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Quick review - On board Odyssey now (Caribbean)


RustyRollock
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I will post a more detailed review in a couple of weeks when we get home but in the meantime here are a few thoughts.

The Seabourn cheer squad will no doubt disagree but I'm afraid that the increasingly obvious cost cutting by the bean counters at head office is beginning to spoil the overall experience. This is not the Seabourn we started cruising with a few years ago. Nothing major, but lots of little changes or omissions - death by a thousand cuts. Food, wine and service standards have dropped noticeably to the point where we no longer dine in the MDR after too many cold meals served too long after they were ordered. We sat down for dinner at 7pm last night and we're still there 3 hours later. A simple room service order of a club sandwich took well over an hour to arrive and even then only when we called to ask where it was.

 

Staff seem demoralised and overworked and show little initiative or "can do" attitude. Some are downright surly. The many people we've discussed this with unanimously agree. It's either lack or training and/or supervision, or maybe it's a demographic problem - the overwhelming majority of staff are from Eastern Europe and seem unfamiliar with the concept of "service with a smile".

 

Seabourn has lost its lustre.

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This is sad - and very different from our experience on Odyssey only a month ago. We did hear that there was to be quite a big staff changeover. I wonder - and suggest you ask any trusted members of staff there now who you may know - if the same thing has happened as before Encore; i.e. good experienced staff being taken off to do the start up of Ovation? If so, then management have not learned the lesson of the period prior to the inauguration of Encore. Which would be infuriating. Seabourn cannot afford to have yet more poor reports on staffing, as they had last year before the launch of Encore in December.

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We recently sailed on the Encore and every order in the MDR was delivered within seven minutes. We were told that if we planned to go to a show after dinner to tell our waiter and they would make sure we were finished in time. We never waited very long at all for ANYTHING. No one was surly. The crew seemed upbeat and talkative. Just reporting--I'm NOT a cheerleader as this was my first Seabourn cruise (had sailed SS previously).

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One other thought. Last night, I watched some of the crew recruitment videos for Seabourn. I saw the link on the FB page of one of the singer/pianists from Encore as she had asked us to friend her on FB. Seabourn is actively recruiting for many positions. I am sure it is not that easy to find, hire and train.

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Oh No!!! We will board on Saturday with my brother and sister-in-law who have never been on Seabourn. We have been non stop to the point of being obnoxious in our praise of Seabourn. We have sailed with a few other lines in the past few years mainly because of itineraries and friends who were sailing and we were so looking forward to total paradise when we returned to the Odyssey. I'm not looking for perfection just total pampering and being made to feel special.

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I will post a more detailed review in a couple of weeks when we get home but in the meantime here are a few thoughts.

The Seabourn cheer squad will no doubt disagree but I'm afraid that the increasingly obvious cost cutting by the bean counters at head office is beginning to spoil the overall experience. This is not the Seabourn we started cruising with a few years ago. Nothing major, but lots of little changes or omissions - death by a thousand cuts. Food, wine and service standards have dropped noticeably to the point where we no longer dine in the MDR after too many cold meals served too long after they were ordered. We sat down for dinner at 7pm last night and we're still there 3 hours later. A simple room service order of a club sandwich took well over an hour to arrive and even then only when we called to ask where it was.

 

Staff seem demoralised and overworked and show little initiative or "can do" attitude. Some are downright surly. The many people we've discussed this with unanimously agree. It's either lack or training and/or supervision, or maybe it's a demographic problem - the overwhelming majority of staff are from Eastern Europe and seem unfamiliar with the concept of "service with a smile".

 

Seabourn has lost its lustre.

 

I hope you have also discussed your issues with the ship’s officers. The crew will reflect the attitude of the managing staff.

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We have raised our concerns with a couple of senior officers who were sympathetic to an extent (implicit agreement?) but obviously couldn't say too much, nor would we put them on the spot. Decisions are being made by head office with little or no consultation with the people on the front line, ie, on board the ships. The Great Encore Laundry Debacle is an example of this new phenomenon.

 

I don't want to paint too negative a picture here. There are still plenty of things that Seabourn does better than the rest, but it's not the Seabourn we knew and loved. We will just have to adjust our expectations. It's the way of the world these days.

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Here's what we were told by the executive chef aboard the Encore in September. He told us that right now there are 86 new cruise ships under construction. He said that there is a huge competition for crew members among the cruise lines. He was concerned specifically about his kitchen staff, but it would be obvious that the competition extends to the other crew as well. Seabourn IS actively doing all that it can to retain its well trained staff and recruit needed additional staff. I did notice quite a number of East Europeans among the crew and the ones that I met were great. I DID notice just a few crew who did not seem as well trained as others. Usually they had a more minor role and their lack of experience was not that noticeable or crucial. But, with the addition of 86 new ships (surely a few will be retired at the same time) there may well be coming shortage of new crew members and it is possible that cruise lines will have to hire some people they would not have considered at an earlier time. From what the executive chef told us, Seabourn is doing all that it can to retain its valued crew members. How are they doing that you ask? The EC told us that they strive to make the working environment a good one. He told us that he knows they are succeeding when he see smiles on the faces of the kitchen staff when they come to work. I am guessing that the Seabourn crew is paid at a higher scale than crew on many other cruise lines as they do not (usually) receive tips. Let's just hope that Seabourn is successful in crew retention and recruitment with enough time to train.

Edited by SLSD
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Please setup a private meeting with the Hotel Manager and explain the problems and attitudes you have observed with a email to Seattle.

Your are not the first person I've read or talked to about this problem on the Odyssey. I make this recommendation because I alway loved my trips on "The Yachts of Seabourn" and the big sisters too. Make Seabourn Great Again!

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It is really disheartening to watch a top-drawer product such as Seabourn become a mediocre vestige of itself.

 

Bottom line cost-cutting can only be employed for the short term and then it impacts the overall satisfaction of the product. Seabourn offered a unique niche- wonderful accommodations, dining and service. Our last cruise on Encore was so disappointing that it will be difficult to contemplate another sailing. The food was so unpalatable (with the exception of a special request evening) and the included wines were mediocre at best- not exactly a "luxury experience". I am not certain which "market" demographic they are attempting to attract but it certainly will not be our $$$.

Perhaps the business model does not work any longer for smaller ships with great dining and service but I certainly cannot consider another venture with Seabourn until they deliver- in 7 years they have gone from a ten to a 4 on the satisfaction scale and I cannot be enthusiastic about the "new" Seabourn standard. By the way, our post-cruise survey comments were never acknowledged by anyone at Seabourn- very telling!

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I am not certain which "market" demographic they are attempting to attract but it certainly will not be our $$$.

 

They are shooting for the $$+ and $$$ demographic, knowing enough of your ilk will stick around long enough to absorb the transition.

 

This group thinks they are living a luxury experience. You know better.

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While I agree with SLSD that recruitment must be difficult at present, with so many new ships coming on stream - including in the 'luxury' class, surely Seabourn could mitigate the problems of too many new, not necessarily good, staff on board while they staff up the new ship, by either paying a bit more than the rivals, or ideally recruiting people in advance and giving them land based training before they start work proper. This would also give time to weed out any obviously unsuited to the work. When we have met new staff, they have all worked in the relevant job before, on land, but have then been plunged straight into work on board, and at the same time have to pass 'exams' on their work in the first few weeks. And of course the experienced staff are having to teach and supervise them. Unfair all round. I seem to remember an 'academy' some years ago - have a feeling that has gone by the board.

 

However, the bottom line, i.e. cost, is always lurking there. And they do not want to pay out more than they have to! It will work out in time, of course, as it did after Encore was launched, but that is no comfort to those, especially newbies, cruising in the meantime.

 

I would urge Rustyrollock to email Guest Services with a copy to Club Concierge, on returning home. I have done this, politely, more in sorrow and anger, and have had fairly thoughtful replies.

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All valid points. The sense I get is that officers and managers on board are well aware of these problems but are unable to deal with them effectively because head office has a different agenda. Maybe modern cruising can no longer sustain the Seabourn model we knew and loved and this dilution of the product is a deliberate strategy to increase profitability. Maybe there just aren't enough people willing or able to pay for the privilege of enjoying a "luxury" cruise as opposed to one of the countless alternatives so Seabourn has decided to set the bar lower. Or they are testing their loyal customer base to see how much cutting back we will tolerate before saying "enough!".

 

We won't be abandoning Seabourn (yet) because there isn't a viable alternative (yet) but there are some interesting new players about to join the game, eg Scenic, Viking, who might be poised to fill the void that Seabourn is creating.

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This post has made me so depressed. I think it is the absolute worst review we have read and not what we were expecting when we board on Saturday!

 

 

 

This is far from the worst review of Seabourn or Odyssey and the issues noted should be easily resolved. Don’t be so pessimistic and form your own opinions once you board. You might be surprised with the result.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Colgal, when was your Encore cruise? We sailed in September and did not find the food unpalatable. While it was not 5 star restaurant quality, we thought it was very good overall. I mostly chose from the classic offerings in the MDR. We never had breakfast in the Colonade (room service or MDR instead) and enjoyed hamburgers at the Patio a few times. I am just curious as to when you were on the Encore. I think the fact that the Executive Chef brought up the issue of crew retention and recruitment himself (no one had mentioned it) is telling. After all, our experiences hinge greatly on the quality of the crew and this includes the kitchen crew. And, I would expect that seasoned crew members are going to be placed aboard the Ovation to give that ship a good start. Just recently, the captain and Hotel Director for Ovation have been announced.

Edited by SLSD
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This is far from the worst review of Seabourn or Odyssey and the issues noted should be easily resolved. Don’t be so pessimistic and form your own opinions once you board. You might be surprised with the result.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Thank you Sunprince you are absolutely correct and I am actually a 'glass nearly full' person! I

read the review again and then checked out some of the other reviews by the OP I thought I had been too hasty.

Thank you for your wise words!

 

Maureen

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SLSD- we cruised at the end of May. Our 4th seabourn cruise- we previously sailed the Quest, Sojourn, and the Legend. We have also sailed on Silverseas in Alaska and the Med- (never again!)

 

The food in the MDR was steak centric in its offerings and we typically do not eat red meat more than once a week. We tried the fish and it was either bland and uninspired or worse yet-fishy. The service was friendly but not as professional as in the last and trying to get a wine refill was also an effort. The Colonnade offerings at lunch were not what we remembered, and quite repetitive. They even "ran out " of blue cheese and ranch dressing one afternoon. We ordered room service 3 different mornings and our breakfast arrived at a lukewarm temperature and was always missing an element.

 

We found the pool service to be inattentive- we usually walked up to the bar to place an order because the wait staff was generally on overload due to passing pre-made cocktails that were not appealing. We noticed that many of the guests were drinking wine or beer- the cocktails just did not taste as they should.

 

By the third day of our cruise we were no longer looking forward to the dining options and we ordered a "Special" dinner which was executed and served beautifully- but that was one evening. I felt uncomfortable about a special request for every evening after that and we begged the hostess at Keller to allow us to dine a 2nd time. We were finally permitted

To dine a second time but it was a struggle and almost not worth the effort.

 

The highlight of our cruise was our room stewardess- she was exceptionally attentive and we brought her daily "gifts" from our shore excursions such as cookies etc. - she was the vestige of superlative service we remembered from the past.

 

We were such advocates of the Seabourn line and are so disappointed about its current state. There are too many critiques in circulation to ignore the obvious nature of diminishing returns and we will wait until the issues are addressed before we cruise again. In August we opted for two weeks in Paris rather than another Seabourn cruise- their loss.

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I understand completely the allegation that Seabourn today is not the Seabourn of old. That "ship sailed" with the sale of the triplets to Windstar. However let me remind you that the Seaborn of old was actually a lot more expensive than it is today. When Seabourn debuted in 1988/1989 with the Pride and Spirit all suites on board except the large owners suites were the same fare and that fare was usually over $1000 per person per day. In 1988 dollar value. And people paid it willingly. For that amount of money they were able to offer far more in the way of quality and service. Even through the years prices remained higher for one reason...there was not the same amount of competition for the luxury cruise dollar. Today is a totally different story. More luxury lines. More ships per line. Lower prices. Inevitable decline in quality.

 

I find it amusing that we get threads like this where people complain about the lessening of quality and then other threads where people are looking for the best deal or the least they can pay or what TA will give them a bigger incentive to book. Pay less and you get less.

 

Truth be told imo EVERY luxury cruise line is cost cutting. I remember my first ever Silversea cruise in 1994 when only the Cloud was in their fleet. Today's Silversea is a pale comparison.

 

Even with its cutbacks I still find Seabourn the best option for me. Was it better way back when? Yes! Is it still better than most of its competitors today? imo yes!

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Perhaps we are caught in the midst of a re-branding process. Yes, Seabourn was more expensive in the past and we were willing to pay because it was wonderful -A to Z. At present, however, we are looking at spacious accomodations , spotty service and average to below average dining- not exactly an experience to be enthusiastically embraced.

 

I am not seeking a "value" line and it would appear that Seabourn's direction may be moving to a middle of the road demographic- similar to the all-inclusive resort experience. Unfortunately a passenger cannot "correct" their dining options while aboard - and Seabourn always focused on that element in addition to its personalized service. If it isn't financially feasible to provide a "luxury" cruise without raising the cruise rate and management opts to focus on filling up the ship then they have opted for a new and different product- so be it.

 

I will be most interested to see what transpires with the forthcoming Ritz Carlton product- it will likely be pricey but hopefully offers the luxury that previously existed on Seabourn.

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I still find Seabourn to be the most attractive line in the 'luxury' category; just that it is a shame that there are temporary blips when a new ship is coming onstream, IMO. And this could be dealt with,by management, if they really tried. Standards did go down a bit when Encore was coming up, and it sounds as if the same is happening again with Ovation coming up.

 

I do like to feel I get reasonable value for money, and comparing some recent offers with Regent, at unbelievable prices, for a much better overall experience Seabourn still wins hands down. But price is not everything, and if I thought it would take a slight hike in costs for Seabourn to get their act together and give new staff a proper training I would welcome it.

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Cogal, When you find a better cruise line--at whatever price--please come back here and give us a report. We all love luxury and would want to avail ourselves of the experience.

 

A little about myself since I just popped into this forum in October. My husband and I are age 66 and 65 and our cruise on Encore was only our second cruise. Our first cruise was aboard Silversea Shadow a few years ago. It was a wonderful experience. On that cruise, someone asked us where we had cruised before, and when we told them that this was our first cruise, they told us that we had made a huge mistake because we had started at the top. Our Silversea cruise was a wonderful experience.

 

After our cruise, life got in the way and we did not cruise again until September 2017 aboard the Encore. My husband's career had been demanding of his time and it was impossible to make long range plans. We had built a house out at our Texas farm and enjoyed going there so much that we really didn't feel the need to travel. Then, we witnessed some of life's tragedies and decided that if we intended to travel, we had best get with the program. We planned our Med. cruise for September on very short notice. We had intended to choose a small ship, but, by the time we were ready to make a decision, Encore was the best choice for the itinerary that interested us most. We were disappointed as we really wanted a smaller ship and I, especially, had quite a bit of trepidation about going on a larger ship.

 

But, we went with an open mind and found ourselves having a great deal of fun. Everything from the first lunch to the last evening on the ship was enjoyable. We are not perfectionists. We are not looking for crew members to remember our names or what we choose to drink (although they did), we are not looking for perfect service everywhere, but most of the time it was fairly close to perfect.

 

We are NOT sunbathers, so the smallness of the pool area did not affect us. We do enjoy getting into a hot tub now and again and did avail ourselves of the hot tub at the bow of Deck 7. We wished for more shade there. Drinks were served there and the crew member came back at least two more times while we were there. We couldn't ask for more.

 

Unlike you, we had a disappointing stewardess. While the room was cleaned and straightened daily (we are neat people, so not much straightening was needed) she stopped replenishing our ice bucket after about the third day and did not clear away used glassware from the minibar. We COULD have notified housekeeping, but we were too busy having fun. Next time I will ask for this from day one.

 

About the food--I was not blown away by it, but did enjoy the classic dishes in the MDR. I don't eat desserts, so cannot comment on those. In the MDR, our wineglasses were always refilled before we even noticed that they needed to be. Personally, I would have hoped for a more straightforward menu. I don't require inventive dishes, but just want food to taste good (and prefer healthy food). If anything, I would request a spa menu option. I would be thrilled with that. We had that on Silversea when we cruised with them, but I hear that has been discontinued.

 

Our room service breakfasts were always delivered a couple of minutes early and always seemed to be at the right temperature. We never ordered Room Service at other times.

 

We truly felt like the crew was doing their best.

 

What do we want in a cruise? We want to have a good time. We want to enjoy both the ship AND the itinerary. We felt like we got both on this cruise. Could we have gotten the same on a lesser cruise line? I have no idea because we have only sailed on Silversea and Seabourn.

 

The bottom line is that we were satisfied. Could the experience have been better? Probably. I could mention all kinds of things that could have been better. But, we were not frustrated, we had plenty of fine meals and great things to drink. We were entertained. Our fellow passengers were genteel people and did not distract from our experience. We never felt crowded. We never had to wait for things. We were always greeted by the crew with smiles.

 

I'll be MUCH more observant when we go aboard the Ovation in June 2018 on a Baltic cruise. But, in the meantime, I'm reading about everyone's experiences and plotting our next cruise after that one.

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