Laylam

We wonder what standards you applied to all of those other cruises??

This intrigued me also, so much so that today I have spent an hour or two I will never get back, reading Sananda's past posts, which included this post dated April 21st; 2012.

Went on the Sojourn from Rome to Barcelona (April 6-13) for our first Seabourn cruise ever. It was the best cruise we have ever been on and we have sailed Crystal and Silversea. That said, there were a couple things that didn't live up to expectations, or rather, didn't live up to the hype portrayed in the brochure and website.

 

The most disapointing thing about the cruise was the Seabourn veterans. Everyone we met who was a past cruiser with Seabourn went on and on about how much better things were in the past. Kind of took the wind out of our newbie sails and made us want to hang out with other 1st time Seabourn cruisers. However, we really couldn't because many of the perks / amenities were not advertised and it was the past cruisers who informed us on how to get them. As an example, in between a tirade about the declining quality abord Seabourn we learned how to get caviar sent to the observation lounge only to hear that it used to be beluga "not this mollosal crap". In any case, caviar is not listed on any menu, you just had to know where you could get it.

 

Another disapointment was restaurant 2. I cannot comment on the food, because we were unable to get in. The website and brochure suggest that everyone will be given an opportunity to dine here and you would only be given a second resevation after everyone else had an opportunity. But by 9:00 P.M. on the second night it was completely booked. What bothers me most was what I learned from other passengers. Each passenger could make one resevation per 7 days and bring along 3 guests. So what happened was that groups of four friends would all call and get 1 reservation each, and invite along the other 3, allowing them to dine up to 4 times each in restaurant 2. The policy should be changed so that each cabin gets 1 reservation with no guests. After everyone has an opportunity to partake, let them fill the remainder of the cruise however they wish.

 

The brochure describes complimentary on deck massages. I never saw evidence of this. I heard that they were available on some days for about an hour while we were in port. A more detailed schedule of ship's activities would have been appreciated.

 

Finally, the brochure and reviews here describe over the top personalized service. Although I think the service was quite good, this is not what we received, examples follow. After we checked in, we were told to make our way onto the ship. Someone swiped our ID card, then we walked on board to the elevators. There was no one on board to show us to our stateroom or tell us where anything was. Everyone talks about how they'll know your name, no one knew our names after seven days. Everyone knew our names at the Hotel Arts Barcelona from the moment we arrived. Objectively, maybe we built up our expectations about the service to unreasonable levels, but both our Rome and Barcelona hotels were much better service.

and then on May 16, 2012

We were on the Sojourn this April. Overall, the food was amazing. I didn't dislike the taste of anything on board. A couple of things were a little bit bland (I'm thinking of the pasta carbonara) and a lot of the hot dishes in the Collonade were luke warm to room temperature. Anyway, enough of the negative, but I don't know where to begin with the positive. The lobster tails were cooked to perfection and paired incredibly well with the sauce and chosen house wine. The rack of lamb was to die for. The quality of the meat was unrivaled. It was so tender and expertly prepared. If you like lamb, do not miss this dish. One day at lunch in the collonade the chef served jamon iberico de bellota. If you have never experienced this extremely decadent ham, it should be on everyones bucket list. I could go on and on.

I wasn't able to find any reference to a second cruise with Seabourn, yet the majority of Sananda's posts are to the Seabourn Board....and that 7 day cruise seems to get worse with the passing of time :confused:

........ The contrast between the staff at an Aman resort and on the Sojourn and Odyssey was tremendous. I don't know how Seabourn was able to pull together such a collection of dejected, disinterested, merely going through the motions group of people. They clearly didn't want to be there.

 

So yes, I have spoken with my money. Seabourn (Carnival) will never get another cent.

I am guessing, if you have sailed on both the Sojourn and Odyssey, that your experience of the crew on the Sojourn was not " a collection of dejected, disinterested, merely going through the motions group of people"?????????

I would be really interested to know, given your very high expectations, why you chose a second Seabourn cruise?

jimmyw9 ....Now why don't you go back to moaning about smoking and children which is the usual on here!

.....Or perhaps update this list of First World Problems???

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/first-world-problems-top-50-2212642

I did a cruise with Celebrity November 2013

Here is my review: http://www.traveltogalapagos.info/

I'll recommend the 10-day tour including Quito - reduce the stress of flying into Galapagos and possible delays of flights.

hallasm, a long overdue THANK YOU for your http://www.traveltogalapagos.info site. I did ALL my research there prior to our trip.

We did a 7 day Galapagos cruise with Celebrity Xpedition earlier this year, after our Amazon cruise on the Quest, and the shock wasn't too great. The cruise was part of an 11 day package, with 2 nights in Quito before and after the cruise. Accommodation was at the J W Marriott, and meals, tours & return flights to Baltra were included (Celebrity Xpedition charter their own planes). I have to say everything ran very smoothly from being greeted at Quito airport until our departure 11 days later.

I hope you have a great time whoever you choose.

We are a couple in our 60's and we found the heat/humidity and lack of shade very challenging (we were there in March). There were 2 excursions every day and towards the end of the week I was choosing to stay aboard in air-conditioned comfort over some of the excursions. For us 1 week was long enough.

Can anyone tell me how these work please. The ones I am looking at come with driver and guide. How flexible are they? We really like to pack a lot in and not spend a lot of time anywhere, preferring to have a very short lunch too. When and how is the itinerary decided? Do we suggest it before we sail if booked beforehand and its a matter of negotiation, or would we be subject to very much a standard slow paced tour but in a private vehicle. We are thinking about the 11 hr extended day hire from Haifa and would like to really see as much as possible. The hire is currently wait listed.

I can recommend 'Guided Tours Israel'. We used them in both Jerusalem & Haifa. In Jerusalem it was just 4 of us, so we could be more flexible and in Haifa there were 8 of us. Both were very full and enjoyable days (and cheaper than Seabourn). They have great reviews on TripAdvisor. I left my video camera in the car after our day in Jerusalem. They posted it to our home in Australia and would not accept any money for doing so.

You can check out their recommended itineraries here http://www.guidedtoursisrael.com/

Is Manaus one of those ports that it is best to let Seabourn do the hotel/transfer or is it okay to do your own thing? Opinions/experience welcome.

We had a frightening experience on disembarking. We chose to disembark the night before scheduled, as we had a 3.40am flight. Seabourn ordered us a taxi for 12mn and we were escorted/helped to the Port gates with our luggage about 11.30pm, then left standing there alone. Just outside the port gates was a bus shelter, housing several homeless people. We were soon surrounded by beggars and felt quite unsafe. We retreated to where Security Guards sat, which was a long way back from the gates.

P.S. 35 murders in 3 days last month

http://mashable.com/2015/07/23/manaus-brazil-murders-weekend/

To wherever you want, not my problem. I'm just commenting on the reality of Cuba, not the romanticized version that many people would like to believe and propagandize.

I think you could do that without coming across as rude and judgemental. Chairsin, like you, and for a number of reasons, I would like to visit Cuba before it is forever changed. There is a well balanced article here http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jun/17/havana-city-brink-change

Oh no, I totally understand... its like tourists being disappointed if people in Rio de Janeiro stopped living in shantytowns and they did away with the favelas tours.

 

What aspect of the "culture" are you afraid will disappear? Being repressed? Having their lives center on getting the necessities through any means possible? Being caught in a time warp forced on them by the totalitarian regime under which they live?

 

And with respect to the architecture changing... the only danger to this is historical buildings which are currently dilapidated and barely standing and might crumble before the masses get there. I doubt that progress will cause them any more harm that what has already been inflicted.

 

Enjoy your visit. Just know that Cubans living in the island cannot partake of the amenities that are open to tourists. Its an apartheid system.

So Cruiseluv, where do you suggest we travel???

I echo those who are avoiding Russia and Dubai because of repressive governments. I have also shared the regret recently with friends that the number of safe, acceptable places for world travelers to visit seems to be shrinking. Alas! I hope that this changes. Positive changes in places such as South Africa and Mozambique make one hopeful.

A young Australian women was jailed and then deported from Abu Dhabi this week for having posted a photo on Facebook of a car blocking 2 Disabled parking spots.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/australian-woman-deported-uae-facebook-post-150714214424659.html

We will be stopping here in December and having looked at the Seabourn trips nothing looks that attractive. Has anybody any other suggestions as the port itself looks fairly dull to stay on the ship:D

When we were there in 2013 Seabourn was running a shuttle to a nearby shopping Mall. After obtaining what we were after within 10 minutes, we caught the same bus back!

Ooops!! I have just cleaned my specs after realising this thread is NOT a bad review of the Odyssey.

I might be wrong, but I don't think they change the sheets every day. Will have to check when we are onboard again in May.

We are just off the Quest, and you are correct secoma4, the sheets aren't changed daily, although the pillowslips were. As we sailed down the Amazon, the Captain made daily announcements about conserving water, asking passengers to take showers rather than baths and to reuse towels.

Just to clarify - does this mean David E. will NOT be aboard for the last Caribbean cruise on March 15?

We are currently aboard the Quest, as is David E Green.

Has anyone done this voyage or similar, to advise on tours, currency, etc?

 

We are doing this cruise in April and I'm getting a it apprehensive, which is very unusual. I think I may stay on the ship, much of the time whereas I'm usually quite an intrepid explorer.

We were on the Legend last year, Singapore to Athens. Our Egyptian ports were cancelled long before the cruise so I can't comment there. We LOVED Khasab in Oman. We took a half day Dhow Cruise, with Al Taif Tours.

10.00 am to 01.00 pm Half Day Dhow Cruise to Khor Sham in azure waters through a majestic fjord (Khor), surrounded by Spectacular mountains and serene remote white sand beaches. At the entrance of the fjord our Guests can enjoy dolphin watching. The Dhow will anchor at Telegraph Island during the cruise for Day swimming and snorkeling in pristine waters teeming with friendly colorful fish. We offer our Guests soft drinks, fresh fruits, coffee & tea. Snorkeling equipments and life jackets are included.

In the afternoon we took a 4WD tour up into the mountains. Spectacular!!

In Aqaba we took a "VIP guided tour to Petra with http://www.viajordan.com

It cost $255pp USD, paid in cash at start of tour. Seabourn were charging $269 and did not include all that we saw. This was our tour

Early morning pick up from your ship at Aqaba Port, transfer to Petra (2 hours drive), and begin a guided tour from the main gate through the Siq, to the Treasury, the Nabatean Roman Theater, the Roman road (Cardo) to the basin. Have free time, have a mule ride through the back road to the village of Umm Sayhoon where you will meet your transport. Next visit Little Petra, and then a stop will be at the Spring of Muses and back to Aqaba to your ship.

 

Rates included:

- Meets and Pick up from your Aqaba Port,

- All Sightseeing and transfers by private Modern A/C Vehicles,

- Entrance Fees to Petra,

- Private English speaking guide,

- Lunch at Petra,

- Horse ride in Petra for the first 800 meters (from the main Gate to the entrance of the Siq),

- Mule rides from the basin through the back road,

We took a boxed lunch from the ship & found a picnic spot in Little Petra. This gave us more sightseeing time and I seem to remember it knocked about $15USD from the price of the tour.

Have a great trip.

Quite a while back i had a post removed because I recommended a service

Wow, that seems a bit heavy handed. I can't really see the difference in recommending taxi/transfer services, which many do, and Tour Guides. It is the sharing of info from those who have "been there, done that" which makes these boards so useful.

Hello S and A - we so enjoyed sharing the winery tour with you. We spent 3 additional days with L....C.... visiting the wineries and countryside around Santiago. The entire experience was first class and lots of fun!

I didn't think there was anything forbidden about naming Tour Guides you would recommend, as long as you had personal experience of them. Am I wrong?

How very thoughtful and sweet of you to post and inquire of me ~ I'm still suffering painful neurophy so have not been on my computer or writing on our CC board.

Hope all is well with both of you ~Thank you for thinking of me.

Martita

I hope you are soon feeling a lot better.

Odyssey arrived over 7 hours late into Melbourne yesterday from New Zealand. When I checked on the Marine Traffic site early yesterday, they were showing she was only making 1.5 knots out in Bass Strait.

Does anyone know why ?

They had a very rough passage across (too rough to risk a bath or shower for a couple of days). Geelong had to be dropped from their itinerary and all excursions in Melbourne had to be cancelled because of their late arrival. See https://www.********************/450627115013062/?fref=nf

Miss Martita your absence from these boards has been noted. I hope your recent cruise was everything you hoped for and all is well with you.

no idea what Chef Martins other name is, but the Chef Kurt you are talking about left in Wellington NZ to go home! His contract was over, he had been on board a long time! and Chef Kurts other name isn't Martin!

Martin Kitzing.

I feel for you. I'm at 249 days!! :)

Wow!! I have to say I would much rather be in your position, we are way back at 67, so not out of the laundromat quite yet!! :(

Thanks everybody, I thought that was probably the case.

We are 3 points shy of a change in status and about to take a 20 day cruise. I am wondering if we are able to take advantage of any of the extra benefits while on this cruise, or will we have to wait until the cruise after???

Oh I think most English would reckon 26-17 a reasonable margin.

:( (You'll keep). Saw you on video again last night, Stamfordian. Hope you and Jan are keeping well.