markandjie

Might be an unpopular opinion, but I hope they sunset the submarine program at some point. The subs are largely gimmicky IMO (and I say that having been on them once and had a great time), and operating them is a big burden on the expedition team which takes away from other expedition activities, especially kayaking. Generally speaking they also seem to cancel as often as they're used, which I think puts a bad taste in guests' mouth. Not sure what not having subs would do to competitive positioning, but the reality is that it's a suboptimal program, no pun intended.

I know I'm both late to the thread and an interloper on this board but felt so much vindication reading thru the comments here. We cruised on Muse in Alaska last summer, our first on SS, and felt on several occasions like we must be taking crazy pills. In Atlantide we ordered the tuna steak rare/med rare and it came out gray. Sent it back for another. Same thing (see pic below for try #2). Eventually talked to a manager and he said that they pre-cook the tuna steak and if you want it rare you must give them 24 hours notice. What??? Why on earth would you even serve tuna steak if that's how you're going to prepare it??? Our allergens meeting with the head chef was bizarro, as he basically talked trash about his staff in front of us. (And it turned out his staff was right and he was wrong!) Our sushi lunch at Kaiseki was fine except the unagi was smoked eel with, and I kid you not, actual bbq sauce on top. Our one attempt at the famed pizza was inedible mush in the center. I know all lines and ships are not perfect all the time, but I couldn't figure out for the life of me why SS got rave reviews. Btw, @UKCruiseJeff, loved reading your analysis of the industry and the underlying trends. Would love to read more of it!

There's a moderately obnoxious local sports radio personality in Austin who's daily tag line is to quote the immortal words of his mother, "happiness is a choice!"

That is disappointing to hear and sounds like Ventures has their work cut out for them to make this an authentic expedition experience. Even in Iceland when we were in well traveled locations the Expedition team would often put together an informal hike or something which was a lot of fun. Too bad they're not doing the same there. Love how you're making lemonade from lemons! Some of our best tour guides in South America came from us asking our taxi driver from the airport if they knew a good local guide. Often we were connected with a cousin or friend. We had a great tour in Cusco, Peru, that was a fraction of the cost of what our hotel recommended and hit all the same sites. Same in Quito, Ecuador. Just need a sense of adventure and a little bit of luck!

Your experience with travel insurance sounds very different than mine. I was shocked at the fine print they were able to invoke to avoid making us whole over the summer. And this with Allianz, who is well regarded AFAIK. We would have been much better off with Flight Ease.

When we did two weeks in Alaska in 2018 we did several fishing excursions. Boats were small and I don't recall a head but can't be sure. It was a great time and both my wife and son caught halibut that we shipped home. We were signed up for salmon fishing as well but the salmon runs were poor that year so those were cancelled.

Honestly depends on the maitre d a bit. I would say generally if they enforce the rules it is the letter of the rule vs the spirit of it. Meaning that a more casual Tommy Bahama that's not tucked in but IS a collared shirt is almost definitely going to be accepted every time.

Heh. On our Antarctica cruise we kept finishing off the two bottles of sparkling water they would refill daily. So by about the third day they kept SIX bottles of sparkling water in the suite for us. Our son is a big Dr. Pepper fan and they weren't sure how much they had on board so they immediately brought him one can per day of the cruise so he wouldn't run out. The boys asked for chips one afternoon and from that day forward a bowl of chips and a bowl of chocolate chip cookies appeared in their suite just after lunch. You can also request to have your favorite wine or champagne (or liquor) stocked in the mini-fridge each day. We had a fun time on Celebrity in the Retreat, and my wife still wears the pajamas we received with our names embroidered on them. That was a nice touch. But Seabourn service is a different level (or at least it should be...post-COVID can be a bit uneven, unfortunately).

Thanks for taking us along and sharing so many photos and videos!

I think most of your questions have been answered so will respond more generally. We sailed Celebrity in the Retreat just once on a one week Carribean itinerary, so using that as my frame of reference here are some high level thoughts: - In terms of the service you'll receive, every cabin on Seabourn is treated as well or better than the Retreat cabins on Celebrity. And honestly, I feel like we've received better service when we've sailed the least expensive cabins (we were just on a V1 on Venture in Iceland/Greenland with fantastic room stewards) vs the nicest room on the ship (we were also just on Venture in the Wintergarden Suite in Antarctica with very capable but unexceptional stewards). - You should temper your expectations on the breadth and variety of food that will be available on the ship. While I think Seabourn easily outdoes the Celebrity Retreat dining venue, I was impressed with the broader breakfast buffet on Celebrity and the selection in the Collonnade on Seabourn ships pales in comparison. - Same holds true for entertainment. Celebrity significantly outshone Seabourn. - Seabourn feels more personalized to me, with more of an opportunity to get to know staff and fellow guests and build relationships that endure across multiple cruises. - Ovation is a great ship, but Seabourn really shines the smaller you get. Encourage you to try each size class when you have the chance. - One of the biggest strengths IMO of all Seabourn ships is the viewing areas, particularly forward looking viewing at the front of the ship. Many cruise ships have poor opportunities to actually see where you're going, which I think is a great shame. To me cruising is a way to experience the world moreso than just a floating hotel that parks you at a different cruise terminal each day.

One thing we learned is that the expedition ships sail with far fewer technical staff (engine room, etc) because the ship is so modern and automated. I think that has a big impact on the ratios. Having said that, on both of our expedition cruises it felt to me that the staff was stretched thin, and we've been told there may not be enough crew cabins due to issues with ship design.

I cannot wait for this 'live from...' Doing a long S Pacific cruise is absolutely on our bucket list.

We did a 2 week Greece/Turkey itinerary last summer and the Marina deck was open one day, I believe, in Patmos. They had a zodiac pulling folks on a tube, stand up paddle boards, kayaks, and a hobie cat. My son and I sailed the hobie cat which was interesting as the staff kept everyone in a relatively small area behind the ship. A bit tough to sail when the ship itself blocks the wind for a good portion of the area...and where it didn't...let's just say it was quite breezy.

Would love any info y'all can provide on the diving excursions, including how many people allowed, what dive sites, cost, etc. Very interested in doing this itinerary one day...

We learned on our time aboard Venture that apparently they did not design the ship with sufficient crew cabins so they are constantly on the verge of being understaffed, even with a full crew complement. Sounds like this will be a perpetual nit on otherwise excellent ships.

Agree completely. Especially when it's 1am, United just cancelled your flight, and the line for the service counter at O'Hare looks like this:

Agreed. We did the same on our last Antarctica trip as we knew we were cutting it close on the flight. Fortunately it all worked out, but if our checked bags didn't make it we would've been able to make do (with almost daily use of the onboard laundry facilities).

Hate to be that guy, but it certainly isn't good fun for the dolphins. Have had the opportunity to do this in many locations but can't in good conscience support businesses that keep such animals in captivity.

We received the HH drybag backpacks on both Iceland/Greenland and Antarctica. The bag is sturdy and well built, but offers no cushion to protect you from whatever you pack inside. We just used ours in Grand Cayman to carry my son's ~20 pound underwater photography setup to/from the hotel and dive boats. The bag held up extremely well, but it was not a comfortable carry.

We were on Muse in Alaska in August and the food was usually good but had moments that were so bad it spoiled the entire trip. Perhaps we should give the expedition ships a try instead.

Same. We'd already booked a private transfer and it was a bit faster but otherwise we could've gone with Seabourn.

We did the 14 day trip back in Summer 2018 and did every kayaking excursion we could. Going back through my photos brings back a lot of memories, but unfortunately I can't reliably figure out the locations. My recommendation would be to sign up for all of them and then once onboard talk to the Ventures team and they'll have a great view on what's not to be missed.

Haven't been on Pursuit but sister ship Venture does well in rough seas. We were in a forward cabin for Iceland/Greenland and had a few rough days, but nothing a little Dramamine or Bonine couldn't deal with. It's highly subjective, though. You definitely get more up and down at the front of the ship than elsewhere. The stabilizers are great for the side to side roll but don't really help with the up and down. Wouldn't worry at all about being above the Discovery Center.

If you're at a penguin colony there's plenty to see even without walking far. You'll be amazed at how fast time flies while watching them.

Might be an unpopular opinion, but I have to say that I find the price increases to be reassuring as it means that Seabourn is (presumably) experiencing sufficient demand that they can raise prices. With all of the capacity coming on the market it will not be surprising to me that we could see a shakeout and several bankruptcies. Would prefer that not happen to my preferred line. And while we'll continue to seek out deals where we can, slightly higher prices in my mind are a healthy indicator for Seabourn's long term viability. Then again, in the US alone there will be huge growth in the over-65 population during the 2020's that I'd imagine is mirrored world-wide...so lots of incremental retirees to take cruises...