John Barron - Still Sailing?

[RachelG]

6 hours ago, kjbacon said:

We are going on our first Seabourn cruise this summer … as a fellow regent lover, why do you feel this way about seabourn?

Years ago, when we started cruising, it was their smoking policy.  That has changed now, but we have so many days on regent and Silversea with the attached perks that we have no reason to change to another cruise line.  If I were just starting cruising today, I would give seabourn a look.

[WesW]

Feel precisely the same Rachel with over 200 days on both Regent and Silversea.

[Techno123]

I loved Seabourn (it was the first line we sailed with so has a special place in my heart) and (based on one cruise on the Voyager) would choose them over Regent for an area I know and am happy to tour on my own. However, prices have risen significantly and adding tours to that price makes Regent first choice if tours are required. Personally, I think the quality of food and service is similar and I like to mix it up so my loyalty is down to itinerary and price 😁

[UUNetBill]

Seabourn was our (close) second choice when we first started cruising.  We ranked them 1) Regent, 2) Seabourn, 3) Crystal, and 4) Silversea.  They were all very close, but Regent ended up winning us over with the 'one and done' approach - truly all-inclusive.  At the time (2009) Crystal still had assigned dining, smaller cabins, and fewer inclusions; Silversea was a touch too formal-feeling; Seabourn was a close number two but Regent had an itinerary that worked well for us...and the rest, as they say, is history.  We're at the point now that it would be difficult to switch as we're so familiar with Regent's product - we know so many of the crew (and some passengers) that it really is like coming home when we sail with them.  So while I theoretically could switch, I don't know that I ever would...but if we found an awesome sailing on another line, well...I guess it could happen.  😄

[kjbacon]

Thanks, all, feeling a little better about our upcoming Seabourn trip. We’ve been really second guessing it but since we are well into the penalty phase now, we will think positive and enjoy!

[lincslady]

Certainly doing several cruises on one line, which you find you like, does tend to make you feel that is where you will stay, for various reasons - some perks for frequent cruisers, like free laundry; getting to know staff who then greet you personally next time you are on board.  This can of course apply to any line; Seabourn became ours.  What you appreciate being included can make a difference.  We were never happy about paying for included  excursions on Regent, because we did not want to do them, for instance.  It is, as they say, horses for courses.  At present it is a bit difficult to judge any line, as they have all had problems with dealing with the pandemic, both in terms of infection on board and now getting their crew and staff reorganised, which has resulted in less than stellar service temporarily.

 

Sadly for anyone who has problems on their first cruise with a new line, they will almost certainly never use it again, so I really hope you will 'have a good one', unlike some recent Crystal aficionados.

[seasickphil]

lincslady

11 hours ago, lincslady said:

Sadly for anyone who has problems on their first cruise with a new line, they will almost certainly never use it again, so I really hope you will 'have a good one', unlike some recent Crystal aficionados.

That is so true, we have only cruised twice with Regent and if our experience on Voyager last month had been our first then we would not have sailed again on Regent.

When we spoke to a Senior Officer on Voyager regarding our concerns he said there had been several issues on the cruise but assured us that our next cruise on Voyager would be back to what we experienced on our first cruise with Regent.

All i can say is that i sincerely hope this is the case.

[Techno123]

On 5/7/2022 at 9:57 AM, kjbacon said:

I suppose it depends on your expectations. I have never sailed on a huge ship but my expectations of me enjoying it are low so if it was awful I wouldn't be too disappointed. When I sail on a six star cruise line I expect excellent food and excellent service be that on the ship or during ship organised excursions as that is what the company have told me I can expect via their advertising.

I save hard to take a 'luxury' cruise and whilst I understand that things are just getting back to normal, it would have been sensible to have reduced cost 'training' cruises before full fare paying passengers were welcomed. I would have been very unhappy to pay full price for what seasickphil and compadres received on Voyager and as others have said, it would definitely put off first timers.

 

[Pcardad]

21 hours ago, seasickphil said:

lincslady

That is so true, we have only cruised twice with Regent and if our experience on Voyager last month had been our first then we would not have sailed again on Regent.

When we spoke to a Senior Officer on Voyager regarding our concerns he said there had been several issues on the cruise but assured us that our next cruise on Voyager would be back to what we experienced on our first cruise with Regent.

All i can say is that i sincerely hope this is the case.

All reports are that it is back to normal - I am going out next week to check it out.

 

[SusieQft]

On 5/6/2022 at 3:03 AM, UUNetBill said:

Seabourn was our (close) second choice when we first started cruising.  We ranked them 1) Regent, 2) Seabourn, 3) Crystal, and 4) Silversea.  They were all very close, but Regent ended up winning us over with the 'one and done' approach - truly all-inclusive.  At the time (2009) Crystal still had assigned dining, smaller cabins, and fewer inclusions; Silversea was a touch too formal-feeling; Seabourn was a close number two but Regent had an itinerary that worked well for us...and the rest, as they say, is history.  We're at the point now that it would be difficult to switch as we're so familiar with Regent's product - we know so many of the crew (and some passengers) that it really is like coming home when we sail with them.  So while I theoretically could switch, I don't know that I ever would...but if we found an awesome sailing on another line, well...I guess it could happen.  😄

Bill, I totally understand your point here.  We felt the same about Crystal, although we had finally decided to branch out a little and did have a Regent booking for fall of 2020 before the you-know-what hit the fan.  We thought it would be nice to have more itinerary options and see what else is out there.  All our Crystal Society loyalty credits are worthless now, and we were almost far enough into that to get a "free cruise."  Oh well, live and learn.

 

Our one Regent booking has expanded to 3 now, still all in the future, so I sure hope we love Regent as much as I think we will.  We also have a booking on Seabourn, just to try it out, and hope to also try at least Silversea and maybe even Cunard/Viking/??? in the near future.

 

I suspect that Regent is going to be my new favorite, but I am definitely going to play the field a bit for now.  Having been burned once, we are leery about restricting ourselves to just one line.  Loyalty perks are nice, but can be ephemeral.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

21 minutes ago, SusieQft said:

Our one Regent booking has expanded to 3 now, still all in the future, so I sure hope we love Regent as much as I think we will.  We also have a booking on Seabourn, just to try it out, and hope to also try at least Silversea and maybe even Cunard/Viking/??? in the near future.

 

I suspect that Regent is going to be my new favorite, but I am definitely going to play the field a bit for now.  Having been burned once, we are leery about restricting ourselves to just one line.  Loyalty perks are nice, but can be ephemeral.

We are Gold on Regent and stepped over to Oceania before we tried Crystal.  Our first Luxury cruise was the inaugural Regent Mariner in 2001. We are heading back to Regent and will also probably try Seabourne/SilverSea and others. Regardless, the Cruising world is different so who knows what our expectations will be.

[purpleally]

On 5/7/2022 at 4:57 AM, kjbacon said:

Thanks, all, feeling a little better about our upcoming Seabourn trip. We’ve been really second guessing it but since we are well into the penalty phase now, we will think positive and enjoy!

I think you will love Seabourn. I started with Regent, had Gold status but Seabourn is my go to and I’m past gold on Seabourn 

[purpleally]

On 5/7/2022 at 6:45 AM, lincslady said:

 

 

Sadly for anyone who has problems on their first cruise with a new line, they will almost certainly never use it again, so I really hope you will 'have a good one', unlike some recent Crystal aficionados.

I think many of the Crystal people are hung up on Crystal and do not believe anything else is good enough. Sadly, ran into that on a cruise in March, they were complaining of not being allowed into the Collonade to sit and have coffee before opening.  Just one example. 

[nancygp]

40 minutes ago, purpleally said:

I think many of the Crystal people are hung up on Crystal and do not believe anything else is good enough. Sadly, ran into that on a cruise in March, they were complaining of not being allowed into the Collonade to sit and have coffee before opening.  Just one example. 

I’m a former and frequent crystal sailor and disagree with your assessment.  I look forward to my first seabourn cruise in a few months and hope the seabourn veterans I meet onboard will be welcoming and less judgemental.

we also have a silversea cruise booked and considering a regent cruise…can’t wait to find a new luxury cruise home 

 

Nancy

Edited May 9, 2022 by nancygp

[UUNetBill]

On 5/8/2022 at 7:11 PM, SusieQft said:

Bill, I totally understand your point here.  We felt the same about Crystal, although we had finally decided to branch out a little and did have a Regent booking for fall of 2020 before the you-know-what hit the fan.  We thought it would be nice to have more itinerary options and see what else is out there.  All our Crystal Society loyalty credits are worthless now, and we were almost far enough into that to get a "free cruise."  Oh well, live and learn.

 

Our one Regent booking has expanded to 3 now, still all in the future, so I sure hope we love Regent as much as I think we will.  We also have a booking on Seabourn, just to try it out, and hope to also try at least Silversea and maybe even Cunard/Viking/??? in the near future.

 

I suspect that Regent is going to be my new favorite, but I am definitely going to play the field a bit for now.  Having been burned once, we are leery about restricting ourselves to just one line.  Loyalty perks are nice, but can be ephemeral.

I think your enjoyment of ANY line in this post-Crystal cruising world will hinge directly on your ability to look at the positives and to avoid the "ooh, the other line did this better" comparisons.  Not that you'd do that, of course, but it's human nature to compare and contrast - I'm a notorious over-researcher, sometimes to the point of being unable to decide one way or another!  I know that if I'd have had the chance to try Crystal there are many things I'd have loved about them...but in the back of my mind I'd be comparing things to Regent.  

 

I think any time you spend a lot of time, money, passion, energy, etc. with any product, whether it be cruise lines, airlines, cars, vacation cities, golf clubs, whatever - you get emotionally invested.  Truth is, these products are more similar than different - I'm a die-hard BMW guy, but truth be told, Audi, Lexus, Mercedes, and others are just as capable...but mildly different.  And that difference turns a lot of us into fanatics.  We tout the perceived benefits and close our minds to the fact that they're all pretty damn nice.  🙂

 

I hope Regent becomes your new favorite (because it's our favorite) but if you land on Seabourn or Silversea and you're happy there, well, more power to ya - as long as YOU'RE happy for YOU, that's what's important!

 

Sorry for the long post - I think my coffee might have been a bit stronger this morning, and I just felt like typing.

[Crosspost]

On 4/24/2022 at 10:13 AM, lincslady said:

I have to agree with you - and think his style is more suited to Regent than Seabourn.  We met him on Seabourn some years ago, and found him to be a bit over the top, and frankly rather crude in his language when conducting the trivia quiz.   The TV shows about Regent a year or two ago show that most of the passengers on the new, very ritzy,  Regent ships seem to love him, however.

Having sailed with John many times we have never, ever found him to be crude in any way and to say so gives a completely wrong impression of a kind, gentle, hard working, family man who gives up time with his wife and two boys to work tirelessly to try and make our experiences on board as good as he can. As a Brit, perhaps has a different kind of humour than some cruisers are used to as the majority of cruise directors are from the USA.

 

I think we need to remember we are dealing with human beings here, not a product without feelings who is not offended by critical posts. He gives 100% every time he sails and one person is never going to please all of the people all of the time - but for us he comes pretty close to doing so - I know it is all personal opinion. But if he did not, we would not post a critical comment, we just would not comment. 

 

The TV show was the product of editing of hours of footage taken by the film crew and John would have had no idea what was in the final version until it was aired. As someone else has said, we need to remember to be kind, especially given everything else that is going on in the world.

[lincslady]

You are right in that I should not have said anything which might be hurtful about John Barron, or indeed anyone.  However, I was a member of a trivia team on Seabourn some years ago, when his innuendos and jokes were too near the knuckle, so I do not apologise for that - and I am by no means a prude.  I felt this looking for cheap laughs was unsuited to being a Cruise Director, and in direct contrast to, for instance,  Handre, a much loved Seabourn Cruise Director.

[frantic36]

4 hours ago, lincslady said:

  Handre, a much loved Seabourn Cruise Director.

Handre is now on the Corporate side of Seabourn and only occasionally visits a ship for a short while.  Which is sad as I also enjoyed his personality and work ethic.

 

I think we must remember that years have passed and John has probably matured and we should wait and see rather than make judgements from that past time. I will be sailing on Quest next year for a long voyage and I am hoping he will be a good fit.

 

There is a regular CD who is usually on that ship that a lot like but I am not a fan so I avoid them. My point being everyone has to make up their own mind.

[UUNetBill]

I guess I'm in the minority in that I believe a good CD can make a good cruise better but I don't think a bad CD can make a good cruise worse.

 

A good CD can definitely provide atmosphere and entertainment, and the relly good ones can also interact with the passengers to give them a smile or share a quick story...but we've sailed with some CDs who (in my opinion) were pretty much invisible and it didn't detract from the cruise for us.  There is so much other stuff going on that one person doesn't make or break it for us.

 

Granted, our longest Regent cruise so far has been two weeks, so maybe a longer cruise would call for a more engaged CD, I don't know.  I think John is a nice, engaging, upbeat and enjoyable person and for that I guess I'm sad to see him go...but it sure won't affect our decision to cruise with Regent, that's for sure.

[Thecat123]

9 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

I guess I'm in the minority in that I believe a good CD can make a good cruise better but I don't think a bad CD can make a good cruise worse.

 

A good CD can definitely provide atmosphere and entertainment, and the relly good ones can also interact with the passengers to give them a smile or share a quick story...but we've sailed with some CDs who (in my opinion) were pretty much invisible and it didn't detract from the cruise for us.  There is so much other stuff going on that one person doesn't make or break it for us.

 

Granted, our longest Regent cruise so far has been two weeks, so maybe a longer cruise would call for a more engaged CD, I don't know.  I think John is a nice, engaging, upbeat and enjoyable person and for that I guess I'm sad to see him go...but it sure won't affect our decision to cruise with Regent, that's for sure.

 

Of all the different cruise lines we have been on Seabourn CDs seem to work  the hardest for their money😀

[Thecat123]

33 minutes ago, Thecat123 said:

 

Of all the different cruise lines we have been on Seabourn CDs seem to work  the hardest for their money😀

 

Forgot to add very talented  as well 😀 

[EagleScout66]

Ray is sooooo talented 

singing, puppeteer, raconteur 

 

where is Ray now?

[GOARMY]

Ray Solaire is on vacation.  He left Navigator on May 31st at NYC--the day we boarded for our current B/t/B. 

 

Have cruised with him many times past.  A great fit for Navigator.  Sorry we just-missed him this time around.  He will be back aboard Navigator in August. 

 

GOARMY!

 

.  

[EagleScout66]

Do you know when Ray returns to Navigator?  We returns on August 7 in Copenhagen to visit the Norwegian fiords

[Sidney68]

On 3/11/2022 at 10:47 PM, VegasTW said:

Hi all!

 

Is CD John Barron still sailing?  I've seen other CDs mentioned but not John lately...

 

Hope he is well...

 

 

John was CD on a Seabourn cruise we took last summer. I am not sure if he is still with the line, but a great guy!