Back to Burma: a SE Asian sojourn

[Roxburgh]

Re: fruit.

 

We usually tell our stewardess what we like in order to avoid wastage. I'm not a big fruit eater but I do like grapes. So that is what I get and I am happy to have them every day if possible.

[stamfordian]

Good to read your reports, Flamin - well I believe you are not June, as you are a chap??

 

He was last time I looked, although with a penchant for smoking large cigar in Skybar wearing a fetching sarong on balmy evenings!

 

Merry Christmas M&A. Happy sailing.

[Ithaca]

Flaming June is one of my favorite paintings at the Ponce museum in Puerto Rico. However, I follow the poster with the similar name as his posts are both informative and entertaining.

[Flamin_June]

Thank you Stams and Ithaca, for your kind words. I would be posting a lot more if not for the dire slowness of the Wifi in these waters. Last day of our cruise tomorrow, at anchor in Malacca, I will try to write a few paragraphs at greater length about Yangon and other stops then. just a bit of tittle-tatle and salacious gossip for now: Sojourn set sail from Langkawi an hour late yesterday; we were just starting to pull away from the quayside at 5.00 pm when the ship stopped and the captain announced that a crew member had failed to get back from shore in time and we would have to wait for them.

That morning we had been awoken at 2.00 am by our bete-noir neighbors indulging in some procreative activities. But this pales to insignificance in respect of the events occurring a few doors aft from us on deck seven about half an hour later, when several passengers were awakened by a dreadful banging, only to find a lady, on the floor apparently kicking furiously at her suite door, which had been locked shut by her partner (possibly now ex-partner) who was inside and refusing to let her enter. Security were called and sharp words exchanged, before the offended and offending party was escorted to the bridge. Several passengers quite upset, as nothing so exciting ever happens on their decks.

[SKP946]

.

That morning we had been awoken at 2.00 am by our bete-noir neighbors indulging in some procreative activities. But this pales to insignificance in respect of the events occurring a few doors aft from us on deck seven about half an hour later, when several passengers were awakened by a dreadful banging, only to find a lady, on the floor apparently kicking furiously at her suite door, which had been locked shut by her partner (possibly now ex-partner) who was inside and refusing to let her enter. Security were called and sharp words exchanged, before the offended and offending party was escorted to the bridge. Several passengers quite upset, as nothing so exciting ever happens on their decks.

 

 

What was the outcome of the Bridge visit, Keelhauling, Hanging from the Yardarm, or cast adrift ? ;)

Edited December 18, 2015 by SKP946

[MARIANH]

That morning we had been awoken at 2.00 am by our bete-noir neighbors indulging in some procreative activities.

 

Were they perchance the "baby boomers" that you mention in your first post?

 

Thank you for yet another interesting dispatch.

[lincslady]

You live in exciting times, Flamin. Nothing like that happens when we are on board. Do you reckon they are putting Ecstasy in the drinks, after midnight, perhaps?

 

Look forward to the next episode.

[Flamin_June]

Sailing away from Lumut right now. it is a far more pleasant stop sailing down the Straits to Singapore than Port Klang. A attractive hilly coastline of dark green shrubs, trees, and semi-jungle, past some very tidy naval docks and then fishing villages built out into the water. Lumut itself is just a group of small modern jetties, from which ferries depart to Pangor Laut. There are some shops around the jetties, selling t-shirts, sarongs and sun hats - the usual. But also it seems to be a centre for the dried fish industries, so there are a dozen stalls selling all manner of dried fish, different grades and colours of dried anchovies by the sackful, along with the pungent scents and garish packaging. Fascinating to stroll around. A stayed on board, painting views of the harbour as I mooched around the town. Brought her back a present of Ikan Bilis. Will have to treble wrap it to avoid having luggage smelling like Billingsgate Market. Can't say she was delighted.

Edited December 18, 2015 by Flamin_June

[MARIANH]

You live in exciting times, Flamin. Nothing like that happens when we are on board. Do you reckon they are putting Ecstasy in the drinks, after midnight, perhaps?

 

Look forward to the next episode.

 

Or perhaps Absinthe -it does make the heart grow fonder.

 

No such excitement on our recent Odyssey excursion. In fact on some nights the ship could have been the Mary Celeste, everyone seemingly having retired to bed by 11pm. Perhaps with nothing stronger than a cup of hot chocolate which is not likely to inflame passions.

Edited December 18, 2015 by MARIANH

[MARIANH]

Flamin. Thank you again for such an interesting and evocative post. It brightens up another dull and miserable day in Blighty.

Edited December 18, 2015 by MARIANH

[stamfordian]

FJ were you on deck 7 this trip? Thought you were always 4 deckers like us, or was that only on the Sisters?

[Flamin_June]

Yes, Stams, Deck 7. This is only our second time on an Odyssey class, and previously, true to type we were on Deck 5 - which, I have to say I prefer, although Deck 7 is hardly Siberia. The glass balcony is not all it is cracked up to be, and we both prefer to be closer to the sea. We did a guarantee booking for the first time and got lucky with a 700 suite close to the forward lifts.

 

To answer another question earlier in this thread: early on the Captain announced that there were 375 crew - not sure how this figure equates to SB promotional claims. The fact remains that hotel staff, or more particularly the wait/bar staff are short-manned - other passengers have remarked on this also.

[Flamin_June]

I will try to pen some recent recollections over the coming days and thoughts on the ship and Seabourn experience. We leave Sojourn tomorrow and fly to Saigon for a week, where the WiFi is free and reliable, and wwriting lengthy bits of prose will be considerably easier.

 

But first a few impressions on returning to Burma.

 

Sailing up to Thilawa in the late afternoon was quite different to last year's experience in the early morning (described on a thread now buried deep in the CC archive). The fishermen in their one-man punts and the big cargo vessels were absent. The delta floodplain, which had been various shades of deep green following the recent end of the rainy season, was now a more mottled palate in the heat haze, a patchwork of brown and pale yellow mixed with green rice paddies and clumps of trees. Along the horizon the glint of distant gold pagodas catching the eye, while along the shore-line low shacks and dwellings, seemingly made of nothing but sticks and palm leaves lay scattered and interspersed with grounded fishing boats.

 

It seemed surreal to be on a luxurious ship, passengers sunning themselves by the pool, or enjoying drinks at the sky bar,some finishing off their patio grill lunches, adorned in jewelry, expensive watches, fine cottons and silks, while this half forgotten land, once so rich in culture and resources and now desperate and impoverished, starved by greed, corruption, mismanagement and sanctions, slid past.

[Able Seaman H]

Sitting in Hong Kong Airport waiting for our transfer to Singapore and though I'd just log on.

 

Wow - it all happens on deck 7 !

 

We will have to see if we can do better over the next couple of weeks !

 

You've got to love people haven't you. We had a screamer a few cabins down in the Med a few weeks ago. Thankfully far enough away so we only knew of them whilst in the corridors but my goodness she had a voice on her :)

 

Henry :)

[Sunprince]

Star staff at the moment: Vladan at the Club bar & Kerriegh, from Glasgow, pouring wines in the Restaurant and making coffee during the day, and Rose, our stewardess, from S. Africa - again - the best we have had in seven cruises.

 

Flamin June, you mentioned Kerriegh in an earlier post. We had her serve us by the pool and in the Collonade. She was new and still in training then. She was superb! Lovely girl and over and above excellent service.

 

Does anyone know if Olgi (stewardess) is on board? She was also excellent.

[galeforce9]

Star staff at the moment: Vladan at the Club bar & Kerriegh, from Glasgow, pouring wines in the Restaurant and making coffee during the day, and Rose, our stewardess, from S. Africa - again - the best we have had in seven cruises.

 

 

 

Flamin June, you mentioned Kerriegh in an earlier post. We had her serve us by the pool and in the Collonade. She was new and still in training then. She was superb! Lovely girl and over and above excellent service.

 

 

 

Does anyone know if Olgi (stewardess) is on board? She was also excellent.

 

 

Agreed about kerreigh. A breath of Scottish fresh air and mad for irn bru if you can get your hands on any!

Edited December 19, 2015 by galeforce9

[scm]

We were forward of the elevators on Deck 7, blissfully ignorant of the "festivities" further aft.

 

Agree totally on the train wreck that was service in The Restaurant this cruise. After arriving at 7:15 on the second formal night, we had the mains cleared at 9:30. DW wanted to see the pianist show at 9:45, so she left sans dessert. Wasn't the first case of interminably slow service in that venue - so bad we gave up for the rest of the cruise, and dined in The Colonnade, R2, or the Grill. I don't think it is the numerical lack of staff - I think it is the lack of anyone "owning" the table. Gone are the tux wearing captains of The Sisters, with their retinue of assistants and the dramatic simultaneous reveal by removing the metal cloches. One can be assured none of them would have tolerated the 30 minute waits from ordering to apps arriving. None of them would have allowed you to run out of bread sticks and wine during that wait. And none would have sat silently while you waited yet almost another hour between finishing the apps and the mains arriving. If they weren't in the kitchen screaming, they would have at least been keeping you informed. Now, in the world of "all Indians and no Chiefs", who has that responsibility? And I have no further comment about the "I'm a member of the water pouring Union, so I can't get you a glass of the open wine sitting in the nearby ice bucket" ridiculousness.

 

Also agree about Vladan in The Club - the ONLY crew member that greeted us with our name during the entire two weeks. If that isn't an indication of the death of "The Yachts of Seabourn " culture, I don't know what is.

 

As far as the "goods", loved our stewardess, Florentina - and thought the ship looked remarkably good. Sorry to spend so much time on the "others".

[galeforce9]

We were forward of the elevators on Deck 7, blissfully ignorant of the "festivities" further aft.

 

 

 

Agree totally on the train wreck that was service in The Restaurant this cruise. After arriving at 7:15 on the second formal night, we had the mains cleared at 9:30. DW wanted to see the pianist show at 9:45, so she left sans dessert. Wasn't the first case of interminably slow service in that venue - so bad we gave up for the rest of the cruise, and dined in The Colonnade, R2, or the Grill. I don't think it is the numerical lack of staff - I think it is the lack of anyone "owning" the table. Gone are the tux wearing captains of The Sisters, with their retinue of assistants and the dramatic simultaneous reveal by removing the metal cloches. One can be assured none of them would have tolerated the 30 minute waits from ordering to apps arriving. None of them would have allowed you to run out of bread sticks and wine during that wait. And none would have sat silently while you waited yet almost another hour between finishing the apps and the mains arriving. If they weren't in the kitchen screaming, they would have at least been keeping you informed. Now, in the world of "all Indians and no Chiefs", who has that responsibility? And I have no further comment about the "I'm a member of the water pouring Union, so I can't get you a glass of the open wine sitting in the nearby ice bucket" ridiculousness.

 

 

 

Also agree about Vladan in The Club - the ONLY crew member that greeted us with our name during the entire two weeks. If that isn't an indication of the death of "The Yachts of Seabourn " culture, I don't know what is.

 

 

 

As far as the "goods", loved our stewardess, Florentina - and thought the ship looked remarkably good. Sorry to spend so much time on the "others".

 

 

Completely different to our sojourn experience which ended in Dubai late November. Called by name almost everywhere. Service in restaurant excellent.

[dalliowner]

One thing I noticed was the colonnade was by reservation only, although I never had trouble getting a table when did this start?

 

Most days the dress code was elegant casual , which meant 90 pc of men with no jacket and most of them with no tie. I think it is terrible shame that most did not make any effort at all. Wearing a blazer and tie one evening a fellow guest walked up and said "you must be English to dress so formal ". I took it as a compliment although not sure it was meant that way,

 

As to crew, I would like to add Adam in the colonnade who was always cheerful with great service. How he kept smiling one evening when on the next table a women sent everything back ( dont like it , a fly landed on the plate , etc etc )

 

I thought the food was as good as ever but the choices have been reduced which is a shame. I agree the service in the MDR was hit and miss , some night very good and others very slow.

 

Anyone going to Lamut would not advise doing the shore excursions , most said they we terrible and ours to the Turtle Sanctury and Mangrove went from bad to dangerous . Seabourn eventually refunding half the cost.

[katiestan1]

scm.....wow...we were on the Sojourn for 36 days ending on Dec 6 and it seemed EVERYONE knew our names. We noticed that some of the passengers just didn't look up to notice their fellow passengers or say hello to anyone. I wondered what they were even doing on a shipboard vacation.

So, unless they had a complete crew changeover after we disembarked in Singapore.....I don't know what to say.

Jen

[scm]

scm.....wow...we were on the Sojourn for 36 days ending on Dec 6 and it seemed EVERYONE knew our names. We noticed that some of the passengers just didn't look up to notice their fellow passengers or say hello to anyone. I wondered what they were even doing on a shipboard vacation.

 

Maybe if we'd been on 36 days, they'd have learned our names by the end as well. :)

 

One example - whatever his name in the MDR (if he's not going to learn my name when it is his job, why should I learn his?). Night one - we walk up, he asks our suite number, we tell him, and are seated. Ate in the MDR the next five nights. Same drill - NEVER greeted us by name. Compare to our first Legend cruise. Ate aft the first night, second night walk up to the maitre d for the first time, he says "Good evening, Mrs. SCM, Mr. SCM. Will you be dining alone, or would you like some company?" Stunned DW says incredulously, "How did you know our names?" Wryly grinning, he says, "It's my job to know your name." Seemingly no longer in the job description.

 

Completely agree about Adam in the Colonnade. But, yet again, despite sitting in his section for 75% of our bkfsts, most of our lunches (when not at the pool or off the ship), and several dinners (after we'd abandoned hope on the train wreck that was the MDR), had no clue what our names were. On one of the last few days, I was in the laundry when David E. Greene, the CD, pops in to iron a shirt. Think he greeted me by name? Now, I'd never said JS to him other than hello in the Captain's dinner receiving line. But if they still have the sheets and sheets of names and pictures, and the requirement to know them in 48 hours, I doubt we'd be 12 days in with the guy in charge of conviviality having no clue who you are when trapped in the laundry with you. Same for Wayne in Seabourn Square and Cynthia at the pool - delightful people who served us admirably every time. But guess what was missing?

 

Sorry to go on and on about this, but to me it was an enormous part of the Seabourn 'mystique". In my experience, it is dead.

[sanne]

Maybe if we'd been on 36 days, they'd have learned our names by the end as well. :)

 

One example - whatever his name in the MDR (if he's not going to learn my name when it is his job, why should I learn his?). Night one - we walk up, he asks our suite number, we tell him, and are seated. Ate in the MDR the next five nights. Same drill - NEVER greeted us by name. Compare to our first Legend cruise. Ate aft the first night, second night walk up to the maitre d for the first time, he says "Good evening, Mrs. SCM, Mr. SCM. Will you be dining alone, or would you like some company?" Stunned DW says incredulously, "How did you know our names?" Wryly grinning, he says, "It's my job to know your name." Seemingly no longer in the job description.

 

Completely agree about Adam in the Colonnade. But, yet again, despite sitting in his section for 75% of our bkfsts, most of our lunches (when not at the pool or off the ship), and several dinners (after we'd abandoned hope on the train wreck that was the MDR), had no clue what our names were. On one of the last few days, I was in the laundry when David E. Greene, the CD, pops in to iron a shirt. Think he greeted me by name? Now, I'd never said JS to him other than hello in the Captain's dinner receiving line. But if they still have the sheets and sheets of names and pictures, and the requirement to know them in 48 hours, I doubt we'd be 12 days in with the guy in charge of conviviality having no clue who you are when trapped in the laundry with you. Same for Wayne in Seabourn Square and Cynthia at the pool - delightful people who served us admirably every time. But guess what was missing?

 

Sorry to go on and on about this, but to me it was an enormous part of the Seabourn 'mystique". In my experience, it is dead.

 

We and another couple spent 28 days on the Sojourn in 2011, first time as we were all Regent/Silverseas cruisers. At the end of the cruise only one wait staff knew our names and that was because we went to her station in the Collonade for breakfast and lunch, and main dining room for dinner simply because we soon discovered she was by far the best in terms of service and friendliness. Not one other person on the ship in 28 days called us by name or made any attempt to remember us.

 

We are friendly couples who enjoy engaging with the crew. Suffice to say we've never been back on Seabourn again, although our friends are trying it in January with family members. It was not of their choosing. But it will be very interesting to see if they have changed their mind when they return.

[galeforce9]

We and another couple spent 28 days on the Sojourn in 2011, first time as we were all Regent/Silverseas cruisers. At the end of the cruise only one wait staff knew our names and that was because we went to her station in the Collonade for breakfast and lunch, and main dining room for dinner simply because we soon discovered she was by far the best in terms of service and friendliness. Not one other person on the ship in 28 days called us by name or made any attempt to remember us.

 

 

 

We are friendly couples who enjoy engaging with the crew. Suffice to say we've never been back on Seabourn again, although our friends are trying it in January with family members. It was not of their choosing. But it will be very interesting to see if they have changed their mind when they return.

 

 

Not sure 2011 experience is adding much here?

[sanne]

What it says is, that nothing has changed in the last 4 years.

[galeforce9]

What it says is, that nothing has changed in the last 4 years.

 

 

But a couple of posts here say they haven't as well. Always been good still are.