Live from Kobe to Vancouver May/June 2019

[SLSD]

Successful whale watching from the Observation Lounge now!  This has been a great day.  Here is one of my favorite photos from today.  This is the Sojourn.  

[SDCRUISINGAL]

Thank you for sharing your cruise, you have me very excited! I'll be leaving out of Seward June 18th for 14 days of sheer bliss and beauty. I especially liked hearing about your catamaran cruise at Tracy Arm/Endicott since I'm signed up for this excursion. Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

 

[SLSD]

SDCRUISINGAL, You are going to love the catamaran cruise at Tracy Arm/Endicott.  It is quite well done and gives you an up close look at a lot of the natural beauty of the area.  I have a lot more photos and will post some of them tomorrow.  The wifi here is very slow and works best in the public areas---I've found that tea time is a good time to download photos.  

[SLSD]

Here is a photo I took from the deck of the Sojourn yesterday.  This was in the Tracey Arm Fjord. 

Edited June 4, 2019 by SLSD

[SLSD]

June 3:  Today, the Sojourn is in Wrangell, Alaska---a tiny town with 1800 residents.  We walked through the town, going into various small (and very local shops) as well as one of the grocery stores (which reminded me of the grocery store where our son's family shops in NYC).  The prices were high as all the products are brought in on barges (according to our fishing guide).  The town has a lovely setting---right by the water's edge and going up a steep hill to tree covered slopes.   I took a couple of these photos from the ship after our walk for a better perspective.  

Edited June 4, 2019 by SLSD

[SLSD]

While in Wrangell today, we went fishing in the Inside Passage.  Salmon were caught (and released as it is before the June 15th date for keeping them).  Our guide had to try six different fishing spots before we were successful, but we had fun all along enjoying the beautiful scenery and the almost glass like water.  

[SLSD]

Before dinner last night, Robin West, Seabourn's Vice President of Expedition Operations gave a talk in the Grand Salon about the new Expeditions ships--specifically the Venture which is now being built.  Some of the information I had already read, but I thought I would post  information he shared with the group just in case some of it is new:

 

First, Mr. West said that the new phrase the expedition ships will be using is "Extraordinary Expeditions" which is slightly different from Seabourn's "Extraordinary Worlds".  He assured everyone present that the new vessels are fully a part of the Seabourn fleet, but will set themselves slightly apart as they are deemed to be very special.  

 

The first ship, Venture, will launch in June of 2021, while the second (name not revealed) will launch in May of 2022.  

 

These are purpose built ships with strengthened hulls--Polar Class-- with nine tenths of coverage.  This concerns how they will deal with ice.  Mr. West stressed that they are not ice breakers and will not be able to go through very thick ice, but will be able to go through more ice than the Quest currently can do.  He said they they could go through ice a meter and a half thick.  

 

The new expedition ships will have no rudders.  They will have steerable propellers instead.  These are called aussiprops.  This is a technology that the other SB ships do not have.  Essentially they will be able to  turn 365 degrees.  This means the ships are highly maneuverable. 

 

Each ship will have 26 expedition staff members and each of them will be trained to drive the Zodiacs.  There will be 24 Zodiacs on each ship and all can be deployed at one time (if necessary) to give guests the same experience.  Previously, the Zodiacs went out a few at a time and when they returned others went out.  This will still be done most of the time, but if conditions warrant and there is only a certain window of time to launch them, everyone can go out at one time. 

 

Each ship will have two submarines which will seat 7 people each.  (The ship will be able to house four submarines).  The subs will be able to to down 300 meters (100 feet) in the ocean.  

 

The ships will have a new Open Bridge policy.  While this will be at the captain's discretion, the idea is that passengers can be more fully involved in the expedition and privy to what is going on in the bridge.  

 

Venture and her sister ship will also look different from other ships in the fleet.  The bow is very straight--the idea is that it will look aggressive like an expedition ship should look.  The stern, on the other hand, is styled to look like a large yacht and has significantly sized open deck areas so that everyone can be outside for observation of sights.  

 

The hull of the ships will be painted a dark green black.  Mr. West explained that this will help camouflage inevitable scrapes and nicks the hull will experience in going through ice.  There will be an orange accent stripe at the bottom which will be a signature of the ship and will match the orange jackets SB passengers will wear. 

 

One of the design features of the ships will be a lot of floor to ceiling glass in many areas for better viewing.  There will be eight deluxe suites (can't remember the name he gave them) on each side of the ship.  The Winter garden Suites have been redesigned to be two stories.  

 

The club is going to be at the top of the ship and will include a Sushi Bar. 

 

There will be two infinity jacuzzis. 

 

The ship will have "full dynamic positioning".  This means that the ship will be able to stay stationary in one place without an anchor.  (There will be an anchor system on the ship in case it is needed.)

 

The ship will hold 264 guests and 235 crew.  

 

There will be a large room called the "Expedition Lounge".  This will be a very comfortable area for passengers to gather before going out on expeditions.  This will replace cramped uncomfortable waiting areas on previous ships.  The lounge will have a "ski lodge" type decor, meant to be reminiscent of "early exploration,"  There will be leather accents, comfortable furniture, wood floors and rugs.  There will be black and white photography of early explorers.  The Expedition Lounge will have two fireplaces.  These will not be real fireplaces and the fire  suppression technology  required would have been too expensive.  Instead, these fireplaces will use a vapor system.  Mr. West said they look very real.  There will be another of these fireplaces in the Club.  

 

Instead of the Grand Salon, the Venture and her sister ship will have the "Discovery Center" where passengers will gather to see videos on a very large screen.  This is the area where passsengers will be briefed.  The screen in this room will be 33 feet wide. 

 

The ship will have a MDR and the Colonnade (looking out the back of the ship).  There will be the sushi bar in the Club.  There will be no TK Grill on the expedition ships, however, TK inspired items will be served in the two dining areas. When it was announced that there would be no TK Grill, there were audible cheers from the assembled passengers.  No comment from me here, I am just reporting what I heard. 

 

These ships will be traveling to the Arctic, the Antarctic, the Amazon River, the Caribbean, and to Central America.  

 

Mr. West said that there are other innovations in these ships which will be revealed at a later time.   

Edited June 4, 2019 by SLSD

[SLSD]

At last night's talk about Seabourn's new expedition ships, Mr. West said that a number of itineraries are being considered, including one  concerning World War II, starting in Japan and crossing the pacific, using the submarines to approach and study sunken ships from that war.  

[rols]

10 hours ago, SLSD said:

At last night's talk about Seabourn's new expedition ships, Mr. West said that a number of itineraries are being considered, including one  concerning World War II, starting in Japan and crossing the pacific, using the submarines to approach and study sunken ships from that war.  

I really hope that cruise isn't as expensive as I fear it might be because I'd love to take it. Kudos Seabourn for thinking of other adventures than cruise lines often offer. 

[SLSD]

Here's an interesting little sidelight from this evening.  I attempted to reach Cruise Critics while onboard the Sojourn (after reaching it most days during this cruise) and got this(see below).  My resourceful husband found another way to reach the site, going through an alternative search engine.   

 

Information:

BLOCKED PAGE

SEABOURN’S SATELLITE INTERNET SERVICES CANNOT CONNECT TO THIS WEBSITE:

Satellite service at sea has limitations that are different than shore-based connections. Some websites may not be available due to the technical design of the page, or because the content has been deemed to present regulatory or stability risks to the onboard systems or overall shipboard experience.

Edited June 6, 2019 by SLSD

[SLSD]

We will be back home tomorrow and after a few days, I'll come back and resume my report about our cruise---beginning with Ketchican and continuing to the end.  We had a great time.  I plan to talk about our comparison of Sojourn to Ovation/Encore as well.  

[rols]

On 6/8/2019 at 11:35 PM, SLSD said:

We will be back home tomorrow and after a few days, I'll come back and resume my report about our cruise---beginning with Ketchican and continuing to the end.  We had a great time.  I plan to talk about our comparison of Sojourn to Ovation/Encore as well.  

Welcome home! I much enjoyed your onboard discussion of the cruise and we (both Mrs Rols and myself) are looking forward to your take on the Odyssey class ships vs the newer Encore class. 

[SLSD]

The Port of Ketchikan:  Resuming my commentary about our cruise now.  We are home!  Unfortunately, I came home very ill.  Not anything I caught onboard, but my own illness.  I am beginning to get better and finally feel like resuming my thread here.  

 

Ketchikan is a port which sees one million tourists every year!  Most of them are cruise ship passengers and it appears the whole town (population probably right under 10,000) revolves around the tourist trade.  Our first hint of that was the comment in the Daily Herald which called Ketchikan a bit of a "tourist circus".

We were fortunate to have our SB excursion in the morning, so we missed most of the big ship passengers from two large ships who were all over town.  

 

We were told by locals that Ketchikan becomes a ghost town after 3pm every afternoon because that is when the large cruise ships depart.  All the shops close up at that time and the downtown streets are virtually empty.  When my husband and I took our stroll through the town, it was after 3pm and it was indeed a ghost town.  The shops were all closed (except for a very few) and it was peaceful--the perfect time to walk through a ghostly tourist town!  We encountered a few fellow Seabourn cruisers while we walked.  

 

The town is indeed attractive and you get the feeling it was developed (at least in the last some years) to be a charming town looking exactly as the locals think tourists would like it to look.  We enjoyed our walk around town  

 

Ketchikan boasts the largest number of upright totem poles in the United States.  Each totem pole tells a story.  

 

There is a boardwalk which has been built on Creek Street, a street which was the red light district years ago.  These days all the houses are nicely painted in coordinating hues and boardwalk is shady and pleasant.   

 

Note:  the last photo is not mine.  I found it online to give a larger view of the town.  Click on that last photo to see it as it should be seen. 

Edited June 13, 2019 by SLSD

[SLSD]

We took a morning excursion in Ketchikan which turned out to be quite enjoyable.  I forget how the excursion was described, but it consisted of a very pleasant journey on a covered catamaran with a very good guide. This excursion was presented by the owners of the George Inlet Lodge.  First, we were taken out on the catamaran to view nature and explore how crabbing is done.  

 

We were in luck that morning!  We viewed humpback whales who put on a show for us.  Then, we were in for one of the biggest treats of our cruise---a VERY close up look at bald eagles.  The guides know the location of an established eagle's nest and know that the male and female eagles can be most accommodating to tourists.  We stopped a short distance from their nests, and our guide held up shiny herring to tempt the huge birds to come close.  That is when we were treated to their graceful flying and the opportunity to view them up close.  Our camera is not the best, so our photo is poor---but you get the idea.  I will always remember being so close  to these majestic birds. 

 

While cruising in the boat, our guide showed us an old Libby canning factory and told us the tales of the wars between the canning company and the locals--mostly taking place in the 1950s as the canning company severely overfished the area.  This is one of the reasons the locals wanted statehood--so that their fish would be protected from overfishing by federal laws.  The old Libby factory is used to store nets now and is pictured below.  

 

After seeing the eagles, we moved on to an area where our guides had set a crab pot earlier in the morning.  A volunteer offered to pull up the pot (not that easy) and there were probably around eight crabs in the pot. We got a detailed explanation of how crab pots work and information about the specifications for legally caught crabs (must be male and six inches across).  We were shown how to tell a female crab from a male and those who wanted to could hold one of the crabs.  

 

Next, we motored in the catamaran to George Inlet Lodge for a crab lunch.  It was delicious and a good time was had by all.  I recommend this excursion for those of you going to Ketchikan.  I talked to a number of passengers who took this excursion with us and everyone said they really liked it.  The red roof building below is the George Inlet Lodge.  There ARE about 70 steps to go down to get on the catamaran.  They are good steps in that they are well built wood steps with a good handrail.  There is an alternative for those who may be mobility challenged.  

 

Ketchikan is also home to the largest U. S. Coast Guard installation in the country.  

Edited June 13, 2019 by SLSD

[SLSD]

Prince Rupert:  Our last post was the small Canadian town of Prince Rupert in British Columbia.  It's a fairly new town only established in about 1910.  It's a island community with a population under 15,000.  While it has a very good port and other natural attributes, I've read that the town has had a lot of bad luck over the years and never attained its intended prominence.  An early visionary/benefactor for the town lost his life on the Titanic.  

 

This port is very low key.  While some passengers went on SB excursions (notably one which was a quite lengthy excursion to look for Grizzly bears), we chose to walk around the town and visit a couple of its more prominent sites.  First, we took in the town's sunken botanical gardens and then we visited the Museum of Northern British Columbia.  Both are within a very easy walking distance from the pier.  

 

The town has a very affecting mariner's statue.  I found it very haunting.  The government buildings have decorations which look somewhat British (surprise surprise).  There is also a Safeway grocery store within a very easy distance from where the ship was docked.  

 

The Museum of Northern British Columbia was well curated and included a very interesting display of indigenous peoples' artifacts---everything from baskets, to boxes, masks, and chieftans' crowns.  There was also a gallery of modern art based on ancient artifacts.  

Edited June 14, 2019 by SLSD

[SLSD]

Here are a few more photos from our visit to Prince Rupert, British Columbia.  It's always fun to photograph our ship in the various ports.  Tomorrow I'll come back to talk about our final full day at sea and disembarkation, as well as our trip back home.  After that, I'll sum up the cruise as well as assess Sojourn vs Encore/Ovation from my particular point of view. 

Edited June 14, 2019 by SLSD

[SLSD]

Last full day of our cruise:  The last full day of our cruise was a day at sea.  We were on our way to Vancouver British Columbia and disembarkation, still moving through the Inside Passage.  Unfortunately, I was under the weather, but I can think of worse ways to spend a sick day than enjoying beautiful scenery through a veranda door.  We opened our curtains wide and I watched the world go by.  

 

The instructions were to vacate our room early on the last day.  My husband called Guest Relations and asked if we could disembark directly from our suite as I was ill.  Guest Relations  checked with housekeeping first, called us back and said yes, we could stay in our suite until we left the ship.

 

At about 9am, our group was called and we disembarked, picked up our luggage and got in a rather long line for a taxi to our Vancouver hotel.  In the taxi line, we said goodbye to a number of new friends, remembering how many people we had met whose company we had enjoyed.  Our hotel was only a ten minute taxi ride away.  

 

Our Vancouver hotel was L'Hermitage,   https://www.hotelsone.com/vancouver-hotels-ca/l-hermitage-hotel.html?as=g&aid=142029184023&dsti=266933&dstt=8&akw=hotel l hermitage vancouver&asrc=Search&ast=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwi43oBRDBARIsAExSRQFLoRpoqoS9jzuocdBa5RqBX3lD1rSjD0kyE6MTF-qrGOz1CazWW5caAh5hEALw_wcB

a small boutique hotel with lovely, comfortable rooms and a lounge/dining room/bar.  We arrived at the hotel around 10am and were in our room by 11am (even though check in time is 4pm) .  We recommend this hotel highly as we think it perfectly meets the needs of a traveler used to a Seabourn cruiseship.  Our room  and its bathroom were very attractive,  in fact, luxurious.  While the hotel does not really have a full restaurant (rather a limited menu that can be served in your room or in the dining/lounge/bar) it worked well for us.  There are enough items on the menu to have good choices.  Sadly, we did not tour Vancouver for two days as we had planned due to my illness.  

 

AND, unbeknownst to us, we were about to have another travel adventure--and not of the good kind.  

 

These photos are the view from the last day at sea.   

Edited June 15, 2019 by SLSD

[SLSD]

Our flight home:  Our flight was supposed to leave Vancouver at about 1:30pm.  We got ourselves to the airport plenty early, checked our bags, and even went through U. S. Customs at the Vancouver airport.  We found a seat at our gate and all was well.  We even received a 20 minute before boarding announcement.  We had business class seats.  We were happy.  

 

As time went on and we didn't board, we, and everyone around us began to wonder.  Then came the dreaded announcement--our flight had been cancelled.  The plane we were to fly on had been hit by a bird and the damage was said to be extensive.  Rebooking began.  To make a long story short, rebooking was a long affair, with one couple in line taking over an hour of the agent's time.  Finally, we got rebooked---not business class this time---but rebooked for an 11:30pm flight back to Dallas/Ft. Worth.  We had to pick up our bags and start all over again.  At 8:30pm we were allowed to check in for our flight and recheck our bags.  Another time through very tight security, etc. etc.  And you guessed it!  Right about midnight, our 11:30pm flight was cancelled--this time due to very bad weather and its aftermath in Dallas.  Dallas had experienced a microburst and much of the city had lost electricity and that included the DFW Airport for long enough to send all the flight schedules into chaos.  

 

American Airlines put us up in a very comfortable new hotel and we were at the hotel from 1:20am until 6am, then, back to the airport for more check in, baggage check, security, customs, etc. etc.  Instead of flying to Dallas, we were routed through Calgary, Alberta, Canada on West Jet (quite a fine airline from this experience) and then on to Dallas.  We did arrive home at around 7:30pm.  What a long two days of travel.  Fortunately for us, our house had electricity when we arrived home.  So many of our friends had lost electricity  due to the microburst and most were out of their homes for several days.  We felt grateful that we could stay in our home after being away for a month. 

 

I had never been to Calgary, Alberta, so I took a few photos from the air.  We also enjoyed listening to a young woman who was singing Canadian folk songs at the Calgary airport.  Think Joni Mitchell.  

Edited June 15, 2019 by SLSD

[markham]

SLSD,

 

I was pleased to meet you and your husband at the start of your cruise and to follow your commentaries on CC. And I am very sorry to hear about your delays with airlines and these cancellations! Who needs that? And we seem to be suffering more of them recently.

 

When you have the chance please do write up your impressions of the cruise and also the aspects you especially enjoyed on Sojourn relative to the Encore class (bigger capacity) ships. The last time we chatted about this was during the caviar, vodka and Nicky Fooey party on deck 6 while we were Hubbard glacier viewing etc a few of days before we all disembarked in Vancouver.

 

I am sure we will see each other on another Seabourn cruise. On our side we will next be on Silversea Cloud, a 200 passenger sorta expeditions ship, in 2 months for its 2019-unique cruise to Greenland and northern Canada. I will post my impressions in due course.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[SLSD]

Review of our cruise on Sojourn--Kobe to Vancouver--May/June 2019

 

I first want to say that my opinions are my own and are subjective.  I don't claim to be an average Seabourn passenger and have my own point of view.  To provide some context, I'm 67 years old and my traveling companion was my husband of 43 years, who is 68 years old.  My husband is a retired lawyer and I am homemaker (not retired!).  I am a former history teacher and have a master's degree in history.  This was our third Seabourn cruise  in the last two years (or fourth, if you want to count that last year's Baltic cruise was a back to back--14 days, followed by 7 days). so--we obviously like Seabourn! Our only previous cruise was 15 years ago and on Silversea.  

 

Embarkation:  Embarkation was in Kobe, Japan and went smoothly.  While the agents checking us in struggled a bit with English, they got the job done and we were on board at 12 noon sharp, enjoying lunch a few minutes later.

 

Our suite:  Our suite was an OB and we were given 621.  We really liked this location as it was midship, toward the bow, not far from the Grand Salon and just around the corner from the elevators.  We heard no noise at all from the elevators.  From 621, we could get anywhere on the ship very quickly.  Our room was fresh and in excellent condition.  There were no stains on anything, everything was very clean--it could not have been better. 

 

Our stewardess:  Our stewardess was Tracey from South Africa.  Tracey was wonderful.  We are not demanding passengers.  She was always asking if there was anything we needed.  Our room was always made up perfectly.  Tracey is either on her first contract or a very early contract and is doing a fabulous job.

 

crew service on this cruise:  The service on this cruise was excellent.  With one exception (noted later), every crew member seemed intent on making sure that we did not wait for service and that the service was good.  This included the MDR, the Colonnade, the Patio, the Observation Lounge, drinks in the Grand Salon, etc.  This probably was the best service we have experienced on a SB ship.  There was one totally incompetent waiter in the MDR.  We encountered him two times at breakfast in the MDR.  We avoided him at all costs afterwards.  No need to dwell on it and it was reported (due to incompetence together with a bad attitude).  There were quite a few crew members we enjoyed:  Vikcosin (sp), Jean-Jacque, Trudy, Edgar, Simba and so many others whose names I do not recall now.  

 

cruise director:  We had two cruise directors on this itinerary.  Ross was the first and of course he was excellent.  I have to admit that his campy humor caught me aback at first, but he quickly grew on me and we were so sad to see him disembark in Kodiak.  Jim Cannon came on board.  We met him  first on a previous SB cruise and knew he was very competent and hardworking.  Not the superstar in terms of personality and entertainment that Ross is, but a real delight.  Here's a story about Jim Cannon.  On one of the last days of the cruise, my husband and I  had gone into the Observation Lounge for a pre dinner cocktail.  After a few minutes, my husband decided to go out on deck to take a photo of something he saw. Jim Cannon came into the room, saw me sitting alone and immediately sat down in the chair beside me to talk.  I think he thought I was all alone and wanted to provide some company.  We had a very good chat.  He wanted to know what we thought about SB, Sojourn and this cruise in particular.  I learned a bit about his background and enjoyed talking with him.  When my husband returned, he enjoyed Jim as well.  By the way, Jim is a "floater".  He swoops in as CD when needed--a few days here and there.  He and his wife were cruise ship entertainers early in their careers and own two galleries now.  

 

executive chef:  Chef Lindsay was excellent and visible in the MDR and really all around the ship.  We were told that he would be leaving the ship (at Kodiak?).  We were told this at one of the cooking demonstrations/cook offs and were introduced to the new executive chef, Ross.  We were told that Lindsay would overlap with Ross for a few days and then would be leaving.  That is not what happened.  Lindsay remained for the rest of our trip to Vancouver.  I don't know what happened to Ross.  We found the food on this cruise to be quite good.  We ate mainly in the MDR and on the Patio for some lunches, weather permitting.  We did not go to the Colonnade for a single lunch after the first day, mainly because we do not care for buffets.  In retrospect, we probably should have gone to the Colonnade for some lunches as we would have enjoyed more salad and raw veggies.  I do get a little weary of "fancy food" and would love to see a "spa" entree on the MDR menu everyday.  While our one dinner in the Colonnade (ribs) was quite good, we don't care for the ambience---tables so close together and more noise.  Maybe we need to branch out and try the Colonnade more in the evening as well.  My advice to new SB cruisers---try all the venues--don't be like us and go to the MDR for most meals.  

 

 

To be continued....

Edited June 15, 2019 by SLSD

[SLSD]

14 minutes ago, markham said:

SLSD,

 

I was pleased to meet you and your husband at the start of your cruise and to follow your commentaries on CC. And I am very sorry to hear about your delays with airlines and these cancellations! Who needs that? And we seem to be suffering more of them recently.

 

When you have the chance please do write up your impressions of the cruise and also the aspects you especially enjoyed on Sojourn relative to the Encore class (bigger capacity) ships. The last time we chatted about this was during the caviar, vodka and Nicky Fooey party on deck 6 while we were Hubbard glacier viewing etc a few of days before we all disembarked in Vancouver.

 

I am sure we will see each other on another Seabourn cruise. On our side we will next be on Silversea Cloud, a 200 passenger sorta expeditions ship, in 2 months for its 2019-unique cruise to Greenland and northern Canada. I will post my impressions in due course.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

It was good to meet you Markham and we will look forward to seeing you again on another SB cruise.  And yes, I am going to give my impressions of Sojourn vs Encore/Ovation.  Have a wonderful time on your Silversea cruise.  I will look forward to your report and your comparisons with SB, if you are up for that.  

[frantic36]

SLSD I am sorry to hear you are unwell and hope you are back to full health soon. That would have been so difficult coping with flight cancellations while feeling sick. 

 

Thank you for your further updates and I look forward to hearing your comparison between the Odyssey Class and the Encore Class. 

 

Julie

[SLSD]

Continuing my view of Kobe to Vancouver May/June 2019

 

TK Grill:  The TK Grill on Sojourn is small and cozy.  We really liked the ambience.  And, the food was mostly quite good.  On this itinerary, we dined four times in the grill, trying the rib eye steak, the sole, lamb chops, a steak special, most of the sides, the giant prawns, clam chowder and the caesar salad.  We liked everything with the exception of the steak special (tough) and the caesar salad (not a classic caesar as it was prepared for us).  The service was very good in the grill.  I have to laugh about one thing.  Of course I've read all the reports of "snooty service" in the TK Grill here on Cruise Critics.  So, you can imagine my amusement when we  finally got to experience this.  It was the wine steward!  When I ordered the complimentary Clarandell, he turned up his nose a bit and told me that the ship was out of it.  I replied that the Rainstorm would be a fine substitution for me.  He said they might be out of it as well.  I replied that I was sure one of the other complimentary wines would be fine.  He brought me the Clarandell, telling me that it was the last bottle on the ship.  This experience did not bother me.  In fact, it was memorable enough to make me smile even now.  Yes, it would be unpleasant if every waiter on the ship had been like this one---but they were not.  

 

The TK Grill is a good restaurant, but it is not perfect.  On one evening, one of our dining companions ordered the Steak Diane.  She made it very clear that she does not eat rare meat and needed her steak to be at least medium if not more done than that.  It came VERY rare.  I am a rare meat eater and I thought it was even too rare for me.  

 

My favorite dish in the grill is the sole and my husband loves the lamb chops and ordered them for all but one of his dinners there.  He also loved the clam chowder and ordered it several times. 

 

What do I think of the TK Grill concept?  I think it is ok, but I wish they would change the menu from year to year.  I think it runs a risk of getting a bit stale.  I would love to see a good chopped salad like most US steak houses have---for example.  

 

I noted in a previous post that when the fact that there would not be a TK Grill on the new expedition ships was mentioned, people clapped.  It appears that the grill is not popular with everyone.  I did  always look forward to my meals there.  

 

Entertainment: 

 

I think the entertainment on this itinerary was generally good.  I especially appreciate the fact that SB flies in talent to augment the Seabourn singers/dancers.  In Japan, Japanese folk singers were brought in.  We loved that!  Other performers included a woman who impersonated famous women singers.  She was entertaining.  There was also a multi-intstrumentalist, a pianist, cello players, a former Las Vegas chanteuse, a magician, a ventriloquist, etc.  We did not see them all, but tried to go to the show most evenings.  9:45 is very late for us--especially with all the time changes.  The Seabourn singers were talented, but I didn't particularly like their productions.  SB uses a producer in the UK to create the programs for the Seabourn singers.  They are a bit overproduced and dated--for my taste.  I had not felt this way about the productions on prior SB cruises, but did this time.  I would rather have heard these singers sing their favorite songs.  And the ever changing colorful slides behind the stage get a bit old.  

 

Lectures:  Being the nerdy person I am, I loved the lectures!  In fact, the lectures saved me on days at sea. On this particular itinerary we had two former British diplomats, a retired NASA engineer, a naturalist, and several very knowledgable Ventures team members who were excellent speakers.  Good job Seabourn!

 

Ships excursions:  We took quite a number of ship excursions and enjoyed all of them.  My only complaint is that some of the groups were WAY too large.  Our first excursion had only 17 people and that was about right.  I think SB should limit excursions to 20 people each.  32 is just too many on a bus. 

 

Tea time:  We loved having tea most days at 4pm and especially enjoyed the special teas (French tea, Chocoholic tea).  

 

Other activities:  Due to the bad weather on this cruise, the number of outdoor planned ship activities was limited.  There was a sail away on the first night.  And, there was an enjoyable Deck 6 late morning champagne/caviar party at the Sawyer Glacier.  I really missed having a Rock the Deck Party and other events held in good weather.  

 

Other guests:  The guests on this itinerary were an older group than on our previous Seabourn cruises.  I would estimate that the average age was in the 70s.  There were even quite a number of guests in their 90s and many in their 80s.  I witnessed one terrible fall (a man aged 94) and worried a number of other times about frail guests when we were out on excursions.  Some of the guests on our canoeing expedition found the experience to be too much exertion and quite an ordeal.  (We loved it.) We met some wonderful people on this cruise.  In fact, our shipboard next-door neighbor is one of my favorite people ever.  I wish she was our everyday next-door neighbor.  At the same time, I found some of the guests to be less an gracious--especially the man who seemed to be mocking Buddhism in front of our guide in Japan. 

 

To be continued...

 

[SLSD]

We went into this cruise with our eyes wide open.  We KNEW that the weather could be bad, the seas could be rough, that there would be time changes across time zones and that there were many sea days.  Even so, I did not expect to find this cruise as challenging as I found it.  The combination of the number of days at sea, the bad weather, the seemingly constant loss of an hour a night across time zones, and the addition of rough seas took a toll on me.  I began to feel very antsy on the second sea day after the Kamchatka Peninsula.  At that point, the idea of sitting in Seabourn Square did not appeal to me and sitting in the relatively empty Observation Lounge during the day appealed only a bit more. On several days, the door to the decks were roped shut with red "high wind" signs. I became a bit cranky. The ship felt crowded to me.  I felt a bit claustrophobic.   I finally figured out that I was happier just staying in our nice suite in between activities I wanted to attend. I took naps in the afternoon.  I used to wonder why cruise passengers were so interested in what was available on their suite's TV.  Now, I understand.  

 

I don't remember now how many time zones we crossed, but do remember that we lost an hour on each of those nights.  I'm a happy morning person, but found myself unable to get up early to enjoy tea  in the Observation Lounge as I have done on other cruises.  I still tried to get up early enough to make it to 9:45 am lectures, but probably should have tried sleeping until mid morning like many others did.  That would not have made me happy either though as I would have hated missing some very good lectures.  So--I struggled.  

 

As our captain Hamish Elliot told us, not many can say they have crossed the Bering Sea by ship!  

 

We took this itinerary to see if we liked having many sea days in a cruise.  The answer is no--especially if they are combined with the other issues discussed above.  

 

On the other hand, this itinerary was a wonderful opportunity to experience three distinct cultures in one trip--Japan, the isolated Kamchatka Peninsula, and Alaska.  We are very grateful that we were able to see all the places we saw and we enjoyed every port.  

 

Seabourn did everything right (except for the abysmal wifi).  The captain was wonderful (he of his own volition asked headquarters for permission to add Juneau as a part), the crew was great, the food was quite good, the ports and excursions were enjoyable.  I have as many happy memories from this cruise as I do from the previous two.  Will I be taking another repositioning cruise?  Probably not---at least not one that travels west to east.  

 

In my next post, I will talk about Sojourn vs Encore/Ovation from my particular point of view.  

Edited June 15, 2019 by SLSD

[SLSD]

This was our first trip on one of the O class ships, after sailing on both Encore and Ovation.  Our first impression of Sojourn upon embarkation was that the ship was dated compared to the newer ships.  We noticed some deferred maintenance right off the bat (rusted areas, worn railing and decks, etc).  While this was a first impression, we quickly became acclimated and came to appreciate this wonderful ship. 

 

Several people have asked me to give my own impressions of Sojourn vs. Encore/Ovation--so I will attempt to do that. 

 

Our suite seemed much the same on Sojourn as our suites on Encore/Ovation.  Some people have said that the suites on Sojourn/Ovation are longer and a bit narrower.  I don't know if that is correct or not.  I did not perceive that difference.  The bathrooms seemed much the same.  The decor in the Encore/Ovation suites is a bit more colorful with the use of a bit of blue.  I do like the small leather/hassock table in suites of the larger ships.  

 

One of the biggest differences (at least to me) between the two classes of ships is the feeling of the Observation Lounge.  The large ships have a high ceiling above the bar with a window at the top which lets in sunlight.  In this opening is a fun swirl of glass fish which gives the whole Observation Lounge a light airy feeling.  By contrast, the low ceilinged Observation Lounge on the Sojourn seemed dated and drab.  I DID really like the horizontal glass sculptures in OB Lounge of Sojourn.  The upholstered furniture on Encore/Ovation is also more attractive in terms of fabrics used.  The whole room is more attractive. 

 

I think the MDR on Sojourn is more elegant than the MDRs on Encore/Ovation.  The dining room on Sojourn has a very high ceiling in the center and glass panels with light behind them which create an elegant ambience.  I remember the first time I was in the MDR of Encore and remarked that the ceiling was low and was plastic!  So--the newer ships fell down when it came to the design of the MDR.  The MDR on Sojourn is also larger--and was never totally filled. Some have complained that occasionally the MDR on the larger ships fills up.  

 

The TK Grill on the larger ships is quite large! It has a totally different ambience from the small TK Grill on Sojourn.  I enjoyed the coziness of the TK Grill on Sojourn and the ability to look outside and see the ocean while dining---not something you can do on the larger ships as there is a darkened deck beyond the grill. 

 

I DID really miss the TK Grill Bar on Sojourn.  When we sailed on Ovation/Encore, we had our pre-dinner drink every night in the TK Grill Bar and enjoyed listening to the singer/pianist there.  For me, this is a significant difference between the two classes of ships, with the win on this one going to Encore/Ovation.  

 

The Club is more attractively arranged on Sojourn than on the larger ships.  I like the fact that the bar is separate with glass panels creating two areas in the club.  Since we never went to the club at night on Encore/Ovation, I can't really comment on how the Club actually performed there at night.  I do like the fact that the Casino is less obvious on Sojourn.  I found it a bit garish on the larger ships as it seems closer to the Club and more open.  

 

The Colonnade is much larger on  Encore/Ovation.  And there seemed to be more food offerings both at breakfast and at lunch on the larger ships.  (Note---we walked through the Colonnade on Sojourn even though we only dined there once at lunch and once at dinner).  The dining deck outside the Colonnade is larger on Encore/Ovation AND there is a lower deck (one deck down) also available for dining.  This deck also has a small breakfast buffet in the mornings which my husband especially liked.  He noted that the breakfast offerings on Sojourn were not as complete as he had seen/enjoyed on the larger ships.  

 

Service:  The service was quite good on Sojourn.  That is not to say that we experienced bad service on the larger ships.  It WAS a bit better on Sojourn.  Was it because of better ratio of crew to guests?  I'm not sure.  Someone probably knows the answer.  

 

Grand Salon--appears to be the same on the ships---same obstructing columns 

 

Pool Deck--since we took a cold weather cruise (with quite a bit of rain), it was hard to assess the pool area except for dining.  I did like the fact that Encore/Ovation have more tables set up on the pool deck.  Of course I am not a sunbather/swimmer, so I would not notice a shortage of sun lounges as I studiously stay out of the sun.  The pool deck looked a bit forlorn on Sojourn--hard to say why that is.  Bad weather?  Worn areas?  I don't know. 

 

Schedules--Since I am an early morning person, I am also an earlier to bed person (usually).  Dinner for us on Ovation/Encore was around 6pm with the show in the Grand Salon at 8pm.  That worked well for us.  While I don't mind dining at 7pm or even 7:30pm at all, attending a show at 9:45 was very hard on us and we sometimes skipped a show we wanted to see because we were so tired.  

 

Crowdedness---I don't think I can really give a valid comparison here because our Sojourn cruise had such bad weather that we were often confined indoors.  Sojourn felt very crowded to me, but it could have been me experiencing claustrophobia.  I never felt crowded at all on Encore/Ovation.  Once again, we are not sun bathers so I can't really comment on the pool deck except for dining.  

 

Art--Encore/Ovation have some interesting art.  We are not talking fine art here, just interesting art and sculpture.  I didn't find the art on Sojourn to be as interesting.  

 

Sense of Luxury--I had a conversation with Markham while onboard Sojourn about Sojourn vs. Encore/Ovation in terms of the sense of luxury onboard.  I've spent some time thinking about that and trying to see a difference between the two.  Perhaps a slightly smaller ship with fewer passengers seems more luxurious.  I can almost see that.  Perhaps a smaller Observation Lounge with a lower cozier ceiling has a different feeling that lends itself to a feeling of luxury.  It is possible, but, in my view, so subjective and subtle that each person might have a different view.  For me, it's not a case of being able to say,  Yes---Sojourn feels more luxurious than the larger ships.  Perhaps slightly better service lends a feeling of luxury. Then again we did not have bad service at all on the larger ships.  But, there could be a difference here. 

 

 

Seabourn Square--Seabourn Square on the newer ships is much more open and therefore seems larger and airier. The coffee bar seems to be about the same size.  

 

The bottom line is that we liked both kinds of  ships---the O Class Sojourn and the Encore/Ovation.  We would be happy to sail on either again.  But, because of the the ship schedules (two times for evening shows) , the TK Bar, the prettier, more open Observation Bar and newness and freshness of the new ships,  if both ships were sailing at the same time, same itinerary, we would probably choose Encore/Ovation.