Mabers

Great.....thanks!

Can someone refresh my memory as to what each one means.....what constitutes a Refundable OBC, and same for a Non Refundable?

Thanks...

Awesome replies, thanks! That's kinda what I figured, but it's good to know for sure.

M.

I just read through the Elite plus perks, and noticed that we can have unlimited drinks between 5 and 7 at any bar or lounge except the WCB on S class ships. Does this mean that the 3 drinks previously loaded on our Sea Pass no longer are?

Is the main dining room considered a bar or lounge,  to get a glass of wine while eating between 5 and 7?

Thanks, M.

Thanks so much for the informative replies.....from all accounts we'll be able to work something out.

S.

Is Muster on Navigator still held outside with everyone standing in lines? If so, and if someone has difficulty standing for long periods, would a chair be available? If not, any other suggestions?

S.

Have not been on Royal for over 3 years, but sailing on Navigator in a couple of weeks and was just wondering if they might do the same as Celebrity i.e. in the buffet at lunch time they have a nice selection of bottles of wine on sale for $20.

Sheila.

Yes, Crystal has 2 seatings (one at 6 and a later one) plus an Any Time option.

Again, no one is suggesting that Seabourn should 'just cater to Americans'.....that would be ridiculous. Opening the dining room even half an hour earlier (6:30) would be a huge help, especially on this side (American) of the Atlantic.

Sheila.

Mr Luxury and wripro.....

You are both absolutely right! How I wish I could run all day, eat late, stay up late, and partake of all the different things that I don't do at home. The problem is I like to feel good, and I don't, if I don't get enough sleep and/or change my routine too much. Hence going for the best of both worlds - a change from the ho-hum of every day living, but not going overboard, has proven a winning formula.

Anyway, we are not flaming you for what you choose - we all have different likes and dislikes - my criticism is the lack of choice on this particular ship.

Sheila.

Agree with the OP on this. We have done two Seabourn cruises and the dining/lounge/show hours just don't work for us. Seabourn draws a big north American clientele, many of whom dine a lot closer to 6:00 than 8:00. You would think (hope) that a luxury cruise line would be more accommodating and flexible (room service doesn't count). My other pet peeve, the Club, the largest lounge on the ship, doesn't open until 6:00. If you want t drink at 5:00 and the weather is bad, you only have one option. And the 9:45 shows....I only made it to one on a 23 day cruise. For folks that rise early every day and keep certain hours (in bed by 10/10:30), Seabourn 's schedule is a big negative. There are lots of us, I wish Seabourn would recognize this.

Couldn't agree more!

I am trying to highlight the 'wanting to drink at 5:00 and having only one option', and it's not working....is that option drinking in your suite? Is there nowhere else to go and enjoy some live music and possibly watch some dancing and enjoy a drink before 6?

Sheila.

Is the evening show really at 9:00 ? We were told 9:45 which is definitely too late for us. That would be a real shame. I eat between 5:30 and 6:00 at home, but am in bed by 9:30 unless a very special occasion. Can't sleep in no matter what time I get to bed, ( up at 7:00), but need 10 hours of bed rest ( difficulty sleeping) to function. No way one can go to bed right after eating a big meal.

Jackie

Glad you chimed in, Jackie!

According to 'The Herald', posted above, the show starts at 9:45. Yes, too late for us, unfortunately.

Sheila.

Camillus112 and ab21au.....encouraging reports! That gives us hope!

Thank you!

Sheila.

Points in all replies well taken.....just a couple of thoughts:

Lots of people eat later on the larger cruise lines too - the 8:30 seating is usually full and many eat even later with the My Time Dining option. The thing is that there is a choice.

Our wanting to eat a little earlier has little to do with being hungry, and much to do with being 'early to bed' people.

We have decided to make the best of it, but you can be sure we will be banging on the dining room door at 6:59!

As a matter of interest, are most of the passengers on Seabourn from UK/Europe while the ships are sailing the Caribbean?

Sheila.

Thanks for posting the menus.....the offerings look delectable!

No, we don't cruise to sit and eat dinner in a little cabin! Half the fun of cruising is getting dressed up and dining with people from different parts of the world.

Sheila.

Thanks so much for posting this.....it has confirmed our worst (almost) fears. Had we known when we were booking that the first available time to eat in the dining room was/is 7 PM, it might well have been a deal breaker. We never even thought to ask!

Jackie and I have almost 100 cruises between us (this will our first on Seabourn), and never have we heard of a dining room not opening until 7 PM.....some start seating at 5:30! There isn't even an alternative other than eating in our suite - not something we care to do. We have booked one night in The Grill, but there are 11 more nights!

As for the shows not starting 'til 9:45, that's a whole other problem!

Oh well, at this point I guess we will just have to suck it up, but it sure has taken the edge off the anticipation that precedes every cruise.

Sheila.

Would someone, recently on Odyssey, be kind enough to post the evening hours of operation of the various dining venues?

Thx in advance.

Sheila.

Does anyone know yet who will replace Sue Denning on Reflection on Mar. 18th?

S.

Love, love Bermuda and your live posts.....they are the best! Thanks so much for taking me there when I am not actually there!

Hope to go next May to celebrate a BIG birthday!

Sheila.

Like one of the other posters, you helped enormously with my last Alaska cruise in '09.

Now my son and DIL are going on Grand Princess Aug. 31st. Might that be the one you are on?

Is there a thread that gives a lot of your tips?

Thanks,

Sheila.

I was travelling the first couple of days in May, so by the time I got on to the boards and saw that we could take advantage of BOGOHO on previously booked cruises, it was the 4th.

I checked our cruise prices and found I could save app. $1700, so got right on with our TA by email. No response all day. Next day he quoted prices and the savings were down to less than $1200. He had been out of the office the previous day. If I had known that Royal was going to jerk the prices around, I would have contacted someone else in the TA's office on the 4th and had them jump on it right away. Lesson learned for next time.

As to the pricing, and how it was presented, not good......too much different wording - average price, single price, half off..... leaving everybody confused.

Sheila

Hey Anna Marie,

Fancy meeting you here! This is your first Royal cruise? I am surprised.....thought you might have cruised with them at some point out of Bayonne.

As far as I am concerned, there is little to choose between them and Celebrity - some things better, some things not so much. It all seems to even out. Internet is one of the biggies - you won't get what you get as Elite+ on Royal.

Jackie and I have been on Explorer several times and will do her repositioning in November. We love her. Don't miss the ice show.

I hope your health problems have been resolved by now!

Enjoy!

Sheila.

PS.....have thoroughly enjoyed this review!

What would we do without CC?

I had never heard of a 'block', much less receive one. Looks like a call to C&A is in order. Will be quite happy if they mail me one, rather than present it on board......not much room for extra weight in the suitcase.

Thanks CC!

M.

It seems to me that I have heard that the first cruise post TA, some problems occur. Whether it's a new crew, or an old crew getting used to being on this side of the Atlantic, I'm not sure. It's no fun having a less than happy wait staff, so I hope it gets better for you ASAP!

I had an experience on the Brilliance just after it returned from being overseas for a few years.......I needed to find a drug store at our next stop (Portland, Maine). The medical department on the ship always has a sheet with the listings of pharmacies on their counter with addresses and phone numbers, so I picked one up. Long story short (and it is a long story!) - their listings were for Portland, Oregon! My Rx was phoned in to them, and (my bad!), I didn't realize the error until the gal at the Port Info booth in Portland, Maine pointed it out. Customer Service on the ship had basically no clue where we were!

I am enjoying this 'Live from'.....thanks so much for doing it.

M.

Which sailing?

The total cost of the bottle is reduced significantly if you bring a 1.5 litre bottle, which is allowed. $$ for wine plus $25 corkage divided by 2 (750 ml) usually equals much less than any 750 ml bottle of wine purchased on board for consumption in the MDR.

People flying should buy the wine just before boarding the ship. I bring an extra little bag to put it in and carry it on board.

I can't ever remember Celebrity allowing purchase of liquor in duty free and allowing it back to the cabin immediately....it is usually delivered the last night.

Jackie and I are sailing on Explorer (we hope) on Sunday, as long as we can get from EWR to the pier! This is great news for us.....the best I've had so far this morning!

Sheila.