Quick review - On board Odyssey now (Caribbean)

[SLSD]

ON Cruiser, Try not to have any trepidation. You are, most likely, going to have an absolutely wonderful time, even if every little thing is not perfect. In the first few days, you will probably figure out what your favorite dining venues are. For example, I don't care for buffets, so I prefer the MDR and I order off the specials menu when dining for lunch in the Colonnade (availing myself of a salad option from the buffet to go with my entree). We chose to either have our breakfast in the MDR or order room service on those days we had a very early excursion. We found the TK Grill to be a pleasant experience even though we were not blown away by the food. We just didn't find reasons to complain! Be sure to come back and give us a real time report!

[Isklaar]

It’s too bad the president of SB doesn’t like “fruity, herbal, decaf tea” or Caffeine Free Diet Coke. Neither are available on the Odyssey. They do have orange pekoe tea, but that’s not a fruity, herbal decaf tea... I was given hibiscus tea due to the “berries” on the tea wrapper but alas, that is also not a fruity tea. I was hoping for cinnamon apple, cranberry apple, orange spice or the like. Nope... I’ll bring my own on my upcoming Antarctica cruise since I’ll definitely need fruity, decaf, herbal hot tea during the Antarctica part! (And, no, neither the Spa nor the 4:00 afternoon tea have fruity, decaf teas.)

 

LadyVol, sorry you were disappointed by the available drink selections. For any future cruises you may take on Seabourn, you can request a favourite beverage in advance and they'll try to supply it for you. They need plenty of forward notice but for your caffeine free diet coke for example if you tell them the name of the one you like if they can get some, they will.

[purpleally]

As my wife and I join the ship on Dec. 5 for our very first Seabourn cruise we have read with interest, and some trepidation, some of the comments (albeit we are also reassured by some).

 

I would just ask those who posted that they would be boarding soon to please report back on their experiences--good or bad. I also hope that any with less than satisfactory experiences do take the advice of those posters who urged reporting any concerns to ship management.

 

Smooth seas to all,

We are on Dec 5 cruise as well and will hit our 💯 night on Seabourn

Yes, it's different since we went on for the first time seven years ago, but, Seabourn is still wonderful. I am confident you will enjoy it very much. Buy you a 🍹?

[LadyVol1]

LadyVol, sorry you were disappointed by the available drink selections. For any future cruises you may take on Seabourn, you can request a favourite beverage in advance and they'll try to supply it for you. They need plenty of forward notice but for your caffeine free diet coke for example if you tell them the name of the one you like if they can get some, they will.

 

 

Thanks for the heads up. I’ll contact Seabourn today to request fruity, decaf tea bags and Caffeine Free Diet Coke.

[Isklaar]

Thanks for the heads up. I’ll contact Seabourn today to request fruity, decaf tea bags and Caffeine Free Diet Coke.

 

You're welcome. I didn't know you had another cruise booked, so not sure when it is but hopefully they have enough time to sort this out for you. Fingers crossed!

[ON cruiser]

Thanks for the kind reassurances. We are looking forward to heading south on Dec. 4 (the day prior), assuming I stop periodically peering at these boards and meet my deliverables! Look forward to meeting the poster above who will be on board when we are.

 

Regards,

[LadyVol1]

My review of our Oct. 30-Nov. 11, 2017 12-day Seabourn Caribbean Treasures cruise was just published.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=598486&et_cid=2974649&et_rid=24278021&et_referrer=NULL

[Gercru]

LadyVol1,

thank you very much for your review. Especially your experience concerning your muster drill shows that all is not well with Seabourn at the moment.

[LadyVol1]

Yeah, my husband and I are booked on the Quest this December for Antarctica. However, that cruise was booked more than a year and a half ago. I am just hoping that the issues that my mother and I experienced on the Odyssey are specific to that ship, mainly the kitchen and guest services, and that my husband and I will have the excellent service on the Quest that Seabourn is known for.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[oregon50]

Beliveable review. Happy to see Jorge has joined SB. Very nice man.

[SLSD]

LadyVol1, You are to be commended for giving your elderly mother such excellent care. And, how wonderful that she still wants to travel even though she is confined to a wheelchair. She is so fortunate to have your as her daughter. I can imagine how disappointing it was that Seabourn was not able to look after her needs in the same caring and careful way as you. Hopefully, your voyage on the Quest will be better and meet your expectations.

 

I guess my husband and I were just plain fortunate that we didn't encounter any of the things you did on our recent cruise. We were told that absolutely everyone had to attend the muster and that it was mandatory. And, we never had to wait 20 minutes for a dessert in the MDR. Hopefully, your experience was just an aberration. I would like to think so.

[mpfund]

Gosh, I'm sorry to hear of Lady Vol's problems. We were on the Odyssey trans-atlantic and had a great trip, with no problems. We found the dining room staff terrific. One night I had the lamb chops which came with a delicious potato puree. I asked for more puree and was told it might take a bit of time as it had to be made. In fact, it came within 5 minutes. I had the souffle for dessert nearly every night and never had to wait.

 

I also agree that Jorge is a jewel. We first met him on SS and he immediately remembered us -- the man must have a steel trap memory!

[jenidallas]

Odyssey seems to be plagued by ongoing problems with catering/service. There have been ongoing reports of problems for upwards of two years now and they just can't seem to get it together.

 

My least delightful Seabourn sailing was on Odyssey last year and I felt that I was told "no" far more often than yes. While the Seabourn magic was definitely off, it wasn't bad enough to turn me away from the brand. Fortunately my more recent sailing on Sojourn was back up to snuff.

[SuffolkLady]

So sorry to hear of the issues you encountered.

If it is reassuring to you, we have recently returned from the Quest sailing Montreal to Boston and found every aspect of the service and all crew members to be first class.

In fact we thought it was a very happy and a successful team, and it really showed. It was one of the best!

[Mr. Manhattan]

We are on Dec 5 cruise as well and will hit our 💯 night on Seabourn

Yes, it's different since we went on for the first time seven years ago, but, Seabourn is still wonderful. I am confident you will enjoy it very much. Buy you a 🍹?

 

Hi. We're also the Dec. 5 sailing! :)

[blaze14]

agree that service was very slow in MDR for dinner, arrived at 7 or 7:15 p.m. and dinner wasn't over in time for the 9:45 p.m. show (got out at about 10 pm) .So being hungry at 7 our first course arrived at 8 pm a spoonful of crab then 8:45 pm for salad and after 9 for main course and close to 10 for dessert. (if you are hungry at 7 this doesn't work out well)

 

I like to eat early and TK grill open at 6 only with reservations otherwise late dinner options 7 or 7:30 for other dining choices, or you can order room service if you want to eat early but similar menu every night and service can be half hour or later after time requested.

 

servers are friendly, nice staff, they should consider adding an early dinner option for people who don't want to eat so late

[lincslady]

Odyssey was wonderful at the end of September - the lovely Jorge had just got onboard. Sadly, as has happened before, there was a big change of personnel a week or two later. From what I have read, many of the new staff were actually new, which means often that although they may have worked in the appropriate settings on land, e.g.bars, restaurants or hotels, they have never worked on board a ship before. Consequently, they are not going to be able to cope with unusual requests or demands, and even struggle with the normal work.

 

A few will never be suited to work on Seabourn, most will get there, in the end, but it takes time. In the meantime guests are not getting the normal caring service they should be. This happened last year, before Encore debuted, and it seems likely that this time it is because senior staff have been taken away to work on Ovation. Result: Seabourn reviews, especially from 'newbies' are not good. Will they ever learn?

[CBoy04]

My husband and I will take our first Seabourn cruise in March next year on Odyssey. We were actually surprised that the dining rooms close at 9. We usually sail in the Suites on Celebrity and would usually have dinner in Luminae at around 9:30. Not a huge timing change really, but I guess I expected longer dining hours on Seabourn. We're usually up fairly early, but love staying up late after a long, relaxing dinner.

 

For those who have sailed Seabourn before: does the ship quiet down significantly after 9 or does the activity just re-center in one of the lounges?

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Forums mobile app

[Catlover54]

CBoy04:

I have only done four SB cruises, two Odyssey and two Quest, and it was typical that after the show, most pax disappeared into their suites. Pax are older, and need their rest before getting up early for morning excursions ( I certainly do).

However, there would always be a few lively groups who would hang out drinking and chatting in the lounge and appreciating the band which will keep playing if anyone is there, some pax even danced.

You can make your own party time.

 

I agree that closing for dinner at 9 is earlier than ideal. DH and I like later dinners so we have time to relax, soak, have a cocktail after the day's excursions, so we would appear between 8:30 and 8:45 to start dinner, and by then the courses moved along quickly in the MDR so we could still catch the show. There is a risk they will be out of a special if you come late.

 

A couple times when we were not going to a show we ordered a cheese plate sent to our suite, for dessert, after things were closing up. Staff are keen to clear people out later so they will not let you in even two minutes after nine to start dinner.

[Catlover54]

Odyssey seems to be plagued by ongoing problems with catering/service. There have been ongoing reports of problems for upwards of two years now and they just can't seem to get it together.

 

My least delightful Seabourn sailing was on Odyssey last year and I felt that I was told "no" far more often than yes. While the Seabourn magic was definitely off, it wasn't bad enough to turn me away from the brand. Fortunately my more recent sailing on Sojourn was back up to snuff.

 

YMMV also based on if you are an important person to SB, and if you are in a special suite. It was quite clear to me my last two cruises that some special luxury guests are more special than others, and this is true on SS, Crystal, and elsewhere as the race to the bottom on cost cutting while still feigning luxury in advertisements continues.

SB should stop advertising that they will say "yes" to unusual requests, e.g., customized special dinners for pax, when they are apparently at times still having trouble just getting regular pax the basics of a promised luxury cruise at meals and elsewhere. DH and I sat waiting a very, very long time for our off the menu entree and for wine refills in the MDR one night while three dining room personnel hovered intently at a table right next to ours taking detailed notes about a special Indian meal an east Indian descent couple was ordering for themselves the next night, with a lot of discussion and fussing by the man in particular. A water pourer came around and asked if we wanted more water, and we said no, we just wanted our food and more wine.

There are plenty of meals I could imagine wanting to custom order but DH and I thought it would be inappropriate and a bit selfish when it was obvious dining room personnel were understaffed, even though we technically had a "right" and could expect SB to say "yes."

 

It's all about comparison with other lines and how much they can get away with for the prices they command, given an increasingly competitive market for skilled labor. However, if you define the market broadly, e.g., to include non-cruise travel, luxury travelers do have more choices now than they did a few decades ago.

 

I cruise on several different lines, and suspect if I would just commit to one and be loyal to it I would not have as many annoying service problems as I do, e.g., as a lowly unknown the regular staff do not remember or expect to create difficulty for them if I complain.

[Catlover54]

Thanks for the heads up. I’ll contact Seabourn today to request fruity, decaf tea bags and Caffeine Free Diet Coke.

 

Thank you for your detailed review of the challenges you faced cruising with your mother.

Though it is a good idea to request your fruity decaf tea bags in advance, I suggest tossing a few into your luggage as well, just in case, if they are that important, as there will not likey be a quickie mart in Antarctica for crew to supply you if they forget to stock up. Of course that approach would be next to impossible for caffeine free diet coke given the weight (my mom drank that stuff by the half gallon daily into her 80's, usually flat and warm, but to each her own :)

[CBoy04]

CBoy04:

I have only done four SB cruises, two Odyssey and two Quest, and it was typical that after the show, most pax disappeared into their suites. Pax are older, and need their rest before getting up early for morning excursions ( I certainly do).

However, there would always be a few lively groups who would hang out drinking and chatting in the lounge and appreciating the band which will keep playing if anyone is there, some pax even danced.

You can make your own party time.

 

I agree that closing for dinner at 9 is earlier than ideal. DH and I like later dinners so we have time to relax, soak, have a cocktail after the day's excursions, so we would appear between 8:30 and 8:45 to start dinner, and by then the courses moved along quickly in the MDR so we could still catch the show. There is a risk they will be out of a special if you come late.

 

A couple times when we were not going to a show we ordered a cheese plate sent to our suite, for dessert, after things were closing up. Staff are keen to clear people out later so they will not let you in even two minutes after nine to start dinner.

That seems rather unfortunate and not what I would have expected. I would hope that a couple who arrived at 8:45pm and wanted a relaxing 2 hour dinner would have no different an experience than those who arrived at 7pm. Otherwise, it's not "open seating" but "run as fast as you can to get there at 7pm so you don't have food slung at you as quickly as possible."

 

While I can understand, perhaps, running out of a special, I cannot understand running later diners out of the restaurant regardless of whether they wanted to catch the show (which we usually do not).

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Forums mobile app

[Catlover54]

That seems rather unfortunate and not what I would have expected. I would hope that a couple who arrived at 8:45pm and wanted a relaxing 2 hour dinner would have no different an experience than those who arrived at 7pm. Otherwise, it's not "open seating" but "run as fast as you can to get there at 7pm so you don't have food slung at you as quickly as possible."

 

While I can understand, perhaps, running out of a special, I cannot understand running later diners out of the restaurant regardless of whether they wanted to catch the show (which we usually do not).

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Forums mobile app

 

No one "ran us out", to be clear. The entry time is indeed fixed, but once you get your toe in, the staff will not actually run you out. It was our own choice to go with the cheese plates in our suites as staff looked tired and it was not critical to us to eat the cheese in the MDR, it was our choice. There would often be small groups of talkers and lingerers when we left, sitting as long as they wanted, as they were entitled.

[CBoy04]

No one "ran us out", to be clear. The entry time is indeed fixed, but once you get your toe in, the staff will not actually run you out. It was our own choice to go with the cheese plates in our suites as staff looked tired and it was not critical to us to eat the cheese in the MDR, it was our choice. There would often be small groups of talkers and lingerers when we left, sitting as long as they wanted, as they were entitled.

Oh fantastic! You had me worried :) thanks very much for the clarification. DH will be much more relaxed now haha

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Forums mobile app

[Roxburgh]

Oh fantastic! You had me worried :) thanks very much for the clarification. DH will be much more relaxed now haha

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Forums mobile app

 

As people who enjoy a longer dinner, we have often been in the MDR after 10pm and have never experienced any pressure form the staff there to 'move on'.