Overall, we had a great cruise through the Panama Canal on Seabourn Odyssey. Foreign trips are never perfect, and this one was not. But we found much to praise and little to criticize on Odyssey. We left Los Angeles on Jan. 6th, and spent a day each in Cabo San Lucas, Huatulco, Puerto Chiapas, Puerto Quetzal, Puntarenas, Portobelo and Cartagena. We spent a long day going through the Panama Canal. There were nine sea days, and we arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 24th.

Arrival and departure were quick. At the Port of Los Angeles, even though I didn't request it, I was immediately provided a wheelchair because I don't walk very well. We boarded and were seated in the lunch buffet in about 30 minutes. We sailed on Odyssey a year ago and were anxious to look for changes. We didn't see many. The ship is wonderfully maintained, the bathrooms look new, the staterooms and hallways are picking up a few scratches, but most everything worked well, including the air conditioning, which was very important on this warm weather cruise. We were in Suite 631. The staff remains personable and helpful, although many are new because of Seabourn's expansion. Service was frequently good, but sometimes slow and disorganized. The suite stewardess Marcela was great.

The ship sailed about 25 people short of its 450 guest capacity. There was never a problem with crowding or lines. The food was often wonderful. The beef, fish, lamb, shrimp, pasta and desserts were fabulous, in our opinion. The wine isn't $50 a bottle wine, but it was just fine. There were nice touches. We didn't know about a dinner of fresh snapper, the fish having been purchased ashore by the chef the previous day. When we mentioned that, the restaurant staff immediately told us we should return the next night and they would arrange a special snapper dinner for us, which they did. Several times, restaurant staff offered second helpings when we mentioned how good the main course was. There were some misses. A Mexican-theme dinner just didn't pass muster. The breakfast buffet does not vary from day to day. How about some different sausages? And what passes for hash brown potatoes is an embarrassment—a frozen patty that would be served in a school cafeteria. Use real potatoes for gosh sakes. Read more