Seabourn Sojourn Food and Service

[Emperor Norton]

I think it is even more interesting (or perhaps sad) that some people keep perpetuating the fallacy that it's okay for a luxury cruise line to lower its standards in order to fill berths. It usually comes from someone who has not done a lot of luxury cruising and not paid full fare for it.

 

I don't recall a single person in this thread suggesting that standards should be lowered.

[commodoredave]

I don't recall a single person in this thread suggesting that standards should be lowered.

 

Duh.... If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck. As many people have noted on this and other threads, deep discounting on a consistent basis results in lower standards no matter what the business --it is economics 101.

[Mr Luxury]

Then it's good to see that 2014 prices for both big and small Seabourn ships are a fair bit more.Make the prices a bit higher and hopefully we can have the high standards that we are used to.

It cannot be good for luxury lines to be priced the same as Premium lines,unless that is the plan. To encourage premium passengers to sail on Luxury lines.

[sananda]

As others have noted, Seabourn has invited many of these problems through deep last-minute discounting that attracts people who equate quantity with value. Most of these discount grabbers are not interested in the traditions, standards and expectations of an ultra-luxury cruise line like Seabourn, but rather want to get as much as they can, as fast as they can, for as little as they can without regard or respect for fellow passengers. And few will become loyal, long-term Seabourn pax.

 

This is what happens when a cruise line expands too quickly and cannot fill berths. They must lower standards, reduce costs, and cut back wherever possible.

 

While the loss of the triplets is very disappointing, it will at least reduce the number of berths Seabourn must fill every week, and perhaps allow them to refocus on what they once stood for and still want their brand to stand for and what type of pax they want to attract. However, as they are part of the giant homogenized Carnivore Cruise Thingy, the corporate parent may have a different plan in mind -- a more downscale luxury line that can be fed with Princess and HAL cruisers looking to spend just a few more dollars for all the food and liquor they can consume.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself. Your economics 101 post is also spot on.

[wripro]

Complain all you want about Seabourn there is still, imo, no better luxury cruise line out there. They have all made cuts and none is what it was ten years ago.

[sananda]

Markham - Just for clarity, have you actually been on the Sojourn since PhilipB and Jim in Florida? If not, why should I believe your opinion over theirs?

 

Oregon50 and Chairsin - the point about food waste is well taken, but I am not sure that serving extremely small portions and forcing people to order multiples is the correct solution. If you are ordering a dish for the first time in the MDR, how are you to know how much they will provide? Ordering a second once the first portion has been delivered is very inconvenient and can throw the timing of dinner off for everyone at the table. I experienced a possible solution for waste in the buffet while on Oceania. At the buffet on Oceania, you don't serve yourself. You hand your plate to the staff and they put an appropriate portion on your plate. At the time I liked this because it seemed more hygienic, but this may be a way to control waste.

 

Mr Luxury - couldn't agree more with your last post about pricing.

[markham]

Sananda,

 

Believe whom you will and what you will. All I was talking about was Odyssey now and (I thought it was clear) not Sojourn then or even now.

 

You have well and truly exhausted my patience.

 

And I thought I was being helpful describing my real time first hand experience online...

 

HA!

 

You can rest assured I won't make that mistake of engaging in a dialogue with you again.

[Laylam]

We disembarked the Sojourn March 6 in Buenos Aires, after a fantastic 15 day cruise. I am very pleased to report the cruise met all my expectations. We dined in all four venues and overall were very happy with the food and service. The meals I least enjoyed were those I served myself from the Buffet in the Colonnade or Patio Grill. I think it was a case of too much choice + indecision = Dog's breakfast!! I enjoyed all meals ordered from the menu in both of these venues.

 

Just to address the issue of portion sizes which have already been raised. Berries on the Buffet consisted of about 6 -8 mixed berries. They still appear on the Room Service breakfast menu and a (+)or (++) meant plenty of berries .... I only used the (++) once as there were so many I felt greedy.

 

One night the choice in the MDR was Beef Wellington or Lobster. My husband mentioned to the steward that he was having difficulty making a choice "Then you should have Beef Wellington with Lobster on the side" said the steward. I also witnessed people ordering (and receiving) a second serving of lobster, when dessert orders were being sought.

[philipb]

Philipb,

 

You say "Clearly" and my response to you is "Hardly" and also an incredulous "Really?"

 

I am Odyssey now cruising the Torres Staits to Darwin. The food on board has NEVER BEEN BETTER. That's about quality firstly and then the quantity that seems adequate for me and my various table companions.

 

I am duly pleased to clear this misconception up and out.

 

Happy cruising!

 

My review was of the Seabourn Sojourn. You are talking about the Seabourn Odyssey. They are different ships.

[MicheleCda]

Reading through this thread (and a few others) has left me feeling slightly discouraged about my first Seabourn cruise this August. I hope these threads are not a true indication or reflection of the majority of fellow passengers that I will share my time with. Too many petty, sarcastic, pompous and condescending remarks for my taste. There seems to be some sort of class war on here and it's frightful. People who possess genuine class don't need to constantly point out that theirs is higher. Money does not equal class; sometimes it only provides the illusion.

 

I am middle class in my country (earning about $230k/yr) and possess more class than some others earning much more. I didn't choose Seabourn because they have "discounted the prices and lowered the standards" to enable people like me (my class) to be able to also cruise with them. I chose Seabourn based on my reviews from various sources and my desire to vacation with a certain level of well-deserved luxury and service and like-minded people who are interesting (not boorish). And yes, although I am not a big eater, I too expect portion size to be equivalent to what I find in any good restaurant (and 3 scallops as my entree, as HappyFeet pointed out, is not keeping with this). Nor would I ever want to order a double portion or ever reorder a second portion. Nor do I want to have to seek out senior staff and complain in order to receive better service. Like HF, I expect a certain level of service to be present, period. If it's not, I will advise others and then decide whether I would choose to cruise with Seabourn again.

 

Furthermore, as HF also attempted to point out, YOUR experience has nothing to do with HIS. Even on the exact same cruise, you weren't at his table, you weren't with him. If he states that the service left much to be desired, I believe him even IF it's not the norm. Past experience is just that...past.

 

Last, and this stems from other threads, not just this one - for those on here who believe that their class level is so high, may I suggest you gather your boorish friends together and charter a personal yacht. You then won't need to put up with the lower class passengers that so horrify you.

 

I'm only on a week cruise but I'm tempted to cancel it for fear of being stuck with so much unnecessary snobbery. Please, someone, tell me this isn't the case and that the majority of passengers have genuine class and manners, whether rich or poor.

[wripro]

As I have said previously I was on the Sojourn in December and found the food, with one or two exceptions, to be excellent as was the service. Perhaps a better title for this thread would have been to name the date of the cruise that the OP found lacking. That would not impugn every cruise the Sojourn makes.

[Travelcat2]

Reading through this thread (and a few others) has left me feeling slightly discouraged about my first Seabourn cruise this August. I hope these threads are not a true indication or reflection of the majority of fellow passengers that I will share my time with. Too many petty, sarcastic, pompous and condescending remarks for my taste. There seems to be some sort of class war on here and it's frightful. People who possess genuine class don't need to constantly point out that theirs is higher. Money does not equal class; sometimes it only provides the illusion.

 

I am middle class in my country (earning about $230k/yr) and possess more class than some others earning much more. I didn't choose Seabourn because they have "discounted the prices and lowered the standards" to enable people like me (my class) to be able to also cruise with them. I chose Seabourn based on my reviews from various sources and my desire to vacation with a certain level of well-deserved luxury and service and like-minded people who are interesting (not boorish). And yes, although I am not a big eater, I too expect portion size to be equivalent to what I find in any good restaurant (and 3 scallops as my entree, as HappyFeet pointed out, is not keeping with this). Nor would I ever want to order a double portion or ever reorder a second portion. Nor do I want to have to seek out senior staff and complain in order to receive better service. Like HF, I expect a certain level of service to be present, period. If it's not, I will advise others and then decide whether I would choose to cruise with Seabourn again.

 

Furthermore, as HF also attempted to point out, YOUR experience has nothing to do with HIS. Even on the exact same cruise, you weren't at his table, you weren't with him. If he states that the service left much to be desired, I believe him even IF it's not the norm. Past experience is just that...past.

 

Last, and this stems from other threads, not just this one - for those on here who believe that their class level is so high, may I suggest you gather your boorish friends together and charter a personal yacht. You then won't need to put up with the lower class passengers that so horrify you.

 

I'm only on a week cruise but I'm tempted to cancel it for fear of being stuck with so much unnecessary snobbery. Please, someone, tell me this isn't the case and that the majority of passengers have genuine class and manners, whether rich or poor.

 

What a delightful post! Bravo -- you have posted what so many people are thinking. In terms of food, I need to say that the same complaints are being posted on the Silversea and Regent threads (I don't read the Crystal threads). Food is subjective -- you and I could have the same dish prepared exactly the same way and have different opinions of it.

 

Service also depends upon expectations. Many people want to be greeted very formally while others (myself included) prefer a more friendly -- less formal approach.

 

In terms of snobbery -- we do not see it very often on Regent or Silversea. We have not sailed on Seabourn because of the smoking policy -- not because we think it would have a higher number of "entitled" people.

 

I do find it interesting that luxury cruise lines are set up not to have a "class system" (as they do on mainstream cruise lines). Once you walk out of your suite, no one really knows if you are in the most or least expensive suite -- we are all treated the same.

 

When you are onboard -- seek out people like yourself -- there are sure to be many of them.:)

[Flamin_June]

Well said Michelecda!

 

Fortunately, you will find that those crass bourgeoisie types, who post here in order to boast about their wealth and demand ever higher fares to keep the hoi polloi at arms length, tend to congregate on this board, rather than on board the ships. You may encounter one or two among the passengers, on any given cruise, but like an occasional rough sea day, they are soon forgotten and unlikely to cause more discomfort than a passing sense of nausea.

[mariners]

MicheleCda, there will likely be very few people onboard your sailing who have heard of CC. Not one person we met onboard asked us how much money we earned. As we were on a long cruise, we were asked if we were retired and, because we were still working, how we managed to stay away from our business for so long. Other than that, the majority of people we met could not have cared less about anything to do with our "personal" lives. Social interaction was based on common ideology or a willingness to discuss different ideology without making judgements.

Are there some "pompous" people on Seabourn? Yes! Are there some "pompous" people on all cruise lines? Yes, just as in day to day life. We have met some of the most wonderful people on each cruise line that we have sailed. Do not be discouraged. In my opinion, the only thing that will be missing from your cruise is staying onboard longer. Have fun!

 

Edited to say, Flamin June, I couldn't have said it better than you responded to the post. I hope we will meet on some cruise.

 

TC2, Seabourn is worth looking at as there is much that you would like.

[Silver Sweethearts]

"I am middle class in my country (earning about $230k/yr) and possess more class than some others earning much more." (Quote from MicheleCda).

 

Earning $230k a year is middle class??

[CraftyEC]

What we enjoyed most on Seabourn, and what has made us book again and want to become regulars, is the 'quiet quality'. By that I mean that it is not ostentatious or flashy, and we found our fellow travellers to be similar. Compared to the other cruise lines (Princess and Cunard) we had travelled, it felt as if the passengers on the Quest were self-confident enough not to feel they needed to flaunt their wealth. And NO ONE asked us anything about our financial circumstances or the price we paid for our cruise. Our occupations came up in conversation, but we never felt that we were under a microscope to check we weren't hoi polloi who had snuck on board!

 

I think we are pretty civilised, we know how to behave in good company, and we are pleased that the current prices on Seabourn allow us to cruise with them and enjoy the wonderful times on board. If the prices were significantly higher we would not be able to do so. It may be that some people feel that unless we can afford higher prices we don't deserve to sail with SB, but it is my absolute conviction that those people are in a minority. We met and talked with far more people on the Quest than we did on much bigger liners and are greatly looking forward to meeting more interesting fellow passengers in October.

 

I agree that the tone of some threads on this forum could lead you to believe that you would encounter pomposity and snobbery on board, but that was not our experience and we are not anticipating it being so for our next cruise.

[seabournaddict]

"I am middle class in my country (earning about $230k/yr) and possess more class than some others earning much more." (Quote from MicheleCda).

 

Earning $230k a year is middle class??

 

I was thinking the same, think I will move to Canada! :confused:

[Roxburgh]

"I am middle class in my country (earning about $230k/yr) and possess more class than some others earning much more." (Quote from MicheleCda).

 

Earning $230k a year is middle class??

 

Only $230k a year :eek::eek:

 

:D:D

 

Joke, honest:D:D

[Emperor Norton]

After reading these boards I had some trepidation prior to my cruise on the Pride (between Caroldolls evisceration of the ship and some of the posters my Magic 8ball was not predicting good times). However I had the delight of not meeting anyone from CC on my cruise (at least no one mentioned they were members...). There was one one passenger that turned sour after I got something and he didn't. Other than that it was quite nice to talk to passengers. I was the youngest on the ship and other than one passenger suggesting I'd like Oceania more - no one got into a money counting game or let slip "you're too young to be here" comment. For the most part this mirrors my experiences on Crystal, Silversea and Radisson.

 

Thankfully I never met any passengers who felt that a higher price would guarantee better quality passengers/service/food (If I did I would've pointed out the downhill slide of Radisson when it became Regent and how as Regent the slide has continued).

 

I think it would be interesting to meet some of these people and see what they're really like, not what they'll jabber when hiding behind a keyboard.

 

While my Live From and subsequent pictorial mentioned a lot of what I found wrong, I had a great cruise. Crystal used to be the bar for me, now it's Seabourn.

 

You should have a great cruise.

[oregon50]

 

I am middle class in my country (earning about $230k/yr) and possess more class than some others earning much more.

 

If your photo did not speak a thousand words, we have you to tell us.

[mariner]

Really. $230K. I found on Seabourn no one had the need to mention their net income. And that's middle class in Canada. God, the US is in deeper trouble than I thought.

[Emperor Norton]

Really. $230K. I found on Seabourn no one had the need to mention their net income. And that's middle class in Canada. God, the US is in deeper trouble than I thought.

 

I think in Canadia that's near Queenliness and probably outright outlawed in Quebec.;)

 

/I jest, but this might be the problem "It’s said that 99% of Canadians think of themselves as middle class, regardless of their income." http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2011/07/20/what-is-a-middle-class-income-these-days/

 

Says middle class is 60-85k, 230k is almost double the top tier entry level.

[MicheleCda]

TC2, Flamin June, Mariners, Crafty EC and Baychilla - thank you for your responses. I have no trepidation now. A special mention to you Flamin June - loved your response!

 

As for the comments about my income. First, it's obvious that I shouldn't have mentioned it. That said, I didn't think it would garner much in the way of interest or responses. I was only trying to demonstrate that I'm not rich or privileged.

 

Second, it's gross income, not net income. Not to mention that the effective tax rates and cost of living are not comparable between Canada and the US (for those comparing US salaries).

 

Third, it is middle class in the city I live in. I'm neither rich nor poor so by default that makes me middle class.

 

As for the article with respect to what represents middle class in Canada, the data is four years old and $60k - $85k is not middle class where I live. Average out the incomes in the many small, rural communities and centers in Canada, then maybe yes, that may have been considered middle class on a national basis four years ago. That would be a stretch though. Of course there's no slant or bias in the article :).

 

Anyway, enough about my income, it wasn't the purpose of my post.

[MicheleCda]

If your photo did not speak a thousand words, we have you to tell us.

 

Not quite sure how to read this :(.

[MicheleCda]

Really. $230K. I found on Seabourn no one had the need to mention their net income. And that's middle class in Canada. God, the US is in deeper trouble than I thought.

 

I'm not on Seabourn and I wouldn't care to mention my income on board in front of someone. Needless to say, I actually regret mentioning my income on here (even though I'm anonymous).