Thursday, 30 April 2026

At Sea on Seabourn's Quest

Today is my fourth day at sea and the Atlantic has calmed down a bit. Although I have been on many ocean crossings, this is the first time I have been quite so aware of the movement of the waves. It is not uncomfortable at all, but because this is such a small ship the rolling side to side has been pretty continuous--until today when the weather has cleared and the whitecaps have disappeared. Side to side is not bad--as long as you sleep in the middle of the bed. The up and down movement, which we haven't experienced, can get quite difficult. On Monday and Tuesday the afternoon temperatures were in the mid to upper 70s, but yesterday and today the air has cooled a bit to the mid 60s. Of course, I brought all the wrong clothes.

I have been spending my time eating and drinking and playing team trivia every morning at 11:15 for an hour. The team I belong to--"The Shipwrecks"--is in fourth place of the 11 teams, but there are still many days to go. I can't say that my contributions are particularly helpful, but every so often I do come up with an answer. But even when I'm stupidly wrong, the other nine team members treat me kindly. In fact I am often invited to eat with them whenever they see me at mealtimes.

I take my evening meals in the Restaurant, which is the primary dining area, except on the two formal nights when I dine in the Colonnade, not having brought along the required sport coat. You may recall the many lunchtime dessert buffet photos from the Encore this past fall; that was one of my chief daily temptations. Fortunately for my A1C there is no gargantuan display of desserts on the Quest, so I am able to confine my sinning to one dessert per day, usually at dinner, where there is a different individual souffle on offer every night.

Seabourn really tries to make its solo travelers feel welcome and included. Every morning I receive a personal invitation to dine with a crew member and four or five other solo guests. Knowing my penchant for having dinner alone, I have so far only attended two of these groups. On the first night, the Assistant Destinations Manager--think tour guide--originally from Peru hosted the group. Last night a member of the Seabourn Six--the group that performs at evening shows--hosted a bunch of different solo travelers. It's a nice idea, but there's usually one person who attempts to kidnap the conversation; that's when I get silent and retreat into my champagne glass.

There are at least two lectures per day. The morning talk focuses on the life and work of Nelson Mandela, by a South African expert. The afternoon talk is from a familiar face from previous Seabourn cruises, who worked at the American embassy in Moscow during the 1980.

I will close this blog with a few random photos:

My Peruvian Cabin Stewards Set Up a Rose-Festooned Swan to Watch
Over Me as I Sleep

Blueberry Pancakes for Breakfast in the Colonnade

Watermelon and Arugula Salad at Dinner

 Tuesday, 28 October 2026

At Sea on Seabourn's Quest

So far it is smooth sailing as we make our way across the North Atlantic. The weather has been quite warm, in the mid to upper 70s, but tomorrow promises to be a little cooler.

This morning I enjoy a leisurely room service breakfast with a western omelette and all the other usual breakfast accompaniments. The waiter brings the tray at my selected time; spreads a white tablecloth over the large table facing out toward my balcony, and pours my first cup of coffee.

There is no clean up so at 11am I head to the first session of Team Trivia. This is an enormously popular activity. My readers may recall that I was an avid trivia player during the transatlantic portion at the end of our 37-day cruise last fall. This morning, as I enter the trivia location, magically, Bob and Amanda Pillsbury, a lovely couple I met playing trivia on that previous cruise, welcome me to join their team again for the next two weeks. You may also remember, or you can link back to last November at the bottom of the page, the Pillsburys invited Will and me to a Thanksgiving cocktail party in their very large suite.

After all the brain work of trivia, I head out to the patio cafe on deck 8 to enjoy pizza and salad in the warm sunshine. 

Back in my stateroom I decide it is time to rearrange all the draws into which I haphazardly dumped every thing when I emptied my suitcase. And, lo, I am able to find some things that I thought were lost.

Tonight is one of the two formal nights on the cruise, so I opt for a more casual dinner in the Colonnade:  pumpkin soup, pan-fried fillet of sole with root vegetables, and chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream and warm fruit. Of course, I also enjoy multiple glasses of champagne.

Then, of course, I’m ready to end another day and another blog.

Sunday, 26 October 2026

At Sea on Seabourn's Quest

I have several days to catch up on as I am enjoying my first day at sea--only seven more until we reach Ponta Delgada in the Azores. 

Saturday in Miami

I have a full day in Miami on Saturday. As planned I spend the morning, after my included free buffet breakfast at the Hilton, shopping for a bunch of stuff for the cruise. It requires a long walk and two different CVS's to find everything I need. In the shade there is a cool breeze that makes the temperature (much lower than Tucson), and the humidity (much higher than Tucson), at least tolerable. But the direct sunshine here is really unpleasant. Every time I see all the wonderful cultural and architectural things going on here, after a couple of hours I am always reminded how awful it is trying to get around.

In the afternoon I finally turn to more interesting activities. I ride a free trolley (on  wheels), that takes me through downtown and then further south to the Brickell area that is quite close to the cruiseport.  Brickell City is now the hot neighborhood for just about everything:  shopping, dining, parks, beach, architecture, and culture. Brickell City Center is a four-story mall packed with high-end labels, but only one department store--the now bankrupt Saks Fifth Avenue. I am looking for a couple of pairs of brown socks, but I cannot find them anywhere in the mall. Fortunately, Apple Maps locates a Marshall's a few blocks away, which has everything I need. 

Old and New Brickell City Architecture

Another free trolley ride takes me back to the Hilton where I have the evening to rearrange my packing in preparation for the cruise.

Sunday in Miami

After another filling breakfast, I am ready to check out and leave the Hilton at 11am. While awaiting my Uber driver, I chat with another Quest passenger who is traveling solo. I seem to have made a friend, as she has already joined me for several meals on board.  My driver arrives right on time at 11:30 and in very short time he finds the correct terminal in the very large Port of Miami and deposits me out front where my bags are swiftly carried away. Then it's waiting-around time until boarding at 12:30. With only 450 passengers, the process doesn't take long at all and staterooms are ready and waiting.

Even with all my cruising experience, there is always something new to discover in my stateroom. The Quest was built to accommodate mostly European travelers, so the number of American electrical outlets is rather small. But I am prepared, with lots of adapters and converters to plug in everything I need. One perk of my fifth cruise on Seabourn is that I can use wifi on two devices at the same time (computer and phone, e.g.). Most cruise lines only allow the use of one at a time.

Everything I have pre-requested is waiting in my stateroom. My cabin stewards are two young men from Peru. I take the elevator up to the 8th floor, where a sumptuous feast is available for lunch. Carrying a large Caesar salad and fresh vegetable lasagna, I find an empty table on the outside terrace at the aft of the ship, where the temperature is cool and comfortable.

Although the day has been hot and sunny, there is a brief shower during the sail-away celebration. Having been to so many of these on previous cruises, I decide to skip the festivities and take a nap before dinner.

Solo travelers are often invited to dine with officers and staff members. Tonight I join a group of eight passengers, including the passenger I met at the Hilton, welcomed by the Assistant Destinations Services Manager, who hails from Peru. Everyone has interesting stories, but there is too much jockeying for attention and one-upmanship for me to really enjoy the very long dinner. I will receive one of this invitations almost every day, but I think I shall decline in the future (call me a snob; I happily agree).

The food and drink is excellent, with wine and champagne flowing freely. I begin with a lovely plate of beef carpaccio (one of my favorites), followed by Caesar salad and pan-seared fillet of king salmon with melted orecchiette pasta and snow-pea salsa verde. Dessert is a hot white chocolate soufflé with dark chocolate sauce. 

It has been a long day of traveling and getting settled, so I am ready for an early bedtime and a good night's rest. LFLatSea will be back again soon.

 Thursday, 23 April 2026

Phoenix, Arizona

After a busy morning finishing packing, then deciding to re-arrange everything, I am finally ready for my friend Anita to pick me up just before noon. She is driving me to the Groome Shuttle station, where I will wait for my 12:45pm van to arrive for the 90-minute ride to the Phoenix airport (PHX). I’m early and the van is about 15 minutes late, so I’m happy that Anita and her French poodle puppy, Brigitte, decide to wait with me.

The van finally arrives and leaves with only three passengers. Traffic is light—at least until we reach the Phoenix area—and the driver has a heavy foot so we arrive at PHX pretty much on time. Of course I’m not here for a flight, so I catch the free shuttle to the Hilton Garden Inn PHX North, a short ride away, where I will be spending a free night, thanks to American Airlines frequent flyer miles.

The room is adequate and has all the things I need for the night, including free wifi. I even manage to get a tasty hamburger dinner--along with a cold Heineken--in the small hotel restaurant. 

Tomorrow morning I will catch the 7am shuttle back to the airport for my flight to Miami. But more about that tomorrow.

Friday, 24 April 2026

Phoenix to Miami

This morning I head back to the airport on the hotel shuttle. I get through check-in quickly and even the wait for a wheelchair to take me through security and on to the gate is unusually short. I arrive at the gate in plenty of time to watch all the hubbub on this very busy day at PHX. My first-class flight to Miami, free courtesy of American Airlines miles, is smooth and uneventful. I enjoy a nicely served lunch of chicken enchiladas with salad, bread and fruit. There is free alcohol on offer, but I decide to wait until I'm on board the Quest, before I really start indulging.

We arrive in Miami about 45 minutes early, due to strong tail winds pushing along. Then the problems start: the wheelchair staff is totally incompetent and make me wait 45 minutes just to start getting me to language. If I'm not outside to meet my pre-paid ride to the hotel, the driver will leave and I will lose my money as well as have to pay for another way to get where I am going. But nobody in the airport seems to care as I sit and wait and fume. Finally after changing from a wheelchair to an electric cart that takes me close to luggage, I am told I have to exit the cart and wait on line for another wheelchair to take me down the elevator. At this point I just get up and walk. By the time I get to luggage pickup all the bags from the flight have been off-loaded and I have to get help just finding my bag. Fortunately, I have been messaging my driver, who is kind enough to wait until I am ready. Of course he gets an extra nice tip.

The Hilton Downtown Miami is a large full-service hotel, very close to many of the sights of the central city. I have two free nights, including buffet breakfasts, again thanks to American Airlines. But I have had a long frustrating day and am ready for a goo night's sleep. I'll be back again on Sunday, after I board the Quest.

Wednesday, 22 April 2026
Tucson, Arizona

Still in Tucson

I know I said that LFLatSea wouldn't be back until I was on my way. But I was just informed by one of my readers that I failed to include the blog address in my earlier entries. So if you haven't kept it from my previous trips, it is http://www.lflatsea.blogspot.com. However, I will put the link in future emails and blog posts as LFLatSea

So you don't feel you have wasted your time opening a link that says pretty much the same thing as the email, I shall provide a few photos of food and drink on the Seabourn Quest.

Sunday, 19 April 2026
Tucson, Arizona

More About My Upcoming Cruise on Seabourn

As promised in my previous blog posting, I am back with more details about my soon-to-begin travel adventure. Although this will be a relatively short trip, I will be spending a full day each in Miami, Ponta Delgada, and Tangier before landing in Lisbon. As I mentioned, I will use some of my time in Miami to stock up on things I need for the cruise, such as mouthwash, toothpaste, and other disposables that I don't want to carry on the plane. But since I am staying in downtown Miami, I hope to explore some of the exciting new cultural and architectural additions to the city's scene. The Hilton Miami Downtown Hotel is also very close to the cruise port, so I will be able to use a local taxi on Sunday to take me to the ship for my 12:30pm boarding time.

This will be my 11th transatlantic cruise; I have experienced mostly smooth sailing in both directions. Seabourn's Quest, with only 450 passengers, will be the smallest vessel on which I have traveled this route. I have also sailed on one transpacific journey, from Seattle to Yokohama, Japan, in October 2023. These trans-oceanic trips are far from boring. Although I hope to enjoy some restful quiet time, there are always lots of activities and entertainment to keep passengers occupied. And, of course, there is all the wonderful food and drink to keep me busy and satisfied.

Here are a few additional photos from my previous time on the Quest, with Will, from Gran Canaria to Barcelona in April 2024.

 

I have visited Ponta Delgada on Ilha Sao Miguel in the Portuguese Azores twice, in May 2009 and May 2023. I visited a second island in the Azores, Ilha Terceira, also in May 2023.

Tangier, the northernmost port in Morocco, provides an exotic stop before reaching Europe. I have stopped here twice also, in April 2017 and April 2024.

 

I will have one day to enjoy the charms of Lisbon before returning home to Tucson. As you may recall, Will and I were here just this past November as we sailed our way westward on our 37-day Seabourn Encore cruise from Istanbul to Miami. Although this was Will's first visit to Portugal, I have been to Lisbon a number of times. Before I retired in 2004, and before my enjoyment of cruising began in 2007, I spent many late spring and early summer months traveling through Europe by train. Although Portugal is at the far end of train routes, I managed to spend a week in  Lisbon in May 1995. Since 2007, I have stopped in Lisbon in May 2009, April 2010, and November 2025.

   

I will be busy during the next few days in final preparations and packing. LFLatSea will be back once I am on my way.

Monday, 13 April 2026
Tucson, Arizona

Dear LFLatSea Companions and Friends Far and Near:

It's been more than four months since Will and I returned from our last journey (six weeks from Istanbul to Miami), and I am now ready to share the details of my next trip, starting on 23 April--only ten days away.

After traveling to Phoenix on the 23rd and Miami on the 24th, I will be sailing solo on a 14-day transatlantic cruise from Miami to Lisbon. I will be returning home one day after the cruise ends. I had originally planned to spend two additional weeks in Europe, but circumstances at home have led me to cancel the land portion of the trip.

I will spend two nights in Miami before boarding Seabourn's Quest on its voyage across the Atlantic. I like to have the extra day in Miami to shop for toiletries and other necessities rather than trying to pack them for the flight. Luckily, I am using frequent flyer miles for the flight from Phoenix to Miami and for the hotel.

This will be my fifth cruise with Seabourn (my 41st cruise since 2007); my second on the Quest, which is slightly smaller and significantly newer than the Encore, on which we sailed this past fall. The Quest carries about 450 passengers and offers all the usual Seabourn amenities (including free drinks and caviar for the entire journey). Because I have accumulated traveler credits for 68 sailing days on Seabourn, I also have several extra benefits, like unlimited laundry and $300. to spend on board.

14-Day Atlantic Crossing

Thu 23 Apr 

12:45pm Lv Tucson (Twin Peaks)

                            Groome Shuttle

 02:00pm Av Phoenix (PHX)

                            Free Shuttle / Hilton Garden Inn PHX North / Free Night

Fri 24 Apr 

11:15am Lv Phoenix (PHX)

                           AA 1429 / First Class, 3C / A 321 Neo / 4h 32m / Lunch / Free Flight

 06:47pm Av Miami (MIA)

 07:30pm Lv MIA

                            Transferz Car to Hilton Miami Downtown / 1601 B Biscayne Blvd, Miami 33132 / 2 Free Nights

 Sat 25 Apr               

 Miami

 Sun 26 Apr 

 10:30am Lv Hilton Hotel

                            Local Taxi

  11:00am Av Miami Cruiseport

                            Seabourn Quest: 14-Day Atlantic Crossing / Veranda Suite 524 / Shipboard Credit $300. 

  05:00pm Lv Miami

  Mon 27 Apr-Mon 04 May

  7 Days at Sea

  Tue 05 May

  08:00am Av Ponta Delgado, São Miguel, Azores, Portugal

  05:00pm Lv Ponta Delgado

  Wed 06-Thu 07 May

  2 Days at Sea

  Fri 08 May

  12:00nn Av Tangier, Morocco

  10:00pm Lv Tangier

  Sat 09 May 

  1 Day at Sea

  Sun 10 May 

  07:00am Av Lisbon

  08:30am Seabourn Quest Disembarkation

                              Local Taxi to VIP Executive Eden Aparthotel  / Praça dos Restauradores, nº 24, Santa Maria Maior, 1250-187 Lisbon / Free Night

  Mon 11 May

  07:00am Lv Eden Aparthotel

                             Heycars to LIS

  11:05am Lv Lisbon (LIS) - Terminal 1

                              AA 1429 / B 787-9 / Business Class, 3C / 7h 50m / Lunch / Free Flight   

  01:55pm Av Philadelphia (PHL)

                              Layover:  2h 3m

  03:58pm Lv Philadelphia

                               AA 1762 / A 321 Neo / First Class, 4C / 4h 32m / Lunch / Free Flight   

   06:20pm Av Phoenix (PHX) 

       Radisson Hotel Phoenix Airport  / 427 N 44th Street Phoenix 85008 / 1 Night

  Tue 12 May

  09:00am Lv Phoenix (PHX)

                               Groome Shuttle

  10:20am Av Tucson (Twin Peaks)

Seabourn Quest 

458 Passengers

Length:  650 Feet

Width:  84 Feet

Launched:  2011

Over the next week before my departure I hope to publish more information about the cruise and the ports, with photos from my previous journey on board the Quest, and my previous trips to the Azores, Tangier, and Lisbon.