Any news on Taittinger?

[binbin854]

Does seaborne allow guests to bring their own wines to dinner that are purchased in ports?

 

 

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[notjaded]

Does seaborne allow guests to bring their own wines to dinner that are purchased in ports?

 

 

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Yes.

[binbin854]

Meant to also confirm they don't charge any corkage? Thanks for quick response!

 

 

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[Chairsin]

No corkage charge.

 

 

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[sfvoyage]

Really doesn't matter what NF retails for. SB probably gets it for a lot less.

 

What makes a difference is when a Seabourn representative claims it is worth far more than we see at retail.

 

Also, it does matter for benchmarking. Guests are benchmarking and comparing based on retail prices, not wholesale/corporate discounted pricing.

[Bestie098]

I had a look at the wine-list posted by another member. Options like Koononga Hill and <$30 bottles of wine is not what I would expect from a luxury line. I know the challenge for anybody is to fine wines that are "exceptional value for money" but there is only so much one can achieve at a certain price point. And wine that is economy class at best may make an economical decision.

 

That said, I can't finish a whole bottle of wine between myself and my partner in one night anyhow!

 

Can somebody confirm Seabourn allow you to BYO (I may bring a bottle or two of NV or Vintage Krug which I think is excellent drinking!)

[Isklaar]

 

Can somebody confirm Seabourn allow you to BYO (I may bring a bottle or two of NV or Vintage Krug which I think is excellent drinking!)

 

Not a problem at all to bring your own alcohol onboard, and no corkage fee. The premium wine list also usually offers a good selection, pricing variable, so I do suggest having a look at it if you generally prefer better quality wines.

[wripro]

Also, it does matter for benchmarking. Guests are benchmarking and comparing based on retail prices, not wholesale/corporate discounted pricing.

 

This is jmo but I think it's a waste of time and energy to benchmark and compare the retail price of the champagne they are receiving onboard. What's the point? NF is what SB is serving and what it costs at home will have no effect on my enjoyment or lack thereof onboard. Do I benchmark and compare how much the sheets and towels cost? How much per pound the hamburger meat costs? How much the singers are being paid compared to how much I enjoy their performances? All that would do is obliterate the anticipation of my cruise as I concentrate on how much I might not like the champagne. Life's way too short.

[lincslady]

NF is, to my mind, far from being the most pleasant tasting champagne available for the price in shops - but SB obviously can get plenty of it, at the right price for them. Some people do guzzle it all day long (not many), so I guess SB feel it will do for now.

 

I can tolerate it, if I feel like a sparkling drink, but with a shot of peach schnapps, for an imitation Bellini, or Cassis, for a Kir Royale. If you enjoy those, just ask the bar waiter.

[notjaded]

This is jmo but I think it's a waste of time and energy to benchmark and compare the retail price of the champagne they are receiving onboard. What's the point? NF is what SB is serving and what it costs at home will have no effect on my enjoyment or lack thereof onboard. Do I benchmark and compare how much the sheets and towels cost? How much per pound the hamburger meat costs? How much the singers are being paid compared to how much I enjoy their performances? All that would do is obliterate the anticipation of my cruise as I concentrate on how much I might not like the champagne. Life's way too short.

 

You seem to spend a lot of time critiquing those who offer critiques.

 

On what subjects do you think Cruise Critic users should comment? Just want to know what your threshold is before you critize commentators.

 

Thanks.

[notjaded]

NF is, to my mind, far from being the most pleasant tasting champagne available for the price in shops - but SB obviously can get plenty of it, at the right price for them. Some people do guzzle it all day long (not many), so I guess SB feel it will do for now.

 

I can tolerate it, if I feel like a sparkling drink, but with a shot of peach schnapps, for an imitation Bellini, or Cassis, for a Kir Royale. If you enjoy those, just ask the bar waiter.

 

It is amazing how few people on this board proclaim their love for NF, and how many bash it. That is pretty telling. Is SB listening?

[sfvoyage]

This is jmo but I think it's a waste of time and energy to benchmark and compare the retail price of the champagne they are receiving onboard. What's the point? NF is what SB is serving and what it costs at home will have no effect on my enjoyment or lack thereof onboard. Do I benchmark and compare how much the sheets and towels cost? How much per pound the hamburger meat costs? How much the singers are being paid compared to how much I enjoy their performances? All that would do is obliterate the anticipation of my cruise as I concentrate on how much I might not like the champagne. Life's way too short.

 

Wow, truly amazing!!

 

My point is that a lot of people on here are talking about NF and comparing prices and speculating and suggesting what SB could offer at similar price points - and those price points are by definition retail prices, as we don't have inside information about wholesale or bulk purchase pricing SB can get.

 

It would be interesting to get info on SB's inside pricing. If it's true that SB gets tremendous discount, why wouldn't they pick a better champagne? After all, their competitors offer better house champagne. (Perhaps the lower quality champagne is partially to offset the inclusive caviar not offered by their competitors.)

 

In any case, this is a totally valid point of discussion.

[markham]

Fwiw, we are going on our first Silversea cruise in Oct and I will surely make some observations about it on the Seabourn section of cc. It's on the 380 passenger Whisper, built in 2001, with about 80 fewer passengers than my preferred ships of Seabourn, the Odyssey class which started out in June, 2009 with the Odyssey.

 

I have heard that they serve Pommery Champagne as their complimentary brand. I will get the precise brand details for this discussion.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[DCCruiser57]

Markham - will be very interested in your SS vs Seabourn comparisons given your extensive Seabourn experiences. We have nearly 500 days on Seabourn and over 200 on SS. We actually like SS a little better, although both are excellent experiences. We have been on the Whisper 3 times - older than the Odyssey class ships but we like the cabin layout a little better. We did the Sojourn WC in 2014 and the Whisper WC in 2016. Headed back for the 2018 Whisper WC. Just did 57 day Sojourn Japan, Korea, China, and Alaska cruise in April/May.

 

As you know, SS is privately owned, and they have a wine ambassador who seeks out small vineyards to get the best complimentary wines possible. We find them ahead of Seabourn in this category. Also, SS has much better menu selections for lunch in the MDR than Seabourn does. Unlike the Seabourn Observation Lounge, SS's is just a self service coffee bar/library. In lieu of the Observation Lounge, SS has the aft Panorama Lounge. Whisper has The Bar on deck 5, however, we like The Club far better on the Odyssey class ships. IMO, La Terrazza is a tad better for dinner and has a better ambiance than the Colonnade. Unlike the Seabourn ships, the Whisper has launderettes on decks 4, 6, and 8. If you need more info, let me know. I have scanned copies of menus (lunch, dinner, & Hot Rock), the daily newsletter (Chronicles), and the premium wine list from our January Silver Wind trip.

[wripro]

You seem to spend a lot of time critiquing those who offer critiques.

 

On what subjects do you think Cruise Critic users should comment? Just want to know what your threshold is before you critize commentators.

 

Thanks.

 

Hey, I said at the beginning the post that it was just my opinion. I am entitled to it just as you are entitled to yours. Perhaps a few more flutes of NF and you won't be so think skinned.

[lincslady]

Markham - I will be interested to read what you think about Silversea. We have done several cruises with them, but not for a few years. In particular, are they still adding a charge per person per day for their family 'charity', unless you let them know you wish to opt out.

 

IMO, the ethos of this line is very different from Seabourn, no doubt because it is owned by one person or family.

[notjaded]

Hey, I said at the beginning the post that it was just my opinion. I am entitled to it just as you are entitled to yours. Perhaps a few more flutes of NF and you won't be so think skinned.

 

Well, it is JMHO, but this board would have added value if people like you would stick to adding constructive comments rather than criticize the efforts of others to do so. You might have a lot of good contributions in your 13,800 posts, but recently I haven't seen any...just slamming myself and others (see your post of my recent thread on poor crew behavior; see your recent comments in response to sfvoyage) when you think it proper. And your comment about my needing more flutes and being thin-skinned is uncalled for.

 

Being helpful would enhance your status as a senior member here. Either be helpful or find another avocation. JMHO.

[markham]

DCCruiser57 and lincslady,

 

Thank you for some of your pointers and reflections on the Whisper. They help when I review the Silversea website, deck plan and videos.

 

We will have 10 days from Montreal to NY in Oct which will be relaxing and ccol weather itinerary. Really looking forward to the new experience.

 

One small matter that I just noticed is that Seabourn's itinerary for about the same timeframe but that skips NY and ends in Miami is 4 days longer and quite a bit less expensive, by about GBP 1400 today but when we booked the Silversea cruise on "special" a couple of months ago Silversea was just a bit more. So this says something about the different markets that these lines appeal to. And I hope that we discern

some differences that make Silversea so popular among its customer base.

 

One of the reasons we are going is simply to become Venetian Society members and gain its benefits for any future bookings we may make.

We do have a few Seabourn cruises all planned through 2019 but wanted to open up more possibilities later. That said, from what I have read one needs 100 days on Silversea for a 10% on normal bookings and this would go a ways to making it more competitive price-wise with Seabourn, in my opinion.

 

I will have plenty to say in early November, for sure!

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[markham]

Just to avoid anyone hollering at me for going "off thread", I should add to the above post that I will have to drink alot of Silversea's Pommery Champagne to fill the value gap, all other things being equal. And I promise to be diligent.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[wripro]

Well, it is JMHO, but this board would have added value if people like you would stick to adding constructive comments rather than criticize the efforts of others to do so. You might have a lot of good contributions in your 13,800 posts, but recently I haven't seen any...just slamming myself and others (see your post of my recent thread on poor crew behavior; see your recent comments in response to sfvoyage) when you think it proper. And your comment about my needing more flutes and being thin-skinned is uncalled for.

 

Being helpful would enhance your status as a senior member here. Either be helpful or find another avocation. JMHO.

 

What would be really helpful is if you ignored my posts and expended your energy on Seabourn instead of me.

[wripro]

Markham.

 

I look forward to your thoughts on Silversea. I have sailed on them quite a lot and find they do some things very well, but in general, far prefer Seabourn. It will be interesting to see what you think.

 

Also, I am not a big champagne drinker unless we are talking Dom or Cristal or Taittinger Grand Dame so NF or Pommery makes no difference to me at all.

[notjaded]

What would be really helpful is if you ignored my posts and expended your energy on Seabourn instead of me.

 

Deal, but only if you reciprocate.

[Bestie098]

Just wondering if the silver and gold package lists are eventually published somewhere? I see the option to prepurchsse individual bottles of mid range wines and also the packages but it doesn't let me choose or give me the selection for the packages themselves. I assume it will be released closer to sailing?

[sfvoyage]

Just wondering if the silver and gold package lists are eventually published somewhere?

 

Someone may have taken a photo of the package lists and posted them on here at some point. If you can't find it, or if it's outdated, perhaps you can contact Seabourn?

[DCCruiser57]

Just wondering if the silver and gold package lists are eventually published somewhere? I see the option to pre purchase individual bottles of mid range wines and also the packages but it doesn't let me choose or give me the selection for the packages themselves. I assume it will be released closer to sailing?

 

As requested here's the gold/silver list. We always get a gold package since we get a 25% discount Seabourn Club discount. If you don't like the wines, the sommelier will generally allow $99 to $109 wines from the premium wine list to be substituted. Attached is the complimentary wine list from our April/May Sojourn Japan/China/Korea/Alaska cruise. Having trouble uploading the premium wine list - will do separately.

Silver-Gold Update.pdf

Complimentary - May 16th.pdf

Edited August 30, 2017 by DCCruiser57