LIVE From the Seabourn Encore with PHOTOs, Sydney-Sydney 3/8-3/22/20

[jozi]

2 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

Kowhairbob, I don’t think I saw Miguel on the ship, but good to know for the future ( assuming there will be one)!
 

AMediator, I hope your parents make it home o.k.

SB Flight-ease rebooked our flights back to U.S. at what looked like good times, ( leaving the Adelaide airport early afternoon) and we were finally set up to use the SB group transport to the airport at 9 ( there was a long line and confusion at SB Square and on the guest services line, on multiple fronts,  we received a lot of misinformation). But when I looked online to check in with Qantas and get seats  I saw the airline had meanwhile cancelled those rebooked flights and rerouted us, such that we needed to be at the Adelaide airport for a flight before 10 am!  SB did not tell us, so the ship still sent a disembarkation notice as if we would be on the 9am bus and our flights were on — though cancelled and we had to be there much earlier! So I am glad I saw it on my own before going to bed and oversleeping the flight.
We are sitting at the Adelaide airport now, the TV screen showing video of Kangaroo Island, which is sadly all we will see of it in the near future.

 

We will be flying to Brisbane and then have an eight hour layover before our long flight to the U.S., not great after getting up at 5am,  but at least we will get home ( hopefully) before airline travel is totally shut down.

 

Not many people are at the airport, and only  a few are in masks.

 

 

Safe travels!

[florisdekort]

We disembarked with luggage, cleared customs (weird for a domestic cruise) and re-boarded to wait on Encore until our pick up at 1:15 pm. The Captain just announced to the crew that the ship is departing to Perth - without guests - at 4 pm.

 

Floris 

[naata]

Have a safe trip home to the US and other parts of the world.

I have been sorry to hear of the problems with your cruise around Australia, perhaps you can all return one day to enjoy out country and also welcome you all here!.   

[Catlover54]

5 hours ago, Paulchili said:

Is it on the recently opened Qantas route BNE - SFO? If so, that was the flight we were to take from SFO to SYD (via BNE) to board your 3/8 cruise before we cancelled.

Safe travels home.

Paulchili, yes we are rebooked on the BNE-SFO flight tonight and are sitting in the lounge for a long, long layover.  The BNE lounge in the international terminal is lovely, with about as many wonderful staff as total pax and lunch  food, drinks, showers available. One of the servers said they were told they still have a paid job until the end of March.

 

I have never seen an airport terminal so empty, though likely more people will come later for one of the handful of international flights going out not full. Qantas has cancelled 75% of its international flights. It feels a bit surreal here.

 

After we had disembarked from Adelaide we were routed through a duty-free area.  No one was doing anything productive there, though there were a  few staff standing around. Perhaps it would actually not be a bad place to spend an apocalypse, e.g., in the sections  with the Australian wines, in case our flight gets cancelled again.  But I would rather get home, even though our county health department has issued a “shelter in place” command for “non-essential” functions.

 

The luggage store was also having a 50% off sale, I wonder why.🙄

 

Here is the deserted Qantas check-in area,  and some of the equally deserted shops and general sitting area.  
 

I have not yet decided what to do about SB’s compensation offer of 175% for a future cruise credit, and have been reviewing the other thread discussing how SB handled things  on other SB cruises, compared with the customer service on other cruise lines.  
Overall, I found  the Encore to be a decent ship, with hard-working though sometimes misguided crew, but I am pretty sure I prefer the smaller ships.
 

 

[florisdekort]

5 minutes ago, Catlover54 said:

I have not yet decided what to do about SB’s compensation offer of 175% for a future cruise credit, and have been reviewing the other thread discussing how SB handled things  on other SB cruises, compared with the customer service on other cruise lines.  

For completeness, it was either... 

- a 100% refund for 6 out of 14 days plus a future cruise certificate of 50% of that amount

- a 175% future cruise certificate for 6 out of 14 days 

Floris 

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, Catlover54 said:

I have not yet decided what to do about SB’s compensation offer of 175% for a future cruise credit,

Thank you for the updates - safe travels home.

We are under an order to shelter in place effective in 15 minutes - it's a necessary evil.

PS - We have been sheltering in place already for at least a week or more and will continue to do so.

Edited March 17, 2020 by Paulchili

[Thecat123]

We have just got home mainly thanks to having Seabourn Air as they organized the new flights for us

I felt sorry for all the crew who were getting all the flack blaming Seabourn for every thing going wrong and still smiling.  Now if the captain had run the Encore onto rocks then I would be blaming Seabourn but as for everything else Seabourn has had no control over anything as things were changing minute by minute

Edited March 17, 2020 by Thecat123

[fdnycruiser]

Welcome home ! Happy you made it . Sad to hear of the crew getting all of that flack  for things beyond their control. Especially when you consider that they’re most likely worried about their health, families and their jobs ! 

[tinkky]

What a wonderful visual storyteller you are Catlover54 ,I have loved the photos and the comments. I am an Encore /Ovation and would have been on this ship had I not had flights booked to USA to join the Manaus cruise which did not eventuate.

Edited March 22, 2020 by tinkky

[PSahoy]

I was on this cruise and thank you CatLover for describing the trip as accurately and entertainingly as you did. Pics are great. I want to say that despite the inconveniences in itinerary and CV 19 hanging over our heads both the passengers and crew were fun, courteous and thoughtful. The staff in Guest Services must be acknowledged for being unfailingly efficient and gracious on that, for them, harrowing last day.I felt like I was in a protected bubble and what we did get to see on shore was eye popping. My friends and family had urged me to cancel before I left and I’m so glad I didn’t. Best wishes to all on CC during these challenging days.

[whystayhome]

I called Seabourn today to inform them that my cabin mate and I were electing to take the cash refund.  I was told we were supposed to elect which option we wanted WHILE WE WERE STILL ON BOARD.  I am putting my travel agent on this tomorrow.  And deciding what to do about the two other Seabourn cruises I have booked in the next 6 months.

 

Linda

[Thecat123]

13 minutes ago, whystayhome said:

I called Seabourn today to inform them that my cabin mate and I were electing to take the cash refund.  I was told we were supposed to elect which option we wanted WHILE WE WERE STILL ON BOARD.  I am putting my travel agent on this tomorrow.  And deciding what to do about the two other Seabourn cruises I have booked in the next 6 months.

 

Linda

 

Linda would you like to pass on any information you get as we also had no idea we were meant to pick one of the options while on board

[PSahoy]

Ditto. I am checking in with my agent about this too. Will advise what I learn. Seabourn’s messaging is at best inconsistent.

[Catlover54]

23 minutes ago, whystayhome said:

I called Seabourn today to inform them that my cabin mate and I were electing to take the cash refund.  I was told we were supposed to elect which option we wanted WHILE WE WERE STILL ON BOARD.  I am putting my travel agent on this tomorrow.  And deciding what to do about the two other Seabourn cruises I have booked in the next 6 months.

 

Linda

So are they trying to claim that if you did not say what you wanted on board you get neither a refund nor FCC, or was it just an expression of annoyance that you were a naughty girl??  To provide no compensation at all would be quite ballsy.  

I received no notice of this on board that I recall.  With all the lines in SB Square the night before the cruise , you would think they would be happy pax put off haggling about the compensation until later.

One of the ladies ( more like a young girl) at SB Square provided us so much glaring misinformation at first ( until I insisted on a supervisor), even though we had SB Flight-ease, that I would not be surprised if someone similarly poorly trained is assigned to woman the refund desk in Seattle.

I will inform my travel agent too and will pass on any info obtained.

 

[PSahoy]

Plus there's nothing in the letter Seabourn provided passengers with any deadline except if you elect FCC you need to do so by 12/31/21.

[Thecat123]

Thinking about this I talked to the Future Cruise guy, know him from past cruises, briefly about this situation after we had received the letter asking how it worked. He just said Seabourn want everybody to sail with them again so Seabourn would work with us in the future. No mention about having to do anything there at the time of which was the reason I asked

[whystayhome]

There was no indication that if we hadn’t decided on board, we would not get a refund.  I think the person I spoke with was just clueless.  I told her I didn’t appreciate being jerked around and she used her active listening skills’ training:  “why would you think we would jerk you around?”  Duh... she talked to someone else and came back and said there was no one from the refund team in the office over the weekend and my TA would have to handle this during the week.  When I hear back from my TA, I’ll post the outcome. 
 

linda

 

[Catlover54]

My TA got back to me today with the following update:

 

”

I called Seabourn this morning- res cannot help and have no clue.

 

I called Guest Relations- but you can’t talk to anyone- only by email.

 

So I’ll email them- but have patience- I mentioned to you that I had other clients for South America- that wanted help and it’s been 2 weeks and no response yet.  I know they are overwhelmed- but a simple response- “we’re working on it would be nice”.

 

We have a new Seabourn Rep- so I’ll copy her on the my email to Guest Relations and see if she’ll help. . . . “
 

Is there someone on this thread who could take a picture of the generic letter they got from this cruise outlining the on-board declared compensation options and post it here ( of course with any personal data deleted) ? I cannot seem to find my copy and am working from my memory of it, would like to copy it and show it to my TA.

 

Thanks!

[Thecat123]

Catlover try this a bit folded up though

If the photos arent any good I might be able to try scanning them, bit of a mission though but can try.

Still got 8 days before we can leave the house😀

Edited March 23, 2020 by Thecat123

[Catlover54]

Thank you, Thecat123!  Latest update from my TA is that after she sent the allegedly requisite email to SB, she received a generic computer reply that it would be answered in 14-28 days.

So I guess we just have to sit tight without refund initiation until Seattle SB gets set up for employees to work from home.

[whystayhome]

My travel agent is waiting for a call from a "supervisor."  I am emailing Mr. Meadows. Last time there was a problem, I emailed him and a hysterical-sounding subordinate called me the next day.  I'll let you know if I get a response.

 

Linda

[Catlover54]

My TA reports she has been both emailing and calling weekly, to stay on SB  radar, and has not received replies.

[whystayhome]

I finally went  a level above my TA and after several phone calls, this agent was able to reach a live body at Seabourn who told him my request for a cash refund was noted and they hoped to process the request, return the money  and note my account for the FCC within 60 days.  The Seabourn agent stated they hoped to settle the matter in fewer than 60 days, but no promises are being made at this time.

 

Linda

[SLSD]

To me, this sounds like an organization which is very short of cash at the moment.  

[Paulchili]

On 4/12/2020 at 7:06 AM, whystayhome said:

I finally went  a level above my TA and after several phone calls, this agent was able to reach a live body at Seabourn who told him my request for a cash refund was noted and they hoped to process the request, return the money

I've heard this very thing a few weeks ago - was told my refund (taxes) will be processed ASAP - still nothing