This day was Joe’s birthday (2/24/24) in Australia. I agreed to hoof it down to the coffee shop on the seventh floor since it was his birthday. Joe headed out to the patio with his coffee and promptly spilled his Americano. He made the replacement run. 🙂 We had an excursion scheduled to see Moreton Island on Segways. As we were enjoying breakfast the Captain announced that the ship’s tenders (boats that run you to and from the dock on the island) were unable to navigate in the water due to wind and that they had hired an island catamaran (the Tangalooma Express) to run passengers to and from the island so a schedule was posted regarding operational times. As we were finishing our breakfast three of the waiters appeared with a stack of candlelit pancakes that we hadn’t ordered and sang “Happy Birthday” to him. When we arrived back to our room, the housekeeping staff assigned to our suite had decorated the room for the day. They don’t miss a thing around here.
Moreton Island is the third largest sand island in the world. The island consists entirely of sand. 98% of the island is deemed a National Park. The island is located in the Coral Sea and features a dive site around a group of sunken boats called the Tangalooma Wrecks. Moreton Island is home to just 180 people.
We chatted with a woman, Babs, that snorkeled around them on her excursion. We got a kick out of her because when we asked how it was, she said, “I didn’t see a thing, but it was so far out of my comfort zone that I can’t wait to tell my kids that I did it.” So far we haven’t heard from anyone else whether it was good snorkeling or not. Joe and I rode up and down the beach on some Segways which were a little squirrelly in the sand. We enjoyed it for the most part but would have liked our guide, Charlotte, to have been a bit more informative regarding the history of the island. The beach is lined with resorts and a few shops but otherwise, quite barren. This reminded us of many summertime resorts one might see in Minnesota lake country.
Our evening was lovely. The one restaurant that requires reservations on the ship, The Grill by Thomas Keller, hosted his birthday dinner. Thomas Keller is an American chef, restauranteur and cookbook author and owner of his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, CA. He has won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation and has seven Michelin stars. Keller has leant his name and his culinary genius to Seabourn in these onboard restaurants bearing his name. Our dinner was absolutely delicious. Again, each employee seemed to know that he was celebrating his birthday and went out of their way to see that we had a special evening. I think I enjoyed his birthday more than he did. A had a little too much to drink and found myself bouncing off the walls in the corridor on the way to our cabin. I definitely lost my sea legs and had a fit of the giggles.
Our next day is at sea on our way to Airlie Beach. We are enjoying these quiet days at sea needing some rest and relaxation prior to each new adventure. This morning we worked out in the gym and then watched a Battle of the Restaurants where each chef is given a few ingredients to create a starter and main dish that was judged by the ship’s Captain, the Hotel Director and the ship’s Doctor. The Earth & Ocean restaurant was today’s winner. After a quick shower we participated in a trivia contest that is ongoing on each sea day. We joined team “Just for Fun” and look forward to our next competition.
Notes from Joe:
While I had a great birthday on the ship, when i woke up here on the 25th my phone had a bunch of text messages as my birthday (the 24) was still occurring in the states. I seized the opportunity, claimed it was still my birthday, and talked Janet into going for coffee again. Play the cards you are dealt. 🙂 A big thank you to all the well-wishers. I had a great 48 hour birthday.
