Crystal Cruiser Trying Seabourn Quest - Questions

Hi all,

We'll be on the Quest's January trip to Antarctica. Two questions:

Does Seabourn typically offer courtesy shuttles from ports to town - the way Crystal does?

How is the Quest's Internet? I have a small business and need to be as connected as possible. As many of you know, the Symphony - our favorite ship - is lacking on that score.

Thanks,

Herb

Seabourn definitely offers shuttles into town in most ports unless they dick so close that it's just a very short walk.

Internet is fairly decent although always subject to where you are and who many people log in at the same time. You should be able to stay connected to your business.

 

Internet is fairly decent although always subject to where you are and who many people log in at the same time. You should be able to stay connected to your business.

It surprised us at how well the internet worked for the whole of our trip to Antarctica a couple of years ago.

Roxburugh even managed to write an very good blog of our cruise while on the Quest

http://forums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1966337

I was on the Seabourn Quest in Antarctica in January this year. Internet was as good as, if not better, than any connection I have had on any ship. Even deep in Antarctica I was able to Facetime! I did notice that connectivity and speed did seem to vary based on weather and time of day (presumably when everyone was trying to use the internet). That's pretty normal for internet access on ships.

Seabourn provided a free bus transfer service in ports where we docked further out from the townships.

We took Crystal to Antarctica last year, and my husband decided that he better rent a satellite phone to stay connected to his office. Only problem was that you have to not be inside or have anything overhead to use it. So with 70 mile an hour winds, he was outside talking. He was afraid he was going to blow overboard. (The decks were closed).

That was a scary scenario. I hope Seaborne has better connection than Crystal.

Hi all,

 

We'll be on the Quest's January trip to Antarctica. Two questions:

 

Does Seabourn typically offer courtesy shuttles from ports to town - the way Crystal does?

 

How is the Quest's Internet? I have a small business and need to be as connected as possible. As many of you know, the Symphony - our favorite ship - is lacking on that score.

 

Thanks,

Herb

Most ships will have less than stellar internet connections/speeds in that part of the world. Due to population densities and satellite orbits most coverage is in/around the equator, not so much the poles.

For length of cruise you can purchase unlimited internet for about $400.

Great insight all, thanks. And, yes Oregon, I'm planning on purchasing the all-in Internet. On our last Crystal trip I was saved by the amount of port time we had. I had purchased the new all-in Verizon plan for $10 a day - and it worked even off the coast pretty well for a few miles. I just need certain levels of access. Sounds like the Internet will be fine, within reason. Verizon will supplement in port in South America.

And for those wondering: Yes, it's still possible to have a terrific vacation even if you must be connected. That, in fact, is the beauty of it, especially if it's YOUR business. Some of us simply can't leave home without it. :(:D

We took Crystal to Antarctica last year, and my husband decided that he better rent a satellite phone to stay connected to his office. Only problem was that you have to not be inside or have anything overhead to use it. So with 70 mile an hour winds, he was outside talking. He was afraid he was going to blow overboard. (The decks were closed).

Curious: why not use the room phone?

Hi all,

 

We'll be on the Quest's January trip to Antarctica. Two questions:

 

Does Seabourn typically offer courtesy shuttles from ports to town - the way Crystal does?

 

How is the Quest's Internet? I have a small business and need to be as connected as possible. As many of you know, the Symphony - our favorite ship - is lacking on that score.

 

Thanks,

Herb

Hi Herb

We are on that cruise as well. Are you interested in sharing any private tours? Please go to the Quest roll call page and become a part of [the still very limited] conversation. Thanks.

Linda

We were on the Quest last dec/Jan to Antarctica. Internet service was fine most of the time. However there were several days in and around Antarctica where it was painfully slow to unusable. This was fine for us but if you have critical connectivity needs this won't work. I noticed a lot of people attempting bandwidth intensive things which I'm sure didn't help.

Hi Herb

 

We are on that cruise as well. Are you interested in sharing any private tours? Please go to the Quest roll call page and become a part of [the still very limited] conversation. Thanks.

 

Linda

Hi Linda, Hope all is well!

We just made a reservation for the January 2018 sailing! Hoping that you have a great cruise, and let us know how it went!

Hi Linda, Hope all is well!

 

We just made a reservation for the January 2018 sailing! Hoping that you have a great cruise, and let us know how it went!

You bet! I feel like I'm going from one extreme to the other. As you recall, we shared 116 degrees in Jordan this past May, and now, into the icebox. Wish you were joining us on the January 2017 adventure...

Linda

Hi Herb

 

We are on that cruise as well. Are you interested in sharing any private tours? Please go to the Quest roll call page and become a part of [the still very limited] conversation. Thanks.

 

Linda

Hi Linda,

Either I or my wife, MaryoGreen, will get back to you on rollcalls. No private tours but we have stumbled on something you may find of interest.

Herb