From the Seabourn President.

[Mahogany]

18 minutes ago, ON cruiser said:

Following up to the interesting dialogue between SLSD and Markham, my wife and I have been on both Seabourn (pre-Covid) and Regent, but not Silversea. We have done two post-covid cruises on Regent--one on Splendor and one on the little Navigator (last May).

 

We were recently considering SS for a cruise but have, for now, ruled them out. Why? I simply cannot wrap my head around an extra charge for dining in several venues, when paying the luxury prices which SS charges. I also much prefer the included biz-class air on Regent (which I think is only included for North American passengers, not European or UK passengers--correct me if that assumption is wrong).    

 

Pre-covid, we had 2 cruises each on Seabourn and Regent. On each line one cruise was "just ok", while one was superb. We were going to do Alaska on Seabourn in May of 2020--well, we know what happened with that (it didn't). Our two post-covid cruises on Regent last Fall, Barcelona-Miami on Splendor & this Spring Miami-Montreal on Navigator were both superb! Excellent food and service and on Splendor one is spoiled for choice. Less dining choice on the little Navigator (only one specialty resto), but wonderful food, varied menus, and caring and warm service make up for that. We loved both very different ships.

 

The included air or air credit, and the "no signing" given included tours, are important. We graduated from HAL years ago because I was tired of the nickle and diming, and signing for everything. Again, that not all included is what holds me back from SS. For the right itinerary and value, we would return to Seabourn. 

 

Whatever you choose to try, I wish you calm winds and following seas. 

I am Platinum status on Regent and Platinum on Seabourn and have cruised several times on Silversea and have 2 planned for this year. We all have our reasons for choosing one cruiseline over another. For me, it's itinerary. If one of your main reasons for excluding Silversea from your choices is because of the "extra charge for dining in several venues", I want to remind you the only extra charges are for La Dame and Kaiseki for dinner. That still leaves 6 restaurants with no surcharge, so many more than Navigator (and Seabourn). I like Chartreuse and Pacific Rim but will continue to look at all 3 lines for my next cruise.

[texanaust]

1 minute ago, SLSD said:

I always find the experiences of others to be interesting--so thank you for your report.  Of course, we all realize that people see can see the same cruise totally differently.  

 

There are several things that hold me back from booking a Silversea cruise.  One is that things seem a bit more complicated.  That may just be me not understanding the differences in suites.  I would not like having to make reservations for every evening's dinner so far ahead of time.  I am well aware that there are two restaurants (at least on the newer ships) that do not require a reservation.  And finally, some of the diehard Silversea cruisers seem obsessed with the dress code--which appears to be more stringent that Seabourns.  I remember how many suitcases I took on our last Silversea cruise--which was way back in 2005.  I would also miss the forward facing Observation Lounge.  

 

I've been looking at Regent and can't quite grasp what it may be like.  

 

I often ask Markham for his opinion on cruise lines etc because I have met him in person and have a good idea of what he expects from a cruise line from our in person discussion.  

 

We are currently on the Spirit which is similar to the Muse class ships and there is definitely a forward facing lounge.  It is called the Observation Library but it has a full bar and coffee station.  

 

As for dress code, formal is simply jacket and tie but only required in the two non-reservation restaurants.  Informal is Jacket (no tie), but again as above.  Casual is sports shirt and slacks.  Around the rest of the ship I have seen everything from tuxedos to shorts on formal nights.  

 

Honestly SLSD, you should give SS a try.  The food is arguably better and the ship feels less crowded when full (such as this cruise).  That being said, we still like Seabourn and are joining the Ovation in a few weeks.  Silversea is one to add to your basket of choices though.  

[SLSD]

6 minutes ago, texanaust said:

 

We are currently on the Spirit which is similar to the Muse class ships and there is definitely a forward facing lounge.  It is called the Observation Library but it has a full bar and coffee station.  

 

As for dress code, formal is simply jacket and tie but only required in the two non-reservation restaurants.  Informal is Jacket (no tie), but again as above.  Casual is sports shirt and slacks.  Around the rest of the ship I have seen everything from tuxedos to shorts on formal nights.  

 

Honestly SLSD, you should give SS a try.  The food is arguably better and the ship feels less crowded when full (such as this cruise).  That being said, we still like Seabourn and are joining the Ovation in a few weeks.  Silversea is one to add to your basket of choices though.  

I don't have a concern about the actual dress code, it's the attitude of the cruisers about it.     They just seem so stuffy--but I do realize that it is a tiny % who post anywhere.   We have cruised with Silversea, but it was years ago.  I just remember thinking that Seabourn had a better overall atmosphere.  Perhaps that is different now.  And then there is the door to door vs. port to port thing.  

[PaulMCO]

We go on Seabourn, for the itinerary only.  If it was for their food, Regent, SS and even Oceania have better food and variety. 

 

But I do applaud the changes, Room service on SB really is bad, with very limited menu and choices.

New menus in the Restaurant -- yes

Starlink -- but then again SS and Regent are doing the same

New Ocean ships== nahdah === which is a big disadvantage.  I love the Seabourn ships and layouts

 

For those that do not like SS new pricing, I actually find better.  You can take a stripped down Port to Port on a short notice and accept the no down refund or you can door the door to door and take the credits for removing the air and the transfers (yes you can do so).

 

[SLSD]

9 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

We go on Seabourn, for the itinerary only.  If it was for their food, Regent, SS and even Oceania have better food and variety. 

 

But I do applaud the changes, Room service on SB really is bad, with very limited menu and choices.

New menus in the Restaurant -- yes

Starlink -- but then again SS and Regent are doing the same

New Ocean ships== nahdah === which is a big disadvantage.  I love the Seabourn ships and layouts

 

For those that do not like SS new pricing, I actually find better.  You can take a stripped down Port to Port on a short notice and accept the no down refund or you can door the door to door and take the credits for removing the air and the transfers (yes you can do so).

 

I've done enough reading to understand the basic difference in door to door and port to port on SS.  I guess will I will just have to talk this through with our travel agent. I was a bit disappointed in the Restaurant food on SB recently. It may just be me. While not at all picky, I am hard to impress.  I enjoyed breakfast and lunch, but not dinner so much.  New recipes on their way is a good sign.  

[saminina]

7 hours ago, Khareef said:

The letter didn't mention the restaurant open for lunch every day....or did I just miss it?

A few things that I would personally improve:

- Order room service via the App so no need to wait for the line to get free (also no need for one person to waste time on the phone)

- Dessert in the Sushi (Not sure why it is missing)

- GET RID OF THE WHITE TABLECLOTH in the restaurant, it is so dated and extremely bad environmentally (how many they have to wash everyday...), just put some nice design table like in all fancy modern gourmet restaurant (at least here in Europe). It felt like I was going to a wedding in the 80es every time I stepped into the restaurant (I ended up eating more often in the sushi and colonnade)

- Improve the wine quality already included in the fare, it was real bad when we were on board last November 

-I would extend the restaurant hours, I mean nobody 50 or less eats that early anymore...

Brilliant suggestions......except for the wine.  

[Mr Luxury]

3 hours ago, SLSD said:

I don't have a concern about the actual dress code, it's the attitude of the cruisers about it.     They just seem so stuffy--but I do realize that it is a tiny % who post anywhere.   We have cruised with Silversea, but it was years ago.  I just remember thinking that Seabourn had a better overall atmosphere.  Perhaps that is different now.  And then there is the door to door vs. port to port thing.  

Seabourn is way more friendlier.

Silversea has very good newer ships.

Silversea has very poor entertainment nowhere near as hood as Seabourn.

Both are excellent cruise lines.

[markham]

PS- it’s the food.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[SLSD]

33 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

Seabourn is way more friendlier.

Silversea has very good newer ships.

Silversea has very poor entertainment nowhere near as hood as Seabourn.

Both are excellent cruise lines.

Ha!  I read the Facebook Silversea group.  You people here can not hold a candle to them in terms of snarkiness and rudeness toward fellow posters.  Almost daily, someone posts that they are second guessing their decision to sail with Silversea based on the posts that they read.  And yes, it's a tiny % of SS people posting, but it does make you wonder. We have our snarky people here, but they are OUR snarky people and we know them.  I do not know who these SS people are.  

[calm down dear]

13 minutes ago, markham said:

PS- it’s the food.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

As someone on Seabourn in October and now on Silversea, I have to say Silversea is miles better in terms of included wine, not once has there been any push to upsell - even in the La Dame. The included wines have been interesting selections rather than mass produced plonk. The food has also been better (but not majorly) and I think it is because the same number of guests are spread out over a range of venues, especially lunch where here the “restaurant” is open breakfast and lunch plus pool deck and the buffet. It makes a real difference. For us it is though the itinerary and price - we don’t like paying for “included” excursions on Silversea and being bundled on a bus with 30 others isn’t my idea of luxury. I would say sushi much better on Seabourn and Keller better than la dame. I also think the themed evenings at collanade were often good. The Italian la terraza pasta - lunch and dinner though excellent here on silver dawn.

[calm down dear]

I meant to add we have upcoming itinerary’s on both Seabourn and Silversea, we enjoy itineries and both lines to us have had good service, good veranda suites and food good to very good. I think Seabourn though is often slightly better “value” and I’d not pay much of a premium for Silversea for say same itinerary. 

[SLSD]

4 minutes ago, calm down dear said:

As someone on Seabourn in October and now on Silversea, I have to say Silversea is miles better in terms of included wine, not once has there been any push to upsell - even in the La Dame. The included wines have been interesting selections rather than mass produced plonk. The food has also been better (but not majorly) and I think it is because the same number of guests are spread out over a range of venues, especially lunch where here the “restaurant” is open breakfast and lunch plus pool deck and the buffet. It makes a real difference. For us it is though the itinerary and price - we don’t like paying for “included” excursions on Silversea and being bundled on a bus with 30 others isn’t my idea of luxury. I would say sushi much better on Seabourn and Keller better than la dame. I also think the themed evenings at collanade were often good. The Italian la terraza pasta - lunch and dinner though excellent here on silver dawn.

Just so you know, as of around June 11th, The Restaurant is open for lunch every day on Seabourn ships.  I was very grateful for this.  

[ON cruiser]

I would believe that if you go on a SS cruise, you will meet many very nice people, just as on SB or Regent. As you note, SLSD, its a very small percentage who post on-line, and even if some are "snarky" on line, they may be lovely in person. I would not sweat that too much. It would be a pleasure to meet you and Markham some day...if the stars align. 

 

While I would return to SB at some point, especially given the improvements being implemented, I would also try SS if the pricing and itinerary are right. We looked at the 2025 SS LA-Hawaii return to Vancouver but, once tours and biz class air was added in, this became a far more pricey proposition than a Regent cruise also in Spring 2025 which we were also eying. 

 

As for the Regent "vibe", we've met many lovely folk on our cruises with whom we chummed around. Dress code on Regent is country club casual--I typically wear a sports jacket most nights to dinner, because I choose to, and I estimate that, on average, 35-50% of gents do so. Yet on cruises of 15 days and less there is no "formal optional" night (having noted that, one can still dress up a tad on any night and, if going to a specialty restaurant, many guys do wear a jacket and some add a tie). Yet most nights, a lot of gents wear a pair of nice slacks and a collared shirt--which is all that is required. No jeans after 6PM, unless one is dining outside. 

 

We find the food quality and service on Regent, especially thinking of our two most recent cruses post-covid, as overall excellent. And, my wife and I can be hard to impress, too. 

 

Frankly, on none of these lines will someone usually have a bad time (allowing that at times things can go wrong, anywhere).  I would sail on any of these three lines, so let, as someone else noted, the itinerary, all in pricing, and convenient timing of the cruise be your "tie-breakers".

 

Trying to decide which of several luxury lines to travel...a nice "problem" to have. We should all count our blessings.   

[calm down dear]

Just now, SLSD said:

Just so you know, as of around June 11th, The Restaurant is open for lunch every day on Seabourn ships.  I was very grateful for this.  

That’s really good to know - my biggest gripe was the zoo like collanade at lunch and also breakfast. It’s interesting here on Silversea how well they manage to ensure the same number of guests (we have 586) are spread at breakfast over room service, restaurant and la terraza.

[SLSD]

16 minutes ago, ON cruiser said:

I would believe that if you go on a SS cruise, you will meet many very nice people, just as on SB or Regent. As you note, SLSD, its a very small percentage who post on-line, and even if some are "snarky" on line, they may be lovely in person. I would not sweat that too much. It would be a pleasure to meet you and Markham some day...if the stars align. 

 

While I would return to SB at some point, especially given the improvements being implemented, I would also try SS if the pricing and itinerary are right. We looked at the 2025 SS LA-Hawaii return to Vancouver but, once tours and biz class air was added in, this became a far more pricey proposition than a Regent cruise also in Spring 2025 which we were also eying. 

 

As for the Regent "vibe", we've met many lovely folk on our cruises with whom we chummed around. Dress code on Regent is country club casual--I typically wear a sports jacket most nights to dinner, because I choose to, and I estimate that, on average, 35-50% of gents do so. Yet on cruises of 15 days and less there is no "formal optional" night (having noted that, one can still dress up a tad on any night and, if going to a specialty restaurant, many guys do wear a jacket and some add a tie). Yet most nights, a lot of gents wear a pair of nice slacks and a collared shirt--which is all that is required. No jeans after 6PM, unless one is dining outside. 

 

We find the food quality and service on Regent, especially thinking of our two most recent cruses post-covid, as overall excellent. And, my wife and I can be hard to impress, too. 

 

Frankly, on none of these lines will someone usually have a bad time (allowing that at times things can go wrong, anywhere).  I would sail on any of these three lines, so let, as someone else noted, the itinerary, all in pricing, and convenient timing of the cruise be your "tie-breakers".

 

Trying to decide which of several luxury lines to travel...a nice "problem" to have. We should all count our blessings.   

Thank you for these comments.  It's always good to hear the reasonable experiences of others.  And you are certainly right--all of us who can choose to sail on a luxury line are very fortunate indeed.  

Edited July 9, 2023 by SLSD

[SLSD]

20 minutes ago, calm down dear said:

That’s really good to know - my biggest gripe was the zoo like collanade at lunch and also breakfast. It’s interesting here on Silversea how well they manage to ensure the same number of guests (we have 586) are spread at breakfast over room service, restaurant and la terraza.

On our latest SB cruise in June, we had only one meal in the Colonnade and that was the first lunch.  We ordered from the menu and sat on the veranda.  

[lexus man]

1 hour ago, SLSD said:

Just so you know, as of around June 11th, The Restaurant is open for lunch every day on Seabourn ships.  I was very grateful for this.  

Sorry to cast doubt on this, but on our recent June 14th -25th Encore cruise the restaurant was closed for breakfast and lunch every day, except for the Galley lunch one day.

[cruiseej]

1 hour ago, calm down dear said:

my biggest gripe was the zoo like collanade at lunch and also breakfast.

 

And this illustrates differences of perception as well as real differences from ship to ship and cruise to cruise which make absolute comparisons impossible. We were on a 100% full Sojourn in late May and early June. We traveled with 5 other couples. We had breakfast and lunch most days in the Colonnade. We never had trouble getting tables out back, there were never long lines in any of the buffet areas, and I absolutely wouldn't call our experiences "zoo like". Again, I'm not doubting other people's experiences; I'm only noting we have different experiences, and perceive experiences differently. 

[Khareef]

9 hours ago, SLSD said:

?  Have you ever heard of the term "white tablecloth restaurant"?  It is a thing and something many people enjoy. 

 

Things have really moved on in the gastronomical world over the past 20 years here in Europe. Maybe things are still more traditional in the USA. I personally prefer a more contemporary design and a more environmentally sustainable alternative to tablecloths. 

 

I think that Seabourn is doing a pretty good job finding a compromise between the taste of the older generations and the more informal laid back environmentally aware philosophy of the newer ones, especially on their new explorations ships. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, lexus man said:

Sorry to cast doubt on this, but on our recent June 14th -25th Encore cruise the restaurant was closed for breakfast and lunch every day, except for the Galley lunch one day.

Hopefully this will change.  Wien Oban who was managing The Restaurant on Ovation told us that it was going to be open for lunch across the fleet.  Also breakfast was served in The Restaurant every day.  I would have been very disappointed if I had been sailing on Encore.  

Edited July 9, 2023 by SLSD

[SLSD]

28 minutes ago, Khareef said:

 

Things have really moved on in the gastronomical world over the past 20 years here in Europe. Maybe things are still more traditional in the USA. I personally prefer a more contemporary design and a more environmentally sustainable alternative to tablecloths. 

 

I think that Seabourn is doing a pretty good job finding a compromise between the taste of the older generations and the more informal laid back environmentally aware philosophy of the newer ones, especially on their new explorations ships. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To each his own.  To me, the Colonnade is the more contemporary style of dining and I don't care for it at all.  I do enjoy dining at Earth and Ocean around the pool in the evenings--which is an informal venue.  No tablecloths there--which is fine.  

 

Edited July 9, 2023 by SLSD

[2seabournsailors]

11 minutes ago, SLSD said:

To each his own.  To me, the Colonnade is the more contemporary style of dining and I don't care for it at all.  I do enjoy dining at Earth and Ocean around the pool in the evenings--which is an informal venue.  At this point, I can't remember if tablecloths were included.  I'll have to check some photographs I took.  

 

They don't have tablecloths at E&O, just place mats. We dine there so often we were presented with  E&O hats! 

[2seabournsailors]

6 minutes ago, 2seabournsailors said:

They don't have tablecloths at E&O, just place mats. We dine there so often we were presented with  E&O hats! 

 

[SLSD]

6 minutes ago, 2seabournsailors said:

 

When you were on the World Cruise and said you dined at Earth and Ocean almost every night--I was a bit puzzled---UNTIL we took our recent cruise in June.  We had dined at Earth and Ocean on previous cruises, but this time, it was our preferred dining venue in the evening--by a fairly wide margin.  

[frantic36]

12 hours ago, Khareef said:

GET RID OF THE WHITE TABLECLOTH in the restaurant,

 

They actually tried that a few years ago and it made the restaurant feel cold and more like a school canteen. 

12 hours ago, Khareef said:

extremely bad environmentally (how many they have to wash everyday...), just put some nice design table like in all fancy modern gourmet restaurant (at least here in Europe).

It would not be great environmentally to scrap hundreds of tables to do this fleet wide and replace them with design tables. And which design do you pick as people will complain they are either too plain, too embellished etc?