SLSD

JMB56--Go with the Mark and Spencer jeans as they look more authentic. While they are not Wranglers, they appear to be the next best thing. (All said in jest of course).

I am vacationing in Santa Fe and wrote the original post while lounging on our patio here. Mr. SLSD and I are taking a well deserved rest after experiencing grave illness within our family. Please be careful when you make a comment like yours as you have NO idea of the circumstances of others. One never knows why someone has time... I enjoy this group and like to contribute a bit of humor now and again. I think we all need that.

You are right. We all interpret things differently. There may be perfectly acceptable modes of dress that others think are elegant and charming that I don't like. That means I have to be a bit tolerant. The same goes with what we choose to post. We have different personalities which affect how we choose to dress and what we write about. I'm glad you appreciate the humor I tried to inject here.

Esquire is a magazine primarily for men so I am not surprised it doesn't interest you. Chris Black, the author of the essay I posted writes well and is entertaining. There are many threads I never read because they don't interest me. I just scroll by as cruiseej suggests, instead of telling the poster that I am not interested in what they write. As I said above, my thread was meant to be a bit of levity. Some people got that and some did not. I also wanted to thank Markham for his saggy baggy comments because I used his comments to persuade my husband to buy a new pair of jeans. The fact that my husband met Markham on an earlier cruise contributed to his decision to pay attention to Markham's comment. So there you have it. I will not apologize for starting this thread. Sheesh...

You may be right. It's too bad that we can't all be elegant. I mean that sincerely.

Perhaps suggesting a preference for a modern menu is only a way of asking for some lighter, rather than heavier fare. And yes, creative offerings made with stellar ingredients would be part of that.

I think some are just not able to discern what is light hearted and what is not. The article in Esquire set the tone. The whole idea of trying to decide what constitutes elegant jeans makes me laugh.

This was just a light hearted thread---inspired by the article from Esquire. There had been discussion in the last year about what constitutes elegant jeans. The article disparages designer jeans and extolls basic Wrangler jeans.

I do think it is time to move on from what Thomas Keller thinks is special cuisine. We are vacationing in Santa Fe New Mexico at the moment and have had some truly wonderful food. Of course cruise ship dining is more akin to hotel catering than what a restaurant (which serves maybe 100 people per night) can provide, but I have been wowed by some Mediterranean cuisine here. I have been so impressed that I am still thinking about it several days later and making additional reservations. We're talking about pasta made fresh that evening and fish and meat dishes that made me swoon. I experienced nothing like that last summer on Ovation. We are not expecting Seabourn to match small restaurant pinnacles of perfection, but we do expect updated modern menus and care in preparation.

I totally understand Markham. I remember your original posts about your so called Grand Cruise on the Quest. I shuddered. I considered that experience to be an insult to those of you who had trusted Seabourn to provide you with the experience you had paid for. I don't blame you one bit for moving on. On our cruise last June with Seabourn, we were met if not with the best food I've had on a Seabourn cruise, the best service. And, maybe it was just my changing palette that wasn't wowed by the food as others were pleased (including Mr. SLSD). We did have some stragglers who didn't seem to care what they wore or how they presented themselves. I chalked it up to our changing society and what some might claim is rugged individualism and the determination to do it their way. I do consider some of Mr. SLSD's jeans to be a bit saggy and baggy. It's fine if he wears those at our East Texas farm, but I don't consider them appropriate for a cruise, so I was happy to insist that he get a new pair of slim dark indigo jeans. And I will admit to using your saggy baggy description to bolster my insistence that he purchase an appropriate pair of jeans for the trip. I recognize that denim is not common casual wear in London for peope our age or even in the countryside in the UK. Different cultures. We're going to try the Wrangler styles extolled in the Esquire article and see what we think. We still haven't made the leap to Silversea (even though it was our firsr cruiseline) as I find the posters in their facebook group to be bordering on insufferable. I also remember finding Silversea's idea of musical entertainment to be laughable. We'll see what next year brings.

I started this thread as a light hearted topic (so thank you for recognizing that) , responding to Mr. SLSD's aha moment that the jeans he loves are not saggy/baggy. I say if they are--then they must not be the right size! There have been SOME posters who have posited that jeans just don't belong on a cruise--and why bring them. They point out that they are heavy and say that they take up too much space in luggage. They overlook the fact that jeans are a staple of everyday wear for many Americans and we don't travel many places without them. I hope everyone will read the Esquire article--published today. I was aware that Seabourn has not updated their dress code everywhere. This just speaks to some sloppiness by the line. I would expect a luxury line to be top notch in every way---including their online presence.

Just a further comment to say that Mr. SLSD was not standing in a precarious spot here--even though it may look like it. He was just standing on a large rock in a safe place. And, Mr. SLSD would never wear jeans to dinner in The Restaurant.

This post is mostly for Americans, because I think those of you in the UK will never understand (and why should you?). My good friend Markham has made an impression on this Texan with his comments about saggy baggy jeans on older men. I absolutely would not let Mr. SLSD bring his cowboy jeans on our last Seabourn cruise. I shamed him into buying a pair of slim cut Patagonia jeans (dark wash of course) to wear on excursions last summer in Norway. He looked great in them. I have a photo to prove it--and I'll find it and post it here in a bit. Just now, he sent me this article from Esquire (magazine) as proof that I don't know what I am talking about when it comes to jeans. I said, go ahead and buy (another pair) of Wrangler jeans and take them on our Seabourn cruise next summer. After all, who am I to dispute what the men's fashion critics of Esquire have to say? Now, before all you jeans critics have a fit, you need to realize that denim jeans are an accepted uniform for men (and probably for women) in the US---for better or worse. Mr. SLSD has on a pair of Wranglers (too faded for Seabourn) right now and is looking pretty good! https://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/a45629186/wrangler-cowboy-cut-jeans-review/?fbclid=IwAR3tP4u8EYTeHKclHNHpf4-ZPIr4G_S0Fbnl7WB668TEPeOsfUGH9HOu21Y

Jon, I am beginning to think that the opening and/or closure of the Restaurant at breakfast and/or lunch is left up to the staff onboard each ship. I still remember being told (as I think you were?) that the Restaurant was going to be open ACROSS the FLEET at both breakfast and lunch each day. Others were told the same and we experienced that on our mutual Ovation cruise last June. I don't blame you for being disappointed. Of course I am always soundly criticized here for preferring to dine at breakfast in the Restaurant (lunch on some days as well). The message you received back from SB seems to imply that they EXPECTED the Restaurant to be open for these meals--or else they were not being honest with you--and just saying empty words.

I have no interest in table side preparation. It's all theater and does nothing for the enjoyment of our meal. I know some people feel differently about this. Also, Mr. SLSD and I seldom order the same entree, so dishes for two won't work for us. Dishes for two seem to harken back to a time when men ordered for their wives. Mr. SLSD used to TRY to do that for me--as he had seen his father do it. No thank you.

I noticed that. Hand soap in a public restroom is very different from bottles of shampoo, condition and soap in a ship suite or hotel room. And I avoid the public restrooms on the ship if at all possible.

We are the same. We have never gone to the Indian night and would not go to an Indian specialty restaurant. I might go, but my husband does not like Indian food at all.

Yes, as I said above, the grill on Sojourn was always full--probably because it is so small and staffing/kitchen output was not an issue as it might be for the much much larger grill restaurants on Ovation an Sojourn--and now with the added outdoor capacity. It is my hope that they will be able to fully staff the restaurant and that the kitchen will have the output capacity to serve a full restaurant with the added outdoor space. I hope the kitchen has adequate capacity to do that. I guess we will see. I look forward to trying the new restaurant next July/August!

I was just coming back to tell you that that is exactly what we did. The rest of it is fairly intuitive. It worked ok for us last summer and we have another cruise coming up and I already have it going for that.

I can't remember how I downloaded the app now so I am not of much help--but not ignoring your question. I'll try to figure it out and come back--unless someone answers your question sooner.

After a number of cruises on Seabourn ships, I got the impression that the numbers in the TK Grill were limited not by capacity but due to staffing--and perhaps kitchen output ability. I could be wrong about that, but that is what it looked like to me as the Grill always had empty tables on the larger ships. When we sailed on Sojourn, the grill was mostly fully populated.

Of course they are eaten in the US. Many of our favorite restaurants in our city serve all three--on the same menu.

I agree with you about lamb on Seabourn ships--we've had some wonderful lamb entrees. I know you are kidding about macaroni and cheese being fine dining. Of course it is not. But what it IS is a typical side dish offered at good American steak houses. Would I ever order it at an American steakhouse? No, I would not. Have I tasted it at the TK Grill, yes I have and it was well done. I know people from the UK were aghast that it was being served, perhaps not understanding that it is usually offered at American steak houses--even high end ones. The same with the ice cream sundaes. Yes, it is a very simple easy dessert to make, but it is a classic dessert usually offered at American steak houses. And this is what the TK Grill is--an American steak house. Do we frequent steak houses in the United States? Not very often--perhaps once every five years. They are popular for business dinners and that sort of thing.

Thanks for this. I think the issue is that we seldom look at the website since it has been difficult to navigate.

We have NEVER been offered the returning customer discount and we have cruised with SB quite a bit. I guess we've never been interested in their less popular cruises that it applies to. All of this is unclear. I actually believe that "offers" are somewhat of a racket.