Odyssey Panama Canal Holiday 2015 review

[Nigella]

Apologies for being a board hog this afternoon, but well, it is my thread :)

 

I forgot to mention that we experienced a Seabourn Dinner Dance for the first time on this cruise.

I don't remember reading about this previously on SB, although I know that SS sometimes offers it.

It took place in the MDR. Tables had to be cleared from a large area in order to make a reasonable sized dance floor and space for the band.

Some guests were dancing and did seem to enjoy it. The reduced number of tables did give the seating hostess a few issues though.

 

I don't need to be hearing someone else's choice of music when I'm dining, especially after a morning on the pool deck where the crackly speakers played O Sole Mio and The Theme From the Godfather 4 times each in the space of 90 minutes. My view is that there's plenty of opportunity to dance, and there's no place for it during a dinner with bad food and worse service!

[Jay23]

Apologies for being a board hog this afternoon, but well, it is my thread :)

 

I forgot to mention that we experienced a Seabourn Dinner Dance for the first time on this cruise.

I don't remember reading about this previously on SB, although I know that SS sometimes offers it.

It took place in the MDR. Tables had to be cleared from a large area in order to make a reasonable sized dance floor and space for the band.

Some guests were dancing and did seem to enjoy it. The reduced number of tables did give the seating hostess a few issues though.

 

I don't need to be hearing someone else's choice of music when I'm dining, especially after a morning on the pool deck where the crackly speakers played O Sole Mio and The Theme From the Godfather 4 times each in the space of 90 minutes. My view is that there's plenty of opportunity to dance, and there's no place for it during a dinner with bad food and worse service!

 

Oh dear!!!!

[Mr Luxury]

Apologies for being a board hog this afternoon, but well, it is my thread :)

 

I forgot to mention that we experienced a Seabourn Dinner Dance for the first time on this cruise.

I don't remember reading about this previously on SB, although I know that SS sometimes offers it.

It took place in the MDR. Tables had to be cleared from a large area in order to make a reasonable sized dance floor and space for the band.

Some guests were dancing and did seem to enjoy it. The reduced number of tables did give the seating hostess a few issues though.

 

I don't need to be hearing someone else's choice of music when I'm dining, especially after a morning on the pool deck where the crackly speakers played O Sole Mio and The Theme From the Godfather 4 times each in the space of 90 minutes. My view is that there's plenty of opportunity to dance, and there's no place for it during a dinner with bad food and worse service!

 

 

I would have thought doing the Hokey Cokey would have taken your mind off of the food and service

[Able Seaman H]

They held a dinner dance during our Med cruise on Sojourn.

 

The dancers on board gave exhibition dances and provided a backdrop for anyone who wanted to take to the floor themselves. It wasn't intrusive and didn't detract from our meal that evening.

 

Henry :)

[galeforce9]

They held a dinner dance during our Med cruise on Sojourn.

 

The dancers on board gave exhibition dances and provided a backdrop for anyone who wanted to take to the floor themselves. It wasn't intrusive and didn't detract from our meal that evening.

 

Henry :)

 

 

And the sojourn Athens to Dubai leg after yours Henry. Seems like a new feature [emoji33]

[Nigella]

They held a dinner dance during our Med cruise on Sojourn.

 

The dancers on board gave exhibition dances and provided a backdrop for anyone who wanted to take to the floor themselves. It wasn't intrusive and didn't detract from our meal that evening.

 

Henry :)

 

Interesting that it was held on Sojourn too, sounds as if it may be something they're looking to introduce permanently.

 

I didn't catch the dancers, we must have missed them as we do dine quite late. It was just fellow guests when we were there. I'd have probably been less of a grump if I hadn't been subjected to the awful repetitive pool deck music earlier that day!

 

By the way Henry, after this cruise my husband said we should have saved our money, stayed at home and watched your Panama Canal video instead of going on the cruise! :D

Edited January 11, 2016 by Nigella

[Roxburgh]

They held a dinner dance during our Med cruise on Sojourn.

 

The dancers on board gave exhibition dances and provided a backdrop for anyone who wanted to take to the floor themselves. It wasn't intrusive and didn't detract from our meal that evening.

 

Henry :)

 

Sounds like a very good idea even though I am a terrible dancer, a danger to all with my size 12s and very self conscious on the dance floor.

[MightyQuinn]

Thanks so much for your review Nigella and for the additional comments by 2SailingNomads. We're doing the same Panama Canal cruise B2B with the transpacific crossing from Fiji in a little over a month, so I must say the observations about food and service on Odyssey are a little concerning. Nevertheless, it appears from current reports that things are improving so we're hopeful.

 

Do you have any comments about the ports and lecturers on the PC cruise? Who did the PC transit commentary? Did you take any shorex or hear any reports from those who did? We usually don't take ship tours but we have considerable OBC and are planning on shorex in some ports. Would love any feedback, positive or otherwise.

[Seas_The_Day]

my wife and i were on this trip - and we thought it was 100% wonderful. to us, class and luxury is not about meat temp or time between water refills, and it sure isn't about how much we spend.

 

we got so much enjoyment out of the crew working so hard to spoil us. of course nothing in this world is perfect. but just interacting with these young people who come from all over the world, often away from their families for months at a time, working 12 hours a day, living in tight quarters. i think they did a remarkable job.

 

the only down side we experienced on this trip was the number of constant complainers on the ship. in my opinion, i think seabourn could use more passengers that just want to have fun.

[Nigella]

Thanks so much for your review Nigella and for the additional comments by 2SailingNomads. We're doing the same Panama Canal cruise B2B with the transpacific crossing from Fiji in a little over a month, so I must say the observations about food and service on Odyssey are a little concerning. Nevertheless, it appears from current reports that things are improving so we're hopeful.

 

Do you have any comments about the ports and lecturers on the PC cruise? Who did the PC transit commentary? Did you take any shorex or hear any reports from those who did? We usually don't take ship tours but we have considerable OBC and are planning on shorex in some ports. Would love any feedback, positive or otherwise.

 

Yes, the current reports sound more encouraging, I do believe SB will sort the issues out.

 

I don't know who did the PC transit commentary. It was our first transit and I'd have liked more information than was given, however the vast majority of guests onboard had done the transit before and were quite knowledgable when I had a question on the day.

 

The ports were a mixed bag.

We were told by locals in three ports that temperatures were around 10 degrees C higher than expected for the time of year, with humidity to match. Blame El Nino!

I'm usually too lazy, I mean busy;), to arrange our own excursions so we do tend to go for the SB ones. They are usually ok, but don't go into much depth so you get an overview but that's all.

 

We did a tour of Cartagena's old town which was wonderful with great architecture, but it would have been better if we'd organised our own tour there. We had a gentle walk around the old town area, and then to the marine museum. I didn't learn very much about Cartagena and would have liked to have spent longer at the naval museum and more in depth talk about it.

 

The canal itself was amazing, of course.

 

The next port was Fuerte Amador, it was a tender port and we stayed on the ship.

We took a ship tour to a coffee plantation from Puntarenas, Costa Rica. It was a small co-operative about 90 minutes' drive from the port. I knew nothing about coffee production prior to this so I found it interesting and our guide there was very engaging. First time in Costa Rica, what a stunning country it is. A very popular tour there was a wildlife tour to the mangroves, great for bird spotting as well as monkeys and sloths, according to guests we spoke to.

The next few ports were great for those who don't mind longer excursions and have an interest in Mayan history.

We didn't disembark the ship in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala or in Puerto Chiapas, Mexico. These ports were both a fair distance from any place you could go and walk around and the tours were very long. There was a port shuttle bus in Puerto Chiapas, to the nearest town which is Tapachula. There was a small charge for the bus, $10 I believe.

Huatulco, Mexico was the next port. This was a beach day for us. It's a very cute resort. The ship docks right next to a beach in a lovely bay.

Next was Manzanillo, Mexico. Not much to see in the town, didn't do any tour here.

Finally was Cabo San Lucas. We spoke to guests who'd done a ship whale watching tour that they very much enjoyed. There was also horse-riding and parasailing available here as ship's excursions. The town was very touristy and itself didn't have much to offer except bars. Gorgeous location to anchor though.

I should add that many of the resort ports were very busy of course, as it was during the holidays.

 

 

Super long post, sorry! Probably not much help to you. If there are any tours on the SB website that you've seen and are curious about, just ask and if I heard any feedback about them from other guests I'll let you know.

Edited January 11, 2016 by Nigella

[NZbelle]

the only down side we experienced on this trip was the number of constant complainers on the ship. in my opinion, i think seabourn could use more passengers that just want to have fun.

 

So if you are paying $1000 a day and you get undercooked fish served cold and waiters ignore your attempts to get more water and this happens a lot you should just smile and say "Poor things , away from their families for so long, at least they are trying hard"

 

The only way companies get better if people let them know when they are doing things wrong (and right!). Sweeping problems under the carpet does no-one any good including the company, who won't last in business very long.

[MightyQuinn]

...Super long post, sorry! Probably not much help to you. If there are any tours on the SB website that you've seen and are curious about, just ask and if I heard any feedback about them from other guests I'll let you know.

Sorry for the long post? Not at all, I appreciate all these details.

 

We've been to most of these ports before and I'm already dreading the heat and humidity. But since it's part of the deal in this part of the world, so be it. We've earmarked a few SB tours for consideration:

 

Manzanillo: Magical Pueblos

Fuerte Amador: The Shaping of Panama

Cartagena: A Walk Through the Old City

 

It sounds like you took the Cartagena walking tour and given your comments, maybe I'll try to line up our own guide. We've been before so I was looking for easy! If you heard any comments on the other tours, I'm all ears!

 

I've lined up private guides for Cabo, Guatemala and Punta Arenas so we're good to go there. We'll probably grab the shuttle to Tapachula from Puerto Chiapas, though sticking around the terminal and enjoying a cold beer at the palapas is appealing! Did you tender over to San Blas? We were there years ago and I bought a pair of wooden stick men that were exquisitely whittled by a old man for $1 each. They are still amongst my fave travel purchases.

 

We're hoping for a good lecturer for the canal transit.

 

Thanks again for your super informative post Nigella.

[Nigella]

Sorry for the long post? Not at all, I appreciate all these details.

 

We've been to most of these ports before and I'm already dreading the heat and humidity. But since it's part of the deal in this part of the world, so be it. We've earmarked a few SB tours for consideration:

 

Manzanillo: Magical Pueblos

Fuerte Amador: The Shaping of Panama

Cartagena: A Walk Through the Old City

 

It sounds like you took the Cartagena walking tour and given your comments, maybe I'll try to line up our own guide. We've been before so I was looking for easy! If you heard any comments on the other tours, I'm all ears!

 

I've lined up private guides for Cabo, Guatemala and Punta Arenas so we're good to go there. We'll probably grab the shuttle to Tapachula from Puerto Chiapas, though sticking around the terminal and enjoying a cold beer at the palapas is appealing! Did you tender over to San Blas? We were there years ago and I bought a pair of wooden stick men that were exquisitely whittled by a old man for $1 each. They are still amongst my fave travel purchases.

 

We're hoping for a good lecturer for the canal transit.

 

Thanks again for your super informative post Nigella.

 

I'm glad that it was helpful. All of these ports were new to us.

 

I seriously underestimated the heat and humidity, or at least was surprised by it. I expected it in Cartagena, San Blas, through the canal and in Panama itself, but expected it to ease somewhat after that. At least it wasn't quite as bad as Singapore. It didn't actually ease until we arrived in Cabo where I was too cold ! :D

 

It does sound as if you're pretty much all set, but I'll ask my husband if he heard anything more about the tours. We took the 'Panoramic Drive' tour in Cartagena, which turned out to be more walking than sitting in a bus, thankfully. But I do believe that the walking tour would be much more in depth.

 

We did tender to San Blas, I didn't see the man making the wooden sticks but there were some beautiful fabrics by the ladies. I bought one and plan to put it into a frame in my office here in England. I'll turn up the heating thermostat and remember this trip. The people there were so friendly, and were very happy with a much simpler life than we know. The kids were charming and polite, even while using their laptops!

 

There was a tour to a coffee plantation in Mexico and one in Guatemala too in addition to Costa Rica, if you're interested in visiting one. We chose to visit the plantation in Costa Rica because I wanted to see some of the interior countryside and I wasn't disappointed.

[Laylam]

My husband wants to make a more official complaint to Seabourn. I've completed the post-cruise questionnaire but he wants to write to them separately too.

Can anyone suggest the best point of contact? Should I just email to Seabourn Club or write a snail mail to Seattle?

 

Nigella, on our last cruise we disembarked the night before scheduled, in Manaus. Seabourn had ordered us a taxi for midnight and had someone come help us with our bags and escort us to the port gate at 11.30 pm. We were left there alone and at the mercy of a group of homeless people, who were camped in the bus shelter directly outside the port gates.

 

On the post-cruise questionnaire, we scored disembarkation as 1 out of 10 (or is it 5?), and fully expected to be contacted and asked why. After 4 weeks and no follow up I contacted them via "Guest Care" on their website. This was promptly answered by an email, which said in part, "Firstly, we regret that you did not receive a response to your and Mr. M......’s surveys. These are used primarily for research purposes, and we provide space on the survey to further elaborate about the ratings our guests assign. For your survey, while we did note the low score for disembarkation, we also observed that your overall experience scored much higher. Regardless, we sincerely apologize if you had expected a response, and thank you for this opportunity to address your concern." This was then followed by

a phone call from Connor Nagan (Special Advisor, Office of the President), which left us satisfied that we had been listened to..

[Nigella]

Laylam, that experience on disembarkation sounds horrible.

 

Thanks for the information about Guest Care. At the moment my husband is adamant that we won't be sailing with SB again. I believe he can be convinced to return, but SB will need to reassure him that the food issues in particular have been/are being addressed. Hopefully they can do that!

[Jay23]

If you can go on a tour that takes you to see Sloths in Costa Rica (and you are a nature/animal lover) you must go!!!!! :D

[Emperor Norton]

Apologies for being a board hog this afternoon, but well, it is my thread :)

 

I forgot to mention that we experienced a Seabourn Dinner Dance for the first time on this cruise.

I don't remember reading about this previously on SB, although I know that SS sometimes offers it.

It took place in the MDR. Tables had to be cleared from a large area in order to make a reasonable sized dance floor and space for the band.

Some guests were dancing and did seem to enjoy it. The reduced number of tables did give the seating hostess a few issues though.

 

I don't need to be hearing someone else's choice of music when I'm dining, especially after a morning on the pool deck where the crackly speakers played O Sole Mio and The Theme From the Godfather 4 times each in the space of 90 minutes. My view is that there's plenty of opportunity to dance, and there's no place for it during a dinner with bad food and worse service!

 

I was hoping the dinner dance was a one off on the Legends final TA. Sad to see it - like the block party persists.

[Nigella]

I was hoping the dinner dance was a one off on the Legends final TA. Sad to see it - like the block party persists.

 

Yup, we had the block party too.

 

I very much hope the food situation has improved by the time you board in a couple of weeks. I always find your reports amusing, although I think your dry humour is missed by some readers. ;)

[Able Seaman H]

 

By the way Henry, after this cruise my husband said we should have saved our money, stayed at home and watched your Panama Canal video instead of going on the cruise! :D

 

Maybe I'm missing a trick :)

 

Whilst I enjoyed transiting the Panama Canal to tick it off the list I didn't feel the itinerary was as good as some other cruises. Our Asian Christmas from Singapore to Hong Kong this year had more involving ports of call. Possibly that influenced things.

 

We had Sophie as CD for our Med cruise on Sojourn. She's a really genuine person and it was lovely to see her again. She worked with Handré on the South African Christmas cruise - a great pairing and they really added to the Christmas feeling.

 

I also share some of your feelings re: the main dining room. In fairness the top staff were keen to please and having cruised with most of them previously if found them attentive. One meal in particular was incredible when we said we were hoping to catch a show. No sooner had one set of plates been removed everyone descended on us to present the next course.

 

In our case it was a couple of dead spots within the restaurant which let the side down. Shadows that seemed to drop the ball. Had we felt inclined the right people were there to complain to and I have no doubt we would have been seated in the best seats in the house for the rest of the cruise but we are low maintenance and easy going. The Christmas Eve meal was delightful, the New Years Eve meal not so:

 

Arriving in the MDR as a party of 6 we were chastised for not having booked, sat on a 4 person table and the meal wasn't great. To be fair the dining room was heaving - I bet there weren't half a dozen people in the Colonnade.

 

So yes, I think socks need to be pulled up in the Dining room and kitchen. Maybe we were guilty of not having a word in the right ear.

 

We are contemplating pulling the trigger on a cruise aboard Encore. It will be interesting to see how that goes, particularly as it would be our longest time on a ship.

 

Anyway, I understand your feelings. I couldn't only cruise, I need more independent, less formal breaks to keep balanced. We should be back in Thailand in a couple of months taking just our shorts & T's. Possibly you guys need to spread your wings a bit. Seabourn isn't going anywhere and they will happily take your money if you decide to return in the future.

 

Henry :)

[Nigella]

Henry, I can't use the quote feature - again.

It dawned on us on one of our flights home that all of our 'big' holidays since 2012 have been on Seabourn. We've had some short breaks and a week in Italy last year, but otherwise we've probably overdone it on Seabourn for such a short period of time. What you wrote about your Thailand trip with shorts and t-shirts is pretty much something we realised we need to. Shorts, flip flops, a destination with good local food, just back to a simple holiday like we enjoyed years ago.

 

I'm really hoping to see more positive reviews across the board in the next few months. Lately, Odyssey in particular has been the subject of negative reports from posters that I trust so I hope it changes soon. I'm sure it will change soon. :)

I'll be interested to read everyone's posts from Encore and hopefully not long after she launches, we'll be booking another SB.

Thanks again for your wonderful videos !

[Able Seaman H]

You will be able to see what Encore is like on her maiden voyage as we will be there. Booked on today. I have focussed more on the ports of call for the past couple of videos having done Sojourn the ship pretty extensively in the first two. On Encore I will have fresh material to film and I imagine an eager audience to please, or at least try to !!

 

If you fancy chilling out in Thailand I can thoroughly recommend the Nakamanda resort just outside Krabi. It helps that we are treated as family there now but it is a really easy going and not expensive. There are quite a few steps to negotiate so you will keep fit but for me it's the perfect bolt hole, the perfect compliment to Seabourn.

 

It's not at all corporate, if you want to criticise there's plenty to pick at but I challenge you to find a better spot for breakfast on the planet, particularly for the price :)

 

 

 

https://vimeo.com/9404929

[tv24]

Nigella: Thanks for directing me to your review. I will have to devote some time to read all of the responses you have received; you have attracted quite a lot of attention! I am so sorry that this did not work out for you and I can feel your palpable disappointment in your writing, especially when you wrote that it was getting depressing and you needed to wrap it up. Shop around and maybe you will find something that fits your desires and needs better than Seabourn. And we can hope that Seabourn recaptures the magic that you loved so much in the past, and that you can eventually return. Personally, we are not fans of any one line and shop for itinerary and price. And I have lowered my expectations expecting that all lines cannot deliver what they promise in their glossy brochures. Don't give up on the lure of the sea!

[Able Seaman H]

Cruising is quite formulaic. That's good in the sense you know exactly what you are getting and we are all creatures of habit. Bad if things change from the script.

 

It can also mean that you get a bit, "cruised out" and need to go off and do something else for a while.

 

What has helped us is cruising very different parts of the world despite choosing the same ship. We started off with Americas, the Panama Canal and Mexico. Then we did South Africa. Then the Mediterranean, finally Asia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong. Our next outing is the Journey from Europe to Singapore taking in the Middle East and India.

 

Although the basic structure of our cruises was a well worn path the scenery meant we were distracted, particularly with the Port intensive Mediteranian cruise. Of all our trips the Panama cruise was the worst for ports of call but we were new to Seabourn, bunny rabbits caught in the glare of a small luxury cruise line.

 

I'm looking forward to Encore in December because it's a new ship, a new part of the world and also a new direction for Seabourn. But mostly I will be looking forward to getting back on board after independent land based trips in Thailand, a family holiday in Europe, navigating my own way across the seas which might even include the run down from Thailand to Singapore and back plus what ever else we end up doing here in the UK.

 

So by then I will be ready for the comfort of familiarity Encore should bring.

 

 

Henry :)

[tv24]

I've now read through most of this thread and feel the need to post again. We've had only one Seabourn cruise, 68 days on the Sojourn in Jan., 2014. I wrote up a review in the review section at that time, and posted some comments on a couple of threads. We did have a good time and enjoyed many things especially the beautiful ship, our fellow passengers, good service and beverages. However I had a number of negative comments on the food, and we had a few horrible experiences such as disaster of a special meal in the MDR and ethnic food in the Colonnade that completely missed the mark. On the whole the food in the MDR was dull and repetitive, not of the quality that I expected from a fine restaurant. I wish I could remember the name of the head chef, but all I can remember was that he was a Scotsman who had lived in California. The staff on board related our criticisms and those of fellow passengers to changes made by management at Holland America. Perhaps this was the beginning of a lessening of quality? I don't know. Most of our cruising is focussed on crossings, and indeed our trip on the Sojourn was a crossing of the Pacific, albeit a very long one. We will return to Seabourn, perhaps for a crossing. We have an open outstanding deposit. Loved many things about the experience, but the food, not so much.