Catlover54

Yes! On this issue (unlike some others) , SB has become responsive, and SS could learn from them. A few years ago it took some effort to get an included wine list on SB, but I was able to get it by day 3 at the latest, though it was not publicized and there was a little resistance ("we are very busy, it may take a while, etc."). Plus, a real somm was more easily available (now there are cutbacks in somm staff) to help steer us to appropriate wines available for what we were eating, to at least try them, as opposed to us having to guess what was and what was not available with extra effort if it was not one of the two put forward. On my recent trip, I asked for the list on SB Quest on day 1, had no resistance, and by evening the list was in our suite (no descriptions were included, but we already knew some and with internet, we could look up the others). Awesome! This helped drive our decision to spend a little of our port time to go to wine stores to get bottles to bring on board, and saved staff time. 🙂 Contrast with our SS cruise a few months ago, where they simply refused to give us a list, so we worked our way through them the hard way (which took a lot more wine server time, all in), one at a time if we didn't like the generic offerings, and took notes. It would be so much simpler to have a list available to those who care, (on request) with a disclaimer that they might be out by the time you order and there is no guarantee you can get it, and it may take longer to get than the two wines of the day. My guess is that the unwillingness to publicize the list is a combination of reluctance to raise expectations (e.g., in case they will be out, or if they want to hold a couple of the better included bottles back for 'special' customers), reluctance to have it known in an easy format how cheap the so-called "luxury" wines they serve are, and a general lack of serious interest in wine on these cruises (as opposed to top shelf liquor). Similarly, they don't like to publicize caviar and suite canapes availability on SB or SS -- cruisers in the know, know to ask for these if they want it, and others are, by default, kept in the dark. That keeps the overall price down, and most pax remain obliviously happy.

Yes, it is true that the Hapag Lloyd ships are more expensive per diem -- real luxury , as opposed to faux "luxury" we see lately on ships that call themselves luxury, has a cost. However, the single supplement for a base suite on HL is usually 50%, whereas on Regent, the supplement is almost always 100%. SB has a few cruises where the solo supplement is low (usually the less than desirable ones) , but typically it is 100%. So that will affect the overall price calculus for a solo trying to do a so-called "luxury" cruise. SS (new ships only -- the Moon and Dawn, next year the Nova), offers reasonable solo supplements, and pricing (food is not as fantastic as on HL, but you get what you pay for), and has solo get-togethers and tables One dark jacket and tie would get you through all venues without problem (though most of the time, you do not need even that), and no tie or jacket on most nights. Keep an open mind to SS.

It is a myth that "all other luxury/premium lines tend to be either kind of stuffy or kind of less modern/more chandelier-ish" Most people are not stuffy (and some, though less, are just as boorish as on mainstream lines) Yes, Regent has a lot of glitz on its newer ships but Seabourn does not The newer Silversea ships (Moon, Dawn) also look modern and are neither stuffy nor glitzy You live in Germany, so you may also be comfortable around Germans -- Europa 2 of Hapag Lloyd is very casual, not stuffy, has many travelers your age who are not stuffy, and has better food and service than the English language lines, IMHO. If you just live in Germany but don't speak German, be assured on board languages there are both English and German (including menus) and there is an international hostess and a solo get-together. Its luxury sister ship Europa has equal luxury and, minimalistic lines in its decor, but it is German only, and the crowd is older, and less outgoing (i.e., more "German German")

Which lines have you been on since Covid? There have been cutbacks in number and availability of qualified people, and who is referred to as a "sommelier" may very well not really be one.

We saw a few tables on the 9/22-10/4 Quest cruise that looked like they could have been hosted (based on who was sitting there, e.g., both staff and pax), but I did not specifically check (maybe they just knew each other or informally got together). However, every SB cruise we had been on pre-Covid we had received several invitations even though we had not solicited them , and that did not happen this cruise (we would not have gone anyway, to limit the intensity of potential Covid exposure). We assumed it was, like on other lines that all but eliminated hosted tables for many months after resumption of cruising, , due to Covid precautions. As you will be solo on a long cruise, in addition to going to the solo gathering, let the maitre d' know early in the cruise that you are interested in hosted tables, if there are any. But if Son of Omicron is on the rise in December, they may not offer them, at least not formally.

". . . .Has anyone else had difficulty booking a private excursion or dealing with the Seabourn "Private Destinations" Concierge? " Yes. " . . . I feel like the service should be a little better, especially when looking to spend a large sum for 8 hours!. . ." I agree, but SB does not feel the same way.

No need to worry. At least a few months ago, prior to our Moon cruise, everything was online, for you to print out on your own. We received nothing in the mail. We worried a bit about the flimsiness of the luggage tags, so we bought plastic tags into which one can place the cruise and cabin information (available on Amazon). But we didn't even need that, because when we gave up luggage at the port, the workers attached tags anyway (with us telling them what cabin we were in). Just make sure that online you are shown as sailing the day you think you are sailing and there are online cruise documents!

This is not uncommon. There can be many reasons, especially since Covid (port issues, local excursion staffing, mechanicals, surprise strikes, low demand, etc.). You will not always get a clear answer what is going on. Keep close track of charges, refunds, refunds outstanding. It is all just part of the work of cruising, 'luxury' or not. Also, at home while with good internet, set up a "Plan B" for a port if possible, e.g., a DIY, in case short notice cancellations occur while already on the cruise. And while on board, go to all little evening port talks to get quickest access to possible new information, watch the SB Source app on board( though don't trust it completely as it may be inaccurate ), and be ready to book at a moment's notice.

That sums it up quite well! It is sad -- they had been doing so well for a while, with vast economic improvements. There is, of course, also the anti-LGBT ambience that many of the 'lovely people' unfortunately tolerate and/or support https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Sri_Lanka

The guest relations communication problems precede Covid, and have not gotten better. I delegate my issues to my TA ( so she can earn her commission, and is more likely to be taken seriously).

It is depressing and disgusting to read posts #14 and up, about the shabby experience with the charter lack of seat enforcement, lack of attempt at fair overhead space control, lack of transfer assistance with luggage , etc. This was NOT an upscale experience, much less luxury, given the amount of money paid. This is all on SB ( except for the porcine pax who fully reclined into covepointcruiser's knees, when he was in a non-reclinable rear seat). It appears only those who are super healthy and/or who have very short legs and healthy backs can risk going on a SB arranged charter experience associated with the Venture,.

A six-hour layover in Seattle is worth peace of mind. It is a busy airport, but unlike at many American airports, people and staff are usually nice, and very civilised and the airport has great seafood options, chargers, etc. Have a wonderful, stress and Covid-free trip, Les. You plan so much, so carefully, but have gotten unlucky ( e.g., the Panama cruise), and deserve a change.

If you expect "rules" wriiten during early Covid and not changed online to be followed all the time on SB, you will be in for a surprise -- starting with staff masking rules ( I just got off Quest, and too many are under the nose). There are rules, unwritten customs, unwritten and variable enforcement policies, surprise unwritten priviliges, etc. CC describes many of those. Boarding time rules on bigger ships like Celebrity, with many pax, are critical. SB ships, however, have for so many years had so few pax, that with rare exceptions, regardless of when people show if at least after 12 pm, we have learned that no one is typically realistically inconvenienced when some come early ( at least at most ports -- NYC may be special, as it is for so many things good and bad). No one waits more than a few minutes, per reports, especially now without pier Covid testing.. However, and I cannot emphasize enough, no one with a later boarding time on any ship should expect, as a right, to *demand* earlier boarding, or to pressure staff to accomodate them, as happened on Crystal ( medium size) last winter when testing had to be done at the pier, and it was a mess with early crowders. In Montreal, staff were happy to see us early ( then they had less people to process coming in later with late flights, late drives, etc). In hindsight, eating lunch in Montreal would have made better sense ( tastier than the Colonnade turned out to be ), and if I were boarding in NYC, a foodie heaven, I absolutely would lunch there first, then board. The ship will still be there! Either way, our initially very late official boarding time was auto moved up three times by computer ( the last update was the day before sailing).

Frankfurt has always been difficult, and is a real mess since late spring, so even two hours for a connection for both bodies and luggage to get through is pushing it, depending on where you are coming from/going to. They are very short staff, and many of the staff they have ( security, information, rebooking missed flight lines, etc.) are less than ideal ( and often speak neither German nor English very well), and go on sick leave a lot. There are, of course, worse airports. One nice thing about FRA is that there is both a decent Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn, right in the airport ( you can just wheel luggage to them, no cab or shuttle needed ), and there is an easy and quick train connection into town for fun and restaurants. Depending on work/hurry/cost tolerance etc., stress can be reduced by just checking in for a leisurely night and flying outbound the next day. A 1 hr and 5 min connection set-up from SS Air these days is simply insulting to one's intelligence, and that added stress is not a luxury experience.

I am glad things are looking up for you a bit! It is good you have an eSim. My fingers are crossed for further improvements for you and your travel companions. As you are a group of at least 4, if you have more Restaurant service trouble, perhaps you could ask the maitre d' to do the same thing for you that he did for viking66 with his group that he described ( i.e., reserve a steady table in a good service section for the whole voyage, for 5 place settings, even though there are only 4 guests).

I submitted an official CC review the day of our return, linked to below. It was processed surprisingly quickly. Overall rating DH and I settled on is 3/5 ( comparing to other luxury lines experiences since Covid, and this judgment was mostly independent of the necessary hurricane rerouting issues) Apologies for the annoying typos (perhaps due to my Covid brain and fatigue), and for my "port review" sections not coming through for ease of CC's port tracking and search functions. https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=691219&et_cid=3500453&et_rid=17464385&et_referrer=NULL

I am glad you started this thread, thank you. With your level of planned financial outlay to SS you would think this would have been squared away long ago. Having had negative experiences with both Crystal and Seabourn arranging air for me ( sort of arranging, anyway) I decided to just suck up the extra charges I land up paying on business class flights where I cannot use miles, and always do air arrangements myself if possible. I had not yet formed an opinion on what to do with SS, but this thread ( and other sources) have convinced me that for the benefit of my blood pressure, if at all possible, I should do the same on SS, i.e., just avoid Silver Air. Unfortunately the extra air fees for health preservation are not deductable as misc. health related expenses, per the IRS. 🙂

This is the Quest. Other SB ship reports ( the bigger newer ones) look better online, and I would still consider them again even though I was unhappy with Quest dining room services.). My TA claims that they overall get better staff there ( unclear if fact). And of course perspective matters -- are you or your DH an assertive, or passive person, when on vacation? Some people actually like or do not mind assertion games even when traveling ( carried over from work styles and personalities). To me, it is too much like work.

I just got off the Quest, and it was explained that staffing shortages ( e.g., at least a couple dozen crew out with Covid) required closing or limiting some dining options. They reportedly even considered closing TK Grill, but central command said no. Choices from the traditional menu were not easily available in Colonnade. When I ordered the consomme from there, to replace the Colonnade miso I did not like, the waiter sternly warned me it has to come from the lower galley and would take a very long time because people then have to go get it ( plus the Restaurant staff are also very busy). It was 20 minutes for soup replacement , which arrived cold. If in a hurry to get to sleep, like dsiegel tonight, I would not recommend that approach on a ship this full with many restaurant staff out. I also read elsewhere ( a prior recent cruiser) he was told he could not do it, but when he fussed, they "made an exception" for him. There is official policy, and then there are disincentives.

Enjoy the time you have in lovely QC, and of course stay as alert and informed as you can , with your paper Herald. I filled out our online SB feedback form for our just ended cruise, and among other issues, noted they should not continue to push using just the Source app, like Square personnel tried to intimidate you into using this cruise without allowing paper ( despite problems on the last cruise even when internet was not broken), given it is not up to date and confuses people. We just used it to compliment ( not replace) our paper Herald.

Yes, the Colonnade menu is always limited, that is normal now. As for the Restaurant and not wanting to be still eating at 9 tonight, either be first in line when they open ( see if they open at 6:30 instead of 7 as they did on the last cruise sometimes), e.g., skip the talk before the dinner. You can also pre-eat some food in your suite or SB Square ( cheese plate, caviar, room service salad) and then skip the DR appetizer, or skip DR dessert, as a compromise -- not luxury, but a way to deal with tonight. Meanwhile introduce yourself to Omar, ( assuming he stayed on to be the maitre d') because those who are proactive on the Quest are a bit more likely to be properly attended to.

It's nice that you had a good experience and that somehow you can lay claim to 'your' table for the rest of the cruise. I am not sure how that would work unless you always arrive promptly when the dining room opens, maybe that is the plan. Will they hold your table open until you come if you do not? Also 1. that approach (and as repeatedly suggested by lincslady and others as a simple solution) does not scale well, e.g., if everyone lays "claim" to the decent service area, this means then others, perhaps Jsiegel, presumably paying the same price per diem, have to settle on the service dregs when the ship is near capacity, because the Quest is understaffed, despite being marketed as "luxury" ( presumably for all who pay). 2. You also say you think "the staff handled the rush well." Certainly it sounds like it did for you. But jsiegel noted, ". . . . In the meantime they were turning tables around us, people who arrived long after us finished their desserts before we received our main courses. We did not finish until 9 pm. We did complain and they stated the kitchen couldn't keep up. . . . " If the problem was handled well, then people who came long after dsiegel should have been served after dsiegel, not before, IMHO, and everyone would have equally long waits for the limited kitchen staff. Someone needs to be coordinating the timing to be fair, but is not, because of lack of management staff -- that is not a "luxury" experience for those who pull the short straws.

DH and I are now safely home -- but have Covid. I had a doctor appointment scheduled today for a procedure, and self-tested for Covid to assure it would be appropriate to go there, but am positive, so will stay home ( fortunately with truly hot food and all the very sparkling water and good strong coffee I want, no chasing required! ). 🙂 So is DH, and he has symptoms. Oh well. This is our first time with Covid, and though inconvenient, we will recover. We had evaded it for 2.5 years despite extensive travel and many cruises, and knew eventually we would likely get it, ultravaxxed or not. Maybe it is from the crowded school bus excursions, maybe from infected crew and other pax on the ship ( it's a bit early to be from the airport return), maybe from ports, it does not matter. I do not 'blame' SB for our Covid, despite their multiple cases on the Quest, as we knew the risks, and all lines these days have their packs of infections. I will be sure and do another cruise within the next few months, riding high on my recovery. Happy sailing to all, be it on the Quest or elsewhere!

If the room steward does not come through, go back to SB Square and see if Helene is there. Per CC advice, on our first day, DH and I went there about a few questions and also asked for daily copies. The agent did not fight me at all, just immediately said "Do you INSIST?" It startled both of us that she used that phrase, as we were just quietly asking, but it seemed she needed that to take action and was saving us steps. She was later helpful on other things too, without having to push push push, fight fight fight, go to the top top top, which is tiring and we avoid it.

I take it your interaction with Guest Services was less than optimal. Was this on any particular ship, and/or just since Covid?