Athens to Istanbul with Seabourn Spirit

We cruised Athens to Istanbul on the Seabourn Spirit on June 15, 2003. It was our first time on Seabourn. We have previously sailed Crystal and Radisson Seven Seas. The level of service on Seabourn was excellent. The ship was in great condition, although I did see a section of carpet that really should be replaced (minor).

Seabourn can be very expensive, but the Athens/Istanbul itinerary was heavily discounted since it was booking so soon after the war. We felt we really got a tremendous value with this high a level of service at a heavily discounted price. The ship was full with almost 1/3 Europeans (mostly British). This is a very small cruise ship. As a matter of fact its more like a mega-yacht than a cruise ship and that's how Seabourn markets it. Ship size is a personal preference thing. I actually liked the smaller, more intimate feel. However, I am very motion sensitive. We had smooth seas but I imagine in a rough sea you will get quite a lot more motion than the larger ships. When we were in Kusadasi, Turkey, we were docked next to the Silver Whisper (Silverseas). The Seabourn Spirit looked small next to that ship, and that one is considered a small ship.

Boarding was a breeze. The next day was a holiday in Greece so we couldn't go see the Monastery on Amorgos Island. Instead they pulled into a protected cove and opened up the marina off the back of the ship. This is really a cool feature and doesn't get used all that often. They pulled skiers, banana boats and tubes. There were inflated canoes and paddle boats. They also have a large steel cage you can swim in but we just swam in the open off the back of the yacht in the Aegean Sea. It was very salty so you were very buoyant. Can't beat it.

The food was really good and we wound up seeing the Chef on a number of occasions as he came around to insure everything was right. There were a number of people with dietary issues that he would personally check on. I did the galley tour and it was sparkling. Oddly, I always had trouble getting a glass of water in the Veranda restaurant for breakfast. Always had to ask multiple times. We met some really demanding people and the crew did their best to satisfy them. One night I asked if by chance they had a Crème Brule in the kitchen (it wasn't on the menu) and out came the most wonderful chocolate one. At lunch on the top deck my wife and another person we had met wanted veggie-burgers. They did not have any but called down to the kitchen to see if there was anything they could do. 15 minutes later, up came a real veggie-burger made by the Chef. It had chopped veggies and used mashed potatoes as a binding agent. It was really good and of course, real.

Drinks were all-included and you get 2 bottles of liquor in your room (your selection). We had rum and vodka and one day wanted a Bloody Mary. We left a note for our Stewardess to see if there was any mix we could get and when we returned to our room, there was a pitcher of mix in our ice box. One of the things I liked the most about Seabourn is not having to sign all the time when you order drinks. It's all-inclusive. We wind up doing a lot of signing on both Crystal and Radisson.

We got lucky in that [name deleted], who had just signed on with Legend, was promoted to Cruise Director and moved to our ship. He is incredibly talented and brought a breath of fresh air to the usual lounge lizard type entertainment on small ships. He was talented enough to actually do a real "show".

We had one of the French Balconies. I would recommend them. We had full balconies on our previous cruises and while this was no substitute, it sure was nice to open up the "wall" and look out. The weather was nice so we had it open a lot when we were in the room. The bottom of the balcony is only out about 1 1/2 foot and the top is only out about 9 inches. It has a Plexiglas sheet that was always dirty and hard to see out of. Once we put the footstools on the balcony and sat out there but it was a bit too crowded.

Except Istanbul and Kusadasi we booked ships excursions which were fine but overpriced. In Istanbul and Kusadasi we used a local tour co. called Byzance ( http://more.at/byzance ) They took us everywhere, we wanted to see and was well worth the money since you get so much more information when you see these places with a guide than on your own. In Istanbul the essentials are the Aya Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the underground cistern, the Grand Bazaar and, if you have time, the Topkapi Palace although, for me, this last one is not a "must see". The Spice Bazaar is also interesting but you can see the same thing on a larger scale in the Grand Bazaar. Venice is a place I would do on my own as a lot of that city involves wandering around and absorbing the sights. You can see St. Mark's on your own and not miss anything without a guide.

I really liked Seabourn and will cruise them again if I find a good discounted fare. I think they are too expensive for our needs. While the service IS better, I can't justify spending the large increase over Radisson. We are not as demanding of service as others, who will find Seabourn a good value. To us, once we reach a certain level of service, more has very diminishing returns.

deja-vue???

We were told in another thread that Jan Stearman is cruise director on the Spirit?

It's so easy to lose track of who is on what ship. Can anyone give us a definitive answer on who the entertainment staff are on each of the ships?

R&R?

I'm pretty certain that it is Jan Stearman, and she's great!

Regards,

bldsld

Yes, Jan Stearman is on the Spirit and Eric DeGrey is on the Pride......I'm not certain what ship David E. Greene is on......I know Eric will be on the Pride until July 4th.......then he is on a holiday until our Aug. 29th Crossing from London.

They are all so very talented as well as being "the toast of their ships!"

MB

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Martha B.:

Yes, Jan Stearman is on the Spirit

MB<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's what we thought but the post that started this thread said someone from the Legend and specifically said "he". Now either Jan Stearman has had a sex change or there is someone else on the scene. Is Jan on her holidays maybe?

Am seriously thinking about signing up for the August crossing. Eric was great when he was on the Pride with Jan the last time we sailed with him and I'm sure he makes a great cruise director.

R&R

Great Review,

Thank you !

This putative review has been posted on various sites by various putative posters for months. Send it to Davie Jones' Locker!

bgood

Except Istanbul and Kusadasi we booked ships excursions which were fine but overpriced. In Istanbul and Kusadasi we used a local tour co. called Byzance ( http://more.at/byzance ) They took us

THIS IS A PART OF A CON GAME! CHECK OUT THE POSTS BY THIS PERSON! :eek: THIS AND ONE OR TWO OTHERS, MORE LIKELY THE SAME PERSON, ARE TRIING TO STEER CUSTOMERS TO THIS BYZANACE! CAUTION, CHECK THE BAD REVEIWS ABOUT THIS SO CALLED TOUR COMPANY! :mad:

Just did the Rome-Athens plus Athens-Istanbul on Spirit in June. The shore excursions--we rarely take them--were absolutely fabulous and extremely reasonably priced! Spent five days of heaven, (much to our surprise), in Istanbul! In Turkey we did avoid the "dreaded" carpet sale venues sometimes added to the shore excursions. Four Seasons Istanbul is the best! The Seabourn Way is the ONLY way! Champagne wishes and caviar dreams!

They are in cahoots and working for the excursion companies, so if you sign up beware!

see this link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=51574

Some of you may have read the post by Robinzhere about someone 'borrowing' her review on another cruise review site and adding plugs for tour companies. The person was mka1934 otherwise known as jbrown on cc. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/show...d=1#post1588789

I did a search on all the posts that mka1934 or jbrown made:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/sear...?searchid=61315

What the person has been doing is posting to several cruise forums with the exact same review and plugs for the tour companies, but using different ship names! It always starts: "Last year My husband and I did a Med. Cruise with ...(fill in the blank with a new ship)" This appears to be shameful self-advertising that is deceitful and I feel very badly for all the people who have taken this person seriously. If I am wrong about this, please correct me, as I would hate to have incorrectly assumed so. Here are the posts:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/show...313#post1375313

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/show...650#post1375650

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=31886

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/show...931#post1374931

It kind of saddens me that this site is being used in this way. It is supposed to be a gathering of people who are looking forward to their next cruise, and a forum for advice to fellow cruisers alike, so that they may have the best vacation yet.