normal in-room menu. Judy ordered the Sea Scallops from The Restaurant and I ordered the New York Strip Steak from the normal room service menu. We also ordered appetizers, prosciutto and melon (always available) in addition to a shrimp cocktail.

 

About 45 minutes later our waiter arrived in our room. He set up our table with a table cloth and the normal service you would find in the dining room. He dropped off the appetizers and desserts first and returned a few minutes later with the main courses. The food was delicious as always and is a nice alternative when you don’t feel like venturing outside your cabin.

[Fletcher]

The 'official' Seabourn blog of this cruise is several days ahead of The Inside Cabin and can be read here -

 

https://my.yb.tl/seabournexpeditions/

 

Good to see people like Cruise Director Jan and Expedition Leader Iggy and Robert Egelstaff are aboard.  

Edited December 4, 2018 by Fletcher

[ajpeter]

Thank you for your thorough travelexperience of peru. Your blog is fantastic.

[DCCruiser57]

OK, first time Seabourn cruiser, with extensive cruising experience on other lines, who is providing an extensive/comprehensive review of their experience and travels.  I followed their blog from the HAL 2018 WC, and the amount of information/level of detail is amazing.  It provided us with a wealth of knowledge for our upcoming African safaris on another cruise line's WC.  Yet, the best some can do is to provide a snarky response.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Our schedule has changed due to forecast high seas in the Drake Passage.   We will go to the Falklands (New Island on 7 Dec and Port Stanley on 8 Dec) then proceed to Antarctica.   We will only have 5 days there rather than 6.    

 

Here is a picture of the Drake Passage wave forecast for our original transit day - Yikes! - over 10 meters!!

 

Sounds like a good call to divert!

 

What is there to do on New island?

 

Here is a link to the wave height forecasts

https://www.passageweather.com/

 

 

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

12 hours ago, ajpeter said:

Thank you for your thorough travelexperience of peru. Your blog is fantastic.

 

3 hours ago, DCCruiser57 said:

OK, first time Seabourn cruiser, with extensive cruising experience on other lines, who is providing an extensive/comprehensive review of their experience and travels.  I followed their blog from the HAL 2018 WC, and the amount of information/level of detail is amazing.  It provided us with a wealth of knowledge for our upcoming African safaris on another cruise line's WC.  Yet, the best some can do is to provide a snarky response.

 Thanks for following!

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

On ‎12‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 3:46 AM, Fletcher said:

The 'official' Seabourn blog of this cruise is several days ahead of The Inside Cabin and can be read here -

 

https://my.yb.tl/seabournexpeditions/

 

Good to see people like Cruise Director Jan and Expedition Leader Iggy and Robert Egelstaff are aboard.  

 The Seabourn Blog is very nice!   Thanks for sharing

[DCCruiser57]

10 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

 

 Thanks for following!

 

You are most welcome.  Keep up the great reporting!!  Will be especially interested in your reporting on Antarctic as we go there in 2020 on another cruise line's WC.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

6 minutes ago, DCCruiser57 said:

You are most welcome.  Keep up the great reporting!!  Will be especially interested in your reporting on Antarctic as we go there in 2020 on another cruise line's WC.

Will that be on the Amsterdam?  We will be on that cruise as well

[DCCruiser57]

1 minute ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Will that be on the Amsterdam?  We will be on that cruise as well

It's on the Silversea WC - 140 days touching all 7 continents with 3 full days in Antarctica.  Also, stopping at Robinson Crusoe Island, an overnight anchor at Easter Island, and a stop at Pitcairn Island.  SS is adding a crane and zodiacs for the landings in Antarctica.  By the way, we have done a number of HAL cruises and were on the first 30 day segment of 2015 HAL WC.  

[galeforce9]

You are here > Explore > The Islands > New Island

New Island

Ruggedly beautiful and remote, New Island is located at the extreme west of the Falklands’ archipelago. Dramatic cliffs contrast with sheltered sandy bays and natural harbours. New Island has a large concentration and great diversity of wildlife. It is also one of the driest places with an annual rainfall of less than 40cms (16”).

The pretty settlement overlooks Coffin’s Harbour, possibly named after a whaling captain. One of the earliest residents of the island was Captain Charles H Barnard of the whaler “Nanina”. He was stranded here with four crew members for around eighteen months in 1813/14. The remnants of their rough stone shelter can still be seen.

The remains of the first and only land-based whaling station in the Falklands are in South Harbour. The station closed in 1916 as operations were relocated to South Georgia where whale catches were larger. Of course, no sealing or whaling activities are practised in the Islands today.

Some of the best wildlife experiences are just a short distance from the settlement. At Settlement Rookery, formidable sea cliffs are home to black-browed albatross, king cormorants and rockhopper penguins creating an amazing cacophony of sounds. Great views are easy to find and time drifts away effortlessly whilst watching the rockhoppers landing in the surf and scaling the rocky heights before them and the albatross soar along the coastline.

Over forty species of birds breed on New Island including four species of penguin. Thin-billed prions are a highlight along with skuas, striated caracara and peregrine falcons.

Marine mammals are also plentiful. Peale’s dolphins breed in inshore waters, sea lions are often observed and fur seal colonies are found around the island.

Some cruise itineraries include New Island. Visitors are assured of a warm welcome from the Island’s two human residents and a great wildlife watching experience.  At present it is not possible for land-based tourists to visit New Island as there is no suitable accommodation.

[galeforce9]

Pete and Judy - see above - you are very lucky to be going to New Island. I’ve had two land holidays in the Falklands and have never been.  I’m hopeful that the weather will pick up and they will give you the Antarctic day you are missing at the end.  On our Antarctic quest bridge tour last year they said that the ship starts to ‘break’ at 7m, so I’m sure it’s better all around.  I’m sure they meant that breakages start to occur. 

[frantic36]

Pete and Judy, Thank you for the detailed blog. Happy Anniversary and I am pleased Seabourn made an effort to make it a special. 

 

I hope the the Drake's feisty mood isn't problematic. Looking at galeforce's information New Island looks very interesting so hopefully you will get to see it. I will look forward to reading about it in your blog.

 

Julie

[SLSD]

Pete and Judy, I am really loving your detailed reports.  Please keep them up!