findacruise

Don't know about deck 5 but love our deck 6 location with easy walk to many locations. Design flaw- closet double hanging bar too low. In effort to make shelf above, rack is too short to hang a man's shirt or jacket. I was told that will be corrected on Ovation. Also told lounge outside TK Grill will be enlarged some and large wine storage outside Grill changed. They are learning what works and what doesn't. Saw french press coffee today too. Have had lovely crossing of Tasman Sea. Looking forward to Melbourne tomorrow.

We are on board now too and echo some of the same feelings as wineasmusic. Favorite lounge is Tk and Katy. Our cabin stewardess has been very average. She has forgotten things. Not earth shattering, but not what we'd expect. Food has been very good with TK Grill excellent. We had trouble making 8:30 shows and it appears we are not alone - lately they have been at 8:45. Love having an earlier show option. Shows we've zeen have been good.

With three sea days in a row we'll see how well the Collannade handles everyone being on board. If it's cold and people stay inside there is a lotnof wasted seating space. There is even Collannade overflow patio seating on deck 8 outside TK. Enjoying ourselves but ship seems to have a different vibe than Sojourn did.

Almost certainly. Your suite will not be ready until about 2 p.m., but you can leave your hand luggage at the entrance to the Colonnade and have lunch there. I have not embarked in Singapore, but this applies pretty well everywhere else.

We embarked in Singapore last February and this was true. Met a lovely couple over a nice lunch without being encumbered with hand luggage, had a look around and our suite was ready at 2PM. Perfect beginning to our wonderful first Seabourn cruise. Our next one is February 18!

Now, if Regent could add flights free of crying/screaming kids :eek:, that would really be a great combination! Perhaps one of those cruises could be a holiday cruise with no kids.

BTW, is a kid someone under 16, 18 or what age?

We were on Viking sea with heather this past September. A wonderful cruise and she is terrific. We loved the relaxed atmosphere and made lasting friends.

Viking did not have an itinerary that we liked for 2017 in September so we booked seabourn encore. 1st time seabourn. The tone and sniping on the seabourn boards has me very concerned if we made a wrong decision. Fortunately we don't have to make final payment and deposit if fully refundable till June.

 

 

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Don't be alarmed/concerned. Our first Seabourn cruise was last February and we will be boarding Encore February 18 in Auckland. We loved our experience and met many wonderful people on our cruise. the service, staff and ambience (and medical staff :eek:) on the Soujourn was top notch and we have no doubt we will experience more of the same on Encore. A bit OT, but we will take our first Viking cruise in 2018 - checking it out on the northern "Into the Midnight Sun"

Meant Hanoi, not Saigon, in the above post!

We were on the (a) cruise that got into Shanghai very late, too. As I recall we were held late by authorities getting out of Beijing's port city which messed with us getting to the river into Shanghai at the proper time for the currents even though we skipped the port before. I was also led to believe that weather conditions impact the river and that's why tide level charts can change and what comes out so far in advance are "best" estimates.

We, too, wished we had more time in Shanghai and maybe some day will make it back.

Same advise on warm clothes and layers for Beijing and masks.

I would tend to go with the the Imperial Awakenings for the same reasons that Paul mentioned. Great to have the overnights, especially if you are going to Saigon - it's a long day. And hopefully you can make the time to do the pre-cruise and the post cruise while you are "in the vicinity." We did not get to see the Warriors and regret that. We also had wanted to spend more time in Shanghai and Bangkok.

We are headed back to AU and NZ in 4 weeks. My comment about that cruise, is that you really don't see much of AU. You get a flavor for NZ because you see both the North and South Islands. When we went the first time, we did a land based tours of AU & NZ so we could go to the Outback and the NZ countryside. This time we are cruising (doing 'O's 34 day circumnavigation) to take in more of AU.

You won't go wrong either way, so enjoy the research process - it's part of the fun!

Absolutely agree with Eliana - we aren't allowed to bring travel irons therefore access to some ironing facilities is fairly crucial when your clothes have been stuck in a suitcase and thrown around airports and ports before arriving :D

30 mins sees all our cottons and linens looking a little more pristine.

 

One week is manageable but above that I also prefer to wash my own clothes. Have been trying to pack a little less and hand washing white t-shirts/shorts /trousers does not really get the port grime and sun cream out of them :(

I have a small handheld steamer that I purchased a number of years ago. It works quite well and have taken it on cruises before. Actually, in some cases I like it better than an iron. Amazon sells a number of them. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out.

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Home-Kitchen-Travel-Garment-Steamers/zgbs/home-garden/3737831

Thanks for all the information and the video. Very much looking forward to boarding Encore in Auckland on February 18 for our second Seabourn cruise. I already know where I want to have my first cocktail - the TK lounge - after your description!

Thanks for the review and the comments from others that were on the same cruise. Now I can be even more excited about our upcoming circumnavigation of Australia in March. I always liked Red Ginger so I will probably be in love after the cruise!

Happy New Year to everyone and may 2017 bring good health and happy cruising:).

J,

We had lunch in the Bistro on the second day as I was anxious to try it out ASAP. I was a bit disappointed with the experience.

Jacques is my favorite restaurant on O class ships and I was anticipating the Bistro - perhaps too much :D. The restaurant is very nice with special china and staff uniforms - very "French Bistro"

The menu is different from Jacques - which I knew going in. What disappointed me was the food presentation. One of the items I was looking forward to was the Croque Monsieur - a perfect Bistro lunch item. I've had many-a-croques on our travels to France over the years but none of them looked anything like what I was served. This version was more like 2 small slices of a triple decker ham and cheese on white bread. It was next to impossible to cut as it slid apart with each attempt. While the taste was OK, I was surprised at the presentation as I know that JP is very particular in serving authentic French cuisine in both taste and presentation. There are a few items on the menu that I will try before we depart but I am not in a great rush to return.

That said, I am very pleased with Sirena overall. She looks better than I was led to believe from some of what I had read on CC.

The upgrades - especially in all public spaces and Horizon work very well. The public WCs are nice, clean and more contemporary with marble - without being too modern and out of synch with the overall classic look of the R ships. The information panels by the elevator and the display screen in the elevator are up-to date looking and functioning but not out of place.

So far so good - more to explore :)

J - Happy Holidays to you as well.

Thanks Paul. Tuscan Steakhouse has also come under some criticism. Let's hope you find it to your liking. My TA tells me that after talking to Binder at a meeting he thinks that food overall will improve; the thought is it is had strayed a bit and one of Binder's tasks is to bring it back to a higher level again. Just passing along what I heard, not saying it's fact.

I was a cater-waiter in Manhattan while I was in college, and trust me even at the Four Seasons or the Ritz, Cocktail sauce is catsup mixed with an equal amount of horse radish, lemon juice is optional, and tobasco adds the heat if one is serving an adventurous group.

Anything else is Heinz propaganda

Not caring much for Tabasco sauce, I add some cayenne instead and it's great.

Thank you. We board on Sunday and - believe it or not - this and trying Tuscan steak were the reasons we booked this cruise (it certainly wasn't for the itinerary :D).

Looking forward to experiencing Jacques Bistro.

Paul, will be interested in your feedback. I'd like to be getting on the ship now instead of waiting until next year - snowing now and polar vortex arriving tomorrow! Happy sailing and holidays to you and Marsha.

findacruise: Can you tell me, please, which insurance you buy? We've always done CSA because they cover pre-existing conditions (though that whole concept seems to be somewhat of a slippery slope). We're at the point where it's increasingly likely that we might need the evacuation coverage, and we've not bought it in the past. Less than $200 for two people seems like a real bargain. I suppose the rate has something to do with age, and if that's the case ours is not likely to be that low. But I'd like to inquire, and probably have been remiss in not doing so in the past.

.

First, we use CC for insurance for cancellation etc. because we do not have any pre-existing conditions. We each have Chase Preferred which provides 10K for you and your travel companion per card. So, if our cruise happened to be 20K each, I'd put 10K of each on each card. (Obviously we aren't doing any world cruises or we'd have to buy insurance for the difference or use more credit cards.)

For the evacuation policy I recently purchased Travelguard but have also used CSA. It comes with medical, too. (and have filed a claim previously which was paid within 2 weeks) We got either $500,000 or $1 million for evacuation. (Sorry we are back and I pitched the paper) My husband is 75 and I am 67. The big expense comes when you are insuring a large amount for a trip, as the medical is just sort of there. The insurance company has a bigger chance of the trip being canceled than you needing medical, I guess. That's why the amount of the trip I insure is only about $200 or so. You can play around with the isured amount and watch what it does to the premium.

Hope this helps and didn't confuse too much.

J,

I am sure that you will enjoy this great itinerary. Several of our friends will be on this cruise.

BTW - is your Seabourn from AKL to SYD on the Encore? If so, we will be following you from SYD to SIN.

Please let me know what you think of her (as well as any tips :)) - Paulpepper at Comcast dot net

TIA

Paul

Yes, we will be on Encore. Couldn't resist when we saw she dovetailed perfectly into the Sirena cruise. I wrote your email in my cruise folder. Will gladly share my impressions of Encore while on board, but they do have a no tipping policy. :D

Isn't it nice we all have so many choices! A great "problem" to have. And food is so subjective. What one person may think is great, another person may not like. If you do want space, unless you go to the upper levels on the small O ships, then you won't find it and the showers are cozy. You have to make friends with the shower curtain, or should I say, it makes friends with you. The bathrooms on the Marina and Riviera are much larger, with both a shower and a tub, that can be used as a shower, too. The PH on those 2 ships is lovely.

They both have their pros and cons and if you're not a loyalist to either one, then you just have to decide what is most important. (after itinerary)

I agree that the op is highly unlikely to receive relief from RSSC. I was scheduled for a 3 week trip from Barcelona to the Baltic, 3 years ago, and discovered much to my surprise I needed a kidney removal (cancer) and a quadruple bypass. Needless to say I had to cancel and got no relief. I am not upset, these things happen, and I still refuse to pay for insurance. Over our 35 year travel career since the kids left home we are WAY ahead of the game self insuring.

We do not buy insurance to cover the cost of our trip as our credit card insurances generally cover the cost. However, we do buy it for the medical evacuation part when we are overseas. We put in the least amount you can cover and then buy $1M in evacuation. It also includes extra medical etc. Ends up costing less than $200 for both of us. After hearing of people who had heart attacks etc and the costs incurred we want to be able to be flown wherever we want/need to be treated.

The majority of our days at sea have been on Oceania and we have fortunately never experienced the number of problems that Emperor Norton did. Was it always perfect, no, but nothing to the extent he encountered. Overall it has our favorite food.While O does include air, we generally book our own and take a credit. Seabourn does not include air. Our TA has always given us gratuities, and now we get them included because of our level and then a credit also. Most (maybe all) cruises now include internet which is pricey on Seabourn. Just wanted to mention these because OP doing a price comparison.

After saying all that, we were very impressed with our first Seabourn cruise last winter. Aside from the food (especially the TK experiment), which we found overall not as much to our liking as O, we found the service and staff to be superior to O. It was a friendlier vibe. The Sojourn was the smallest ship we have sailed (previously it was one of the "R" ships) and it felt more intimate. Now that smoking is banned in most places, it will be even more pleasurable. We are very much looking forward to our cruise in February on Encore.

We will continue to pick our cruises first by itinerary, but I will say that Seabourn moved above Regent in my view as having the best service of any ship we have been on.

Makes me think someone should start a thread titled Sirena is BETTER than everyone says! We are looking forward to our 34 day circumnavigation of Australia on her. Even thought she isn't so "bad" that we made our final payment. Guess we're "stuck" now! :D

Thanks. Yes, we do like 'pairing' our wines with food, at least white with fish (usually) and red with red meat. So we hope the sommelier will do this for us even if we just take the drinks with meals package. If we start with this package, would we be able to upgrade to the premium after a day or two if we decide this would suit us better?

When does the Captain's party usually take place?

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We did wine pairings on our last cruise several times. Told them at the beginning of the meal and usually began with the appetizer. Most enjoyable, especially nice to know that if didn't want to drink the entire glass I wasn't really waiting any money and could just move on to the next one.

Joanna,

You are most welcome. Have you been back to the tapas restaurant in Barcelona since our last visit?

Paul

Have not been in Europe for awhile. Been other places on cruises. Going to London next week to watch our Colts play and then on to Salzburg, but all on land. Next year our cruise schedule full, none in Europe. But I do recommend it when I know anyone who's gong to be in Barcelona!

(underlining mine)

J,

I am glad to let you know that I have heard from our friend in Myanmar and that he will be home when we visit.

Here is an excerpt from his e mail:

My dearest Paul and Marsha,

Really, I am happy that getting your message. Now I hope all you will be good health and happiness together with your lovely family. I always remember you. I am as well.

Now, I am in Yangon together with my parents. Can you let me know it will arrive which port and which place. I must come to there. And I want you to visit at downtown and some famous place in Yangon. Can you keep my phone number.......

Sincerely, I must wait 18 April 2017. Can you contact me with Viber to my phone before April. I would like to get a chance to see you again. May be happy. I miss you.

Warmely regards,

T........

 

When I had asked him if we can bring him anything from US (such as books not available locally - he has a graduate degree in marine biology but no positions available in his field), this is part of what he replied:

.....I hope it is better time April that is summer season in Myanmar. Can you take care of your health and bring the small USA flag only for me.

Really I am looking forward to getting the port information and your plan for these trip. Can you let me know anything else from here that I will prepare its for you. Have a great day for you...

 

Indeed it will be very special and we are really looking forward to seeing him again and meeting his family. We always stopped to chat with him on the ship as he was happy to practice his English and very proud to tell us about his country and teach us a few phrases (I'd better look them up before we visit as I had forgotten them :D). He has made great improvements in his English from when we last saw him (he was part of a cleaning crew that normally had no direct contact with passengers, probably due to his lack of English skills)

Paul,

How wonderful that you and Marsha will be able to reconnect with him and meet his family. He will be so proud to share his homeland with you. It will make your visit so special. Some of the most memorable times on board ship are the interactions with crew members - even if they aren't long ones, they can be special. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.

Joanna

Was this a typo or a Freudian slip? :D

Definitely a typo.

Darn, I was wondering what kind of 'fiends" they were! :rolleyes:

I will definitely let Oceania get the visas for us.

Less trouble + we have enough OBC - it's a no-brainier for us.

Definitely a no-brainer. Re: my previous post. I just found it very interesting that you have to have photos and we didn't. Didn't end up with any actual Visa in our passports either, just a stamp for the country. A most interesting country with much discussion about "The Lady" by all of our guides. I hope the the crew member will be home. How special that would be.