Wonderful

Just returned from 18 day cruise Athens to Dubai on Sojourn. Perhaps the best cruise ever on Seabourn. The Capt (Hamish Elliot) was the same as we had on SA cruise four years ago which was also pretty terrific so I suspect he sets the tone. What made this cruise wonderful? The service, and the food (best food I believe we ever had, consistently perfect, every order, every dish, healthy options, everything fresh including fruits and veggies), nice wine selections and ample too (lots of variety), and lots of very welcome and special features. Of course, we met incredibly wonderful people which certainly makes or breaks a cruise. But in the end, aside from the friends we made, the service and the food were just spectacular. I love Seabourn.

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Hobar of Scottsdale

1957 Staten Island Ferry

1992 Norwegian, Caribbean

February 2002 Seabourn Legend, Costa Rica to Ft. Lauderdale (via Panama canal)

December 2002 SeaDream, Caribbean

July 2003 Seabourn Spirit, Istanbul to Venice

August 2003 Seabourn Spirit, Venice to Rome

March 2004 Silversea, Mexican Riviera

February 2005 Seabourn Spirit, Singapore to Hong Kong

April 2007 Seabourn Pride, Monte Carlo to Istanbul

July 2008 No cruise but visits to Malaga and Mallorca to the homes of new friends we made on Seabourn in 2005!

March 2010 Silversea, Singapore to Dubai

December 2011 Seabourn Sojourn, Santiago to Buenos Aires

August-Sept 2013 Seabourn Quest, Monte Carlo to Barcelona

October-November 2015 Seabourn Sojourn, Athens to Dubai

That's great to hear! J

Just returned from 18 day cruise Athens to Dubai on Sojourn. Perhaps the best cruise ever on Seabourn. The Capt (Hamish Elliot) was the same as we had on SA cruise four years ago which was also pretty terrific so I suspect he sets the tone. What made this cruise wonderful? The service, and the food (best food I believe we ever had, consistently perfect, every order, every dish, healthy options, everything fresh including fruits and veggies), nice wine selections and ample too (lots of variety), and lots of very welcome and special features. Of course, we met incredibly wonderful people which certainly makes or breaks a cruise. But in the end, aside from the friends we made, the service and the food were just spectacular. I love Seabourn.

 

 

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Hobar of Scottsdale

1957 Staten Island Ferry

1992 Norwegian, Caribbean

February 2002 Seabourn Legend, Costa Rica to Ft. Lauderdale (via Panama canal)

December 2002 SeaDream, Caribbean

July 2003 Seabourn Spirit, Istanbul to Venice

August 2003 Seabourn Spirit, Venice to Rome

March 2004 Silversea, Mexican Riviera

February 2005 Seabourn Spirit, Singapore to Hong Kong

April 2007 Seabourn Pride, Monte Carlo to Istanbul

July 2008 No cruise but visits to Malaga and Mallorca to the homes of new friends we made on Seabourn in 2005!

March 2010 Silversea, Singapore to Dubai

December 2011 Seabourn Sojourn, Santiago to Buenos Aires

August-Sept 2013 Seabourn Quest, Monte Carlo to Barcelona

October-November 2015 Seabourn Sojourn, Athens to Dubai

Whole heartedly agree. Was on board too.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

Keith

Just returned from 18 day cruise Athens to Dubai on Sojourn. Perhaps the best cruise ever on Seabourn. The Capt (Hamish Elliot) was the same as we had on SA cruise four years ago which was also pretty terrific so I suspect he sets the tone. What made this cruise wonderful? The service, and the food (best food I believe we ever had, consistently perfect, every order, every dish, healthy options, everything fresh including fruits and veggies), nice wine selections and ample too (lots of variety), and lots of very welcome and special features. Of course, we met incredibly wonderful people which certainly makes or breaks a cruise. But in the end, aside from the friends we made, the service and the food were just spectacular. I love Seabourn.

 

 

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Hobar of Scottsdale

1957 Staten Island Ferry

1992 Norwegian, Caribbean

February 2002 Seabourn Legend, Costa Rica to Ft. Lauderdale (via Panama canal)

December 2002 SeaDream, Caribbean

July 2003 Seabourn Spirit, Istanbul to Venice

August 2003 Seabourn Spirit, Venice to Rome

March 2004 Silversea, Mexican Riviera

February 2005 Seabourn Spirit, Singapore to Hong Kong

April 2007 Seabourn Pride, Monte Carlo to Istanbul

July 2008 No cruise but visits to Malaga and Mallorca to the homes of new friends we made on Seabourn in 2005!

March 2010 Silversea, Singapore to Dubai

December 2011 Seabourn Sojourn, Santiago to Buenos Aires

August-Sept 2013 Seabourn Quest, Monte Carlo to Barcelona

October-November 2015 Seabourn Sojourn, Athens to Dubai

My wife and I are just of the Odyssey and it was the best cruise we have ever been on. We have cruised Crystal several times, including the full 2015 World Cruise. In our opinion, Seabourn was superior in almost every way, especially food and service.

We were on the same cruise. Sorry we didn't meet up. Yes, agree totally with your assessment. Best food and wine since our first Seabourn cruise. Really enjoyed the menus, portions, variety, presentation....and the bread/bread sticks.

Service better than ever. And, for the first time ever we took in MANY of the guest (enrichment) lectures and they certainly added to our enjoyment.

Enjoyed each and every Seabourn shore excursion. They keep getting better.

Counting days until our next embarkation!!!!

So pleased to hear this - we were on Sojourn a while before, with a different Captain, but again it was an excellent trip. Also good to get a few similar reports on the same cruise which agree with one another. We have travelled once with Captain Elliott, and did like him very much also.

You warm the cockles of my heart! It gets tiring to hear all of the nit-picking. What is amazing ...the crew and staff are always happier with positive surrounding as well. A win-win for everyone! Enjoy your Holidays.

How refreshing, after all the negativity! The gloomy predictions about dining room changes were becoming silly. We look forward to this itinerary in the future, although, with world politics being what they are, it does worry us a little. In the meantime,we are counting down to our Western Europe cruise on the Quest in the spring. We are usually land travelers, and this will only be our 5th cruise, our 4th on Seabourn. We thought nothing could come close to our first cruise experience, about 25 years ago, on the wonderful, very small Sea Goddess, but Seabourn has been a delightful surprise and there is no denying the comfort and elegance of the larger Odyssey class ship, which still manages to feel intimate.

When one of you has time, it would be good to hear about the ports en route.

When one of you has time, it would be good to hear about the ports en route.

Athens, Crete, Israel overnight (we got off and went with another couple overnight on our own with a rented car from Haifa to Jerusalem visiting Atlit Detention Camp in Haifa and touring excavation site under Western Wall in Jerusalem), Jordan (Petra), Salalah and Muscat in Oman, Qatar and Dubai.

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Thanks, Hobar, but I knew your itinerary - just wondered how interesting or otherwise the ports were, and perhaps whether there were any security problems. The pirates issue seems to be on the back burner at present, with everything else which is going on.

Thanks, Hobar, but I knew your itinerary - just wondered how interesting or otherwise the ports were, and perhaps whether there were any security problems. The pirates issue seems to be on the back burner at present, with everything else which is going on.

Oops, sorry. Loved Athens and Israel but have been to Israel before and love it. Like Crete for its cuteness. Petra was interesting, and adored the special event Seabourn surprised us with (caviar and champagne at a beautiful spot on the way back to ship from Petra). Dubai is great but been there before. No boring ports or fillers like we've had on other itineraries. Oman and Qatar good but not rushing back. That said, was glad I went but actually had greater expectations based on previous visit to Dubai. The next leg (incl India) is a better itinerary but we did it already on SIlversea. (I find India fascinating.). And no security issues. Saw lots more security in Israel than ever before and that actually made us feel very much at ease. All other ports - you'd never know there were problems in the world.

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Thanks, Hobar. Petra is one place we would love to visit - and the nice SB surprise on the way back sounds good - but I rather fear that I might not manage what I believe is a longish walk, or even perhaps on a horse or donkey? to do the visit.

Petra was interesting, and adored the special event Seabourn surprised us with (caviar and champagne at a beautiful spot on the way back to ship from Petra).

 

 

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When we "did" Petra with Seabourn Legend we were all a bit doubtful when we were told there would be a "photo opportunity" stop on the return journey. It was a long day and we were all tired. Of course, the stop was for champagne and caviar. Seabourn had brought a van to meet us with the goodies on board. It was a view point and a souvenir shop, but it bucked us up no end. That what makes Seabourn, Seabourn!!!

Athens, Crete, Israel overnight (we got off and went with another couple overnight on our own with a rented car from Haifa to Jerusalem visiting Atlit Detention Camp in Haifa and touring excavation site under Western Wall in Jerusalem), Jordan (Petra), Salalah and Muscat in Oman, Qatar and Dubai.

 

 

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Hobar, thanks for your insights: What did you do in Salalah and Muscat? And after talking to others on the cruise, did you wish you opted for other adventures at these locations? Looking forward to our cruise there in May.

Lincslady, we did Athens to Mumbai last year and I had the same fears as you about going in and out of Petra. Yes, it is quite a walk. My hubby is fitter than me so he walked. Another lady and I shared a 'horse and carriage' both down and back up. It cost around $20 US each for the return trip. They give you a wee ticket with a time on it and they pick you up then and take you back up. It saves a great deal of walking but you should be aware that it is a bumpy ride. There are lots of cobbles and the wheels really bump over them. I'm glad we did it though.

When one of you has time, it would be good to hear about the ports en route.

Lincslady, here's my view, for what it's worth on the ports (by way of background I usually hate ship's tours, apart from the special (Ephesus) or where, in my view, it's difficult to arrange independently, or the location warrants the extra assurance provided):

Overall - an excellent itinerary. I was very impressed that Seabourn took the decision to run tours to Jerusalem and the south of Israel, when at the same time other cruise operators were cancelling tours and the Ashdod port and diverting/spending more time in Haifa. In my opinion, the weak port on this itinerary was Ag Nic in Crete. Compared to the other world class destinations it was OK for a potter around and a coffee but was not a stand out destination, with limited tour options (see more below). Personally I would have dropped this and overnighted in Aqaba to allow passengers to go to Wadi Rum and Petra, or had two nights in Haifa or Ashdod instead of one.

Athens - great pre-cruise hotel (Grand Bretagne) included in arrangements with Seabourn. Fabulous for changing of the guard across the square, walkable to Acropolis (only problem was a protest delayed opening from the usual 8am). Many of the sites in Athens were subject to scaffolding when we were there but the good news was the Acropolis looked much better than in recent years, as much scaffolding from the front had been removed.

Ag Nic, Crete -we took an independent tour to the Lasithi Plain, as we did not want to visit Knossos. Unfortunately the windmills for which it is famed have largely disappeared and we ended up with many hours winding up and down the mountains in thick fog and rain!! Ag Nic itself looked pretty but see comments above.

Haifa - lots of tour options from here, including Galilee, overnights in Jerusalem etc. Haifa itself looked very attractive with a fantastic hillside garden - wish we'd had the time to visit. We went on a tour to Masada and the Dead Sea. An excellent historical place, famed for its Roman siege ramp and Herod's Palace. The Dead Sea was interesting but a bit too long was spent there and the resort itself was quite basic and sad looking (other luxurious options along the strip seemed to be more in keeping with Seabourn). The journey time each way was 3 hrs but we were warned of this, there was plenty of room on the coach and snacks were provided by Seabourn. Glad we did the trip. Would also have liked to go to Nazareth and Galilee but no time!

Ashdod - we did Jerusalem Highlights. Very good tour. Have been before. Visited Church of Holy Sepulcher, Wailing Wall, old town, nice lunch. Bethlehem tours were cancelled due to perceived risk.

Suez Canal - really interesting. Long day. Lake in middle was good where you pass many other ships in a convoy. Saw fishermen and monuments along the banks. Not as picturesque as Panama though (v brown), or as dramatic as Corinth but well worth doing.

Aqaba - trip to Petra as discussed by other poster. Excellent site but Seabourn guide was way too slow paced for us. We agreed to meet up with them at hotel for lunch and essentially went round on our own, which was much more relaxing for us. I had done plenty of reading beforehand, had guide books etc and this worked well. Quite an exotic feel with camel trains, horses etc. Re visiting we saw many very large passengers and infirm passengers careering down the Siq on horse drawn carts. Camels are available from then on.

Red Sea/Pirate Alley - maintained 17 knots, very reassuring Captain, kept us fully informed (e.g we were approached by fast fishing boats, captain explained at midday they were probably smuggling contraband rather than pirates), told us what nationality warships were we encountered, extra security were onboard for a few days, crew held a pirate drill etc. Very reassured (watched Captain Phillips on TV once past Salalah!)

Salalah - glad we stopped after 5 days at sea but tour was just about OK. Spent too long at market where most shops were shut due to it being Friday religious day, bought some Frankincense etc

Muscat - brilliant - very pretty, well-kept, Sultan's yacht (4th largest in world) in harbour. Easily can do on own - we walked a long way to Old Muscat along the lovely promenade but very hot. New mosque is quite far away but there are plentiful taxis and a ho ho bus actually stopped shipside as well. Great Souq

Doha - fast developing. Impressive modern architecture. Falcon souq interesting. Shuttle bus to souq. Interesting dhow harbour. Nice sailaway

We are still on the cruise continuing on to Singapore. We believe this segment was advertised to the chronically scowling! Why are people so sad? The crew we spoke to agree. I guess it's just a toss of the dice. Jeesh! Of course, there are many friendly people on board, don't get me wrong, but the atmosphere is way different than the Athens-Dubai segment. Besides that (and some smoking in a cabin (or two) on deck 7) everything is lovely.

We have enjoyed all the ports and the crew is wonderful!

Also, on the return to the ship at the end of the Aqaba tours, the entire crew of the ship was waiting outside with a "Welcome Home" banner, applause

and a warm welcome. Another time, the crew waited for us and shouted hello to each and every passenger BY NAME as we headed to the ship! It was amazing!!.

Thanks, Hobar. Petra is one place we would love to visit - and the nice SB surprise on the way back sounds good - but I rather fear that I might not manage what I believe is a longish walk, or even perhaps on a horse or donkey? to do the visit.

lincslady, this was also a fear of mine. We ended up booking a private excursion with Via Jordan http://www.viajordan.com/extra_pages.php?page_name=Petra%20VIP%20guided%20tour%20-%20Breifing&page_id=1302. At the time, April 2014, it cost $255pp USD, paid in cash at start of tour (Seabourn was $269).

Rates included:

- Meets and Pick up from your Aqaba Port,

- All Sightseeing and transfers by private Modern A/C Vehicles,

- Entrance Fees to Petra,

- Private English speaking guide,

- Lunch at Petra,

- Horse ride in Petra for the first 800 meters (from the main Gate to the entrance of the Siq),

- Mule rides from the basin through the back road,

We gave the horse ride a miss and found the walk down through the Siq very pleasant. It was shaded and downhill. Our guide, who was also an Archeologist, was excellent. Instead of having to make the same journey back up the Siq, we walked out through the back, where we were met with donkeys and rode up to where we were met by car and taken to Little Petra. So as to have more time sightseeing, we took a boxed lunch from the ship, which we ate in Little Petra. The drive back to the ship was through Wadi Rum. It was a great day and, comparing notes with those who had taken the Seabourn tour, we saw a lot more.

You were very wise to give the horse riding a miss I can assure you!!!! :)

We are still on the cruise continuing on to Singapore. We believe this segment was advertised to the chronically scowling! Why are people so sad? The crew we spoke to agree. I guess it's just a toss of the dice. Jeesh! Of course, there are many friendly people on board, don't get me wrong, but the atmosphere is way different than the Athens-Dubai segment. Besides that (and some smoking in a cabin (or two) on deck 7) everything is lovely.

 

We have enjoyed all the ports and the crew is wonderful!

That is too bad. I could never understand why people who are so fortunate to be able to travel, especially in luxury and to such exotic destinations, be miserable. Anyway, it was a pleasure meeting you both. Because water seeks its own level, I know you are finding people who are as happy and upbeat as you both.

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We are still on the cruise continuing on to Singapore. We believe this segment was advertised to the chronically scowling! Why are people so sad? The crew we spoke to agree. I guess it's just a toss of the dice. Jeesh! Of course, there are many friendly people on board, don't get me wrong, but the atmosphere is way different than the Athens-Dubai segment. Besides that (and some smoking in a cabin (or two) on deck 7) everything is lovely.

We have enjoyed all the ports and the crew is wonderful!

Perhaps, as the daily news is so grim, many people will be filled with a dark foreboding rather than gay frivolity. The world does seem to be going to hell in a paper cup.

Thanks, Hobar. Petra is one place we would love to visit - and the nice SB surprise on the way back sounds good - but I rather fear that I might not manage what I believe is a longish walk, or even perhaps on a horse or donkey? to do the visit.

Lincslady,

It is long, but doable and if you take it slow, you will be fine. You can pick up a horse cart at any point so do as much as you can and just know you can always get a cart if you need. The tour guide (through the ship excursion) walked very very slowly. The walk going is downhill but then you have to deal with the walk back. What makes the walk challenging overall are the cobblestones / uneven footing. I saw a fair number of people with walking sticks so you may want to take one along. Just take it nice and slow and you will be fine, and you will love it.

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