Woodrowst

That is why experience has taught us, as it has so many others, to have a nice relaxing morning seeing sites and having lunch (preferably with local cuisine that you could not get on the ship or at home) in the departure city. Then we make our way to the ship at around 2:00pm and have an easy check in with no lines. We can then usually go directly to our cabin and not worry about schlepping our carry on luggage or totes around the ship. There may be a reason why a particular departure port does not permit this routine, but we have found that it works most of the time.

Does anyone know the pre-cruise hotel that Silversea typically uses in Edinburgh? I could not find anything in a CC search. Thanks! David

This is really helpful. If Seabourn does the same for us I think it will work out just fine.

So you are saying it may take me until midnight to get to the plane? 🙂

My wife and I will be taking an Antarctica cruise on the Venture next January. At disembarkation Seabourn flies us from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires. There is a long connecting time as the earliest flights from B.A. to the U.S. are at 8:00pm and many are later (the flight Seabourn arranged for us leaves close to midnight). Does Seabourn do anything for us once we get to Buenos Aires or are we on our own to fill the long gap until our connecting flight? If so, any suggestions?

Thank you for one of the most interesting posts I have seen on cruisecritic.

I certainly respect anyone’s decision to purchase any available option. But I am confused about your statement that you purchase the prestige package for convenience. Since you have to sign anytime you order, how is purchasing the package any more convenient than paying by the drink? I must be missing something.

Thank you so much for your helpful posts. Can I ask what time the flight from Ushuaia arrived in BA? Was it early enough to fly home the same day or should those of us on future trips look to stay overnight in BA before returning the U.S.?

This does not work for the Venture. While there is a listing of wines there is no listing for spirits.

In a little over a year (January 9-21, 2024) my wife and I are scheduled to take an Antarctica cruise on the Venture, departing from Ushuaia. For some reason it is not listed on the schedule for the port of Ushuaia. In fact, no Seabourn departures on either the Venture or Pursuit are listed on the port site for the entire 2023-24 Antarctica season. Does anyone have any thoughts on why the Seabourn departures on the Port Ushuaia schedule are missing and and if this portends any problems?

In a little over a year (January 9-21, 2024) my wife and I are scheduled to take an Antarctica cruise on the Venture. It departs from Ushuaia, Argentina. For some reason it is not listed on the schedule for the port of Ushuaia. In fact, no Seabourn departures on either the Venture or Pursuit are listed on the port site for the entire 2023-24 Antarctica season. Does anyone know why the Seabourn departures on the Port Ushuaia schedule are missing and and if this portends any problems?

This is really strange. I must have a different version of the app than you have. When I get to lounges there is no button/picture/listing for the Observation Lounge. When I click on The Club it simply gives a one sentence description of the lounge with no "club menu" button. One hint as to what is going on is that it says "The Club - Venture" so it must be linking to my reservation on the Venture. And maybe they haven't set up the drinks list yet for the Venture version of the app.

I hate to sound like such a digital non-native, but I cannot find an observations drinks list on the app. There are five links listed across the bottom of the screen: Home, Plan, Experiences, Connect, and Account. I explored all of the five links but could not find any observation drink list. The observation lounge is not even listed in the food and beverage section of the app. Any chance you could give me specific instructions to get to the observation drinks list? Thanks!

Iskalaar and FlyingScotSailors- Thank you both for your helpful posts. FSS - I downloaded the Seabourn Source app but can't find the Observation list you mentioned. Can you point me to it? I did find the wine list under "Experiences" and then "Dining and Drinks" but there is no accompanying list for spirits. You also were nice enough to say that I could follow up with a list. You took care of my favorite gin - Hendricks. Can you tell me if Chartreuse and Sambuca are on the premium list (or if available at all)?

My wife and I have booked our first Seabourn cruise and we are eagerly looking forward to it. Would those of you who are experienced Seabourn cruisers be able to share examples (or a list) of premium spirits that incur an extra charge? I am not so much interested in wine - spirits (gin, whiskey, and liqueurs) are my beverages of choice - in moderation of course. Would something like Hendricks gin be considered a premium spirit? I could not find this information in a search of the forum or the Seabourn website, so your help is appreciated. David

Another reason we like a hard copy is to save it for our scrapbook. You can’t do that with an app.

If you book the same pre-cruise hotel on your own that Oceania uses will they let you purchase a transfer from the hotel to the ship?

We used to always book our own air but in the COVID age we go through the cruise lines. Why? Because 1) Cruises have been changing their embarkation/debarkation ports due to outbreaks and changing rules set by countries. If you book your own flight you then have to deal with changing departure or arrival airports on your own, sometimes on very short notice; 2) Cruises have been rescheduled and/or cancelled. If you booked your own flight you are then stuck with a round trip ticket to nowhere. Things seem to be stabilizing but there can always be an upcoming outbreak that upends everything again.

I have flown with Copa. They are a partner of United and are fine if no-frills. You need to know that they do not have any lie-flat seats in business class. Their planes are configured as most in the domestic U.S. market with two across nicer and wider seats in first/business class that only recline. That is why Copa flies mostly everyone through Panama to South America. It keeps most legs short enough where they can get away without having lie-flat seats.

JB- Your post was extremely helpful. Thanks so much. David

My wife and I will be taking a cruise that stops in Safaga, Egypt as the jumping off port for Luxor. The ship is offering a number of all-day Luxor tours. Some seem to spend more time outside than inside in tombs and others focus on different parts of the Luxor site. For those who have been to Luxor, were you more impressed by the outdoor architecture or the indoor tombs? What is your list of most impressive things you saw/visited? Thanks for your insight. David

Keep in mind that you also save an additional 1% or so because you have less travel insurance to buy.