pater15

Thank you so much for the blog, as we are on the some 14 day cruise 3/31. We have been to these islands before, but your insight brought back some fond memories. We are now salivating like Pavlov"s dog. Odyssey, see you in a few days. Cheers....

It is always fun to have a special order night. My family will back me on this, but I have requested a special dinner several times only to find they put it in the menu.... Glad I can help.

One of our favorites is Wiener Schnitzel Night (WSN). He will kill me for putting this out there, but if you are lucky enough to have Peppi Schuppler as your HD, host a WSN table with him. He is great fun at the table and you couldn't get a better WS in Berlin. Oh, make sure to get his Mother's Apple Strudel if you can find the room. Peppi, just trying to help out our fellow SB traveler, don't blackball us..... Odyssey in 19 days, Cheers...

Thanks for the updates. The Boss and I are doing the same trip on the 31st, need some R&R. Good to hear the Captain is Geir, haven't seen him in a few years, he is great!! If you don't know he takes great pictures, his website is captain-ga.com. We were on one trip with him and he captured not one, but two green flashes, amazing. I actually found a picture he took of the Boss and I in Roatan 2005, younger and thinner. Cant wait to be Bourne again on the 31st.... Cheers

It's with a heavy heart I type this post. If you were to write down all the characteristics you would like in a "Seabourn CD", it was David. There are a few CD's that you know as soon as you see them that you are going to have a great trip. He was one of those that would meet you at the gangway at embarkation, big heart felt hug, glad to see you back kind of CD's. He was one of the greats, and will be truly missed, sad day......

I know I am showing my Seabourn age, but how many of you remember when they use to pack us into the auditorium with maybe some light hors d'oeuvres and a drink?? Nothing worse then traveling thousands of miles then sitting around until our room was ready.....

Now you can have a nice lunch, wine for my wife, local beer for me, and start your cruise off nice and relaxed. This shows the power of the end of cruise survey, they do read them and act upon our suggestions.

Soooo, on your next embarkation day, as you are enjoying a nice lunch, thank an old Diamond member. Cheers

We just got off the Quest a few weeks ago and agree the food/service was exceptional. I like the bone in Veal, my wife the Lobster Thermidor. We actually enjoy the TK menus in the MDR and the family style in The Colonnade as well. We have not been to the French Laundry, but have been to Per Se in NY, so yes we are fans of TK.

When you cruise on the Encore be sure to eat at the TK Grill and get there early, the lounge is very nice. The have live piano music and nice whiskies/wine selection.

One thing I would like to see is a menu change at least once during a longer, 10+ days cruise. I know they only want you to go once, but almost every time we have eaten there it is not full. Just a thought. Cheers

We're getting on the Quest on Sunday (Montreal/Miami and are so excited to hear the Galley lunch is back. Please tell me they had the croque en bouche.

 

Linda

Good news for you, they had two, and they were great!! They also had Baked Alaska, not sure I have ever seen it on SB before..

We actually wanted to be on that trip, but life got in the way. Tell the seater Regina in the MDR, the Pate’s said hi, she will take great care of you. There is a great team on that ship right now, I am so envious. Safe travels. Cheers.....

Henry, I can assure you the Galley staff was probably more excited then we were, and that is saying a lot. We all know those great people work unbelievably hard in the background, so we can enjoy such great culinary experiences.

Just as an aside, my wife and I were on the Encore Athens/Dubai and you caught us have a pool side Lunch. We felt like “rock stars” being in one of your videos and showing it to the family. It is amazing how you grasp the experience, we love them. Cheer....

Oh, it is a soap and water, paper towel hand wash with each entrance.

Just got home from the Quest Montreal/Boston. We have done 20+ of these and they have really put an “A team” on this ship. The HM Peppi Schuppler, one of our favorites, runs such a fun ship.

Great news for us, as we like to refer to ourselves, “seasoned Seabourn travelers”, Galley Lunch Day Is Back. We have not seen it for maybe a year or two, and we really enjoy this experience.

There are a few changes:

-They will make you wash your hands each time you enter the Galley

-No more big, beautiful dessert buffet in the MDR. They still have it, but it is in the Galley.

-now they have cocktails station in the MDR

All and all, same great experience. Glad to see it back.

Cheers.....

We are on the 10/2 sailing and were just notified a few days ago that they changed the port to Terminal 3, Pier 34, as well as some changes to the itinerary..... Cheers....

My wife and I have been on 20+ Seabourn cruises. Lived through the Charlie Palmer days, good, but not great. When SB announced that they were teaming up with Thomas Keller, I was intrigued. I had heard of him, but had never been to one of his restaurants. We have always felt that SB has the most talented Chef's on the sea and didn't need much help. Thus the reason we are SB cruiser's.

I am not sure which ship we were on, but our server convinced me to try the Black Truffle crusted Foie Gras, amazing!! Every since we have made it a point to be in the MD room on the nights that they offer TK selections. Furthermore, we have enjoyed the TK restaurant addition to the ship, especially the Encore.

My wife and I were in NYC this past weekend and thought it would be fun to go to TK's restaurant Per Se. We could not get a dinner, but were able to get a Sunday lunch reservation. It was a 10-12 course tasting menu. I am not going to get into the menu, I think it changes daily, but it was fantastic.

Now to the point of this thread. We like most SB passengers like to engage in conversation. In talking with one of our many servers we told them we had enjoyed his addition to SB. I am sure this great staff treats everyone well, but from that point on we were treated like a member of their family. Food was center stage, but from the Maitre D' on down they made us feel very special. I just wanted to relay to fellow SB passengers the kind of organization that SB is teaming up with to better our on board experience.

Oh, the best part is now I think I can get into the French Laundry.

Cheers..

I am a beer and bourbon guy, I drink no wine or champagne. I know, I have three one eyed heads.... We have 20+ Seabourn cruises, and have been on every ship, past and present, that they have ever had in inventory. I have always found it fun to try the local favor, which they almost always have on board. If they don't, just ask and they will usually pickup some at the next port.

Side note, their bourbon selection has gotten much better over the past few years.

Cheers...

We were on the Dover/Copenhagen segment of that same trip. We love a piano bar and have been so happy since they finally went smokeless in the Observation lounge. We greatly enjoyed John on that trip. We stopped doing anything less then 10 days years ago for that very reason. I think people try to cram 10 days worth of partying into 7. I like having fun as much as anyone, but people should be aware that there are passengers on the ship as well. I'm not sure what they can do, but they should be able to withhold alcohol to those that have clearly had enough.

There are many cities that are fun to stay in for few days. Then there are the must experience cities, Barcelona is one of those. One of my favorite cities on the planet, unfortunately, no way to experience it in half a day.

We found out it is better to fly in a day or two early for a few reasons. One, if there are issues (and boy we have had them) with your flight, you can still get there in time to board. Second, and in my opinion more important, you can see/experience some of these great port cities.

However, if I only had half a day in Barcelona here is what I would do. Drop the luggage (with you Seabourn labels attached) at the port, you may even be able to check in. Those of us the have been on SB for a few years know how many comment cards it took to get the lunch in the colonnade upon boarding. Hated sitting around the Grand Salon... Pass on the lunch on the ship and head to the La Rambia (not far from the port) find a nice Tapes restaurant, have a great lunch. After lunch the Gaudi house is not far. Not sure if you will have enough time to tour it, but if you do it is unique. Enjoy as much of this beautiful city as you can, but don't miss the ship, enjoy your cruise. Cheers....

Looking forward to the additional video. By the way you caught my wife and I having lunch at the Patio on the first one. I didn't catch it, but Jo Anne did... Thanks

Seabourn should use it as a promo, as good, if not better then anything I have seen of from their "Pro's". Great Job, thanks for sharing... Cheers

Sorry for the 2nd post, had to deal with some work.....

We had the pleasure listening to Katy that night as well. I hope you got to see her with Mr Finkel, twice in the Keller lounge and in the Grand salon, AMAZING!! Fun times, missing Seabourn already.... Cheers

We just got home last Wednesday from that the Athens/Dubai leg. You did a great job giving people a feel for the Encore. We enjoyed many of the additions, as well as some of the layout changes. We felt the basic flow of the ship was about the same as the other Odyssey class ships, but with an added floor and restaurants. thanks for the video.

Thanks, for the video!! We are at the Grande Bretagne having coffee right now. Been up for a few hours, not sure if it's time change or excitement. We will be Bourne Again, on the Encore for the first time, later today. Looking forward to joining her on her maiden voyage. I will try to keep y'all (from the southern US) posted. Cheers!!

Funny....Sorry for not proof reading my post. Guess I need a vacation.... Cheers...

Thanks for the intel on The Grill. We are booked Athens-Dubai on the Encore December 4th. I KNOW, WE COULDN'T WAIT....only time it worked into our sch. We will be happy guinea pigs as long as the Sky Bar, shower, and toilets work. We have not been on a ship with the TK Grill and are looking forward to it. We greatly enjoyed the TK menu in May on the Odyssey, Athens-Athens. The wrapped Foie Gras mouse was amazing!! We plan on eating at The Grill a few times. I will try and do a short review when we get back, but may be after the holiday's. Cheers...

We will soon be at 200 days on SB (Dec 2016) and have been at many hosted dinners over the years. Those of us that go back to the little sisters know that the passenger/passenger/crew interaction has changed. I am not saying we don't like the new larger ships, we do. The smaller ships had fewer places to hide, less entertainment options, and smaller public areas. People actually talked to each other, all the time... Most of the people that are frequent travelers on SB have traveled extensively, very fun/informative to talk with. We travel with our adult kids and friends, but most trips its just us two. When it is just us two, we get invitations to hosted dinners almost ever night. There are a few that we just do not turn down, the HM,CD, and of course the Captain. These dinners allow you direct input into your current cruise, and future cruises, they do listen. Furthermore, you will get great input on future travel destinations from crew and passengers.

I do want to say that we turn down many of the innovations, don't feel obligated, they will not be insulted. SB understands that you travel for quality time/experiences with friends and family, but a hosted dinner night can be a nice break on a long cruise. Cheers...

I know, we couldn't wait for their inaugural..... No, it just didn't work with our schedule. We are Platinum, turning Diamond on this cruise, and i didn't see it on our preference list. However, I have never waited more then a few minutes to get on or off. I'll let you know if that changes on this cruise. By the way, I love them sending you to the colonnade for lunch at check in, beats sitting around the theater waiting for your room to be prepared. Cheers

Just got off the Odyssey a little over a week ago, 14 days Athens RT. We don't really eat dinner in the colonnade so I can't help there, but can help in the MDR. They had the TK menu about every other night. The posting that stated they may have limited supply may be true. I love Fois Gras and on week one they told me they were out, but as usual on SB Milo's was able to find an order for me, it was amazing!!

I am a carnivore, perhaps to a fault, but they did have a vegetarian option on every TK menu that I saw. Didn't have any of them, sorry, but did have the others and found most of them to be very good to great. Happy Sailing, Cheers...

We just got off the Odyssey last Saturday, Athens/Athens 14 days. We will go over 200 days on our next cruise and have been on all 6 of their ships, past and present. We are like many that miss the little sisters, but life moves on. We have grow to love the soon to be old ships. One of the main reasons is our kids like the larger ships. There are changes, not every crew member knows your name on day 2, but it is amazing how many do. The kids they hire make my family feel as great today as they did years ago. We will continue to travel on SB, I have not seen or experienced anything better. Cheers

Just got off the Odyssey last Saturday, Athens/Athen. Heather is maybe the best CD we have ever had, we have about 200 days. If you are lucky enough to have her do a show on your trip do not miss it, she is an amazing talent.

We also went in and out of Laurion. If you are flying straight out not a bad deal 30-35 miles to the airport. We were staying in Athens. We took a half day tour driving down the beautiful coast line. Stopped at the temple of Pasadena, had a swim at a beautiful mineral bath lake, and had a nice lunch at a marina. We set it up through the car service. Hope this helps. Cheers