Goldring Travel's 2008 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Spirit: Travelogue Part I

Our trip on the Seabourn Spirit started uneventfully with an on time flight, a quick pickup by our driver and a traffic free trip from the airport.


We checked into the St. George Lycabettus Hotel, located in the Kolonaki section (Athens's "Beverly Hills area"). The staff at the hotel were friendly and very accommodating...even allowing us to rest in one room while our Deluxe Acropolis View room was still being prepared. This standard room was clean, well laid-out, but very small and with no view. After only a few moments our room was ready and what a difference! While not the most spacious room, it was clean, had a comfortable bed and nice amenities. But that is not what makes the St. George Lycabettus the best hotel in Athens for me. It is the view. We sat out on our balcony sipping our complimentary champagne with a fantastic, unobstructed, view of the Acropolis with the port of Piraeus in the distance. It is, alas, a true $1,000,000 view.

The hotel recommended a truly local restaurant for lunch just a short stroll down the hill. After a very nice lunch of a Greek salad, some hummus and fried anchovies...and a carafe of local white wine, we strolled back to the hotel for a nap. As we lay in bed there was that view...the Acropolis. Very cool. After our nap, we sat out on our balcony, listening to the local sounds of children playing on a Friday evening rather than the cars and trucks of downtown Athens...and we watched a beautiful sunset unfold. It was then off to another local restaurant with some friends, sitting outside under a canopy enjoying the evening. Then, lying in bed looking out at the Acropolis lit up and looking, frankly, spectacular, it was time for a good night's sleep.

After a wonderful breakfast buffet at the rooftop restaurant's balcony...with that view...it was time for our group to gather and our tour of Athens before heading to the ship. Paul, a driver-guide I have used for years, not only for myself but my clients, did a great job. However, the highlight was when we were returning from our walk up to the top of Mt. Lycabettus we, well, ummm, sort of...got a bit lost. In the end it was a good laugh.

We arrived at the port at 2:30 pm and were quickly on the ship. A quick muster and a wonderful champagne sail away. Then it was time to get ready for dinner. One problem, though: The bag with most of my clothes and all of my wife's dresses was missing. The short version is it was gone. Seabourn tracked back to the hotel, the guide and even every one of the 12 ships in port that day and...nothing.

As always we had a wonderful sail away with the champagne flowing, though I did notice an absence of the usually ubiquitous caviar. The staff was a good as ever making our first evening as if we had never left...and this was my first evening ever on the Seabourn Spirit (though I have sailed on the Seabourn Pride and Seabourn Legend previously). After a dinner that included the best veal chop I have ever eaten, and even though it was a bit chilly (and we wound up looking like a bunch of homeless people huddled under blankets, we had a wonderful time at the Sky Bar and really enjoyed the new layout and upgrades.

The next day brought us to Mykonos (which is not one of my favorite islands) along with some intermittent rain, a cold breeze, and a need to do some serious shopping as there was no good news for our luggage. First, though, was a meeting with Oliver (the bar manager) and Jochem (the chef de cuisine) to begin arranging my group's Food and Wine tasting on the last day of the cruise. In typical Seabourn fashion, they took my relatively straight-forward event and immediately put it over-the-top adding, for example, a tasting of 20 different olive oils and insisting they do a bit of wine and food shopping for me! I immediately went from the organizer to the guest. (The same occurred when I tried to organize the Ensemble Travel complimentary cocktail party!)

Meanwhile, though Seabourn quickly provided me with a blue suit and shirt (and later in the cruise a tuxedo) my wife needed dresses...and fast. Luckily, after working through all the expensive shops with their (yeah I believe THAT one) end of seasons sales we stumbled upon a small shop with great clothes at truly reasonable prices...on Mykonos! With the mission accomplished my friend and I took up position at one of the local tavernas overlooking the water and watched the world go by. A short nap...OK not so short a nap...and it was time to eat again. Another great dinner and the waiters figured out we like a good laugh and are having great fun with our little group. Matt Brown, the cruise director, put on a truly enjoyable show in the Club...and I am usually not a big fan of such things. One of my guests, though, really stole the show for some good fun. Then a nightcap at the Sky Bar fortunately sans blankets.

In typical Seabourn fashion our arrival in Santorini - to beautiful blue skies - was delayed until 10 AM...so that we would not have to wait in long lines for the cable car or donkeys since there were a few other ships arriving earlier...and then we stayed later after the other ships had departed. This provided us with a far less rushed and crowded time; making Santorini more enjoyable. Deciding that we "needed" to take the donkeys for a good laugh, four of us headed off...only to have one donkey act up, knocking my friend over and sending his wife - like a rocket - walking up the 586 (?) stairs. Oh, we still took the donkeys and we did have a laugh. Having been to Santorini twice before we opted to hang out in Fira and just enjoy looking in the shops (picking up some interesting local wines for our tasting, of course!) and then a nice, simple, lunch in a local taverna with a bottle of local wine and that awesome view. It is one of my favorite things in the world to do. This was followed by a very enjoyable soak in the whirlpool on the bow of the ship where, as advertised, a bar waiter appeared announcing, "You look like you need a bottle of champagne and three glasses". We then realized we did.

Today was a visit to Patmos. There really is not much in Patmos other than visiting the monastery where St. John the Devine was said to have written the Book of Revelations. Our local guide for the Ensemble Experience (complimentary for all guests who utilize a member travel agency) was quite interesting and was able to blend the local history and architecture into an interesting semi-walking tour. After visiting a local house owned by an elderly woman...the 8th generation of the family owning same, we were taken to a local restaurant for some meze (small tastings) and ouzo with a small show. I did spot a local wine shop and make a couple of purchases for our tasting. It was a nice day, though I am not sure that I will return to Patmos anytime soon. Then it was another wonderful gourmet dinner followed by Dancing Under the Stars

Next: We wake up in Turkey.

Seabourn Food & Wine Cruise - Needed Now More Than Ever

Tomorrow I depart for my Food & Wine Cruise sailing on the Seabourn Spirit from Athens to Istanbul.
Boy do I need it.
With the stock market a disaster, housing prices down and going lower because no one will lend money, people having their savings and retirement accounts decimated...and I could go on...how could now be the time to "need" a cruise????

The answer is exactly why we tend to cruise in the first place:  To escape.  To refresh.  To Invigorate.  To clear our heads. 

It is for me, at least, time to be stepping back for a moment, to get away from CNN and to smell the fresh air and remember there is a reason that we live is to enjoy life and to find ways to remember that health and happiness is what really matters.

While I am very interested to see how the world's economic problems are affecting Athens, Istanbul and the Greek islands and Turkish towns I will visit along with way, what I am really looking forward to - honestly - is having a nice local wine in Santorini while sitting on the cliffside in a small taverna with nothing more than a plate of fruit with my wife by my side.  I am also looking forward to a morning in an ancient hamam (Turkish bath) as well as catching up with our "family" while we are in Istanbul.

Just thinking about these things helps me put the first paragraph of this post a little bit further toward the back and the joys of life just a little bit more toward the front of my mind.

To be sure, knowing I will be enjoying the luxury of extraordinary service and gourmet food while on the Seabourn Spirit does not hurt my efforts to be positive.  In fact, in a way I almost feel guilty that I will be.

But I digress!  The point is that I know when I return from my short trip I will be able to have a fresh perspective and that all the pundits, doomsayers (remember those who panicked and sold their portfolios before the big Dow run-up last week!), etc. will have had time to work through their machinations and probably will have moved on to the next problem or explain why the last "solution" was the wrong thing to do.  The rumblings of that are already starting.  (Remember, we were told on Friday that we had 7 days to give up $700,000,000,000 to the control of one person...and it is almost 7 days and we are still OK.)

So if you are thinking of cancelling a future cruise that you booked when things weren't so bad because you cannot conceive of how things might get better or how you can justify such a luxury in these times, I would suggest you take a breath, wait and see what happens right up until that final payment is due and then, but only then, make that decision.

Fuel Supplements Remain: The Cost to Cruise...and How Farming Gives the Answer.

Every morning at 7:00 a.m. I enjoy my "Breakfast with the Farmers" at the local coffee shop. You never know what is going to be the topic or topics of the day. And, readers, you need to stay with me on this one. It will all come together; I am not just rambling!

Yesterday we were discussing the best way to install a French drain near a paddock...only to be interrupted by a phone call: One of the guys just shot the first 8 point buck of the season and we had to come outside to see it in the back of his truck. Then it was back inside to discussing Charley and Arnold, a gentleman farmer's two pet pigs and how they soon would transform from pets to dinner.

Today the topics were much different. One farmer asked us to guess what he was quoted per ton for a common fertilizer. Another guessed something he thought was outrageous: $600. Wrong: It was over $1,000. The farmers are thinking about accepting lower yields next year by not fertilizing this fall, as net they just might make more money...or at least not lose any.

Then another farmer said his diesel fuel supplier called offering him "off road" diesel for $3.10 a gallon. The farmer, actually be quite astute said, "Last year when oil was at $100 you were charging $2.49 a gallon. Oil is now $96, so you are way too high. Call me back when the price drops more." (We see the same thing at the gas pump, don't we?!)

Someone then noted that "off road" diesel was selling for less than home heating oil; which, of course, made no sense since it is a far more refined product. (Home heating oil has far more sulfur and particulates in it.) The reason was then given: The home heating oil companies purchased futures contracts and were saddled with the contracted for higher prices.

I then started thinking about the fuel supplements which the cruise lines are charging. Both Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean have stated in the just the past few days that they will not be reducing (or, heaven forbid) eliminating the fuel supplements now because the oil market is so volatile. I think it is a bit more than that, however.

Just as the guy who is selling the fertilizer today is incorporating the past months effects on his operating costs and just as the diesel fuel company is charging 25% more despite the current oil prices and just as the the home heating company is still being charged more (though they guessed months ago the price was a good one) so they have to charge you more, the cruise lines' operations and costs are not tied directly to the present day oil prices.

Also keep in mind that there was a good bit of hedging that the dollar would continue to drop, so many contracts might well have been priced keyed to the Euro. With dollar much stronger at present (which is based on the unexpected weakness in the European economy, rather than confidence in the U.S. one), the cost for the purchaser can also have increased since it now takes more Euros to equal a dollar.

So whether the cruise lines have longer term contracts or shorter term deliveries, the cost of fuel, lubricating oils, etc. are still much higher despite the current drop in oil prices. And with the current incredibly volatile market conditions, it would be reckless to simply key the fuel supplement only on the price of a barrel of unrefined oil. (There is, of course, another option: Quietly raise cruise prices to cover this fluctuating cost. I am not liking that idea at all and, to be sure, I am certain the cruise lines know that you don't either.)

As Laurel was chided by Hardy (am I dating myself), "Well, Stanley, this is another fine mess you have gotten us into!"

UPDATE:  Carnival Corp. just posted its earnings for the Third Quarter 2008 and they are quite strong.  On the issue of fuel supplements Carnival Corp stated:  Based on current spot prices for fuel of $598 per metric ton, full year 2008 fuel expense is now forecast to increase by $678 million compared to 2007, which will have the effect of reducing full year 2008 earnings by $0.83 per share. The existing fuel supplements in place, if entirely incremental, are expected to offset approximately 25 percent of the $678 million fuel price increase for 2008. With current supplements remaining in place for 2009, and assuming current spot prices stay in place for all of 2009, the company estimates that approximately 43 percent of the cumulative increase in fuel costs since 2007 would be offset.


Simply stated, the fuel supplements have only addressed 25% of the increase in fuel from 2007 and it is projected that if things stay the same they will still only offset 43% of next year's increased fuel costs (still compared to 2007).  It seems that we will be keeping the fuel surcharges for quite a long time.

AIG Travel Guard - Concerns Being Addressed

I know many of you purchase travel insurance and that Travel Guard has been a major provider in the industry.  Over the past few days AIG has been in the news due to its liquidity problems...apparently as a result of its dabbling in investments and businesses other than its core insurance businesses. 

While I do not claim the information below, which was just sent to me by AIG Travel Guard, is either accurate or not, I wanted to pass it along:

September 16, 2008

As you know, our parent company (AIG, Inc.) is facing challenges related to the extraordinary developments in the financial markets in the past few days. AIG, Inc. is actively developing alternatives to improve liquidity to weather this difficult time for financial markets.

AIG Travel Guard's policies are underwritten by American Home Assurance Company and National Union Fire Insurance Company. Both are member companies of AIG Commercial Insurance (AIGCI), whose substantial capital position is independent of its parent.

AIGCI companies, which include the Lexington Insurance Company, National Union and American Home Assurance Company, remain well-capitalized with statutory surplus of $26.7 billion and invested assets exceeding $70 billion.

Even if the parent company files for bankruptcy, AIGCI's capital position will remain intact and available to underwrite policies.


Here are a few more facts we think are important for you to know:


* AIGCI companies, which include the Lexington Insurance Company, National Union and American Home Assurance Company, remain well-capitalized with statutory surplus of $26.7 billion and invested assets exceeding $70 billion.

* AIGCI's capital is protected by regulators, ensuring that policyholders' interests are paramount.

* AIG Commercial Insurance continues to exhibit strong financial performance with 2008 second quarter operating income of nearly $1 billion, net written premiums of $5.99 billion and a profitable combined ratio of 93.7%.

* According David Neustadt, the deputy superintendent for public information for the New York state insurance department, "If you have a policy with AIG insurance company, they are financially strong and solvent. They have the capability to pay on any claims, and our job is to insure that they continue to have the ability to pay."

AIG Travel Guard will continue to communicate developments to you as they occur. We want to assure you that despite the current uncertainties, AIG Travel Guard will continue to exceed your expectation with comprehensive protection and unparalleled customer service.

I will keep you posted.

Regent Seven Seas Announces Major Upgrades to Two Ships

Regent Seven Seas Cruises announced that the refurbishments it has been contemplating will commence in December 2008 with the dry-dock of Seven Seas Voyager, followed by Seven Seas Mariner in January 2009.  (The Seven Seas Navigator will not have any of the upgrades until the first half of 2010 and details of those upgrades will be announced later.) 

In addition to the scheduled technical work (like fixing the Voyager's bottom damages and vibration issues and the Mariner's pod being replaced), the press release announces that "almost every area of the ships will be refurbished", with public rooms being substantially redesigned with new furniture, using "sumptuous materials" such as leathers, suede, and mahogany, along with warm color schemes and rich fabrics offset by marble and granite accents. In other words, the Voyager and Mariner will be transformed from rather bland and blue spaces to more appropriate upscale and elegant ones.  For me this is very good news, indeed!

The highlights of the refurbishment program for Seven Seas Voyager and Seven Seas Mariner include:

1.  The creation of a new alternative dining concept and venue - a steakhouse named Prime Seven -that will replace the current "Asian-fusion" Latitudes restaurants.

2.  The redesign of lounges and public rooms to create more spacious areas for relaxation

3.  The creation of elegant new lounge and dining areas around the Pool Grill

4.  New carpeting, wallpaper, upholstery, light fixtures, and drapes in most public areas and guest suite accommodations

5.  More casual dining options with the addition of pizza ovens and ice-cream bars

6.  The creation of an extended coffee and snack bar area on Seven Seas Voyager, similar to the very popular Coffee Connection on Seven Seas Mariner

I think each and every one of the announced changes are improvements that were necessary and are very positive. 

BUT - and isn't there always - if you look carefully at the announcement, don't expect $20 million dollars to be thrown at the interiors of each ship.  There are some VERY expensive technical repairs and upgrades that are going to be eating up a good portion of the improvement funds.

Also, if you look at what is being done in an overall feel of the ship, there is much more in the way of soft goods rather than physical changes in the ships that is going to be happening.  That is probably the most efficient use of an improvement budget and I look forward to seeing what will be happening in the next few months as far as the release of any details. 
I hope, but have no information that it will be happening, that part of the renovation of the public spaces will create changes in the main dining rooms, the Compass Rose, to improve seating (to eliminate waits for tables), improve service (with better flow and distribution of work) and menu (with higher quality food and menu items.)

With the focus by many on new ships and Regent's plans for a new ship either on hold or delayed, this signals to me an improvement in its offered product that is very welcome.

I will keep you posted.

Seabourn Odyssey Construction Photos

My friend, Captain Geir-Arne, has taken quite a few photos of the Seabourn Odyssey during construction.  You can find them here:  http://www.captain-ga.com/thumbnails.php?album=59&page=1.  The ship is now a bit further along, so there will be some new photos, hopefully soon.

I have some new info that I cannot share with you just yet, but I can say that for those who enjoy in-suite entertainment you will be very happy.

Seabourn Odyssey - A Compilation of My Posts = A Wealth of Information!

Over the three months I have had this blog a lot of information about the Seabourn Odyssey has been provided.  I figure not many of you will scroll down, leaf through the pages of various articles and such, so I thought I would make it easier. 

Here are the posts:

http://goldringtravel.blogspot.com/2008/09/seabourn-odyssey-top-officers-and-staff.html


http://goldringtravel.blogspot.com/2008/09/seabourn-upgrades-on-way.html

http://goldringtravel.blogspot.com/2008/08/seabourn-captain-buer-interview-on-john.html

http://goldringtravel.blogspot.com/2008/08/seabourn-staff-receive-unique-training.html

http://goldringtravel.blogspot.com/2008/07/seabourn-odyssey-suite-details.html

http://goldringtravel.blogspot.com/2008/07/seabourn-odyssey-details.html

http://goldringtravel.blogspot.com/2008/07/seabourn-odyssey-is-not-silversea-ship.html

http://goldringtravel.blogspot.com/2008/07/seabourn-world-cruise-update.html

http://goldringtravel.blogspot.com/2008/07/seabourn-announces-godparents-for.html

http://goldringtravel.blogspot.com/2008/06/seabourn-double-keel-laying.html

Enjoy!