Wine and Spirits Travel

I was excited to visit St. Bartholomew for the first time. I had heard this island was one of the most exclusive and beautiful in the Caribbean, and I was not disappointed. I had breakfast at the Colonnade Restaurant on the Seabourn  Sojourn. The views of the island were beautiful. Even though I was heading to a French Island, I couldn’t resist an order of the Swedish pancakes with lingonberries (I found out later that there actually is a large Swedish population on St. Barts) and a side of scrambled eggs for protein. St. Barts does not have a large enough pier so we needed to take a tender from the ship to the island. The ride was a bit choppy and I was glad to arrive in only a few minutes. I had no doubt when I pulled up to the pier and faced the shops, with the Louis Vuitton sign facing me at first site, that St. Barts was enjoyed by the rich and famous. Since ours was the only ship in town and the island was just opening for the season, things were fairly q

After enjoying two days at sea with Mom aboard the Seabourn  Sojourn, it was time for our first stop. It had been many years since I’d been in San Juan, Puerto Rico , and I couldn’t wait to explore. I was up early and had breakfast with Mom on our veranda as the boat docked. Mom had decided to stay aboard for the morning and then join me in the afternoon for the trip to the Bacardi Distillery. The ship docked right in the heart of Old San Juan. It was a warm and sunny day and I enjoyed a walk down by the pier along the Old Fort. The colorful alleyways pulled me in for a bit of shopping, but I was back in time to have lunch with Mom on the Sojourn. We went into the Colonnade and the Chef Kipling spotted me eyeing the Asian food. He came over and told me that he had used fish sauce in preparing even the chicken and beef, but would be happy to whip something up for me that was completely seafood free. Within minutes our table was filled will Stir Fry Beef, Fried R

I had two days to explore the Seabourn Sojourn while we were at sea. I had never been on a small luxury ship before so I was excited at the prospect. I was also ready for some rest and relaxation with my mom. Mom decided to sleep in, but I couldn’t wait to hit the ocean air. I started with breakfast outside at the Collanade Restaurant, where I was able to pick up some fruit, a croissant and a smoothie (they had a different fruit smoothie each day) and order an omelet from the waiter. I went back to the room to change into my bathing suit and headed to the pool deck. Unfortunately, there weren’t any empty chairs around the pool. It was a perfect 80 degree sunny day I couldn’t resist and was able to find a chair on the upper deck overlooking the pool. Waiters came around the lounge area frequently with cool towels, sunblock, water bottles, fresh fruit, cocktails and ice tea. As part of the Seabourn’s all-inclusive program, everything was included. It was quite nice

I’m not sure if I was more excited about my first Seabourn cruise because I had heard so much about how many accolades the line received (“World’s Best Small-Ship Cruise Line by Travel + Leisure for the last five years, to name one) or because the voyage and accessibility of the cabins made it the perfect trip for me to take my mom on. My mom, who had Polio as a child, needs an accessible room when she does travel. The layout of the Seabourn ship and rooms seemed like a perfect match for her and I was definitely right in presuming so. From the moment we entered the Port Everglades Cruise Terminal in Fort Lauderdale , Florida, I had no doubt this was going to be like no previous cruise. Mom was riding her scooter (which the porters helped us unload) and we were greeted and taken to the desk to register. There were no lines and it was a quick process. We were escorted onto the ship and into our suite immediately. All 225 rooms on the Seabourn Sojourn are suites an