Seabourn Odyssey - Restaurant

[Laylam]

We wonder what standards you applied to all of those other cruises??

This intrigued me also, so much so that today I have spent an hour or two I will never get back, reading Sananda's past posts, which included this post dated April 21st; 2012.

Went on the Sojourn from Rome to Barcelona (April 6-13) for our first Seabourn cruise ever. It was the best cruise we have ever been on and we have sailed Crystal and Silversea. That said, there were a couple things that didn't live up to expectations, or rather, didn't live up to the hype portrayed in the brochure and website.

 

The most disapointing thing about the cruise was the Seabourn veterans. Everyone we met who was a past cruiser with Seabourn went on and on about how much better things were in the past. Kind of took the wind out of our newbie sails and made us want to hang out with other 1st time Seabourn cruisers. However, we really couldn't because many of the perks / amenities were not advertised and it was the past cruisers who informed us on how to get them. As an example, in between a tirade about the declining quality abord Seabourn we learned how to get caviar sent to the observation lounge only to hear that it used to be beluga "not this mollosal crap". In any case, caviar is not listed on any menu, you just had to know where you could get it.

 

Another disapointment was restaurant 2. I cannot comment on the food, because we were unable to get in. The website and brochure suggest that everyone will be given an opportunity to dine here and you would only be given a second resevation after everyone else had an opportunity. But by 9:00 P.M. on the second night it was completely booked. What bothers me most was what I learned from other passengers. Each passenger could make one resevation per 7 days and bring along 3 guests. So what happened was that groups of four friends would all call and get 1 reservation each, and invite along the other 3, allowing them to dine up to 4 times each in restaurant 2. The policy should be changed so that each cabin gets 1 reservation with no guests. After everyone has an opportunity to partake, let them fill the remainder of the cruise however they wish.

 

The brochure describes complimentary on deck massages. I never saw evidence of this. I heard that they were available on some days for about an hour while we were in port. A more detailed schedule of ship's activities would have been appreciated.

 

Finally, the brochure and reviews here describe over the top personalized service. Although I think the service was quite good, this is not what we received, examples follow. After we checked in, we were told to make our way onto the ship. Someone swiped our ID card, then we walked on board to the elevators. There was no one on board to show us to our stateroom or tell us where anything was. Everyone talks about how they'll know your name, no one knew our names after seven days. Everyone knew our names at the Hotel Arts Barcelona from the moment we arrived. Objectively, maybe we built up our expectations about the service to unreasonable levels, but both our Rome and Barcelona hotels were much better service.

 

and then on May 16, 2012

We were on the Sojourn this April. Overall, the food was amazing. I didn't dislike the taste of anything on board. A couple of things were a little bit bland (I'm thinking of the pasta carbonara) and a lot of the hot dishes in the Collonade were luke warm to room temperature. Anyway, enough of the negative, but I don't know where to begin with the positive. The lobster tails were cooked to perfection and paired incredibly well with the sauce and chosen house wine. The rack of lamb was to die for. The quality of the meat was unrivaled. It was so tender and expertly prepared. If you like lamb, do not miss this dish. One day at lunch in the collonade the chef served jamon iberico de bellota. If you have never experienced this extremely decadent ham, it should be on everyones bucket list. I could go on and on.

 

I wasn't able to find any reference to a second cruise with Seabourn, yet the majority of Sananda's posts are to the Seabourn Board....and that 7 day cruise seems to get worse with the passing of time :confused:

[Laylam]

Another post by Sananda, June 2, 2012

 

For reference, we usually take 4-6 cruises per year, and we have cruised on nearly all the major lines. We cruise on different lines for different occassions. When we travel with our young kids, my brother's family and our parents we use the mass market ships that have lots of entertainment. Our current favorite is Royal Caribbean. But when it is just me and the wife, we prefer luxury cruises and there are many different definitions of luxury.

 

For example, on of the most luxurious cruising experiences we had was on Norwegian Cruise lines. I know, a line deicidedly known for being anything but luxurious. But we had a very tight schedule and it was the only thing that we could find. We booked the largest suite on the ship. The suite was as big as a house, ~3000 sq. ft. over two stories and had every sort of amenity. More importantly, they treated us like royalty. I have never experienced a more class based exclusionary travel experience. There are entire sections of the ship that are off limits to all but the privileged few. We had a private dining room, a private spa, a private pool and lounge area and many other exclusive areas aboard the ship. We had a butler (called himself a majordomo), who did everyhting for us. He unpacked and packed our suitcases, arranged all our excursions, brought us whatever we wanted to our suite. He literally sat in an alcove outside our suite waiting for us to request something. When we travelled the ship, he came with us. He would open the doors, hold an umbrella over my wife's head to shade her from the sun and if we were going to some ship venue that had a line, he would march us up to the front and we would be next. I could go on and on about the special treatment we received.

 

All of this was very luxurious, but it just wasn't the same type of luxury you will experience on Seabourn. Seabourn is very understated luxury, Norwegian was over the top. Seabourn was my first all-inclusive travel experience that actually attained luxury. The decor aboard the Norwegian Gem was painful to the eye, the Seabourn Sojourn was pleasant and relaxing. Although the food on the gem was good, it was no where near as good as the Sojourn's. The passengers on Seabourn were generally interesting and good travel companions. The wide social demographic aboard the Gem made me glad that I was segregated ( yes I know this sounds snobby, but given the behaviors I have observed with some individuals, I fear for the long term prognosis of our species).

 

As I stated above, for my tastes, I can get a better luxury travel experience in certain hotels. If we limit the discussion to cruising, I haven't found the perfect luxury line, but Seabourn isn't very far off.

So, are we to believe that this near perfect luxury travel experience was delivered by " a collection of dejected, disinterested, merely going through the motions group of people "?? I don't. Edited November 6, 2015 by Laylam
To express my disbelief.

[MARIANH]

Seabourn's marketing materials as they read now do not promise that breakfast, lunch, and dinner will all be served in the MDR every day. Only that those meals are served in there (true).

 

I think any legal claim would be trumped by the contract of carriage.

 

Please read the extracts fron Seabourn utterings on dining and choice in my post 306.

 

Surely it is beyond doubt that taken together these mean that pax can choose to have breakfast ,lunch and dinner in the MDR should they wish. Ergo the MDR will be open for pax to exercise their choice during usual mealtimes.

 

To interpret the words otherwise would be perverse.

 

No, the fact of the matter seems to be that Seabourn is misleading its customers either by design or default. Their policy for opening the MDR appears to be inconsistent and the criteria used are obscure ( at least to me).

 

So, being very parochial here- is anyone able to tell me if the MDR will be open for breakfasr, lunch and dinner everyday, sea days or no days or any combination of the aforesaid during my upcoming cruise on Odyssey departing 21 November 2015?.

 

And before anyone tells me not to be so precious and we should be sociable and join the Colonnade scrum, please be advised that there are very personal reasons why choice of venue Is so important to us. As we believed it would be from reading the Seabourn promotional material when we booked this much anticipated voyage.

 

Happy to share our shipboard experience subjuct to the exigencies of Seabourn snailmail. And no this is not an invitation to debate Seabourn internet speed!

[Nigella]

 

 

So, being very parochial here- is anyone able to tell me if the MDR will be open for breakfasr, lunch and dinner everyday, sea days or no days or any combination of the aforesaid during my upcoming cruise on Odyssey departing 21 November 2015?.

 

 

MARIANH, responses can only be based on empirical evidence. As you point out there doesn't seem to be much consistency in policy on this one. Helpful? ;)

 

I've just looked at your itinerary and I would guess that the MDR will definitely be open on sea days, and possibly port days as well.

 

I'm basing that on my own recent experiences, comments posted here at CC in the last several months, and on feedback from friends. I'll stick my neck out and say that I'd be very surprised if it's closed on sea days.

[MARIANH]

MARIANH, responses can only be based on empirical evidence. As you point out there doesn't seem to be much consistency in policy on this one. Helpful? ;)

 

I've just looked at your itinerary and I would guess that the MDR will definitely be open on sea days, and possibly port days as well.

 

I'm basing that on my own recent experiences, comments posted here at CC in the last several months, and on feedback from friends. I'll stick my neck out and say that I'd be very surprised if it's closed on sea days.

 

Thanks for those reassuring words. We may hear something from the Odyssey cruise prior to ours.

[lincslady]

Laylam - thanks for spending your valuable time on behalf of us all to try to sort out what 'Sananda' actually means - obviously an impossible task.

 

It is a bit like Tripadvisor, we should all take reports with several pinches of salt if they seem a bit odd. Sadly, when they are so dismissive they can spoil the reputation of a hotel or cruiseline. Probably lucky that only about 5% of cruisers read CC, apparently!

[MARIANH]

This intrigued me also, so much so that today I have spent an hour or two I will never get back, reading Sananda's past posts, which included this post dated April 21st; 2012.

 

 

and then on May 16, 2012

 

 

I wasn't able to find any reference to a second cruise with Seabourn, yet the majority of Sananda's posts are to the Seabourn Board....and that 7 day cruise seems to get worse with the passing of time :confused:

 

Further foensic examination of Sananda's posts shows an increasingly critical view of Seabourn following earlier enthusiastic reviews of his/ her first voyage in 2012. So much so that there seems to be a volte face by now. Perhaps rather than dismiss his/ her comments out of hand, he/ she should be offered the opportunity to explain. So lets not rush to judgement and could I ask Sananda to share with us if his/ her increasingly critical comments are based on real world experience ( cruises taken on Seabourn) or is he/ she just joining the knockers for the hell of it.

 

Just trying to be fair and non judgemental.

Edited November 6, 2015 by MARIANH

[Nigella]

Thanks for those reassuring words. We may hear something from the Odyssey cruise prior to ours.

 

Yes, Markham is planning to update.

 

And I'm relying on your updates - internet permitting - as we board 12 days after you disembark.

 

Edited to add - regarding your itinerary, we did a similar one over Christmas a couple of years ago. I don't know if you've been to Terre de Haut before, but we thought it was a gem. We knew nothing about it until we arrived there. If you like the Caribbean as it used to be, it's lovely. Gorgeous little walkable town.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Nigella

[MARIANH]

Yes, Markham is planning to update.

 

And I'm relying on your updates - internet permitting - as we board 12 days after you disembark.

 

Edited to add - regarding your itinerary, we did a similar one over Christmas a couple of years ago. I don't know if you've been to Terre de Haut before, but we thought it was a gem. We knew nothing about it until we arrived there. If you like the Caribbean as it used to be, it's lovely. Gorgeous little walkable town.

 

Many thanks for the intelligence about T de H. No, we haven' t visited before. In fact, my daughter in law who is an avid ( and skilled) quilter has spotted that there is a shop in the town that sells highly recommended Madras fabric. Therefore I have no option but to go walkabout and find said shop to purchase her Christmas prezzy. Even if this means I will miss the delights of lunch in the MDR - or not as the case might be be!

[Flamin_June]

. Even if this means I will miss the delights of lunch in the MDR - or not as the case might be be!

 

Don't bother with lunch in the MDR while at T de H - you can get the best (according to the New York Times) Jambon Beurre outside of Paris on the beach at Plage de Pompierre. I have had one there, and have to admit that, for what is basicaly a ham sandwich, it was pretty darn good.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Flamin_June

[Emperor Norton]

Don't bother with lunch in the MDR while at T de H - you can get the best (according to the New York Times) Jambon Beurre outside of Paris on the beach at Plage de Pompierre. I have had one there, and have to admit that, for what is basicaly a ham sandwich, it was pretty darn good.

 

Now Im curious do they actually offer their namesake (ham butter)?

[Flamin_June]

It is a half baguette, sliced down its long axis, spread with butter and with a couple or three slices of ham added before it is closed up again. Lettuce, sliced tomato optional.

 

It is the combination of simplicity and ingredients:really good, fresh, crusty baguete, french butter and ham. Sitting on the beach beneath the shade of a palm tree after a swim in the clear caribbean sea probably adds to the whole experience.

[MARIANH]

It is a half baguette, sliced down its long axis, spread with butter and with a couple or three slices of ham added before it is closed up again. Lettuce, sliced tomato optional.

 

It is the combination of simplicity and ingredients:really good, fresh, crusty baguete, french butter and ham. Sitting on the beach beneath the shade of a palm tree after a swim in the clear caribbean sea probably adds to the whole experience.

 

Sounds idyllic. But will the "powers that be" be opening the beach for lunch? :rolleyes:

Edited November 6, 2015 by MARIANH

[margbem]

Thanks for the info on Terre de Haut. We are "jumping ship" so to speak and trying Azamara in January as Seabourn are not in the Caribbean then. One of our stops is TDH.

[Emperor Norton]

It is a half baguette, sliced down its long axis, spread with butter and with a couple or three slices of ham added before it is closed up again. Lettuce, sliced tomato optional.

 

It is the combination of simplicity and ingredients:really good, fresh, crusty baguete, french butter and ham. Sitting on the beach beneath the shade of a palm tree after a swim in the clear caribbean sea probably adds to the whole experience.

 

That sounds much nicer than sitting at a desk with a view of the hills and a parking lot.

[lincslady]

To get back to the should the dining room be open for all meals debate - while we both enjoy choosing parts of our breakfast and lunch, and ordering others, as well as casual chat with fellow passengers, there is just one aspect of eating in the Colonnade which I find off-putting.

 

At breakfast, there are just a very small minority of passengers (we encountered one recently sitting opposite) who take a large plate, then proceed to pile it up with scrambled egg, bacon, baked beans, croissant, muffin, smoked salmon, fruit and possibly other things, all jumbled up on the plate. I did find this put me off my own food somewhat. And then of course they leave half of it.

 

Obviously breakfast in the dining room would mean you would not have to encounter this strange habit - do they think the food is going to suddenly run out, or do they just not want to get up from their seat to get the next course? Puzzling.

[Tony & Trevor]

do they think the food is going to suddenly run out, or do they just not want to get up from their seat to get the next course? Puzzling.

 

or mega greedy!!!

 

 

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony

[GrammieK]

Disembarked Odyssey this morning after a 12 day Caribbean and MDR WAS OPEN for breakfast and lunch most if not all days. Will check daily heralds when I get home for exact count.

[wripro]

To get back to the should the dining room be open for all meals debate - while we both enjoy choosing parts of our breakfast and lunch, and ordering others, as well as casual chat with fellow passengers, there is just one aspect of eating in the Colonnade which I find off-putting.

 

At breakfast, there are just a very small minority of passengers (we encountered one recently sitting opposite) who take a large plate, then proceed to pile it up with scrambled egg, bacon, baked beans, croissant, muffin, smoked salmon, fruit and possibly other things, all jumbled up on the plate. I did find this put me off my own food somewhat. And then of course they leave half of it.

 

Obviously breakfast in the dining room would mean you would not have to encounter this strange habit - do they think the food is going to suddenly run out, or do they just not want to get up from their seat to get the next course? Puzzling.

 

 

In all honesty, and I don't mean to be disrespectful, but why are you looking at others' peoples plates? And if their behavior bothers you simply look away. No one should be legislating other peoples' behavior. There's way too much of that in the world as it is.

[Mr Luxury]

In all honesty, and I don't mean to be disrespectful, but why are you looking at others' peoples plates? And if their behavior bothers you simply look away. No one should be legislating other peoples' behavior. There's way too much of that in the world as it is.

 

 

Exactly, well said Henry.

[shipcamein]

(Please don't flame me for infrequent posts - I'm an everyday lurker!)

 

Regarding the plate habit - well, I find these forums to be a good place to swap culture (and other things).

 

It's absolutely common in our neighborhood of the US to put "all the food on one plate." This is neither greed nor laziness (well, usually). It's using one plate only. A second trip would require a second plate. Separating by course would require two or three or six. That is just wasteful. It's not "offputting" at all - it's exactly, in fact, how my mother would put my breakfast plate in front of me while growing up. Old habits die hard!

[MARIANH]

(Please don't flame me for infrequent posts - I'm an everyday lurker!)

 

Regarding the plate habit - well, I find these forums to be a good place to swap culture (and other things).

 

It's absolutely common in our neighborhood of the US to put "all the food on one plate." This is neither greed nor laziness (well, usually). It's using one plate only. A second trip would require a second plate. Separating by course would require two or three or six. That is just wasteful. It's not "offputting" at all - it's exactly, in fact, how my mother would put my breakfast plate in front of me while growing up. Old habits die hard!

 

And I would not be surprised if your mother made sure you ate all your vittals!

 

What I think Linclady was referring to is "eyes too big for stomach" syndrome aka gluttony.

 

I don't think this is anything to do with cultural differences. It's more about standatds of behaviour IMHO. To wilfully overfill plates and then leave lots of the food is bad manners in any language.

 

And Oh, I see the MDR on Odyysey was open most days on a recent cruise - hooray! Looks like I may not have to face overfilled plates in the Collonade next week after all.

[MARIANH]

In all honesty, and I don't mean to be disrespectful, but why are you looking at others' peoples plates? And if their behavior bothers you simply look away. No one should be legislating other peoples' behavior. There's way too much of that in the world as it is.

 

Without wishing in any way to be disrespectful, this comment and its extrapolation seems rather OTT In the context of Linclady's post. She makes a reasonable observational comment and is not suggesting recalcitrants should be keelhauled or otherwise legislated against. All in the context of being able to exercise choice of environment for eating breakfast.

 

Anyways it looks as though the MDR may be opening for breakfasts and that is good.

[lincslady]

Apologies for obviously being oversensitive - it was hard not to look at this plate as it was immediately opposite me. I just find it difficult to understand how anyone could 'fancy' eating their croissant covered in bits of baked bean as well as jam etc. (When I mentioned it later to a staff member, she said she was glad I had said to her, rather than her to me, because she and other staff felt the same.) Anyway, enough on the topic.

[Tony & Trevor]

lincslady

 

 

I know what you are referring to regarding plates piled with all sorts of food which some Americans tend to do and I suppose can be off putting. But this is not new at all. Back in the 70s I was based at Greenham Common and ate at the USA mess ( it was under dual UK/USA control) I thoroughly enjoyed my steak for breaky with bacon, eggs and waffles etc. When I first went to the USA in 1981 I continued to do the same. Quite yummy!

Perhaps our American cousins think we are somewhat odd with our cutlery etiquette.

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony