skybluewaters

That's right, the in-suite fridges are meant to keep drinks cold, but they are not cold enough to reliably prevent the buildup of bacteria in leftovers.

Sweet Suite would be better. Or maybe Toot Suite. Almost anything would be an improvement over the use of "Junior." Even "Way over-priced cabin that you don't really need" would suffice.

Thanks! However, I just read this about the PredictWind app: "The Free and Basic PredictWind Forecast Subscriptions allow you to get Global GRIB files (50km resolution) over land based WIFI and cellular connections, however you are not able to get these GRIBs over a Satellite/SSB connection." So doesn't that mean that the app won't provide information when one is on a cruise and not able to get land-based WIFI or a cellular connection? Have you been able to utilize it when out at sea? There is a $20/month premium version, but I'm asking about the free version. Thanks

I don't agree with your description of the TV choices as being great. The news channels are predominately from UK, Australia and other countries, totally not in proportion to Seabourn's clientele. CNN, which is traditionally the standard for news (and I'm not looking to get into a political argument) is not available. ESPN, which is the standard for sports in the USA, is also not available. IIRC, on our recent cruises there were three or four sports channels, not one of which was from the USA. I'm not saying that the channels for the other countries need to be removed, but there should be at least one USA sports channel, given the national demographics of Seabourn's cruisers.

Thank you for your explanation. Do you know if the helicopter landed on the Ovation and picked the passengers up or if the passengers were lifted to the helicopter by rope?

Is that a passenger (or a rescuer) hanging onto a rope under the helicopter? Did the helicopter land on the ship and pick up the two passengers? What type of emergency would result in two passengers being involved? Hopefully there will be a good outcome.

The ocean vessels' beds were queen, the river cruise boats' beds were king.

Speaking of the Keller Grill on Ovation, I've noticed that the Dover Sole is listed under "Service for Two." Has this always been the case on Ovation? On my recent cruises on Odyssey and Sojourn, the Dover Sole was an individual dish. So is the Service for Two sole larger than what is served on the Odyssey and Sojourn, or have they determined that the portion is too large for one person?

And if you don't want the cash, whatever refundable OBC remains at the end of the cruise will be refunded automatically to your CC (that's why it's called refundable).

Sometimes it seems they're on a one week rotation.

I love a plethora of unrelated items. It's fun to scout them out, perhaps be tempted to try something you would not otherwise try off a menu, when you can actually see it first. And with a buffet you can sample multiple dishes in one meal. On all my cruises on Seabourn as well as on other lux lines, I've eaten many hundreds of buffet meals and have never had any gastrointestinal issues. To put it into perspective, the number of times that I've fallen off the ship into the high seas equals the number of times that I've gotten sick from a buffet. Thank you so much for your (and jondfk's) running commentary on this cruise. I'm very happy that you're back cruising again!

That jacket would have been in the lost and found after ~ 20 minutes if I would have been there. I'm surprised the staff didn't take notice and remove it themselves.

Sorry about your interrupted sleep. Hopefully the visual display somewhat made up for the inconvenience. What time did the fireworks go off? I've also heard that the bell at City Hall sounds off every 15 minutes (up until MN), so that would be another area to avoid if you value your sleep.

I can still recall the slow crawl in a taxi up Embarcadero to the pier in SF. It reminded me of the opening scene in Office Space, where the elderly man in a walker is moving faster than the cars stuck in traffic.

Good point about the MSC ships. And Mein Schiff 4 with its 2,500 passengers will be at Oceankaj on June 11.

Seabourn Ovation will be docked at Oceankaj (Ocean quay) Terminal at quay 331 on June 11. There will be two other ships at that terminal, with a total capacity of ~9,000 passengers, that day.

Thanks, Nancy! We booked this cruise on short notice - the day before yesterday - just 3 1/2 weeks before the cruise begins. Unfortunately, that means less time to enjoy the pre-cruise anticipation, but we couldn't wait until our next SB cruise, which begins in October.

Very much looking forward to your impressions. We will be getting on Ovation the day you disembark for the 14-day circumnavigation of Iceland. Sounds as though you're going in with a great attitude! P.S. Let me know the name(s) of the best waiters in The Restaurant so we can ask for them.

Actually, I would be more than satisfied if the new Crystal was a carbon copy of the old Crystal...and that especially includes Umi Uma.

Use a flashlight and look under the pillows.

The only issue I have with the drinking water is that the bottles of water in the cabin are placed right above the refrigerator, causing the water to be warm. Of course, I could move the bottles elsewhere, but that's where the slots for the bottles are located.

Even if you request a specific size, quite often the jackets you are provided are the wrong size; this has been mentioned on previous threads on this board. However, it's a simple matter to exchange your jacket for one of the correct size.

On the Sojourn holiday cruise this past winter, one evening there was a Friends of Bill W meeting at 5:00PM, an LGBTQ+ get together at 5:30, and a Hanukkah celebration at 6:00. If you were a gay, Jewish recovering alcoholic you were well taken care of.

Perhaps the rep was so utterly gobsmacked by this question that she temporarily lost the ability to think clearly.

Can't argue with that, especially if the Chronic Tacos in OC are as good as the venue in Vancouver. After several weeks of escargot, beef Wellington, lobster thermidor, etc. etc. on a cruise, a hefty burrito dripping with spicy Mexican sauces really hits the spot!