Seabourn Cruise Finale

April 25, 2014

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 first course, Mom had a tasty Lobster and Avocado Salad while I had the wonderful Black & Blue Soup (onion soup with a blue cheese crouton) and an Endive Salad.

Mom enjoyed a main course of Grilled Jumbo Shrimp with tamarind glaze, warm vegetable julienne and glass noodle salsa. For me it was a Baked Spinach Ricotta Cheese Tian. It was very good and I was glad the portion was small so I could enjoy the fantastic dessert – a Hot Chocolate Soufflé with Bailey’s Cream.

After dinner we went to the show. It was a fun evening of the ship’s musicians singing and dancing to contemporary songs. I went to bed in full relaxation mode, knowing I had another day to enjoy the ship.

The sun was strong in the morning and I was ready to enjoy it after a breakfast of a melon yogurt smoothie and Belgium Waffles. I was at the pool by 11:00 and swam and relaxed until 1:00, when I met Mom for what was our favorite lunch of the cruise.

Ironically, the meal was a preview to my upcoming river cruise through Austria and featured Spaetzle with Cheese and tender Wiener Schnitzel. Dessert was a luscious Peach Melba. Everything was cooked to perfection.

I had enough sun for the day and we went to the room and relaxed with the movie JOBS with Ashton Kutcher. It was one of many films available to us in our cabin at all times.

We dressed for dinner and went up to the deck. The Farewell Party was another unexpected addition on Seabourn. It was as luxurious as everything else the cruise had done, with an endless array of caviar, salmon, champagne, cheeses and shrimp flowing, while a band played in the background.

After we ate, all of the staff waved goodbye from the deck above, and then came around to greet us all. We were pretty full so we took our time going down to our final Seabourn dinner.

We were invited to dine with Illusionist Jonathan Neal, who we had watched perform the previous night.

It was yet another great meal, this one with a Beet and Burrata Cheese Salad, Parpadelle with Veal Ragout (Mom had the Soft Shell Crabs) and Baked Alaska for dessert.

We called it a night because it was time to go upstairs and pack as our journey was coming to an end.

For me, the opportunity to relax on a lounge chair and look out at the water (with a cocktail in hand) was just wonderful and I got to do that more than I expected on this trip. I was more relaxed than I had been in years when we arrived back in Fort Lauderdale.

Although I was a few pounds heavier from all those fantastic meals, I felt healthy and energized, as did Mom.