A lovely holiday, with many surprises & only one disappointment!I am an experienced cruiser and very experienced traveller. As a solo traveller, I tend to get a different view from others and look for different things in a trip.Let me get the disappointment & one other issue out of the way first.I am not normally a Hotel based, sunbathing, drink all day type but after booking the 10 night Seychelles cruise holiday which was due to depart UK 08/10, booked through Destinology (my first time of doing so), within a couple of weeks of paying my deposit, the trip was reduced to a 7 day cruise with 3 night all-inclusive stay at Mahe Resort and Spa Hotel. I really wanted to have 10 days to explore as much of the islands as possible but on reviewing the Hotel, decided to give myself a different break, it looked lovely.The alternative had been to cancel the whole trip with a full refund.The second issue was an injury I sustained on board SH Diana due to the inefficient electronic opening of double doors from the Club Lounge to the outside sun deck/terrace...see more at the end.The "cruise" is billed as an Expedition rather than a traditional cruise, the emphasis on exploration.There were something like 110 guests with 120 crew, the ratio was amazing but I understand the trip was quite undersold.In the event, I found the service amazing, the crew almost without fail, smiled, were busy, helpful, friendly and very efficient.My cabin was wonderful, on Deck 4, beautifully appointed, large, brilliant. Great selection of films on the TV (the engineer did have to reset my TV several times) & in a quiet location.Food was on the whole exceptional! As with general cruises, food available inclusively almost all day if you wished. The evening dinner was 5 courses plus coffee at a 5 star level. The surf & turf on the last but one night for the Captain's celebration dinner was SUPERB. The Exec Chef was friendly & approached guests to check it was enjoyed.I hadn't realised that drinks were included until the 3rd night, after which I had my fav tipple of Champagne twice a day.I have read other reviews & comments about there being a lack of sunbeds on other trips....I didnt discover the Stargazing deck until my last day, where there are plenty of sunloungers available too but there was a lack of available umbrellas for shade.The "excursion" team of which there are many, are friendly, very helpful and seemed well informed, experts aplenty amongst them in the Natural world field.The ship was impeccably clean and polished & there is a well-appointed laundry room with washers, dryers and ironing board etc., needed after a wet zodiac landing or arrival.The Islands of the Seychelles are all that they appear in the pictures, heavenly sandy beaches, pale blue crystal clear waters and temperatures were touching 30 degrees most days.Animal/bird life was interesting, my goal had been to see Fairy Terns and Tropic birds, tick. As a naturalist the onland variety IS limited, sometimes only a handful of species on an island.Stunning scenery & of course the amazing Coco de Mer "reserve" on Praslin.I noted one review complained about the lack of entertainment on board....this is not a Disco/Clubbing vibe of ship....it is classy, utter relaxation, an opportunity to chat in lovely lounges with other guests. Absolutely no excessive noise, other than perhaps some loud chat and laughter.Be prepared to get WET. Almost all landings are in Zodiacs & sometimes alongside ship was a bit choppy, great fun though.All in all a fabulous trip, well worth the money I paid, even as a solo traveller.NOW for the issue - (if youre still with me ;-) )....The injury I mention was because the double doors from the Club Lounge out did not operate in tandem. The left hand side door opened first, and appeared on the occasion that I walked through, that the right hand door was not going to open. As I then walked through the left side, & my right foot lifted to hit the deck outside, the right side door had opened and caught the back of my right heel, causing me to stumble but also, the bottom corner of the door was razor sharp and cut my foot. This turned out to be about a 2" cut, with a flap of skin lifted and lots of blood. Thankfully, the lovely chap who was a violinist on the entertainment team saw and helped me. The Doctor was called. She & a nurse took me to the sick bay & tended my wound, thankfully with no cost to myself. The Doctor caused it to be dressed 3 days running. Only now, almost 3 weeks later, has the wound dried up but I am still unable to wear a sports trainer on it as it will open up. I am disappointed that a member of the Exec team/the company didn't contact me in relation to the report the Doctor submitted. It did spoil my full enjoyment of two or three days. The Safety officer who attended showed little interest!
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Cultural Expedition Cruises
