Kevnzworld

I canceled a November cruise two weeks ago, and still waiting for my refund of the deposit.  

Overall I find your critique fair. 

I’m on the Odyssey now.   I’m enjoying the food and the service.  

Of course there’s always a few issues, which for me so far are minor. 

We’re all different...I happen to like my food well seasoned, so salt has never been an issue.  

All observations and criticisms were fair.  

There’s staff changeover at the beginning of many longer cruises, especially prior to the fall/ spring crossings. I’ve noticed over the years that service can get a little rocky until the kitchen gets into a rhythm.  

Ive been following another Seabourn veteran  passenger on this cruise ( on another social website ) that seems mostly satisfied, at least in terms of food.  

We’re boarding the Odyssey tomorrow for six weeks, so hopefully the kinks have been worked out !  

I read the review and thread and overall I think the observations were fair. Seabourn is good but not perfect.

A decade ago I sailed on Regent exclusively and I liked it...until I tried Seabourn which I now prefer.

I like the informality and style of Seabourn versus Regent or even Oceania.

Hopefully your next Seabourn cruise will be an improvement, especially if there’s better weather !

@Roxbugh. Yes!

I always check the pricing before final payment. Seabourn will adjust to the prevailing price at that time.

I never noticed any difference. If any thing they seem somewhat larger because of the larger TV?

We had that section as part of our Sojourn itinerary earlier this year .

It’s ok. Manila is a little hectic, the other stops were island stops where the main activity was snorkeling. Borkay was closed buy the government so we stopped somewhere else, something like 100 islands... Honestly the highlight stops were Georgetown and Saigon .

Our cruise stopped extensively in Indonesia, at least nine ports. Indonesia was interesting but mostly undeveloped humid without too much to see that didn’t become repetitive.

The prices go up as the cabins sell out... sometimes there’s a price drop after final payment as some people cancel.

Re: Celebrity. I’m finished with them. Even if you have a nice suite you are still hounded day and night with photography packages, drink packages, dining packages, art sales, jewelry sales, on and on. Then there’s lunch at the Oceanview cafe buffet..survival of the fittest meets high school cafeteria. The food in Luminae is mediocre at best.

Then there’s the crowds and full elevators, nowhere to sit at the pool or coffee shop.

Sure , it’s nice if you stay locked in your room.......

Seabourn hasn’t released their summer 2020 schedule, never mind the Fall.

Many of the wines keep changing, but some remain the same. I’ve been on many cruises in which my preferred wine gets used up and doesn’t get replaced.

Many of us have been on longer cruises where the availability of many wines is exhausted and we await the next shipment with anticipation. I’m always frustrated with this answer “. Yes, we received a new shipment of wine but it’s still awaiting to be unpacked and inventoried “.

Even wines on the premium list have only a few bottles in inventory at any given time...

I didn’t like Oceania food. It’s the main reason that I wouldn’t sail on their ships again.

In comparison, I’ve always liked Seabourn food...yes, there’s occasional less than wonderful meals, but on the whole the food is good.

I especially like eating outside the Collonade at night in the covered patio area.

This is so depressing. We have always booked Seabourn because of the no tipping policy. From now on I will always be watching to see who might be angling for tips and who is genuinely serving everyone equally. Quite possibly coming to the wrong conclusion.

The Seabourn staff doesn’t “ angle “ for tips. I personally have never seen any tipping during a cruise.

The few people that I have extended a gratuity to were pleasantly surprised and didn’t expect it, and it was given on the last day.

They weren’t working for a gratuity that they never expected.

As with all things, this should be put into perspective....

One quick thought :

I think we need to differentiate between giving a staff member a gratuity upon disembarkation as a thank you for exceptional service/ friendship etc, versus the example Jenni gave where a guest tips in advance or during a cruise in the hopes of getting preferential treatment.

On my last cruise my stewardess went out of her way to be extra helpful. I gave her a gratuity with a nice note upon disembarkation. It’s not expected nor required yes, but in my case I thought it was the right thing to do. This is a job, and these people work long hours.

As I’ve said, IMO be guided by your conscience, propriety and whatever you personally feel comfortable with!

One of the only issues is the anchor noise deck five forward on the Odyssey class ships. If you don’t like being awakened by loud metal cranking while the anchor is lowered at 7 am , ok. but I found it annoying.

Indeed!

 

We look forward to hopefully meeting you on the Lisbon-Barbados leg in a couple of months!

Yes! We often go to the Observation bar before dinner, I like to sit at the bar...I’m a 60yo guy with my somewhat younger Latina looking wife.

Say hi!

Omg, I can’t believe this old thread I started three years ago has been resurrected! .....that being said, I’ve now sailed on Seabourn perhaps 7-8 more times as I approach 300 days.

My perspective has changed somewhat.

I still give my stewardess a gratuity, based on how many days I’ve been on the ship.

Sometimes I give the baristas or wait staff something if there’s someone that’s helped me a lot. I never give anyone a gratuity until I disembark. There’s no formula, and as I think about it, I haven’t given a gratuity ( tip ) to a host or hostess in years....

Obviously I fill out the comment card and notate everyone that I appreciated, and the list is generally a long one.

I think everyone should do as they like, and be guided by their own sense of propriety and conscience.

Besides the BBQ, the beach isn’t much, nothing there. It’s hot and not much shade, a few umbrellas. Not one of my favorite stops.

You could wait to see where they send Sojourn between October 2018 and January 2019. There’s a gap in her schedule that still needs to be filled; somehow she needs to get from Los Angeles early October to Miami early January. Some Hawaii perhaps and a Panama Canal sailing?

Yes! I’ve delayed booking something for that reason, and I live in L.A.! Hopefully Tahiti round trip ?

The Azamara cruise I like is Barcelona to Buenos Aires. 43 days.

Every cruise ship employs hundreds of people on contracts. There’s a lot of turn over and though Seabourn does it’s best with Seabourn academy, people are people. Every cruise I’ve been on there’s been someone who’s attitude I didn’t care for. I let it go unless there’s an action that I feel is aggregious , then I go to a supervisor the following day.

Then I let it go.

Kevin, have you thought about Windstar's power yachts? They're former Seabourn ships I think. I think they would be a good match for you with the exception of included wines (you'd have to pay for a package).

I prefer newer ships with bigger veranda cabins and without “ drink packages “. Seabourn is a perfect fit for me, 5 new ships with all cabins over 300sq ft. Not just the suites.

Unfortunately there’s nothing on Seabourn’s fall 2019 schedule I like.

I have the higher level loyalty with Azamara because of my Celebrity days, and they have an itinerary I like....so I’m tempted!

Thank you Floris, that was helpful.

I’ve been reviewing the various wine and beverage packages Azamara offers.

Essentially it would be about an extra $50 a day to drink something decent by the glass.

It’s not like Seabourn’s included wines are that great either. We generally find something we like by the glass and splurge for something better off the wine list occasionally. Bringing wine back to the ship on a daily basis is a job In of itself and one that I don’t like....

The reviews of the food seem fairly positive, and roughly comparable. Aqualina seems like it is a net positive for Azamara.

Any other comments would be appreciated.

As far as the wine is concerned, you are always welcome to bring fine wine onboard whether from home or from onshore. There is a very small corkage fee in public spaces. We’ve purchased many bottles while in France on our cruises

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I appreciate that, and I often bring a better wine onboard, even on Seabourn. Two thirds of the itinerary is at sea or in locals without good wine. ( Not Europe )

It’s tough to “ pay “ for better wine after already paying Seabourn prices for a similar sized cabin ( suite ). One of the three sailings i would do does include a drink package. ( The drink package concept is very offputting and doesn’t exist on any other upscale cruise line ).

As with all cruise ships, Seabourn employs thousand of crew members. Even though they do their best to hire and train ( Seabourn academy) , there’s always going to to be a few negative ones

I’ve experienced that a few times on Seabourn.

Each time I went to a superior officer and reported the incident.

I DO NOT want or expect an apology or interaction with the offending employee. That’s not my place, or good for the ship.

Seabourn is good at dealing with these incidents appropriately. On my last cruise in April a crew member was kicked off the ship for insulting a passenger publicly.

Hi board

Would I like Azamara?

I sail on Seabourn mostly, but I used to sail on Celebrity as well before becoming tired of the “commercialization “.

I can’t find an itinerary I like for Fall 2019 on any of my usual cruise choices so I looked at Azamara and saw something I liked on Pursuit.

I’m reticent because of the following :

Small cabins, unless I pay up for a suite

Drink packages. I like better wine and am used to it being included

Extras like specialty restaurants

The food.

Old ship even though it’s a refurbished old ship.

I’m elite plus on Celebrity so that level of loyalty would be accommodated on Azamara.

I know that Azamara has its loyal followers , hopefully those that have also experienced smaller luxury inclusive cruise lines like Seabourn can comment.

I wish they would offer fresh squeezed juices, vegie specifically. Seabourn square is the obvious choice, but it’s already busy cramped and crowded for the baristas. They would have to add it to the area on the left of the prep area, and it would require a dedicated juice person. Lastly, juices use a lot of produce.

Nah, it’s never going to happen.