commodoredave

But the marketing is really good

All the budget is now spent on marketing rather than operations.

Totally agree. One of the agents said there had been some unexpected issues that are delaying checkin. We have now been here for an hour. Beginning to feel like a megaship boarding.

Please allow me to clarify. I was hallucinating. There is no Blacklane booking outside of your home country and no time difference in booking. I was thinking of booking the Royal Albert Hall and my fingers mistyped.

Seems the Brits like Seabourn more than most cruise lines, at least that's according a survey that appeared recently in the Daily Mail. I'm not sure we North Americans have the same expectations, but I will note that Seabourn ranked higher than most ultra-luxury lines. The best and worst cruise lines of 2023 revealed by Which? - and Noble Caledonia is number one | Daily Mail Online

Has anyone else had this issue? I live in Toronto and I booked the time for our Blacklane pickup as 10:30 am in Lisbon, it accepted that time and showed in on the booking. Later, when I got my email confirmation the pickup time had changed to 3:30 pm. I realized that Blacklane was taking my booking time and converting it to local time, which is 5 hours later. So, I cancelled the original booking, went back in, and booked my ride for 5:30 am. Sure enough, the Blacklane email confirmation arrived stating the pickup time was 10:30 am. I am the only one experiencing this?

I agree with respect to the recently announced Crystal itineraries. After seeing how boring and pedestrian they are, I put off trying them again in favour of another SS cruise to Japan.

For me, a good cruise director can do one of those well; a great CD can do both really well.

My wife and I are in our early 70s, and we cruised on the Odyssey last winter and will be sailing the Amazon with Seabourn this fall. Our attitude is that if younger people (50s and 60s) on board can’t keep up with us, that’s their problem!

Thanks, i would love some. We plan to spend 2-3 nights there in October.

Thanks, Terry. We are planning to sail on an expedition ship, which might involve some Zodiac and other out of the ordinary excursions.

Thanks to all for the helpful comments. We enjoy seeing interesting and historic architecture, experiencing local culture, and enjoying great local food. Sounds like no more than 1-2 days in Manaus with the rest in Sao Paulo would suit us. Another question: Is it better to take an Amazon cruise that has zodiacs for shore excursions, or does it not really make much difference? Thanks.

Thanks for the insights. With respect to air, the SS pricing seems too high from Toronto. I’ve priced doing it on my own and found much better deals. Any thoughts?

Fabulous itinerary and well priced. And full expedition! I’ve asked my TA to check with Seabourn and confirm there will be no zodiacs on the Amazon cruise. If so, I’m moving on. thanks.

We are booked on the Barbados to Miami voyage departing March 1 2024. Looking forward to our first cruise with Explora.

I have been hoping to do a Japan intensive cruise for several years, and the Muse has several departing in April 2024. Any advice on whether this might be a good option, and if so, do you have a cabin recommendation? Thanks.

Ps - please let me know which other options you think are better as I am actively looking for an alternative. Thanks.

Fletcher, I agree with you. Why pay the extra money for an expedition ship when none of the expedition benefits will be included. I am currently booked on the Amazon cruise from Barbados but will likely cancel and choose another cruise line for this voyage. If one looks at the prices for non-expedition but luxury line ships on Amazon voyages, they are less expensive than the Pursuit. Why would anyone want to pay more for less?

Starting to plan our Amazon River cruise. Not taking the cruise air, and we are planning to fly home from Manaus via Sao Paulo as it works best for us. Question: If we have 4 days after the cruise ends in Manaus, what is the best division of that time between Manaus and Sao Paulo? Thanks.

For me, most of the true luxury lines (Silversea, Regent, Seabourn, etc.) are equally good and I do not give all of my business to just one. What makes the difference for me in choosing one over another is ship, itinerary and price. When one line has a good deal on an itinerary I want to experience, at a time I want to do it, and on a ship that I really like, I book it.

Did back to back on the Odyssey in February. We had 2 caviar in the surf at Carambola Beach. And the turn-over day in St. Maarten was seamless. No need to get off unless you want to. We went ashore to the beach for lunch. About 35% of our passengers continued on for the next leg.

Received an updated itinerary for this cruise from Seabourn yesterday and it now shows stops at Georgetown, Guyana and Paramaribo, Suriname. In addition, additional calls in Brazil and more information about them provided. Itin looking better than ever!

Just sent you an email.

Smart move with the switch to BA. One of our credit cards is linked to BA, the other to Air Canada. We've had a lot of success with BA to Europe, and AC south to the US and Caribbean.

Using air miles requires a strategy based on the airline, its alliance partners, and when seats become available. And some times a little flexibility on dates. There is actually a website that gives tips and advice on this. And to get business class, it also requires lots of air miles. We have lots of air miles thanks to doing lots of business travel before retiring, and because we put every expense we can through two credit cards - each linked to a different airline. Over the last 7 or 8 years we have not paid for a single business class ticket anywhere, and we travel a lot -- 8 flights this year. I estimate we have easily saved over $20,000 in airfares this year alone. Plus, I get to pick the airline, the route, the seat and usually the date of travel. Using airmiles is not for everyone, but for those who can figure out how to make it work, it's usually better than using the cruise line's air.