Alaska - on board

Roxburgh

 

Since you are lucky enough to have Chef Jes on board can I ask you if he has been able to procure some local products such a salmon, elk jerky, or berries?

 

 

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I fancy some nice halibut too!

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Opps I did forget about that thanks for adding that to the wish list. And even though I am allergic to shellfish I guess I should add Dungeness crab for my DH (he likes that much better than King Crab).

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I love crab ! Know that summer is not King Crab season. If you want fresh go with the Dungeness. Heather

Since you are lucky enough to have Chef Jes on board can I ask you if he has been able to procure some local products such a salmon, elk jerky, or berries?

On the first cruise, one day we had fresh halibut and salmon at a special station by the patio grill. Amazing! Chef Jes himself was either cooking or supervising.

There were also salmon specials a few times in the Restaurant.

Thank you. My mouth is watering already.

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Roxburgh

 

Since you are lucky enough to have Chef Jes on board can I ask you if he has been able to procure some local products such a salmon, elk jerky, or berries?

 

 

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Yes, there has been fresh local fish. Don't know about the berries or jerky.

Chef Raj is also on-board and he was the one who went shopping for produce. There seems to be some nonsense about staff who are not US citizens 'working' off the ship. Chef Raj is a US citizen. This, apparently is also the problem with the zodiac drivers and, I am told, the reason we cannot use the zodiacs in US waters.

Yes, there has been fresh local fish. Don't know about the berries or jerky.

 

Chef Raj is also on-board and he was the one who went shopping for produce. There seems to be some nonsense about staff who are not US citizens 'working' off the ship. Chef Raj is a US citizen. This, apparently is also the problem with the zodiac drivers and, I am told, the reason we cannot use the zodiacs in US waters.

Curious ... who told you that (about non-US boat drivers being the reason the zodiacs can't be used)?

Curious ... who told you that (about non-US boat drivers being the reason the zodiacs can't be used)?

This came from a ship's officer.

 

 

There seems to be some nonsense about staff who are not US citizens 'working' off the ship.

 

 

There was a similar situation back in October on Quest, but many of the crew were unable to leave the ship even during their time off.

I felt sorry for the younger crew members, many of whom told us they'd never visited NYC before. They watched a stunning sail in to NY, which was exciting for all, even for those of us who have visited the city many times, but many were unable to disembark during our two days there.

This didn't apply to all of the crew but we couldn't find any pattern to which nationalities weren't allowed ashore.

This came from a ship's officer.

Then if that's really the reason, Seabourn should have been WELL AWARE of this US regulation beforehand and could have been prepared for it. I am even MORE frustrated with this! :mad:

I don't know -- this makes no sense. They can use these same people to lead hikes on land but not a zodiac tour in the water? And what about the kayaking guides?

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Then if that's really the reason, Seabourn should have been WELL AWARE of this US regulation beforehand and could have been prepared for it. I am even MORE frustrated with this! :mad:

I think that people are too quick to blame Seabourn for this. My understanding is that Seabourn had everything in place and that this 'ruling' came at the last minute. Bear in mind that people often come to the US on business without being US citizens or having work permits so Seabourn probably felt that they had done what was necessary.

It is highly likely that it came as a result of lobbying by local tourist trade groups who wanted to make sure they got all the business or even from other cruise lines who don't want 'newbies' in the market.

I don't know -- this makes no sense. They can use these same people to lead hikes on land but not a zodiac tour in the water? And what about the kayaking guides?

 

 

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They are allowing a zodiac to accompany the kayaks as a safety precaution but it is not leading them. All the tours I have done so far have been with local companies. On the catamaran, while we have had Ventures personnel with us, the narration has been done by the locals. We will be doing a Ventures hike tomorrow and we will see if that is led by a local or by Ventures.

Seabourn had had all permits for well over a year. The day before sailing from Vancouver, the "issue" was raised by a bureaucrat somewhere. This came as a complete surprise to everyone. The first hint was that we were supposed to have a talk by the Ventures leaders to explain the procedures with the zodiacs, excursions, etc on the morning of the first day. This was canceled and replaced with a lecture on whales.

I may be reading this wrong, but it sounds from comments we heard at the ship as if the problem may have been with launching additional motorized vessels (zodiacs) with a commercial purpose off of a foreign flagged vessel. There may be more to it, like foreign personnel not having US pilot licenses, but it seemed to me that some of the Ventures staff were from the US or may have been residents. Just being foreign seems strange given that there is so much foreign personnel in all cruise lines. SB is being very tight with the actual reason for the problem, no doubt for good reasons.

Seabourn had disclosed all its programs when obtaining the permits and this should have been covered or objected to at the time. On the other hand, Seabourn is the first to attempt the zodiac concept and that is where the problem came in, either from obscure regulations or lobbying, or whatever. I would not blame SB for this, although there might be a junior associate in a maritime law firm catching whatnot from this...

Roxburgh - we are all speculating and everyone is really interested in finding out what else develops. You are the inside source now. ;)

I agree there is more to this than is being disclosed to the paying customers and we will likely never be privy to all of it.

Yes, there are Expedition Team members that are from the US.

BTW, Seabourn is not the first company to put zodiacs and kayaks in the water in Alaska - American Safari Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions, and Cruise West have been doing it for years. That said, I have no idea where their respective ships are registered and whether that makes a difference.

American Safari Cruises and Cruise West are US registry. Lindblad Expeditions varies, although their newer ships are being built in Seattle, don't know about registration.

So yesterday was the nicest weather of the whole cruise. Sunny blue skies which made the catamaran tour to the Dawes Glacier quite spectacular. We boarded the catamaran straight from the ship. The catamaran had three levels for viewing as well as ample inside seating, snacks and a bar. On the way to the glacier we passed lots of seals with their pups and made a couple of waterfall stops as well. The glacier was spectacular and there were several 'calving' events.

I have come to the conclusion that the catamaran is a better option for visiting a glacier than zodiacs or kayaks. First of all, this is what they do so they know how to get you as close as is safely possible. Second, you have plenty of room to move around, take photos, change lenses, etc.

Back on board, our team won at trivia and then we had dinner at the patio grill. Nigerian shrimp and rib-eye steak accompanied by sightings of porpoises and orca off the port side of the ship. Service has been outstanding and as good as we have ever had on Seabourn.

In Sitka today and the weather is rainy and windy ...... and we are tendering!

Sitting in the Observation Lounge this morning and Damien shows up with a tray full of Mimosas (Bucks Fizz). It would have been churlish to refuse.

Off to do the Sea Otter Wildlife Quest this afternoon. Hopefully the weather will get better.

I agree there is more to this than is being disclosed to the paying customers and we will likely never be privy to all of it.

 

Yes, there are Expedition Team members that are from the US.

 

BTW, Seabourn is not the first company to put zodiacs and kayaks in the water in Alaska - American Safari Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions, and Cruise West have been doing it for years. That said, I have no idea where their respective ships are registered and whether that makes a difference.

I agree with marazul the companies you listed are all US registered, I checked. Also they carry quite a few less passengers.

I found it interesting that the only kayaking tour I had cancelled was in Wrangell and now the only option to kayak/canoe now is by the local tour operators. Their options are nowhere near as interesting to me as the one the Venture team had put together. The other kayaking excursions I have in Aialik Glacier, Tracy Arm & Misty Fjords in Alaska are too isolated in my mind to be done by local tour groups so they remain.

Roxburgh, I am glad to hear you are having a good time and getting lots of good photos I am sure. I am thinking I will just take my little Sony camera while on the kayak in a little waterproof pouch and see how I go. I will use my big camera on the big ship.

How wonderful you got to see porpoises and Orca while dining at the Patio Grill. That is very special dinner time entertainment.

I hope the weather improves and you get to see lots of sea otters and other wildlife.

Julie

Thanks to all who have posted on this thread!

We don't begin our first Alaskan adventure until Sept 9th, so plenty of time still for planning tours etc.

Glad to know Sojourn is living up to expectations again as we had a few issues with slipping standards when we were onboard in the Med last summer.

Please keep the info coming, it is very much appreciated!

Happy cruising,

Ailmarsh

Thanks for all the comments on the Alaskan sailings. We will be on the Sept 21st rt from Vancouver.

It will be our 7th cruise to Alaska since 1991. Plus we have done two, month long RV trips. So we have done many of the land and water based actives. We keep coming back just because we enjoy cruising the Alaskan waters.

I have a question about the shore excursions. Have the catamaran tours been open to book once on board? We have a huge amount of OBC and I would like to use it to book some of the catamaran shore excursions after we board.

Thanks for any information. Can't wait to sail! The Sojourn is probably our favorite ship!

Hi Roxburgh and others on this voyage. If my calculations are correct today was your disembarkation day :(. I hope you have had an enjoyable cruise.

For any sailors in Alaska so far I was just wondering how far into Tracy Arm or Endicott did Sojourn go in? I know the catamaran would go a lot further. Just wondering to help with my final decision making.

Julie

I am on Aug. 26th cruise. I am wondering what cabin people received when booking balcony GTY.

Hi Roxburgh and others on this voyage. If my calculations are correct today was your disembarkation day :(. I hope you have had an enjoyable cruise.

 

For any sailors in Alaska so far I was just wondering how far into Tracy Arm or Endicott did Sojourn go in? I know the catamaran would go a lot further. Just wondering to help with my final decision making.

 

Julie

We went pretty far up towards all the glaciers and you have a good view of them from the ship but the catamarans get a lot farther. From the catamaran you can really hear the glacier creaking and groaning and you can hear and see 'calving'. You also get much closer to the Harbor Seals that hang out close to the glacier.

Thanks for all the comments on the Alaskan sailings. We will be on the Sept 21st rt from Vancouver.

 

It will be our 7th cruise to Alaska since 1991. Plus we have done two, month long RV trips. So we have done many of the land and water based actives. We keep coming back just because we enjoy cruising the Alaskan waters.

 

I have a question about the shore excursions. Have the catamaran tours been open to book once on board? We have a huge amount of OBC and I would like to use it to book some of the catamaran shore excursions after we board.

 

Thanks for any information. Can't wait to sail! The Sojourn is probably our favorite ship!

Yes, we were able to book the catamarans once on-board.