Wine and Spirits Travel

After our final stop in the Dominican Republic, the Seabourn  Sojourn was heading back to Fort Lauderdale, but not before we had a chance to enjoy more time at sea. Mom came down to the Colonnade Restaurant with me for breakfast. We indulged in chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs and fruit. After breakfast, I went up to the deck to relax for a while and Mom headed to a lecture, “Gods from the East: Arrival of the Europeans in the New World.” It was a leisurely day so we met up for lunch in the Restaurant 1 and had fantastic Coconut Crusted Chicken Burgers with roasted potatoes and coleslaw, followed by ice cream for dessert. Mom came up to the pool deck with me and we lounged around for a while with Pina Coladas in hand. It was actually the first time I had a chance to go into the pool and the water was warm and inviting. We remained reading and sunning some more before dinner with an eclectic group from Los Angeles, England and Canada. For the

When I first mentioned to friends and colleagues that I was going on a Caribbean cruise with Seabourn , I heard over and over about their spectacular caviar and champagne beach day. It sounded pretty incredible, but the actual event was even more spectacular. Isla Catalina (Catalina Island) in the Dominican Republic was being rented out by Seabourn for the afternoon, but they needed some time to get it ready. That gave me some time to spend with Mom and to catch up on a bit of social media. We had breakfast overlooking the Caribbean Sea in the Collanade. I was more than satisfied with a Feta Cheese Egg White Omelet and a small Chocolate Croissant. I knew there would be plenty of food later on. I climbed off the tender and was greeted with Caribbean music and dancers, as well as towels and rum punch. The beach and the turquoise water couldn’t have looked any better if I designed it myself.  An abundance of chairs lined the sand and the water was crystal clear and

I had never been to St. John, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Truthfully, I knew little about this island off  St. Thomas, which isn’t even big enough to have its own commercial airport. That made me even more intrigued to check it out and I was lucky enough to have a tour guide for the day to help me do that. Mom and I enjoyed another breakfast on our large balcony on the Seabourn Sojourn before I loaded up on sunblock for this warm day. I was told the tender and the island weren’t very accessible and she decided to use the opportunity to enjoy the ship. St. John is too small for Seabourn to dock at so we needed to take a tender. At the dock was the Virgin Islands National Park Visitors Center. I was told the draw of this island was the national park, though I could immediately see that it also had some beautiful beaches to go with it. The tourism board had arranged for a knowledgeable driver, Kenneth, to meet me at the pier. When we entered Virgin Islands Natio

It had been over 20 years since I had been to Antigua. Truthfully, I was taken aback with the poverty and could not really enjoy the island. I didn’t really think about coming back. A lot can happen in two decades and it certainly did to Antigua. Hotels, restaurants, stores and a large distillery built up there businesses and employed many more locals. The island took on a completely different light that I felt the minute I stepped off the ship. I had breakfast with Mom in our suite on the Seabourn Sojourn. As with all the service on this ship, it was delivered on time and set up beautifully on the table in our living room. Mom decided to stay onboard in the morning and I got ready for my tour with Antigua and Barbuda Tourism . Matara met me at the dock for our outing. Our first stop was at the Beehive for a drink. I ordered a Frozen Mango Daiquiri and it was just what I needed to cool off as the temperature and humidity was rising fast. We talked about all th