SLSD

2 hours ago, Mauzac said:

I know people knock the Colonnade, but we had a couple of excellent evening meals there, sat outside with just dimmed candle type lights.  It was lovely.  Not just for the dimmed lights, which I like 😂, but the 3 courses were really very good.  One lamb dish in particular, and I am not a great fan of lamb!  

 

Earth & Ocean I love, unfortunately weather closed it down a few times in Norway.  Once we braved the elements, another time it was wonderful sunshine all night 🌞 

 

I have to be in the mood for the MDR, and we did have some fun there dining with others.  I, too, prefer the MDR on the smaller ships, not sure why.  

We are going to give the Veranda of the Colonnade a chance on our next cruise.  I have had the evening meal of the TK ribs some years ago in the Colonnade.  The food was good for that particular meal.  

42 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

Yes Explora is on the horizon.

The Encore/Ovation dining room for me is not a place that I can have dinner in.

Breakfast yes but alas it is rarely open.

The smaller ships have a much better feel in the Restaurant.

It's about time that I got back on Sojourn which has always been a favourite of mine.

Sunday off to Pursuit. 

I would say you should join us on Sojourn next July/August, but I think it is booked.  At least that is what our TA says and it appears the same on the website.  I do agree that Sojourn's MDR has a much different feel from Ovation/Encore.  I think it also makes a difference where you sit.  This last June on Ovation, our favorite waiter's tables were right in the center of the restaurant.  Not ideal for us.  I felt totally surrounded by people.  We usually prefer to dine on the edges of the dining room--even on Sojourn.  

1 hour ago, markham said:

You are extraordinarily patient, IMO. But never mind that… what is wrong with making a thoughtful suggestion/request/demand/whatever if the result is you see for yourself what these 4 ships plus Ray have to offer? You will be outta the heat with a new routine in the cool. It will be good for him. And for you.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

I totally agree Markham and I did all of the above except for the demand.  Actually, he would have sailed Silversea if I had just booked it.  But, we will be celebrating our 48th wedding anniversary during our cruise next summer and we didn't didn't get this far without being patient.  It's a case of one of us liking to experience new things and the other of us enjoying the known.  There were two itineraries that worked for us--one 14 days and the other 28.  In the end, the longer itinerary won out on a day where the temperature reached 109 where we live.  We'll get there I think--on our next cruise.  

35 minutes ago, Isklaar said:

 

We have a situation such as this in our house too. When/if we are able to travel together again one of us is open to considering SS again (the new ships only), however one of us is not. In the meantime I may be in the market for a solo cruise in late Autumn this year. SB itineraries don't interest me. Will take a look at SS but would prefer a line with more attractive single fares!

Our choice of itinerary for next summer is driven by a need to get out of oppressive heat next summer AND our love of Norway which we discovered this past June. We're adding Iceland this time.   I COULD insist that we sail Silversea--and we would--but I don't like to insist that my husband do what I want to do just as I don't like him to insist.  Like you, I would only consider the new Silversea ships such as Dawn, Muse, Nova, etc.  For some reason, I'm not finding the photos/videos of Nova to be that appealing.  I'm sure it is a beautiful ship.  

6 hours ago, markham said:

SLSD,

 

Dinner at Earth and Ocean is OK for what it is: 3 choices of appetizers, 3 mains and 3 desserts, but for very very few people, only those who can grab tables. (Wouldn’t it make sense to have a reservations system as TKG does to manage the space better and more fairly?)

 

And you are right: Seabourn has too few dining options, and when those that are offered and either not offered (MDR breakfasts and lunch on many cruises without prior notice on some rational basis) or what is there is a rugby scrum - the Colonnade - well, that is not luxury, no matter what those who defend the brand will chirp. And then there are the 3/3 limit of choices on the MDR lunch menu (as at E&O) when the place is open. This is just not luxury; it’s farcical and you are on vacation.

 

Sooner or later I trust you will try the newer 4 Silversea ships. We recently left Dawn and enjoyed the deep variety of authentic and deep menus at our different choices for our daily meals. And who doesn’t like Italian food at either La Terrazza or Spaccanapoli? Just tell your husband it’s gonna be a treat- like visiting a new sophisticated European truly 5 star hotel. And about those missing soaps on Seabourn, no problem with Bulgari the house brand and many other choices, and also bath salts etc, something luxury hotels have but Seabourn doesn’t.

 

Try it. We did and not know what we are getting and not getting on Seabourn as we wind down our deposits and rolled up past reservations.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Mr. SLSD is resisting booking a Silversea cruise, even though we have sailed with them and enjoyed it at the time.  Perhaps I will find a way to convince him.  It will probably depend on our 28 day cruise on Sojourn next summer.  In the meantime, we have three domestic trips planned, so no time to cruise.  

3 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

I eat in TK most evenings 

Only twice in the MDR this cruise and room service three times.

Never Colonnade for any meal.

Restaurant closed breakfast and lunch.

3 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

I eat in TK most evenings 

Only twice in the MDR this cruise and room service three times.

Never Colonnade for any meal.

Restaurant closed breakfast and lunch.

You sound a bit like us. I could dine on the TK appetizers and do fine.  I haven't been a fan of their steaks and some of the other entrees.  I like the Dover Sole.  We won't discuss the closure of the Restaurant for breakfast and lunch again. Now tell us,  How do you manage to get a table at the TK most evenings?  

53 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

Seabourn has Earth and Ocean which has been very well received albeit with a small selection that changes each evening.

This restaurant dishes up hot food consistently which is more that can be said of The Restaurant and the Colonnade.

TK Grill is at capacity every evening and the TK bar with the pianist is for me the best place for a pre dinner drink.

On Silversea Atlantide is the most consistent restaurant with the best service and selection of food.

The SALT bar is the place for me for a pre dinner drink.

Both are good but the Nova class for Silversea is getting rave reviews as is the  Pursuit from Seabourn which is where I'll be from Sunday.

No day at sea is bad is it,

Earth and Ocean is our very favorite restaurant on the SB ships--but, it is subject to the weather and not always available.  The Restaurant disappointed me a bit on our June Ovation cruise. I know that this is a highly subjective comment, but I am sticking with it. It was the first time I've been disappointed in the main restaurant.   And we never dined in the Colonnade except for the first day at lunch on the Veranda. We'll branch out a bit more next time and at least try to dine there in the evening on the veranda.  I just find the indoor venue very unappealing.    

2 hours ago, markham said:

Mr L,

 

Since we don’t know what any Saudi buyers might have wanted to buy and for how much, we don’t know what CCL might have thought about spending on Seabourn’s future. As far as those of us who have historically enjoyed the product it is rather unfortunate that the classic ship design vision thing was apparently sorta flat just a years ago. Could Rick Meadows, ex-HAL, have upped the game beyond what was delivered ie Encore and Ovation? I guess not or we would have see Seabourn in a far better competitive position today. Sure, there’s always catchup in the industry, but these times are sure much tougher.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

I think the biggest mistake SB made was not anticipating the need for more diverse dining venues in keeping with the idea of a luxury cruise line.  While they instituted the TK Grill, it has not been universally popular.  I think just having it as a third exceptional restaurant would have been more of a winner.   I know I sound like a broken record, but a buffet is so downmarket.  Silversea was more imaginative and came up with the idea of the Salt Kitchen--an idea I really like.  I know you like a walking track and I would like that as well.  Too bad they did not/could not design a ship that had one.  In addition, I 've never thought the idea of The Club has been effectively realized.  Maybe I am wrong about that?  

10 hours ago, tv24 said:

We enjoyed our Atlantic crossing on Oceania a few years ago.  The ship was beautiful and the passengers friendly.  We were excited about the cuisine, Jacques Pepin and all of that, but in the end we were underwhelmed.  It was just good, not exceptional.  And it was impossible to get a reservation in the specialty restos.  Our friends made a joke that the woman in charge of reservations should have been named "Dr. No" since no was the only word in her vocabulary. We got into the restaurants by showing up 8:30 when most venues were emptying out.  Which leads me to the most surprising observation:  There was nothing happening on board in the evening!  Everyone ate early and went back to their staterooms.  And this was on a crossing where there were only a couple of ports.  A big contrast to our Seabourn experiences where there was usually something going on in the evenings and lots of friendly people to hang out with.  We will return to O someday, but we are not in a hurry.  We will be on Seabourn in November.

Do you think the lack of people out and about on Oceania cruises after dinner has to do with the fact that alcohol is not included?  We know people who book Oceania instead of Seabourn because they do not want "to pay for alcohol for others" when they themselves do not drink alcohol.  Or, is the passenger demographic even older than Seabourn?  Just curious.  

Definitely go if other things are included.  It just wasn't our favorite out of so many wonderful places in Istanbul.   Definitely go to Topkapi and the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.  

7 hours ago, lisa6191 said:

We have an Seabourn excursion planned while we are in Istanbul that is supposed to depart at 1:30 pm. The place we are going (Dolmabahce palace) is right where we will be doing our morning sightseeing anyway (on our own, not with a ship tour). Is it possible to meet up with the excursion at the palace, or do we have to go back to the ship to be checked in or whatever? If we have to start from the ship I will need to rethink my plans, because that makes no logistical sense.

 

Thanks!

8 minutes ago, Westiesheepie said:

. When it was finally cleared, us 2nd class citizens had to line up to get a colored band and wait for the color to be called to for the tender. Meanwhile the penthouse guests could go whenever they wanted. The crew member literally barred me from going to the tender because they hadn't called my color yet. I facetiously asked him would this be the same protocol if we were evacuating? The suites gets in the lifeboats first? There are many more examples. Just left a bad taste.

I am loathe to sail with a cruise line that treats people differently by suite choice.  We have NO desire for a larger suite than the basic veranda.  It would not increase our enjoyment to have a more expensive suite.  

36 minutes ago, Westiesheepie said:

We did a post covid cruise on the Ovation Oct 2021 and noticed the decline of service with a lot of inexperience crew members. A slight drop in food quality but it was the drop in service that was very noticeable. Totally understandable since it was one of the first cruises resuming after covid. 
 

Very interested to find out if everything has improved. Looking forward to our Encore cruise in Feb 2024 Asia cruise. I heard welcome gift of soaps is scraped. Are they still giving out the tote bags? We got one in 2021.

We were not given a tote back in June 2023, but I have read that they have been given out on some cruises.  Fortunately, I have a few of them at home and will tuck one into my luggage next time.  

3 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

We tend to steer clear of buffet. If staff is serving the food (as they also do on Viking) it can be more reassuring depending on the quality of food - early mainstream cruise memories,  and their buffets always deters me from those areas. 
Thank you for the O feedback. 

I was reading a restaurant review for Indian restaurants in our fine city just yesterday.  The food critic downgraded any restaurants which serve only buffets saying, "as we all know, the best food is not to be found in a buffet."  

10 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

No problem with senior officers on Encore this last two weeks.

All evident and accessible.

 

I think our captain's only rudimentary English kept him from meeting and greeting as much as many.  No criticism here--just an observation.  

6 hours ago, lincslady said:

Depends whether it is a homogenous organised  group travelling together, or just the usual random couples, singles and friends, surely.

I've seen the vibe change considerably even when it is random couples, singles and friends.  One of my favorite cruises was an itinerary which began in Amsterdam and included ports in Poland, Germany Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark.  We then had another week (a B2B) which included St. Petersburg.  The passengers who embarked for the St Petersburg leg were totally different.  All of us who remained from the first itinerary noticed it. 

21 minutes ago, saminina said:

Scenic, Windstar, Explora, scattered about.  It's always been a transient industry, but it's been a mass exodus with SB.   Long before Covid, we spent time on Sojourn and found our favorite bartender and executive chef from that cruise on board Europa.   We all departed Sojourn and hopped on Europa within a month of one another.   Strange to go shopping with the chef in Walvis Bay and reconnect a month later with a different company.  That's the fun part of cruising.

We encountered an excellent crew on Ovation in June.  In fact, we had the best service we have had on any Seabourn cruise so far.  

4 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Sometimes that a bad thing.

 

Sometimes it's a good thing.

 

 

Exactly.  Each embarkation group changes the vibe of the cruise.  

3 hours ago, midwife said:

We are fans of Seabourn having done 4 cruises pre COVID. We have now booked our first post COVID Seabourn cruise for early 2024. 
 

Our question is: what changes have you seen to service, food or ships since COVID? 
 

 

We have only taken one cruise post Covid--it was in June--the coast of Norway on Ovation.  I have to say that in some ways, it was one of our best cruises ever.  We were fortunate to experience impeccable service in every venue with excellent crew members.  Perhaps we were just exceptionally fortunate.  It is hard to tell.  I did feel (and this is very subjective) that the food in the Restaurant in the evenings was not as good as before.  Others may disagree.  We never do the buffet in the Colonnade, so I can't comment on that.  We were very fortunate that the Restaurant was open every day for breakfast and for lunch--and we thoroughly enjoyed both and have no complaints.  We loved Earth and Oceans.  The excursions were ok (not outstanding) and the buses could be crowded.  We did see a lot and loved everything we saw--so I don't really have any complaints there either.  We never saw the Captain or many of the other officers--which is a change.  

1 minute ago, Vineyard View said:

I just checked our B2B next April on Encore and most categories are open on both segments. All this talk about large group bookings on B2B has me wondering about our choice. It seems that SB doesn’t like booking 14 day segments. That scenario would ruin the total experience for anyone not part of that group. 

I'm very concerned about the same thing.  Any time a whole new group of passengers embark, everything changed onboard.  

38 minutes ago, CalTexCruiser said:

Has any fellow passenger actually given this crass self-entitled person a verbal what-for?

 

These types of people MAY back off on their selfish behavior if confronted. 

 

We have a selfish neighbor that used to allow her dogs to roam unleashed on our street but after we got into it with her she has since (1) kept her dogs off the streets, and (2) avoided us.

 

Seriously?  I don't think that's our place as Seabourn cruisers to confront anyone.  I personally witnessed the dog owners vicious verbal attack on a fine excursion guide.  Along with the rest of the Seabourn passengers, we left the room--and later gave our guide accolades, tipped him well, and offered our apologies for the crass behavior.  

2 hours ago, Utopia1 said:

Ross will be on the Encore.  Many of us are disappointed because he was scheduled to be on the Ovation at that time.  The switch came in May.   Although I am disappointed that he will not be on the Ovation-- I wish him a wonderful Happy Birthday.  He has the talent of spreading happiness and deserves a special celebration.

 

I have to agree that Ross has the talent of spreading happiness.  That is such a good description.  My favorite memory is Ross using a slang British term that we Americans were clueless as to the meaning.  I did a bit of quick googling and was gobsmacked and speechless.  This man can get away with things that no one else can--and still not offend.  I know not everyone likes Ross's style.  Some may say he is Carnival style.  That would be abhorrent to me.  I say he is a rare talent.  He certainly won us over.  

1 hour ago, frogfish12 said:

Hi not sure where to ask this... I'm considering a Caribbean cruise on Silver Moon but after reading the comments here and on 2 popular review sites about inedible food, itinerary changes etc. I'm scared to book. Seabourn has better reviews but Itinerary is the reason why I'm thinking about cruising (my first cruise) and I like those on Silversea best. Do missed ports due to "weather" happen quite often? Are included excursions that bad? packed buses, canceled last minute etc

 

It seems things have really gone downhill on Silversea since last year. Other cruises I'm considering are Explora, Regent and maybe Celebrity. Thank you

 

Both Silversea and Seabourn are very good cruise lines.  Your experience will vary as every cruise is different.  Many who cruise Silversea suggest staying with the newer ships Muse, Dawn, Nova, etc.  Others prefer the older smaller ships.  It is the same with Seabourn.  While we prefer Ovation and Encore, we are sailing with Sojourn next summer.  No one likes crowded buses, but they happen.  There are always last minute cancellations of ports, excursions etc.  It just happens.  Whatever you choose, you will probably have a very good time.  Personally, we do not book Caribbean cruises because we try to avoid seven day cruises with party people.  Perhaps that is what you are seeking.  Everyone is different.  

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Maybe the dog will chew on a plastic duck and choke.

 

 

The dog is not at fault, so we wish the canine no ill will.  It is the owners who are somewhat crass and ill mannered.  We don't wish them ill either.  We just abhor their behavior.  

26 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Of course they are - would you be able to remember all the countless passengers you had met over the past few years?  Although they often do remember you when they see you again, and I for one think it is a pleasant thing to do, and am glad that Seabourn does encourage it and give them the help they need.

I totally agree.  And the fact that a crew member we had never met before was able to pull up our wine preference from a previous cruise was very impressive.  I totally applaud the fact that they have computer help.  I did not mean to imply otherwise.  We have sometimes sailed on SB where WE remembered a crew member by name (of course they also have nametags) and he did not remember us.  That's ok too.