JPH814

My wife and I are planning to book this cruise for the Spring of 2024.  We would book an "Owners Suite" (since I am a big guy and appreciate a little extra room.)  Does anyone have an opinion of which of these ships to pick? 

The room sizes seem about the same.  Akll three have cabins that are facing front,   but wonder if the Pilot House would obstruct the forward view on the Song and Harmony.  I think I like the Pride since it has a smaller passenger capacity.  And the price of the Pride is a bit less - we could save about $1000. But the Song and Harmony are significantly newer ships.

Anything else I should consider.  

I posted a review of my Quest cruise back in October.   It was a wonderful cruise.  Many many more highs than lows.  

Interesting to hear the two very different accounts of conditions on this cruise.  My only advice to the readers: Read them all and make up your own mind.    One way to evaluate the posts is to look at the number of posts from the person making the comments.   I tend to put more weight on comments from people with 3000 cruise critic posts than someone with 75.   But that is just me.  I also like to read the comments on other topics from the poster.  Some people have negative comments constantly.  Others are pure cheerleaders.  I put more stock in comments from a poster who report good and bad 

On 12/19/2022 at 7:25 PM, FromMyDeckChair said:

From what I can deduce, the Seabourn Source app should be a useful tool both before sailing and especially while onboard.  However, the reviews I've read say the app is technically a dud with tons of glitches rendering it beyond frustrating.  Does anyone have any feedback if you've tried the app?

Is it perfect. No.  Is it intuitive to use. No. And it relies on a very inconsistent Wi-Fi system on board. 
 

But it has many more pluses than minuses. I love no paper.  One place to see daily activities and menus.  Constantly updating availability of excursions.  
 

if you are the least bit experienced using apps, you will be fine.  The problem is older folks - who make up a good percentage of Seabourne customers- are less likely to have that experience.  

You can see my cruise history below.  The food on Our most recent Seabourne cruise was just as good as previous cruises.  

On 10/22/2022 at 12:07 AM, CruiseCruiseCruise13 said:

My husband and I are looking to take our first Seabourn sailing next summer. We’ve narrowed it down to Athens to Istanbul, or the reverse as we’d like to visit both Athens and Istanbul.
We’re not really familiar with any of the ports in between. 
Do you have a preference? Is there a port we cannot miss?

You have received a lot of good advice here.  The only two things to add:

We had a wonderful guide in Athens.  If you need a guide to consider , let me know.

Are you aware of the "refer a friend" program from Seabourn?  First time cruisers get a $250 on board credit if a current seabourn person "refers" them.  (All it means is filling out a form).  Let me kn ow if you are interested.(Really, it is not a scam)

https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/refer-a-friend.html

On 12/16/2022 at 7:26 PM, florisdekort said:

Seabourn just announced that jeans are now allowed in all dining venues on Elegant Casual nights. 
Also, no more Formal nights on Expedition ships. 
 

Due to “guest feedback”.
 

Floris 

Can you share the "announcement" from Seabourn please

On 11/21/2022 at 5:08 PM, brittany12 said:

Not just important for cruise line executives to be aware of what factors—like MDR's being open for breakfast and lunch on all days— make passengers choose one cruise line over another, but for them to have a firm, well-publicized in advance policy across the entire fleet and then adhere to it in practice..

My suspicion is that cruise line executives are well aware of the opinions regarding breakfast and lunch on "all days/"  They can easily see it in the number of people who eat in the MDR when it is open.  Most likely they are making a business decision:  the cost of staffing vs the disappointment of a few customers.  Are they willing to incur extra costs spread out to all passengers to satisfy the few?   

1 hour ago, Bell Boy said:

Exactly, How on earth do the Bar staff manage without Lemons

 

I sense a tone of disbelief

I can say that any BAR I went to had lemons for all 12 days of the cruise. In fact, one of my usual drinks is a lemon drop at the observation bar. The COFFEE BAR had lemons.  I know because I frequently got a tea in the morning there.  There were lemons at the afternoon tea at the observation bar.

However, the first time we had the problem was in the colonnade for breakfast about halfway through the cruise.   My wife asked for her usual hot tea with lemons for breakfast.  No lemons came.  I asked again,  They brought slices of lime. The server said they had no lemon. Being the good hubby that I am,  I walked down to the coffee bar (Literally one floor directly below the colonnade) and brought up several slices of lemons.

The same thing happened the next morning.  After that, I brought my own lemons from the coffee bar to breakfast.

The last morning we had an early departure.  We ordered ROOM SERVICE .  Hot tea with lemons.  none came with the order.  I reminded the steward.  He returned with limes.

Do people think limes and lemons are the same thing?  (This happened to us on a Caribbean cruise on another line as well  - limes instead of lemons)

Was this the worst thing that could have happened on a cruise? no.  Did it spoil our cruise? No.  I do wonder how - if it was so easy for me to get lemons from one part of the ship-  how come a crew member could not do so?

On 11/21/2022 at 1:29 PM, ak1004 said:

@JPH814Thank you for the very helpful review!

 

How did you find the itinerary, especially the Canadian ports? We are considering a similar cruise in 2024 (Montreal to Montreal), want to try Seabourn for the first time. 

This was our second trip on this (almost) same itinerary 

Quebec City was gorgeous

 Bar harbor ( and Acadia park) was great

Halifax has a lot to offer. We have been there 5 times now. 
Boston is Boston.  A great city for history 

We enjoyed the zodiac trip to the fiord 

other stops were less exciting.  
 

I would highly Recommend the itinerary and Seabourne.  
 

On 9/30/2022 at 9:08 AM, Sailingagain123 said:

We were sailing on Seabourn right after they implemented their new “fresh water”.  It tasted dirty to us.  Does it taste better now?

 

My wife and I drank gallons of that water on a recent 12 day cruise.  Tasted fine to us.  We drink  bottled water at home.and this tasted the same.  

3 hours ago, kjbacon said:

So the same guy who wants formal wear at dinner wants to stand in the long toast line at breakfast, holding his own plate and watching the rest of his food get cold? Or is the lure of the debate a bit much ….

I enjoy formal wear.  I also enjoy gym pants and a sweatshirt.  I enjoy a 7 course tasting menu.  I enjoy the galley lunch.  

But that is not my point.  My point was to question a "definition" of 6 star service. It was stated as if there was a book written on the subject - a Roberts Rules of Order for high class cruising.    Who made this definition?  Where is it written and prescribed?    

I'll help you out in the "debate"...."Of taste there can be no dispute".  What I like is what I like.  What you like is what you like.  And when I can closely match what I like to what is offered at a price I am willing to pay, I will give that 6 stars. 

9 hours ago, brittany12 said:

Spot on, kjbacon. 6* by definition is table service meals 3X day. 

And whose definition is that?

I googled six star service and did not see a definition.  (Try it - but don't look for the definition of six stars in the the Urban Dictionary. 🙂  yikes!  )

De gustibus non est disputandum.

5 hours ago, brittany12 said:

Yes the much heralded Galley lunch is a fancier eating at the trough event where everything is literally offered and thrown in as passengers line up and gorge. It's never appealed to us either. The one Princess cruise we ever took on their small 590 passenger sister ship to the Oceania and Azamara babies before it was scuttled had oblong plates at the buffet. Maybe 16'' long.The one meal there we were forced to have because the Military Tattoo at the Edinburgh castle was starting early. I will never forget the scene of how the Princess population loaded up those giant plates at the Lido buffet. And then return trips. There is no comparison of a fancy resort lavish buffet for breakfast or brunch  and that offered in the Colonnade. 

If you believe the dessert display or the bread displays were "thrown in" you do not have much appreciation for the creativity of the kitchen staff. Several of the displays were complex and impressive.  The advantage of any buffet is the ability to try a range of things, some things you might never had tried before.  So one person's disdain for "everything" is someone else's opportunity to try something other than meat and potatoes. 

34 minutes ago, nancygp said:

Exactly the same experience in new York on October 16th.  

Nancy

that is the cruise I was on

On 11/1/2022 at 2:28 PM, commodoredave said:

The answer depends on how interested SB is in keeping and attracting the business of people who enjoy having some or many meals at breakfast and lunch in the MDR. In other words, there is both a cost to open the MDR for breakfast and lunch, and a cost of losing customers for not doing so. Other cruise lines seem to find an an acceptable accommodation, whether it's to keep the MDR open for just lunch, when the ship is full, on sea days, during cold-weather cruises, on long voyages, etc.  

it seems like Seabourne matches your idea of an accommodation 

FWIW: we arrived at 1:15. Traffic was favorable.  Despite being “assigned” 3 pm we boarded immediately.  No one asked about outer board it time nor seemed to even notice it on our docs.  We would have willingly waited if told to do so.  But there were few people being processed and moved through in about 10 minutes.   
 

of course, this was one person’s experience on one ship on one day.  As the saying goes- Your mileage may vary,   

21 minutes ago, brittany12 said:

 

Strongly disagree with assertion use it or lose it.  It's nowhere near the tuxedo and evening dress analogy. No. we are paying for it. If many or most passengers choose not to use this civilized and relaxing food service,  that's no reason  to shut down MDR for breakfast or even lunch so long as the luxury cruise line openly advertises and markets its various dining venues as open for all three meals  and does not tell people buying cruises the MDR will be shut down. If they do that, then lower my fare and stop pretending you are a luxury line. 

Maybe the cost savings for those few lunches it is not open are already included in the fare calculation.  Maybe all of us would have to pay more to keep the MDR open for the very few people who use it.  
This is just one of the many decisions businesses make every day.  

On 10/22/2022 at 4:17 PM, lincslady said:

The laundry bag holds a surprising amount (ask any seasoned SB cruiser) and I have always had excellent service from it, though I have over the years read just one or two complaints from others.  Our things arrive back pressed and on hangers, or if nightwear or similar nicely folded in a basket.  If you roll everything up, you will be amazed at how many shirts, blouses, dresses etc. you can get into the bag. Make  sure your list is absolutely correct.

agreed!.. My wife is an expert at stuffing the bag  (There are youtube videos with tips).  I actually added up what the cost would be if we paid per item and it was over $125 worth of clothes. $50 was a bargain - and the "free bag as a perk for silver member - made it even better.  

Just off 12 days on the Quest.  Yes the MDR was open every day and it was EMPTY! We had one breakfast there - we were one of 3 tables being served.  Frequently walked through during breakfast (often the disembark was on the 4 deck) and never did we see more than 3 or 4 tables occupied.  We were there once during a sea day for lunch for a special wine lunch,  We had 10 involved.  Saw one other table occupied.  Does it really make sense to continue to staff it?

2 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

You needed to nip in the bud all of the poor service issues that you had by going to see the Hotel Director.

This always gets issues resolved.

Sounds like you encountered some lazy staff who couldn't be bothered to go and get the lemons.

This is not usual and is definitely not the Seabourn way.

I know it wouldn't have happened to me.

Please view my lemon “problem” in the context of my entire post.  It was clearly an exceptional issue on a overwhelmingly wonderful experience.  

28 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

Never been on a ship that doesn't have lemons.

I can't believe it 😁

The problem was not that the ship did not have lemons.  The colonade and room service said they had no lemons.  One morning when I was at the collonade and was told they had no lemons, I walked down to seabourn square coffee bar. ( one floor directly below collonade!!) They had lemons. I brought them back to my table.   
 

again, not a huge problem.  ( unless you really want lemon in your tea).  Just a surprising - albeit rare- lapse of good service. 

2 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

Thanks for your review.

Room service is the way to go if you haven't had enough food and want to eat outside of the normal opening journey of the good venues.

A regular order of lemon placed at the start of the cruise will get the desired result.

We were told on multiple  occasions in the colonade and room service “we have no lemons”.   How would a “regular order” help? 

Over the years, I have traveled quite a bit. You can see my cruise history in my signature below.  I plan my travel carefully, whether it is a cruise, a trip to Las Vegas or any other vacation.  I am an avid reader of websites like Cruise Critic, Trip Advisor (and others) to help inform me on my plans. I listen to all opinions, positive and negative. I also contribute to the discussion when I have information or opinions I feel will be of value to others.

What follows are my observations and opinions regarding my recent 12 day cruise on the Quest, from New York to Montreal.   It is not a full “review” nor is it a day-by-day description of everything I did, or ate or experienced.  I rather have put together a list of the things that I enjoyed – kind of a “top ten list” of my experiences.  And also a (shorter) list of complaints or negative observations.  Hopefully some will find the information interesting or valuable.

Countdown of my Top Ten experiences

10.  Coffee Bar in Seabourn Square.  The service here was outstanding.  I have a rather specific order (low fat milk, four scoops of mocha, three shots of expresso- two regular, one decaf).  I gave this order once and the rest of the trip it was remembered by the barista, with a smile and a “thank you Mr. Henry.’  I use this as one example of the service I routinely received on the trip. 

9.  Galley Lunch – One day the restaurant served a buffet lunch.  The buffet was set up in the galley – you actually walked through the kitchen to fill up your plate.  Almost any conceivable type of food was available. A huge display of lobster tails, crab legs and shrimp.  Prime rib, Asian foods. A roast pig. Cheese display.  Incredible desserts.  Do not miss it.

8. Hosted Dinners.  We were invited to three hosted dinners this cruise – once with the HR officer and one with each of the two lecturer on board.  We were joined each time with other couples.  It was a good way to meet other cruisers and engage in interesting conversations.   

7.  The lounge chairs in Seabourn Square.  There are about 8 of these along the aft window and are a great location to settle in with a book or an ipod listening to music.

6.  Daniel – the star of the colonnade.  This guy gave us our first glass of wine during lunch on the first day and greeted us – by name – with a smile every time we were there for breakfast or lunch for the next 12 days.

5.  Iyan - The wine sommelier. In general, the wines that were offered at meals were generally good.  We were always offered one red or one white but could – and did – request something different.  For example, we are not big fans of Pinot Gris that was offered, but we could ask and receive a chardonnay or sauvignon blanc if we preferred.  But for a few dinners we decided to buy a bottle of premium wine for a special dinner.  Iyan was knowledgeable and fun.  He gave us good recommendations and opened and poured the wines for us and spent time telling us about the wines.  And the premium wines were not tremendously marked up. Most restaurants will charge 2 to 3 times the retail price.  These wines were less than twice the retail price.

4.  Wine Pairing Lunch.  We decided to pay for a special lunch offered one day in the dining room. It was a 6 course meal paired with 6 different wines.  It was hosted by Iyan.  Salmon, Fois Gras, Lobster Risotto, Beef Tenderloin, Dover Sole, Grand Marnier Parfait.  The food was beautifully plated and the wines (generously poured)  were outstanding.   It was a special experience shared with only 5 couple other couples. It was a little pricey, although less than the average excursion (-$115 per person)  but well worth it.  Highly recommended.

3.  Grill Dinners.  Dinners in the Restaurant were consistently very good and occasionally impressively special.  The colonnade was good, occasionally very good.  But we had two dinners in the Grill that were as good as almost any restaurant on land.  The room was attractive, the food prepared very well and the service was spot on.

2. Our Room Stewards (Patrician and Mugabe).  These two were outstanding.  Room serviced twice a day and all details attended.  Replaced water bottles. Replaced sodas in the refrigerator.  Replaced my vodka and wine when emptied. Bathroom sparkled. Always greeted us by name with smiles.

1. In general – service throughout the ship!  In twelve days I can maybe identify 2 or 3 crew members who I felt was not on top of their game.  Virtually every staff – whether an officer, a bartender, a waiter,  or a maintenance worker in a jumpsuit  - would smile and say good morning and would provide a fine service.

Now – for those few things that I feel were lacking or could be improved. None of these were deal breakers, but I provide them so you don’t think I am a cheerleader  ( I will not mention the Seabourn Source app since I started a separate post about that.)

1.       Wifi – The free wifi is barely serviceable. There were times it just did not work.  After a couple of days I splurged for the “streaming wifi” at $20 per day.  It was somewhat better – when it worked.  But about 30 percent of the time it was not functioning.  Eventually I was given a refund.  This is something all cruise lines will need to figure out.

2.       TV.  Why is there no US based sports channel?  I was onboard during the football season and the baseball playoffs and there was no way to watch any of it.  But three stations were dedicated to European sports networks

3.       Breakfast service it the colonnade.  Despite being a buffet, you still rely on staff for ordered items and bring juice, coffee or tea.  And this was painfully slow – I mean 20 -30 minutes for a pot of tea or an omelet.  It seems so disorganized and very frustrating.

4.       And speaking of tea, why can’t a cruise ship provide lemon for hot tea?  Occasionally you got it, but half the time you might get a slice of lime and often we were told that no lemon was available.  This was a problem in the colonnade and room service.  But somehow, it was never a problem in the coffee bar or in a bar.  We started bring our own lemons from the coffee bar to breakfast.

5.       Snacks.   This might sound weird with so much food available breakfast, lunch and dinner.  But wouldn’t it be nice to have a slice of pizza available at 4 in the afternoon or 10 o’clock at night?  Or maybe a display of cheese and crackers or pretzels or popcorn somewhere virtually 24/7?  I don’t want to call room service.

Again, these “complaints” are really very minor.  None of them would keep me from booking Seabourn again or recommending Seabourn to someone else.

If anyone has any comments or questions, I will be happy to respond

On 10/26/2022 at 1:41 AM, calm down dear said:

Yesterday I encountered 2 couples who had missed their tour as they had not been reminded of their tour. They had been on board awhile and completely forgot. It’s not that you don’t get tickets, you also don’t get a reminder, except if you go into source and you will get a banner saying “tour today” but many older people are not glued to their phones. Their pleas at Seabourn square didn’t work.

Today for the first time I recall, CD Ross was making a big thing of “always check the source, your tickets are there, you must access it and then navigate to the wallet section and tickets are there” - sorry but this is not on for many of the guests and today we helped a couple access stuff. I simply don’t understand why you can’t have a paper reminder for something you have paid for but we get spa and boutique flyers daily.

Interesting. I just got off 12 days on the Quest and had absolutely no flyers in my cabin for the so or the boutique.  
 

As for the need for  reminders?  That is just silly.