Sunday, November 17, 2013

November 17 - Some last thoughts and a recap


First, this was unequivocally our best cruise ever!  Comparing Seabourn to mainstream cruise lines, we have discovered, is like comparing apples to oranges. The level of service, food and attention to detail are different but I think that’s to be expected since there is a price differential.  While I would never say never, I don’t see us  going back to other cruise lines again.  I’m sure I will sail with Katie on our mother-daughter trips on Princess or something else because we have time constraints.

I had minimal expectations about our ports and I was ever so pleasantly surprised.  With no classical Mediterranean or transatlantic ports, I thought there would not be a great deal to see.  Boy, was I mistaken!  The ports were interesting and educational, not in the sense of classical antiquities, but in terms of geology and geography.  We had preconceptions about the Canary Island ports and Cape Verde which turned out to be completely wrong.  We expected lush, tropical places and they were not that.  The road to Marrakech was not at all what we expected and the sights and sounds in Marrakech were incredible.

We began our voyage in Barcelona which has a bad reputation for pickpockets and crime.  We had apprehensions about ending in Rio because of the warnings we received.  We’ve been to Barcelona many times and never had a problem.  As for Rio, we thought the city was beautiful (the parts we saw) and thought it was no more dangerous than any major city.  Granted we didn’t spend a great deal of time there or wander around at night, but I think one always needs to be mindful of the surroundings.  We live in a little city and we had an acquaintance whose pocket was picked in the elevator of our local hospital.  Things happen and you need to be vigilant.


Seabourn offers a superior product.  Their service and ship was incredible.  We liked it enough that we booked another cruise.  If all goes well, next year we’ll cruise from Athens to Mumbai.  I’ll get to see the Taj Mahal!

No comments: