DC Traveler244

Carolyn, Chairsin expressed it well. We're hoping that you have a scenic and enjoyable cruise when you reach Vancouver. You most definitely deserve it!

Looking forward to your blog posts!

best,

Anne

A can highly recommend the floatplane trip we took in Prince Rupert. We were blessed with clear weather, and flew over some absolutely spectacular Canadian wilderness: glaciers, endless mountains, waterfall, mountain goats, eagles. We even spotted humpback whale: the entire length of its body was visible just below the surface.

We booked this floatplane excursion through Seabourn, and it was a jaw-dropping experience.

Regarding Anan creek: we too had a wonderful bear-watching experience, but we were told that the salmon that were attracting the bears were nearing the end of their run. So, it's worth checking whether the salmon (and bears) will still be around, and what will be done if they aren't (will you get a refund? Will they substitute another excursion?).

Also, note that there were two different Seabourn tours that went to Anan. The one we booked was a Ventures tour. It was supposed to be limited to 10 people and have a photographer on hand to offer suggestions re photographing wildlife. It cost $699 per person and lasted 7 hours.

We were extremely unhappy to discover that there were 15 guests on this tour, and that there was no photographer offering advice. Needless to say, I do not recommend booking this tour.

There were two other Seabourn tours that went to Anan. These tours were shorter (5 hours, I think), and cost $399 per person. Ironically, the groups on these two tours were much smaller than on our Ventures tour (which had 50% more guests than it was supposed to and cost $300 more per person).

Bottom line, if there are still bears at Anan (which I hope there are), I'd go with the shorter Seabourn excursion.

We did one zodiac tour in Alert Bay BC, on September 8. It was a wonderful finale to our cruise: beautiful scenery, humpback whales spouting, porpoises frolicking around the zodiacs, sea lions and seals.

We didn't do any catamaran trips. The secondhand reports I heard were mixed. Some passengers felt that they didn't get close enough to glaciers/waterfalls/animals. Others were okay with them.

Hope you made it to Vancouver!

We also had this same experience disembarking in FLL a few years ago - no card, no GE. Now we always carry our card if disembarking the ship in the US.

Oh dear -- The CBP website says that you don't need the card when you can use your passport at a kiosk.

Unfortunately, I didn't see the recent CC postings re Vancouver disembarkation until I was already en route to Alaska. I have my passport with me, but left my card back in DC. :(

Just a word about disembarking in Vancouver, getting to the airport and clearing US immigration. When we disembarked, Disney was also disembarking. Security and US immigration was a zoo! If you are not flying business/first class (security fast track) and do not have Global Entry or similar (immigration fast track) then give yourself plenty of time. For Global Entry, make sure you have your Global Entry card with you as they won't let you into the Global entry line without it.

Roxburgh, thanks so much for your very helpful posts.

I just want to clarify something re having one's Global Entry card available at Vancouver airport. There are GOES kiosks at the airport. So, travelers who have GOES-enabled passports can use the kiosks, and don't need GOES cards.

I've been checking a website (http://www.cruiseoutlook.com), which doesn't offer berthing details, but does reflect that there will be four other (large) ships in port on 8/30, when the Sojourn is there. In all, there will be over 10K passengers and crew on those ships. I'm thinking that the port in Juneau will be very crowded that day ...

Earlier this month, we sailed on the Pride on a Windstar circumnavigation of Iceland.

The ship is still very pretty, but it needs of significant updating: the bathrooms are old and very tired-looking, and there are a lot of pipes that have rusted so badly that we (and many other guests) got orange/brown water in their bathrooms.

The suites are the same size as in the Seabourn days, and the decor in the suites was attractive and appeared newish; the public areas had been updated, though (in my opinion) in a cheap-looking way.

Overall, the experience was a letdown -- the Seabourn style and service definitely did not carry over. We went with Windstar on this voyage because we found the itinerary attractive and we had fond memories of sailing on the Legend in its Seabourn days.

I don't mean to discourage those of you who have warm memories of sailing with Seabourn on the three sisters -- just realize that the on-board experience with Windstar will be very different from what you remember.

Ship to Shore is the company that Seabourn uses to supply gear needed for Antarctica and Alaska. You can rent waterproof boots from them, and they'll deliver them to your suite. I highly recommend renting the boots: it avoids the need to pack these heavy and bulky items in your luggage.

They also rent/sell additional items, and sell complete packages of recommended clothing for Antarctica and Alaska. And finally, they supply the jackets Seabourn provides for passengers heading to these destinations.

About 6 to 8 weeks before your cruise, you'll be asked to order the jacket size you want, and given the option or renting or buying other gear from Ship to Shore.

We did a Seabourn cruise last December that began in Dubai and ended in Singapore, and stopped at most of the same ports as the cruise you're considering (our cruise didn't stop at Doha -- we stopped at Abu Dhabi instead).

You're right that getting Indian visas is a major headache. We used a visa service (though expensive, we felt it was worth it).

FYI -- the headaches don't end when you have your Indian visa. On our cruise, Indian immigration officials boarded the ship at each Indian port to inspect each passenger's (and crew member's) passport and visa. This meant that there was a lot of time wasted standing in lines, and a lot of extra work for the Seabourn officers who have custody of passengers' passports during a voyage.

Regarding Muscat: it is absolutely beautiful and a wonderful contrast to Dubai. We hired a private guide who picked us up at the ship and made it possible for us to see all the major sights in/near town, and then drove us into the mountains overlooking the city. It was one of our favorite stops on the cruise.

Regarding Mumbai: we and another couple from the ship hired a private guide, and were very happy that we did. The city is as fascinating/overwhelming/noisy as it is reputed to be, but having a guide and driver to help navigate the chaos made for a really enjoyable and informative day.

Regarding Doha: though Doha wasn't on our 2016 cruise, we visited the city a few years ago. It's similar to Dubai (but smaller) -- very glitzy and built-up. But we enjoyed the Museum of Islamic Art (stunning building designed by I.M. Pei) and the souk.

Hope this helps!

I agree with the other posters: pre-booking is the way to go.

Also, before you're onboard, Seabourn will request info about your post-disembarkation travel plans. This info will determine the disembarkation group to which you're assigned. You will be asked to confirm this info a few day before disembarkation. Be sure to provide this information.

Also, toward the end of the cruise, it's a good idea to speak with the personnel in Seabourn Square about your timing issues. They can confirm your disembarkation time, may be able give you updated info about port logistics, and ensure that you're included in the first-to-diembark group.

I've found this string very informative, since I too have been interested in Azamara's holiday 2017 itineraries. We've sailed SB multiple times (most recently on the 33-day Dubai to Singapore holiday cruise). We like SB very much, but are thinking about trying Azamara because of the itinerary.

The detailed comments by posters who have sailed both lines are extremely helpful.

Thanks, all for the helpful responses.

I've noticed that this group has reserved a conference room on every Seabourn cruise I've taken (including the Sojoun cruise I boarded today). Does anyone know the backstory? Thanks.

Puerto Chiapas -- this was the most boring port on the cruise. None of the shore excursions appealed to us. We got off the ship and, after exploring for less than 10 minutes, returned to the ship.

Puerto Quetzal -- from this port, we took an excursion to Antigua de Guatemala, a one-time Spanish colonial capital high in the mountains. It's beautifully restored, and the surrounding mountains (some of which are active volcanos) are stunning. Antigua was so special that three-hour roundtrip bus ride was well worth it. Note: some tour participants had difficulty walking on the cobblestone streets.

Puntarenas -- we took a jungle boat ride, which was moderately interesting (among other wildlife, we spotted a pair of rare scarlet macaws in the dense foliage). We felt that the tour guide was very good at spotting wildlife, but much too talkative on the bus to/from the ship.

Overall, my favorite stops on the cruise were Cartagena (we hired a private guide for a walking tour of the city's old town), Puerto Quetzal (see above), and Fuerte Amador (we enjoyed walking around Panama City's old town, though we thought the guide on the ship's tour was unprofessional; in 20/20 hindsight, we should have lined up a private guide).

Hope this helps!

We did the reverse cruise over the holidays last year (12/15-1/16). As the previous poster noted, there's a lot to do on those sea days. Also, many trivia fans look forward to sea days. But it really depends on what you're looking for.

One suggestion: if an excursion to Antigua de Guatemala is offered on your cruise, give it serious consideration. We found our visit there so interesting and beautiful that it was completely worth the 3-hour round trip by bus.

We were on a Quest voyage (Norwegian Fjords) earlier this summer and there were quite a few Ventures excursions offered. When available, these excursions (kayaking, zodiac trips, hiking) were listed along with the other shore excursions for a given port. If you're not seeing them listed with the excursions for your voyage, they may not be available on that port or voyage. I'd recommend calling Seabourn's shore excursion desk for clarification.

On our fjords cruise, we did two Ventures excursions (kayaking and zodiac), and both were very enjoyable and extremely well organized. We recognized some Ventures personnel from the expedition team on our Antarctica cruise over the 2013/2014 holidays -- very professional and personable.

I was on the Quest a few weeks ago. Handle was the CD then but will be moving to the Encore in October.

We ate in the Thomas Keller Grill twice during our cruise. I thought the new decor was attractive, and I liked the food. The portions are huge, however. The roasted whole chicken (described as serving two) was enough for four people. I had a strip steak that would have easily served two. So if you don't have a huge appetite, you might consider sharing a main or ordering a starter as your main.

I question the concept of the TK Grill, especially since the American cuisine isn't all that different from what's available in the main dining room. But overall, it's a nice dining option to enjoy maybe once a week.

BTW -- the food in the TK Grill is not served family-style (although, as noted above, some of the mains could serve a family ...).

Lenore, I'm sorry to have taken so long to respond to your message. We're not going to be on your voyage -- we're looking at one in 2017.

I understand your concerns about the pp costs you mentioned. You could do two things: post on the CruiseCritic "roll call" for your voyage and ask if another couple is interested in splitting the cost with you, or tell the guide you're considering to let you know if he/she is approached by another couple who'll be on your voyage. Both courses pose a risk: you may not enjoy sharing your tour with strangers who have different priorities than yours (but the same is true re shore excursions booked through a cruise line, which will involve a lot more people and a lot less control over how your time is spent).

That said, $500 pp does sound high, even for Iceland (which is expensive in general -- hotels, food, guides, etc). Also, the peak tourist season is pretty short --there are likely supply/demand issues

Good luck!

My husband and I have visited Iceland twice (loved it), and are considering booking one of Windstar's 2017 circumnavigation cruises because they offer an opportunity to visit some of the more remote regions, which we weren't able to see on our previous land-based visits.

I echo the previous suggestion re checking Tours By Locals. We had good experiences with them on a cruise in South America. We were able to locate guides who were happy to meet us at the port, take us on a personalized tour, and return us to the ship in ample time.

TripAdvisor can also be a good source of info about independent tour operators in remote locations. You can post a question in one of TA's Iceland forums.

When you return from your voyage, I hope you'll share comments on this board.

Bon voyage!

I'm sharing some info I received after I contacted Seabourn about how strenuous the Ventures by Seabourn kayaking excursions are (I explained that I had limited experience). My questions were forwarded to a member of the expedition team, who provided the following information:

"The paddling in Norway is on flat calm waters and is very easy. There is a lead guide with the group at all times, he gives a thorough briefing and we also have a safety zodiac follow at all times for any additional assistance should it be required.

The fjord water is not choppy.

There are no currents.

This is a scenic relaxing paddle with the waterfalls and plenty of time to stop, take photos and admire the scenery.

No experience is needed to kayak.

This trip will be perfect for you. We also supply all the gear, including a dry bag for your camera and phones."

Thanks to CorgiNole for the info on kayaking in Geiranger Fjord.

And thanks to Emperor Norton re the suggestion about creating a sub-forum re SB shore excursions. This could be very useful: though Cruise Critic contains some shore excursion reviews, those reviews cover many cruise lines. While SB may offer a similar excursion in a given port, you don't really know whether SB uses the same vendor in that port.

Also, in the case of the Seabourn Ventures program (which is running all but one of the the kayaking and some hiking excursions on our upcoming Norway cruise), the excursions are SB-specific. So, getting input from past SB passengers would be very helpful to future SB passengers.

Does anyone know how a sub-forum gets created?

Thanks, all for your advice. I think my husband and I need to weigh this carefully ... it sounds like it could be enjoyable, or not ...

One of the reasons we were so attracted to this activity: we'd understood that the kayak program was under the direction of the expedition team that was in charge of our holiday cruise to Antarctica and South Georgia Island in Dec 2013-Jan 2014. The team impressed us as super-organized and highly competent.

Again, thanks to Les Picantins, Friendship Bay and Kauaijim for sharing your experiences.

My husband and I are booked on the 12-Day Scenic Norway & Fjords cruise in July. In addition to shore excursions, SB offers a number of opportunities for passengers to go kayaking. This sounds quite appealing to us.

I'm relatively new to kayaking, and I'm interested in hearing from anyone who has actually kayaked on one of SB's Norway cruises. In particular, I'm interested in learning how rigorous an activity is this, and whether the weather was an issue (choppy water, wind, current, etc.).

Many thanks.

We've had a couple really unpleasant surprises with ATT international roaming charges while in port. For example, last December, we were on a SB ship and in a port in Mexico. Our phones indicated that we were connected to the local cellular service, so we expected that our ATT international data package covered our data usage. But, for reasons that utterly baffled us, ATT charged us the very high Cellular at Sea rates.

Since we wouldn't have used data roaming if we'd had an indication that we weren't on the local cellular network, we contested the charges with ATT and ultimately prevailed. But this was the second time that this has happened in a port.

These experiences have left us very leery of using cellular data while in port. Apparently, you can't rely on the information your phone displays re the network you're using.