Time to set sail to the Seychelles and begin our explorations of the many islands, atolls. and stunningly colored waters (intense blues ranging from deep navy, light turquoise, cyan and more) surrounding the archipelago nation.
This was my first expedition cruise so I had done my usual pre-trip research to have an idea of what to expect. The ship was a sleek, French owned (Ponant) expedition style boat which normally carries 184 passengers but for this journey had a maximum capacity of 148. In actuality only 90 passengers booked this particular journey so we all enjoyed a very high staff to guest ratio, lots of open space outside and inside, smaller excursion groups on Zodiacs and all-balcony accommodations. Honestly there were so many outside areas along the boat that my balcony was pretty much just used as a place to dry out my swimsuits.
Embarkation was very orderly – at reception passports were taken, credit card put on file and then I received my personal key card that opened/closed the cabin, provided ID for leaving/returning to ship as well as access to the zodiac boats:
This was a fascinating piece of electronics – it continued to work effortlessly despite being submerged in salt water during my snorkeling excursions. Speaking of snorkeling – I was also fitted for my own snorkel/mask and flippers and given a drybag for storage/transport:
Screenshot
My stateroom was bright and clean and very comfortable- far from the cramped cabin I have seen on other boats. To be fair, this was a standard stateroom size meant for two people.
King size bed, wrap around couch and desk/vanity on far side. Lots of power sockets, US and European. Also had a refrigerator with lots of water and a selection of soft drinks, wine and liquor – although I asked the steward to remove the latter to leave room for ice packs for my knees – thankfully I didn’t need to use them – snorkeling in saltwater kept them happy!
Slatted door could be open or closed – I suppose it was to give an option to see the sea from the bathroom – but I kept it closed most of the time. There was also a separate ”watercloset.”
Shower was to the left of sink and contained large size bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel.
Our first day was at sea as there are more than 700 miles between the coast of Zanzibar and the first atoll of the Seychelles. After exploring the 6 decks of Le Bellot – using the stairs as a convenient workout – I went to the theater to meet the expedition team – 17 brilliant and engaging experts whose daily lectures and excursion recaps and previews cemented my belief that an expedition cruise was perfect for me – like being in school with the most outstanding recesses! I will include their briefs below if you care to have more specifics on their qualifications.
I also went up to the Observation Deck on top a few times during the day to see what I could see and in a preview of the awesome views I was going to experience, the sky presented a showcase of sun, clouds, storms, magnificent sunrise and sunset as well as an advanced crew of boobies (more on these in later posts):
Just the beginning! So much more to come!
Team Briefs:
