Worst cruise in 20 years

I have never written a review but feel compelled to do so in this case.

We recently returned from a Seabourn Quest 34 day cruise, embarking on Aug 6,2018

The cruise was very misrepresented, in the fact that they showed we would tender in to many ports but the fact was that we didn't tender and couldn't get off the ship unless one took a paid Zodiac tour. Many,many passengers were extremely upset

We encountered in The Colonade ,everyday for the first 10 days dirty silverware, plates, and glasses even after I complained to the Maitre'd, Food & Beverage Mgr, Hotel Dir. and the Chef.

After the approx. 10 days when we came in the wiped down everything, but we saw many others exchanging all table ware as the problem persisted

In the main dinning room for the first several days it took, some 20 minutes, we even timed it, for someone to bring bread and water.

Finally I gave the Maitre'd a good tip and thing got better,except as follows.

The ship basically severs no Italian food in the main dinning room

I asked for veal parmigiana and he said no problem

The following night I received a piece of breaded veal, no sauce, no cheese. I know its hard to believe but that's what I got.

I called over the Maitre'd, and asked him about the parmigiana and he said yes that's what it was.

I asked him if he had ever eaten in an Italian restaurant and the ans. was 'NO'. I know its hard to believe but true

Needless to say there were numerous other little annoyances but no big deal

Oh, did I mention that we had engine problems twice, and once had to stop and anchor in the middle of the St Lawrence river

So basically this was our initiation to Seanboun

Welcome to Cruise Critic...

This seems very much counter to the live reports about this cruise that several seasoned Seabourn cruisers were reporting from July through September.

I was in fact on that cruise and I’m sorry the OP found the cruise disappointing. And while they are defiantly entitled to their opinion I do think the errors in their post need to be pointed out.

The OP states that many ports were misrepresented as tender ports. If the OP cared to review their booking info thoroughly on their itinerary they would have seen that Lady Franklin, Monumental Island (both on one day) and Akpatok all had the number 6 next to them which the notes at the bottom of the page clearly says “dedicated Ventures Day.” If they were clueless as to what this meant they should have inquired of their TA or Seabourn before they booked. As Iqaliut the notation is number 5 which is for a service call. And BTW, I don’t consider three days to be “many.”

As to the OP’s other complaints on some sea days the Colonnade was very busy at lunch. We usually dined outside at the Patio Grill. But on the odd occasion when we did have lunch in the Colonnade they were trying to turn table as best they could so all could have lunch before closing time. I think maybe once we waited five minutes to have the table cleaned. No big deal!

As to the veal, please don’t believe that no Italian food was served. I have the menus and in addition to classic pasta always available there were numerous Italian dishes on the menu at night - Truffle Risotto, veal Milanese, Osso Bucco, capon Saltimboca etc. As to the veal parmesan not being what they were used to perhaps or perhaps they did not communicate clearly with the Restaurant Manager. And BTW, I cannot imagine John Paul accepting a tip - especially in exchange for improved service.

If you want to complain fine, that is your prerogative, but do us all a favor and get the facts right.

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Please note that the first line of my post should read “definitely” not “defiantly.”

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I guess some people still try to pull the “complain loudly about everything and get a refund” card. I hope Seabourn doesn’t fall for it. I’d be interested to know OP’s previous cruising experience, it could be very revealing.

So, did no one experience dirty silverware and dishes, like the OP did?

Or did you at most see water spots?

I was not on the OP cruise, but I have had dirty silverware on the Quest a few times, ( e.g., stuck on food) and when I pointed it out the waiter either removed it without comment, or apologized and brought us more that was clean.

It definitely was not routine to see dirty silverware. In theory it should never happen on a luxury cruise, but everyone knows there can at times be rushed staff in the back of the house just like in the front of the house.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

During my 12 years reading Cruise Critic I’ve seen so many first time posters come on to rant about something they are rightfully or wrongfully upset with, allowing it to ruin their entire cruise.

You are clearly very upset about “Ventures only” port calls, which a good travel agent should have explained to you beforehand, or you could have read about yourself on the Seabourn website under shore excursions and in your cruise documents. When travelling, a little preparation goes a long way.

It’s a shame that you let this get to you so much that it impacted your entire cruise and suddenly the food, the service - everything was bad (“worst in 20 years”). Given the many “Live” reports from the cruise you were on from very credible, long time Cruise Critic members that’s simply impossible to believe... but understandable once you’re in the “I’m upset and want compensation” mindset, looking for things to fault. Such a waste of vacation time...

Lots of noise is my takeaway from this disgruntled newbie to CC.

I was on the preceding cruise from Dover to Reykjavik and found Quest operated as well as we have seen on any previous Seabourn cruise- a smooth and professional operation. Next: I know Chairsin personally. She always expresses her views honestly and clearly, and did so once again at the top of this thread. She always knows what she is talking about. You can count on her to do so fairly.

As far as the "dinning" experience goes, and as others have commented, what you order and what you expect to receive in the MDR can vary from what is set in front of you, obviously. But blowing a gasket over a veal dish? Really? If you won't be flexible and move on there are remedies: stick to very basic grills, possibly, or go the self-catering route on shore. And spare everyone else the commotion.

I am very much looking forward to my next Seabourn cruise which happens to be in November on Odyssey, followed by Sojourn and Odyssey in 2019. And will gladly return to Quest when an itinerary suits our interests.

Happy and healthy sailing!

So, did no one experience dirty silverware and dishes, like the OP did?

No.

Okay here is my dirty silverware story. One night we were at the Ad Hoc dinner in the Colonnade. When I sat down I noticed the knife was not clean and asked the waiter if they could please get me a new knife. No problem. As I was handing over the “offending” cutlery my friend seated next to me noticed that the original knife was in fact perfectly clean- there was a wear pattern that at first glance made it appear dirty. My bad and I apologized to the waiter.

Svoyage,

I do understand your comments regarding the Ventures zodiac excursions. However, if those upset passengers had done any research they would have quickly discovered the Lady Franklin, Monumental Island and Akpatok are all very small uninhabited islands so alternatives to the zodiac (ie. Wandering around on your own or private tours) were not options. So if they did not offer zodiac rides around the perimeter of the islands we would had a scenic cruising day and not gotten to see polar bears. As to charging for them - as far as I am aware the only place where they are included is Antarctica. Many may not be aware but launching and manning zodiacs is a very expensive and time consuming endeavor requiring an contingent of highly skilled people. Unlike Regent excursions are not included in the cruise fare.

And to give Seabourn some kudos when they knew the day before that we were not going to be able to run the zodiacs to Akpatok due to rough seas they reviewed the zodiac bookings and found there were about 40 passengers who had signed up for Akpatok but not Lady Franklin or Monumental Island. So they extended the zodiac schedule of the first day’s tours and allowed those 40 people to sign up for them instead. This meant the Ventures crew worked non stop from pre dawn until early evening running these exhausting tours to make sure that everyone who wanted to had a chance to see polar bears up close.

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Okay here is my dirty silverware story. One night we were at the Ad Hoc dinner in the Colonnade. When I sat down I noticed the knife was not clean and asked the waiter if they could please get me a new knife. No problem. As I was handing over the “offending” cutlery my friend seated next to me noticed that the original knife was in fact perfectly clean- there was a wear pattern that at first glance made it appear dirty. My bad and I apologized to the waiter.

 

Svoyage,

I do understand your comments regarding the Ventures zodiac excursions. However, if those upset passengers had done any research they would have quickly discovered the Lady Franklin, Monumental Island and Akpatok are all very small uninhabited islands so alternatives to the zodiac (ie. Wandering around on your own or private tours) were not options. So if they did not offer zodiac rides around the perimeter of the islands we would had a scenic cruising day and not gotten to see polar bears. As to charging for them - as far as I am aware the only place where they are included is Antarctica. Many may not be aware but launching and manning zodiacs is a very expensive and time consuming endeavor requiring an contingent of highly skilled people. Unlike Regent excursions are not included in the cruise fare.

 

And to give Seabourn some kudos when they knew the day before that we were not going to be able to run the zodiacs to Akpatok due to rough seas they reviewed the zodiac bookings and found there were about 40 passengers who had signed up for Akpatok but not Lady Franklin or Monumental Island. So they extended the zodiac schedule of the first day’s tours and allowed those 40 people to sign up for them instead. This meant the Ventures crew worked non stop from pre dawn until early evening running these exhausting tours to make sure that everyone who wanted to had a chance to see polar bears up close.

 

 

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And that is the Seabourn I know and enjoy..

I too came on here with a first post that was full of anger (towards Royal Caribbean, not Seabourn. So I do understand that it can sometimes be a catalyst to signing up.

Henry :)

I am curious to see if we will hear from the OP again.

Chairsin: you made some good points about the Ventures program, which really merits a separate thread.

I agree that the zodiac & kayak operation is expensive to run and that the expedition team members are hardworking and deserve a lot of credit. However, the program is new, and changes to how "ports" are described and footnoted have caused guests, old and new, confusion - resulting in anger and complaints from some - and Seabourn needs to do a better job communicating and educating their guests in general.

(Of course, many complaints have no merit. After all, we've heard guests complaining on the Antarctica cruise that it was too cold, and other guests on the Amazon cruise complained that it was too hot.)

Personally, we do extensive research for each port and generally know what to expect. However, I'd think some guests do little or no research in advance and assume, as had been the case for years, that a port is a place where one can disembark and "venture" on their own if they do not want to book an excursion.

With the expansion of Ventures program, Seabourn has starting adding more ports that are inaccessible for independent travel, and that messaging needs to be strengthened and made more explicit. (And it has, as I mentioned in my previous post that was deleted by the moderator.)

Since the Antarctica voyages include expeditions on the Antarctica peninsula and South Georgia island that would otherwise be inaccessible, some guests are rightfully confused that other inaccessible ports require optional excursions at additional cost, and the burden should not fall on the guests to understand the differences and inconsistencies of the pricing models.

The fact that quite a few guests - many of whom are long-term happy and loyal Seabourn guests - were confused and unhappy should have raised an alarm to management, who still has work to do for better communication and education.

Also, Ventures program is a profit center, and no doubt Robin West needs to show a positive return-on-investment to Seabourn. At the same time, the expeditions need to be cost-justified. An example: on my Norwegian fjord cruise in July on the Ovation, for the Pulpit Rock hike, there were originally a regular excursion as well as a higher-priced Ventures excursion. (It is also possible to do that via public transportation.) The regular excursion option dropped off, so we went on the more expensive Ventures one, which ultimately added no value. No kayak, zodiac, or guided hike were involved. There was a Venture team member at the beginning and one at the end of the group, and we were told to go at our own pace, which everyone did naturally anyway. There was no narration or aided sighting of wildlife, as this was a hike to observe natural landscape, not wild life. The only narration was provided by the local guide on the bus to and from the site. In addition, apparently the team had brought up bottles of champagne for a toast at the summit. However, we were not told about this toast before or during the hike and only found out by chance afterwards, so hardly anyone participated in the toast. We had a great day and did not complain - I was not going to drink alcohol in the middle of the day and prior to the descent anyway - but it was obvious to me that this should not have been a Ventures excursion to begin with.

I brought up this example not to dismiss the good work of the Ventures expedition members but to underscore that the program needs to be improved and to be more consumer-friendly. I think there is growing pains involved with the relatively new Ventures program, which, hopefully overtime, will be fine-tuned and improved.

sfvoyages, I appreciate your well-reasoned and considered post. Thank you.

Svoyage I quite agree that there are still some growing pains with the expansion of the Ventures program and that certainly how they communicate with passengers could be improved.

It does appear that in particularly could have provided a better experience for your Pulpit Rock tour. BTW, that is one hike we have really wanted to do but have not managed to get to yet. When we were in Stavanger a few years ago the time in port was too short. Were the views amazing?

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It does appear that in particularly could have provided a better experience for your Pulpit Rock tour. BTW, that is one hike we have really wanted to do but have not managed to get to yet. When we were in Stavanger a few years ago the time in port was too short. Were the views amazing?

Yes, the views were amazing, along the hike up and down and of course at the summit. It's also possible to do this independently; we had all the bus information and schedule, and if we had one more hour at the port, we would have done so ourselves. (As it turned out, we gave the information to another couple, who managed the trip via public bus. They had a little less time at the summit than we did, but no big deal.)

BTW, apparently when Tom Cruise was filming the latest Mission Impossible movie, the authorities closed the whole area for 2 weeks (that's what I was told, not sure if it was an exaggeration) so that they could helicopter him in for filming. I would have been very upset if I had traveled all the way there only to be refused entry with little or no notice...

I am so sorry to hear you did not enjoy the cruise. We were also on the leg from Reykjavik to Montreal and my husband and I loved it. We thought the service great and one of the reasons we took the cruise was for the expedition team and the Zodiacs. I must admit we did not eat much in the Columnade but the couple of times we did our food service was good as was where we ate most frequently which was the patio grill, the MDR, TK Grill and room service ( breakfast). We thought they were all excellent. We had a mistake one very crowded day for lunch at the patio when we ordered the TK Napa burgers. We were brought the TK hot dogs to our surprise. Our server insisted on taking them back. We insisted on trying them. We liked them so much we ordered them again on another occasion! We also ordered special meals twice for dinner in the MDR and they were delicious but we did describe what we wanted in detail and ordered at lunch for the next nights dinner when it was not so crowded. Hopefully if you try Seabourn again you will have a better experience!

We had a mistake one very crowded day for lunch at the patio when we ordered the TK Napa burgers. We were brought the TK hot dogs to our surprise. Our server insisted on taking them back. We insisted on trying them. We liked them so much we ordered them again on another occasion! !

There's a TK hotdog? Really? I don't recall any TK special at the patio grill apart from the Napa burger (which I regret is so good we constantly broke the no-lunch policy) but my recollection from Encore was the hot dog offering was .. just a dog .. no TK special sauce. Of course we tried it and it was great, so much so we tried it again, but I thought it was just the usual Seabourn sea dog.

Rols,

Yes there is the TK Yountwurst Dog (named after the town in Napa Valley) and I am very sorry to tell you it is quite delicious. It comes smothered in a relish which is not to my taste so I usually ask them to phone Mr. Keller to secure permission to serve it sans relish.

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I rarely reply or post, however since I was also on the August 6, Quest Cruise from Reykjavik to Boston and my experience was in short wonderful, I thought I would provide me experiences.

Ports: We had Tender ports, ports where we docked, Ports with Tenders, Kayaks tours, and Zodiac tours, as well as some ports that were only Seabourn Expedition via Zodiac tours, that were the only means of leaving the ship. I in fact signed up for several Zodiac tours such as Lady Franklin island well in advance of the Cruise since all Port information was posted on the Seabourn website.

Dirty Glasses: While I never experienced dirty dishes or unclean silverware, I did see wine glasses in the Colonnade with water spots on them . I asked the Waiter to replace mine and he did so, while also explaining that they should have been polished in the kitchen after washing and prior to being placed on the tables. The Restaurant clearly did complete the 'polishing' since every night the glasses and silverware were spotless and shining.

Italian Food and the Maître de: I found both JP and Anna in the Restaurant to be charming and very accommodating to special requests, as well as our Waiter. ( I must point out that our Waiter was someone we knew and enjoyed from past Seabourn Cruises). On several nights we requested Pesto pasta, Pasta Bolognese, as well as other items not listed on the menu. Also the TK Grill has a very good Eggplant Parmigiana on its menu. I did see one time in the lunch time Colonnade buffet "Chicken parmigiana", which was similar, breaded and with no sauce. The Chef explained that the parmigiana was mixed into the bread coating. Not my idea of Chicken Parmigiana, so I chose other dishes for my meal. I believe that I could have requested some simple tomato sauce from my waiter.

Engine Trouble: I clearly recall the night we departed Quebec City and stopped in the middle of the St. Lawrence river. The Captain came on the PA system and explained we had a cooling issue with the Port side engine, and we would stay stopped while the Engineers remedied the problem. After about an hour repairs were completed the Captain explained we had a clogged cooling water intake that reduced the power in the engine and we were not back to full power. Since the next section of the St. Lawrence was its narrowest, with a strong current, I knw I felt better knowing we had full capabilities. There were no delays, no missed ports of call, no canceled tours because of this one engine issue, but I can understand if someone felt uncomfortable with any engine issue. I have been on Cruises with other Cruise lines where you rarely if ever heard from the Captain other to announce the ships position. The fact the Seabourn Captain explained it to us, kept us informed was very comforting to me.

I am sorry that this Cruise was not your liking, I would simply say I know from my own Seabourn experiences over the years, that you would be missing out on some amazing experiences if you never tried them again.

Rols,

 

Yes there is the TK Yountwurst Dog (named after the town in Napa Valley) and I am very sorry to tell you it is quite delicious. It comes smothered in a relish which is not to my taste so I usually ask them to phone Mr. Keller to secure permission to serve it sans relish.

 

 

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Well we'll just have to book another cruise pronto then won't we, and this time actually look at the menu!

The Yountwurst is absolutely delicious [emoji39][emoji1303] It’ll be the first thing I order October 21.

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Rols,

Now there is as good of an excuse as any to book another Seabourn cruise!

Florisdekort,

Lucky you - you only have to wait less than 30 days - I have to wait until December 11!

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5 days to a (now known) TK dog here...can’t wait!

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