margbem

17 hours ago, markham said:

Who has the problem indeed, and what can anyone do about the “problem”?

 

What people do and say is a minefield. But only if you are trying to make sense of what any of this means.

 

Some of us know “old Seabourn” and I hasten to add that that was not necessarily more than a couple of years ago. Sure there were, even then, characters who did not respect the dress code as it was structured, but most of us were patient about it. (I am talking about those men who chose to wear what they liked after 18:00 in the Obs Bar etc). Next came the hollerers across the bar who had no sense that there were other people around who would be annoyed by their hollering. You know, about their idea of conversation ie projecting all they know, often about themselves, as if anyone cares, except for those who are equally as boorish.

 

Anyway, it seems to me that the “elegant jeans” policy, no signage much less attempt to remind passengers about dress standards, appeals for a more “broad demographic” has been deleterious to the Seabourn brand. It is now anything goes, so to speak, as exemplified by the baggy ancient trousered older male passenger who wore open toed sandals daily in the Quest MDR on our Jan-March Grand Voyage, no questions asked. Which made it not so grand at all. How so? There was the demographic that thought it humorous when staff told them to stay seated in the tenders, only for those passengers to joke among themselves, “what are they gonna do- throw us off? 
 

So there we are. It may very well be time for us nostalgic types to abandon the brand. After all, “times are a-changing”. Simple as that, it seems to me.

 

 

But to whom do we change? After our disappointing cruise on the Ovation in February we looked at other cruise lines but it seems many are experiencing exactly the same issues as Seabourn. 

 

 

On the subject of luggage we purchased Apple Airtags which we found useful on a long trip where a couple of things went wrong on our journey. At least we knew where our bags were!

We have booked a similar trip in February with APT and are flying in a couple of days before, just like you. We have booked the Oriental Jade hotel for the extra nights. Never been before but it gets really good reviews on Booking.com.

We have definitely had both Amaretto and Baileys on many Seabourn ships!

Really loving and enjoying your marvellous descriptions, Flamin_June! Have a fabulous time and keep 'em coming!

1 hour ago, alli.j said:

Hi, we are first time Seabourn guests travelling September 3rd 2023 and would appreciate a referral coupon if anyone is able to provide. 

Thanks in anticipation. 

 

Hi from Yorkshire! I can help if you send me an email to mjberry56@hotmail.com

Margaret

7 minutes ago, Techno123 said:

Hi margbem. I was just reading through a blog I did on here about hubby and his mountain bike and came across your post about the trip from Venice with your family for a big birthday. Did you get your Venice sailaway?

Luckily we did! But that was over six years ago so really glad we managed it. We cruised out of “Venice” last May and it turned into Ravenna. Not quite the same!!

On 3/8/2023 at 9:55 AM, phillipahain said:

If only it was even possible to read this tiny faint fancy print ....

Yes - it wasn’t meant to be like that! My PC converted into this - obviously my lack of skill but people have managed to read it. 

12 hours ago, toolworker said:

How does the basic/free wifi do with Zoom, assuming no hardware or satellite problems.

We used the basic wifi last month on the Ovation. My husband watched a UK football match and we FaceTimed our grandchildren.

10 hours ago, wesport said:

Searched , but could not find. What are the current showtimes on the Ovation? 

We disembarked two weeks ago and generally there were two shows each evening - 8.45 and 10pm.

46 minutes ago, nancygp said:

Thanks for replying.  Do you know why there wasn’t a galley lunch?

 

Nancy

Sorry, no. Never heard it mentioned but we didn’t have a sea day at all so I imagine that’s why.

10 hours ago, nancygp said:

Someone who just got off the ovation said there are no more galley lunches on this ship…posted on another site…is,this true?

 

Nancy

No galley lunches on our recent two week Ovation cruise.

I am really glad that you enjoyed your Ovation cruise, dundeefruitcake. Who knows, we might even have met during the one week that we crossed over on board!

I think the bottom line for us was that we had a couple of issues which weren't resolved to our satisfaction and, coupled with that, because we have been cruising with Seabourn for fourteen years, we know what it used to be like. All the little things added up to cause our dissatisfaction. Fingers crossed for our Encore cruise in September!

17 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

That's always a busy time as earlier diners are by now eating and most guests seem to arrive around 8pm.

I have known times when the Maitre d' will ask guests if they can have a drink elsewhere and they will be contacted when their table is ready for them.

There is also the problem that the MDR cannot accommodate all of the ships guests if they were all to decend on it at once.

I like 8.30 onwards but I generally go to the TK bar and end up eating at TK mostly as early diners have gone by then.

 

Unfortunately, due to the poor food in TK, it didn’t encourage us to dine there. My husband had the T bone veal and it was tasteless and our neighbouring table advised us not to choose the lamb saddle as it was tough and full of gristle. Another guest said her steak was awful and my special starter clam dish had too much saffron and clams that were so overcooked they were inedible.

On previous cruises we have generally gone to the Restaurant around 8pm and always got a table.
 

2 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

Thanks for you Frank report on the Ovation.

What a shame but I understand thatvthere are a few issues with staffing and experience.

I do know that the Encore has been performing well and I will be there soon and again three more times before you get on in September.

What time did you generally go to the main restaurant to dine?

Thanks, Mr L. We generally went about 8pm.

We have used Thai Tour Guide twice when in Bangkok for two day tours. Can't recommend them highly enough!

Just a bit of background: this was our eleventh cruise with Seabourn. Our first was in 2009 on the Legend, our favourite ship! A few more on her, then one on the Spirit, then obviously the little ships were sold so we moved to the Odyssey and the Quest. Our Ovation cruise was the first on the larger ship.

 I have always been a huge cheerleader for Seabourn so to have list the disappointments we experienced is difficult and some people might think I am nit picking but I will tell it how it was. It’s going to be long so if you haven’t the will power to plough through it, stop now!!

First the good stuff. The crew were extremely hard working and very friendly and accommodating even though they were up against it being short on numbers. It was obvious right from the start that the shortage of staff was going to have a huge impact on this cruise and it would not be the Seabourn that we know and love. We had many great servers and built up a friendship with them, as we always do. They really appreciated us asking them about themselves but didn’t have time to chat. 

We met some really lovely fellow passengers and have exchanged emails to keep in touch. We have many old friends who we have met over the years on Seabourn and are still in contact with them.

 We loved the dark wood everywhere and the fabulous art work and ceramics. It really felt luxurious and very different to the O class ships in its décor. The TK Grill restaurant space is so much nicer on the bigger ship, as is the bar there. We spent a few evenings pre and post dinner listening to Neal, the pianist who was amazing. He also involved some of his audience who sang with him. If David from the UK is reading this – you made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck when you sang!

A huge shout out for Kimberley the CD. She was new to the job, having been Asst CD to Ross. She was so lovely, friendly, organised, talented with a great voice and she ran Trivia with a rod of iron. Her Asst James was also a great guy.  Great fun at trivia every day – no, it’s not just a game!!!! And Baggo and putting were interesting, played in the Club, as they have regrettably “pinched” the outdoor space for the Retreat.

The Maitre D’s in the Restaurant and the Colonnade were very efficient and very friendly but didn’t refer to us by name which has always been the case before.

We had some excellent meals in the Restaurant with only a couple of not quite good enough dishes.

The Indian market night in the Colonnade was amazing, especially the Dosas. There was a queue for those, they were so good.

We had a good selection of guest entertainers – Mandy Muden, magician and comedienne who we have seen before. We thought she was hilarious but it seemed that her humour didn’t reach across the Pond as our American trivia friends didn’t like her at all. Pianist/vocalist Martin was great and a little wacky and the young lady singer from the Philippines, Christine Allado, was wonderful.

We went in the Club quite a few times pre dinner and listened to the band. They were really good – thank you Cyrus Sr and Cyrus Jr! An order of caviar to accompany a special bottle of champagne on Valentine’s night was enjoyed very much and when we returned the following evening to finish the bottle the bartender, Bianca had ordered us more caviar – a very thoughtful gesture. Bianca was excellent, but the Club was always very quiet pre dinner – maybe at most ten people yet the drinks took an age to come. One evening we waited 15 minutes for two drinks and there were never the promised “savoury delights”, in fact we had to ask for peanuts. I presume that cocktails/drinks for room service/restaurant must come from the Club and that’s what took her time.

We had two Carambola beach barbecues and caviar in the surf. We are in awe of all the hard work that the crew puts into this – they must be exhausted. A huge thank you for making it so special. 

And a special thank you to Elena, assistant Sommelier who was fantastic. She certainly knows her stuff and was very helpful.

Seabourn Square is brilliant – a great space, nicely furnished and very comfortable, enhanced by Cristian and Festus, the baristas, who made mean coffee and tea, always with a smile even if it was nearly 10pm when we called for coffee and chocolates! We called each morning for tea for breakfast and took it with us to avoid the slow service in the Colonnade.

And now for the disappointments.

We truly have never heard so many people complaining, moaning and discussing what was wrong. The bottom line, as described to us by one of the officers, is that they have not enough staff, many of them are new and in training and it is taking a long time to get back to where Seabourn was. The situation, we were told, was even worse in January and they are working very hard to get back to where they want to be. We acknowledge that and accept that it is happening elsewhere in the industry too and that we should make allowances. We did, but as a fellow passenger said, that’s all well and good but whilst we have a diminished product the cost of said product has not reduced.

We found, as many people have already commented, that the public spaces are not big enough for the extra number of passengers. We couldn’t get an outside table at the Colonnade on a few occasions and there is the wonderful space at the rear of the TK Grill unused. It had a few tables set as overspill for the Colonnade but it was hard enough to get drinks, top ups, hot drinks at breakfast as it was. If you sat downstairs nobody would come to you at all! We were turned away from the Restaurant twice in the evening as it was full and had to wait for 10-15 minutes. Yet there were still the huge tables in there, empty as not many tables were hosted. The service wherever we ate was very patchy. We had long waits to even have our order taken and then one evening we ordered cheese at 9.15pm, only to have to ask for it at 9.40pm when the restaurant was nearly empty in order to go to the 10pm show. Some evenings the water served was warm. Yet some servers brought it with ice already in. We asked our server and he said that they were told not to put ice in but so many of his diners complained about it being warm that he took the decision to ice it although it could get him into trouble.

Our worst meals were in the TK Grill with terrible meat served, tasteless and tough. Other dishes, especially the daily specials were much better.

On our first morning (Anguilla) we went to the Square to get the maps and port info. None to be found, so we asked. “We are not doing them any more as all the info you need is on Seabourn Source”. This ignores the general demographic of the Seabourn market who I am sure would prefer paper and also the extremely limited speed and coverage of the Caribbean cellular service. We made these points and were met with a shrug of shoulders. However, next day and each day thereafter there were printed maps etc. The Guest Services manager told us she had had so many complaints that she had decided to get them printed. Top marks for such a swift response.

We bought the most expensive wine package with our onboard credit, were helped by Elena to choose some bottles but weren’t made to choose them all at the beginning (as we had to last year on the Quest) because passengers had complained that it was a silly system (it was!) as they didn’t know what they were going to be eating. Seabourn had changed this so we could have some put to one side if they hadn’t many bottles and then choose others as we went along with Elena keeping track of what we were spending. Pity the message hadn’t got through to other Sommeliers in the Restaurant. One evening we chose a bottle of Cloudy Bay. It was brought to us but the Sommelier wouldn’t put it down on the table. He held tight to it whilst telling us that we had reached the end of our package and asking us whether we were we going to pay for this one. The discussion went on for a few minutes with other passengers listening intently. It was only when we realised that he thought all our chosen bottles had been put away for us that the matter was resolved. A bit embarrassing!

We booked a Seabourn excursion in Antigua – catamaran sail and lobster lunch. It was brilliant but I had to ask at Seabourn Square whether they could contact the company to ask whether there was an option to lobster as I have a severe allergy to it. It wasn’t a problem if there wasn’t as I could just have the accompaniments. They didn’t know if they could contact them or not. Another shrug of the shoulders. So I found the company on the internet, sent off an email, got an instant response and my chicken was delicious! A friend on board who is Coeliac had flagged this up for the same trip with SS. She asked when on board the catamaran if they had been informed. No. Really not good enough.

No lobster at the beach barbecues! A signature event. The first week the F&B manager came round and explained that their contact on St Kitts had rung every fisherman on the island and there were none to be had. The second week, still no lobster and no explanation. I hope it’s not a cost cutting exercise!. OK for me but people were disappointed. 

And finally (phew) we have “The mystery of the Missing Pyjamas”. At the beginning of our second week my pyjamas, up till now beautifully folded each morning and evening and placed on my pillows, were no longer there. We searched everywhere for them in case they were under the bed etc but couldn’t find them. Our excellent stewardess immediately went to the laundry in case (as we suspect) they had been gathered up with the linen. As the days went on she kept trying to trace them and was very worried as she blamed herself (as did the Guest Services manager). I asked in the Square to see if they were in lost property. The lady there then tried to chase it up and informed head of housekeeping. I was to be kept informed about this search for my PJ’s. But I wasn’t. I asked again, went back to suite for something and when I opened the door to go back out there were three stewardesses waiting to come in to “search” our suite for my pyjamas. Surprisingly they couldn’t find them! So, my PJ’s are still missing and I have put in a claim for their value.

And there we have it. We have an Encore cruise booked in September. Would we cancel if we hadn’t already got flights, hotels etc booked? I am not sure. Hopefully things will have improved by then - we really hope so. We don’t want to leave Seabourn and I strongly suspect that some of the issues we experienced will be happening on other lines too.

I am sorry this is so long but having sailed in May on a much less than full Quest we thought that everything in the post-covid cruising world was lovely, alas this is clearly not the case hence our level of disappointment with our Ovation cruise.

17 hours ago, lincslady said:

Pinot grigio tends to be regarded in the UK as a bit of a second class grape; people I know (including me) generally would rather drink  a chardonnay or sauvignon blanc, if opting for an inexpensive wine.  Rather like prosecco has become a bit second class in many people's eyes, certainly to some of the French fizzies or cava.  Just pour me some Krug and I am a happy bunny (but  it is not included, sadly).

Yes - it tends to be the wine of hen parties! But there are some excellent ones around as well.

4 hours ago, nancygp said:

I had the included Crossbarn Chardonnay on the quest last fall.  I was very pleased with this wine.  It’s available at my local grocery store and the price is just under $25 USD.

 

Nancy

We really liked the Crossbarn Chardonnay too. And the Nine Hats Pinot Grigio is actually very nice. It's a "proper" Pinot Grigio!

5 minutes ago, galeforce9 said:

Thanks for sharing and if you have time I would like to hear your opinion as you always try to give a balanced view and that will serve as a guide to how things might really be 

I keep noting things down as I remember them so will try and put it all together in the next few days. Of course, as always on Seabourn, we met some wonderful people and made new friends with whom we will keep in touch.

Breaking news, Seabourn has a new President…

Carnival Corporation-owned luxury cruise line Seabourn has announced Natalya Leahy is to take over from Josh Leibowitz as president.
Leahy has spent seven years with Holland America Group, most recently as chief operating officer including operational oversight of Seabourn, sister lines Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and P&O Australia, and land operations.
Leibowitz is to leave “to pursue new opportunities” the company confirmed in a statement, adding that Leahy would report to Holland America Line president Gus Antorcha “as part of a structure to build on the benefit of shared services”.
Antorcha said: “Seabourn has earned a top position in the luxury and expedition cruising space, and Natalya’s expertise, background and proven track record in delivering results is ideal to build on that success.
“With her leadership and the introduction later this year of our second purpose-built expedition ship, Seabourn Pursuit, I am confident in the future growth of Seabourn.”
He added: “Josh’s leadership in navigating the [pandemic] pause and return to service proved valuable for Seabourn’s future.
“We appreciate his contributions and wish him well. This business has a bright future with the best in all-inclusive, luxury cruising and now expedition voyages. I look forward to seeing Natalya bring her passion and talent to Seabourn’s success.”
Leahy said: “It’s an honour to join the extraordinary Seabourn team and partners who take personal pride in curating transformative, enriching, one-of-a-kind Seabourn moments.
“We have built unmatched luxury experiences at sea that provide life expanding moments for our guests. I am excited to support and work with our trade partners as we continue to surprise and delight our guests in ways they would never imagine.”
Prior to joining the cruise industry, Leahy held leadership roles with Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola.

Just disembarked the Ovation on Saturday after two weeks on board. Never heard as many people complaining. It got quite depressing. I keep meaning to write about our cruise but it might end up just being a list of disappointments.
 

This is from last week on the Ovation. There were a couple of additional wines, one being a Valpolicello Ripasso. 

10 hours ago, Azamarajunkie said:

I regularly drink Rooibos (Redbush) tea, can anyone confirm or otherwise whether this is available on Ovation, or should I bring my own?

We got off the Ovation today and my husband only drinks herbal teas. He has asked in the past for Rooibos and they didn’t have it so this time he just took an assortment of his own. 
 

The hot drinks service in the Colonnade at breakfast was woefully slow and sometimes the water isn’t boiling so the tea won’t brew properly so we called each morning at Seabourn Square and got take away tea and took it with us. 

“Please excuse me for going off topic. My heart goes out to those people in Turkey who have been devastated by the earthquake. The day we left Cyprus we were in the airport when a number of children and their teachers were waiting for their flight to Turkey, smiling young faces all ready for their trip. Today we learned that 34 out of the 39 children have lost their lives, may they rest in peace.”

Fudge - 
 

So, so sorry to hear this awful news. A terrible disaster for Turkey and its people and for the families of these children.  

2 minutes ago, Isklaar said:

Glad to know you got there. Manchester is our closest airport. In my opinion it's awful. I feel for you being stuck there for 12 hours!

Thank you! Air France got us a day room at the Hilton so we had lunch, a sleep and a bath, at least! If you had seen us getting there, though! The shuttle bus had finished so we walked fromT2. Quite a long way. We had all our luggage with us on a trolley, but then we had to cross the dual carriageway with no dropped kerbs….. we are too old for all this!