Live from the Ovation

[fudge]

Day 1

Hi, Everyone,

This is our fourth cruise with Seabourn, we have sailed with Silversea and Regent, in my opinion there is not a lot between them, others may disagree?

So, where to start? Mr. Fudge is a young 72 yrs. old, (well he thinks he is!) Mrs Fudge celebrates her 60^th birthday and our wedding anniversary today, and her father’s birthday.

We emigrated from the UK about 20yrs ago to a small Island called Cyprus in the Mediterranean, a lovely sunny climate all year round.

To get to Barbados for the cruise, the best route was to fly to the UK and then to Barbados where we join the Ovation for two weeks, as I write we are in the Virgin Airlines business lounge drinking champagne, OK its 08.30 who cares!!

For the information of our British friends, we stayed overnight in the Ibis hotel just outside Heathrow, clean, comfortable and a good price.

It was not the best of starts, before the cruise Mr. Fudge fell and broke his wrist (badly) and has in arm in plaster for 6 weeks, this is my second week!  Thankfully I am left-handed so not too bad however, you don’t realise how difficult it is only using one hand, the simplest of tasks, tying your shoes, brushing your teeth, anyway, please don’t feel sorry for me, the food and drink will deaden the pain!

The flight time is 9.30 hrs but it will pass quickly.

We are in a veranda suite (826) deck 8, really looking forward to that, we love Seabourn although we like to dress up so SS is the cruise line for that.

We had a great flight; Virgin know how to treat their clients!

Landed in Barbados 45 minutes early 16.00 although the turbulence throughout the flight was pretty bad.

Although there were several large aircraft in already we breezed through Barbados airport, 20 minutes in all including collecting our bags, once outside we took a cab with two other couples, 30 minutes to the cruise terminal, 37 US dollars per couple, very reasonable.

We arrived at the cruise terminal met by Seabourn staff, through very quickly to a waiting coach, it took 30 seconds to the ship.

Checking in was also a breeze, five minutes, then straight to our suite.

Despite Seabourn saying they would decorate our suite with balloons Etc, nothing at all, very disappointing indeed, I was so excited before we got to the suite!!!

We attended a muster drill at seven PM for about 10 minutes then off to the TK grill.

We were at down immediately, the staff were very attentive, we both ordered the crab cakes and the saddle of Lamb, delicious. We were offered a 1.2 kilo pork chop!! We respectfully declined.

During dinner we struck up a conversation with two lovely couples, one from New York and the other from Canada. How is this for a coincidence, both partners were also celebrating their birthdays the same day!

TK staff brought out a birthday cake for each couple how nice was that.

We had an early night, it had been a long day.

Finally, please excuse my ramblings, sorry don’t do photos, not that savvy yet!

Fire away with any questions, will do my best to answer them.

 

 

[Mauzac]

Sounds wonderful!  We are on Ovation in August so I will be following 😃

[fudge]

Thank you, this is our first time on her, will spend the morning exploring, just off for breakfast.😀

[suewheldon]

We board Feb 18. Would be interested to know what you think of the islands as there are a few which will be new to us. We were booked on this itinerary on Odyssey in March 2020 but was cancelled so giving it another go. Incidentally Fudge, we have friends who live in Letymbou and have visited Cyprus a few times (from Toronto). 

[fudge]

Hi,

Just to explain for those who dont know, the Island is divided down the middle, there was a conflict in 1974, we live on the North side of the Island which is the Turkish side. The other side are the Greek Cypriots, we can freely go between both with restrictions (Brexit)

[goodvino808]

We just left Seabourn Ovation yesterday in Barbados.  David Price is the cruise director who stepped in at the last minute for the the previous Cd.  Last week the boat was very full but I felt the staff did an excellent job.  
 

Also don’t miss Elise and Eli in the observation lounge they are lovely!

 

finally champagne and caviar delivered to the room is a real treat.  Enjoy!

[margbem]

Glad you arrived safely, Mr and Mrs Fudge. Sorry to hear about your fall. We are in St Martin and join you next Saturday. We will say hello - it will probably be easy to spot Mr Fudge with his arm in plaster!

 

It is quite windy here and the sea looks interesting! Is it slightly choppy?

 

Margaret

[fudge]

Hi,

Just to explain for those who dont know, the Island is divided down the middle, there was a conflict in 1974, we live on the North side of the Island which is the Turkish side. The other side are the Greek Cypriots, we can freely go between both with restrictions (Brexit)

[fudge]

Thanks everyone,

We would love to meet you and have a drink, so good so far, except Mrs Fudge having to cut my meat in the TK grill, how embarrassing is that.

[Techno123]

we will be boarding the Ovation in July for the Norwegian Fiords - (first Seabourn trip in 6 years and Mr Techno isn't allowed to bring his bike 😂😂) so will follow your posts with interest.

[PAULINELESLEY]

6 hours ago, fudge said:

Day 1

Hi, Everyone,

This is our fourth cruise with Seabourn, we have sailed with Silversea and Regent, in my opinion there is not a lot between them, others may disagree?

So, where to start? Mr. Fudge is a young 72 yrs. old, (well he thinks he is!) Mrs Fudge celebrates her 60^th birthday and our wedding anniversary today, and her father’s birthday.

We emigrated from the UK about 20yrs ago to a small Island called Cyprus in the Mediterranean, a lovely sunny climate all year round.

To get to Barbados for the cruise, the best route was to fly to the UK and then to Barbados where we join the Ovation for two weeks, as I write we are in the Virgin Airlines business lounge drinking champagne, OK its 08.30 who cares!!

For the information of our British friends, we stayed overnight in the Ibis hotel just outside Heathrow, clean, comfortable and a good price.

It was not the best of starts, before the cruise Mr. Fudge fell and broke his wrist (badly) and has in arm in plaster for 6 weeks, this is my second week!  Thankfully I am left-handed so not too bad however, you don’t realise how difficult it is only using one hand, the simplest of tasks, tying your shoes, brushing your teeth, anyway, please don’t feel sorry for me, the food and drink will deaden the pain!

The flight time is 9.30 hrs but it will pass quickly.

We are in a veranda suite (826) deck 8, really looking forward to that, we love Seabourn although we like to dress up so SS is the cruise line for that.

We had a great flight; Virgin know how to treat their clients!

Landed in Barbados 45 minutes early 16.00 although the turbulence throughout the flight was pretty bad.

Although there were several large aircraft in already we breezed through Barbados airport, 20 minutes in all including collecting our bags, once outside we took a cab with two other couples, 30 minutes to the cruise terminal, 37 US dollars per couple, very reasonable.

We arrived at the cruise terminal met by Seabourn staff, through very quickly to a waiting coach, it took 30 seconds to the ship.

Checking in was also a breeze, five minutes, then straight to our suite.

Despite Seabourn saying they would decorate our suite with balloons Etc, nothing at all, very disappointing indeed, I was so excited before we got to the suite!!!

We attended a muster drill at seven PM for about 10 minutes then off to the TK grill.

We were at down immediately, the staff were very attentive, we both ordered the crab cakes and the saddle of Lamb, delicious. We were offered a 1.2 kilo pork chop!! We respectfully declined.

During dinner we struck up a conversation with two lovely couples, one from New York and the other from Canada. How is this for a coincidence, both partners were also celebrating their birthdays the same day!

TK staff brought out a birthday cake for each couple how nice was that.

We had an early night, it had been a long day.

Finally, please excuse my ramblings, sorry don’t do photos, not that savvy yet!

Fire away with any questions, will do my best to answer them.

 

 

 

[PAULINELESLEY]

Enjoy your cruise Mr Fudge please keep reporting as we are planning to do this cruise next January/February again.

[Oliversgrandma]

So interested to read your reports Mr Fudge - sorry to hear about the wrist but hope it does not curtail your activities too much.  We are on the same itinerary cruise from 18th February, also flying Virgin from London Heathrow (not business class though, alas!).  The quotes for upgrade we received were eye-watering - UK pensioners here so all a bit gloom and doom on the finance front.  It is our first Seabourn cruise,  previously cruised with Azamara, Cunard and Celebrity.  I intend to do a daily report when onboard, wifi permitting, from a first-timer perspective.  Fingers crossed you were able to tender to Bequia today - we visited there some years ago and loved it. Look forward to hearing your updates.

[galeforce9]

59 minutes ago, Oliversgrandma said:

So interested to read your reports Mr Fudge - sorry to hear about the wrist but hope it does not curtail your activities too much.  We are on the same itinerary cruise from 18th February, also flying Virgin from London Heathrow (not business class though, alas!).  The quotes for upgrade we received were eye-watering - UK pensioners here so all a bit gloom and doom on the finance front.  It is our first Seabourn cruise,  previously cruised with Azamara, Cunard and Celebrity.  I intend to do a daily report when onboard, wifi permitting, from a first-timer perspective.  Fingers crossed you were able to tender to Bequia today - we visited there some years ago and loved it. Look forward to hearing your updates.

The triple lock should help 😁

[fudge]

Day 2

After a smooth sailing overnight, we docked in Port Elizabeth, Bequia about 07.30.  A tiny Island only 7 square miles. We have sailed this cruise before so we opted not to book any excursions this time however, Mrs Fudge has booked a horse-riding trip in St Lucia independently.

Points of Interest:

Old Hegg Turtle sanctuary, it’s a nursery for Hawksbill turtles since 1995. The turtles are cared for until they reach 18 months, tagged and returned to the sea. Its 15 minutes by taxi.

The Island has lovely beaches for swimming, snorkeling and sun bathing, not crowded at all.

Princess Margaret Beach. Secluded, apparently Princess Margaret once swam there, 20 minutes to walk or a 5-minute drive.

Shopping: There are no big shopping malls here as you would expect, just quaint small boutiques, gift shops and grocery stores.

After rising very early Mrs. Fudge ordered Mr. Fudge off to Seabourn square for coffee and croissants even with broken wrist, what’s all that about??

I got there at 06.06 but had to wait until exactly 06.15, no big deal, croissants straight out of the oven and piping hot coffee, yum yum.

Last evening, we arrived fairly late, we did not unpack, we woke this morning to see the room looked a right mess, “stuff” everywhere!!

We ate breakfast in the Colonnade, service was very good, a guy called Waldo served us, the same guy from the TK grill, very professional. Mr Fudge had the full “English breakfast” Mrs Fudge had the eggs Florentine, all hot and tasty.

Passengers on board. The ships capacity is 604, there are 561 guests on board, maths was never my strong point, will leave you to work out the percentage. It does not look that busy however, no queues/lines anywhere.

When we sailed with Seabourn previously there has always been a tote bag/beach bag in the suite, not this time there are none on board apparently.

Mrs Fudge is going through literally hundreds of mails replying to those who sent best wishes for her birthday, she is so quiet I thought my hearing aids were not working!! It’s a good job we have free internet!

We plan a real lazy day today, relaxing and chilling out, almost time for our first cocktail, other guests are really nice, loads of sympathy for my stupid broken wrist!

So, its 11am and time for yet another champagne. I said to Mrs Fudge you order the drinks I am going to see the future cruise consultant for five minutes. I return to the pool deck there are two empty glasses, I said “where is my drink please?” Mrs Fudge replied, I had to drink yours it was getting warm!!

She obviously starts as she means to go on.

The weather is a pleasant 28 degrees C is that 79F? as I mentioned earlier, my maths is not great!

Time to eat (again)

Lunch at the Colonnade, typical British/UK fayre, the choice was outstanding, the food quality was superb. Cottage pie, fish pie, steak pie, curry, mushroom lasagna, fish and chips. Mrs Fudge reckons we are giving dinner a miss, yeah right, we are, let’s, see?

Afternoon fun!

So Seabourn host fun games for prizes, today was baggo, you throw bean bags towards a board and try and put them through a hole, collect points and win a prize. Only Mr. and Mrs Fudge turned up!  Mr. Fudge won a Seabourn cap, Mrs Fudge won a lovely Seabourn bag, how sad are we!

Trivia next, we must be very bored.

Most folks like a good quiz, don’t they? This afternoon we joined five other guests, we named the team the “Peaky Blinders” we held our own coming second, you may hear more during the cruise.

The sail away party was at 5 pm, the band was playing, drinks flowing, on we go to Martinique.

 

[firsttimers68]

Be thankful you aren't in Cyprus today! I live in Paphos and we are being battered by rain, hailstorms and strong winds! Oh how I wish I was on Seabourn😀

[cadburysmom]

Fudge, I am so enjoying this thread and kudos to Mrs. Fudge...would've been a crime to let that champagne get warm!  

 

Very sorry about your wrist but love your positive attitude and so happy to follow along on your current Ovation adventure.  Admit I'm quite envious as we sailed her for the first time this past November and enjoyed every minute, so much so that I am embarrassed to admit Mr. Cadburysmom basically had to drag me kicking and screaming from the ship...oh well

 

Hoping the same for you, sans the kicking and screaming, and looking forward to hearing about Day 3!

 

 

[fudge]

Day 3

Not a good start to the day, we woke to hear of the shocking news of the earthquake in Turkey, our thoughts and prayers go out to those involved, in these times of crisis the whole world needs to pull together and help where they can.

Another smooth crossing tonight, we arrived in Martinique about 07.30. Martinique (Trois Ilets) is home to the largest Islands frequented yacht marina. It’s a popular place for beach holidays.

An historic town with some charm and the birth place of Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife Josephine.

You can visit the La Pagerie Museum, which dates back to 1929, is named for the Tascher de la Pagerie family who owned a sugar plantation in the 1700 s.

You can also visit the Anse Cafard slave memorial. It was created to pay a sobering tribute to an horrific ship tragedy in 1830, a ship carrying a cargo of Africans for the then slave market crashed into rocks, 46 bodies were recovered, they were buried in a mass grave.

Last evening was a test of discipline, we decided to opt out of dinner given we enjoyed a British lunch and over indulged!

You may recall in an earlier post despite Seabourn promising they would decorate our suite for Mrs Fudges birthday it never materialised, well blow me down, this morning a lovely bouquet of red roses was delivered to our suite by our suite host Kristina with a note from the housekeeping team what a lovely gesture.

The ship was cleared by customs by 8am which is good for Mrs Fudge when she goes horse riding next week.

Last evening, we ordered caviar and a bottle of wine and had a relaxing evening in our suite. This evening is a formal night, looking forward to that, a chance for Mrs Fudge to wear her sparkly frock.

We have decided to go ashore today Mrs Fudge is in need of retail therapy!!!

Lovely weather again, warm but a bit cloudy.

We did go ashore, a 10-minute bumpy tender ride, very windy. A 15-minute walk to a parade of tourist type shops, quite expensive. Mrs Fudge thankfully is quite frugal so on this occasion the credit card was not damaged!

Back on board for lunch in the Colonnade, a Mexican themed lunch, Chile con carni, chicken, beef or prawn fajitas, delicious. All washed down with a tequila or two.

What do points make?  PRIZES!!!

Mrs Fudge who has not played golf ever, came second in the golf competition, well done Mrs Fudge!  She won an international travel adapter.

Team Trivia

There were two new teams today, guess what?  Peaky blinders came second again, lost by just 10 points.

[fudge]

Day 4

Today we arrived in Basse Terre, Guadeloupe.  “The island of beautiful water” and the home of Death in Paradise.   The island is volcanic, rich with forests rivers and waterfalls which hosts the volcano La Soufriere, 1467 meters high.

The local currency is the Euro but generally US dollars are accepted.

Places of interest.

Basse Terre Botanical Gardens

Rum Distillery, Bologna, a major rum producer on the island where visitors can tour the property and taste the rum!!

Another smooth crossing you wouldn’t know you were sailing however, Mr Fudge had one or two more cognacs than he should which may have helped, much to the disgust of Mrs Fudge, I think I am forgiven having treated her to coffee and pastries in bed?

This morning we decided to have breakfast on the pool deck, our first negative! There were three chefs working, Mr Fudge ordered poached eggs on toast, Mrs Fudge ordered two eggs on toast, simple you would think? It took over 30 minutes to arrive, even then Mrs Fudge only got one egg! Oh well in the bigger picture no big deal.

When we arrived it started to rain, a small shower which at least stopped the lounge hogs.

We went to our first show last evening, the entertainers are a credit to Seabourn, they were very good indeed.

Well, here we are on day four of this fabulous cruise on Seabourn Ovation. We have met some lovely people already, very friendly and great company. There is a positive vibe amongst the passengers some of whom are new to sailing and especially with Seabourn.

We especially enjoy the team trivia, some folks are really competitive however, it’s all played in the right spirit, it’s a hoot.

Last evening, Emilian Cygan captain of the vessel introduced himself and a few of his senior officers, on previous occasions this was done in the theatre however, this took place in the observation lounge and the club lounge on deck 5, unfortunately some guests including me were sat with backs to him which wasn’t great but it only lasted a few minutes.

Last night was a formal evening, Mrs Fudge looked stunning as ever, I am so proud to have spent so many years with her, I feel so lucky. Mr Fudge managed to get his tux on, it was difficult with an arm in plaster but he wasn’t letting his standards down.

Generally, most people were dressed for the occasion, the ladies especially looked lovely.

Reading the herald this morning there are no games planned, what will we do!!!

After breakfast we took a stroll into town, lots and lots and lots of ladies’ fashion shops (cheap) after 90 minutes Mr Fudge gave up, he lost the will to live and returned to the ship, straight to the bar and drank a gallon of White wine! Mrs Fudge may be back by 4pm for the team trivia, if not Seabourn may have to send out a search party, good luck with that!!

Mrs Fudge found her way back to the ship, Mr Fudge had grown a beard by then. She was laden with goodies; the credit card took a hit today.

We ate lunch in the Colonnade for lunch, it was a French theme, lovely selection of food, great quality.

WARNING

One of our trivia team members returned to the ship having been attacked in broad daylight in town. She was not overly dressed, no jewellery on show, she had a bag around her neck, a young guy tripped her up, tried to grab her bag, she was strong she whacked him with the bag and he ran off. Thankfully she was not injured just badly shaken.

It just goes to show you cannot be careful enough where ever you go.

Oh dear, another second for peaky blinders, as my teacher used to say on my school report “must try harder”

Dining at Earth and Ocean this evening with friends we have met on the cruise.

 

[cruisinfamily7609]

My goodness, sorry to read about your trivia team member! How frightening for her - good that she smacked him with her bag! It does serve as a good reminder to watch yourself. Your cruise diary is thoroughly entertaining, thank you for writing it!! 

[margbem]

Really enjoying your posts, Fudge. Please keep them going!

[robertmartha]

Fudge - thank you for taking us along. Luv your daily posts! Enjoy!

[fudge]

Day 5

This morning we arrived in Charlestown, St Kitts and Nevis.  Charlestown is the capitol of the island of Nevis. The official currency is the Caribbean dollar; however, the US dollar is widely accepted.  English is the official language.

Places of interest.

The Museum of Nevis History, Alexander Hamilton Museum.

There are 3 beaches on the island, Pinneys Beach a mile from the centre of town. Lovers Beach provides visitors with privacy and a perfect place for a picnic or swim.  Nisbet Beach is well maintained and surrounded by palm trees.

Can I express my thanks to all who have taken the time to read this drivel and replied on the thread.

Mr Fudge made his usual trip for coffee it was very quiet this morning, maybe a few sore heads after the party last evening? The coffee guy tried his best to remember my name however, a ten-dollar bill suddenly sparked his brain into life. He, and all the hardworking crew all have smiling faces, thank heavens they don’t have to wear masks!

Speaking of which, I have only seen about five masks on passengers, to date no talk of the dreaded C word!

As I mentioned, we dined at the Earth and Ocean last evening with four guests who we met on the cruise. The weather decided to step in, it rained all evening but we were under cover so no big deal.

We booked this venue because they had a 12 hour slow cooked lamb shank.

When the waitress arrived to take our order, I said “can I have a crocodile sandwich and make it snappy” she replied with a straight face, “I’m sorry sir we don’t serve crocodile”

Four of us had the lamb shank, two had the sea bass, we all agreed the food was super, I managed to tear apart the lamb with my left hand, that’s how tender it was.

There was a pool side, disco inferno,” let’s dance party” planned however, due to the inclement weather the venue was changed to the club on deck five. The place was packed, we were served Gin based cocktails which went down very well, the crew let their hair down as did the passengers, we had a great time.

Mrs Fudge has taken it upon herself to cover laundry duties, thanks to advice from Cruise Critic members she now “rolls” the clothes before placing them in the bag, its amazing how much you “stuff” you can get in there, off they go this morning for cleaning.

This morning Mrs Fudge receives a pension pay off “lump sum” so I am going to ask the staff to keep her locked away in the galley, it was only a matter of luck that despite her best efforts she could not find any expensive shops yesterday.

We skipped breakfast this morning due to a mean comment by Mrs Fudge, I asked her what my T shirt said I couldn’t read it upside down, she said “that’s because it’s over your stomach” ouch, that hurts! The T shirt actually reads “my wife says I only have two faults, I don’t listen and something else!

At lunch time the hotel director and a chef gave a cooking display and cocktails, a pasta dish with tomato sauce which had a kick to it.

We ate lunch in the Sushi restaurant, it was different, an acquired taste should I say.

So, it’s a dull day today rather overcast, back to the games, Baggo again, for those that don’t know they are run by the entertainment crew, most don’t look to pleased to be there.  

As we approached there was a look of “here they come, the Seabourn scroungers, after a free coffee mug” and why not, Mrs Fudge gets quite competitive.

[margbem]

Looking forward to meeting you, Mr and Mrs Fudge, as we share your humour! Mrs Fudge - please go out and spend your lump sum - don’t save it for Sint Maarten as there’s nothing much except diamonds 😉😉!
 

I don’t know if you have anything planned for Saturday. We are staying on St Martin at the moment and went to Phillispburg on Monday. We were amazed at how small it is. The promised “boardwalk” isn’t up to much and the main street is just tat shops interspersed with perfume and jewellery stores. Allegedly tax free but we checked out perfume prices and found that we pay less in the Canaries than here.

 

We went to Marigot yesterday and that has more to it, if you fancied getting a cab there and back.

 

Please keep up your reports and we will certainly be joining you at any putting, baggo and trivia competitions so get training!!

[mitz18]

On 2/5/2023 at 4:53 AM, fudge said:

Day 1

H

Fire away with any questions, will do my best to answer them.

 

 

Enjoying reading your report.  Out of curiosity, what Champagnes (sparkling wines) are part of the "included" drinks.  We were just on Silver Dawn and it was Pommery so a bit curious what SB is pouring.  Enjoy!