Vineyard View

It is great to read your review about the Quest and all the positive experiences that you had. Thank you for sharing. From multiple threads, Quest has had some fairly significant issues and this sounds as if those are being turned around. On sea days, was the MDR open for lunch? Wasn’t sure if the Galley lunch was on a port or sea day, and if a sea day, if others were able to dine maybe in a different area? Also curious as to whether the MDR was open for breakfast, at least on sea days? You mentioned hosted dinners, but how were your other evening meals? MDR and TK? Thank you again.

I meant to say, and maybe needed to be more clear, that when you grab a lounger, then you should be ready to use said lounger. Not grab it and then ‘leave for a bit’. It’s those who place their things on loungers, do not use them, and then come back ‘after a bit’ to do so that isn’t right. It’s also the same when people have been using a lounger, then go have breakfast, or lunch, and leave their belongings on the lounger - that just isn’t right. If you claim it, you should be ready to use it at that time you claim it.

Why not just grab a chair when you are done in the World Cafe…..seems like by this logic, you are grabbing a chair you aren’t going to sit in for a bit so no one else, who wants to sit in it at the time, does? It seems only fair that if you grab a lounger, that you are ready to use that lounger. If you need to go to the facilities during that time, that’s one thing. Drinks can be brought to you happily by Viking staff.

On our Caribbean trip out of NYC just before Covid this was a big issue. There were obviously complaints because there was correspondence from Viking about no chair reserving. Unfortunately, it didn’t make a bit of difference. It’s incredibly rude to a) do this in the first place, and b) put a Viking staff member in a position to be hall monitoring. That’s grade school garbage. After reading all of this, I do believe that if chairs are being ‘reserved’ for lengths of time in this manner, then placing the items elsewhere is not such a bad idea. We didn’t do a thing, and neither did Viking, so the pattern continued. I honestly do not know the solution, but self entitlement is disgusting on most levels IMHO. And this is nothing less than that.

Thank you Nancy for your response

Would you book sailing on Quest again Nancy? Were your expectations met on the quality of food and service, and overall felt that Seabourn was a high value for your vacation time and money?

So I have to believe that if you are wanting to book another cruise, that your journey on Quest went well? I hope the future booking was secured as well

We had the same experience - as well as around the infinity pool. It was at times frustrating, particularly on sea days. I don’t get it either. If everyone just uses it for the time they are actually there, everyone will likely have a change to enjoy them at some point during the day. I like your lost and found idea! Ha!

For us…..almost 100% of the time….no busses, personalized tours by amazing qualified guides. In many countries the guides need to have gone through formalized education to qualify as a guide.

SLSD - it is true that you are able to sign up for specialty restaurants ahead of time based on your stateroom category, as well as excursions. That said, it’s also pretty easy to book these once you are on board if you wish to change, or add additional times. I would say also that once on board, there are no differences in services nor treatment based on category of stateroom We have experienced very talented cruise directors who participate in entertainment and are very good. We are not big night entertainment show people, so I can’t comment on those differences, but we do enjoy their live offering at different venues prior to dinner. Some of the surprises you mention that SB offers is one of the reasons we are trying them for the first time! Some of the upscale luxury advertised is also why we are booked with SB in 2023. We are really looking forward to those experiences. So without sailing on them yet, I can’t comment to the differences, but we are truly looking forward to finding out for ourselves. I will add that we would not hesitate to sail on Viking given the right itinerary, and I hope to say the same about SB after our time on board next year - first cruise since Covid.

I agree, always have felt this way. I wish they would offer an “excursion package” so to speak at a fair/discounted price for those who would want them, and remove the cost incurred by Viking to include these excursions from standard fares. I think that would be a win-win. That said, a lot of people seem to like the included excursions concept.

This thread has made me curious as to whether another line we sailed several times, and most recently not long before Covid, is experiencing the same concerns post Covid. I reached out and asked if MDR was open for breakfast daily, and if it remains open for lunch on sea days. Answers are yes, Viking has not discontinued these offerings. Seems as if they have honestly not cut back in areas as I am reading on several SB threads. We have thoroughly enjoyed our Viking cruises, and have chosen to give SB a first try in 2023 based on itinerary, and claimed luxury experience. I am thinking we will wait a bit before booking 2024. That said, I am sincerely looking forward to trying SB, and hope that we will look forward to more adventures after our first. But it is sad to hear about all these cuts. Reputation is everything in business, and once that starts to falter……

Thank you. I appreciate these updates

I am curious. There is a lot of discussion on various boards about how much has changed since starting back up with respect to food and service cut backs. I don’t seem to find much chatter about this on Viking, and I think that is refreshing! I am wondering if on Viking the MDR is still open for breakfast most days? Also, if the MDR is still open for lunch on sea days? We found it to be a nice relaxing change when time allowed in the mornings, and then on sea days. Most of the itineraries we have done have been port intensive, but it was a treat to have these options.

Well, that is luxury described at its finest

Even on sea days?

My comments were made based on multiple recent threads regarding Quest, not just this one regarding lunch. I stand by what I concluded, specifically regarding Quest, from reading these several threads. There have been a lot of misses, not just hiccups, that should not occur on a Five Star luxury ship. That said, I am really happy that your current experience on Quest is positive. I sincerely hope that those reports start becoming the norm. We are scheduled on her next year.

You may want to look at the ports of call section on CC. We have used independent excursion/tour recommendations many times in various parts of the world. Most often the cost of small group, or even private tours are much more attractive than cruise line costs (not just Viking), and are usually more efficient due to the maneuverability of a car/smaller than bus vehicle and those accompanying number of people. It’s worth a look. It has been interesting that in many countries these independent tour operators are required to be formally educated in tourism at universities. I have also heard good reviews on Tours by Locals, but have not experienced them. Either way, you cannot loose with choosing Viking. We have sailed them both oceans and rivers, and are looking to do so again in 2024.

When we go out to dinner locally, we are not of the mindset to receive quick service. It is an occasion and we enjoy taking our time. Same with traveling. We would never have a goal of dinner being completed in 35 minutes in any venue, let alone a five star location. We absolutely enjoy a leisurely evening. We want more than getting something that will do. We want to savor a nice meal and service. I am not saying one position is right, and one is wrong. I guess it is a great option for those that wish to spend a small amount of time dining in the evenings, and if you can present your preferences up front and have them occur, everyone is happy……except those who would like to enjoy a nice lunch without pop music on sea days.

Skybluewaters and Frantic36 - thank you both for this. We aren’t really picky either, except maybe with wine - but having read these and all the big issues on Quest, which we are booked on, just amped me up in a negative way. I will do my best to take your advice, and sincerely appreciate your input.

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.

Looking forward to further updates on this. When I hear about piped in pop music I think basic Carnival or Princess - not Seabourn. That seems surprising to me. I also agree with MDR lunches on sea days, not everyday so that crew can get a break. They work such long days.

Really quite glad to hear this positive update. Thank you for taking the time!

Hopefully all is going well on this journey on Quest.

Well, that is a whole lot of information! Should this happen, what occurs with those who have prepaid for their cruise? Are they last in line to be reimbursed? Aside from that singular level concern, if that were to happen, I have to think that severe cost cutting measures could likely be implemented…..trickle down theory to those sailing.