For fans of Seabourn, why?

[highplanesdrifters]

7 hours ago, waldorf said:

On 12/30/2022 at 5:48 AM, jjeffjb said:

 

I am currently on Encore in a Signature Suite, on our first Seabourn cruise. We were expecting to be impressed and I have to say they have failed that test. Don’t get me wrong it’s very good but considering we’re in an expensive suite we’ve not felt valued. 

Is there an issue with the suite or just service?  We are in a signature on Encore in the fall. Any details on the suite you care to share.   Service on luxury cruises is such a wild card these days. 

[waldorf]

16 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Is there an issue with the suite or just service?  We are in a signature on Encore in the fall. Any details on the suite you care to share.   Service on luxury cruises is such a wild card these days. 

Well it’s a lovely suite, very spacious & wonderful outside space. The main problem is noise! If the sea is slightly rough then you hear & feel every wave hitting the bow. I also think there is a noise when the stabilisers are deployed. 

 

Also when docking you hear all the machinery etc so expect to be woken up, huge vibrations when they are manoeuvring into dock, so much so that we’ve had items fall off the tables, if they lower the anchor then the noise if deafening! 
 

Service wise you can wait a long time for drinks in certain areas such as The Colonnade & the Observation, in the Colonnade you sometimes have to ask a few times. 
 

We’d probably sail with Seabourn again but I’m not sure the expensive suites are worth it compared to the offering on other cruise lines. 

[lincslady]

You have hit the nail on the head with your last sentence.  Seabourn is loved by many partly because of the completely egalitarian attitude; no need to pay a lot more to be in an area of the ship where you get superior treatment, as on some of the regular cruise lines.  Think about having a suite on deck 6, very convenient for everywhere and  large enough for most people to be comfortable.  You would hopefully then feel that you were getting value for money.

 

I have always found it to be the line where virtually no one  'puts on the dog', even though all are comfortably off, obviously, and a few very wealthy.

 

You have obviously had one or two glitches in service; I acknowledge that there have been some problems now and again, especially since C...d, though this has happened with other lines, and recruiting and training new staff has been a problem.

[cruiseej]

1 hour ago, waldorf said:

Well it’s a lovely suite, very spacious & wonderful outside space. The main problem is noise! If the sea is slightly rough then you hear & feel every wave hitting the bow. I also think there is a noise when the stabilisers are deployed. 

 

Also when docking you hear all the machinery etc so expect to be woken up, huge vibrations when they are manoeuvring into dock, so much so that we’ve had items fall off the tables, if they lower the anchor then the noise if deafening! 

 

I see you're in one of the suites  in the very front of the ship. If you sift through this board a bit, you'll find that these noise issues are often discussed regarding the suites at the front of all the ships. The suite is quite large and looks incredible, but many people choose not to book it because of the noise from the sea and during anchoring/docking. I've never stayed in one of the Signature Suites, but from anything  I've read, I don't think I would ever book one for these reasons. You simply don't encounter these problems in suites further away from the bow. I don't know if you work with a travel agent or book directly, but this is the type of information a good travel agent (a luxury cruise specialist) should provide you so you can avoid an unfortunately disappointing experience like the one you've had.

 

You were expecting some premium services to accompany your suite which are not part of how Seabourn operates, as you've found. There are no butlers, for instance, and restaurant reservations are open to all aboard equally; free laundry is a perk which comes with days sailed, not level of suite. Information comparing the suites, from lowest to highest, is readily available on Seabourn's website (here), so it's unfortunate you had not looked at this prior to your trip in order to not have expectations which set you up to be disappointed.

 

As for the service lapses, yes, that's absolutely a problem. It seems problems with being understaffed, or having too many new staff, has ebbed and flowed on different ships and across all cruise lines since the post-Covid restart of cruising. While there have been, and can be, things which are off on any cruise, there have been more reports of such problems over the past year than normal. And I've read similar reports on the CC board for the other luxury cruise lines as well, so this is not just a Seabourn problem. I think everyone who is a fan of cruising hopes that as staffing reaches 100% capacity, as new ships don't siphon off experienced crew, and as new staff becomes more experienced, there will be fewer lapses and service levels will return to what passengers were used to experiencing before the shutdown. If service doesn't return to expected levels, and/or if corporate cost-saving drives the level of service down, then passengers will vote with their wallets and patronize the several new cruise lines aiming to serve the luxury market. 

[Mr Luxury]

2 hours ago, waldorf said:

Well it’s a lovely suite, very spacious & wonderful outside space. The main problem is noise! If the sea is slightly rough then you hear & feel every wave hitting the bow. I also think there is a noise when the stabilisers are deployed. 

 

Also when docking you hear all the machinery etc so expect to be woken up, huge vibrations when they are manoeuvring into dock, so much so that we’ve had items fall off the tables, if they lower the anchor then the noise if deafening! 
 

Service wise you can wait a long time for drinks in certain areas such as The Colonnade & the Observation, in the Colonnade you sometimes have to ask a few times. 
 

We’d probably sail with Seabourn again but I’m not sure the expensive suites are worth it compared to the offering on other cruise lines. 

There are many of us who would never have a suite at the bow of a ship on any line.

You have outlined all of the problems and issues.

If only you had suite 642 you would be happy and wealthier.

[highplanesdrifters]

8 hours ago, waldorf said:

Well it’s a lovely suite, very spacious & wonderful outside space. The main problem is noise! If the sea is slightly rough then you hear & feel every wave hitting the bow. I also think there is a noise when the stabilisers are deployed. 

 

Also when docking you hear all the machinery etc so expect to be woken up, huge vibrations when they are manoeuvring into dock, so much so that we’ve had items fall off the tables, if they lower the anchor then the noise if deafening! 
 

Service wise you can wait a long time for drinks in certain areas such as The Colonnade & the Observation, in the Colonnade you sometimes have to ask a few times. 
 

We’d probably sail with Seabourn again but I’m not sure the expensive suites are worth it compared to the offering on other cruise lines. 

Thanks for taking the time to reply. We may need to rethink our suite on Encore. Noise at the front differs from ship to ship. We heard barely a peep on Venture. Quest was also fine except for 601 which was a never again nightmare. I was surprised at the difference a floor or two makes when it comes to noise at the front. 

[waldorf]

Well I’ve certainly caused some concerns about my comments. I understand that many like the “equality” of the treatment of the passengers but from a business model point of view I would provide a better service to passengers paying 4-5 times most other cruisers. 
 

I don’t think it’s great business for Seabourn as we would not book this room again, for more pampering I will go with NCL or for the small shop feel, Regent & Viking. 
 

A final straw is that they seem to have runout out shower gel so have resorted to watering down the Molten Brown products, not what I’d expect from a ‘quality’ cruise line. Perhaps the Carnival thread runs deep!

[waldorf]

6 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

There are many of us who would never have a suite at the bow of a ship on any line.

You have outlined all of the problems and issues.

If only you had suite 642 you would be happy and wealthier.

Even more so if I’d booked on a different cruise line 😬

[Mr Luxury]

16 minutes ago, waldorf said:

Even more so if I’d booked on a different cruise line 😬

Yes,one of the big ones with thousands of other passengers.

Are you missing having your picture taken every time you get off the gangway. 😄

Edited February 16, 2023 by Mr Luxury

[lincslady]

Well, waldorf, it does sound as if Seabourn is not the cruise line for you.  Chacun a son gout.

[skybluewaters]

@waldorf

If you had gone with a veranda cabin, you might be very pleased with SB.  Paying 4-5 times what a veranda costs (per your estimate) changes the calculus enormously regarding how satisfied you would be.  Of course, that doesn't excuse poor service or disruptions due to noise, but you perceive things quite differently when you feel you are being wildly overcharged.

 

Perhaps you are one-and-done with SB, but I would be interested in hearing your review of a future cruise with SB if you experienced a veranda cabin. 

 

In any event, whichever line you choose to travel, I hope you have calm seas and a prosperous voyage.

[cruiseej]

3 hours ago, waldorf said:

I understand that many like the “equality” of the treatment of the passengers but from a business model point of view I would provide a better service to passengers paying 4-5 times most other cruisers.

 

I'll express the contrarian point of view: is it more important for them to bend over backwards satisfying a few customers who have paid for the most expensive suites, while making the hundreds of other passengers on board feel like they are in coach class? Or to aim to serve all customers equally and satisfy all or most of them? As someone who will likely never pay for a Signature Suite, I'm glad I still have a chance to get reservations at the TK Grill and that they aren't mostly taken by people paying for the highest suites, or that I have an equal chance to get an excursion I want, etc. From a business point of view, creating 400 happy passengers is probably more important for future revenue than catering especially to a dozen passengers who have paid for the top suites.

 

Now, could they do something like throw in free laundry for the top suites, as a line like Silversea does? Sure. That wouldn't disadvantage all the other customers. Butlers? I don't think they need them. A Seabourn suite Host and suite Attendant can do most of the things you'd use a Butler for on a line like Silversea, from welcoming you with champagne to assisting with laundry to replenishing your bar setup to drawing you a bath to assisting with other special requests. What else do you think they can or should do to make you feel more "valued" and special in a Signature Suite? 

 

If using Molton Brown soap instead of shower gel wouldn't make one iota of difference to me, but if they ran out of caviar, that would be a different matter! 😉 But if the shower gel is the "final straw" for you, then you've clearly made your evaluation that Seabourn is just not the right cruise line for you going forward. Wishing you happy travels...

 

[Techno123]

12 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

There are many of us who would never have a suite at the bow of a ship on any line.

You have outlined all of the problems and issues.

If only you had suite 642 you would be happy and wealthier.

Well we have gone a deck lower and got 542 on Ovation for Norway so even wealthier 😂😂 My point of view is I would rather cruise more often and still experience all of the delights of a Seabourn (or Regent or Silversea) ship rather than pay for a top suite and be able to cruise very infrequently 😜. Also, as I can suffer from email de mer - middle and lowish makes my life more comfortable and I rather like Seabourn's egalitarian approach.

[twochromic]

Well at least on SB if you book a fancy suite, you can bring along your little doggy, have it do its business wherever, and nobody will raise a "stink". (Except here on CC!)

[waldorf]

Wow, if the recent comments are typical of Seabourn passengers then perhaps I will look elsewhere. I’m not sure if it’s the green eyed monster or snobbery, probably a combination of the two 😬. 
 

We’ve got future cruises booked on Viking & Regent so will compare.

 

I will say that the passengers I have met on here have been delightful and the staff are equally lovely. There are service & procurement problems, acknowledged by loyal Seabourn passengers we’ve chatted to. We had expected to be wowed by Seabourn, sadly we haven’t.
 

Perhaps the above posters will reconsider after they’ve actually completed a recent sailing rather than recalling a golden time. 
 

Even more sadly, Seabourn don’t seem concerned, this should concern all passengers as the product is not shining as much as we were told. 
 

Happy cruising. 

[2SailingNomads]

Seabourn, at least in theory*, treats all pax the same regardless of the price paid / suite booked.  We have always liked that about Seabourn. And over 20 cruises have never felt a need to book a high end suite, although I suppose if someone plans on spending most of their cruse isolated then it might make sense.  On Seabourn you can be talking to someone stretching their budget to sail on a luxury line or next to a famous very rich person, both will talk to you and you can enjoy their company.  Sometimes meet an entitled person, I guess as the original poster thought they were. 

 

*Treating the crew with respect means they will insure they take great care of you.  Being nasty will not get you the best attention, although they will still try to make you happy.

[2SailingNomads]

33 minutes ago, waldorf said:

Wow, if the recent comments are typical of Seabourn passengers then perhaps I will look elsewhere. I’m not sure if it’s the green eyed monster or snobbery, probably a combination of the two 😬. 
 

We’ve got future cruises booked on Viking & Regent so will compare.

 

I will say that the passengers I have met on here have been delightful and the staff are equally lovely. There are service & procurement problems, acknowledged by loyal Seabourn passengers we’ve chatted to. We had expected to be wowed by Seabourn, sadly we haven’t.
 

Perhaps the above posters will reconsider after they’ve actually completed a recent sailing rather than recalling a golden time. 
 

Even more sadly, Seabourn don’t seem concerned, this should concern all passengers as the product is not shining as much as we were told. 
 

Happy cruising. 

We have done 2 post C19 shutdown cruises on Seabourn.  Yes it was NOT the same as pre-C19, and the last cruise in November was disappointing, but due to what we experienced in the past, mostly a lack of staffing and poor usage of staff. A pitiful HD that was hired from the former Crystal who was invisible and didn't recognize the problems that could have been addressed had he been engaged.  Never even made an effort to meet us, typical of my 1 experience on Crystal ocean.

[lincslady]

I am  certainly going to deny jealousy on my own behalf, and I would like to think everyone else who has commented here - a lack of  being consumed by envy  is probably one of the characteristics of the usual Seabourn passenger, and one reason why they tend to get on well with each other.  Snobbery, of various kinds, possibly.

[Techno123]

16 hours ago, waldorf said:

Well I’ve certainly caused some concerns about my comments. I understand that many like the “equality” of the treatment of the passengers but from a business model point of view I would provide a better service to passengers paying 4-5 times most other cruisers. 

I don't think it is jealousy or snobbery but Seabourn's business model is not what you want it to be. As others have said, it doesn't matter who you are, where you live, what your job is or how many pounds you have in your wallet in order to be able to afford the cheapest or most expensive suite - none of those make you special. You are special because you are a passenger and the staff will strive to provide the same, high level of service to all. 
 

is the service what it once was? Probably not (I will find out in July) but the whole hospitality industry is struggling to recruit and retain staff and having just sailed on Regent, Seabourn are not alone here.

[SLSD]

One reason we sail on Seabourn is the fact that we don't have to opt for more costly suite to enjoy all that Seabourn has to offer.  I appreciate the fact that the more expensive suites offer more space and perhaps a few other perks--but the extra space and few perks do not interest us at all.  Like others, we would rather cruise more often than spend our traveling dollars on a larger suite.  We have always been quite comfortable in a standard veranda suite.  I'm sure we could even make do with a suite without a veranda if we had to.  

 

Personally, we love the Seabourn business model.  All of this being said, I do believe that frequent SB cruisers who are well known by crew and officers may get a bit more attention when they sail.  

[Vineyard View]

Waldorf, I would encourage you to come back here after you sail Viking and Regent. Update us sincerely on your experiences and thoughts. We have sailed multiple times with Viking. We like their product. Very much. There are things about them we do not like. Paying in full a year in advance. Their included excursion (1 per port) are mostly walking or riding in a bus. We pay for that in their fares, but we don’t use that. They do not include the steward tips. Their wines - well be sure to upgrade your package. Included air, double check if you wish to  upgrade as its very difficult. They’re lack of new and interesting itineraries (outside of the Northern Continent and Hawaii/Polynesia).
What we did like, the ships, the cabins, the crew, food mostly was good. We have not sailed with them post 19. From what i read, their product has changed post 19 as well. I read that in all the companies I am now following here.  Would we sail with them again. Most likely.
They have repositioned their pricing to be in line with Seabourn, Regent, etc when you add up all the costs on a per day basis. Because of that, we opened our web of search for travel and will be on Seabourn for the first time in May. We are very much looking forward to it. We do not want to travel on a line that treats higher cabin guests differently in the day-to day. With Viking, they will give you early dining reservations and excursion bookings, laundry. You will not receive different treatment than all the other veranda guests though outside of your cabin. Itinerary drives our decision. Viking missed the mark for us this year on that. 
Regent - with the cost of business class this year, I am watching them as well. 
Enjoy your time on Viking and Regent. Please do come back and let us know how you compare your experiences with them. Unfortunately, I think it will be a while before anyone gets back to pre-19. 

[lincslady]

Probably Regent would be a favourite - if you are in a top suite you not only get a butler but they can book you in for one of the extra special restaurants for dinner every night.  And their new ships are 'the most expensive cruise ships in the world'.

[cadburysmom]

11 hours ago, waldorf said:

 

 

 

...I will say that the passengers I have met on here have been delightful and the staff are equally lovely. There are service & procurement problems, acknowledged by loyal Seabourn passengers we’ve chatted to. We had expected to be wowed by Seabourn, sadly we haven’t.

Sorry to hear your first Seabourn experience wasn't what you'd hoped but happy to hear the passengers you met were delightful and staff equally lovely.

I think this speaks volumes! 

Those two things are a good reflection of what we've always experienced on Seabourn and is what keeps us coming back.   

 

Hope you'll give Seabourn another try and in the meantime, safe travels on your upcoming Viking and Regent cruises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[phillipahain]

14 hours ago, waldorf said:

Wow, if the recent comments are typical of Seabourn passengers
 

We’ve got future cruises booked on Viking & Regent    

Regent tops Seabourn any day 

14 hours ago, waldorf said:

 

 

Even more sadly, Seabourn don’t seem concerned, 
 

 

[lincslady]

28 minutes ago, phillipahain said:

Regent tops Seabourn any day 

 

That is just your opinion, of course.  Having cruised on both lines many times (not Regent for about 5 years, admittedly), I disagree.  As this thread shows, different personalities like different lines.