I have arrived and settled into my apartment in the Mestre district close to Venice and the shipyard where Seabourn Encore continues to take shape.
I met the team that has been doing a fantastic job of keeping on top of building a new ship. No mean feat I can tell you. I will introduce them to you in the coming days. The scariest thing for me so far was to pick up my hire car from the dealer in Venice and drive it back to the shipyard. I saw more cars in that short distance than I believe there is in the whole of New Zealand. Plus they are clearly enjoying me being amidst them as they sound their delight at me on their horns. The steering wheel is on the wrong side, it is a manual gearshift and clearly I am far to well mannered a driver to fit in. We shall persevere!
Having settled into our Seabourn office I was taken around the ship to get my first view. I was keen to have a look at the public rooms and my own cabin.
As you can see my cabin needs a few more home touches I would suggest.
Can you guess what this space will become?
Guessed it?
The Observation Lounge. Its incredibly light and airy. Remember this photo. I will show you what it becomes over the coming weeks and months ahead.
I could not resist a look at the bridge.
The starboard bridge wing control station is in place but with a few bits and pieces still to be added. The centre main consoles are in place and I can really see this area taking shape.
The amount of wiring is simply staggering.
So that was my view of Seabourn Encore. There are ship yard workers in every nook and cranny doing what needs to be done and over time I hope to keep you up to date with photos showing progress.