cands

I swam off the platform while anchored near Dubrovnik last September from Pride. It wasn't busy at all. I was pleasantly surprised we were allowed to swim in the open sea. It was quite an experience! On previous Seabourn cruises there was a swimming cage that was lowered off the stern.

"A few years ago, the larger pool was removed to make more seating for the Veranda/Candles restaurant. I only saw guests using the tables in this area two or three times, and usually it was one or two people sitting here. This seemed like such a waste of space."

Thanks for posting such a detailed review. I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise.

The overflow area for the Veranda gets very busy when the ship is full, especially on port days for lunch.

Bottled water available at all the bars and cabin attendant will put it in your room but their filtered water is fine. The also have available distilled water for CPAP if you ask for it.

 

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The purified water was fine. No taste at all. I used it in my CPAP humidifier without any problems.:)

Cands

 

Were they using the Italian style tenders they store in the sports platform?

Yes. More like a motor cruiser. They are very comfortable. I believe these are the only tenders on these ships. I have never seen the lifeboats used as tenders. (we have been on these ships when they were with Seabourn too)

The only time they were not used was in Capri. I believe the locals insist on using their own tenders, which was interesting if not as efficient as the Windstar service.

Greece - Patmos Island 2008 by Chris&Steve (cands), on Flickr"]Greece - Patmos Island 2008 by Chris&Steve (cands), on Flickr[/url]

They usually run tenders up to 30 minutes before scheduled departure. On the Yachtmens cruise , tenders usually run shortly after ships scheduled arrival. Also they run tenders til midnight at Jost Van Dyke (Have a drink at Foxy's). Will be on Star Pride shortly and will be able to judge the reliability of the motor yacht tenders which from other posts have not had very good reviews. This is not the case for the Windsurf. This is a great cruise...have done it twice. Enjoy

We're just back from Star Pride. The tender service was excellent.

In cool to mild weather it is quite nice to be able to open the doors and look out, or to get some fresh air if you are so inclined.

In hot weather, forget it, if you like to keep your cabin cool. The only way to use the balcony is with the doors open.

We would never pay for one, but were kindly upgraded by Windstar for the second leg of our recent B2B. Beware of cabin 313; right next to a service area with 24 hour banging.

We are currently in Venice on changeover day aboard Pride.

It was handled very well. Our cruise card had the full 2 cruises on it so there would be no need to change them.

However, Windstar very kindly offered to upgrade us for the second cruise, so we moved to a balcony cabin this morning.

We had no problems getting off and on the ship during the changeover period.

We are converts to Windstar. Pride is a lovely ship. The service has been excellent and I would rate the food as very good. No complaints from us.

sb44 has it right.

The second you board one of the "Three Sisters" (Pride, Breeze and Spirit) something magical happens.

Pride, Breeze and Legend!:)

Seabourn Spirit became Star Breeze when joining the fleet as Wind Spirit was already there.

We're very excited to be boarding Star Pride in a few days' time for our first Windstar cruise.

We too were anxious about independently going to Oia but made it with time to spare. I can't imagine not seeing Oia at Santorini as it is one of the main features of the island.

Check what other ships are in port that day and what time they arrive and depart if possible to avoid some queues.

We went up on a donkey. It looked busy but not many people were actually getting on one to go up the hill. They do wait to go up with a string of donkeys but that didn't take long. I think walking on the donkey path would be dubious as sharing with all the donkeys and their doings looked tricky.

Once up the hill, have a map extract to go to the transport courtyard in Fira where there was a local bus from Fira to Oia as well as taxis. Knowing the bus timetable reduces anxiety.

We came back from Oia on the local bus which came back to Fira a different and slightly longer way.

There was no wait to come down on the cable car despite other ships being in port, but our ship departed just on sunset.

There are comments on catching a boat to Oia but no mention of catching one back to the port at Fira. I wonder would that help avoid the cable car queue on the way back to your ship?

If you were back early and so inclined, you could catch the cable car (perhaps without a queue?) back up for a look at Fira and rejoin the crowd to come down. I'm always less anxious in the queues if there are others from my ship in the same queue as I doubt that the ship would leave without a crowd of people.

When I get anxious considering missing the ship I work out what I would do to re-catch it at the next port. The more difficult it would be the less risk I take.

From memory all the beaches were away from Fira and required transport to get there.

Do enjoy your visit.

cands

I spent 8 weeks in cabin 137 on Seabourn Spirit in 2008. No elevator noise whatsoever.

Thanks so much to TLCOhio. I've diligently read all your comments (and loved the photos) in preparation for two stops at Kotor on back to back Med Cruises next month. Your energy for the destination is inspiring and help sort what appeals to me. Thanks again - your thread seems to live on forever - 5 years and still going. Well done, yours cands.

From memory, it was a limited choice menu, with maybe two choices per course. It was a very simple meal.

Check out the link in my previous post for a description of the tour.

We took this tour as our first Seabourn tour on the first day of our first Seabourn cruise.

I agree it is expensive, but it was a wonderful experience.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=862368&highlight=positano&page=2

Happy sailing.

Steve.

Great entertainers and really lovely people.

The large green soap (Baudelaire) is my favorite. Not MB, but it's one of the soaps:

http://www.baudelairesoaps.com

Like having SB at home - well, for a few luxurious moments in the shower anyway.

This is my partner's favourite too. As it is not available in Australia, we have a box shipped to us every few months:)

There seems to be something for everyone when it comes to travelling to Antarctica. There is also a pecking order, with the bragging rights that seem to come with this.;)

At the top of the list are the Russian Icebreakers. True expedition style with under 100 passengers. (not sure if there are any of these left). Go anywhere and incredibly expensive at 50k+ for basic accommodation and shared facilities!

Then there are the ice-strengthened expedition ships, preferably with under 100 passengers. There seem to be lots of these, with luxury levels from non-existent to pretty darned luxurious.

Then come the players with over 100 passengers, usually with ice strengthened ships and varying degrees of luxury. The more passengers, the lower the status.

At the bottom of the list are the regular cruise ships with 'drive by' cruises. These ships use the 'ice avoidance' technique. All visit the Antarctic Peninsular with the assistance of an Ice Captain.

Where does Seabourn fit into this?

Well, nobody doubts the luxury credentials of Seabourn. At 400 passengers, it is obviously at the lower end of desirablility as far as landing logistics are concerned. To be fair though, a 250 passenger vessel will have landings in 3 cycles to meet the 100 pax per landing rules, Seabourn will need to have 4.

Seabourn will be using the 'ice avoidance' technique. There are still many incredibly beautiful places to visit!

Is there a market for this? Well, Seabourn obviously think so.

Is it for everybody? Well, no, and isn't it good to have choices in life?

Will the people who decide to travel on these cruises have a great time? I know I would, having made the choice that this was the Antarctic cruise I wanted to do. I'm sure there are many others who will feel the same.

Cheers,

Steve.

I understand the sentiment - Quest is not an expedition vessel.

Just a couple of points of clarification:

Seabourn ships do not have propulsion pods.

The new Seabourn ships cruise at 19 knots, the Silver Explorer at 14. This makes for a much faster transit of Drakes Passage (in good weather conditions).

Also, can anyone tell me if the restriction of 400 passengers for ships doing landings in Antarctica still applies?

I remember the old Marco Polo used to restrict passenger numbers on its sailings.

Spot on, although I'd add Silversea tied with Seabourn for the same two reasons.

 

I'd like to try Crystal someday, but I'd be worried that as first time customers we would be the first to get bumped to early seating dining if they couldn't accomodate all requests for late seating. This may sound extreme, but I would stay home or take a land-based vacation if the only option available to me was early seating dining.

As Danny pointed out, I don't think getting late seating is a problem, especially on Symphony, where there seem to be more people who prefer the early seating.

Shock, horror!! We've jumped ship for our next cruise.

After 70 wonderful days on Spirit and Pride we're off on a Crystal Cruise.

I maintained a 'Live from' thread on both of our Seabourn cruises.

I am doing the same for this cruise, for anyone who's interested:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1292575

Cheers,

Steve.

I've been enjoying the 'expanded' topics and conversations on this board.

It's a lot more stimulating and interesting than reading the same stock questions and answers over and over!

It also gives the opportunity to those of us who would like to post, but feel intimidated by some 'hard core', high number posters, who usually dominate the responses and don't brook any disagreement with their opinions.

Steve.

A DHL man delivered a package for us today.

Inside was a brown box like a small shoebox. The lid was held in place by an elastisised ribbon with a small metal Seabourn shield at the centre. Small raised letters on the box read "The Yachts of Seabourn".

Opening the box revealed a translucent paper overlay with the words "This is my yacht" written in cursive script at the bottom. Below this was a classy looking leather(ish?) travel wallet containing our documents for our upcoming Pride cruise.

Further down in a recessed compartment were 4 rather nice discreetly styish luggage tags made from the same material.

What a wonderful first impression of our cruise to come.

Steve.

Also, I've been reading about no tipping in Australia. Does that fall true in hotels too for the person bringing your bags up to your room (staying at the Hilton)? I'm thrilled not to have to tip in AU/NZ, and plan on following the local customs but I don't want to be rude if it is expected.

I think a small tip would be appreciated in this situation. Five Star hotel staff are used to lots of foreign visitors including Americans.

Don't worry if you don't though. Nobody is going to scream at you or make you uncomfortable.

As a local the only places I tip are in five star hotels and fine dining establishments. The absolute maximum we would tip for excellent service in a restaurant would be 10%. No need to tip in cheap eateries or bars, or for general service. It is common practice to round up taxi fares to the nearest dollar (or two), but not essential.

Enjoy your visit.

Something strange here! I have been in balcony rooms on the Celebrity Summit.

They looked nothing like this hole! And the beds were comfortable!

I'm not quite sure what you're saying? This is a CC category cabin taken in November 2005. It does have a 'lived in' look, but 'a hole'?!

The beds were fine. Perhaps this was taken after a nap:rolleyes:

Pacific Princess:

Crystal Symphony

Seabourn Spirit

Seabourn Spirit

Seabourn Spirit

Seabourn Spirit

Seabourn Spirit