notjaded

On 5/18/2024 at 6:51 AM, imcpa said:

My wife & I recently cruised Silver Muse for 16 nights from Bali to Yokohama, Japan.  After spending two weeks in Japan, we then cruised Seabourn Odyssey for 23 nights from Kobe, Japan to Vancouver.  These are my silly observations and thoughts in random order.

 

·         This was our fifth SS cruise (Cloud 2010, Spirit 2015 & 2017 and Moon 2022) and fourth SB cruise (Sojourn 2018, Ovation 2022 and Encore 2023).  We will on SB Venture late this year.  We love SS but love SB more now.  It is a better fit for us.

·         The SB cruise was the last leg of the Grand Voyage.  I was told there were 220 on board for that and that 100 people boarded in Kobe when we boarded.  Everyone we spoke with was nice and we never felt like we were invading their party.

·         The worst part of SS ships is the lack of a lively, quality Observation Bar.  The worst part of SB ships is the lack of a quality outdoor running track.  We use the gym every day.  I ran outdoors on SS many days, but never did on SB.

·         The worst part of the SB Odyssey class ships is the small gym with a weird layout.  It can easily seem crowded.  Lucky for us on this cruise, we were the only ones in there most days.  The gym on Ovation/Encore is a huge improvement.  We do tend to go to the gym at odd times compared to others.

·         We loved the SB sail away events.  SS did nothing similar. 

·         From the outside looking in, I think SB has the coolest looking ships. 

·         The SS cruise director was Bob (don’t recall his last name).  He was rarely seen around.  The SB CD was John Baron.  He was easy to talk to and visible every day as were many of the SB officers and entertainment staff.  Not so much on SS.

·         The captain on each cruise was visible most days and easy to talk to.  The SB captain was more outgoing in that he would approach people to start a conversation.

·         The guitarist (a big deal for me) on SS was good but used too much backing tracks.  The piano player on SS was terrible with a worse voice.  I still can’t believe SS hired him.

·         Mike Lee was the entertainer in the SB Observation Lounge and was excellent.  The trio in The Club was excellent too.

·         Jobert on SS was the best butler we have ever had (including two Crystal cruises with a butler).  Our suite attendants on SB did a great job and were friendly.

·         On both cruises, we used room service for a simple, light breakfast.  It was nice having the butler deliver it on SS, but the room service staff on SB are excellent too. 

·         On SS, we ate most of our lunches at La Terrazza and had a standing order of plain salmon wraps with the salmon cooked well done and blackened and a side of steamed broccoli instead of fries.  It was always delivered timely and tasted great and we also would sample some food on the buffet.  We dined outside as much as possible.

·         On SB, we ate most of our lunches at Colonnade and had a standing order for a veggie burger (Impossible Burger) served plain and cooked well done with steamed broccoli instead of fries.  It was always delivered timely and tasted great and we also would sample some food on the buffet.  We thought the food quality and variety was better on SB than SS.  We dined outside as much as possible, many times with multiple blankets and had the whole area to ourselves.

·         On both cruises, we ate most of our dinners in the MDR (Atlantide on SS).  For both, we had a standing order of grill salmon cooked well done and blackened with a side of steamed veggies (extra veggies).  Both did a great job with dinner and service was great in both.

·         On SB, we dined at TK Grill (since it is still on Odyssey) five times.  We ordered the excellent crab cakes as our appetizer then again as our entrée.  Service was always great.

·         We ate a few dinners at Hot Rocks on SS but had the same standing order and had them do all the cooking in the back.

·         Put me in the category of those who think SS has too many informal nights (vs casual), especially on warm weather cruises.  A nice pair of slacks and a nice, collared shirt should be enough most nights.

·         We had a standard balcony suite on each cruise.  The SS suite was great but I prefer the layout of SB suites.  I love having the fridge and extra drawers/storage stacked on both sides of the suite between the sleeping area and the living area.  With this layout, there is also a large couch and dining table.

·         On SS Muse, I think the idea of the TVs in the mirrors is a great idea.  There is one in front of the bed and one on the living area.  When they are off, you see nothing but a mirror.

·         On SS Muse, I hated the TVs in the mirror.  The remote was very iffy and if there was any light coming into the suite it created a terrible glare on the screen.    

·         IMO, SB should stop the CD morning announcements at 9:30 AM to go over the highlights for the day (as if we can’t read the paper Herald, read it on our TV or read it on our phone).  

·         It seems SS has a new policy (at least on this cruise) for serving champagne at La Terrazza during lunch.  Instead of keeping a bottle in the ice buckets outside, they kept it at Silver Note.   When we would order a glass of champagne (which we did every lunch), it seemed to take close to 10 minutes to arrive and even then, the glass was barely half full.  After finishing that, it seemed to take many more minutes to get a new glass that was barely half full.  After a few days of minor frustration, I trained Rodger and Jayson (two great Sommeliers) to just grab a new, cold bottle and bring it to the ice buckets as soon as we entered La Terrazza.  They then did a great job of keeping the glasses full.

·         We did two included excursions on SS and they were adequate.  We did not do any SB excursions.

·         SB did an officer Q&A (including the captain) on the Venetian lounge one day and it was very interesting and fun.  I don’t recall this on prior cruises.

·         Both cruises had a guest comedian do two shows and we enjoyed all of them.  The other guest entertainers on SS were OK and the other guest entertainers on SB were good to great.

 

That’s all for now. I may add more if I think of more worth adding.  We loved both cruises and hope to cruise SS again (as well as Regent) and new Crystal for a first time (since we loved old Crystal).

 

Thanks for your post. I am curious about what time was your schedule Yokohama arrival and what time were you able to debark? I'm trying to decide on what time to schedule an intra-Japan flight from Haneda, with a private car bringing us to the airport.

 

Thank you!

On 10/31/2023 at 11:09 AM, notjaded said:

We are on this cruise. My concern is the possibility of deferred maintenance issues, but Ms Notjaded thinks it will be a fun sail 🙂

Just cancelled this cruise. Decided to sail off in a different direction. 🙂

We are scheduled to debark in Yokohama at 6:30 AM. We will have come from another Japanese port.

For anyone who has an experience that might inform: What time will we be able to disembark?

Thank you!

9 hours ago, kej1 said:

We have stayed almost exclusively in the Penthouse spa suites.   On the O class we prefer the corners although as mentioned if the area is windy the deck is not as usable as the inner suites.  Our neighbors who we met on board in 1091 preferred the inner suites as they use it for sunbathing and it’s more

protected.  The window on the side in the bedroom is small ( compared to the suite we are in now on Pursuit where it’s a full half wall of floor to ceiling windows) so to me it’s nice but the thing we really enjoy is the deck although we don’t mind  bundling up if it’s cool or windy.  So a lot depends on if you want more space and wind protection or prefer the side with the peak around the corner view and the small window in the bedroom.

 

On the larger ships the views are not as good as they only have the smallish door and window that is identical to all the smaller rooms.  We actually moved our couch under the tv as we could see out the smaller windows that way.  The inner suites were configured differently with the furniture better located to take advantage of the view.  Anyway we aren’t crazy about the larger ships so prefer the O class.  And do remember there are stairs to get up to the room.  There is an electric chair but I’ve never seen it used.  On one cruise a gentlemen was injured and it was broken so they had to move his room.  So keep that in mind too.  There is an elevator to the spa suites on the larger ships.

Have you found the bedroom window curtain to effectively block sunlight?
 

Many thanks for all your insights. 

9 minutes ago, kahuna21 said:

We had 1090 on Quest. Our traveling companions had 1091, interior, so we saw it.  The closet setups are different and I think the interior suite had a larger closet. The veranda on the interior suite is larger, due to the bump-out. But, I definitely prefer the outer unit 1090 for the window in the bedroom (love this) and the balcony bending around the side. Feels much more open air. We did not have a wind problem.  We have booked the same 1090 for Australia and New Zealand, next January. I imagine you are aware there is no elevator to this level.

Mahalo for your review!  Did you or your friends in 1091 experience any noise from the fitness center below?

9 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

On the Quest a sistership, the 1090/1093 suites have a side window which is quite nice.  They also have the ability to peek around the corner from the veranda, a more open feel. At times there might be a tad more wind right at the corner. This could be a positive or negative depending on the weather. A nice breeze in a tropical location or howling wind in the poles.   I have not been in the 1091/2 suites.

 

Where are you headed?  Look forward to your report.

Thanks for the information. We are doing a circle-UK cruise.

Did you feel that the bedroom window shades adequately blocked light?

Very helpful thread. Might anyone have any pictures or videos displaying the corner suites?

Many thanks!

My wife and I just booked a PH Spa suite on the Soujourn. We are located in one of the outermost suites (1090/1093), rather than the interior suites (1091/2). I'm curious if anyone has experienced both, and which was their favorite location and why?

Many thanks!

Love the putting greens on the Odyssey class ships, but last year when we were on the Odyssey, the green was in terrible shape. We are planning on being on the final voyage in September. Have they fixed the green, or is it still in disrepair?

Many thanks.

Former Celebrity passengers here (although not for years). We like Celebrity, but wanted a smaller ship. Tried Seabourn and have not been back.

Temper expectations. They market it as a luxury experience, and that may lead to dreams of wonderful pampering. Sometimes it happens, but mostly it is just pretty good service.

We have been on seven Seabourn cruises ranging up to 24 days. Have two more booked. It seems to fit our needs. Had some over-the-top/wonderful customer service experiences during our last voyage. One would not get this on a larger vessel.

We live in a community that has wonderful food options. Due to that, we don't have high expectations of cruise ship food. Seabourn is good most of the time, but not as good as our favorite restaurants on land. Temper expectations.

Has anyone done any of Seabourn's fishing excursions, particularly in Ketchikan. There are so many options, I'd be pleased to learn about people's experiences. Would you do it again? Did the boat have a head? Did you catch anything?

Many thanks,

notjaded

Anyone have insights on when Solis appears on the Encore?

28 minutes ago, FlyingScotSailors said:

@notjaded today is turnaround day on the Ovation. We tried to take photos of 1023/1025 but they are occupied by continuing guests. We asked the suite attendants if they were wheelchair accessible suites and they both replied "No".

Thank you so much for your kind effort to verify the status of these cabins. Very much appreciated!
 

Safe travels!

Appreciate any comments from those who may have stayed in these suites or have knowledge of whether or not the PH suites 1023 and 1025 are wheelchair accessible.

The reason I'm bringing this question to the community is different information in various Seabourn publications (pdfs) and Seabourn web pages:

I see one Seabourn pdf deckplan where the suites are clearly marked as accessible.

I see another Searbourn pdf deckplan in which they are are not marked accessible, and the accessible cabins are listed and do not include these suites.

When I try to make a dummy booking, I see the wheelchair sign popping up.

When I call into Seabourn, the agents say that the suites are not accessible. (But, why does their own pdf show them as accessible?)

If anyone has actually stayed in one of these suites, it would be great to know what the reality is.

Thank you!

OP here again with some additional thoughts:

1.  Ms Notjaded commented that the bathroom lighting on V was ill-suited to cosmetic application. She also thought the the placement and design of the makeup mirror impeded in the desk was poor. 
 

2. As the trip planner and higher-end cabin consumer, I absolutely loved that the higher the cabin status, the greater the priority for excursion and restaurant reservations. I understand this is not a popular view. 

OP here with mini-review follow-up. our first Viking cruise is complete. We went on the ship to search for Northern Lights and found them, so we are happy campers. 
 

Our Viking vs SB review:

1.  Like smaller size of SB, but we were not bothered by Viking. 
 

2. Enjoyed the Chef's Table food much more than SB’s TK. 
 

3.  Our V ship much more modern than those on SB we have sailed. Had a huge shower in their PH suite, much bigger than SB. 
 

4. Felt the staff were uniformly customer-service oriented, which was better than our last SB cruise. However, they were constrained by bureaucracy. and the guest services folks did not seem to have the same level of ability to understand and resolve problems without referral to corporate. 
 

5. Food in buffet restaurant superior to Colonade. Loved the noodle and sushi bars. 
 

Overalll, a positive experience and we would not hesitate to consider V on a unique itinerary. 
 

16 minutes ago, duquephart said:

 

Thought you had to go to Napa Valley to do that.

Nah, look at the wine list someone posted up thread. The last item in the first page is a Napa cab for $180. Somehow my wife noticed it.  🙂

OP here with a post-cruise update: My wife was able to find included reds to her liking, which was a pleasant surprise. Our cabin attendant kept stocking our PH with her most recent favorite. 
 

we had $80 of OBC left toward the end of cruise, so in true Ms  Notjaded fashion, she ordered a $180 bottle of wine. 
 

Thanks for all the help. 

OP here with an update: I happened to see the ship's captain right outside my cabin, and was explaining the situation and the various responses of his staff. He immediately said that he sound was normal and the bow was hitting the water. As soon as he said that, he actually heard the sound and felt the vibration and said that it was not the bow, but the metal plates flexing under pressure and the low temperature. I told him that I would like to be able to sleep in a different cabin until so long as this situation persisted.

We were just notified by the housekeeping supervisor that:

1) They are planning to have a welder fix the problem, but they cannot do that while the ship is at sea due to safety concerns.

2) They are giving us a second cabin for us to use as sleeping quarters. 

I thank everyone who contributed useful insights into ocean engineering.

As an aside, I think they owe me a free cruise for bringing this matter to their attention. :)

Ms notjaded and I are currently on a cruise on the Venus. While we have hundreds of days on Seabourn, Silversea and other lines, this is our first Viking cruise..

We started out in calm seas and all was good with our veranda cabin, which is located on deck 6. Our cabin is located approximately 1/3 of the way back from the bow. Since encountering 25-ft seas, we have been hearing a loud, reverberating and repetitive banging sound—Ms. Cruise thinks it sounds like a sledgehammer against metal—(usually in sets of two) accompanied by intense vibrations on the floor. We have surveyed on each side of our cabin, as well as spaces on decks immediately below and above us. The noise and vibration quickly dissipates within a cabin on each side of ours. No noise or vibration is felt above or below our suite, or by an identical suite on the other side of the ship. Walking about the ship on multiple levels, we have not heard/felt anything like this. 

We registered a complaint, and finally, someone from maintenance showed up and proclaimed the noise was typical in rough seas and was caused by the anchors swaying in the rough seas. He but he could not explain why the noise/vibration could not be detected elsewhere. 

We later spoke with the ship’s general manager. He denied it was an anchor issue, and said the situation was caused by the hull design. He could not explain why only our room was affected. Our impression is that he couldn’t care less.  Not a good representative of the company. 

So, experienced Viking cruisers: Any insights on causation? 

Many thanks.

17 hours ago, notjaded said:

Thanks for all the insights here, the sum of which have convinced me to deal with the luggage problem by hiring drivers, porters, skycaps, and meet/ greet services. 

Yesterday, driver came to home, picked us and six bags up, dropped us to skycap. Meet at post-customs arrival hall by another driver, who took luggage and us to hotel and into hands of  valets. Luggage in our room 2 minutes after us. No worries. Spent a couple hundred dollars extra for these services. 

Yes. the Takkyubin system is remarkable. 

Thanks for all the insights here, the sum of which have convinced me to deal with the luggage problem by hiring drivers, porters, skycaps, and meet/ greet services. 

Yesterday, driver came to home, picked us and six bags up, dropped us to skycap. Meet at post-customs arrival hall by another driver, who took luggage and us to hotel and into hands of  valets. Luggage in our room 2 minutes after us. No worries. Spent a couple hundred dollars extra for these services. 

5 hours ago, dd57 said:

In summary, no the Verizon international plan does not cover minutes onboard using the ship's satellite connection.  However, using wifi calling onboard works very well, does not cost extra and provides whatever your home plan has. 
 

We too use the daily international plan rather than the monthly plan and only turn on cell coverage on our phones on travel days for flight notifications, calling hotels, etc.  We use hotel wifi for wifi calling during pre and post cruise stays.  But we don't need phone access while on tours or exploring overseas;  I know some people do.

Thanks.  I have a question, when you make a wifi call, how does the phone indicate that it is a wifi connection vs cellular?

OP, sorry to hear about your situation. Did you use a credit card or external-to-Viking cruise insurance? If so, there may be provisions for you to claim the loss once the unused vouchers expire.

Just got off the phone with a Verizon rep, who I suspect gave me very inaccurate information about the coverage provided on our International calling plan. At first, he said that my month-long plan included unlimited cruise ship voice and text while on Viking. Since I've never had this before on other ships, I pressed him on it, and then he said that while the included minutes plan did not work on the ship we are sailing (Venus), he noted several ships that the plan worked on.

So, Viking experts, are Verizon minutes on board included in your international roaming plan?

Many thanks.