JPH814

On 10/15/2022 at 12:53 PM, Vineyard View said:

I do not disagree with this at all. We are not buffet fans - although I will say that Viking has taken it to a different level than most we have sailed on. This being our first SB cruise, and this being a “luxury” line, I would not expect to find these types of concerns. I would think that having the dining room open on sea days would be automatic. In this thread, and several other, I notice quite a bit of unrest amongst SB fans with a lot reduction of service changes that have been implemented. Add to that, the financial concerns - I am sincerely beginning to wonder if my paid in full luxury cruise is such a wise decision. I should be getting excited about our first post-Covid cruise on SB, not increasingly worried. I know cruise lines in general have really struggled, and it’s not a bed of roses everywhere, but there seems to be a high level of dissatisfaction and concerns on the SB threads in comparison to a couple other lines we have sailed on or are considering. 

I am aboard the Quest now.  As per my signature I have a pretty broad set of experiences.  I have to disagree.  
 

“ quite a bit of unrest”. Not really. An occasional hiccup but wonderful staff, exceptional food and beet personalized service 

“ high level of dissatisfaction “. Check out the posts and you may find many stem from a very few people.  And the positives far outnumber the negatives

dining room? Had breakfast one day ( not a sea day). And lunch was open yesterday ( sea day? Pulled into port at 1:30) 

36 minutes ago, Flamin_June said:

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.....

Agree that the “for/against formal” debate is stale.  But it is still good to keep up with the current trends of “ what’s happening now”. 

3 hours ago, SLSD said:

That is only if you see being glued to cell phones as a good thing.  Many of us vacation to get away from this.  It's like the restaurants which. now require you to see their menus online when you are sitting at a table.  Who needs that?  What is elegant about it?

We definitely have different views of progress. 
 

I can remember cruises with a stateroom with paper all over the place. Daily programs.  Descriptions of excursions (that may or may not be sold out).  Confirmations of reservations.  Menus.

   To think I can pick up my phone ( no, it is not glued to my hand, only when I need it) and answer my questions, remind me of appointments and make plans for the day.  . Not to mention up to the minute information about changes, what excursions are sold out or available, etc.
 

yes it needs work.  But it will happen. 

The purpose of my post was to commend Seabourn for the effort and alert future cruisers for the pitfalls.  5 years from now the app will be fixed, the Wi-Fi will be better and the customer base will evolve.   All for the better. 

7 hours ago, tv24 said:

An ap that is dependent on a sketchy internet connection is doomed to be, well, sketchy.  Not a great idea if you need it for basic cruise functions like excursions.  And i wonder how it works if you have an internet plan that allows for only one device per stateroom?  If you are using the ap, are you blocked from looking at email on another device?  If so, that is a big inconvenience.

The basic internet plan is one device per PERSON. 

Currently on board the Quest. 
 

Seaborne is aggressively pursuing the admirable objective of reducing paper.  This is clear in its reliance on the Seaborne Source app for communication, transactions and many simple tasks. 
 

in general, for me, it works pretty well. My guess is for most people on Cruise Critic you would have no problem.  I say that because you are obviously pretty savvy in the digital world. 
 

but I fear for some  Seabourn customers the technology might be a bit ambitious    I spent some time the first 2 days in Seabourn Square dealing with a personal issue. Clearly  given the time of year and itinerary, the demographic on this cruise skews older.  Guest after guest was waiting in line to see a staff person to ask how to use the app.  How to sign on.  “Why can’t you print me a copy of my itinerary?”  “ where is the pass for my excursion?”  And “ why does the internet not work for me?”  

 
Adding to the problem of the demographic is the fact that the app itself has flaws.  For example, one of my purchased excursions was not on on my itinerary on my app.  Another  excursion which was cancelled was still listed. 
 

And all of this pretty important technology is based on a Wi-Fi signal which is inconsistent and barely adequate 

Bottom line: this is the future and it is a good thing. But it is not 100% ready yet, especially for those behind the curve on the digital revolution. 

10 hours ago, labonnevie said:

I would be interested in what the senior F & B staff or Hotel Director had to say about this. 
Can jeans and t shirts be far off?

Not sure what staff would say.  But I am onboard the quest now.  Had dinner in the restaurant  on “formal” night. Here is what I saw

Women’s attire much harder to classify. But many long dresses /skirts.  Lots of sequins   Clearly a cut above even “dressy” category.  While not all would be what is usually considered “formal”, there were very few that I would consider under dressed for the “formal” standard. 
 

men’s attire is easier to classify.  Maybe 3-4%  true formal - meaning out of 100 men in the restaurant, there were 3 or 4 in tuxes or formal dinner jackets.  Men in suits and ties, about 20%.  Jacket and ties- 30%.  Jackets no ties. 30%. The rest -15% or so - were just pants and shirts.  
 

I saw no jeans in the restaurant on formal night. 
 

fwiw - I was one of the “formal” ones: white dinner jacket and black Bow tie. 

I am on Board as well. So far, excellent in every aspect. 
 

room stewards are wonderful.  Very attentive. Love the big water bottles that they continually replace. And a full ice bucket every day in the fridge. 
 

dinner at TK Sunday was excellent. Met the wine steward who is a great guy.  Last night ( formal night) dinner at the restaurant was also good.  Food a solid A,    Dinner was not very formal, unfortunately.  I had a dinner jacket and bow tie. Maybe 4 or 5 others truly formal.  Maybe half of the rest in suits/jackets and ties.  I guess that age has passed - although I will not go gentle 

staff at all food venues have been great. Several already refer to us by name and remember previous requests.  Excellent service.  
 

I had booked 5 ship excursions and now 2 are cancelled.  Annoying but oh well

Seaborne square is quite busy.  Had a problem of my own doing and one rep spent hours helping me resolve it.  So I spent a lot of time there.  Many many many people come down asking for help with the Seabourne Source app.  The demographic on this cruise is not ready for a paperless, all digital experience.  “What do you mean you can not print out my itinerary?!”   To be fair, the app is less than perfect and -add to it - a too weak Wi-Fi signal - still a lot of work for seaborne to do in that regard. 

Anyone else have this experience with Seabourne?  I booked an excursion, they charged my card, I see it on my itinerary and I got a confirmation email.   Weeks later the excursion is no longer on my itinerary.  It has happened now 2 times. First time I called and they said yes it was canceled but is now again available so I rebooked.  Today I see a different excursion has disappeared.  Booked in April.  Cruise is 7 days away.  I will call them Monday, but WT?   

6 hours ago, jsiegel said:

We had dinner last night at Earth and Ocean and loved it. That venue is more our vibe. I'm glad it's finally open on the Quest and I'm kicking myself for not having tried it on our previous Seabourn cruise. 

 

Access to these message boards isn't blocked,  it was a phone issue on my end maybe. Seabourn Source or something seems to kick me out and I have to log in again and choose the included Internet package again. My husband's phone, Galaxy S9, doesn't have this issue but my Galaxy S22 does.  Now I know to check my connection whenever the Internet bugs out on me.

 

Jackie

Quick question: how chilly is Earth and Ocean for dinner? (We arrive next week). 

15 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

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).

 

 

 

 

Eating in New York before boarding is easier said than done. What do you do with 2 weeks worth  of luggage? If you drop it at the ship, will they take it?  If yes, do you then take a cab to a restaurant? Not many are within walking distance of the pier?  
i appreciate all the feedback. We have a 2 1/2 hour car ride to New York.  Traffic? Could make it in 2 or 4.  We will leave home at 11 and arrive when we arrive.it could be 1 pm or 3 pm   If we can board, great.  If not, we will wait. But I am not about to trust traffic and plan on a 3 pm arrival.  

We will be boarding the Quest in New York next week.  We have been assigned group H - 3 PM for boarding. This is a little disappointing since I always enjoy the first day lunch when we arrive.  We are generally rule followers, but was wondering the experience of other Seabourn Cruisers, especially boarding in  New York, to know how strictly this boarding time is enforced. (Especially since we will be driving 2 1/2 hours before boarding.) 

Announced today!!

"The (Canadian) federal government says it's dropping all COVID-19 measures at borders on Saturday, meaning travellers will no longer need to provide proof of vaccination when entering Canada or wear masks on planes and trains.

As of Oct. 1, all travellers, regardless of citizenship, will no longer have to:

• Submit public health information through the ArriveCAN app or website;
• Provide proof of vaccination;
• Undergo pre- or on-arrival testing;
• Carry out COVID-19-related quarantine or isolation;
• Monitor and report if they develop signs or symptoms of COVID-19 upon arriving to Canada;
• Undergo health checks for travel on air and rail;
• Or wear masks on planes and trains."
•  

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/arrivecan-border-covid-end-1.6595710

We did a wonderful Seabourn cruise from Montreal to Boston a few years ago. Loved Seabourn and this was one of the best cruises we ever took.   Our only problem:  We went the third week of September and the trees had not changed colors yet.  This year we are doing virtually the same cruise again, leaving October 16 From New York to Montreal.  

How difficult is it to have more than one dinner at the TK Grill on your cruise?  Have you made any attempt?

It does not benefit Seabourne to require a higher level of precautions than what they are advised as necessary. In fact, I am reasonably sure their policies are as minimally restrictive as possible.  So I will conform , as I hope all others ( staff and guests) will as well 

Technically yes.  Higher floors are generally viewed as more attractive.  Unless - like my wife - the rough seas are a problem. The card room will probably never or rarely be used. 

17 minutes ago, ejincali said:

Or just make your own reservation there.  Set menu for about 200Canadian pp

Yes but the ship’s excursion includes the wine pairing which is about an additional 150 plus transportation to and from.   Price wise it is a push. 

As this cruise is approaching Quebec City, I would be interested if anyone attends the Gastronomic Experience at La Taniere 3. (if it is even offered on your cruise)  This "excursion" is offered in Quebec City on our Quest cruise in October.  It sounds interesting but is rather pricey.  ($629 for two people).  

On 8/23/2022 at 10:13 AM, PirateWife said:

Just back from b2b cruises on the Quest. Biggest difference was wines available with standard package. Bottles had Azamara label on them except for one red which was switched out shortly into the cruise. The Patio opened for evening dining during the second cruise. The crew was happy and planning to stay with Azamara. The senior crew was visible. I did not see any major changes.

Are you allowed to bring your own wines on board and into the dining room?

A quick question:  Are there "hosted tables" on your cruise (whether you partake or not)? We have always enjoyed them and hope for invitation(s) on our Quest cruise in October.

I will be on Quest for 12 weeks in October.  So I may return with a similar opinion and level of disappointment I have heard on this thread. 

However, I hope I will not get to the point where a staff member's haircut or failure to call me by name  - or even this level of "affront" happening 2 or 3 times a day, every day - will cause me to re-think my future cruising decision. We are not royalty.  This is not 1920's golden-age.  We are not houseguests at Downton Abbey.  

I would love to try this option, but the menu never seems to appeal to my  wife.  Does anyone know if the servers can be flexible -  providing a basic steak or chicken option entre?

On 6/30/2022 at 4:54 PM, cruiseej said:

@rkacruiser I think it's splitting hairs, but you're of course correct that the shareholder promotion is an onboard credit, not a discount off the base fare price. And for anyone wondering while reading this thread, it's a pretty small thing: $100 or $250, depending on the length of the cruise. 

My point is not that it is significant when you realize the price of a cruise - especially Seabourn. (Remember it applies to any of CCL cruise lines)  My point is more from the stock point of view:  with today's price you would get an immediate 11.3% return on the investment (for a 7 day cruise) or a 28.3% return (for a 14 day cruise).  It would at least make sense to buy 100 shares, file for the OBC and then sell it.   Unless you anticipate taking additional cruises in the near future.

Sorry the attachment did not get posted.  Simply google "Carnival stock benefits"  and you will find the details

As i

Just now, JPH814 said: