The
"Goodnight Irene"
Cruise Diary
with Linda Coffman
August 12, 2005 -- Mel and I were watching the Weather
Channel as well as completing our travel check lists and preparing to
pack the car when the telephone rang. Between our embarkation
port--Norfolk, Virginia--and Bermuda was one of Mother Nature's
nastiest offspring. On the other end of the phone line was our contact
from Radisson Seven Seas Cruises. Hurricane Irene hadn't quite made up
her mind which direction to take and the cruise line was making
alternate plans "just in case."
Norfolk is a one-day drive from our home in east-central Georgia
so we made the decision to avoid airport hassles. A leisurely road trip and overnight pre-cruise stay
in Norfolk figured into
our plans. Radisson Seven Seas wasn't taking any chances, though, and
if Irene aimed at Norfolk, they would divert Seven Seas Navigator to
Newport, Rhode Island and arrange for us to fly there to meet
the ship if necessary.
Thankfully, Irene made a turn out to sea and we
arrived in Norfolk on a sunny Monday, anxious to sail the next day. In
reality, our Radisson Seven Seas experience had begun the previous
week with their pro-active "just in case" gesture.
Norfolk, Virginia
The city of Norfolk has spent a great deal of money on
downtown improvements along the waterfront and it shows. We opted to take advantage of a
cruiser-friendly package offered by the Clarion Hotel James Madison
that included room, breakfast, secure parking for a week, and transportation
by taxi to the port on sailing day. The hotel dates to the early-1900s and the
lobby imparts an air of graceful elegance not often found since,
well--the early-1900s. We were stunned with our room. The wallpaper
was a bit shabby, but it featured a king-size bed, sitting area, desk,
and
TWO bathrooms. We were told the property would be undergoing future
renovation and hope the lavish wood paneling and etched glass in the
lobby and bar remain untouched.
Unfortunately, the front desk didn't quite have their
act together and were, without question, the most inept hotel staff we've had the misfortune to deal with in a long time. The Radisson
Hotel Downtown Norfolk and Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel also offer
pre-cruise packages with parking. Our fellow passengers recommended
them highly.
After resting up a bit, we headed to Nauticus, The
National Maritime Center, which houses an interactive science and
technology center as well as the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. Berthed
alongside is the battleship Wisconsin, one of the largest
battleships ever built by the US Navy. Nearby, Waterside Festival
Marketplace has shopping (touristy and sort of cheesy), food, and a
bit of nightlife.
For dinner, there are a few restaurants in Waterside
with a harbor view as well as chic little sidewalk cafés lining
Granby Street.
Embarkation
As we discovered when we sailed on Radisson Diamond,
Radisson Seven Seas makes embarkation a seamless process. With only 68
passengers embarking in Norfolk, there were no lines for check-in and
we found ourselves one board with champagne in hand in record time. Let's back
up... the Seven Seas Navigator was operating a split-homeport
deployment and most passengers were embarking/debarking in New York
City the next day. For those passengers, Norfolk was a port of call and
many took advantage of day-long tours to Colonial Williamsburg.
Suites
All
accommodations on Seven Seas Navigator are suites, all with an ocean
view and most with balconies. As I
settled into unpacking, Mel explored our quarters and took care of
details (filling out the form to request spirits for the stocked
mini-bar) and checked out the walk-in closet and marble bathroom with
its separate tub and shower. Duly impressed with the amenities... wait until he meets the butler! Aside from
the abundant storage, my favorite feature was the dressing table. My
least favorite feature was the sofa. I spent a lot of time working at
the coffee table (raised to dining table height) and the sofa was
comfortable enough for sitting--just not very deep for lounging and
watching television.
However, I fell in love with the dressing table with
its divided drawer for cosmetics, the magnifying make-up mirror, and bathroom
toiletries by Aveda. There are multiple electrical outlets at desk and
dressing table in US and Euro configurations. Little details like that reflect well on Radisson
Seven Seas' attention to passenger comfort and convenience.
The bottom line: Suites
are ultimately for sleeping. The pillows and duvets are heavenly. On
the other hand, one of the mattresses on our pushed-together
"queen"-size bed needed either to be flipped over or
replaced.
