Saturday, 29 November 2025
Departing from Bermuda 

This past Thursday, the Encore celebrated the holiday with a "Thanksgiving Market Dinner" in the Colonnade. Fresh roasted turkey with more side dishes than I could ever imagine are offered on buffet service. As usual there is also a large and varied display of desserts of every taste and kind.

We arrive in Bermuda a little ahead of schedule at noon on Friday. As I mentioned in the previous blog we are docked at the Royal Naval Dockyards at the very western end of Bermuda. As I have discussed in an earlier blog, Bermuda is actually a series of small islands connected by bridges and causeways rather than a single land mass as it is portrayed on maps. We were supposed to dock in the capital city of Hamilton, but because of inclement weather and iffy sea conditions we are re-routed to the safer port at the Dockyards.

Will and I have visited Bermuda several times. I have stopped at the Dockyards on more than one transatlantic cruise, and Will and I spent two days at the northeastern end, in the town of St George, for two days while on an Oceania cruise from Miami to New York by the way of several Caribbean islands. On that trip we enjoyed a tour that took us to all the high spots of Bermuda, including Hamilton.

In the spring and summer season, the Dockyards are full of tourists shopping and visiting the 18th-century structures that housed supplies and maintenance for the British navy. Today, at the very end of the tourist season, there are very few visitors, even with two cruise ships docked overnight, the Seabourn Encore and the Silversea Silver Ray. In fact, the place looks and feels rather dismal under dark skies and, on Friday, intermittent showers. The rain has ceased today (Saturday), but it is still windy and damp.

Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours visiting the shops in the Clocktower Mall. Most of the shops have already posted "closing for the winter" signs, and, after the two cruise ships leave, they will lock their doors until March of next year. Today, Will and I venture off the ship in the morning to explore other shops and some of the architectural remains of the British navy. 

Formerly the Governor's Mansion, Now a History Museum 

Three Views of the "Victualling Yards," Where the British Navy Stored Food and Supplies

The Encore sails at 1pm and all passengers have to be on board by 12:30. The Silver Ray will follow us soon afterward. The final sail away party of our 37 days of cruising begins just as we leave the port.

Really Great House Band and Singers, with Ross--the Over-Energetic Cruise Director-- in the White T-shirt

Scenes as We Sail from Bermuda

Thursday, 27 November 2025
Thanksgiving Day at Sea 

Happy Thanksgiving from LFLatSea to all our friends far and near. We are looking forward to a special Thanksgiving Market Dinner in the Colonnade tonight, after 6pm cocktails with my new friends from the trivia team.

But first a recap of our sea days since the last posting on 24 November. Unfortunately, after I wrote the glowing report of friendly seas, the weather has taken a turn and for the past three days the sailing has been a bit rough--very different from the calm Atlantic crossings I have sailed in the spring and late summer. Of course, the waves don't stop any of the activities or any of the meals.

Tuesday's highlights include a special "Galley Market Lunch," at which everyone descends to the Restaurant on Deck 4, chooses a table, and then gets on line to walk through the entire galley/kitchen, choosing from an incredible variety of foods on offer. As we exit from the other end, servers are waiting to take us and our plates to the tables. 

Servers Parade After Lunch in the Restaurant

Tonight we have the last of our five dinners in Solis, the specialty dining venue. I should mention that we have dinner with Anita and Deb most every night. 

As all my readers know quite well by now, we have free French Champagne with dinner every night. In addition, for seemingly no reason at all, the Dining Room Manager, an all-around nice guy from South Africa, gifts us with additional bottles of even higher quality Champagne, including a bottle of Pomery currently cooling in our stateroom refrigerator.

The guest speakers and entertainers have all been terrific. I'm usually worn out before the shows, but tonight we attend a performance by Cassidy Janson, a major star of London's West End. The ship's company, "The Seabourn Six," have been with us since Istanbul and they provide different shows on other nights. And I continue to play team trivia every morning at 11:15. We have also had several time changes as we sail, granting us an extra hour of sleep.

Wednesday's highlights bring another talk about the KGB by Keith Muras, a former British diplomat in the Soviet Union. The waves continue to lurch us about a bit, but we manage to make it everywhere without falling, although some other passengers have not been as lucky. 

We used our $400. cruise credit (from our travel agent at American Airlines), to pay for a number of bags of laundry ($65. a pop). Since that ran out, I have been doing some laundry in the ship's free laundromat. And speaking of American Airlines, I have received over 50,000 miles for booking the cruise through them.

Thursday afternoon:  Thankfully, the sun is shining and the sea is calm again as we sail toward our landing in Bermuda tomorrow afternoon. But another storm is brewing up and we will not be able to dock in the city of Hamilton, as originally planned. Instead, we will dock at the Royal Naval Dockyards at the very western end of Bermuda. There will be transportation to other parts of the nation. Will and I have stopped at the Dockyards several times on other transatlantic voyages. We spend the night in Bermuda and the weather is supposed to improve before we leave on Saturday afternoon.

LFLatSea will be back after we leave Bermuda. 

Monday, 24 November 2025
Day at Sea 

You will note that the date at the start of today's blog is today's actual date--24 November. LFLatSea's previous report was from Lisbon on 20 November. Since departing from Portugal we have been at sea four full days and we have three and a half more sea days until we reach Hamilton, Bermuda, on Friday at noon. We remain in Hamilton until noon on Saturday and then we have two and a half more sea days until we reach Miami and Tucson on 2 December. Thus our long journey is fast approaching its end; in fact it seems very fast, for the days and nights sail by very quickly.

For now we are enjoying our days at sea. I can't call them restful because there is so much going on that rest is not really an option. Rather than sending out individual blogs on each day, today LFLatSea will present the highlights of the days we have already sailed.

After leaving Lisbon at 5:30pm last Thursday, the captain announced that we were very lucky to have left at all. A docker's strike was set to start at 6pm and any ships still in port would have to remain in port until the strike ended. That is the good news. The bad news is that the first night of the ocean crossing was very rough. Not rough enough to worry about seasickness, but rough enough to worry about falling out of bed! Fortunately, Friday morning brought much calmer seas and the passage has continued to be calm and pleasant after that one night.

Besides our usual eating and drinking, there are many on-board activities, including lectures, deck parties, fun and games, team trivia, and very good entertainment every night. We have been having most of our dinners in the Restaurant (main dining room), but every night the Colonnade, where breakfast and lunch buffets are presented, showcases thematic served dinners. We have had excellent French and Japanese meals on two different nights. Tapas are served every day from four to six in the Observation Lounge at the top of the ship.

Tapas in the Observation Lounge (left), Miso Soup with Two Kinds of Noodles (center), Japanese Dinner Menu (right)

This is my second time at team trivia on the Encore. I participated during the voyage from Rome to Lisbon and I am now on a different team as we start again from Lisbon to Miami. Will does not like to play. There are 11 teams participating every day. I was assigned to a team randomly, which has turned out to be very fortuitous. Not only are the five couples very kind and welcoming, but one of the couples--the Pillsburys--have invited the rest of the team, and Will, to a Thanksgiving Day cocktail party in their "Wintergarden Suite," one of the largest and fanciest on the ship. 

A large number of passengers left the ship in Lisbon and a whole new set of guests and servers came on board. Fortunately, our two favorite dining room attendants, Bharat and Klevi (the Armenian), are still with us. Throughout the cruise, from Istanbul onward, Klevi has been especially helpful to Will and me wherever on the ship he sees us. 

We have attended several lectures by a former  British diplomat who served in Moscow during the mid-1980s, when East-West relations were at a very low point. He has vast knowledge of the all the Russian security organizations and provides interesting insights and personal interactions with the KGB. There are at least two lectures every day on historical/political issues and two other lectures on more touchy-feely subjects.

Because temperatures have been pleasantly warm (mid to upper 60s), there have been outdoor activities as well: entertainment by the two bands on board and the ship's singers and dancers on the pool deck. Today, we had an outdoor "Fun Fair," at which passengers and crew participated in various games and tests of skills (bed-making, for example).

Some of My Team Members Getting Ready for Trivia

Passengers and Crew at the Fun Fair

LFLatSea will return with more reports from our days at sea.

Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Day at Sea 

Thank goodness for another day at sea and a respite from all the off-ship adventures--I will report on my daily step count at the end of the trip! We do have a number of on-ship activities, however.

First on is a morning talk by guest lecturer David Gardner, "Understanding Russia from 1547 to the Present." At lunch, I enjoy a lovely green- and yellow-tomato salad. Will and I were served these tomatoes on one of our first trips to Italy and we wondered why we were given unripe tomatoes. Then we tasted them and realized they are some of the best local tomatoes that Italy grows.

After lunch, members of the Seabourn Six entertainment team present a "classical" concert by the pool.

Before dinner we have another "Officer & Team Member Salute" on the pool deck. Primarily for those passengers disembarking in Lisbon tomorrow, everyone is welcome for cocktails and canapés. I have already attended two of these parties, in Athens and Rome.

Tonight we have another dinner in Solis, the specialty restaurant, with Anita and Deb. This time we enjoy tiramisu made fresh at the table.

Thursday, 20 November 2025
Lisbon, Portugal

Today is a special day for us as we arrive in Lisbon, our final port before crossing the Atlantic. Today is Will's birthday, although the celebration began last night in Solis, where Deb and Anita gifted Will with two boxes of Perugina Baci, chocolate kisses with special messages inside the individual wrappings.

Will has never been to Lisbon so we arrange a four-hour private van tour through Viator, the on-line travel agency that offers tours in cities throughout the world. We have used Viator in many places over many years and they are always honest and reliable. Lisbon, like Rome, is built on seven hills, although the streets are much steeper. Even I have trouble navigating some of them and Will would find it impossible. We have a private driver-guide, Vasco, whose English is perfect and whose knowledge of the city is excellent. Vasco will take us to the most important parts of the city, including some places I have never seen, even during my first time one-week stay in May 1995.

Our tour begins at 8am with an early-morning drive up the narrow, winding streets of the Alfama, Lisbon's oldest neighborhood and the only one to have survived the devastating earthquake of 1755 (read about it in Voltaire's Candide). We stop to admire the view from one of the highest points.

St George's Castle (11th cent)

As we drive down through the Alfama we have less panoramic but equally evocative city views.

Will and Vasco in the Alfama

Our tour continues down past the former cathedral (Seo)  to the Baxia, the central flat downtown of Lisbon. But we are soon driving upward again through the high-rent district of Parque Eduardo II and then through the Monsanto Forest Park, the largest in the city. The long leafy drive takes us to Belem, one of the most popular parts of Lisbon. Home to the Jerónimos Monastery, one of the most prominent examples of late Portuguese Gothic Manueline architecture (early 1500s), Belem is also the site of several other important monuments, including the Belem Tower and the Monument to the Navigators.

But the most important place to visit in Belem is Pasteis de Belem, since 1837 Lisbon 's finest bakery. Everyone comes here to taste the custard-filled pastry that every other bakery in the city tries to imitate. Not only does Vasco purchase pastries for us to take back to the ship, but also gives us an extensive tour of all the backstage areas of the operation, since he seems to know everyone on the premises.

We continue Will's birthday celebration, with our friends and our favorite servers, Bharat and Klevi, and an extra special bottle of prime champagne gifted to us by the Head of Dining Services, Kevin. Besides our regular chosen desserts, Will suffers the indignity of a special birthday cake and best wishes all around.

Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Ceuta, Spanish Morocco 

Spain has two political enclaves carved out of the Mediterranean coast of Morocco, Ceuta (sway-ta) and Melilla. Will and I have now visited both of them. We stopped in Melilla in spring 2024 on a previous Seabourn cruise. I am always amazed that Spain makes a very big deal about the British occupation of Gibraltar but seems perfectly content with continuing their own presence in North Africa. Compared to Melilla, which is an exciting place to spend time, Ceuta is a bit of a bore for the tourist, although I am told that the shopping is very good for visiting Europeans. Like Melilla, Ceuta follows the rules of Spain and the European Union, and the euro is the primary currency.

Since I thoroughly enjoyed our shore excursion in Melilla, I have signed up for a three-hour tour of Ceuta. Will decides to avoid the walking and to stay on board the Encore.

The approach by sea--the only way to reach the city without going through the hassles of the Moroccan border--is quite pretty, especially with the clouds hovering over the nearby mountains.

The tour begins with a 20-minute bus ride to an old fortress above the city. The view is very nice, but the fortress is part of the military headquarters and cannot be visited.

We head back down to the Maritime Park, which is empty and devoid of interest since the tourist season is over. One lonely cat is hanging about a series of empty pools.

We are given some free time to explore the main shopping street in the center of town. It is an attractive thoroughfare with expensive shops and elaborate Christmas decorations.

The "Pillars of Hercules" stands against the harbor at the bottom end of the street.

At the top of the streets stands Nuestra Señora de Africa (17th cent), with a strikingly brilliant altar.

Beyond the city walls a deep green moat further separates the old and new towns. A walk along the moat and fortress brings us back to our bus and the brief ride back to the ship.