Is Seabourn still 6*?

[johntstone57]

3 lines are rated 6* - Regent, Seabourn & Silversea. I have travelled a number of times with the first two, on Splendour in July, Ovation in October & recently back to back cruises on Grandeur. It seems to me the gap is widening and they are not in the same category.

Regent have billed their two latest ships the most luxurious at sea and no-one seems to be challenging it. They are beautiful inside in every area of the ship (except for the perspex sheet over main dining room windows which restricts view).

The staff on both are as you would expect excellent, but I feel Regent shade it. Despite the larger ships they are quicker to learn names, drink preferences. Seabourn claims it offers intuitive service but we have found it reactive. What I do like on Seabourn is the greater presence of officers and more willingness to engage with passengers especially in the restaurants.

If service is close there is a wider gap on food. Pacific Rim has added a different dimension on Regent. Their steakhouse was always better than Seabourn's which may be why latter isn't trying to compete. It will be interesting to see if the replacement Solis comes up to the standards of Chartreuse.

In the main dining room there is more choice with Regent's daily specials not to mention an extra course. But it is on the always available they are streets ahead. Any cut of steak plus pork, lamb and veal offerings. Lobster, king prawn, dover sole with plenty of sides and sauces. And that's just the mains. On Seabourn the choice is much more limited and on a cruise longer than the 2 week ones we have done you could get bored.

Regent are far more generous with drinks from the moment you step on board and get your champagne before registration. To champagne and caviar Sunday breakfast they have now added Friday sangria & Saturday bloody marys - a step too far for me with my bacon and eggs but welcomed by many! Cocktails are always being brought round by the pool or you never wait long for your own choice of drink. The only time we managed to get a drink of champagne at breakfast on Seabourn was my wife's birthday and then it was just a glass for her. Caviar is not as readily available as is suggested

Obviously a huge range of excursions is included on Regent, but the benefit of that depends whether you like organised tours. Sometimes you do things simply because you have paid for it in the cruise price.

One of the huge benefits on Regent is the complimentary laundry service on Regent. Both offer free launderettes but queues on Seabourn are common. Regent will wash and iron a generous bagful each day, returning it the next on hangers or folded and wrapped in tissue as you wish. You could do a world tour with a couple of outfits! Imagine getting home, you are ready for your next trip and the only washing to do is what you travelled in

The recent statement from Seabourn's President seems more about improvements on the website than onboard. I can't say it shows any intention to narrow the ever growing gap with their rivals

[frantic36]

2 minutes ago, johntstone57 said:

. Caviar is not as readily available as is suggested

 

I will let you know after October what I think of Regent as it will be my first sailing. 

 

I will admit because of ship loyalty I am well recognised and get laundry so I can't comment on that but I do have to question the above statement. I saw people at various venues getting caviar at various times of the day.

 

I saw it on deck 9 especially 5.30pm, in the Colonnade at lunch, in MDR at lunch time and at dinner, Obs Bar pre-dinner and Club pre-dinner. I don't hang out around the pool so am not sure but I'm sure it's possible though if busy you may have to wait. I rarely do room service so am not sure but I would be interested in others experience.

 

 

[johntstone57]

Thanks for the info, perhaps I and those I spoke to were unlucky

 

Another bugbear - no self serve tea/coffee machines. Making a cup of tea takes me seconds but on sea days you can wait for ages. On last Seabourn cruise I was even told I couldn't have a cup as they were all being used.

 

There are a lot of good points dont get me wrong particularly the smaller size of ship. I'll be interested to see how you feel about Regent in Oct

[stan01]

I would not put too much into ratings so I'd skip right over that part.  These are subjective experiences for each of us, and if cost was not a factor I'd be making different decisions on many things I do.  The luxury and near luxury cruise space is getting very competitive with Regent and SS adding capacity while keeping their older ships, and Viking Ocean and Explora adding massive capacity.  At the higher cost and smaller ship space Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons are coming in with entry level products that start to be price comparable to suites on SS and Regent.  Carnival's $28B of COVID debt is going to seriously impact their ability to let Seabourn compete.  We'll have to see what happens.  Carnival eventually selling Seabourn to A&K instead of them building more ships for Crystal as promised isn't off my radar. These are businesses and the business decisions are going to drive what happens.  For us, for the time being we are going to focus on our price point and try to get the best value.  I guess if we eventually find out we have to spend more we'll see what happens.

Edited March 2 by stan01

[johntstone57]

I agree reviews that say great or terrible without giving reasons are uselee. You can then assess how important that aspect is to you

I would love to go on the yachts you mention, but at the moment they are just taking the easy pickings of well worn Med & Caribbean routes. Hopefully they will introduce more interesting itineraries soon. Scenic are doing

 

[Robisan]

7 hours ago, johntstone57 said:

Another bugbear - no self serve tea/coffee machines. Making a cup of tea takes me seconds but on sea days you can wait for ages.

+1 on this admittedly small nit to pick. For those simply wanting a regular coffee or tea to go, a busy Seabourn Square preparing time consuming, custom ordered lattes and cappuccinos can be maddening. After 8am there is no other to-go alternative.

[markandjie]

12 hours ago, johntstone57 said:

The only time we managed to get a drink of champagne at breakfast on Seabourn was my wife's birthday and then it was just a glass for her. Caviar is not as readily available as is suggested

 

This strikes me as a communications gap, whether on the staff or the requestor I don't know. Both champagne and caviar are easily attained upon request. 

 

More broadly I've no doubt your points are valid that Seabourns legacy ships will struggle upon direct comparison, particularly on dining, with the latest and greatest, of which there are more every year. Venture and Pursuit more than hold their own, though.

 

As a consumer, this is all goodness for us. At least until the shakeout comes, anyway. 

[Vineyard View]

We had no problem ordering caviar where and when we wonted to enjoy it with our champagne. 
 

DH ordered our fresh coffees every morning via the Seabourn app. He went to the square, where they were ready or close to, bringing them back to our cabin. It worked very well. 

[johntstone57]

Perhaps the point I was making is that Regent are more proactive in making things available - eg champagne and caviar Sunday. On Seabourn things may be available if you ask but they dont seem to be offered as much

Its subjective, its whats important to you - personally I'd rather have all my washing & ironing done than a spoonful of caviar!

Whoever you cruise with the important thing is you enjoy it. I enjoy our Seabourn cruises or we wouldn't have gone back. I just don't think post covid they are at the same level as Regent

[johntstone57]

That should have said NOT at the same level! Sleepy Sunday am in UK!

[johntstone57]

I'm making this worse - original was correct. I'm stopping following this!

[frantic36]

2 hours ago, johntstone57 said:

eg champagne and caviar Sunday

 

I thought this only occurred if the Sunday happened to be a sea day? My upcoming Regent cruise the only sea day isn't on a Sunday. 

 

I do understand enjoying getting laundry done as I was happy when we got to the level to have one free bag every 7 days and now any time I want. That was something I was happy to see on Regent.

 

I would never do a Regent cruise in places like the Med, Australia and other places I know well as I usually prefer to do my own excursions.

[johntstone57]

No it is any Sunday. They only do the Sunday brunch at sea.

 

Yes we did same with Seabourn in Caribbean as you can either walk or get taxi for the day fairly cheaply. Its nice in Africa or Asia where they might not speak language or it be safe. In Cote d'Ivoire our 6 coaches had as many police cars, outriders & ambulance. Wouldnt have done that on my own!

 

Depends on price - Regent still better on board in my view

[hamrag]

14 hours ago, johntstone57 said:

I'm making this worse - original was correct. I'm stopping following this!

 

You do remember you're the thread author though?? 😉

[2SailingNomads]

Having now done 3 Regent cruises I can agree with some of the OP's comments, especially the laundry from day 1, the dining choices and selections, and the multiple self-service coffee machines which I thought actually make better coffee than what you get in SB Square.  And at the coffee connection you can order your coffee and have a seat and it will be brought to you or just sit and someone will take your order instead of standing in a line. There are some other advantages to Regent including padded lounge chairs, a good sized walking track and multiple deck sports including a pickleball court.  

 

That said, only 3 or 4 crew ever knew our names, one being our butler, no interactions with Officers other than on the previous cruise on the Grandeur the Captain did walk around to the various bars at night and talk to pax, but not on the Splendor which we disembarked from last Monday.  Passing him in the staircase I barely got a returned good morning.

 

When boarding Seabourn you are typically met by the CD and maybe a few officers.  Same for disembarking.  Never met the CD on the Grandeur nor Splendor and no officers to welcome us on or bid us farewell, most times at the end of a Seabourn cruise the Captain is at the gangway.

 

Destination services on Regent are not overly helpful (there was a whole thread on the Regent board awhile ago about that), and guest services are not particularly friendly, as if you are troubling them to help you.  I do like that the General Manager has an office opposite reception so you know where to find him should you need to.

 

[Hlitner]

Since we have never cruised on Regent, we cannot do a comparison to that line.  Otherwise, we do have an awful lot of experience.  The idea of rating a crusie line by stars does nothing for us as we think it is silly.  Seabourn, Silversea, Regent, Explora Journey, Sea Dream, Scenic and perhaps a few others would fall into the luxury category.  We think it is safe to say that each line has their pros and cons.  I did smile at the comment about coffee at Seabourn Square.  Folks should understand that Seabourn Square uses an excellent expresso machine and if you request coffee you will get an "Americana" type coffee which is simply watered down expresso.  For folks that prefer typical american coffee, they might find it not to their taste.  They do serve normal coffee in the dining venues, and for those of us who like truly full flavored coffee you have to ask for "French Press" coffee in the Colonnade.  In that case they will bring a french press to your table and you can push the plunger when you think it has reached the strength you desire.   Otherwise, the coffee they serve comes out of typical commercial coffee systems which I do find somewhat lacking (many others prefer this weakened stuff).

 

I will also be honest and say it does nothing for my ego (or cruise) to have a CD, Hotel Manager, etc. meet me as I board the ship.  But this does often happen on Seabourn and I guess some find this to their taste.  I will say that on one Seabourn cruise, prior to the Covid shut down, we used to dine at hosted tables (one volunteers for this).  During the course of a single cruise, on different evenings, we dined with the Captain (in Thomas Keller), Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Assistant Cruise Director, and several of the entertainers!  And we were staying in a low category suite and only had about 40-50 days on the line at that time.  

 

Is Seabourn 6*.  I have no idea what that even means but I do know it has become our current favorite line.  Explora Journeys certainly has better cuisine, some other lines have better entertainment, etc. but for us, Seabourn is the best overall product!  Is Seabourn perfect?  Not even close.  But it is a very good product and generally costs a lot less, per person/day then Regent.

 

Hank

[Robisan]

14 hours ago, Hlitner said:

...for those of us who like truly full flavored coffee you have to ask for "French Press" coffee in the Colonnade.

I wasn't aware of this. Thanks! Still, it would be nice to have regular, non-Americano coffee available to go, especially when the dining venues are closed. Ah well, the first world problems of having to make do with cappuccinos. 

[Vineyard View]

Is the Colonnade the only venue for French press?  I didn’t know this either so I add my thank you!

[CalmSea]

Oh! French press! Before Covid, I had no problem getting it on the Colonnade. On our first cruise post Covid, the server in the Colonnade did not know what a French press is, and kept bringing me regular coffee! The MD apologized and said that they had to bring it up from the MDR. I have not tried ordering French press in the Colonnade since. Maybe I should try again in my upcoming cruise. I had no problem getting French presse in the MDR, except for a long wait sometimes. BTW, their French press is excellent.

[Hlitner]

Ok, so I opened a can of worms about asking for the French Press.  After COVID, Seabourn did get quite a few new waiters/crew and we have run into times when the Colonnade waiter may not know what a "French Press" is or what it does.  But there are always some more experienced waiters around and it only takes one time until the new folks are "educated."  In the Colonnade you can get regular coffee (we assume it is made in a normal commercial drip machine) and servers do come around to fill your cups.  The French Press is one of those things you need to know, since we have never seen it mentioned on a menu or a table-top card.  It is one of those things like caviar, that you have to ask to get.

 

Funny story about the French Press on SB.  Shortly after the Covid restart we ordered this item in the Colonnade while cruising on the Ovation.  The server who brought my French Press was not very familar with the gadget (he we on his first contract) and once he put it on our table he very quickly pushed down on the plunger and coffee exploded out of the press and went all over our table and his hand (ouch).  On subsequent visits to the Colonnade he always made a joke out of being very careful and slow :).

 

Hank

[grandma*knows*best]

I was recently on the Seabourn Pursuit and caviar was available 24/7.  You only needed to ask.  Champagne as well.

[Hlitner]

3 minutes ago, grandma*knows*best said:

I was recently on the Seabourn Pursuit and caviar was available 24/7.  You only needed to ask.  Champagne as well.

My only very minor complaint about the Champagne is that it is Moutadon.  IMHO that is just a so-so champagne, but it is the real thing.   When we were on Explora Journeys we appreciated that they had Moet and Chandon products (Brut, Rose, etc).

 

Hank

[frantic36]

1 minute ago, Hlitner said:

 When we were on Explora Journeys we appreciated that they had Moet and Chandon products (Brut, Rose, etc).

 

 

 

I read recently on the Explora board they are changing these but can't remember the details.

[Astride]

I don't understand this obsession with caviar & champagne. Who cares? I'd much prefer a glass of fine red wine with quality cheese than a flute of cheap champagne with fish eggs. The only explanation I can come up with is that the combination has snob appeal.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, frantic36 said:

 

 

I read recently on the Explora board they are changing these but can't remember the details.

Apparently, they have now started with Mercier, which is supposed to be the largest selling champagne in France.  Having never had the stuff, no comment,  EJ has a connection with LVMH  which is a large conglomerate that owns Moet & Hennesy.  They own Mercier, which means they are keeping it in the same corporate family.   On thing that bothered me about EJ was that the only Cognacs they had were Hennesey products   Even on Princess I can get Remy Martin XO.  That was not to be found on the EJ1.  

 

For what it's worth we recently booked two more Seabourn cruises, but have not booked any more EJ.  That line has lots of possibilities with a management team that are full of themselves and need to have a major attitude change.

 

Hank