Cruise provides glorious self-indulgence

By JUDY SALWEN

Call me a cruise-nik, I don’t mind. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed sailing the seven seas on different cruise lines, and in January 2003, I sailed one of the best: The Seabourn Pride.
          The yacht accommodates approximately 200 passengers and features outstanding personal service and a palate of activities to suit all of its guests.
          To reach the ship I flew from New York City to Ft. Lauderdale, for the embarkation port of Port Everglades, and was delighted with American Airlines’ service. The flight was comfortable, service was friendly and efficient, and arrival was ahead of schedule.
          With New York weather so iffy, I had arranged an overnight stay in Hollywood, Fla. before boarding Seabourn Pride. What a swell preamble it was to the glorious cruise, staying at the newly redone Westin Diplomat, with its stunning main hotel, its European spa and golf club hotel. Dinner at the Diplomat was fresh market fish (meats, salads, extraordinary wines, and scrumptious desserts available too) which I enjoyed in the beautiful wood-paneled restaurant with its rich wood tones, walls of wine racks, and floor to ceiling windows.
          Seabourn Pride’s first stop was in Mahahual, Mexico, where a short walk took me to the shopping mall featuring typical Mexican crafts and souvenirs. Returning to Pride, I decided to lunch in the open-seated Veranda Café, featuring a creative self-service buffet, and because the weather was so beautiful, the ever-gracious service staff escorted my full plate and me on deck where I could take my lunch in the glorious sunshine. Lunch featured salads, pastas, fish and meats, dairy products galore, and an assortment of eye-popping desserts, including two sugar-free choices.
          Evenings I dined in the classic formal restaurant, where because I was traveling alone, I received a nightly dinner invitation to an officer’s table, the entertainment staff, or the lecturers’ tables, along with eight or ten other passengers. What a great way to meet others on board. What’s more, acceptance of the invitations was optional, but I appreciated being cared for.
          My fellow passengers were from all over the United States, Canada, and Europe, including some nobility from Great Britain. Wait staff hailed from Scandinavia, Poland, and Asia, stewardesses from Hungary and Baltic countries. The captain and crew were from Norway. A veritable United Nations of the seas.
          Seabourn Pride has much to be proud of. Because of its size, it can sail to places inaccessible to other ships. All its accommodations are suites. In addition to its restaurants, course-by-course dining and 24-hour room service were available. Special food requests were honored whether dietary or religious. A complimentary open bar of wines, spirits, and French champagne was available all the time. There were complimentary on-deck “Massage Moments,” dancing under the stars, entertainment every evening, and religious services for passengers wishing to partake in those. Friday evening’s Shabbat services, with challah, wine, and prayer books, was led by two of the passengers and attended by more than 20.
          From Mexico we crossed the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean, an experience that was accompanied by an onboard guide relating the history and geography of the region. He was only one of the experts on board. We also had lectures about medical issues, astronomy, and anthropology, as well as talks about the regions we were coming to. The lecturers accompanied their talks with color slides.
          We sailed for five consecutive days to Ecuador, and what a relaxing treat that was. This rough-and-ready, active New Yorker sat on deck, relaxing and conversing with others (while being fussed over by the deck stewards) or grabbing 40 winks. That was the beauty of Pride’s itinerary: that cruising and port-hopping were interspersed, rather than arrivals at a different port daily, and running around on shore excursions, port-to-port. Yet, at every port there were optional, different, and charged shore trips, except for Manta, Ecuador, where, the visit to a hacienda, a performance by The Folklorico Ballet of Ecuador, a show of Ecuadorian horses, a witch doctor, the sale of native products by local craftsmen, and a buffet were complimentary and much appreciated.
          Manta is the port city for Ecuador’s capital, Quito.
          Over the last few years Ecuador has enjoyed an influx of Jews from other Latin American countries; most are of German ancestry, and most live in Quito, where there is a synagogue, WIZO, and B’nai B’rith. Ecuador and Israel maintain full diplomatic relations.
          From Ecuador, we sailed to Callao, Peru, the port city of Lima. I was met at the ship by the security officer, Raffi, who drove me to the Orthodox synagogue, Temple Beith Jona, in Lima, a beautiful house of worship. Next we drove to Bikur Jolim, which housed the old and infirm in congenial surroundings featuring gardens, social areas, and therapy rooms.
          At lunch with two members of the Jewish community, I was astonished to learn that many Jewish parents encourage their children to relocate. It seems career opportunities are so limited in Peru, and the fact that life is hard in Peru, and often politically unstable, accounts for this. There is a great deal of intermarriage, and the Jewish population is shrinking since the 1940s, according to Isaac Mekler and Selma Levy, my luncheon companions.
          Two other synagogues and a Chabad House exist in Lima, as well as a Hebraica Club, Zionist Youth movements, a B’nai B’rith Lodge, and two Jewish newspapers to serve the approximate 2,500 Jews.
          Delivered safely back on Pride by Raffi, I settled in, enjoying afternoon tea, and then the fitness club, as we sailed to Paracas Bay, Peru, en route to Chile. Fun on board consisted of bridge lessons, trivia teams, enchanting musical shows by the cruise director, Jan Myers, and her assistant, swimming in Pride’s pool, soaking in the whirlpool, browsing in Pride’s library, gambling in the casino, and then spending the winnings in the ship’s boutique.
          Chile, our final country, has a Jewish population that lives in the capital city, Santiago, and in several smaller communities. There are also some sects of Indians who consider themselves Jews and who live in the south of Chile, observing some Jewish laws and customs.
          There are several Jewish day schools in Santiago and in Vina del Mar, and the University of Chile has a Jewish studies department. B’nai B’rith and WIZO exist in Santiago, as well as three weekly Jewish newspapers of Ashkenazi and Sephardic origin. Chile and Israel maintain full diplomatic relations, and since 1946, almost 5,000 Chilean Jews have made aliya to Israel.
          Pride sailed to Arico, Iquique, and Coquimbo, Chile, all interesting colonial towns. Our final port, Valparaiso, was where we disembarked and motored into Santiago for a day’s stay, until our evening flight home. In some cases, passengers extended their land stay to include a trip to Easter Island, Chile’s vineyards, or Peru’s ancient Machu Picchu.
          I opted to return to the United States, but not before I enjoyed the hospitality and beauty of Santiago’s leading luxury hotel, the Sheraton San Cristobal Tower, where I had reserved a day room until my late evening flight home. This hotel has classic, beautiful, spacious rooms and suites; its convenient location and encompassing guest facilities are extraordinary.
          Flying home late that same evening, I slept from Santiago to Miami, where I boarded a connecting flight to New York.
          Arriving in New York with a glow and feeling of satisfaction, I buttoned up my winter coat, leaving behind the 77-degree temperatures, and wondered why I hadn’t sailed on to Buenos Aires and Rio as some other cruise passengers had.

Updated 2/12/03