Viking1966

I was on the previous Venture cruise and we did not experience issues with staff shortage. A lot of staff however signed off after our cruise so I know there was some turnover. Our interaction with expedition staff members was exemplary.  We did miss a couple of landings due to weather which is to be expected. My understanding is sites in Antarctica have to be booked well in advance which might have influenced the decision to go south. Our only major complaint about our cruise was the food. The food described on the menu is not served and quality. Cannon of lamb vs lamb chops, Ribeye steak prep vs prime rib of beef, and I can go on. Food quality has a long way to go to match the rest of the experience. We like the expedition cruise experience but will take a break from cruising next year, hoping Seabourn will step up its game.  

I will take the plunge on our upcoming cruise to Antarctica on the Venture. I hope they will have some Aquavit available pre and post-plunge. So much better than Jaegermaister.  

Service for formal night was good, not perfect. The food was great. Do question Rigatoni as the Chef Special, but I had the lobster.

5 hours ago, kjbacon said:

All of these posts offer helpful insights and thoughts. I’m not sure how much financial trouble SB is in right now but they are only setting themselves up for worse. 
 

They had no problem charging us for our 38 night cruise in the Wintergarden suite and also had no problem letting us deal with absurd waits every day to order breakfast that was more often than not incorrect and or unpresentable. That is but one example of way too many.

 

There were so many mess ups on our cruise that we had to work to find the positives and yes, I am well aware that these are first world problems. But I’m also well aware that we are comparing SB to luxury cruise lines as opposed to a Motel 6. The fact is that I went easy on SB in my live from thread.

 

I am finding myself more put out by this as time goes by and they continue to provide substandard service for the same price to the guests. At the time, we figured that these things can happen and ok, we pulled the short SB straw. Now, it is clear that SB is making a daily decision to shortchange their guests. 

You can vote with your wallet, you have other options. 

16 minutes ago, jsiegel said:

We plan on doing that as one can get champagne or a drink anywhere, anytime (within posted hours) and hors d'oeuvres right before dinner is too much food for us. I don't want to miss the twice baked goat cheese souffle tonight.  Our dining companions eat multiple appetizers so we'll be asking the wait staff to serve us the next course without waiting for them.  Our friends are agreeable to this, we'd done this successfully on another cruise line. 

Hope you have a splendid evening.

Tables can be reserved in the Restaurant for groups 5 or larger. The MD suggested the approach said he would set table for 5 even though we are 4. My parents have hearing issues in large crowds; so a quit area of the restaurant is important. We have made a connection with some of the staff  and enjoy spending time with them. 

Jackie

I would recommend arriving early for dinner, skip the Cap reception.  Communicate upon your arrival your expectations for dinner. 

Good morning. We had a day with beautiful weather yesterday and the good weather continues today. We spent a leisurely day walking around in Trois Rivieres. Today we are doing the hop on hop off bus in Quebec.

Service in the Restaurant did indeed start off slow. Just about every guest on the Quest arrived at the same time. We were seated last in our area and expected a wait. After the first course arrived everything was on point. We are very happy with service in our section and now laid claim to our table for the rest of our cruise besides days we plan to eat in TK and the Colonnade. 

All in all I think the staff handled the rush very well. There is just no way the kitchen could produce food to every table at once. Some of us unfortunately had to wait. Told 385 pax on this cruise. Look forward to our day in Quebec. Arriving a couple of hours late due to river traffic. 

Dinner in the Restaurant last night was good. Service was good. First night we stayed with the complimentary wine offerings. Obtaining the list today to find our favorites. 

Have we stumbled on a good section in the Restaurant? We shall attempt to confirm tonight by sitting in the same area.

I will only talk about this hot 🔥 topic issue  once. If you have a dress code, enforce it. Many jeans 👖 observed last night in the Restaurant. Humanity seems to be involved in a race to the bottom of what is considered Elegant Casual. 🤔 Tomorrow is formal night🙏🤣

The rest of the story! Centuries ago travel involved the risk of bandits. Today we have to navigate a myriad of ever changing apps and electronic forms that need to be filled out. My father got tripped up on the Canada ETA which he forgot to fill out. Denied boarding and a day of stress and anxiety ensued. Got the form completed and flights rebooked for the next day. Then the flight to Montreal had to return due to landing gear issues.

Thanks to German efficiency a new plane and crew was made available. A smaller plane, so the usual bribes of free hotel and $$$ ensued and 6 hours later the flight was on its way. Arrived in Montreal around 11pm. My dream of sleeping inn the next morning shattered by my parents not adapted to the time change. A small price to pay. My father's relief was palpable as he enjoyed lunch at the Colonnade. Good to be back!

Great start to our cruise. Arrived 3 hours before our assigned boarding time. On board and thru the various check points in about 20 min. Then to the Colonnade for lunch and a glass of wine. A short walkabout the ship, reservations made at Thomas Keller for 2 nights. Check in at the muster station. Onward to our cabin for a little unpacking, so good to be back.

Our room requests made and a promise all will be ready when we return from dinner. We have decided if we are going to make up the future, we will make it positive and see what happens. A little relaxing time before we head to the Observation bar for a cocktail, followed by dinner in the restaurant. All is well on the Quest. 

Spoke to soon the fridge door just fell off LOL.  For a split second I thought to endeavor to fix it and remembered where I was. Should be an easy fix with a phone call.

My better half informed me no night cap tonight as we got up at 6 am. A story for another day. I am going with the flow, maybe a night cap will be in my future. Time will tell.

Boarding the Quest in a couple of hours Looking forward to our cruise with my parents. Hope service issues will improve. Thanks to everyone reporting on the Quest over the last few weeks. Not sure I am the right person to continue the trend, but hopefully someone on this trip will. 

Any waiter's recommend in the main dining room? We will be embarking the Quest on Oct 4th? 

Let me know how boarding goes. We are scheduled to board at 3pm but have to leave apartment by 11am. Was planning on arriving early😇

Good luck with the weather, I hope Fiona heads out east. We will be boarding the Quest on Oct 4th so I will be following your thread with interest. Would you recommend Modavie for dinner? Unfortunately many restaurants I want to visit are closed on Monday's. 

Funny you should ask we have the same issue and our time is 3pm. We are just going to show up after we check out from our VRBO apartment at 11 am and see what happens. Read several places that they do not enforce it, and at the very least we can drop off our luggage and board later. 

We are getting on the Quest on October the 4th. I must admit I am really worried and disappointed about your reporting about the food. Looks like we have to lower our expectations drastically. Have you addresses this with management on board?

Thanks for all the information. We are sailing on the Origin June 11th after a pre-cruise trip to Machu Picchu. My wife and I love seafood so we will skip the pre-cooked beef. Not a big fan of cooking my own food, can do that at home, but I suspect we will give it a try one evening? We are big foodies and love good wine. How is the food for dinner in the main dining room? Dress casual country club? Not bringing a jacket!

We are excited about the kayaking so I will sign us up on the first day.  

Anybody else on the June 11th cruise?

We have not been on Silversea yet, but planning a Galapagos cruise next year on the Origin for our 30th wedding anniversary including Machu Picchu. We have sailed with Seabourn several times, and first thing we do is obtain a current complimentary wine list, and they never have a problem providing it. On a longer cruise we will get an updated list as they do run out of wines from time to time which are replaced with a different choice. Cannot imagine why this should be a problem for Silversea.  Really hope the can stock my cabin with my favourite Gin Hendrick and tonic Fever tree light without a upcharge. (no charge a Seabourn)

Markham sorry I meant Sojourn !!!

My understanding is the schedule will be out in August mainly due to the arrival of the new expedition ships in 2021 and 2022. I am sure the Cuba change also has an effect. Ody will of course be on a world cruise. My guess from talking with Seabourn is the Quest will see the biggest schedule change and this is taking Seabourn some time to figure out. I am anxiously waiting for the schedule to come out as I want to take an Antarctica cruise on the Quest in Nov 2020 before the expedition ships take over on much shorter cruises for the same price out of Ushuaia. 

Quest does not have a Sushi Bar. Just Ovation and Encore!!

Yes ask in advance either the day before or at breakfast.

Usually sushi not available in the Colonnade but I have on several occasions asked for a Sashimi plate at lunch (Ody class ship) and they have always made it available. Ask the restaurant manager. If you ask in my experience the staff will always make an effort to provide. 

On 4/13/2019 at 1:55 AM, markham said:

SLSD,

 

We will embark Sojourn in Shanghai and disembark in Vancouver. Lots of sightseeing and sea days in all these culturally rich and varied ports across several timezones. A true adventure!

 

See you soon.

 

Happy and healthy cruising!

We are emarking in Shanghai and disembarking in Kobe. See you on board. Observation Bar at sail away? Anders and Karen here