Planning for one last Antarctica cruise on the Quest

[Ken the cruiser]

Here's a few more questions from us SB newbies. First, we're getting ready to apply for our Shareholder Benefits OBC? Will we be able to see it in our online account once it's been approved or will we just receive an updated confirmation? In addition, can we use OBC applied to our account to pre-book excursions and other onboard services like you can on Princess? And last, does Seabourn offer any perks if you are retired from the military? As always, any thoughts will be appreciated.

[zelker]

It's way too early to have them apply shareholder benefits - you'll need to wait until closer to final payment and submit a current copy of your account showing ownership.  It gets submitted through the World Cruise desk's email and they should reply that it's been applied.  I just keep a copy of that when we sail, just in case there's an issue.  I don't think Seabourn has changed to allow prebooking using OBC BUT what they have done in the past is go to Guest Services once onboard and tell them you want to use OBC and ask them to refund what you previously paid with your credit card - we've never had an issue doing that.  No military discounts.

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, zelker said:

It's way too early to have them apply shareholder benefits - you'll need to wait until closer to final payment and submit a current copy of your account showing ownership.  It gets submitted through the World Cruise desk's email and they should reply that it's been applied.  I just keep a copy of that when we sail, just in case there's an issue.  I don't think Seabourn has changed to allow prebooking using OBC BUT what they have done in the past is go to Guest Services once onboard and tell them you want to use OBC and ask them to refund what you previously paid with your credit card - we've never had an issue doing that.  No military discounts.

Thanks! We'll try your excursion recommendation once onboard. Our SB PCC said Friday to email him the Shareholder Benefits info, minus any personal account into, and he'll submit it for us to the applicable folks. We plan on doing that tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see what happens. I had heard there were no military perks, but just wanted to confirm that. Thanks again!

[MightyQuinn]

17 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Our SB PCC said Friday to email him the Shareholder Benefits info, minus any personal account into, and he'll submit it for us to the applicable folks. We plan on doing that tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

 

I agree with zelker re: timing and process for shareholder OBC. 

As you may know, the OBC benefit on any CCL cruise brand is renewed annually at the shareholder's meeting.  It's currently applicable on sailings through July 31, 2021 so your Dec 20, 2021 voyage wouldn't qualify.  Maybe your PCC plans to register your application as a placeholder.  AFAIK the OBC benefit has always been renewed but shareholders may not be in a generous mood next year given the huge drop in share value over the recent months. 

https://www.carnivalcorp.com/static-files/50351a91-4dc0-4f6b-bfec-684647e6129f

You'll be able to see the shareholder OBC on your account as long as it's credited while your booking is still with Seabourn.  Once it's transferred to a TA, you will no longer be able to see it and your TA will need to check when it's applied.

[Ken the cruiser]

27 minutes ago, MightyQuinn said:

As you may know, the OBC benefit on any CCL cruise brand is renewed annually at the shareholder's meeting.  It's currently applicable on sailings through July 31, 2021 so your Dec 20, 2021 voyage wouldn't qualify. 

We usually book our cruises when they first come out, sometimes 24-30 months out. Over the past two years we have sent SHB requests to Princess for those cruises we booked early on and they were approved within 48 hours. However, 3-4 years ago that wasn't the case with Princess. You had to submit it within 3 months I believe from the sail date, no exceptions.

 

But, this is our first time with SB, so both of you are probably right. In any event, my DW just sent our SHB request to our SB PCC, so we'll see what happens.

[Ken the cruiser]

We saw this on our confirmation and were wondering if this "Savings" is associated with paying for the cruise in full before the final payment due date as we saw no reference to it in the Pricing Breakdown section?

 

10% Early Bonus Savings

 

If it is associated with paying the cruise off early, does anyone know how far ahead from the sail date one must PIF for the 10% to take effect?

Edited September 15, 2020 by Ken the cruiser

[Isklaar]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We saw this on our confirmation and were wondering if this "Savings" is associated with paying for the cruise in full before the final payment due date as we saw no reference to it in the Pricing Breakdown section?

 

10% Early Bonus Savings

 

If it is associated with paying the cruise off early, does anyone know how far ahead from the sail date one must PIF for the 10% to take effect?

 

Deleted - different promotion in UK!

 

In this case it may apply to early booking and early full payment on booking - a way for SB to get some funds during this time!

Edited September 15, 2020 by Isklaar

[Ken the cruiser]

5 minutes ago, Isklaar said:

 

Deleted - different promotion in UK!

 

In this case it may apply to early booking and early full payment on booking - a way for SB to get some funds during this time!

My DW just found out the details from reading a recent SB brochure and our SB PCC just confirmed it. Basically, we can get 10% off the base cruise fare if we pay in full by Sep 30, 2020. For us that works out to be over $4,400, which we are definitely considering doing. 

[Ken the cruiser]

On 9/14/2020 at 4:18 PM, MightyQuinn said:

 

I agree with zelker re: timing and process for shareholder OBC. 

As you may know, the OBC benefit on any CCL cruise brand is renewed annually at the shareholder's meeting.  It's currently applicable on sailings through July 31, 2021 so your Dec 20, 2021 voyage wouldn't qualify.  Maybe your PCC plans to register your application as a placeholder.  AFAIK the OBC benefit has always been renewed but shareholders may not be in a generous mood next year given the huge drop in share value over the recent months. 

https://www.carnivalcorp.com/static-files/50351a91-4dc0-4f6b-bfec-684647e6129f

You'll be able to see the shareholder OBC on your account as long as it's credited while your booking is still with Seabourn.  Once it's transferred to a TA, you will no longer be able to see it and your TA will need to check when it's applied.

Just heard back from our SB PCC after forwarding him the SHB request yesterday, and the $250 OBC perk was posted to our account earlier today. So apparently their submission rules have changed. Just thought you'd like to know.

[MightyQuinn]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Just heard back from our SB PCC after forwarding him the SHB request yesterday, and the $250 OBC perk was posted to our account earlier today.

 

Well done.

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, MightyQuinn said:

 

Well done.

Thanks! But I understand. It seems like the rules to apply for the SHBs of the various Carnival cruise lines changes every year. It was just the other day Princess now allows you to submit them via email, even though the Carnival SHB web page makes no mention of it. Another example is the reference @zelker made in post 52 suggesting you could send a SB SHB request to the World Cruise desk's email; although I don't remember that email address being listed on the Carnival SHB site. If that is true, anyone know what that email address is?

Edited September 16, 2020 by Ken the cruiser

[zelker]

The more I thought about it last night, I may be confusing Seabourn with HAL, which for sure has a World Cruise desk email address and is who I've submitted it to.  To transfer bookings from Seabourn to a TA, I use guestservices@seabourn.com which may be where I've submitted proof of stock ownership OR I've had our TA submit it for us.  In any case, if you've already submitted it to your PCC, no need to submit it to anyone else.  

[Ken the cruiser]

5 minutes ago, zelker said:

The more I thought about it last night, I may be confusing Seabourn with HAL, which for sure has a World Cruise desk email address and is who I've submitted it to.  To transfer bookings from Seabourn to a TA, I use guestservices@seabourn.com which may be where I've submitted proof of stock ownership OR I've had our TA submit it for us.  In any case, if you've already submitted it to your PCC, no need to submit it to anyone else.  

Regarding HAL's SHB request options, that's good to know as they don't advertise that email option anywhere we have been able to find. For future reference, do you by chance know what that email address is?

[zelker]

This is where I send the form to transfer HAL cruises to our TA and have also submitted proof of stock ownership - World_Cruise_Reservations@hollandamerica.com

 

Of course in today's world, procedures can be different than they were pre-COVID so I'd always check with the cruise lines to confirm current procedure.  

Edited September 16, 2020 by zelker

[Ken the cruiser]

9 minutes ago, zelker said:

This is where I send the form to transfer HAL cruises to our TA and have also submitted proof of stock ownership - World_Cruise_Reservations@hollandamerica.com

 

Of course in today's world, procedures can be different than they were pre-COVID so I'd always check with the cruise lines to confirm current procedure.  

Will do. Thanks!!

[ColonyGirl2]

Hello All,

We were so very lucky to take the 22 day Antarctica cruise from Santiago to BA on the Zaandam this past January.  It was a wonderful trip and I immediately knew I wanted to go back.  I have been researching expedition cruise lines that go ashore, for Jan/Feb 2022.  I want to include South Georgia and the longer the better.  The 22 day Zaandam was our first long cruise and even though I was apprehensive about the length, it turned out to be wonderful.

So I have narrowed it down to a 29 day (back to back) cruise from Ushuaia to BA on the Silversea Silver Wind or a 45 day Quest trip, Santiago to BA via S Georgia and then a back to back to Rio and the Amazon.  Both leave around Feb 20, 2022.  That is late in the season and both ships are big for expedition ships, meaning less time ashore, but the prices are actually better then some of the more "rustic" expeditions. They both sound amazing to me. and I am definitely experiencing travel deprivation right now.  I need something to look forward to!

I would appreciate opinions on these two companies as we haven't used either before.

 

We have cruised Holland a few times and both Viking River and Viking Ocean each once.  All of our cruises have been amazing. 

So correct me if I am wrong.  Seabourn should be more like Viking with alcohol and excursions included.  Gratuities are not expected?  We will have zodiac landings but can one also do kayaks with Seabourn?  Are the best excursions extra cost like on Viking?

Also does anyone have concerns or information about the Polar Code being enforced in 2022?  Venture is being built to meet it, but will Quest be able to go below 60 degrees South?  I would like to hear anyone's news on this, as I don't want to book with Seabourn and then find out we will be pass by Antarctica.  

Thanks for any info or opinions.

 

 

 

 

 

[scottjeanne]

Seabourn is all inclusive, meaning tips and gratuities.  Shore excursions are extra (for South America).  The zodiac excursions are included.  Kayaking is available at an extra cost ($195 if I remember correctly). We are booked on the February 24, 2020 for 24 days (still working-cannot squeeze out any more time).

[Ken the cruiser]

13 hours ago, ColonyGirl2 said:

Also does anyone have concerns or information about the Polar Code being enforced in 2022?  Venture is being built to meet it, but will Quest be able to go below 60 degrees South?  I would like to hear anyone's news on this, as I don't want to book with Seabourn and then find out we will be pass by Antarctica.  

Thanks for any info or opinions.

When I asked our SB PCC about the Quest and the Polar Code, he said the Quest has a certified Polar Ice Class 6 hull. As to the other Polar requirements, I don't know. 

[zelker]

As long as ice and weather aren’t an issue, Quest goes below 60 but unlikely it will cross the Antarctic Circle @ 66* South.  The closest we got was Neko Harbor at 64*50’00”. We made landfall every day on the December/January cruise, including landing on the continent so not just the peninsula islands, AND the crossing was so smooth and quick that we actually got 7 days instead of 6 down there before we moved on to South Georgia Islands where we spent 2 1/2 days.

Edited September 22, 2020 by zelker

[zelker]

A few to whet your whistle ... btw, the top one was taken at almost midnight.  😊

Edited September 22, 2020 by zelker

[FlyingScotSailors]

Hello ColonyGirl2.

 

We have cruised with the Seabourn Ventures team on the Seabourn Quest to Antarctica and the Falklands (BA to San Antonio), the Seabourn Sojourn to Alaska twice, and the Seabourn Encore around New Zealand.  We have recently cruised on the Silversea Silver Galapagos (to the Galapagos Islands) and the Silver Cloud from Ushuaia to the Falklands, South Georgia, Tristan de Cuna, and Cape Town, SA in March 2020.

To cut to the bottom line first, we have the first of what hope to be many more Seabourn cruises booked for January 2022, and we will never sail on Silversea again!

The positives for Silversea were the smaller size of the ship, with only 170 passengers on the Cloud, which allow two excursions a day.  We chose the cruise based on the itinerary, with two days in the Falklands with visits to three islands, and six excursions over our three days in South Georgia.  South Georgia lived up the raves we had heard (from the naturalists on Seabourn).

However, the naturalists on Seabourn were at least as knowledgeable as those on Silversea, and were much more personable, approachable, were genuinely interested in interacting with guests.

In Antarctica, we were limited to one excursion a day, but found, for us, that was sufficiently tiring.  An afternoon in the hot tub with a glass (glasses?) of Champagne or a cocktail while watching the scenery did not make us regret not having a second landing.

We find the food on Seabourn much superior to that of Silversea in terms of variety, both of venues and choice of dishes, and in preparation.  We always meet with the Chef at the start of a cruise to discuss our dietary needs (mostly low sodium and lots of flavor).  We have been easily accommodated on Seabourn.  On Silversea, most of the time we were accommodated, but on the last night, with the main dining room closed, the chef  saw us in the restaurant that was open (italian) and said “you are not going to find anything here you can eat”.  He did not offer any alternative and he was correct; the food was inedible!

Most importantly, when we learned our flight home from South Africa booked through Silversea had been cancelled due to the pandemic, guest relations responded to our inquiry by saying the company had more important people to handle first, and that guest relations “was under a lot of stress too”.  Without going into great detail, Silversea arranged non-optimal flights for us, and then made it clear that once we were off the ship, they could not care less what happened to us.

Seabourn suites are better than Silversea, and most importantly, Seabourn officers and crew are happy to be on board and to have the guests on board too.  When we get to the ship at the start of a cruise, and various crew members say “welcome home”, it feels true and not just a gimmicky slogan.  It is also pretty cool to be walking among penguins and have a passing crew member say “hello Mr. and Mrs. S……..”  We know the crew studies the guests photos, but it is still pretty amazing to be called by name by someone you are sure you have never met.

[ColonyGirl2]

Thank you so much for the information @FlyingScotSailors.   I have been leaning toward Seabourn for a couple of reasons and I think you have put it over the top.  I had looked at true "expedition" ships like with Quark and Hurtigruten, which promise at least two landings per day, but like you, I decided one would be enough and when we get out of quarantine I am going to need to be pampered---a lot.  The hot tub and wine sound wonderful.

Now I just need to convince DH that the cost/time is worth it. Most of our big trips are about 3 weeks and our longest cruise was the 22 day Antarctica on HAL, so a 45 day cruise is ambitious for us.   

 

Hopefully things will be back to "normal" by 2022.   We just had United cancel our flight to New Zealand for March 2021.   I was surprised that they are looking that far ahead and deciding it wasn't going to happen.   I am waiting for HAL to cancel our January Panama Canal cruise. Final payment is due in 3 weeks.

 

Anyone have any comments on spending 45 days on a cruise ship?  

[zelker]

38 minutes ago, ColonyGirl2 said:

Anyone have any comments on spending 45 days on a cruise ship?  

 

We did our longest cruise to date last fall, 40 days on HAL, Vancouver to Auckland and loved it enough that we’re booked on a 45 day cruise, round trip San Diego through the South Pacific, also on HAL, in the fall of 2021.  

 

Curious if you’ve researched how hard it is to fly home out of Manaus?  That’s been one of my concerns as we kicked around the idea of doing the 45 day itinerary but I haven’t looked at air.

[ColonyGirl2]

I actually did.  It was expensive and long.  I was hoping to try to use FlightEase.  The airport there handles all flights into the Amazon so it must be busy. 

 

Thanks for your feedback on long cruises.  I wasn't sure about our 22 day cruise but I loved it so much I think we can handle the 45 days.

 

 

[sfvoyage]

2 hours ago, ColonyGirl2 said:

I had looked at true "expedition" ships like with Quark and Hurtigruten, which promise at least two landings per day, but like you, I decided one would be enough and when we get out of quarantine I am going to need to be pampered---a lot.  The hot tub and wine sound wonderful.

 

Anyone have any comments on spending 45 days on a cruise ship?  

 

On my Antarctica & South Georgia cruise on SB Quest in 2014/15, I had extensive discussions with several of the expedition team leaders - who had worked on true expedition ships - about exactly the topic of 1 vs. 2 landings per day, as I, too, was concerned about the opportunity of only 1 landing per day on a bigger ship such as the Quest.

 

They assured me that I wasn't missing much, if anything.  Often, the ship would maneuver to a different, but nearby, spot for the 2nd landing on the same day, but the scenery - and perhaps even the wildlife -  could be similar:  some of the penguins may have swum over from the morning spot.  (Not sure if they were joking or telling me what they thought I'd like to hear.)

 

In any case, they all seemed to have been very pleased to be on the Quest, having worked mainly or only on the smaller and older expedition ships previously.  They loved the elegance, service, great food and pampering offered on the Quest and seemed as happy and pleased as the passengers on the journey.

 

Another thing to consider is that there is quite a bit of setup time and efforts involved with each landing.  We had to dress in layers and get our gears in order, then go to the assembly point where the staff would help us put on the heavy-duty safety vest, get to the boot lockers to put on our boots, then walk down to queue up for the zodiac.  Upon landing, we had to rinse off our boots, in order not to carry contaminants onto land.  The whole process then would take place in reverse for the return trip, with the additional effort of extra rinsing (by us) and cleaning (by the crew) of the rubber boots from the penguin guano.

 

For some passengers, the incremental time and effort in the 2nd landing per day (for six consecutive days) may not commensurate with the additional - and perhaps repetitive - sensory and experiential rewards.  Especially for some of the more elderly guests, one landing was tiring enough.

 

Regarding spending 45 days at sea, my record is 38 days so far.  I've also done 35 and 36 days, and to be honest, I would get restless and listless towards the last few days.  It took some mental endurance and attitude readjustment to carry me through the finish line.  But then, everyone is different, so obviously you will have to see for yourself.  There are, after all, guests who stay on for months, or even year-round.