Pride AMS-CPH, Aug 12-27

[Spree75]

Hi all. Just returned from a fantastic 15 day cruise in the Baltics. I'll probably skip posting any pictures because I don't think I can top Baychilla and how many more pictures of the Hermitage does anyone really want to see...

 

Some basics about the cruise.

 

Ship: Seabourn Pride

Captian: Erik Saabye

Hotel Manager: Nicholaas Burger

Executive Chef: Jes Paskin

Maitre d'Hotel: Richard Maier

Cruise Director/Asst Cruise Director: Jan Stearman/Aaron Syfert

 

I believe the only change from Baychilla's previous cruise was that Jan and Aaron returned from their 2 month holiday.

 

Itinerary - Dress code:

Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Resort Casual

At Sea - Captain's Gala - Formal Optional

Kiel Canal - Elegantly Casual

Ronne, Denmark - Resort Casual

At Sea - Elegantly Casual

Tallinn, Estonia - Elegantly Casual

Saint Petersberg, Russia x3 - Resort Casual all nights

Helsinki, Finland - was supposed to be Elegantly Casual but became Formal Optional

Mariehamn, Finland - Elegantly Casual

Stockholm, Sweden - Elegantly Casual

At Sea - Elegantly Casual

Sassnitz, Germany - Captain's Farewell - Formal Optional

Faaborg, Denmark - Resort Casual

Copenhagen, Denmark

 

For those counting at home the count was 3/6/6 - Formal/Elegant/Resort. A good mix in my opinion.

 

Entertainment:

Sam Dunn (also Assistant CD) - guitarist

Joanna Santiago and Seabreeze

The Romantics - Connie Lebeau and Niels Petersen

Guest entertainers:

Vladimir Zaitsev - pianist (2 shows)

"Local Russian Show"

Jeff Stevenson - comedian

Alwyn Wright - violinist

Other notables:

Ian Cox - lecturer

Kay and Darwin - bridge organizers

 

Some general thoughts:

My partner and I cruised on the Odyssey last year from Istanbul to Athens. This was our second Seabourn cruise and the first on one of the smaller sisters. Overall we enjoyed the cruise more than last year. The food was amazing (thanks Chef Jes) and was significantly better than last year. The service was better. Servers new my name within 24 hours and could bring my breakfast favorites and preferred drink within 48 hours. I don't think that ever happened on the Odyssey. I missed Seabourn Square and the extra restaurant. We somehow lucked into an upgrade to the Wintergarden suite last year so I'm not even going to bother with comparison to our A2 suite but I can say that the suite on the Pride was adequate for our needs. The guests this year were a lot more fun. Last year there was at most 5 people in the Observation lounge in the evenings and no one was ever at the club. The only time I ever saw someone dance was at Rock the Boat. This year both venues had a good 10-20 people at all times and everyone just seemed ready to have fun.

 

The addition of the Market Galley Buffet was a great idea. Getting to meet all the kitchen crew as well as tour of the galley while picking up a terrific meal was wonderful. I liked the Block Party idea, that was implemented in the last six months, too. Nice to meet your neighbors.

 

Special shout out to Thomas, Mihailo, Katrina, and Paul from the bar team and Lydia, Greg, Daniel, and Jovan from the servers for their exceptional service.

 

The itinerary was great. The only two stops that I heard any complaints about were Mariehamn (or as it was known on the ship, Marieville) and Ronne. We actually liked Ronne but our travel agent had planned out a day that crossed all over the island of Bornholm. We met with local Arts and Crafts Association of Bornholm (ACAB) which showcased the talents of 70-80 local craftsmen working in glass, clay, metal, wood, and textiles. Most everything was for sale and they could give you directions to a specific craftsman on the island to see their personal galleries. We also visited the Art Museum which has a wonderful collection of local artists or artists that have significance to the island. We had lunch at Kadeau which is one of the 3 Michelin aspiring restaurants on the island. After that we took a more sightseeing approach and visited the Round Church and Hammershus ruins. From others that didn't take an excursion the town of Ronne was pretty boring. On the other hand Mariehamn was basically another sea day. We didn't have anything planned and did not book a ship excursion. We managed to walk the entire town and shop at the local crafts store in 90 minutes. Our friends took the Seabourn excursion to visit the sites of Aland and they said it was the most excruciating 4 hours they have ever had to sit through. Everyone I talked to said they would have preferred to push on to Stockholm and spend an extra day there. The two explanations that were proposed on why have the stop were: Stockholm charges extremely high fees for cruise ships that spend the night or it's a marketing ploy (15 days with 12 cities is better than 15 days with 11 cities). Whatever the reason I know that everyone I talked to said they had made note of the port of call on their comment cards.

 

The small ship was a great advantage in most ports. In St. Petersberg we got to dock at the English Embankment and which is just a couple blocks away from all the major attractions in the central part of the city. In Stockholm we got the great docking spot on Gamla Stan a block away from the royal palace. Helsinki we got to dock just minutes away from the city center. And we got to be first Seabourn visit to Faaborg. The city gave us a cannon salute as we left as a thank you for visiting.

 

The only complaints I had with the cruise at all (other than Mariehamn) were: Lack of consistent hot water, extremely slow internet service (not worth buying time imo), smoking in the Constellation Lounge (there just isn't enough ventilation for even one smoker), and the silly patterned screens on the Constellation Lounge that blocked the view.

 

That's all for now. Let me know if you want to know anything specific and I'll try and answer. Time to start thinking about the next Seabourn cruise!

 

-Jeff

[Emperor Norton]

Nice to see Paul was still on. I'm guessing Nelson left after my cruise?

 

Captain: Erik Saabye

Staff Capt: Kai Odegaard

Chief Engineer: David O’Hara

Hotel Manager: Karl Eckl

Dr: Socrates Grecia

Chief Purser: Andrew Thomson

Cruise Director: Rachel Vago

Chef de Cuisine: Jes Paskins

Maitre D’Hotel: Richard Maier

Executive Housekeeper: Linda Duvenhage

Travel Manager: Carol Frey

Cruise Consultat: Nicole Hammer

 

A few differences;)

It's rather frustrating when you find a crew you like (skipping 1) and then discover they've essentially gone to the wind. It's too bad they don't have as a cruise search function "When will my staff be together again". It's funny and sad that the two stops your cruise had the most issue with matched mine. Perhaps someone upstairs should be paying attention to things like this?

[Spree75]

Nelson was still on the ship. I didn't interact with him all that often as he seemed to be stationed at the Sky Bar/Grill. Since it was getting chilly I didn't go out there very often. Of the times I did interact with him, he was great.

 

Thomas was almost always behind the bar in the Constellation Lounge. I never caught the name of the bar tender in the Club. Paul, Mihailo, and Katrina were the severs that shuffled between the Constellation lounge, Club, and MDR. Ivan was the server that was usually taking drink orders on the Sky Bar/Grill, the pool deck, and the Veranda.

 

From what I understood Rachel was a temporary CD that fills in for Jan when Jan and Aaron leave for the 2 months off (contracts are 4 on/2 off).

 

Doctor was the same on my cruise as well as the travel manager. Sara Ferreira took over the cruise consultant. Not sure who the other senior staff were...

[Emperor Norton]

After experiencing the service and food first hand (agree thanks Jes) I'm not sure I'd be willing to trade those for Seabourn Square and another dining venue.

 

After this cruise do you think you're more likely to book on one size rather than the other?

 

Thank you for taking the time to post your review. I wish more people would do so.

[Spree75]

I'm not sure really... This cruise was extremely enjoyable but I think part of the reason for that was that everyone was more sociable. I'm not sure that really had anything to do with the ship. Maybe it had something to do with the itinerary. No clue. If Chef Jes stays on the Pride then I'd lean towards booking on the Pride again over the Odyssey. His food was just that good.

 

For me I guess this cruise has reassured me that I could book on any of the 6 ships and be perfectly happy. Now it comes down to itinerary and price.

[Roxburgh]

I see that Jan Stearman was the Cruise Director. I have cruised with her twice and I think she is really good!!!

[Spree75]

Jan and her assistants Aaron and Sam were great. A completely different style to Nick Hale who we met on the Odyssey last year. Nick was so full of energy and had a slap stick funny to him. Jan is more ... looking for the right word... elegant(?) and her brand of humor can have a sarcastic bite to it. I live in NYC area so that's actually perfect for me!

 

Overall I enjoyed Jan as a CD and think she does a really great job of keeping the ship entertained and everyone informed and happy.

 

One thing I do enjoy on the smaller ships is that the CD and ACD are actually part of the entertainment staff whereas on the big ship they only get involved with Rock the Boat and things like Liars Club.

[stamfordian]

One thing I do enjoy on the smaller ships is that the CD and ACD are actually part of the entertainment staff whereas on the big ship they only get involved with Rock the Boat and things like Liars Club.

 

Jeff - without wishing to sound critical, I'm not sure you can make that judgement after one trip on each of the big and little sisters. We've been on both several more times and, to be honest, what you get from the CD/ACD depends very much on who they are.

 

Without naming names as I think this would be unfair, we have had CDs who have been a part of everything - just as Jan is (and I agree she is great) - and others who simply did the things you suggest.

 

Carry on sailing with Seabourn - you will find that the fact that no two cruises are ever exactly the same is one of the delights!

[seabournaddict]

 

Thank you for taking the time to post your review. I wish more people would do so.

 

Those that bother, get banned! Once upon a time, we had lots of good reviews, not any longer!

[wripro]

I have read many reviews by people who have not been banned. I don't see the correlation.

[Emperor Norton]

I have read many reviews by people who have not been banned. I don't see the correlation.

 

Could you do me a favor and start a new thread with every review from the Seabourn forum from the past say two years? Please exclude any by myself, Seabourtraveller or Mariner and the guy whos user name I'm blanking on who brought his family along and had a good time (but didn't use an offsite image host:confused:). I'm asking for a new thread as I don't want to further derail this one. I think you'll be surpised.

[seabournaddict]

Could you do me a favor and start a new thread with every review from the Seabourn forum from the past say two years? Please exclude any by myself, Seabourtraveller or Mariner and the guy whos user name I'm blanking on who brought his family along and had a good time (but didn't use an offsite image host:confused:). I'm asking for a new thread as I don't want to further derail this one. I think you'll be surpised.

 

I would be very interested to read that thread too wripro, please start it.

[Jim Avery]

I have read many reviews by people who have not been banned. I don't see the correlation.

 

I am not sure what you have to do to get banned but they still let myself and Wripro post.:eek::D:eek:

[wripro]

Unfortunately, the fifteen minutes a day I allow myself for CC does not permit me the time to research past reviews. However, my definition of a review may be different from yours. I consider anyone who posts about his her cruise, whether it's an official "revIew" or not to qualify. Do you really believe that anyone who reviews his/her cruise gets banned?

[Roxburgh]

I seem to recall writing a review which compared Regent to Seabourn and I am still here.

 

(Dan - don't take that as a hint :eek: )

[seabournaddict]

I am not sure what you have to do to get banned but they still let myself and Wripro post.:eek::D:eek:

 

but have either of you ever written a review?

[mariners]

seabournaddict, I posted live from the Odyssey last year and also wrote a comparison review of Regent, Seabourn and Crystal. I have not been banned. Perhaps, it was because my reviews were not "good"?

[mariners]

Spree75, thanks for posting your review. I can't wait to be aboard the Pride. Hopefully, the chef will remain the same.

Was the problem with the water no hot water or was it that the water would only get lukewarm?

Sorry for my previous post that was not on topic.

[Jim Avery]

but have either of you ever written a review?

 

Extensively, every time I have sailed in the last 8 years or so.

[seabournaddict]

Extensively, every time I have sailed in the last 8 years or so.

Just did a "search this forum" and could only see one review from you for Seabourn....and that was in 2010? Which ones have I missed?

[Seabourn-nail]

Jan and her assistants Aaron and Sam were great. A completely different style to Nick Hale who we met on the Odyssey last year. Nick was so full of energy and had a slap stick funny to him. Jan is more ... looking for the right word... elegant(?) and her brand of humor can have a sarcastic bite to it. I live in NYC area so that's actually perfect for me!

 

Overall I enjoyed Jan as a CD and think she does a really great job of keeping the ship entertained and everyone informed and happy.

 

One thing I do enjoy on the smaller ships is that the CD and ACD are actually part of the entertainment staff whereas on the big ship they only get involved with Rock the Boat and things like Liars Club.

 

Just to let you know... I do like Nick Hale!

Nick.... yesterday we found the long lost Seabourn bear you gave me some years ago! John Barron gave me a new one already and Handré gave me 4 for my grandchildren instead of a very expensive Tiffany bowl (that I didn't like.... Thanks all!). You're amazing!

It got stuck between the solarium and a spare bed and we removed the solarium yesterday and there it was:cool:!

So now I have TWO!

Have a great Sunday and enjoy your selves! Don't be grumpy....

Marja

[Jim Avery]

Just did a "search this forum" and could only see one review from you for Seabourn....and that was in 2010? Which ones have I missed?

 

That for my one and only Seabourn voyage. The rest are over at Cunard and SeaDream. Enjoy.:D

[Spree75]

Spree75, thanks for posting your review. I can't wait to be aboard the Pride. Hopefully, the chef will remain the same.

Was the problem with the water no hot water or was it that the water would only get lukewarm?

Sorry for my previous post that was not on topic.

 

It was never truly cold. And it was warmer than lukewarm. It just wasn't hot enough to actually want to stay in the shower. I can't imagine ever taking a bath since there wouldn't be enough hot water to warrant filling the tub. If it was truly no hot water I would have been in Nick's office every day until they fixed the problem...

[wripro]

He just told you that he only sailed Seabourn once and that his other reviews are for Sea Dream and Cunard.

[mariners]

Thanks, Spree75. I can tolerate a lukewarm shower, but the luxurious, or should I say "blissful" Molton Brown bubble baths will be out unless I find a way to get hot water.