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Seabourn newbie


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We have just booked our first Seabourn Cruise and I am very excited to see what they have to offer. Our recent cruising history has been mostly with Azamara and I am curious on how they compare.

 

We will be cruising the Caribbean in November and I saw on another post that Carambola Beach will most likely be the site of our Caviar in the Surf party. Is this event on every cruise and is it all day - should we not plan an excursion that day?

 

How does the Marina work - is that available on all warm climate cruises?

 

I have read several posts about large groups of children on board. Is that a normal occurrence or just because of summer break. Generally, the only children we have seen on Azamara have been family members visiting the crew.

 

 

Does anyone have any tips they would like to share?

 

thanks so much

 

Liz

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Sorry to say have never seen the marina in use in the Caribbean , mainly seem to be used in the Med. In seven cruises have only seen it used once and that was in Amalfi.

The children issue also seems to be July/August in the Med due to school holidays and mainly 7 day cruises so we try to avoid back to back at that time of year.

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We have booked a similar cruise in February. The beach party and caviar in the surf is a great event, we have enjoyed one in the past and look forward to it. No, I wouldn't bother seeking out further travels that day.

In answer to your question re Azamara, we have also had a cruise on the Azamara Quest and enjoyed it, but Seabourn is in another league in our opinion.

This will be our fifth Seabourn cruise and although we don't sail during school holidays, we have never seen more than one or two children.

If you need a referral coupon, please see my posting on that thread.

Happy anticipation and sailing.

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Lisa, unfortunately everything from the service to the drinks were not up to SB quality. We stayed in a suite and the speciality restaurants, to be fair were excellent. However, service wise elsewhere, it was the little things, nobody filled up drinks, or paid attention when things were not good, they shrugged their shoulders. Staff were pretty disingenuous, breakfast and lunch choices poor, and service was mediocre. Some buffet staff were downright rude. Wines were poor quality, no champagne included just poor fizzy wine. Cocktails made were downright revolting and when we left them because they were undrinkable nobody asked what was wrong, and we got fed up of having to complain every time. Azamara was just lacklustre and i suppose if we hadnt have done, most of the luxury lines we would have thought a premium line like Az was ok. However, there is a reason why Az is a premium line and SB is a luxury line. Attention to detail to name just one.

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I have been on Azamara and Seabourn and agree that Seabourn is in another league. I only stayed in an Ocean view on Azamara and that room was SMALL! Everyone kept saying you needed to stay in a club continent or above to get a similar sized room to Seabourn. We visited a CC suite and it was still way smaller than the standard Seabourn entry level room. I went and priced out the CC suite and for that price you could have just taken Seabourn. The linens were nice on both lines so I can't complain about that. The standard Aza bathroom is a broom closet. Same thing with the wardrobe.

 

While Aza says drinks are included, I thought the selection was awful. There were two whites and two reds each day, but there seemed to be no thought as to which were on offer. On one day I think they had two spanish reds and two chardonnays. Wouldn't it have made more sense to serve a better variety each day? I don't consider myself a wine snob, but they were pretty bad. It was bad enough that we paid extra for a bottle of wine each night with dinner. They also only offer two beers complimentary which were Bud and Bud Light. I don't consider that luxury. Seabourn has a much larger selection of included beverages. There were featured wines of the day, but you could always ask for something different.

 

Agree that the specialty restaurants were the only thing on par with the MDR on Seabourn. The MDR on Aza was "okay" but just seemed a little rough around the edges and didn't have a very personal touch. The staff on Seabourn also just seemed to have more polish. On Seabourn you don't have assigned dining or tables, but there is definitely a method to the madness of how they seat you. We were sat in the same section most nights and the waiters in that section learned you and your preferences.I never felt like anyone on Aza gave a personal touch.

 

Lots of people here complain about the Collonade on Seabourn and say it is an awful feeding trough. I have taken mainstream cruises and the Collonade is a far cry from a typical buffet. Yes, there are self-serve items, but there is no sliding cafeteria melamine trays. It is all very orderly and if you don't wish to make selections from the buffet you can always order off the menu and be served. Being served in Windows cafe was not an option for breakfast or lunch on Aza. While Aza buffet was better than a typical mainstream, it still didn't feel as luxurious.

 

Seabourn Square is also a great place with a proper barista on staff and is such a nice relaxing place. There is no comparable product on Aza.

 

Aza definitely distinguishes suites guests with additional privileges where as Seabourn there isn't an overt caste system. I don't think special privileges are needed on Seabourn as everyone gets what they want without awful waits and such.

 

The one area where I think Aza really outshines is in the late nights in ports and the Azamazing evenings. It is so nice to not feel like you need to rush. The other thing of note is Aza has padded loungers by the pool which is another thing Seabourn folks like to complain about. Yes, padding would be nice, but in some ways, I think it is more sanitary as they need to stack those cushions each night and they just become petri dishes of mildew and bed bugs, so I don't mind the mesh style loungers that don't harbor bacteria like warm wet cushions will.

 

Seabourn advertises the heck out of the Marina and based on the marketing you would think they pop the hatch every time you pull into port. If you don't see it explicitly on your itinerary, then it isn't happening.

 

I would probably not seek out an Aza cruise, but if the itinerary was especially intriguing I wouldn't rule it out. Overall I think Seabourn is a way better value. The Caribbean is great for Seabourn as it is a very relaxing and allows you to really maximize your use of all the onboard amenities.

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I am curious to hear why you had such a bad experience and how your cruise didn't measure up to Seabourn

 

 

 

Liz

 

 

I enjoy both Azamara and Seabourn, but would opt for Seabourn if Azamara isn't at least 25% cheaper for the same itinerary. And I only book Suites on Azamara, the other cabins are simply too small.

 

Seabourn wins: the real estate, specifically the size of the cabins (or suites as Seabourn calls them) and bathrooms, the Colonnade/buffet, the Square, the service (attentiveness of the staff) in general, the pool deck (less so on Encore - too crowded), the pool itself, the enrichment programs, the inclusions (much better Champagne, wines, top shelve liquor, etc.), the quality of the food in the main dining room (but NOT the ambience, too noisy).

(Don't know what the caviar hype is about. It's scooped out of multi-gallon plastic buckets; not my thing.)

 

Azamara wins: aft facing cabins and suites, the bar on deck 10 aft (especially during sail away), Officer visibility and engagement, speciality restaurants Aqualina and Prime C, the gym, White Nights and Azamazing evenings, the theatre and its production shows, live music, tenders and tender service, the personal butler (in addition to your cabin attendant) if you are in a suite, the BoB dinner if you are in a top suite.

 

Floris

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...who learns what amenities you favor (i.e. tea sandwiches and a glass of Makers Mark in your room at 4pm every day- not need to repeat instructions) and how many clean small towels you want in your bathroom, etc. Also takes care of reservations, changes, and whatever else you would reasonably need. I find great value in the butler service.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We have cruised Azamara and Seabourn several times and have always preferred SB.

 

In October we are in a CC suite on Azamara for our Silver Wedding anniversary, then a last minute decision to book Seabourn Odyssey for November 10. Therefore, we'll be in an excellent position to compare.

 

We first tried Azamara when they promoted themselves as 'all-inclusive', which they clearly aren't, but neither are Seabourn, who offer a fair bit more than Az.

 

Although there may only be two wines available each day, one can choose any wine from the included list.

 

One premium event that we have learned to enjoy on SB is champagne and caviar, which we choose to have before dinner. We have not found this included on any other line.

 

We have seen the marina used just once, in Thailand, where we also enjoyed the party in the surf.

 

I honestly feel that most people will be happy with either choice,but Seabourn offer a bit more. Azamara's prices seem to have risen considerably, so generally we'd choose SB if they met all or most of our conditions, such as convenient departure, flights, etc.

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Lisa, unfortunately everything from the service to the drinks were not up to SB quality. We stayed in a suite and the speciality restaurants, to be fair were excellent. However, service wise elsewhere, it was the little things, nobody filled up drinks, or paid attention when things were not good, they shrugged their shoulders. Staff were pretty disingenuous, breakfast and lunch choices poor, and service was mediocre. Some buffet staff were downright rude. Wines were poor quality, no champagne included just poor fizzy wine. Cocktails made were downright revolting and when we left them because they were undrinkable nobody asked what was wrong, and we got fed up of having to complain every time. Azamara was just lacklustre and i suppose if we hadnt have done, most of the luxury lines we would have thought a premium line like Az was ok. However, there is a reason why Az is a premium line and SB is a luxury line. Attention to detail to name just one.

We did one Azamara cruise and I have to agree. Azamara was ordinary. We stayed in a large suite and found it to be excellent, but the food was bland. We'we travelled Seabourn since 2005 and each and every voyage has been exceptional.

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...who learns what amenities you favor (i.e. tea sandwiches and a glass of Makers Mark in your room at 4pm every day- not need to repeat instructions) and how many clean small towels you want in your bathroom, etc. Also takes care of reservations, changes, and whatever else you would reasonably need. I find great value in the butler service.

 

After nearly 200 days on Seabourn we have always found the suite stewardess is more than capable of dealing with all that.

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We have cruised Azamara and Seabourn several times and have always preferred SB.

 

In October we are in a CC suite on Azamara for our Silver Wedding anniversary, then a last minute decision to book Seabourn Odyssey for November 10. Therefore, we'll be in an excellent position to compare.

 

We first tried Azamara when they promoted themselves as 'all-inclusive', which they clearly aren't, but neither are Seabourn, who offer a fair bit more than Az.

 

Although there may only be two wines available each day, one can choose any wine from the included list.

 

One premium event that we have learned to enjoy on SB is champagne and caviar, which we choose to have before dinner. We have not found this included on any other line.

 

We have seen the marina used just once, in Thailand, where we also enjoyed the party in the surf.

 

I honestly feel that most people will be happy with either choice,but Seabourn offer a bit more. Azamara's prices seem to have risen considerably, so generally we'd choose SB if they met all or most of our conditions, such as convenient departure, flights, etc.

 

 

Congrats on your anniversary Tim! Looking forward to meeting you on the November 10th cruise and comparing notes

Liz

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I am sure you will enjoy your Seabourn cruise but don't get too excited about the marina. Its used less and less. We were on twice last year and twice again this year (in the Med) and never saw it used once. We have used it in the past however and found it a big let down as you are not allowed to swim in the sea.

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