SLSD

She may well have been misinformed--but was accustomed to sailing Crystal at PH and above and thought it made a difference. I had no interest in finding out. And yes Lincslady, I think my friend's comment also had something to do with guest interaction. I didn't want to deal with that either.

I agree. I have a close friend who sailed Crystal. We considered it at one time. But, when she told me that we would have to get a Penthouse Suite or above to be able to be on the "level" were were used to--and to be able to be around "the people we would hang out with"--I knew that Crystal was not for us. I've always been very satisfied with the egalitarian ethos on Seabourn. And tipping prior to service is an anathema to us.

We've never gone to SB Square for an issue about how our suite was cared for--or about items we needed (like water or ice forgotten). Instead, we left a note for our stewardess in a very obvious place like on our bed. We found this method worked and we always got what we needed. Maybe you did this and it didn't work?

I hope it will not be as bleak as feared as well. We all have a stake in everyone worldwide having adequate energy to stay warm through the winter. We in Texas are also struggling with grid issues--so I feel your pain Fletcher.

Hopefully, you will recover quickly. Like you, we avoided Covid for two and a half years, have had four vaccinations and recently contracted Covid two days after returning from a domestic driving trip. Our cases were mild and resolved within a week with the help of the anti-viral Paxlovid. It's hard to know exactly where you were exposed--whether on a ship or traveling in another way.

Mr. SLSD is unwilling to pontificate about various scenarios for unsecured creditors. There would be a lot of variables at play--reorganization of Seabourn as an entity, liquidation, Seabourn's assets being purchased by another entity and reorganized under a different brand. Anyone who is concerned about these risks should consult their own attorney prior to any bankruptcy being filed.

I agree with you. Mr. SLSD is a business bankruptcy attorney. I asked him what might happen to Carnival as one of the posters here said that he/she thought Carnival only had a 40% of survival. Here is what Mr. SLSD said: People say Carnival is "broke" and has only a less than 50% chance of survival. This is incorrect if we understand that Carnival is a holding company that owns Seabourn and a number of operating branded subsidiaries. What will happen is Carnival will file a Chapter 11 case in Manhattan or in Wilmington, Delaware. The cruise-line subsidiaries of Carnival will also file, in order to obtain the protection of the "automatic stay" of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, but will as debtors in possession continue to operate their businesses. A commercial bank group, or a group of investment funds, will step up to provide a debtor-in-possession loan to the parent Carnival and the subsidiaries secured by a priming lien on all assets, so the lines will have ample liquidity to pay their going-forward bills and operating expenses. The senior creditors may demand a paydown, so Carnival may need to or wish to sell a major asset, such as Seabourn, for cash. Then the real fun will begin as the groups of creditors--U.S. bankruptcy law treats creditors according to their nonbankruptcy-law priorities--will begin to jockey. Each group, and that includes the Committee of Unsecured Creditors, will hire financial advisors and of course also experienced bankruptcy lawyers. The valuations will make it pretty clear (although this issue can be highly litigated too) which tranche of the "capital stack" is the "fulcrum security," i.e., the tranche of debt, whether secured or unsecured and taking into account the intercreditor agreements as to priorities, below which there is no value of assets. All debts below that tranche are entitled to zero. The parties will bargain about a Chapter 11 plan of reorganization under which the stock of the reorganized Carnival or its successor will be allocated to the classes of debt at and above the fulcrum; all other debts will be cancelled, although it is traditional to "leave a tip on the table" (allocate a small amount) to general unsecured creditors, and the debts entitled to participate under the plan will be exchanged for stock in the reorganized company, thus fixing the balance sheet and restructuring (e.g., the debtors can reject unprofitable or burdensome contracts) the enterprise to go forth and hopefully be profitable. (One alternative is if some deep pocketed entity steps forth and offers to buy other pieces or the whole business for cash or cash and securities.) So it is unlikely that Carnival will totally cease to be.

I don't see it as a holier than thou attitude. I don't think smokers really recognize how their pleasure from smoking intrudes on others in ways I described above. It's really that simple. in most places in the United States, is it simply not allowed these days--and hasn't been for well over 15 years.

The smoking issue confounds me. I live in Texas, which is not the most progressive state and even here we are never subjected to secondhand smoke in a public area, I don't think it is farfetched to assume that one could go on a luxury cruise with a lovely outdoor bar and be equally protected from something that has been proven to be carcinogenic. First, there is the safety issue and then there is the unpleasantness of the smell of smoke. Let's add a third thing--for those with asthma, smoke can trigger it. So--there are at least three reasons for Seabourn to not allow smoking on their ships. Everyone knows that smoke drifts. Why subject the majority of passengers to this?

I think Seabourn is under huge financial pressure right now. They are struggling to survive with less financial backing. I think the caring aspect can disappear under this kind of pressure.

And this. very thing is something I have always appreciated about Seabourn. It is different from other lines and is ONE of the things that has drawn us to Seabourn. Everyone is (supposed) to be equal on Seabourn no matter if you. have chosen a basic Veranda suite or the Wintergarten suite. At the same time, everyone does expect expertly delivered service.

We have been so satisfied with a regular veranda suite for as long as 3 weeks that we would never opt to pay more for larger quarters. I recognize that others see this differently---but I had always assumed that service was the same wherever you were on the ship.

According to a poster on FB (as I mentioned above), an email was received from Gina Luongo, Concierge, Seabourn Reservations detailing their revised smoking policy that will now allow cigarette, pipe and cigar smoking on the starboard half of the Sky Bar on deck 9, to bring these ships into alignment with the rest of the fleet.

I just read in a FB post on Seabourn Sailors that Seabourn has announced that smoking will now be allowed on all Venture itineraries to bring the ship into line with the others in the fleet. This is very disappointing to say the least.

I don't blame you at all for being disappointed and chagrined. We have never opted for a Wintergarten Suite, but if we had, and had substandard service, we would be quite disappointed as well. I am not making any excuses for SB in spite of all the financial distress and Covid issues. It's a difficult time for cruising which is one reason we are sitting out. Instead of coming to the conclusion that Seabourn does not care, I am more likely to say that the company is in distress and a few score of disgruntled passengers seems like the least of their troubles. And yes, I realize it could be a downward spiral. At the same time we hear that Encore, Ovation, and Venture are doing ok. All of this makes me think that the issue is resources: staff, provisions---both of which require financial backing to provide. Perhaps Quest should not have been put back into service.

Isn't it possible that the short staffing may be partially due to a certain amount of financial distress on the part of Carnival, the parent company of Seabourn? On one of these threads I read that one passenger was told that ships had received a directive to reduce stockpiles of provisions. Perhaps the cost cutting is of necessity as is the need to fill the ships even at discounted prices if necessary. I have no doubt that hiring employees is difficult worldwide, but perhaps that is not the whole picture. Edited to add: And then. you have the fact that staff continue to be sidelined by Covid. from time to time.

That is quite a review Catlover. Thank you for posting all the details. We are not complainers (even though we have had to be from time to time) and I agree with you that having to complain takes a lot of the joy out of a vacation. We are still standing by when it comes to resuming cruising. I just don't see a stellar choice right now. We've cruised Silversea and find it rather bland. We have not tried Regent, but think the ships are a bit too big for our liking. This is just not a very good time. We also have some worry about the financial viability of SB--and don't want to book too far in advance.

While you were fascinated by an atlas, I lost myself in Richard Halliburton's Book of Marvels (https://completebookofmarvels.com/. I am going to miss your travelogue! Hopefully, someone else with an interesting viewpoint will step up to the plate. From my perspective, those of you who live in the UK have just a bit of an easier time traveling. You don't always have to cross a huge ocean to be on your way.

I see there is a problem if some "are properly attended to" and others are not. Not an inducement to sail with Seabourn at this time.

We cruise for the same reason you do--to see stuff. Like you, we don't care a lot about the food--or the wine. We do care about being surrounded by low key people who are not uncouth. It's wonderful when it is delightful and the service is impeccable--but that is not what we cruise for. We are not adventurers, but we want to see the subtle things--and those are the images that will remain with us. Thank you for your writing. I know you must have been a professional writer in your previous life.

Gozo also has a nice citadel on a hill. We enjoyed that as well as the town square where all kinds of things were available. We availed ourselves of a local bread (sort of like focaccia) and tea towels. I understand that Gozo is the "also ran" for Malta. I was charmed by their earnestness. We were given refrigerator magnets which still reside on our garage refrigerator. While the stop at the main island with Valetta and Mdina was more exciting, I would return to Gozo. But Fletcher, I totally understand how all. the building cranes could be very offputting.

I applaud you for asking for a refund if SB is not honoring their own announced policy.

Well, that's bad news. While computer literate, I've never used an App in my life. And, like others, usually lock my cell phone in the safe and forget about it. I'm all for conservation, but I think SB should be meeting your request.

Fletcher, You missed the Megalithic Temples of Malta on Gozo. They are probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I found them memorable. We've never been on a Hop On Hop Off bus.

I have no interest in taking my cell phone with me everywhere I go on a cruise. I don't do it at home and certainly don't want to do it on vacation. I understand saving paper, but a ship full of people glued to their phones does not sound very pleasant to me. When we finally cruise again, we will be asking for paper copies of the Herald.