Thoughts and review of Seabourn Spirit - 8/14-8/21/2010

[Marylebone37]

Returned a week ago from 7 wonderful days on the Seabourn Spirit from Venice to Rome, and wanted to jot down some thoughts for the benefit of my fellow CC cruisers. I posted my very first review back in June (a Seabourn vs. Silversea comparison: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1221248&highlight=stines) – admittedly that was comparing a Seabourn February 2008 cruise with a Silversea June 2010 voyage. Although I won’t necessarily contrast Seabourn with Silversea again (primarily because I’m through with SS for a number of reasons that I won’t go into here), I will use many of the same general categories as I did in the aforementioned review to help organize my thoughts. We are two 48-year olds that have previously sailed on Seabourn, Silversea, HAL, Princess, Carnival, and Celebrity.

 

Ship overall

 

Absolutely gorgeous since the dry dock several months ago (close to a year I maybe?). I think it’s in even better condition now than it was in 2008. The new décor and furnishings bring a modern touch to many of the public areas, while at the same time not sacrificing the intimate feel. Cabin interiors were in excellent condition generally. A black ring around the toilet bowl was reported but not corrected during our sailing. It wasn’t dirt per se – more like the enamel wearing off. Two issues that Seabourn needs to address are the generally warm conditions of several bars (casino & Club mostly) in the late afternoon/evening. It was so warm in the casino that I didn’t even care to play blackjack… and I do love to play blackjack. Also the cold water supply at times was non-existent (in the cabin, in the on-deck showers). Always ran warm to even too hot to wash your hair. It was bizarre to turn on the tap in your bathroom all the way to the cold position and have warm/hot water coming out. Other passengers were discussing the same problem, so it wasn’t an isolated incident. After reporting this we were told that the water never gets much below the temperature of the outside weather conditions/temp. That doesn’t sound right to me, so I don’t know what’s up. They are aware of the issue though and hopefully will get it solved.

 

Crew/service overall

 

Superb! Called by our names by many staff starting on the second day. Friendliness, promptness, attention to detail, and other service aspects were superb. And while I can’t pinpoint the reason I feel this way, I again felt a close relationship with the “Seabourn family” (passengers and crew) during the cruise. It’s just magical and really contributed to the exceptional experience that Seabourn provided. Cabin service was outstanding (thanks, Brigitta!).

 

Main Dining Room food and service

 

Food was very, very good. A few exceptional dishes and nothing that I didn’t like except for one pasta dish on the last evening. The complimentary wine selections were just so-so. We were not that impressed, and we’re not even wine snobs. Could not even drink the Santa Margherita Pino Grigio after the first evening. Yuk.

 

A first for us… we actually ate breakfast twice in the MDR. Once was great but once the eggs came out cold (!). The head chef himself came out from the kitchen to the table apologize. Nice touch, and the second batch of eggs were perfect.

 

When it comes to the MDR service, the Maitre d’Hotel Armand Louw was world class. He was personable, professional, efficient, and arranged a few special menu items for us, including having the food from Restaurant 2 delivered to us in the MDR one evening when 2 was fully booked. Quality of flatware, plates, glasses etc. was excellent. Dress code was mostly adhered to. I did witness one gentleman being turned away at the door on an Elegant Casual evening and asked to put on a jacket. We also loved the fact that there were no formal nights on this short itinerary and in the very hot weather. Kudos to Seabourn for having the guts to make this dress code change and communicate it clearly in advance of sailing.

 

Alternative restaurants

 

We did not dine in Restaurant 2 on this sailing. It was nearly always full however, and as mentioned above, we were able to have 2’s menu delivered to the main dining room one evening thanks to the Maitre d’Hotel Armand. The Indian cuisine that night was very good – but living in London, we are a little spoiled with some of the finest Indian cuisine available outside of the country.

 

We did try the Sky Grill one evening and it was basic but excellent. The steaks were cooked perfectly and the rest of the menu items were great (Nigerian Shrimp, baked potato, roasted veggies, shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad etc.). I would have chosen the Sky Grill again if we were on a longer cruise. There is nothing like sitting out deck in the summer in the Med enjoying good food and even better company. Life is good indeed.

 

The lunchtime food outdoors at the Sky Grill was really nice. I remembered the pre-pressed frozen hamburgers, miniscule grilled chicken breasts, and packaged Wonder Bread-like rolls on Silversea from a few months ago. Definitely not so on Seabourn. Gorgeous thick hand-pressed burgers with homemade buns, great fries, awesome succulent chicken breasts, pork cutlets, and a nice self-service salad buffet were the order of just about every day on deck for lunch.

 

Special Event Dining

 

Seabourn’s deck BBQ and Rock-the-Boat show was superb. Nice layout, good service, and beautiful food. Rock the Boat was a hoot afterwards, with the dance floor filled until the very end. We had a great set of passengers on this voyage, so there was always lots of partying going on each and every night. Much different feel than Silversea where the majority of passengers were sound asleep by 10 or 11pm. Unfortunately, there was no galley lunch offered on this one week itinerary.

 

Room service

 

Had breakfast a few times and dinner once in the cabin. Table with linens always set, even on the morning of departure. Food quality was very good and always hot, from Eggs Benedict to Margherita pizza. Did not opt to have the MDR food delivered course by course to the cabin on this cruise. Surprisingly, there was no telephone call to the cabin before each food delivery – as I remembered on past Seabourn voyages.

 

Outdoor pool/Jacuzzis

 

I missed the pool on Silversea from a few months ago. The Spirit’s really tiny seawater pool was only good for a nice cool down after going ashore in the hot Med summer weather. The Jacuzzis on the other hand were great. And I really liked the covering over top of the 2 spas on the main deck. It was nice to be able to use them regularly without the fear of getting a nasty sunburn. The far-forward spa on the bow was a great a spot to be for sailaways and early morning port arrivals, and its location made it much less crowded than the main deck spas most of the time. Just a gorgeous space up there.

 

Pool/deck bar

 

After traveling on Silversea a few months ago with their premium liquors tucked away out of sight, it was nice to see that Seabourn still does not follow that practice. Lots of fresh ingredients used for cocktails vs. the concentrated juices on Silversea. It makes SO much of a difference. Dennis the bartender at the Sky Bar was outstanding, remembering every customers’ favorites from pretty much the second drink onwards. Beautiful cocktail nuts and other snacks/sandwiches also available, with many passengers enjoying caviar with all the fixings on a regular (sometimes more than once a day!) basis. And the Sky Bar was perhaps the best spot on the ship for mingling with your fellow cruisers and getting to know them. I could not believe how many peoples’ names we knew by mid-cruise. It’s like we had decided to cruise with 100 of our closest friends, the chemistry between everyone was that good.

 

Other bars/nightspots

 

The Club in the evening was very good with great canapés and well prepared drinks by Heidi from the UK. She was even more brilliant than she was on our last cruise 2+ years ago. The Horizon Lounge afternoon tea service was nice, but I must confess I did like the silver tiered platters of goodies better on Silversea vs. the self-service buffet of food in the middle of the room on Seabourn. As I mentioned early on, the décor of these venues was nicely spiffed up during the Spirit’s recent dry dock, so that made these spots all the better.

 

Self-service laundry facilities

 

As I mentioned in my Silversea review a few months ago, I love returning home with clean clothes, and although very small (2 washers and 2 dryers), really enjoyed the launderette facilities. I did 3 or 4 loads of wash in 7 days with ease (no lines this cruise), and this facility can really cut down on the amount of clothing one needs to pack. So overpackers take notice, this is an extremely convenient benefit if used wisely. We could have packed half the amount of basics like tee shirts, polo/golf shirts, underwear, under shirts, socks etc.

 

Cabin design/layout

 

After more than 20 years in service and having experienced some pretty beat up cabins on other, much younger ships – it’s amazing to me just how excellent the condition of the cabins are and how wonderfully they’ve been maintained over the years. We had an A1 on Deck 4 (standard picture window). Did not miss a balcony, as the outside decks were literally a 2 minute walk away. Soundproofing was outstanding between cabins. As I mentioned above, the toilet had a nasty black ring around the bowl (not fixed after reported in the mid-cruise questionnaire). It should have been attended to but was not. The rest of the bathroom was fine however with nice double sinks and so much more space (and better décor) than the Silversea Cloud bathroom. Everything else in the cabin was in perfect order and worked as advertised. A very nice space indeed… probably the most comfortable “standard” cabin on the high seas today.

 

Spa/Gym

 

Other than 1 haircut, did not use the spa or gym all. The spa did look to be doing a brisk business, though. The gym’s small space and with no view was disappointing. No elliptical trainers due to the low ceiling height. But an adequate number of other machines for walking, jogging, and biking – along with a sampling of weights and other workout paraphernalia. There were separate steam/sauna rooms for men and women, massage treatment rooms, and hair/nail salon areas.

 

Ship-sponsored excursions

 

We picked this particular cruise for, among other things, the relaxed itinerary visiting ports that were off the beaten track from the larger, more touristy spots that we’ve visited in Italy before. So we only booked one excursion from Sorrento to Pompeii. Other than that, we got off of the ship and just walked around to take in the local street scenes, which were all beautiful. Even in the sweltering 95 degree heat, Pompeii was breathtaking. If you get the chance, do pay a visit to this place destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Transportation and all arrangements were handled professionally, complete with a guide for the 18 of us and wireless earpieces so we could more easily take in and understand what we were seeing while having the flexibility to walk around. It was so much better than having to crowd around the guide to hear them talk.

 

This voyage did include a Marina Day in the Gulf of Squillace. It lasted for about 3 hours, and we swam in the pool and partook of a long (40 min or so!) banana boat ride. I also got to swim in the open ocean for a good 20 minutes after several of us fell off of the banana boat. It was fun! Sandwiches, sweet treats, soft drinks, and water were provided back on board down in the marina area. You could come and go from the ocean pool as much as you’d like and it made for a very relaxing afternoon. The staff were organized with sign-up sheets for the various activities available. The whole event was well done.

 

On-board shopping

 

The small boutique had some really nice merchandise. Even had some great blazers for gentlemen and a few interesting tops for women. I was pretty impressed with the variety of items on offer given the very small size of the shop. It was obvious to me that more than some attention had gone into stocking a good array of clothing, gifts, sundries, and jewelry.

 

Casino

 

The blackjack and poker tables were busy on this cruise! At least twice in seven nights there were people playing at 3 a.m. in the morning! Casino staff were very very nice and not pushy/casino-like at all. I even saw the dealer a few times go back a hand after the player signaled a move that they should not have done (e.g., like hitting on a 17) and subsequently changed their mind. Drink service was good and the overall gambling experience was, for the most part, relaxed and fun. One issue that needs to be improved is the aircon in the table games area. It was uncomfortably warm more than once. The issue was reported on night one, but I saw no improvement as the cruise continued. I heard several passengers (me included) say that they would have gambled more had the space been cooler and thus more inviting. Seabourn take note… you may be losing some money here because of the poor climate control.

 

Shipboard Entertainment

 

We enjoyed the entertainment very much. The OASIS band was really excellent, and both the CD and Asst CD had good voices and even better personalities to easily entertain lounge guests on a few evenings. The dance floors were oftentimes full, both in the Club and out on deck where nice weather and the great OASIS band allowed for 2 dancing events in 7 days. They were grand times with an even grander and supremely wonderful set of fellow guests. I also thought that some of show lounge production aspects had been improved since the last time on Seabourn. Better sound and better lighting in particular, and it was nice to see that Seabourn is paying attention to those details that can help to make or break a good act. The new furniture in the lounge didn’t hurt either… so much nicer than before.

 

Overall feel of the cruise experience and camaraderie with like-minded travelers

 

Well here is the area that Seabourn just shines above every other line on the high seas. If you are after an uplifting, engaging, and overall fun time – with a warm and genuinely caring crew that really seems to enjoy serving their guests – then look no further than Seabourn. You can read my thoughts on my first Silversea experience in the other thread, but hands down there is just no comparison in environments, attitudes, passenger interactions, and overall vibe/feel between the two lines (well at least in our 3 SB experiences vs. our 1 one on SS). I know that we still need to try Crystal and Regent, but I would be willing to bet that the overall feel of those 2 other lines will not match what we so very much like about Seabourn.

 

THANK YOU TO THE SEABOURN SPIRIT CREW AND OFFICERS!

 

We must conclude with a HUGE THANK YOU to the Spirit’s staff and crew for another excellent Seabourn experience. We appreciated your efforts and you are to be commended for affording us an exemplary time. And yes, it was so good that we booked another voyage – this time a 14 night cruise next Summer in Scandinavia – so perhaps a few of our paths will cross again. Bravo!

 

Happy to answer any questions. Safe travels to all!

[wripro]

Thanks for the review. There is nothing like the ambience on the triplets.

[JaneBP]

>"but living in London..."

 

So where does the Philadelphia location fit in? (I lived on Washington Square in a Georgian-style house, and it certainly does resemble London, however)

 

THanks for the review. I love the triplets.

[Marylebone37]

JaneBP-

Actually we live in London and Philly. It's a bit chaotic at times, but one of the sacrifices we must make in order to afford Seabourn. :)

[JaneBP]

JaneBP-

Actually we live in London and Philly. It's a bit chaotic at times, but one of the sacrifices we must make in order to afford Seabourn. :)

 

Sounds like dying and going to heaven to me; I love London and try to get there several times a year. As for Philly, born and educated here, and now retired to my aerie overlooking the city skyline.

[lord of the seas]

Thank you stines for a very good report.

It is a shame that when some Silversea regulars read it they will dismiss it and get very protective.Those of us that have many days on Silversea and Seabourn know that there is a big difference between the two lines.Your report is spot on.

As you say, life is good.

I have spoken to friends that have just come back from an Odyssey trip in the Med.They will not be returning to the bigger ships and will stay with the smaller,more intimate sisters.

[Seabourn-nail]

A very good and thorough review indeed Stines.... I'm sure many especially new Seabourn guests will read it with enthusiasm, because it is so complete. I agree with you regarding comparing Seabourn and Silversea, having sailed on both lines as well. Though we have booked just on the bigger ships for now, we still would consider a cruise on the smaller "sisters" if timing or itinerary (pricing...) would suit us more in the future.

Marja

[Cammiem]

Hi stines!

 

Thanks so much for all the great info you posted here.

 

Our first SB cruise is just weeks away.

 

Our itinerary is the reverse of yours (Rome to Venice).

 

Did you stop in Brindisi?

[Marylebone37]

Hi Lord,

I know that some SS'ers will read and dismiss. As I mentioned in my SB/SS comparison a couple of months ago, the SS folks by and large that I spoke with on board had never tried anything different than SS in many years. So intriguing to me. Good news for SS's repeat guest ratio... but only in the near-term I predict. As a result, it bred a much closer knit and even "closed" environment that - at least to me - made us feel not part of the SS community/cruise family and thus fostered an amazing reduction in passenger interaction and candid conversation. It was darn right boring at times.

 

This latest SB voyage had TOTALLY the opposite feel and my DH and I were very delighted that we made the right choice to return to the little sisters.

[Marylebone37]

Cammiem,

Yes, we did stop in Brindisi. Nothing to write home about. There is a lovely little restaurant a stone’s throw from the ship which I would recommend for delicious & authentic pizza and gelato. You can't miss it... literally directly across the street from the dock. Lots of locals hang out there it seemed so I knew it was probably good. Word of warning: most all shops close around 1:30pm for at least 3-4 hours for their afternoon break (all over Italy, not just here). So if you want to walk around & shop, go early. The downtown was so deserted at 2:00pm; you would have thought aliens landed and everyone stayed indoors with their doors and windows closed.

[Harvey2442]

Great review so pleased to see that on most counts Seabourn are maintaining or even improving on standards particularly on the triplets. Of concern are a number of recent comments about the quality of the wines both on Spirit above and on a recent Pride review. Why if the food is so good do they serve poor wine. Whilst you would not expect top line wines the quality should at least compliment the food - they go together.

[Cammiem]

Cammiem,

Yes, we did stop in Brindisi. Nothing to write home about. There is a lovely little restaurant a stone’s throw from the ship which I would recommend for delicious & authentic pizza and gelato. You can't miss it... literally directly across the street from the dock. Lots of locals hang out there it seemed so I knew it was probably good. Word of warning: most all shops close around 1:30pm for at least 3-4 hours for their afternoon break (all over Italy, not just here). So if you want to walk around & shop, go early. The downtown was so deserted at 2:00pm; you would have thought aliens landed and everyone stayed indoors with their doors and windows closed.

 

Ooooh! Thanks for the Brindisi restaurant tip. Now I know what we're going to do in Brindisi. :)

 

Did you stop in any of these ports:

 

Lipari Island, Italy

Corfu, Greece

Korcula, Croatia

Rovinj, Croatia

[Marylebone37]

Harvey,

I think it's one place they can cut costs/corners without the majority of passengers really caring all that much. Even though I could not drink the Pinot Grigio after the first evening, there were other 8-10 USD-ish bottles (red and white) that were palatable. And since your glass is refilled constantly throughout dinner, after the 3rd glass or so - let's face it, it all tastes pretty good. :)

 

The experience that SB provided when it comes to value for the dollar paid is outstanding IMHO. Prices are actually decreasing on some voyages (mine included), so SB has got to make up for that somewhere. And the wine area quality decrease is one that I can live with (not being all that into wine to begin with). Another area is the lack of the little parting/back-to-the-real-world gift that they used to provide on the last evening. On my last cruise, it was a little zippered pack that contained an inflatable airline neck pillow and I think something else that I can't recall. It was a very nice gesture, but that too is no more. But probably another area where many passengers will not notice the cutback.

[Marylebone37]

Cammiem,

Of those you listed, only Lipari. A little touristy, but very, very nice indeed. Lots and lots of shops and restaurants. You will probably be treated to a sail past Stromboli (not listed in the official itinerary, but should be) - Europe's largest active volcano. You get so close you feel like you're on a movie set, with the smoke billowing out of the top. On our prior voyage a few years ago, Stromboli was cooperating and we got to see lava spouting out from the top for a good 30 min or so. It's very cool... you'll like it. So don't take one of the boat trips on offer when in Lipari; wait for your own viewing with champagne in hand from the Spirit.

[Cammiem]

Cammiem,

Of those you listed, only Lipari. A little touristy, but very, very nice indeed. Lots and lots of shops and restaurants. You will probably be treated to a sail past Stromboli (not listed in the official itinerary, but should be) - Europe's largest active volcano. You get so close you feel like you're on a movie set, with the smoke billowing out of the top. On our prior voyage a few years ago, Stromboli was cooperating and we got to see lava spouting out from the top for a good 30 min or so. It's very cool... you'll like it. So don't take one of the boat trips on offer when in Lipari; wait for your own viewing with champagne in hand from the Spirit.

 

stines,

 

That little tidbit of info has officially made me more excited.

 

I LOVE champagne!!! :D

 

You mentioned you were in an A1 on Deck 4. That's where we are. Which cabin did you have?

 

What about seasickness? Any issues at all?

 

I'm a SeaDream junkie. We had major issues with seasickness on our last Caribbean cruise. Am being proactive with meds this time.

 

Thanks for taking the time to field my questions. :)

[Marylebone37]

Cammiem,

#118 and no issues with sea sickness. It was a little rocky at time, though. But we are not prone to feeling ill to begin with, and have been on MUCH rockier voyages. A pleasure to answer your questions.

[SailingCableBeach]

Thank you stines. I really did enjoy reading your well considered review of your voyage on the Spirit. Having travelled on both SS and SB I'm inclined to agree with you.

 

We loved the Pride and everything about her. The only additional thing I would like to have seen was an occasional stretch class to pretend to stretch off all those calories.

[lincslady]

Great report, Stines. Having done 3 or 4 SS and, since then, over 100 days on SB, I can agree with you that SB somehow has a more friendly atmosphere - I am sure a lot to do with the staff and crew, and to some extent to the sort of people who keep coming back to SB, and who encourage first timers to enjoy themselves and feel part of the 'family'.

 

I have been particularly put off by the reports on the automatic 'charity' charge on Silversea - should not be allowed.

[balfour]

Thanks for your comprehensive description of your time on the SB Spirit. We are taking our first trip on the S.S. in November ..... 24 days from Rome to Dubai! I'm hoping to find other cruisers who might be interested in planning some small group excursions in Haifa and Ashdod, rather than taking the ship excursions. If anyone has taken this particular cruise or visited some of the ports included (Sicily, Crete, Oman and Dubai), please write! This is my first posting on Cruise Critic and I look forward to reading some responses.

[wripro]

Balfour,

 

You might want to start a separate thread for your cruise and ask about shared excursions there.

[MOSusan]

Who was your Cruise Director? We sailed on the Spirit in October 2009 and our Cruise Director was Nick. He was wonderful!

[Marylebone37]

The CD was Steve Wood from Australia. Very nice guy. Had just joined the ship with us after being on holiday. He's on for only 2 months until mid-October, then off again for several weeks until returning after that.

[Stefan_Cruise]

Hello Stines!

 

Your review is excellent. I was on this cruise too. It is such a beautiful ship und such a wonderfull staff. It is like a large family.

 

I can´t wait getting back on the ship.

 

BR

 

Stefan

 

P.S. Thank you for the nice talking in the jazucci.

[Marylebone37]

Hey Stefan! Nice to hear from you. Thanks to you too for the nice conversation. Hope all is well back in Austria. Cheers.

[Susan07470]

We are on the Spirit starting Oct. 16th. Any idea about the CD for that time period?