Thinking of extended cruise

[Eager2Travel]

We have never sailed on Seabourn. We are intrigued with a voyage of 38 days on the Odyssey. We are wondering about that length of time on a small ship.

 

We would appreciate any helpful input. We are thinking of a V1 cabin.

Edited February 7, 2014 by Eager2Travel

[secoma4]

All the V cabins are the same. Just a matter of where you prefer to be on the ship.

 

Whether 38 days is too long depends on a few factors, in particular the itinerary and how many sea days there are.

 

Sea days can be fun with there generally being plenty to fill the time.

 

The only negatives can be the fact that you will start to duplicate the cycle for meals and entertainment. Because there are choices for meals this is probably not a concern. The entertainment is a factor that affects everyone who does more than one cruise during a year.

 

The ship is great so it's really down to what your expectations are and the weather!!

[Eager2Travel]

We were on another "luxury" line and dress was quite formal and the passengers not particularly friendly. Is this the case on Seabourn?

 

 

Thanks for the help.

[Pop-I]

We were on another "luxury" line and dress was quite formal and the passengers not particularly friendly. Is this the case on Seabourn?

 

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Seabourn passengers may be the friendliest. You may see some acerbic and sarcastic types on the boards, but you will not encounter them on the ships. 90% of the Seabourn passengers on board will be friendly, and of course if you are friendly they will respond in kind. We have found that the friendliest and most interesting passengers are on the longer itineraries and to the less frequented/popular destinations.

As for dress, we found that depends on the itinerary,and the port intensity; more sea days = more formal attire overall; more ports = less formal overall. Also, summer Med cruises attract younger passengers and they are more casual overall.

Edited February 7, 2014 by Pop-I

[Emperor Norton]

I don't know if I'd go for that long of a cruise to try a line for the first time. That being said of the luxury lines I've been on (Crystal, Radisson, Regent, Silversea and Seabourn) Seabourn had the overall friendliest and easiest to get along with passengers. Regent seemed filled with people who wanted to tell you how rich they were (not all but enough to be too many). Silversea was what could charitably be referred to as Gods waiting room. Crystal was part Regent, part Silversea and part Seabourn.

[secoma4]

On the issue of dress you can read plenty about this. Our experience is that over the past 5 years the "standards" have dropped a bit. It's a bit more relaxed on Seabourn now, so you don't really need the dinner suit (for men). But if you want to attend the formal nights a dark suit is preferable. You will get away with a jacket and tie. On occasions the staff have not enforced this as a minimum and, in my view, it's something they should. There are other options if you don't want to participate in the formal nights in the Main DR.

 

The comments of Pop-1 give me the opening I've been waiting for to comment on some of the posts (generally). I agree. Many come from people who are not frequent travelers with Seabourn and, in many cases, it's obvious they never have and just want to have a say.

 

People are generally friendly and mix well. If there are groups traveling together they tend to do their own thing. The dining arrangements mean you can eat anywhere and ask to be seated with others whenever you like. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. It's part of the experience! We've done many cruises including, 34 days, 28 days and currently booked for 26 days, with the shortest being 12 days.

 

As Pop-1 suggested where you are going will have some bearing on the passenger mix, and the longer cruises tend to appeal to those of us who don't need to get back to the office.

 

Hope this helps.

[wripro]

I don't think dress standards have dropped as much as changed in order to keep up with the times and evolving demographics.

[Eager2Travel]

We greatly appreciate the additional input. The cruise we are looking at is in the fall. It is Athens to Singapore and is 33 days. There isn't a roll call for that I could see.

 

Is there a way to find out if a group is onboard. The cruise we found unfriendly did have a group on board that took over the ship at times. This may have colored our impressions.

[Emperor Norton]

I did a back to back on Oceania and before the second segment ended I was more than ready to leave hence the comment that a long cruise may not be an ideal introduction to a cruise line.

 

Sent via squirrels and a rotary phone

[Eager2Travel]

Baychilla, you have described our main concern. Will we get restless on a small ship for that long? That is a rhetorical question as we know it is unanswerable.

 

We did 38 days on HAL but the last 10 days had a port everyday that we had never been to before. We have cruised Regent most frequently in the past. We love the shipboard experience but their prices are rising and they are not living up to some of their commitments. This is why we decided to try Seabourn. The cost of the cruise we are looking at is especially appealing.

 

We must make the decision today. We are grateful for all the input.

[mariners]

Seabourn Odyssey was our first experience on Seabourn and we were in either a V1 or a V2. The basic suites are similar in size to Regent basic suites. Here is a description I wrote on our 2012 sailing:

 

First impressions are so important and Seabourn knows how to do it right. We were greeted as soon as we arrived at the dock by Seabourn staff. They handled all of our larger suitcases and any other baggage that we did not immediately require. Once we had checked in and had our photo taken, we boarded the ship. Despite being two hours early, our suite was ready. Our carry on baggage was taken by a crew member who escorted us to the suite. He gave us a quick overview of the ship and provided us with our lunch dining options. What a lovely introduction to Seabourn!

Our cabin stewardess met us with two glasses of champagne and canopies. Inside the suite, there was a chilled, full bottle of champagne waiting to be opened at our leisure. Our stewardess gave us a quick tour of the suite, showed us where to find our life jackets and explained the mandatory muster drill. She came back later and provided us with a variety of soaps and the extra water we had requested.

We continue to be impressed by the suite. The bathroom contains double sinks; a shower stall that includes both a set shower head and a separate, hand held one; a large, tub; a toilet; a small, corner unit that holds two glasses and bath amenities; two small shelves by the sinks; a moveable, magnifying mirror; and open, small, storage areas on each side under the sinks. Once you exit the bathroom, there is a vanity area with a mirror, blow dryer, drawer and stool. Beside that is the walk in closet which includes lots of hanging space, drawers, a safe, an umbrella, extra blankets, life jackets, laundry bags, shoe horn, mending kit, and places to hang ties and belts. The next area contains the bed and night tables. On the wall opposite the foot of the bed is a cupboard approximately the width of a king size bed but not very deep. On top of it we found the welcome aboard kit including the daily program, ship map, and other important papers. There is a curtain that separates the bedroom area from the living area. As you enter the living area, there are two tall cabinets. The first, three level cabinet holds all of the bar materials - fridge, glasses, places to hold the large bottles of water and liquor, and a drawer that holds a corkscrew, napkins, etc. Beside it is the full size love seat. On the opposite side of the room is the other three level cabinet. The middle level holds the TV, and iPod. The upper area has storage shelves. The lower area has storage drawers. On the living area side are outlets that can be used by passengers. There is a two person table with two comfortable chairs. There is an ottoman that could be used as another seat but it also has a removable wooden tray on top of it and can also be used as a coffee table by the love seat. In the evening, the room stewardess uses the tray for placement on the bed of the next days program, chocolates and room service materials. Leading out to the veranda is a full size glass door. On the veranda are a table with two chairs as well as a lounger.

 

Seabourn does not have a designated outdoor area for walking/jogging. You can still walk and jog, but I found it best to work around busy deck times. At the time, I wrote that the indoor fitness area on Seabourn was better than the indoor fitness area on Regent.

 

The casino on our Seabourn sailing was not busy. It probably depends upon the itinerary and the passengers who are on each sailing.

 

The days were filled with activities similar to Regent. I'm sure I could pull up some of the daily sheets if you need more information.

 

I cannot answer your question as to whether you would be happy on an extended itinerary on a ship the size of the Odyssey. If you have specific areas of concern, I'm sure your will get answers on this board.

 

I can say, regardless of the itinerary, that I would definitely be happy on a 38 day or longer sailing on the Odyssey.

[mariners]

I have just looked at the itinerary. If it is the October 4 sailing, a couple of thoughts come to mind. You will either need to plan shore excursions independently or book them through Seabourn to experience quite a few of the ports. We did part of the itinerary on the Pride. The Seabourn excursions we took were, mostly, very good.

 

Our roll call also did not have very many people signed up. Quite a few passengers came from the U.K., and other places. It was a diverse and, mainly, fun loving group.

 

There are quite a few days at sea. Only you will know if that will be an issue for you. I always found that there were never enough hours in a day.

 

As well, part of the itinerary, if this is your cruise, will be sailing through waters where security is onboard the ship. This does mean that there will be times in the evening that the outdoor dining/bar area will be closed.

[Emperor Norton]

Baychilla, you have described our main concern. Will we get restless on a small ship for that long? That is a rhetorical question as we know it is unanswerable.

 

We did 38 days on HAL but the last 10 days had a port everyday that we had never been to before. We have cruised Regent most frequently in the past. We love the shipboard experience but their prices are rising and they are not living up to some of their commitments. This is why we decided to try Seabourn. The cost of the cruise we are looking at is especially appealing.

 

We must make the decision today. We are grateful for all the input.

 

I hope you take the cruise and love it. My issues on Oceania were food/service related. Even when Seabourn dropped the food/service ball (aka my last cruise on the Pride I felt it was miles ahead of Regent/Silversea) they're doing something right for me - I have booked the Prides final two cruises and am scheming to try an Odyssey class for Path of the Vikings.

 

Sent via squirrels and a rotary phone

[secoma4]

Having now become aware of your itinerary I can add a bit more. We have done the reverse from Dubai to Athens on Pride. The cruise is good, but my view is that the larger ships ie Odyssey, particular when you have a number of sea days, are better.

 

(We are currently booked on Sojourn HK to Mumbai).

 

The state of affairs in Egypt will have some impact on the tours available. We did the overnight to Luxor and Valley of the Kings. Well worth it. I think that segment was actually conducted for Seabourn by Abercrombie & Kent. They won't take you anywhere that is not safe and we had no issues on that front.

 

We have previously been to India on land trips (fantastic) and used a local travel company which provided drivers and guides. We found them excellent so have booked them again for the ports in India.

 

Book it!

[Eager2Travel]

Thanks Mariner and Secoma 4

 

I somehow missed the very detailed response Mariner posted. It is indeed the October 4 sailing. We are now convinced that we definitely want to try Seabourn. We are just not sure if this is the right sailing for us. We did Barcelona to Dubai on Regent one year ago. The first 18 days of this cruise would be a repeat of many of the ports. As I mentioned it was the price that got us intrigued with this sailing.

 

I think we will explore some of the other Seabourn possibilies and let go of the "bargin". We don't have a full Seabourn catalogue so will need to do it online which is not my favorite approach.

 

We greatly appreciate the time spent on everyone' s responses and hopefully will meet some of you on the cruise we select.

[alainciao]

We've taken one Seabourn cruise, 41 days from Singapore to Venice in 2013. Had many of the same questions you have. We loved it mainly because of the fantastic itinerary. The ship is a pleasure although a little too modern in decor for my taste. Food and service excellent. The reason I am posting, however is to advise that all V1 cabins are NOT the same. Look at the deck plan and you will see that the forward 4 cabins on each side on deck 5 have a decreasing balcony. I would not have been happy in 502 where we were originally placed for 41 nights. We moved to 514 which was fine. A long cruise remains exciting as long as the itinerary in front of you is exciting. Hope you enjoy your eventual choice!