secoma4

Closing MDR on non-sea days makes sense. Our experience has been that on those days many people pass through MDR to disembark, whilst numbers are also down due to the excursions and varying start times.

Mmmmm... All very interesting. Maybe once consideration is given to the venue where the safety drill will be held, some idea of the size of MDR will be obtained. Unless there is going to be a larger venue, which doesn't seem likely.

And the $50 special is listed on the Laundry slip in your WIR.

If you give it to the Stewardess when you first get to your Suite there is a chance you will get it back late next day since they won't have the full complement of passengers in the morning of the day you board.

Hi Henry. Of course us old people like dining choice. My point is that shipping lines design and build to the projected tastes and needs of those who will be around during the proposed ship's life span. Presently, that aint us.:eek: The new Encore is doing the "airline thing" in that it is a bit larger but a bit less passenger/space ratio. More rears in more seats in other words. The passenger to crew ratio is slightly less. Just my observation that the future is "more is less" and you will like it".:eek: There will be "luxury" brands just as there will be "fun ship" brands. All the ships coming from but a few yards. Just as Cunard is no longer in the transport business but in the entertainment business, Seabourn is straying far away from the Little Triplets Hi-Lux service and dining. I have sailed only the Little Girls on Seabourn so am basing the changes on postings by long term Seabourn folk including yourself. I have seen the exact re configuring, if you will, on many other lines that used to have high reputations for food and service. Just the way of the world, more and more people everywhere, even on your favorite cruise line.:D

Comments based on a category that no longer exists (and that has been well and truly superseded by the Odyssey class ships) and without experiencing what is currently offered, seems a bit pointless. Our experience, having been on every ship in the fleet (current and previous) is that Odyssey, Sojourn and Quest offer so much more and set a new (higher) standard in all areas compared to the "little sisters".

Some may prefer the intimacy of the little sisters, but I certainly don't miss the aging plumbing, ridiculous pool and relative lack of dining options. My experience is that the staff, service and food remain similar.

Having been on the inaugural Quest cruise we are also booked for the same on Encore. Hopefully the Quest experience is repeated. Whether Encore (without Laundrettes) is better we are happy to wait and see. The one thing we can be sure of, given the itinerary and time of year, is hot, humid weather and the possibility of a cyclone!! The effectiveness of the aircon will be tested.

Sophie has been a CD for about 12 months now. Annabelle was ACD with her.

The Seabourn excursion which goes to Eze and Nice is worthwhile if you haven't been to those parts before. We've been to the area lots of times, and helicopter is great, but if you have a few hour to kill until an afternoon flight the Seabourn option is, in my view, best overall value. If you go by taxi, hire car or helicopter you still have to wait with luggage at the other end. The tour bus is very convenient.

Handre, Sophie and Jan are still there.

Shouldn't matter where you are. My Seabourn should be where you look.

We have always booked V6 on the current ships (around 200 days). But on our next cruise in April we have booked OB. Will be able to respond to your question soon!

We are on the same cruise nowornever, and had picked up the reduction. Just pays t o watch the prices from time to time after booking. But your comment about having to change cabins for the price reduction doesn't right. The reduction is on the category and if if you have booked that category it applies to your booked cabin?

I think flights through Seabourn only really work for US residents. Not offered in our part of the world.

We will be boarding Quest in Monaco and end in Copenhagen. Have done the route before, but this time the ports are generally different. Will clock up day 200 with Seabourn during the cruise and have found, during that time, there have been few instances where expectations have not been met. Like with anything, there can be flat spots, but our experience is that they are rare. One thing that is always pleasing is the continuity of the crew/staff.

Seabourn seem to be offering airport transfers which include an excursion at most disembarkation ports now. They tend to work on getting pax to the airport around 2:00pm. We have found these good value in that, in the absence of the excursion, you have half a day to fill in with luggage in tow. And you have to pay for a cab fare anyway. Haven't done the Istanbul excursion, but used it in Copenhagen and Monaco (tour of Eze and Nice). Even though we had been to both cities before we found the excursion to be well done and interesting. We will be ending up in Copenhagen again in May so will probably take the same tour again as an airport transfer.

Monaco is about 25 km from Nice. Taxi approx 100euro. Port Palace hotel in Monaco is right on the water and almost directly opposite is a small cross Harbour ferry which takes you to the embarkation terminal. Or it's a taxi ride around the Harbour which the hotel will organize.

Dubai is one of those places you may like and be able to enjoy for a few days or be happy to treat as a short stay destination. We travel to Europe, usually via Dubai because of the flight availability, at least once a year. We stayed 2 days on one trip and are now happy to just transit there i.e. Get the next connecting flight. I'm sure we haven't seen all there is to offer, but even after talking to friends who enjoy it more than we did, don't see the point of staying longer.

We won them at trivia. They don't keep liquids hot for very long. But probably ok for what you are wanting them for. You can usually buy them in the shop but you are taking a chance with stock being available.

Apparently yes. Bermuda shorts are not accepted, even if you are from Bermuda and wearing the national dress which is Bermuda shorts will long socks, Bermuda jacket, shirt and tie. They made a mistake in asking a man we were dining with to change.

The ships are heavily stabilized (when required) and I have no hesitation in going anywhere in them.

If you buy anything along the way that needs alteration they will also do that for you. The tailor will come to your suite to pin the alterations etc. better than getting it done when you get home.

You get to that position through logic. The question was why doesn't the free 7 day cruise (after 140 days) "expire" like the free 14 day cruise, which is available after 250 days.

This means that whenever you get to 140 days you are entitled to a "free" 7 day cruise. And if a 2 year expiry rule was applied you would have to do the next 110 days in that 2 years. But there is no expiry rule for the 7 day entitlement - until you hit 250 days.

It's not unreasonable. Get to 150 days and you can, if you choose, take the "free" 7 days. Seabourn is happy for you to keep aiming for the 250 day milestone without a sunset on the 7 days you have earned. And you can use it anytime up to your 250 milestone.

That's what we did. But to get the next "free" 7 days we have to do another 140 days. That is a total of 280 to get 14 days, compared with 250 if you dont use the first 7.

If you got to 140 and could see yourself doing 110 days in the "near" future then holding off for the 250 day milestone may make sense. But if you are playing the odds etc, taking the 7 days at 140 seems to make sense.

Hope this helps.

That's probably because the 7 day free cruise accrues at 140 days. So you can continue to accrue to 250 days to be eligible for the 14 days. If the 7 day entitlement elapsed you would have to accrue the next 110 days in 2 years.

If you choose to take the 7 day cruise (which can be part of a longer cruise) then you lose the 14 day option at 250 days. Effectively, to get your next 7 days you need to do 280 days.

The laundry is returned with a small adhesive numbered tag (on the inside or hem of the garment). This identifies the lot that represents your bag.

My guess is they are combined into a large load with whatever separation is considered appropriate by those doing the work. Everything is then pressed, folded or placed on a hangar and returned to your suite.

Last year we sailed on two legs of the World Cruise on Seabourn Sojourn, and one man on the complete cruise celebrated his ninety nine and a half birthday with a party on deck put on by the crew. At every port he was seen walking up and down the dock, exercising. Another delightful couple aged eighty nine dined in the restaurant every evening, beautifully dressed, and attended all the shows at 10pm. In Sri Lanka, they did one of the eight hour excursions to see the elephant sanctuary. They were interesting to converse with, and had the 'glass half full' attitude to life.

Spirit had been sold at that point, although that timeframe is still outside of the norm. We've been on all the Odyssey class ships and never found an issue with the time taken.