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I'm gonna cheat on SeaDream just once in 2012...

knotheadusc

By knotheadusc,
in SeaDream Yacht Club

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knotheadusc "Live from...." Rare

knotheadusc

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I can sum up our Seabourn Odyssey experience in one word - annoying.

 

Will likely not sail Seabourn again, especially if they don't update their smoking policy.

 

Cheaters never prosper.....

 

:p Uh oh. Care to elaborate?

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Jim Avery

Jim Avery

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Ragnar,

Yes, please elaborate. We had a great trip on Seabourn Spirit and have tossed around a Sojourn voyage but would like your input. We seem to mostly be on the same page. Even if you are a Left Coaster.:eek:

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Ragnar Danneskjold

Ragnar Danneskjold

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The list of annoyances is too long to bother you all with. The shame is that with a little more attention to service, organization, maintenance, and food quality, plus a few minor design changes (that could be done at the next minor overhaul), this could have been a first-class experience. Plus they need to ban smoking on balconies and several other venues. And they need to lose the omnipresent camera domes, the staff knew they were being constantly watched by some corporate stooge... I think the "corporate" feel was the worst thing.

 

It was like always having a small pebble in your shoe. Many of the issues would have been addressed or worked around on SeaDream (or even on the Regent of 2007). Or perhaps drunk around :D

 

It could be that I just now prefer smaller, less formal ships. SeaDream and Celebrity Xpedition have set the gold standard for cruising, for me anyway.

 

But if you like large chain luxury hotels, where the staff always have a fake smile (but always have an excuse), then you will like the Seabourn Odyssey-class ships.

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Jim Avery

Jim Avery

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Ooh, I am so glad I listened to Christophe and Elena and chose Croatia on SD I instead of Russia on SB for the smoking issues alone.

 

FT

 

FT. We have some friends that did Russia on Sojourn and had nothing but raves. They are very much non smokers and serial SeaDreamers too. Like all of them, it probably comes down to luck of the draw on passenger mix. You will love the Croatia ports. Very "unspoiled" compared to most Med ports. Eagerly awaiting your posts.:D

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Zimmy

Zimmy

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It must be the luck of the draw, as Jim says. We did 16 days on SB Sojourn for Christmas/New Years 2010, and it was great. We also found the staff extremely friendly and we enjoyed getting to know them. I thought it was somewhere in the middle between the warmth of SD and Silversea, where the staff are pleasant but more formal with the passengers, at least in our experience. But we had no problems which needed resolution, so I don't know how that would have gone. And there were no issues with smoking.

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Ragnar Danneskjold

Ragnar Danneskjold

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Yes, it was a fine cruise, but it seemed almost everything had something annoying about it. Hard to explain without going into endless detail.

 

But allowing smoking on balconies means you better get the front-most cabin if you actually want to use yours, or to open your door. We were the third cabin from the front and could never use ours, morning, noon, or night... Man, those European cigarettes are rank.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Jim Avery

Jim Avery

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Unfortunately, it seems to be the industry norm. As far as the staff joining to "see the world" that is precisely what most do. I did it too, just on old rusty tankers and freighters.:eek: What a dummy. It must be a very hard thing to staff the mass of megaships. Glad we have SeaDream and maybe a very few others to turn to.:D

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knotheadusc "Live from...." Rare

knotheadusc

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I don't understand what's wrong with someone working on a ship to see the world. People have their own reasons for choosing to do things. As long as the crew member does a good job, what difference does it make? A person who has the service bug and wants to work in the hospitality industry could choose to work anywhere besides a ship... in fact, I bet the conditions would be more pleasant in a land based job.

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Jim Avery

Jim Avery

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Yes, like I said, I too did it to see the world. Most young people cannot afford to cruise for fun ( I sure could not at that age) so it is a good thing to do for the "adventure bug". My first ship trip (not working) without my parents was on QE2 in 1969. I shared an inside cabin with a stranger. they did that back then. The tariff was $280. A fair amount of money at the time but I had a great time. Now, if we do not have a trip or two planned, we feel like something is wrong.:eek: Need those Costa Rica itineraries so we can maybe book something.:D

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Jim Avery

Jim Avery

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What happened to SXM and Thanksgiving on SD II? I thought Monserrat and Iles de Saintes was on your to do list . . .

FT

 

Still is. I thought it might be nice to surprise you.:eek::D Actually, we are in some negotiations that are dragging on which will determine how free we can be this year.:eek: How's that for political speak?

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  • 2 weeks later...
knotheadusc "Live from...." Rare

knotheadusc

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As of yesterday, my Scotland cruise is paid for... Let's see if I will prosper by cheating on SeaDream this year! ;)

 

 

We have a cruise scheduled for May next year on SeaDream and now I'm really tempted by the Central America cruises. I wish I were independently wealthy!

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  • 2 months later...
knotheadusc "Live from...." Rare

knotheadusc

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You know which one I'm cheating with...

 

As for why, it's because my husband and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary and that's a big deal to us. I am his second wife and his first marriage crashed and burned before 10 years.

 

We are going to Scotland on the Hebridean Princess because we both wanted to go there... A lot of my "people" were originally from Scotland, though my family has been in the US for a long time. I love bagpipes and beautiful scenery. My husband loves scotch. I was piped in on our wedding day and Hebridean pipes guests aboard... and no one under nine years old is allowed.

 

Originally, we were going to do a single five night cruise, but since it's a long way from home and our 10th anniversary, I figured it made more sense to do a B2B. So we'll have ten nights onboard, with two nights in Glasgow before and four nights in Edinburgh afterward. I'm sure it will be cold, dark, and damp, in contrast to last year's southern Caribbean cruise, but at least I won't get sunburned.

 

I don't know if I'll be trying any haggis... maybe I'll get the vegetarian version or just eat some salmon.

 

:p

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Jim Avery

Jim Avery

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Sounds great. While we are booked on SeaDream for Costa Rica, we are planning a Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic. Why? A nice offer from Cunard for past passengers for a Princess Grill Suite; No kid issues in 60 years of sailing Cunard; 12 hours of FREE internet access; Have been sailing them lifetime so it is sort of a habit; QM2 is the last real ocean liner on the North Atlantic run, a true "one of a kind" experience; A couple of days in London prior to the cruise and a couple of days in NYC after the cruise; Both cities will have the Christmas decorations up but it will be before the main crush of Holiday crowds. Like your Hebridean cruise, no worries about sunburn but then, the Caribbean will always be available.:D:D

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