First Seabourn cruise TR where inflatable kiddie pools, Cerberus heatwave &"would you like some sparkling with your apple juice" happened ;)

[john7994]

I'm often thinking about how tall (well rather short) people were in the past. From old time mansions we've seen with the beds to doorways and more. At 5 ft 3 I may not have been considered super short long ago

I bet Jerusalem and Jaffa were amazing. Question, did you feel safe there? We saw multiple cruises that either started or ended in Tel Aviv and well we weren't too comfortable going there. If we had gone to Tel Aviv how could you not want to explore right around there. My best friend went to Jerusalem but it was many years ago when we were pretty young (I think it was even pre-9/11).

I had the same misgivings, but have been to Israel about 10 times over the last decade - not very recently though. "safety" is a subjective feeling, so my thoughts come from my perspective only. I would say yes, as a short answer, while I have had some encounters that may have made some folks uncomfortable. I would suggest I could walk around in Tel Aviv at 3A without concern, there are parts of the country that I would be more diligent about my surroundings. But, this would be no different than saying that about any major city in the US to be honest.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

After walking a bit we decided we wanted something to drink but not water (which we had been keeping up with drinking in the heat) so we stopped by this place within eyeshot of the harbor. This place was cash only so it was good we had some Euros with us. I got a Coca-Cola and my husband got Fanta Orange. So Fanta Orange in Europe (and probably many other places) actually has orange juice in it and depending on where you get it from (as my husband got it in other places) the color may be lighter


I was amazed at how thick the glass was on these bottles. I was so used to how only Coke made with sugar is thicker glass but we encountered this any time we ordered pop somewhere in Europe. I also thought the bottle design of the Fanta was cute.

I had to take a picture of this, it was on the entrance to the place we got our drinks at

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I had the same misgivings, but have been to Israel about 10 times over the last decade - not very recently though. "safety" is a subjective feeling, so my thoughts come from my perspective only. I would say yes, as a short answer, while I have had some encounters that may have made some folks uncomfortable. I would suggest I could walk around in Tel Aviv at 3A without concern, there are parts of the country that I would be more diligent about my surroundings. But, this would be no different than saying that about any major city in the US to be honest.

Thanks I appreciate that, I might add that as a potential place for a cruise. People were def. doing the cruise ending in Istanbul which was also an iffy place to us. However, it's good to hear about others who have traveled to places one may be concerned about to get their viewpoint.

 

[john7994]

Thanks I appreciate that, I might add that as a potential place for a cruise. People were def. doing the cruise ending in Istanbul which was also an iffy place to us. However, it's good to hear about others who have traveled to places one may be concerned about to get their viewpoint.

Its interesting in terms of perspectives. Even with current and ongoing unrest as it is often reported on the news, my actual feeling on the ground was often different in Israel itself. This is not to say risk doesn't exist, but I didn't often feel it was any different level than random violence in the US. - Would I recommend a trip to Israel, absolutely. I would also love to go to Istanbul. I have a coworker from Turkey, and his descriptions are amazing.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Its interesting in terms of perspectives. Even with current and ongoing unrest as it is often reported on the news, my actual feeling on the ground was often different in Israel itself. This is not to say risk doesn't exist, but I didn't often feel it was any different level than random violence in the US. - Would I recommend a trip to Israel, absolutely. I would also love to go to Istanbul. I have a coworker from Turkey, and his descriptions are amazing.

Everyone and I mean everyone raves about Ephesus, Turkey. It's considered one of the best stops for Seabourn (probably any cruise line really). They do a private (included) event where an orchestra plays for you in ancient ruins. It's really on my bucket list if I could do it ever since I saw photos of it but it does tend to be the one that ends in Istanbul. If we had stayed on the ship a few days later we would have ended up in Ephesus (Kusadasi) so sorta bittersweet.

 

[john7994]

Everyone and I mean everyone raves about Ephesus, Turkey. It's considered one of the best stops for Seabourn (probably any cruise line really). They do a private (included) event where an orchestra plays for you in ancient ruins. It's really on my bucket list if I could do it ever since I saw photos of it but it does tend to be the one that ends in Istanbul. If we had stayed on the ship a few days later we would have ended up in Ephesus (Kusadasi) so sorta bittersweet.

Its on my bucket list to do a "Paul" tour of the ancient Mediterranean

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We sat out for a bit and then once we got too hot decided to head back to the ship and try out Sushi restaurant for a late lunch (they closed around 2pm or so each day until dinner time)

Vodice’s old city part is quaint but there isn’t a whole lot to do there unless you hike 40 or so minutes to the top of a hill where’s there’s an old ruin of a fortress and a church (and of course views), with the heat we did not do any hiking There were excursions available to nearby Sibenik where people probably opt more to do that.



It seemed they would have a few chairs under the tent for people to sit in waiting for the tenders. Usually cold water was available and depending on which port and the weather ice cold water soaked small towels were available as well which we did use those a time or two.





Ship photo

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Back on the ship we were able to squeeze in at Sushi just before a larger crowd. The restaurant is a small space on the ship and it can get very busy.

View from the table






I discovered I really like sake (pictured above), my husband not as much as me. Gotta be careful though as it can get to you They also had available Japanese beer if you wanted it.

We both got the gyoza dumplings

So I tried and failed (just like in Mexico) to use chopsticks. My husband had a better time with them but mostly ended up using silverware anyhow. These chopsticks were clearly high quality though. The miso soup was so good.

For dessert we got matcha gelato which was quite good and I liked how they chose to serve it

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Eventually we decided to check out the Sky Bar which is on a upper level by the main pool. I chose water having had enough of the sake and my husband asked the bartender for something non-alcoholic



My husband liked it. One thing the bartenders are known for is creating drinks for passengers to try out, tell them what you want or what flavors you’re in the mood for and they will try to create something for you.


We hadn’t been sitting long before we saw a commotion going on in the main pool area....prepare yourselves here drama on a level you'd not expect for the atmosphere is about to ensue

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I saw some toddlers playing in one of the hot tubs (which it should be said they were too young by U.S. standards to be in there). I wouldn’t say they were causing an issue but they were splashing around already in the hot tub and one threw something to the other side of the hot tub. Then the kids ended up being picked up/ushered towards the main pool and all hell broke loose.

To help paint a picture here’s the aftermath of it, there are two hot tubs on each side of the pool out of view of this picture. The kids were playing in the one on the lower left corner.


The people in the lower right corner were Brits, well at least some of them were, and boy were they angry at the kids. To be fair the kids probably did want to splash around and swim because well they are kids, that’s what they want to do. It seemed like there were maybe two families total? Not completely positive.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

How do I know the big complainers were Brits? Well one woman loudly spoke out at the kids entering the pool area on the lower left corner. She physically tried to stop the kids from coming in and harsh words were exchanged with the parents though I couldn’t hear it all. The Brit woman asked “Do you speak English?” It did not appear this family was American and probably was European. Some other things were said that I couldn’t hear but I did hear her then say something to the effect of “well I’m a Brit”. The way it was said sounded more like how one would explain their bluntness so it was more like her saying “yeah well I’ll be the one to say something others are thinking”

The man in the white hat just prior to this picture taken actually moved in what I would call an intimidating way towards the kids and the family. Two of the kids were right by him once he got to the edge and you could tell they were scared of him. I could not believe that man did that, so not right. The Brit woman also said “this is a wading pool not a swimming pool”

While the initial confrontation didn’t last long the family(ies) did not stay long right there at the pool. Two kids who were in the pool were removed by their parents quickly. Back to the man in the white hat he’s looking over at the family speaking to the Cruise Director presumably about the situation and I don’t blame that family one bit.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

While that was going down another passenger who appeared close enough to our age (30s) came over to get something from the bar and we discussed the incident (because how could you not). He said it was being talked about all over how the age was skewed young on this particular cruise but that some passengers obviously felt that once they paid they could dictate things on the ship and we mutually agreed yeah no you don’t own the ship. If the adults had an issue with the kids in the pool they should have spoken with staff and let it be handled that way.

Another gentleman came up to the bar and mentioned offhandedly to the bartender “I didn’t pay this much to have kids around” and the bartender wisely made a more neutral response. Here’s the thing Seabourn is not a family line, it’s not marketed towards families. There are no activities on Seabourn for kids. The ship isn’t designed for them in mind. There’s nothing wrong with kids being on there but you really need to take stock of if the line is going to be best. There have been young kids on board but majority of the time they are all well behaved from what everyone says.

From what I’ve read if there are enough kids on board Seabourn will try and bring someone on board to act as a kid liaison, otherwise you’d need to bring your nanny, au pair or take care of your child yourself the whole time. It’s possible Seabourn brought someone on board for this cruise and I didn’t know it. In truth we did book this line knowing that kids are rarer to see. Some people have gone hundreds of days and cruising years with Seabourn and not seen a kid but it is always a possibility. The Mediterranean in the summer probably has the highest chance of this.

One of the families also had a stroller on board and I happened to see them try to maneuver it in the hall and by their room when we first boarded the ship. It’s just not a ship for that.

In the vast majority of rooms that stroller would have been in the way of the room next door and for the housekeeping. That particular room was at the end of the hallway towards the main part of the ship and didn’t have a room door next to it

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

A couple of days later I noticed what appears to be a solution however laughable it honestly ended up being.



It probably was there before we took this picture and I just didn’t notice. Our assumptions are the ship crew went into port and purchased these for the family to use or at the very least they sanctioned it being there. At the end of our cruise we did see a staff member use a bucket to take the water out of it so I’m assuming the family(ies) were only on board for the 7 day cruise like us.

If I didn’t have photographic evidence and someone was just saying this on one of the FB pages I’d think they were exaggerating but no, there isn’t any exaggeration you can do for that . To my knowledge I’ve never seen any mention of this ever happening before on the FB pages since joining about a year ago (and this would have been talked about) so there must have been some sort of heated discussion for them to think this placates both sides.

And this is the explanation for the inflatable kiddie pool part of my trip report name

It was only the first full day of the cruise, first actual port (unless you had already been on the ship from a prior cruise) and we have drama of epic proportions. I already knew how the kid thing normally is viewed but

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

After all this went down we decided to check out Afternoon Tea which occurs daily between 4 and 5pm in the Observation Bar with a rotational theme. Going from chaos to calm was a strange juxtaposition.

I don’t remember what the theme was that day but this was the selections of tea you could have


My husband isn’t a tea drinker (I’m not that much either but I do like it) and I don’t remember what he got. I got the Hiddin Pu-erh which was quite delicious.

For the small food offerings it was savory and sweet, this they just bring all of them out

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

This is where they put your selected tea together


They bring out the tea with a timer already started for steeping time




I let mine steep the longest as I tend to like things strong. We sat for a while just enjoying the ambience. It did get busier as time went on but never too loud. I kinda wished we had done Afternoon Tea again, it was a nice experience really.

As we left I took a last photo of the Vodice area

 

[john7994]

Based on your last few posts, I tend to stay neutral on the kids thing because it’s always such a touchy subject. Unless specifically posted, like a recent wedding I attended (no children please - they were a mid-twenties couple), I am never surprised where they are present even if it’s somewhere I wouldn’t always expect.

 

[GAN]

A couple of days later I noticed what appears to be a solution however laughable it honestly ended up being.
View attachment 783011


It probably was there before we took this picture and I just didn’t notice. Our assumptions are the ship crew went into port and purchased these for the family to use or at the very least they sanctioned it being there. At the end of our cruise we did see a staff member use a bucket to take the water out of it so I’m assuming the family(ies) were only on board for the 7 day cruise like us.

If I didn’t have photographic evidence and someone was just saying this on one of the FB pages I’d think they were exaggerating but no, there isn’t any exaggeration you can do for that . To my knowledge I’ve never seen any mention of this ever happening before on the FB pages since joining about a year ago (and this would have been talked about) so there must have been some sort of heated discussion for them to think this placates both sides.

And this is the explanation for the inflatable kiddie pool part of my trip report name

It was only the first full day of the cruise, first actual port (unless you had already been on the ship from a prior cruise) and we have drama of epic proportions. I already knew how the kid thing normally is viewed but

What do you know …I have that same hot tub in my yard!

 

[mjkacmom]

Since most cruise ships don’t have pools with sanitizing systems for diapered kids, it’s not uncommon for parents to bring blow up pools for the pool decks or balconies.

 

[GAN]

Based on your last few posts, I tend to stay neutral on the kids thing because it’s always such a touchy subject. Unless specifically posted, like a recent wedding I attended (no children please - they were a mid-twenties couple), I am never surprised where they are present even if it’s somewhere I wouldn’t always expect.

Most people don’t mind children in a typical adult environment -it’s parents that don’t properly supervise their children that bothers me.

 

[john7994]

Most people don’t mind children in a typical adult environment -it’s parents that don’t properly supervise their children that bothers me.

I won’t disagree, but always a touchy subject …