A Big Bon Voyage to the Legend Sailor's!

[JaneBP]

Jane,

What has happened to S&L?

 

Someone posted here that they had to leave the ship before the crossing. Not sure why.

 

BTW, will be at the Stafford for Chirstmas if you want me to stand you a few drinks.

[PeaSea8ch]

The seas have been calm and flat and the temperatures have been in the high 70’s with the skies ranging from sunny to partly cloudy with a few short duration squalls to keep both passengers and crew on their toes. Thank you King Neptune! Onboard experience continues to be great in all respects food, service, entertainment and passenger camaraderie.

 

Trivia continues to be challenging and competitive! The team standings after each day continue to be volatile and it will go down to the wire until we know who the champions will be.

 

In the Ryder Cup Putting Tournament, the momentum has shifted to the European team. On Thursday, the North American team, who barely missed some key putts, lost a heartbreaker 44 to 40 to the European team. On Friday, the European team annihilated the North American team 84 to 40.

 

Today, the Fall 2007 North Atlantic Tug-of-War Championships were held. This is a big deal for the crew as there is a plaque in the crew area with the team name of each year’s winner added to it. They all train and work out in their spare time for this event. It is very popular with the passengers as well. All departments participate including the housekeeping department. Each team has a maximum total weight requirement so teams comprised of women compete on a level playing field.

 

Teams from the housekeeping, deck, engine room, concessionaires (spa ladies), restaurant, night crew, and bar departments competed. In the end, the Bar Department team was declared the champion!!!

 

Today’s Tug-of-War Freeze Frames:

 

 

Preliminary Round — Deck Dept. vs Engine Room

 

 

Semifinals — Concessionaires vs Restaurant Dept.

 

 

Semifinals — Night Crew vs Bar Dept.

 

 

Finals — Bar Dept. vs Restaurant Dept.

 

 

Fall 2007 North Atlantic Tug-of-War Champions!

The Bar Department

Oh those lazy, hazy, crazy crossing days! On a Seabourn Yacht, life is good.

[Martita B.]

Peachy,

Again, thank you for posting such a great review ~~also for posting the Tug-of-War photos! Congratulations to the Bar Team!!!:p

And happy to hear King Neptune has been so good to you this Crossing ~~~

I know come Nov. 21st, in Ft. Laud, many will be saddened saying "good-bye" to good friends and sailmates ~~~ Yes, "life is good on a Seabourn Yacht!"

I know N & P (from Canada) will have a wonderful Thanksgiving in Dallas visiting with fellow Seabournites, B & J. ~~~enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner! We'll talk while you're in Dallas!

Again, Peachy, "Kuddos" to YOU! Grrrreat stories and fantastic photos! Thank you!

Continued safe, smooth seas with blue skies above the Legend!

Pinkie

[dmb707]

Hi all

 

for those enquiring about Shelagh and Larry, i have been asked by Shelagh to post a quick update!

 

Larry was taken ill on the Legend and had to be admitted into hospital in Las Palmas, he is now out of hospital and hopefully flying back to London tonight.

 

Once they have settled I am sure that Shelagh will update herself.

 

Wishing them both a safe trip back and a speedy recovery for Larry

 

deb

[Seabourn-nail]

Thank you very much for informing us Deb!

I'm sorry to hear Shelagh and Larry were not able to re board the Legend before the crossing and also that it took them this long to be able to fly home. I do hope Larry will be fine soon.

All the best to the both of them and I hope to sail with them (you, if you read this Shelagh) November next year.

Marja

 

PS

Paul: Is that Sacha I see on the photo?

Give him my regards. I hope to see him in December, though I understand it if he won't be there, because he would much rather celebrate Christmas with his family!

Does the captain have a new hair style? No more high lights?

[GrannyLorr]

Thanks for the review Paul, us stuck at home always love to read how ~someone~ is enjoying them self on one of the ships!

 

Just a question about your photos.....I see you have your photos on "photobucket"....did you find this site was easy and quick to upload too? I am trying to work out what to use on my SA cruise and have signed up for almost all the photo sharing sites, including photobucket. Just not sure which will be best to use. As I am still stuck on "dial up" at home, its a bit hard to work out what sites work better than others. :eek:

[lord of the seas]

Few! For a moment I thought that Larry had found out that there was no Roquefort cheese on board and decided to get off. :)

[Martita B.]

Peachy,

Today in Ft. Lauderdale ~~Have a safe journey/flight home just in time for a California Thanksgiving! :p

When you have rested from the Legend TA Crossing, please post a final review. Do you happen to have a group photo of any Guests? Oh and please tell us who won Trivia!:confused:

Happy Turkey Day!

Pinkie

[shefinch]

Few! For a moment I thought that Larry had found out that there was no Roquefort cheese on board and decided to get off. :)

No it's even worse than that - he is now on Warfarin and can only drink one glass of wine a day!!!

We finally arrived home on Monday having spent nine unscheduled days in Las Palmas. Larry spent five days in hospital - three of them in intensive care - and once he got out they would not let him fly until Sunday. His condition is not life threatening but there was a great risk of a stroke until they sorted it out.

He is more fed up about missing the cruise and we were so looking forward to it. Our only consolation is that they have all left the ship now and we are home with no jet lag.

Thanks to those who enquired about us. I have been emailing various people on the ship and they obviously had good weather and enjoyed themselves. Don't know who won Trivia but our team were in the lead again on Saturday.

We are now trying to find a cruise in January! Not sure at this stage whether we'll still be doing the crossing in March - might try and move it back a bit earlier but not sure how full they are.

Shelagh and Larry

[JaneBP]

>"...he is now on Warfarin and can only drink one glass of wine a day!!!"

 

All things in moderation. Don't forget that spinach is another food that must be moderated and/or factored in. But thankfully he's back home and you two can plan ahead.

 

Marja and Rene are planning and packing as well. It's great news for our US Thanksgiving prayers. Speaking our annual tryptophan overdose, I have already nibbled around the edges of Martitia's fudge that I made to take as a hostess gift. Anymore lapses and I shall have to send flowers.

 

Travellers Blessings to all those who are joining the Triplets, leaving them, and heading to family and friends this holiday.

[buzzland]

Shelah, all our best to you and Larry. It has to be quite frightening being in a foreign country in hospital. Travel in Florida, and environs is not easy at best the day before Thanksgiving. Not that that makes up for missing the crossing. We will be going the opposite direction mid-March on the Pride. How about joining all the Plaid, and green wearers on that trip?

Bonnie & George

[Host Dan]

Back at home safe and sound... Look forward to writing a full detailed review "with all the drama" ;) in a few days! Vertigo and sea legs...typical day back!

 

Host Dan

[CeeJay11]

We have also just arrived back after a very long and very tiring day! It was a great crossing and we will miss all our cruising friends. We arrived home to heavy rain which turned to ice and then snow! We wish we could have boxed up some of that beautiful weather we had, especially the last day sailing into Ft. Lauderdale.

Now we must stop eating -- the food on this cruise was the best ever! Chef Willy really outdid himself. And Luca's lasagne was literally to die for!!

Off to unpack and look out at the snow.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our U.S. friends.

CeeJay

[crystal808]

Back at home safe and sound... Look forward to writing a full detailed review "with all the drama" ;) in a few days! Vertigo and sea legs...typical day back!

 

Welcome home! Can't wait to read the details!! :eek: :D ;)

 

Paul

[wripro]

We are now home too. It was a wonderful crossing. GREAT food and service. It was wonderful to meet so many CCers. Now comes the hard part, unpacking!

[PeaSea8ch]

As the Legend steams westward towards FLL, all is right with the world. The weather, King Neptune, passenger camaraderie, onboard experience is in complete harmony. Legendary crossers seem to be having a GRAND time onboard!

 

The merits of the deck barbeque and the Rock The Boat (RTB) show have been previously discussed on this forum. This year, I bypassed the deck barbecue and dined in the restaurant instead. I was surprised to see that a majority of the passengers were dining in the restaurant as well. This appears to be a growing trend as I remember Luca telling me after my first deck barbecue in 2002 that only 3 passengers dined in the restaurant that night. If any first-time Seabourn sailors are reading this, I recommend experiencing the deck barbeque at least once; yes, it is a buffet but when you are ready to go back to your table, a smiling waiter is always available to take your plate back to your table for you. I, and others I suspect, find the more I sail on Seabourn, the more I like being waited on and pampered. A few passengers confessed that they sampled the barbeque and then went down to the Restaurant for the remainder of their meal.

 

As far as the RTB show goes, having 4 singers – Preston (and his guitar), Sara Jane, Speedy and Christina along with the excellent, high-energy musicians of Oasis really made the show great and they sang and played different songs than the previous years. I enjoyed the show and the dance floor (sorry, deck) was always busy with passengers dancing and prancing the night away!

 

The last formal night of the crossing (we had four!) we enjoyed the Captain’s farewell reception, Chef Willy’s fantastic Tasting Menu in the Restaurant followed by the Broadway Bound – A Night At The Olav show. The KOL was packed with standing room only. With the same entertainers as the RTB show, Preston put a different spin on it and was very well received.

 

Trivia on a crossing is always competitive and this year’s tournament was no exception as it went right down to the wire. I must say that CCers who post here (the ones I know) are excellent Trivia players! Our own Daniete’s team “The Bar Stewards” won the tournament. Host Dan’s team “Oceans Eleven” came in second place. Our TheFlames’ team “The Flames” (who won last November’s tournament) came in third or fourth. The team I played on was called “Eternal Optimists” and we ended up in second to last when the dust settled. Congratulations to the winners, it was a great tournament — lots of fun and a bit humbling at times!!

 

In the keen Ryder Cup competition, the final two regulation matches were split one each for he European and North American teams. At the end of regulation play, the European team had 4 wins (match points) to the North American team’s 3 match points. For the final Match Point round to determine the winner, the male and female putters for both teams were ranked form lowest to highest scorers. Each male and female putter would have a one-on-one competition with the putter of same rank (lowest scorer vs. lowest scorer and so on) on the other team, for one match point. Each putter had three shots and the putter with the highest score earns one match point to be added to their team’s total score (ties earned no points). After intense, sea-saw, pressure-cooker competition, it came down to the final two putters to decide the outcome of the match, which resulted in a TIE. This will ensure that the Nov. 2008 Ryder Cup competition will be as Legendary as the crossing itself!

 

Final evening onboard: The pre-dinner farewell show “Encore” featured all the entertainers, including Guest entertainers Violin Diva Beverly Davison and Comedian – Pianist Jon Courtenay and backed up by Oasis was fantastic as the KOL was again packed for the show. I was seated at the Bridge Instructors’ hosted table for “The Last Supper” dinner and finally met and got to know Lefty Bob and Mrs. Bob. After dinner entertainment options included classical guitarist Anthony in the Midnight Sun Lounge; the movie “No Reservations” in the King Olav Lounge; and duo Satin Doll in The Club.

 

The ship was “kind of quiet” as I think some passengers were finishing their packing or just retired early. I went up to The Club where most of the regular Club-ites were. After enjoying the music and chatting with friends for a while, I said my goodbyes (boo-hoo) and called it a night.

 

Disembarkation morning: I was at the Restaurant when it opened at 7:00 am for a leisurely breakfast since I knew the Veranda would be a madhouse. Had breakfast with friends that were staying on for the following Panama Canal cruise. Disembarkation always goes quickly and smoothly on Seabourn. I waited for my disembarkation group to be called ashore in the KOL and visited one last time and said more goodbyes to those I missed the night before. After presenting my ID card to the Security Officer and being scanned off the ship I went ashore, collected my passport form Sara Jane; a brief stop at Immigration, then on to the Customs hall where I quickly spotted my bags, flagged down a Porter to walk them and I through US Customs and to place my bags in the holding area for DHL to pick up later for shipment to my home. I waved and hollered Paa Gjensyn (until we meet again) to Shore Excursion Manager Monika in the Customs Hall. As I turned to walk to my transportation to the Miami airport for my flight home, I then called it a truly magical Seabourn crossing!!!!

 

My Farewell Freeze Frames are a sunset sequence from November 17.

 

 

Sunset 1 of 5

 

 

Sunset 2 of 5

 

 

Sunset 3 of 5

 

 

Sunset 4 of 5

 

 

Sunset 5 of 5

 

Oh, those lazy, hazy crazy crossing days! On a Seabourn Yacht, life is good.

[PittsburghJack]

Paul.............just excellent! Jack & Mrs. Jack:D

[shefinch]

Shelah, all our best to you and Larry. It has to be quite frightening being in a foreign country in hospital. Travel in Florida, and environs is not easy at best the day before Thanksgiving. Not that that makes up for missing the crossing. We will be going the opposite direction mid-March on the Pride. How about joining all the Plaid, and green wearers on that trip?

Bonnie & George

Thanks for your good wishes, Bonnie and George. I think we're going to be giving the March crossing a miss on the Legend never mind on the Pride (trying to sort out an earlier one at the moment) but hope to do the November crossing.

[GrannyLorr]

Thanks Paul for a wonderful report as always, even sitting here at home I feel so sad thats its all over! :o Can you imagine my frame of mind when they kick me off after 85 days! :eek: One of our friends from the last cruise, who will also be on the next cruise is a shrink....should I start making an appointment now?

[Martita B.]

Dan,

From a Legend Crosser I heard about your kidnapping the Lions from the CD office ~~~in your upcoming review, please tell us the entire saga :confused: ~~~

Had a phone call last evening from friends aboard the Transatlantic Oceania Regatta. King Neptune was NOT kind to them:eek: ~~~! They missed Bermuda.......seas were simply too rough so they sailed straight into Miami. (while at sea, crossing, they even experienced a couple of deaths)

Have a good week!:p

Martita B.

[Host Dan]

Dan,

From a Legend Crosser I heard about your kidnapping the Lions from the CD office ~~~in your upcoming review, please tell us the entire saga :confused: ~~~

Had a phone call last evening from friends aboard the Transatlantic Oceania Regatta. King Neptune was NOT kind to them:eek: ~~~! They missed Bermuda.......seas were simply too rough so they sailed straight into Miami. (while at sea, crossing, they even experienced a couple of deaths)

Have a good week!:p

Martita B.

Sorry for the delay in the review, but haven't quite got everything back in order around here. As far as the lions... I kidnapped a "pride" of 5 lions to be held for ransom. Rhyming ransom notes were delivered to the CD on 2 occasions. He was very adamant about not wanting to "play the game". (too bad, as the game is a "tradition", but his perogative) At a private party, the lions re-appeared unharmed. He then instructed the lion-napper (me) that I should give them away to "deserving" passengers, which I did. I think I should have kept 1 for myself, as we didn't win trivia, therefore no lions or bulldogs for us.

 

Host Dan

[lord of the seas]

(while at sea, crossing, they even experienced a couple of deaths)

 

Have a good week!:p

Martita B.

 

Yes, I had heard that the food was not up to much :)

[Daneite]

Yes, I had heard that the food was not up to much :)

 

Not really funny!

[lord of the seas]

Although I do enjoy a good burial at sea.That's the way I want to go

[Martita B.]

Dan,

Please post your review of the Legend Crossing when you have some time. We certainly enjoyed Peachy'stravel log and appreciated his taking the time to post on CC. Was there a Cruise Critic cocktail party? (my friends aboard the TA Prinsendam Crossing enjoyed a CC party given by Holland Line--nice, huh?)

We are wondering about Preston's resignation. I did hear there were several reasons. Perhaps he's just not quite ready for all the CD responsibilities.

I know you enjoyed the Canary Islands ~~unique and special! I love Lanzarote and La Palma!:p

Happy week!

MB