SLSD

4 hours ago, pyffii said:

Whilst I completely understand cancelling Israel,Jordan and Egypt for the immediate future I cannot understand why our cruise in May 2025 from Haifa has been rescheduled as of today.....leaving from Athens and stopping in Cyprus instead of leaving Haifa with a stop in Ashdod....Can anyone enlighten as to why ????

Most cruise itineraries are planned several years ahead.  Right now, there is a danger that the conflict will widen.  There are no signs that it will be over anytime soon.  I think it is a smart move on the part of Seabourn to plan ahead and not expect Israel to be a safe place to take guests in 2025.  A conflict like this one is not something that can be turned on and off.  This is the why explaining what Seabourn has done.  

2 hours ago, braidmacd said:

No idea

Ok.  I thought I would ask.  I have a new favorite drink that incorporated apple juice or apple cider.  

On 11/5/2023 at 1:55 PM, sfvoyage said:

Thanks to the new mocktails, the bartenders now have more zero proof spirits to work with. You can just talk to them to create whatever you want.

 

For me, most of the mocktails are still too sweet, because tonic water has sugar, the zero proof spirits themselves have sugar, some of the mixers have sugar, and not to mention the syrup. I just ask for the least sweet mocktail ingredient mixed with sparkling water and/or lemon juice.

Very little  added sugar is important to me as well--for caloric considerations as well as other reasons.  Do the bars stock  plain apple juice as a mixer?  

9 hours ago, saminina said:

Explora has serious issues that will prevent it from being classified as luxury.  I'd say the same for SS and SB, but many of their customers will not agree.  Food wise, Explora is much closer to the Europa ships.   I can't help people that think what they are eating while on SS and SB is acceptable.    Well, it is mostly acceptable as proven

And what is the serious issue?  Do tell!  

I will be interested in hearing if there are mocktails made without carbonated mixers.  While we do consume alcohol, we would welcome other choices when we feel we have reached our "healthy" limit for the day.  

2 hours ago, saminina said:

21 days on that alternative line and very close to zero negative experience in food department, or any other department.

And the alternative line is???  Is it Explora?

13 minutes ago, whirldcruzrs said:

That is typical attire for those of us who still work and lunch at Cap Grill which explains why many who are not retired do not like to dress on vacation as they do for work. What you think is what you think. I don’t know that many others really care. I'm not sermonizing, but many think it appropriate to not wear work attire while on vacation. Then again, who really cares?!

I agree with you to a certain extent.  I am not one to say--pick another cruise line---or dine in another restaurant.  I just don't see what the big deal is when it comes to a man packing a jacket or two for a luxury cruise.  At the same time, I do believe that people should dress as they choose.  

Just another word about jackets.  Mr. SLSD is retired and has been for over five years now.  He mostly dresses casually these days.  Yesterday, he went to meet a friend for lunch at a close to downtown Dallas restaurant.  He dressed wearing a sports coat without a tie.  After he returned home, he reported that almost every man in the restaurant had on either a suit or a sports coat with slacks.  Some were wearing ties and some were not. This is lunch in a restaurant. It is a steak house (Capital Grille) somewhat akin to a TK Grill.    I don't think it is out of line to expect that most men would want to wear a jacket to dinner on Seabourn.  I'm not preaching, but expressing surprise that most would not think it appropriate.  

On 11/1/2023 at 12:39 PM, markham said:

Yes, friends, nostalgia, particular itineraries and things such as non-refundable deposits, Club free day awards and good deals are the reasons for returning to the classic ships. Maybe Natalya - and it’s her energy alone at the healm from what I have seen - really can up the game that Seabourn plays? We will see in time…

 

BTW, we also return for Venture which is a class of its own, IMO.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Perhaps we need to write Seabourn and ask them to make sure your SB cruise(s) are exemplary as we want to keep you within the fold.  (I'm not being sarcastic here--you have been a great source of information for many of us.). 

3 hours ago, markham said:

How to respond to this question?

 

I like the new Silversea ships, the vibe, and especially the more varied, deep and sophisticated menus, to say nothing of more consistent high quality service that happens to be more staid. And these ships have facilities that for me put Seabourn’s older and or more crowded per square meter ships in the shade eg the pool and track on the Silversea beauties. The idea is true luxury, calm and relaxation. Pres Barbara Muckermann there has the momentum and the muscle of Royal Caribbean. Ask yourself if you can say the same re Carnival and Seabourn.

 

About the passengers, I don’t mind the calm and restrained. I dislike, in contrast, the antics of some on Seabourn ships that I thankfully have never seen on Silversea: gaming to add bookings to TKG as if it was the last word/their last meal, the penny pinching, simplicity, repetition and inconsistency of MDR/Colonnade menus and lack of alternative restaurants, haphazard staffing levels and training, and the abandonment of many cabin amenities. And then there is the ethos of the Holiday Inn type I attach to The Retreat. Which suggests the rest of the ship is something you need to pay to escape. This is all tiresome at these prices. I guess I have moved on.

 

That is the best answer I can offer right now. My judgment is Silversea offers smoother sailing.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Thank you for that assessment.  We probably should try Silversea.  

21 hours ago, markham said:

Disappointed in Quest’s provisioning and cuisine? I get it, I have been there and won’t get over it. So disappointing, and there was no excuse for any of it!
 

What to do? Reduce your cognitive dissonance asap… Book and sail another luxury cruise line such as Silversea’s newest classic ships, Muse, Moon, Dawn and Nova, or the yet-to-sail Ray. You will be glad you moved on.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

I am a bit worried about stuffiness onboard Silversea and a slightly older demographic--if that is even possible.  While onboard entertainment is not the most important thing to us, I still remember how hideously bad it was the last time we sailed Silversea--and how nonexistent the cruise director was.  Our itinerary was great, but the on ship experience was very staid and dull.  Have things changed?  This was quite a few years ago.  

2 hours ago, babydrum said:

Thank you, the Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque are my points of interest.  I hope you are right for so many reasons.

The Topkapi Palace is also wonderful to see.  Hagia Sophia is my very favorite place in the city.  The Blue Mosque is also so special. 

1 hour ago, Khareef said:

I am surprised that a person of fine taste like you buys commercial Jeans made by modern industrial machineries with mediocre cotton and poor indico (o no real indico at all). I import mine from the big5 in Japan....yes expensive but well worth it 🙂

Did you read the article from Esquire that I posted in the first post for this thread?  If not, you missed the point of the thread.  And who said I had fine taste?  Not me! 

25 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

Yes,a Wrangler theme night.

Levis not accepted 

Mr. SLSD would support that.   He has a particular expression to describe Levis, which I will not repeat here.  Wranglers have always been his jean of choice back from the days he worked on a Texas ranch in his growing up years.  

Here's what GQ has to say about men's jeans:  https://www.gq.com/story/best-jeans-brands#:~:text=Owens%2C Our Legacy-,The Big Three,we think of blue jeans.

How do I  have time to make further comments on this recycled thread today?  I'm on a 11 hour car trip--fortunately not as the driver.  

35 minutes ago, jjs217 said:

So much depends upon who is wearing "it".  A beautiful, slim, 5'10" young woman can look chic and elegant in many different things - a short, plump 70 year old...........................not so much.

So true, sadly enough.  Everyone would prefer to be tall and slim--and some would prefer to be young as well.  Youth IS wasted on the young I sometimes think.  And then, they are much older before they know any better.  All we can hope for is good health and vitality as we grow older and some of us are fortunate enough to have that.  The author of the Esquire article claims that EVERY MAN looks good/better in the Wrangler cowboy cut jeans.   Maybe Seabourn could provide every man with a pair of these jeans and we can see if the author is correct!  The author made no comment about women .  

4 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

I was told about Solis a while ago but couldn't say anything.

There are also new things being trialed for dinner in the Colonnade.

I like a supper club with a duo like they have on Silversea with Silver Note.

I have never been happy to have dinner in the Colonnade but with the restaurant not being what it should,I would try the Colonnade if new things were implemented.

For the first time, on our last cruise (June 2023 Ovation) I was not really enthusiastic about our meals in the Restaurant.  We never tried the Colonnade in the evening--but perhaps we should have.  I just don't care for the ambience there (unless outdoors).  I don't know if my disappointment in The Restaurant was just me or if others sensed that it was diminished.  Perhaps part of it was that we have cruised with Seabourn enough that the menu seemed very repetitive from past cruises.  So--I do applaud new items on the menu.  I am a bit excited about Solis, but realize how small the restaurant will be on Sojourn (our ship next summer), so I doubt that we will get more than a few opportunities to try it.  We will be on for 28 days, so maybe I will be pleasantly surprised.  

1 hour ago, crusinbanjo said:

They would not necessarily change the number.  They will more likely change the expiration dates and other security measures, but even if they do change your number, it should not effect your account and reward points.

That's good news and would be easier than getting a new number!  Our card company has always changed our number when we had to replace due to lost card or fraud.  

4 hours ago, cruiseej said:

To be clear, @SLSD, I wasn't recommending telling the credit card company the card was damaged. I was just adding information about why trying to pull that off might not be as helpful as it might appear. 

I did see that--still hurdles to jump over . I was responding to the original poster, but may have put my post on the wrong post.  Sorry about that.  I should have addressed Lisa directly. 

51 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

 

Just be aware that the new card will have a new CVV code (and possibly a new expiration date), so if you have automated payments connected to this card, you may have to update your information for some payments which require the CVV code. 

If your card number is used by someone else to purchase items, the credit card company will bear the loss.  This is why they would suggest that you cancel the card.  Telling them it was damaged is not being truthful.  

15 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Just call the Credit Card Company and say your card was damaged.   They will send you a new one.

The card company would probably suggest that it be cancelled since it was left behind.  I would cancel it, but I understand it is a hassle to change a credit card number.  

4 hours ago, whirldcruzrs said:

Why? I enjoy reading these threads. But thank you for allowing me to scroll by.  

I was responding to your comment about recycled topics by the same posters.   You are of course welcome to read anything posted here.  Perhaps I misinterpreted you comment which is easy to do in this forum.  

3 hours ago, CruiseCruiseCruise13 said:

I have a question not related to elegant jeans but to the dress code at least… though I have chuckled at this thread a lot and enjoyed the levity (in places) of the post. 
 

This is my husband and I first seabourn cruise, we’re wondering how necessary a jacket is on formal night? My husband is more of a shirt and nice sweater kind of guy in the evenings, or even a shirt and tie.  We don’t particularly want to travel with a jacket for one night, if we don’t have too? Perhaps this is another hotly debated topic a long with elegant jeans 🙂 

I'm sure there are various opinions about this.  First, you need to know that you can dine in a casual setting on formal nights and dress in the usual elegant casual way---a shirt and sweater would be fine.  That would have you dining in the Colonnade or at Earth and Ocean (around the pool).  If you would rather dine in the Restaurant on formal nights, you would find virtually every man wearing at least a sports coat.  Some would be without a tie, but probably most would be wearing a tie.  A few would be wearing a tuxedo/ dinner jacket.  My husband wears a sports coat when he flies, so at least one of his sports coats doesn't have to be packed.  He usually brings a second one.   I'm sure there are men who do not bring a sports coat, suit, or tux/dinner jacket. My husband wears a jacket whenever we dine in the Restaurant.  I know times are changing, but Seabourn, as a luxury cruise line, has usually had guests who dressed up a bit for dinner.  Others here may give you a different perspective.  

18 minutes ago, lisa6191 said:

Has anyone here had a lost item found and returned to them? I left a credit card and a travel makeup mirror on board Encore a couple weeks ago. I filled out all the forms and had pretty much given up hope, but then today I got an email that they found both items. I was so happy until I went to the site to request that the items be shipped back to me. They want 150 euros as a shipping fee! For a credit card and a small mirror! I’m going to call on Monday, but has anyone had any experience with this? It seems outrageous to me and I have no idea how they arrived at that number. I don’t care about the mirror but I really want the credit card back if possible.

Cancel your credit card.  

2 hours ago, whirldcruzrs said:

It is amusing to read the posts and articles, but it is more amazing to come back after several weeks, months and even years and see the same recycled topics with a lot of the same posters.  Nothing much changes on CC except that we are seeing more diversity in clothing on ships. I almost feel bad about the people who get so upset by what others wear. They would probably enjoy their cruises - and life - much more if they did not anguish about others. Just look the other way if you don’t like it. 

Hey!  This was meant to be a fun somewhat humorous post--nothing serious.  Just scroll by next time.  

2 hours ago, markandjie said:

 

I've been on Mounjaro for the last 6 weeks and have lost almost 30 pounds. I might have to buy new jeans before our cruise next month or I'll be in violation!

 

More seriously, it is strange to me how much debate there is about whether you can wear jeans while on multiple occasions (and not just expedition cruises!) I've seen sweat pants accepted to the MDR. Boggles the mind.

 

And then finally, I do find it funny that I look considerably better dressed in a pair of $15 Costco travel pants than I do in a $150 pair of designer jeans. Not sure what Esquire's editors would say about my favorite pair of costco pants...

 

If you read the article, you now  know that Esquire is touting  $50 jeans.  I'm sure they would also approve of your $15 pants!  We'll have to ask them about sweats.  They were not in favor of the designer jeans. 

I think everyone has to make their own decision as to what to wear.  We may not all approve, but we are not in charge.