Flamin_June

Snap!!😊

Thin end of the wedge. At these price points one does not expect to have to compete for sofa space with the hired help.

Yes Yes it is, I agree, and have , on the whole, been enjoying this thread.

The Dress Code Thread was closed and put out to grass some time ago, but the topic clearly has some appeal, and like our Boris Johnson, appears to be trying to make a come back here.....

On most nights the MDR dress code for men is collared long sleeved shirt and trousers, and shoes ( I don't think socks are mandatory), but not sandals. On formal night you should wear a jacket (sport coat or blazer, linen perhaps) on top, but no one is insisting on a dickie bow, nor even a tie. Having said that I often wear a jacket anyway because I have some nice ones and it looks a little smarter and makes it feel more of an occasion. And let's not forget that the aircon can be tad fierce in some spots, so you may requre the jacket to drape over your wife's or partner's shoulders if they are feeling the chill in their jazzy little blouse. The Colonnade has a more easy-going vibe, and most people like to 'dress up' for TK. Many passengers on SB have good taste, like nice clothes and enjoy wearing them. I have always found the buffet breakfast offerings to be quite adequate, and similar to what one will find in many 4 and 5 star hotels (but avoid the hash browns). Waiters will come round to take orders for tea or coffee and toast, and one can order eggs in a variety of styles, as well as bacon, sausages, grilled tomatoes or anything else you can think of, and they will (or perhaps these days one should say should) bring these to your table (eventually). Oh , and freshly squeezed orange juice (hopefully).

Aaaargh! Oh No! Not the jigsaw!!!? What with fetid water this could be the final straw.....

No tender noise in these suites. I am a Deck 5 'fan' - handy for the club, only a short walk to the MDR, handy for the laundrette too. Less motion. Avoid 526, as it is an adjoining suite.

Treating all passengers equally is, or was, a core ethos of the Seabourn brand, and one of the key values that made Seabourn so attractive to many. Everyone is in a suite. Some suites happen to be bigger than others, so one pays more for the extra space. "I've paid big bucks for a suite, so I want to be treated differently to the other passengers, so we all know who is travelling in second class. Oh, and I am going to stuff a few hundred dollars in the Maitre D's pocket to make sure I always get the best table" - is a know the cost of everything and the value of nothing, moneyed, mass-market, mentality, one which is depressing to hear being aired more frequently these days. Quite frankly , it lowers the tone. If you don't like being treated equally, sail on another line - there are plenty of them.

Not to mention all the pariculate and gas exhaust emissions from the scores of marine vessels, tourist, commercial and military, sailing in these waters. It is fine to dislike tobbaco smoke, and smokers but this is often accompanied by a 'holier than thou' attitude, which seems illogical when emanating from passengers on cruise ships. I am not a smoker, by the way....

I will trump that with six years...🙄

The answer from Seabourn currently is that excursions are available for booking from between 90-120 days before departure (sometimes earlier - on our upcoming jaunt some are already bookable at 160+ days). In the pre-covid days, in our experience (10 SB cruises), excursions were never fully booked at embarkation and were available to book once on board. Things may be different nowadays, and of course I can only talk of excursions that we were actualy intersted in. Some would sell out once under sail, and sometimes extra capacity was laid on, when possible, if the demand was there. As Nancy says with TK you can make reservations in the 'manage my cruise' pages on the website once you have put down the deposit. The TK 'Ad Hoc' nights at the Colonnade are only bookable once on board.

No matter the length of a cruise, 7 days or 14 or 21 or more, they always seem to run out of steam with a day or two to go.... Well, they do for us, at any rate. While I wouldn't mind staying onboard a little longer, I am usually ready to get off and have a change of scene. I will make an exception in this case, where I would be more than happy to prolong the vicarious experience for a week or two. Thank you for your daily updates.

Have been enjoying tremendously this travelogue, but find it rather sad to read your impressions of Gozo. I worked there for some months in the late 1990s, when it was still very much a backwater though with some tourism of course, and on the whole quite charming. Nicholas Monsarrat (The Cruel Sea) also settled there, in San Lawrenz, in the late 1960s. His friend Professor C.N. Parkinson (of Parkinson's Law fame) , told him of Gozo which he liked but thought it was "much too quiet."

Yes -we plan to put in a special request for those, and a couple of other things on our next cruise. There was a sort of chicken pie thingy (somewhat grander than that description but I forget what it was called) they used to do, which DW was very fond of, and we haven't seen the clam chowder for a while either. We know Flambé things are out of the question, so no table-side crepes suzette, but are hoping for an Irish Coffee to finish off a meal or two. We know one only has to ask, but generally we are undemanding, low-maintenance passengers. As it may be our last cruise for sometime (various reasons, nothing dramatic) we will probably indulge in a little envelope pushing.

All The TK Ad Hoc nights at the Colonnade And,,, although they don't seem to do it any more the Grand Marnier soufle in the MDR

I usually list Remy in the little 'comments' box on the suite preferences page on the website. About six or seven out of ten times it has been there when we embarked. The other times I asked our stewardess and it was provided later that evening or the next day. One time they had run out and after a few days they came up with a bottle of Hennessy, making sure to tell me that it was one of their 'revenue' pours, so I knew just how good to me they were being. There are also usually a couple of Armagnacs stocked at the bar and Carlos Primero, so if all else fails you could ask for one of those in your suite. I actually found that I was enjoying my late night tipples at the bar or out on deck, so rarely touched the bottle in our suite (though it is nice to know one has the option of having a nightcap in bed if the whim takes one). Edit: We are not actually on Odyssey currently, so it is possible that everything has changed since 2019. and all you can get is a Bardinet or, heaven forbid, Three Barrels.

This from the Seabourn website dated September 8th: "We have relaxed our global protocols and travel requirements. Vaccinations are not required on most voyages. Vaccinated guests will no longer have to test before boarding and only need to show proof of vaccination. Unvaccinated guests are welcome aboard with a self-administered COVID-19 test taken within 3 days of embarkation." It goes on to say "Some voyages require Enhanced Protocols such as all Alaska, Canada, Australia cruises and Greece embarkations. Before you cruise, check our Enhanced Protocols to find out if if your voyage requires additional health regulation requirements." Clicking on the Enhanced Protocols link will take you to a list of relevant cruises

What! No Kilt??!

Assuming most of the other ship's passengers will crowd the city and port I suggest you plan to spend some time visiting Mdina...

They dish them out in the Square, free. On one rough day and night seasick tabs were left in our suite by the maid. I forget the brand name but they were quite effective.

You could also spend it in the onboard shop, buy some perfume and so on.... but I understand it is a let down when an itinerary that one has chosen is changed

Apart from Deck 5, 748 and 747 are our favourite verranda suites. 1. There is no noise from any 'traffic' - there is no more traffic than on the corridors of any other deck. 2. Actually, very handy for the Square, and any business one might have there, or picking up a coffee etc. to have in one's suite. 3. No neighbours to one so side, so a quieter and more private balcony. 4. No noise from above.

lincslady is not being at all snooty here - she is quite correct - Professor in the UK and Europe is the highest possible academic accolade or title. It is of greater status than a knighthood (e.g. one is addressed as 'Professor Sir John Smith'). It is sad that the passenger lists are defunct, we always enjoyed getting them, for the reasons mentioned above.

Can't comment on the itineraries or Ovation, but V1 - Deck 5 is one of our prefered suite locations. Less motion from choppy waters as you are lower down. No noise from public areas, very handy for the laundrette (if you intend to use it) and handy for staggering back from the club. The balcony safety rail is an all-glass affair on other decks. On Deck 5 it is roughly 3/4 metal, toppped of by about a 1/4 glass. It really is of no consequence. Only issue might be if you are in one of the suites very close to the bow, which have a smaller balcony and will have more movement in rough seas. V1 suite numbers 523 and upwards, however are very comfortable and stable.

Very happy to see this thread. Wishing you a great trip and cruise!