Seabourn advice- smoothest sailing? 1st timer

Hello everyone. :-) I've done my homework and I *think* that Seabourn is the right cruiseline for me and my husband. we're foodies, into wine, personal/exceptional service, less crowded and a more sophisticated enviornment. I'm somewhat sensitive to motion, though, so I'm planning on booking the lowest deck, midship cabin/suite. (I'll take marezine! )we're interested in a mediterranean cruise - summer 2005. which month is typically the calmest sailing (july? aug?) - and which areas of the mediterranean are usually the calmest seas (greek islands, france, italy, etc)? I realize there are no guarantees on weather & ocean conditions, but would appreicate input! many thanks for any advice.

- MaunaKeaLady :)

Maunakealady,

Congratulations on selecting Seabourn. You will not be disappointed.

Lowest deck and midship suites are a good choice for those prone to motion sickness.

As far as area with the calmest waters in my personal opinion I would say Greece and Turkey either in July or August should be fine. However when it comes to weather all bets are off.

Just my opinion.

Hope this helps.

mcboo:):)

mcboo, thanks for your reply. I'm kind of in a quandry as I'd prefer the cooler & less crowded months (may,sept) but expect the seas to be calmer in july/aug. do you agree? any advice? thanks!!:)

The captain is usually able to avoid bad weather if possible.

The Mauna Kea is our favorite resort. Never been disappointed.

Lefty Bob

Maunakealady,

My personal opinion is that it is calmer in July and August. However none of us can predict the weather.

As Lefty Bob has stated the captain will do all within his power to get you out of the bad weather.

If you have your motion sickness medication with you you should be fine with any of the months you have been looking at.

Select a date and enjoy.

I am sure you will truly enjoy the Seabourn experience.

mcboo:):)

thanks for the further input, LeftyBob & mcboo. that opens up the timetable a bit more for us. LeftyBob, glad to hear that you enjoy the resort here. it's a gorgeous day today - light trades, temps in the mid 70's, and you can see across the ocean today all the way to Maui (Hana side). hope the weather is good where you both are, and happy holidays. :) :)

You really know how to hurt a guy.

I know, I'm very cruel...they call me attila the hen..:rolleyes:

We did Venice to Istanbul (21 days) beginning Sept 19 this year on the Spirit. The weather was all over the place - blowing 25 knots out of the north and cool (Rome) to beautiful and calm. It was nice enough to have a marina day in Turkey.

What was fortunate about this time period was that it was the end of the season for European tourists and there weren't the crowds that would be there a month or two earlier. Even having said that, some places were amazingly crowded (Capri for one) - I couldn't even imagine some of these places at the peak of the season. You would spend lots of time just trying to get around in the crowds (and I hate crowds.)

Once you get into October, the weather becomes really dicy. Earlier you have the crowds to contend with, but settled weather. You takes your pick...

(In 2000, we were in the same area of the Med on another cruise ship and the weather was fine and settled in October.)

Looking forward to FINE Caribbean weather on the Legend beginning this Sunday! :-)

Capt. John

Legend 12/19/2004 Ho Ho Ho cruise

We sailed on the Pride from Barcelona in late April - early May this year. The weather was beautiful and the seas were calm. I don't remember any bad days. (But then, there are no bad days on Seabourn!)

Bill

That was from Barcelona to Istanbul.

thanks for all the advice! I think I'd rather contend with crowds than rough seas, so it sounds like the best course to follow would be late may, june, july, aug, sept - trying for istanbul, greek isles, italy. my spousal unit & I are bigtime foodies, & from the reviews it *looks* like the spirit has a slight edge on the food & service over the other 2 ships?? I'm really having a great time obsessing over all of this - thanks so much for any advice. my husband is also urging me to consider a prolonged cruise on the world of residensea instead of seabourn - we'd have our own kitchen (and my dh is a gourmet cook :) ), plus our own hot tub on our own private deck - - which sounds pretty alluring. have read the reviews on residensea and it sounds like a more private less social experience...? any thoughts?? thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maunakealady,

If your husband wants to cook on vacation and pay a high premium to do it go for it. However with a max of 208 guest on Seabourn you will never feel crowded and fellow sailors soon become friends.

mcboo:):)

from reviews it sounds like the residensea would be a more socially isolating experience..so I agree that Seabourn would probably be more fun. any thoughts about *which* Seabourn ship has the edge with best food/service? I'm sure they're all top notch - but which ship would you choose ...if all itineraries were equal?? :confused:

Legend as long as Captain Geir Arne Thue Nilsen is at the helm! He makes "the difference", a happy crew! Not that there is much in it, we would not turn down any of the 3. It is down to personal preference in the end and the make up of your fellow passengers can make a huge difference. Just go for the itinerary you prefer as all 3 are fantastic.

As to motion sickness have you tried the Relief Band? (The one that sends an electrical pulse) I am the worlds worst sailor and just like you want to be reassured that I am going to have calm seas, but after finding the Relief Band no sea is a problem anymore, when most are in their cabin ill, I am sat eating dinner, it is pure magic!

Have a wonderful cruise whatever you choose.

Daneite

oh yeah, have tried the industrial strength relief band with all the electrical bells, whistles and pulses - it cost $120. I had it turned on full blast on my wrist during my last cruise - hurt like hell and probaly distracted me from the motion. :) with the wristband, I Also took marezine (which I prefer over bonine & dramamine), have also tried the patch with disasterous results (major bad side effects). the wristband was distracting and somewhat helpful, but doesn't seem to cut it for me without some pharmeceutical back up.:(

Legend as long as Captain Geir Arne Thue Nilsen is at the helm! He makes "the difference", a happy crew! ..................... the make up of your fellow passengers can make a huge difference.

These are interesting comments.....can you expound on them please??? :o

CruisinMatt

It has been mentioned before on this board about Captain Nilsen, he respects the crew and treats them as though they are his family, it definately shows through in the atmosphere around the ship. Also when was the last time the Captain was there to say farewell as you left the ship, Captain Nilsen is always there, whereas on the other 2 ships this has not happened and we have cruised a lot with Seabourn. Again, this is a personal opinion and others may see things differently. As to the make up of other passengers, it speaks for itself, we have done back to back cruises where we have enjoyed one cruise better than the other and the main difference was our fellow passengers.

Maunakelady

Sorry the band does not work for you, as I have said I find it pure magic for me, obviously does not work for everybody then. Maybe you should offer yours on Ebay and let someone else try it whilst you may recoup some of your $120. I managed to find the all singing and dancing one this summer, brand new, for $50 on Ebay.I now take it along with my original one so that I have a spare, just in case!!!

Have you tried Cinnarizine, it is the drug the crew uses as it does not make you as sleepy as the others, so they can continue to work! It worked for me before I found my relief band, but yet again, NO PROMISES. Good Luck!

Daneite

from reviews it sounds like the residensea would be a more socially isolating experience..so I agree that Seabourn would probably be more fun. any thoughts about *which* Seabourn ship has the edge with best food/service? I'm sure they're all top notch - but which ship would you choose ...if all itineraries were equal?? :confused:

We have been on all three ships and as to which one is better wholly depends on the particular mix of staff at that moment in time AND how full the ship is. If the ship is running at 70% occupancy, the staff won't be as rushed as if the ship is fully booked.

Sometimes there is a large turnover in crew at drydock time and when you are the first cruise after drydock, expect a little confusion, particulary in the dining room. Not to worry though, they will get it sorted out in a couple of days. The hotel staff works amazingly hard to make everyone's experience a great one.

Who ever commented that the passesngers have something to do with the satisfaction level of your cruise experience is absolutely correct. If you get with a bunch of contented, fun and easy-going folks (that like to play trivia), that really makes the cruise special. I feel sorry for the staff (and guests) that have to contend with rude and obnoxious snobs -- we have been around a few. Fortunately they are the exception.

There are many, many dynamics that roll up to make your cruise experience. The best advertisements are the repeat Seabourn customers. We have done 39 days so far this year, and will add 14 more beginning Sunday.

Oh yes - there is one difference -- the Legend has only one sink in the head if I remember correctly :-(

A fair wind and a following sea to all,

Capt. John

Legend 12/19/2004 Ho-Ho-Ho cruise

Capt John - See you onboard! Leaving for Ft. Lauderdale today.........

Claudia

Claudia - we're in cabin 230 unless they upgrade us. See you tomorrow!

John & Jane (aka Capt. John)

thanks for all the information!!:)

Thanks Daneite, that makes a lot of sense :)

Capt. John and venicecruiser,

When you see Geir-Arne please tell him that the woman who lived in 103 across from his old office sends her best regards. And that the sign has now been retired....

Thank you.

Maunakealady,

mahalo and mele kalikimaka (I just regaled Martha and our tablemates on our Pride cruise in the Caribbean with " Here Comes Santa in A red Canoe").

I have taken two two week Med ( Turkey/Greece) cruises on the Spirit ( my own personal favorite ship) in Mid Sept/early Oct and only encountered one rough night of cruising when we departed Crete. According to my crew friends on the Spirit they say to avoid July/August because the meltemi can really kick up the seas and make for rough waters. We just loved going to the Med on Seabourn and booked next fall back to the Med before we left the Pride yesterday. As to being a foodie(which I am) Seabourn constantly exceeds my expectations -- much as I love to cook I have great fun talking to the chef on Seabourn, sampling the extensive menu and often putting in special off menu requests. And on this cruise we had a guest chef from a Relais Gourmond restaurant in Vancouver. You can't go wrong!!!