ABOARD THE SEABOURN ODYSSEY – It is just a small thing. But it makes me happy. And it shows the strong commitment that Seabourn has to taking care of even tiny details for a top-notch cruise.

One of my pet gripes is that cruise ships and international hotels often don’t provide clocks in guest rooms. I don’t want to carry a bedside clock with a lighted dial every time I take a cruise or go overseas. As a longtime journalist, I have this thing about knowing what time it is – no matter whether it is day or night.

If I wake up during the night, I want to be able to take a quick glance and know that I can sleep for four more hours. Or whatever. Might be years of meeting deadlines but a nearby clock is important to me.

And there it is. Attached to the wall by the queen size bed in my suite is an easy-to-read clock. But that is only the beginning of the special touches that I am discovering on my first cruise with Seabourn. The more I look at the Seabourn Odyssey, the more I like.

My large suite has two areas with a curtain that can be drawn to separate the sleeping quarters from the sitting room. Nightstands are placed on either side of the queen-size bed and a large dresser on the wall at the foot of the bed is a handy place to store books and papers.

Amenities include a flat-screen TV, refrigerator (stocked with soft drinks, beer and wine), a safe, fluffy robe and slippers, sofa, footstool and dining table with two chairs. There is a huge walk-in closet and the biggest bathroom I have ever seen on a ship – a full-size tub (really it is bigger than mine at home), a separate walk-in shower, double sinks and a commode. The bathroom is marble and it gleams.

There is storage galore. I counted more than a dozen drawers and cabinets, including one in the bathroom with lovely Molton Brown toiletries, before I stopped counting. I will never fill up all those storage spaces.

The balcony is large and covered with teak decking. Balcony furniture includes a round table (bet this will be my favorite breakfast spot), two deck chairs, a chaise lounge and a footrest. Instead of a sliding glass door, the Odyssey has a hinged door that stays wherever you leave it. It doesn’t slam shut. That is really neat. You don’t have to keep opening the door or propping it open with your foot while you carry out a snack or drink. It stays where you put it – fully opened, partly opened or shut.

In fact, all the drawers and doors in my suite seem to have some kind of magic opener/closer. The many drawers are fitted with a special quiet mechanism to soften their closure. I don’t know how many times I have been awakened by a hotel or cruise ship neighbor closing a closet, drawer or door. Not on the Odyssey. Quiet rules here.

Speaking of sleeping, Seabourn has designed curtains that almost completely block out the light coming from the balcony. I like to awaken with the sunlight coming in my window but sometimes it is nice to have a darkened room for a nap or when in port at night with strong outside lights.

The stateroom entertainment system has a big flat screen TV mounted on a pullout tray and an iPod deck with a remote. You can watch any of the ship’s lecture series on the TV and a bunch of new and old movies “on demand” without charge. When satellite reception is good, you can also get a selection of CNN, BBC, Fox News and other entertainment options.

Don’t know how much TV watching I will be doing. Too many other wonderful things to do both on the ship and on shore.

Story and photo by Jackie Sheckler Finch