Sr voyagers

NC & KY - We have a referral coupon. Email us at ehjbej@gmail.com and I will give you the details.

We are on our first HAL cruise on the Maasdam from Auckland to San Diego. So far it has been a disappointment. We have had many issues from mixed up reservations, to a changed salon appointment that was made and paid for a month ago, to air conditioner not working (fortunately has been fixed), to wines and other liquor on the lists not being available (so far 4 wines and one liquor that we requested) although we just left New Zealand 2 days ago. We were told tonight that there are no New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs available and nothing will be restocked until we reach Hawaii (all are listed on the wine and beverage lists and in the wine package). Dinners have been below the standard of any ship we have previously sailed on. We find all of this unacceptable. Is this normal for HAL? We have already talked to the front office about most of these issues and will discuss the wine issue tomorrow and will report on their response. Previously we have sailed on Cunard, P & O, Seabourn, and Crystal and have never had problems such as these.

We live in the US and have taken 2 P & O cruises and have one booked for next year. As others have said, the only way to do it from our side of the pond is to call the P & O UK number. This has not been a problem for us. In fact the young lady we have dealt with has called us back when we have given her our number so that we did not have to pay huge overseas call fees. She has been wonderful and has booked all three cruises for us.

We were on Arcadia last year for a cruise from Southampton to Norway, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. We were supposed to stop in the Orkneys but bad weather prohibited that stop and we went instead to Belfast. We loved Arcadia and are booked on her next year for a Baltic cruise. We have found P & O to be very reasonably priced and very convenient when we want to do some more touring in the UK. Last year (and next year as well) we tied our P & O cruise into a transatlantic crossing on the QM2. Arrived in Southampton one day, spent one night, and boarded the P & O cruise the next day - much better than flying when you have the time.

Has anyone done a hotel day pass on Bora Bora? Hilton is under construction so we are looking for another recommendation.

Has anyone done a hotel day pass on Moorea? Hilton has been recommended but we cannot get a response from them by email.

We recently returned from the Quest (Boston to Montreal). This was our third Seabourn cruise in the last 2 years. In general, we have found the food good but have not found the Thomas Keller dishes to be any better than other dishes in the restaurant. On this last cruise we ate at the Grill one evening with two other couples as we were celebrating the anniversary of one couple. We found the service almost too much. Everything was a show. The Ceasar salad and ice cream sundaes were a production and were nothing special. We did not feel pressured to order special wines and just ordered the wines we had enjoyed in other areas of the ship. The quality of the food was mixed. Among the six of us at our table we ordered the steak, lobster thermidor, chicken for two, and lamb for two. The only dish that was a disappointment was the lamb. There was more fat than meat and we had better lamb in other restaurants on the ship. The coconut cake was the best of the desserts we tried. The Meyer lemon tart was nothing special. Overall, the food was not worth the hype. One nice treat was champagne to toast our friends celebrating their anniversary. We really preferred the tasting menu at Restaurant 2 on our first two cruises.

We just returned from a Canadian cruise on Quest. We prefer to do our own laundry as we are particular about some items. Two newer washers and dryers are in each laundry room. Laundry soap is supplied but not dryer sheets. They can all be busy on sea days and most people are very considerate to watch the time. One option while you are waiting - there are chairs in the nearby conference room which you can place in the hall When staff came by, we asked for a drink while waiting and they happily brought a try of glasses of champagne for all those waiting for their laundry to finish. What a way to do laundry!

Thanks to this thread, through our TA we were able to get the OBC and free gratuities. We are booked on the Caribbean Princess TA September 22-October 7, 2017. As we are in a suite we did not expect the upgrade and are very happy with these benefits. Thanks to all who posted here. We will continue to watch for more sales.

So, I will be on Handre's last cruise on the Quest. I am glad I will get to see him before he leaves.

We will be on this cruise with you along with 4 other friends. Were on with Handre and Jackie in March/April for a Panama Canal cruise - both are wonderful.

We were on Arcadia last year in August - wonderful trip! As others have said, think layers. We are from the southern US and took our "winter" waterproof jackets. We packed them in vacuum"space saver" bags which did not take up much room. Were glad to have them but did not need them every day. A hood is a good idea. We found that when it rained it was windy and an umbrella was useless. Some days we went from heavy jacket to light weight jacket to no jacket, all in one day. Enjoy!

We were on Arcadia last year in August - wonderful trip! As others have said, think layers. We are from the southern US and took our "winter" waterproof jackets. We packed them in vaccum "space saver" bags which did not take up much room. Were glad to have them but did not need them every day. A hood is a good idea. We found that when it rained it was windy and an umbrella was useless. Some days we went from heavy jacket to light weight jacket to no jacket, all in one day. Enjoy!

Hi fellow-cruisers!

 

We just booked & paid a Odyssey cruise for June 25th. We were wondering if still would be eligible for the referral coupon-thing if we've already paid.

 

And if so, anybody out there with a spare referral coupon? :)

 

 

Cheers,

Stan

Hi Stan -

I have a coupon available. If you send me an email at ehjbej@gmail.com, I can send it in for you. The coupons actually cannot be sent in until you have paid and there should be plenty of time left.

Bonnie

We just finished our Seabourn survey for our recently completed cruise. This is what we wrote regarding smoking on the verandas:

Smoking on the verandas continues to be a problem for us. On both Seabourn cruises we were unlucky to have a smoker near us who prevented us from using our veranda on many occasions. We feel this is a health issue that Seabourn should address as well as an issue of fair use for what we have paid for. There are other places on the ship where people can go to smoke. Verandas should not be an option. There are other equal cruise lines that prohibit smoking on the verandas from which we can choose.

Doubt if we will get a response but at least we have voiced our opinion.

We just returned from our second cruise on Odyssey. While we enjoyed most of our experiences onboard, we have been unfortunate to have had smokers near our cabin on both cruises. We were unable to use our veranda on many days on both cruises. We can avoid the other smoking areas on the ship but feel that we have been deprived of our right to enjoy our veranda when those nearby are smoking. We have booked one more Seabourn cruise in the fall. If smoking remains a problem on that cruise, there will be no more Seabourn for us. There are other cruise lines to choose from.

We have done two cruises to Norway and have visited two of the ports you mention, Stavanger and Alesund, although it was not on Seabourn. In Stavanger we booked a shore excursion which was a boat trip up the Lysefjord to Pulpit Rock. It was marvelous! We did have beautiful weather which enhanced our enjoyment. The company that operated our excursion was Rodne (or Roedne in English). I don’t know what company Seabourn uses. On our cruise, we were able to sit outside to best enjoy the views and the commentary was excellent. This was one of the highlights of our trip. In Alesund, we were not as lucky with the weather but we did enjoy the city. We booked a tour that included a visit to the outdoor museum at Sunnmore which we found very interesting and picturesque. We went to the top of the Askla for the view as well, but as it was raining and overcast, this was not the best. It did give us a good overview of the city and the many islands in the area. We spent some time walking around the downtown area of Alesund which is lovely. The tour of the Sunnmore Museum involved some walking but it was not difficult. We were able to get some beautiful pictures on both of these tours, but of course weather makes a big difference. By the way, we took the excursion on the Flam Railway and found it to be most disappointing. There were huge crowds at the stop at the waterfall making photography difficult (everyone on the train tries to see the waterfall from a small area on the platform). At the stop at the turn-around at the top at Myrdal, you are told to stay on the platform and the train blocks most of the views. Although this seems to be the thing to do in Flam, we would not recommend it. We do love Norway and visiting on a cruise ship is definitely the way to see it.

We have Seabourn Referral Coupons for $400 onboard credit available for first time cruisers as well. We have one cruise booked leaving 21 March and another booked leaving 21 September. You would need to be cruising on or before either of those dates. You can send us a message if we can help you (ehjbej@gmail.com).

What a comprehensive and great review! We were on this crossing as well and agree with your comments and reviews. In fact, our cabin was near yours (we were in 11030). Our only comment is that we often used the A elevator and stairway and always wondered why there was a loud "whistling" noise as we walked by the forward cabins!! Now we know. We are surprised that you were not sucked out the doors! Your review was so comprehensive that we will not post here but will only second everything you said and are

already planning our next crossing.

We have a referral coupon available for anyone new to Seabourn who is traveling on or before our next cruise, which is 21 March 2016 (LA to Ft. Lauderdale via Panama). You must sail on or before our cruise and your final payment must be made for the referral. This is worth

$400 for onboard credit. Contact us at ehjbej@gmail.com if you are interested

We were on our first ever cruise on a 7-day P & O Adonia cruise to Norway last August. We were very cautious as we did not think of ourselves as "cruisers" but felt that this was the best way to see Norway before a planned trip to Scotland (my husband is of Norwegian descent). We read all of the reviews and the only negative reviews we saw of Adonia were that most of the passengers were over 50 (we are in our 60's) and that the majority are British. As we are "Anglophiles", have visited Great Britain many times, and have many British friends, this was a plus for us!

Our trip exceeded our expectations. The crew and passengers were all delightful. The scenery was marvelous. The food was excellent. We did book the Penthouse suite just in case it was all terrible (we could just stay in our suite if necessary!). We enjoyed it so much that we are now booked on a 14-day P & O Arcadia cruise to Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands, and Orkney Islands in August this year. We booked a mini-suite this time.

We have now become cruisers! We were on a 16-day Seabourn cruise to New Zealand and Australia in February this year and will be traveling to Southampton and back on the Queen Mary 2 in August and September. We are booked on a Seabourn cruise to Panama in March 2016 and a Crystal cruise to The South Pacific in November 2016, Not only have we been sold on cruising but will choose a P & O cruise in the future if it fits our needs as well.

Fudge,

 

Glad to help clarify the matter. Don't want you to incur the wrath of Mrs. Fudge.

 

We live on the US but use a UK TA. In my five years of using this company they have always been able to beat the price quoted by Seabourn. As I do have to pay in GBP I once in a while run into an unfavorable currency exchange( last summer!). But the best part about using this company is how helpful and responsive they are --- even these thousands of miles apart. I cannot provide their name here as it is against CC rules but if you are interested and want to give me your email address I will be most happy to provide the contact info.

 

And once you do book do go to the referral thread above to request a $400 coupon. You could use the credit to surprise the Mrs. with a nice a day or a very special bottle of wine( or you could just use it for more mundane items such as Internet packages or laundry services).

 

 

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We were on our first Seabourn cruise in February to New Zealand and Australia and loved it so much we are now looking at a cruise next year through the Panama Canal. We have not found any good rates through US TA's and would be interested in the one you mention in the UK.

Could you send us the info? Our email is ehjbej@gmail.com. Thanks.

We have chosen to do this in 2015 - August 4 to Southampton and September 20 to NY. While in Europe we will do a 14 day P & O cruise to Norway/Iceland/Faroe Islands and then spend 3 weeks in England. The cost of the two Cunard transatlantic crossings is comparable to business class (Atlanta to London round trip) and much more enjoyble. We expect this will be our new way to cross the Atlantic.

We hired Hawaii 23 for round trip transportation between the Honolulu airport and our hotel for 4 of us as well as for an all day tour of the island for six adults. We were extremely happy with the service provided. Brett was on time for all three pick-ups and provided us with a lot of information on the island as well. For our tour of the island he was very flexible, tailoring the tour to our interests and even extended the half-day tour planned into an all-day tour because we were having such a lovely time. We felt that the prices for the airport transportation as well as the sightseeing tour were very reasonable and would highly recommend Hawaii 23, and especially Brett.

We were on this same cruise along with two other couples who are close friends. We all felt as Dafne did that this was a marvelous experience. The food was incredible, the service amazing (we also loved some of the same restaurant people - Anna especially), and can't wait to return to Seabourn. As mentioned, the Chef's Market lunch was fantastic and the last night "Crew on Deck" pre-dinner appetizers were a meal in themselves.

We were fortunate to have very good weather, especiallly crossing the Tasman Sea. We plan to post a review on the curise critic board as well.

We only had two complaints about our trip which we have expressed to Seabourn. The first was the policy of allowing smoking on the verandas. The was a problem for all three couples in our group as there were times when we could not enjoy our veranda because someone nearby was smoking. As other cruise lines have banned smoking on all verandas,we hope Seabourn will change their policy.

Our other complaint was the self-service laundries. Four machines for 450 people is inadequate for a cruise of this length this far from home. Most guests traveled before and after the cruise as well. It was a constant battle to get a machine. As we ate dinner early, we found the best time to find an empty machine as at about 8:30 pm after we finished dinner. Not what we wanted to do at that time.

Overall our first Seabourn cruise exceeded our expectations and Dafne did not exagerate.

We have booked this cruise, our second on P & O and are looking forward to this trip We have not yet made any port plans. Would be interested in advice from others.

We saw a thread about Carnival shareholder credits earlier this month and decided to buy 100 shares of the stock as we have booked 4 cruises in2015 (Seabourn in February, Cunard in August and September, and P & O in August). Since then we have received the $250 credit on Seabourn and the stock has increased significantly in value. It is our understanding that you cannot apply for the credit until you have made the final payment on the cruise. It was very easy to do and we hope that Carnival will extend this credit after their March 2015 stockholders meeting (this has been their practice for many years past).