SB Odyssey, Caribbean,short review.

[Tony & Trevor]

We arrived home last week following a 12 day cruise from Fort Lauderdale to FL, arriving on December 3rd.

We had a lovely relaxing holiday and generally very good weather. It was nice to have such a cruise before the Christmas period. We undertook the SB package for flights and hotel. After 'surviving' Miami airport we were transferred quickly to the Diplomat Hotel, FL. Some of our fellow passengers were held up at the airport for three hours or so. Our transfer to the ship the following day was punctual arriving early for a lovely lunch in the Colonnade. Although we had a very good cruise there were some issues and relevant comments to make. The ship was full and we were informed by the CD at the Captain's reception party that half the passengers were new to SB. There was certainly a much younger crowd on with some children.The demographic's on the cruise were not typical of our many previous cruises with SB. The cruise was discounted and this may have influenced some aspects of the cruise by SB. For the sake of brevity and in no particular order we observed and experienced certain issues. Evidence of cost saving by management was clearly evident.

We had Cabin 912 just next to the bridge which was very quiet. Much attention was needed to the wood work in the cabin which was quite shabby. There were no canopies at all in the cabin during the cruise. Food, we had some very nice meals with a couple excellent. But there was some poorly presented meals that lacked imagination. Our first formal night we ate on a hosted table with the staff Captain who was a very nice and informative gentleman. Service was good although water glasses were not filled and I was the only one at the end of the meal to be asked if I wanted coffee ,which I requested white but came black and never saw the waiter again. Patio grill, very good with tasty well presented food. Colonnade was generally good but the waiters ( M & F ) often appeared quite stressed in the evening and were dashing around a lot. On one occasion after being seated we waited some 20 minutes for our first course and then a further over 45 minutes for the main course. The service appeared quite dysfunctional. On lunch time we had fish , chips and peas. I hasten to add nothing like British fish & chips.The fish, two small tasteless pieces were served with bland tasting peas and three chips.( we took a photograph of this but I do not know how to put on) I asked the waiter if I could have more chips which he promptly bought but they as was the three chips on our plate not cooked. The pastry, as in apple pie/ apple strudel was not good. It was certainly not first class dinning as advertised. About 3 days before embarkation they started to run out of juices and some fruit. There was no orange, apple, pineapple juice on disembarkation day just cranberry juice. We spoke to the food and beverage manager who said there was delivery problems in FL.( we did have full day in San Juan three days later and on would think they could have got some supplies form there) We arrived for afternoon tea one afternoon about 4.30 pm and thought the observation lounge had closed because they did not put out any sandwiches / cakes / scones etc. The waiter came round and brought them on small individual trays. The tea was quite good. The epicurean event on deck was excellent. There was no tour manager on the ship with no presentations which we have always had on previous cruises. Tours so so and many you could have done yourself. Entertainment, well the usual. We noticed that out on the open decks quite intrusive music which was mainly 'pop songs' played quite loudly. Myself and other passengers complained and it was turned down. There was no calypso style Caribbean music which would have been better.We had some issues with our invoice and had to go to the pursers desk ( Guest relations ) a couple of times to sort. The invoice is not simplistic to understand and even the staff did not fully comprehend it. As mentioned we took the SB package and following disembarkation which was every smooth, went to hotel where we did our own thing. We should have had a meal voucher included but half the passengers arriving there including us never received one. On telephoning the SB agent in Miami re the vouchers, this was just and answer phone and they never got back to us. The crew were a wonderful group of people who establish a good rapport. The waiters were very hard working. The Captain had rather a low profile. We mentioned our concert and issues to the relevant staff members who said it would be noted.Our Cruise consultant with SB in Seattle, Robert Anderson, excellent.

As I mentioned earlier had SB cut back because of this type of cruise we did?

I do hope this is not the new trend as many sailors over many years with SB prefer the excellent service and wow factor. I am sure they would like younger passengers with children. Anyway we will see on our next SB cruise!

 

A happy peaceful Christmas,

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony

[Able Seaman H]

We arrived home last week following a 12 day cruise from Fort Lauderdale to FL, arriving on December 3rd.

 

We had a lovely relaxing holiday and generally very good weather. It was nice to have such a cruise before the Christmas period. We undertook the SB package for flights and hotel. After 'surviving' Miami airport we were transferred quickly to the Diplomat Hotel, FL. Some of our fellow passengers were held up at the airport for three hours or so.

 

Our transfer to the ship the following day was punctual arriving early for a lovely lunch in the Colonnade. Although we had a very good cruise there were some issues and relevant comments to make.

 

The ship was full and we were informed by the CD at the Captain's reception party that half the passengers were new to SB. There was certainly a much younger crowd on with some children. The demographic on this cruise was not typical of our many previous cruises with SB. The cruise was discounted and this may have influenced some aspects of the cruise.

 

For the sake of brevity and in no particular order we observed and experienced certain issues. Evidence of cost saving by management was clearly evident.

 

We had Cabin 912 just next to the bridge which was very quiet. Much attention was needed to the wood work in the cabin which was quite shabby. There were no canapés at all in the cabin during the cruise.

 

Food. We had some very nice meals with a couple which were excellent but there were some poorly presented meals that lacked imagination. Our first formal night was taken on a hosted table with the staff Captain who was a very nice and informative gentleman. Service was good although water glasses were not filled and I was the only one at the end of the meal to be asked if I wanted coffee. I requested white but it came black and we never saw the waiter again.

 

Patio grill. Very good with tasty well presented food. Colonnade was generally good but the waiters ( M & F ) often appeared quite stressed in the evening and were dashing around a lot. On one occasion after being seated we waited some 20 minutes for our first course and then a further 45 minutes for the main course. The service appeared quite dysfunctional.

 

One lunch time we had fish chips and peas. I hasten to add nothing like British fish & chips. Two small tasteless pieces of fish were served with bland tasting peas and three chips. We did take a photograph of this but I don't know how to post it on here. I asked the waiter if I could have more chips which he promptly bought but like the three chips already on our plate they were not cooked.

 

The pastries such as apple pie/ apple strudel were not good. It was certainly not first class dinning as advertised.

 

About 3 days before embarkation they started to run out of juices and some fruit. There was no orange, apple, pineapple juice on disembarkation day just cranberry juice. We spoke to the food and beverage manager who said there were delivery problems in FL. We did have a full day in San Juan three days into the cruise so you would think they could have got some supplies from there.

 

We arrived for afternoon tea one day about 4.30 pm and thought the observation lounge had closed because they did not put out any sandwiches / cakes / scones etc. The waiter came round and brought them on small individual trays. The tea was quite good.

 

The epicurean event on deck was excellent. There was no tour manager on the ship with no presentations which we have always had on previous cruises. Tours were so so and many you could have arranged yourself.

 

Entertainment was the usual. We noticed that out on the open decks quite intrusive music, mainly 'pop songs' played quite loudly. Myself and other passengers complained and it was turned down. There was no calypso style Caribbean music which would have been better.

 

We had some issues with our invoice and had to go to Guest relations in the Square a couple of times to sort it out. The invoice is not easy to understand and even the staff struggled to fully comprehend it.

 

As mentioned we took the SB package and following disembarkation which was very smooth, went to hotel where we did our own thing. We should have had a meal voucher included but half the passengers including ourselves never received one. On telephoning the SB agent in Miami to sort it out there was just an answer phone and they never got back to us.

 

The crew were a wonderful group of people who establish a good rapport. The waiters were very hard working. The Captain had rather a low profile. We mentioned our concerns and issues to the relevant staff members who said it would be noted. Our Cruise consultant with SB in Seattle, Robert Anderson, excellent.

 

As I mentioned earlier I wonder if SB had cut back because of the type of cruise?

 

I do hope this is not the new trend. Having cruised many times over many years with SB we, like others prefer the excellent service and wow factor. I am sure they would like younger passengers with children. Anyway we will see on our next SB cruise!

 

A happy peaceful Christmas,

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony

 

Edited to help others better understand your concerns.

 

Re: afternoon tea it is now common practice to hand serve guests sandwiches, cakes and scones. It improves both the hygiene and also the freshness. In particular the sandwiches no longer have to sit out in the open air drying out as they do so.

 

Henry :)

[lincslady]

Thanks for the paragraphing, Henry.

 

Tony and Trevor - I know you are usually very upbeat about your cruises, and seem to love Seabourn generally. Sorry some of your experiences were less than good. I must say we would not choose the Caribbean, as you are almost bound to get a younger, perhaps noisier set, and more children on board, and perhaps specially if this cruise was heavily discounted.

 

I think some of your problems with meals were that they are introducing the Thomas Keller menus on board, and the staff are having difficulty with them. The fish and chips has always been thus - I never have the peas, and ask for the normal fries instead of the supposed British chips, but usually I enjoy the fish.

 

Surprised to hear about shortage of fruit and juices; this has never happened to us and certainly should not in the Caribbean of all places. The pool deck music is awful, I agree, and I have often asked for it to be turned off or down. But Calypso type music would probably have been quite enjoyable; pity they did not think of this.

 

This was obviously not quite the top notch experience one would hope for.

[Tony & Trevor]

Re: afternoon tea it is now common practice to hand serve guests sandwiches, cakes and scones. It improves both the hygiene and also the freshness. In particular the sandwiches no longer have to sit out in the open air drying out as they do so. Posted by Henry-Able seaman H

 

 

Henry, thank you. You may be correct but then sandwiches ( cake /buns and other food items etc )are left out in the Colonnade for breakfast and lunch.

 

Lincslady ,re Thomas Keller. We never tried this but we did have a chat to some fellow passengers and crew staff. Some passengers said the food was 'ok' whilst others said it was quite good. The crew staff appeared somewhat guarded when asked how it was going. One young lady told me she would have to give a politically correct answer which I thought was rather odd when I asked her if the TK menu was going well. What I think she meant in her answer, albeit vague, was that they all had to say how excellent the TK menu is!!!

Kind regards,

Tony

[Able Seaman H]

Turnover of food is much quicker in the Colonnade compared to afternoon tea where there is a risk items stay out for a long time. It is also less well policed by staff compared to the Colonnade where every station has staff in attendance.

 

There is also the question of wastage during afternoon tea if a display has to be arranged rather than just making enough to satisfy what is actually eaten.

 

Henry :)

[Roxburgh]

Turnover of food is much quicker in the Colonnade compared to afternoon tea where there is a risk items stay out for a long time. It is also less well policed by staff compared to the Colonnade where every station has staff in attendance.

 

There is also the question of wastage during afternoon tea if a display has to be arranged rather than just making enough to satisfy what is actually eaten.

 

Henry :)

 

I used to zip into the Observation Lounge and grab a scone, cream and jam. Not interested in the tea and sandwiches.

[Mr Luxury]

I used to zip into the Observation Lounge and grab a scone, cream and jam. Not interested in the tea and sandwiches.

 

 

Heathen[emoji15]

[pdx13]

Thanks for the even-handed review. We are new to SB this April having been on Crystal several times, so our expectations are high. I expected SB to be a step up, which I believe to be a pretty high bar. Truth be told, if SB is as good as our experiences on Crystal we will be most satisfied. I am looking forward to a slightly larger room and fewer passengers, and had hoped that the cuisine would be better, particularly with the TK partnership.

We always cherish our vacations and never expect perfection, but coming close is pretty nice.

[MARIANH]

We met Tony and Trevor onboard and they were charming gentlemen.

 

Taken on face value, some would interpret their review in a rather negative light which would be unfortunate.

 

Yes, no cruise lines are perfect and some of the comments are justified, However from my perspective, the cruise was pretty darned good overall and saving the misguided smoking policy met most of our expectations.

 

I do not know if discounting was responsible for the younger demographic. However the newbies seemed perfectly well behaved to me and the children ( I only counted two) were not disruptive - well perhaps they were a bit excitable in the pool. Actually , I think Seabourn is not at all well suited for children and parents might do better introducing them to cruising on more child friendly ships.

 

The standout feature for me was the staff. Invariably friendly, cheerful and helpful, they worked their socks off with no complaints ( at least in public). But really Seabourn, they are too stretched and you need to recruit a few more to ease the strain. And allow time for more customer liaison. Especially if the TK experiment is to continue for much longer.

 

Hope this slightly different perspective is helpful.

[NZbelle]

On a recent cruise we were talking with a senior waiter in the MDR who said all the staff were so stretched. He said not too long ago most cruises were only 80% full and the staff could handle the number of passengers OK. Now they are invariably 100% full but the staff numbers are still the same.

[Emperor Norton]

Edited to help others better understand your concerns.

 

Re: afternoon tea it is now common practice to hand serve guests sandwiches, cakes and scones. It improves both the hygiene and also the freshness. In particular the sandwiches no longer have to sit out in the open air drying out as they do so.

 

Henry :)

 

Thank you for dividing that waterfall of text.

[Emperor Norton]

For the OP:

To post a picture here the best way is to have an image host (eg: Flickr, SmugMug, or something similar). You upload the image to the host and then link to it. Theres a thread here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1714741

 

that may be helpful.

 

Alternatively I could host it for you if you'd like (email me: baychilla at google dot com).

[Catlover54]

We arrived home last week following a 12 day cruise from Fort Lauderdale to FL, arriving on December 3rd.

We had a lovely relaxing holiday and generally very good weather. It was nice to have such a cruise before the Christmas period. We undertook the SB package for flights and hotel. After 'surviving' Miami airport we were transferred quickly to the Diplomat Hotel, FL. Some of our fellow passengers were held up at the airport for three hours or so. Our transfer to the ship the following day was punctual arriving early for a lovely lunch in the Colonnade. Although we had a very good cruise there were some issues and relevant comments to make. The ship was full and we were informed by the CD at the Captain's reception party that half the passengers were new to SB. There was certainly a much younger crowd on with some children.The demographic's on the cruise were not typical of our many previous cruises with SB. The cruise was discounted and this may have influenced some aspects of the cruise by SB. For the sake of brevity and in no particular order we observed and experienced certain issues. Evidence of cost saving by management was clearly evident.

We had Cabin 912 just next to the bridge which was very quiet. Much attention was needed to the wood work in the cabin which was quite shabby. There were no canopies at all in the cabin during the cruise. Food, we had some very nice meals with a couple excellent. But there was some poorly presented meals that lacked imagination. . . .(quote)

 

(snip)

 

I was also in 912, on my first SB cruise in September ( review is posted on CC under member reviews). Was the delightful Monica from Slovakia still the stewardess for that suite? She spontaneously brought us salmon canapes a couple times but frankly I was too busy eating so many other good things and taking bubblebaths to pay much attention to them, or the woodwork in the suite (and, unfortunately, at least initially, I was struggling with the hard bed and hard sofa). I am sorry your experience sounds like it was a bit disappointing. I was on before the full-on TK venture, they were just running sample add-on menus in the MDR but R2 was just the small bites menus, which I loved.

[lincslady]

I have noticed quite a difference in the workload for the staff when the ships are completely full; just down to about 90 % makes a big difference. Plus trying to cope with the changes of the TK menus. I would doubt that there are fewer wait/bar staff on board, does anyone know for sure? In any case, is there sleeping space for any more?

 

Also, the first night in the dining room can be slow and disorganised; we have noticed that this is almost always due to staff who have never worked together trying to gel, and is usually better even by the second night.

[MARIANH]

I have noticed quite a difference in the workload for the staff when the ships are completely full; just down to about 90 % makes a big difference. Plus trying to cope with the changes of the TK menus. I would doubt that there are fewer wait/bar staff on board, does anyone know for sure? In any case, is there sleeping space for any more?

 

.

 

Perhaps a bit if Officers move to the newly built accommodation on Deck4?

 

Maybe this is the reason for this new build accommodation

Edited December 12, 2015 by MARIANH

[Tony & Trevor]

Catlover54

 

It was a lovely lass called Maria from Spain. She was excellent.

 

 

 

Emperor Norton

 

Thank you for advice re photographs.

 

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony

[jenidallas]

I do not know if discounting was responsible for the younger demographic.

 

There are plenty of younger travelers who don't require deep discounting to sail Seabourn. I know that occasionally shocks some but it's true.

[Roxburgh]

There are plenty of younger travelers who don't require deep discounting to sail Seabourn. I know that occasionally shocks some but it's true.

 

Yes. In fact, when I was working, cost was far less important than the right dates and itinerary because I had to fit a cruise in with my professional schedule.

 

Before retiring, I was a partner in a Big 4 accounting firm. Those who made partner did so around age 33-35 and most of them could easily afford a Seabourn cruise.

[Emperor Norton]

There are plenty of younger travelers who don't require deep discounting to sail Seabourn. I know that occasionally shocks some but it's true.

 

While I'm sure there are a number of "young" (you're all older than me:eek:) cruisers on Seabourn that don't need a discounted rate, I'd wager there's a greater number that only go when there are discounts available.

[MARIANH]

There are plenty of younger travelers who don't require deep discounting to sail Seabourn. I know that occasionally shocks some but it's true.

 

Judging from my experience on this cruise , I am sure this must be true. There was absolutely no evidence of the "youngsters" being impoverished. In fact I saw a very young couple regularly enjoying rather expensive wine from the "to buy" list. And clearly enjoying it! Interestingly, although young, many pax retired early and this was not a party ship. Well if it was I didn't find it!

 

Furthermore, it strikes me that generally discounted prices would more likely attract impecunious seniors like me! The fact that there were fewer seniors may well be due to the itinerary, which actually was very good IMHO. Even though we did miss a port ( and caviar in the surf etc) and Antigua port of call was a dump.

 

So Seabourn, please keep discounting and maybe one day I will have saved enough to enjoy another bit of luxury at sea.

 

And let's not forget that age is just a number.

[jenidallas]

Yes. In fact, when I was working, cost was far less important than the right dates and itinerary because I had to fit a cruise in with my professional schedule.

 

Before retiring, I was a partner in a Big 4 accounting firm. Those who made partner did so around age 33-35 and most of them could easily afford a Seabourn cruise.

 

You hit the nail on the head... of the "under 50s" I've encountered on board, almost all are in professional services fields - consulting, accounting, legal, medical. I'm in the first (and, to a lesser degree, last) of those groups.

 

My primary drivers are dates that work with my project schedules, destinations I'd like to visit, and ability to unwind (while still staying appropriately connected) onboard. Cruising replaced my semi-annual jaunts to Bali and other international escapes.

 

I've missed being on Seabourn this year but the Mediterranean and Caribbean dates/itineraries did not work well with my schedule for 2015. Ironically NCL worked out quite well so I've ended up with two cruises with them - plus a random weekend cruise I did while giving them a second road test (I was less than impressed with them the first time I tried but gave it another shake after talking with friends who utilize the higher end of their services).

 

At the end of the day, I still prefer Seabourn if I've got comparable dates/itineraries, but NCL on the higher end (Haven/suites/VIP status) does offer a bit of a ship-within-a-ship experience for those who need to cruise with children or desire a larger ship for some reason (desire for more lively nightlife/shows, need to accommodate others with tighter budgets, etc.)

[jenidallas]

And let's not forget that age is just a number.

 

 

Amen to that!

 

(I'm usually one of those that is earlier to rise and earlier to bed than many others on board!)

[Corony]

I too am under 50 and have over 100 days on board. Itinerary and timing are by far the most critical factors for us. If price was an issue the crossings would have the youngest demographic vs the oldest.

[jenidallas]

I too am under 50 and have over 100 days on board. Itinerary and timing are by far the most critical factors for us. If price was an issue the crossings would have the youngest demographic vs the oldest.

 

I am excited I to do my first crossing this spring with my mom (who I think had me when she was 8) and I am anticipating being one of the younger passengers - although I know there are a few of us onboard since j was invited along by a couple close to my age who I met on a previous Seabourn cruise.

 

The hardest part of the crossing for me will be connectivity. I'm not at a point where I can easily take more than weeks off without detailing my career trajectory but I've worked out my time so that I can work a half day on all the sea days. In that regard, the crossing will be easier than a shorter port intensive cruise!

 

I'm doing the heavy hustle now so that I can afford to cruise as much as I'd like (and in the style I prefer) when I retire. These 3-4 weeks a year I get to spend onboard are my motivation!

Edited December 12, 2015 by jenidallas

[Tony & Trevor]

There was certainly nothing special regarding our recent cruise. although as mentioned we really enjoyed it.

 

The best ever cruise we did with SB was to Antarctica two years ago. This was our third time there and intend to go again. Everything was truly excellent regarding all aspects of the cruise. The 'wow' factor was very very high!

 

The organisation of the cruise from SB was first class.

 

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony