Seabourn Legend June 26 - July 3, Brief Review

[johnnycruise]

We returned yesterday from a most enjoyable cruise on the Legend from Barcelona to Monte Carlo. I provided a full review several years ago, so I'll just provide a few reflections here.

 

 

Highlights

• Itinerary. Many of the ports I had never heard of, but all were delightful. Palamos was sleepy as we arrived on Sunday, but the beachfront promenade became quite busy by 11am. Collioure is about three miles from Port-Vendres, surrounded by forts and beautiful bays - a picture perfect little town. We were in both Bandol and Le Lavandou on their market days. Additionally, these two towns have beautiful beaches within easy walking distance of the tender pier. Marseille is a large city, somewhat gritty, but a trip up to the Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica provided a 360 degree panorama. Everyone who took the excursion to Aix said that was an excellent tour. St.-Tropez ... what can you say? The best port was indeed saved until last.
  
• Fellow passengers. The biggest demographic mix I've seen so far on Seabourn. Probably a dozen young adults (18-25) celebrating graduations with their families, as well as couples of various ages. The only thing missing was a complement of singles. The great mix of ages made trivia more interesting. Also met many, many wonderful people closer in age to myself and never felt compelled to dine alone unless by choice. I didn't observe any boorish behavior at all. The cruise was more casual than previous cruises, but no one looked sloppy and some guests really sparkled.
  
• Crew. As always, all the staff were friendly and worked very hard. Special mentions go to Roland at the Sky Bar along with Dessie and Diogo keeping everyone on deck hydrated, hotel manager Karl (excellent), Michel the bar manager who went into port and returned with some great local wines, cruise team of David E. and Kasey, Sindi in the spa and some old (Zoltan) and new (Vitor and Karis) favorites in the dining room. Captain Pedder had an understated approachability about him - I ran into to him several times mingling on deck with fellow guests. Above all, though, was Ross the maitre d' in the restaurant who accommodated everyone's requests, including our delicious tableside preparation of Steak Diane on the final evening.
  
• Dining. Always superb. At least two venues for dinner (in addition to room service), with a third venue under the stars on the first and last evening. Three nights we were in port until after 11pm which allowed for pleasant al fresco dining (especially at Restaurant 2 on the first evening with the lights of Barcelona as a backdrop).
  
• Weather. Seabourn had absolutely no control of this at all, but the beautiful sunshine every single day meant every outdoor activity scheduled was completed. The deck barbeque was attended by probably 75-80% of the guests.
  
• Embarkation and Debarkation. Smoothest of any cruise. No waiting at all in Barcelona - five minutes from the time the taxi dropped us off until we had our photo ID. A short wait (about 20 minutes) for a cab in Monte Carlo. The cab fare was 90€.
  

Suggestions for Improvement

• Flexibility in scheduling. With the younger complement of guests, I think the Sky Bar could have stayed open later - last call was announced even if 10-12 guests were still present. Additionally the Club and the Casino had no posted closing times, but they would close when they were ready to close. The marina day was great, but it was only scheduled for 2 1/2 hours. Once again, the younger demographic meant it was the highlight of the cruise for many. It seemed like half the passengers showed up at the same time. A third speedboat was eventually brought into service, but the operating hours should be reconsidered based on the week's demographic. The younger guests were very well mannered and well spoken - they weren't toddlers or adolescents and I didn't observe them drinking to excess. Seabourn would be wise to consider these new passengers have many, many years of potential sailings in their future.
  
• Internet. A ship of this caliber deserves reliable high-speed service, as do the passengers who pay $$$ to use it. Even while in port, connections were painfully slow.
  

To sum it up, Seabourn continues to deliver a memorable vacation. The crew knows and addresses you by name and their smiles are contagious. Although this was a very busy cruise (a port a day), it visited mostly smaller towns where a 2-3 hour morning stroll could be complemented by an afternoon on board.

 

It had been nearly a year and a half since my last Seabourn cruise and I certainly hope I won't have to wait that long for the next sailing. The voyage is highly recommended.

 

johnny

[Keith1010]

Great review and glad to hear how much you enjoyed the cruise.

 

Welcome home.

 

Keith

[wripro]

Johnnycruise,

 

Thanks for the great review. I couldn't agree more about Ross, the maitre d'. He has always been a gem.

 

With all those port days when did you have time for trivia? Did they schedule it at a different time?

[johnnycruise]

With all those port days when did you have time for trivia? Did they schedule it at a different time?

 

We played trivia at 5:15 pm so no one had to rush in from port. Just three teams of 7-10 players so we were finished by 5:50. I wasn't expecting trivia given the itinerary, so it was a nice surprise.

[Jb-lhr]

Dear Johnnycruise,

It was a pleasure to meet you both. Hope the Steak Diane was to your liking!!

We totally agree about Seabourn. The entire cruise was 'positive', with so few 'negatives' they are truly hardly worth mentioning. This was also our first Seabourn experience. We will be back. Seabourn has become our new favourite!

Thanks again for posting.

Will write soon.

John

[Martita B.]

Johnny

Thanks for posting your Legend review ~ With Karl, Ross, & David E. aboard I'm sure the dining and entertainment was 10*! As Capt. Pedder is new to Seabourn he might have a 'lit reserved and shy ~~

I'm happy you and Mr. S. enjoyed the Port calls.:p

Hope to sail with you again soon!

Pinkie

[CruisingDoctorWu]

Thanks for the review! We are on this itinerary from July24th-31st. We just kind of picked it based on the time frame that fit our schedule, but am quite excitied! Any suggestions for excursions other than the Aix trip? My hope was to just kind of spend time wandering around, but some of the other people on the trip are interested in excursioning.

 

CCW

[Chairsin]

After three wonderful cruises with Zoltan in the last ten years I do not understand why he has not been promoted to Asst. maitre 'd. Hope he is on in September when we pick up the Legend in Mone Carlo.

[MeetingMaid]

Chairsin, what dates are you sailing in September? Last year we were on the same Baltic Cruise but never met...Now, this year we are also doing a two-week starting on September 11th on the Legend out of Monte Carlo.

(maybe I'll recognize a familiar face!!):D

[DR John]

We were also on the Legend June 26 to July 3. This was probably our 10th Seabourn voyage.

Although I still enjoyed the trip, some issues need to be pointed out.

1) The ship is going into drydock this fall. As we spaek, it is looking extremely tired. I believe the state it is currently in does not warrent the Seabourn brand.

2) Certain crew members were outstanding. Others not so much. The girl at the Skybar ( previously mentioned) I found to be extemely rough around the edges. ( plus she had a very visible tongue ring that i believe is not appropiate). ( Dessie)

3) Very obvious cutting of food budget( compared to 10- 15 years ago).

 

I realize my observations may not be consistent with others, but I believe there has been a decline in the product as far as the Legend is concerned.

We are going on the Sojourn on Sept 3, so I can compare.

[wripro]

I'm sure once the Legend comes out of dry dock she will look as good as the Spirit and Pride do now. There is no getting around the fact that these are older ships but I do not necessarily consider this to be a negative. There is something about the triplets that is unique in the cruise industry and sometimes you have to overlook a minor flaw to get the overall experience.

[Chairsin]

MeetingMaid,

So does that mean I am stalking you or you are stalking me???

 

We get on in Monte Carlo on the 25th -- when do you dismebark?

 

Chairsin

[johnnycruise]

We were also on the Legend June 26 to July 3. This was probably our 10th Seabourn voyage.

Although I still enjoyed the trip, some issues need to be pointed out.

1) The ship is going into drydock this fall. As we spaek, it is looking extremely tired. I believe the state it is currently in does not warrent the Seabourn brand.

2) Certain crew members were outstanding. Others not so much. The girl at the Skybar ( previously mentioned) I found to be extemely rough around the edges. ( plus she had a very visible tongue ring that i believe is not appropiate). ( Dessie)

3) Very obvious cutting of food budget( compared to 10- 15 years ago).

 

I realize my observations may not be consistent with others, but I believe there has been a decline in the product as far as the Legend is concerned.

We are going on the Sojourn on Sept 3, so I can compare.

 

I noticed the young man who cooked burgers on deck in the afternoon had a visible tattoo (green shamrock) on his neck. At first I thought it was a seasickness patch, but it was indeed a tattoo. I agree with you that certain piercings (and visible tattoos) do not lend a professional appearance.

 

I also agree the ship needs the late October drydock to regain its elegance; however, I hope the carpet in the central lobby/stairway area is steam cleaned long before the dry dock.

[MeetingMaid]

MeetingMaid,

So does that mean I am stalking you or you are stalking me???

 

We get on in Monte Carlo on the 25th -- when do you dismebark?

 

Chairsin

 

We're disembarking on the 25th. (WE actually did YOUR itinerary in 2007)

 

So, maybe next year our paths will once again cross.

 

MM

[Chairsin]

MeetingMaid,

It does look like we will be trading places in Monte Carlo. We did an itinerary similar to yours two years ago.

[CruisingDoctorWu]

Collioure is about three miles from Port-Vendres

Is a shuttle provided typically?

What port did they do the market walk with the chef?

 

Thanks!

 

CDW

[johnnycruise]

Is a shuttle provided typically?

What port did they do the market walk with the chef?

 

Thanks!

 

CDW

 

From reading these boards, it would appear that a shuttle was provided in the past. It wasn't on our cruise. There are several options. Many people (including myself) took the €6.50 "tourist train." It ran directly along the road to Collioure. On the return, it veered high up into the vineyards and made a couple of stops for photos. It also included a good commentary in English. You can also take the ship's tour, the public bus (€1 each way), a taxi or you can walk (not really recommended). While Port-Vendres was interesting, it would be a huge mistake to miss the trip over the hills to Collioure. It was a wonderful little town.

 

Marseille is the other port that could have used a shuttle and it was the location of the chef's walk. We did the chef's walk and it was a comedy of errors. The chef was the only crewmember from the ship who accompanied the group and he doesn't speak French. Plus, I don't think he'd been to Marseille before. The bus was 1/2 hour late and when it dropped us off, we walked past the market. One of the passengers who spoke French stopped a passerby for directions. We turned around and walked back a bit and then down a crowded street to a market which appeared more typical of Algiers than Marseille. One of the shopkeepers did not like a bunch of gawking tourists and expressed that to us rather loudly. Some of the nicest people I met on the cruise were with us on this walkabout (Hilary, Catherine, Haakon, Thomas, Hazel and Howard) and we laughed about our "adventure" the rest of the trip. The organization does warrant criticism, though ... there were several French crewmembers on board and one of them should have accompanied the chef. Passengers, though willing, should not be used as impromptu interpreters. The chef is a great fellow and very skilled in the kitchen, but it appeared as though he were told to take 20 guests around the market without being thoroughly briefed on where he was taking us.

 

You can always take the chef's bus to the center of Marseille (about a mile from the ship) and then go your separate ways. But, I would hope that our chef's walk was an anomoly and future walks will have more (and better) direction. If the heat is too much, you can take a taxi to or from the pier or the #83 bus if no taxis are available - it passes about 200 yards from the pier every 15 minutes. We noticed the bus after the long, unshaded walk.

 

In Palamos, you dock very near the center of the city and in Bandol, Le Lavandou and St.-Tropez the tender pier is at the center of town. Beaches, shops and wine tasting venues are within easy walking distance of the drop-off point. Those four little towns were absolutely wonderful.

 

johnny

[CruisingDoctorWu]

thanks for the info Johnnycruise! We are excited about our upcoming cruise. While we've spent a good amount of time in Europe, this itinerary seems to touch some unique destinations.

 

CDW