Expectations vs Reality

[marazul]

Agree with all of the above.  However, the current wine list and the lack of VSOP cognac and armagnac are real reasons to gripe about. Loudly.

[Covepointcruiser]

Never been disappointed in food in Queens Grill.   Meat always cooked to the correct medium rare for us.    The unlimited choice offered is fantastic and we love having our table available anytime we want to eat within the hours the grill is opened.  Osman is our favorite on the QM2.   

[Vineyard View]

3 hours ago, marazul said:

Agree with all of the above.  However, the current wine list and the lack of VSOP cognac and armagnac are real reasons to gripe about. Loudly.

100%!!  
And to whom should we gripe to, because I wholeheartedly agree. Reading that Oceania has a better wine list - well, that just should not be. 

[marazul]

9 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

100%!!  
And to whom should we gripe to, because I wholeheartedly agree. Reading that Oceania has a better wine list - well, that just should not be. 

We could complain to Natslia by email. Can anyone supply the email address? 

[Vineyard View]

On 8/29/2024 at 4:21 PM, marazul said:

We could complain to Natslia by email. Can anyone supply the email address? 

OfficeofthePresident@Seabourn.com is one. 
 

letter sent. 
 

squeaky wheel…..hopefully people start using their voices to her. 

[Covepointcruiser]

Are the Oceania wines included or is there a subset that is included?   We haven’t taken Oceania in years but recall having to pay for good wines.

[Vineyard View]

1 hour ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Are the Oceania wines included or is there a subset that is included?   We haven’t taken Oceania in years but recall having to pay for good wines.

They changed their pricing offering to include ‘x’ amount of excursion credit, as well as beer/wine.  Not sure about a separate by the glass list. 
 

[walkingsoon]

On 8/29/2024 at 6:29 AM, texanaust said:

I find the food in Queens Grill far superior to anything Seabourn and Silversea offers.  A completely different experience with true fine dining.  QG is like what Seabourn used to be 20 years ago.  YMMV.

Thanks for that insight, Texanaust. I'm considering booking a QC cruise soon.

 

I was just on Sojourn last month and was hugely impressed. I thought the MDR was the best I've seen in any line. Was everything perfect? Of course not, but then I didn't expect that. Laundry room access was spotty, the water shuttle operation turned bad at one point as did port shuttle service. Staff seemed more than happy to fix stuff that they could, I didn't ask them to fix stuff they couldn't. I never once found myself red faced and screaming at guest services (kidding - I can't picture that happening on any cruise). It was, all in all, a great cruise.

 

Being realistic with your expectations is key here. With "ultra luxury" you can't expect perfection. You will, compared to the mass market lines, have smaller ships with better space ratio and passenger:staff ratio as well as access to ports the bigger ships don't go into. The food will usually (not always) be better, the tours a bit less crowded, and you're unlikely to spend much time in a line.

 

Whenever I run into someone complaining bitterly, to the point that they're "never going to cruise on this line again!",  I think it's probably appropriate that they don't. At the same time, I suspect the problem isn't the with cruise line, but rather with the complainer.

 

I'm heading back to a Princess cruise soon. I'm comfortable with them. I expect it'll be a fine cruise, but I'm looking forward to my next Seabourn adventure as well.

 

Walkingsoon

 

[lincslady]

A part  of the problem of high expectations is, of course, the cruse lines own hyping of their product so that it seems one should expect perfection. We all know really that it does not exist, but still on the first cruise on a new line feel that it might happen, which understandably leads to bitter complaints from some people.

[texanaust]

1 hour ago, walkingsoon said:

Thanks for that insight, Texanaust. I'm considering booking a QC cruise soon.

 

I was just on Sojourn last month and was hugely impressed. I thought the MDR was the best I've seen in any line. Was everything perfect? Of course not, but then I didn't expect that. Laundry room access was spotty, the water shuttle operation turned bad at one point as did port shuttle service. Staff seemed more than happy to fix stuff that they could, I didn't ask them to fix stuff they couldn't. I never once found myself red faced and screaming at guest services (kidding - I can't picture that happening on any cruise). It was, all in all, a great cruise.

 

Being realistic with your expectations is key here. With "ultra luxury" you can't expect perfection. You will, compared to the mass market lines, have smaller ships with better space ratio and passenger:staff ratio as well as access to ports the bigger ships don't go into. The food will usually (not always) be better, the tours a bit less crowded, and you're unlikely to spend much time in a line.

 

Whenever I run into someone complaining bitterly, to the point that they're "never going to cruise on this line again!",  I think it's probably appropriate that they don't. At the same time, I suspect the problem isn't the with cruise line, but rather with the complainer.

 

I'm heading back to a Princess cruise soon. I'm comfortable with them. I expect it'll be a fine cruise, but I'm looking forward to my next Seabourn adventure as well.

 

Walkingsoon

 

The key to a great dining experience in QG is taking advantage of the a la minute table side prep and flambés.  Some people will argue that this is theatre, but just try the steak Diane or similar and you will understand why QG is so good.

 

 

[Happydays2024]

Reality in 2017/2018 on board Odyssey vs Reality today on board Encore/Ovation.
 

In 2018, the Colonnade was great for both lunch and dinner. There were good specials everyday served at the table - now the choice is burgers etc. Guests were greeted by name. The restaurant was mixed. There was room around the pool. Service was more intuitive and far more on the ball. Stops were longer including later night ones (Mykonos, Rhodes, Siracusa). Managers were visible. The ship was both intimate and spacious. Definitely not perfect but overall a memorable experience. 
 

In 2024, nearly all aspects of service and quality were well below where they were. Colonnade had become barely ok for lunch (started eating off ship) and mixed for dinner - aspects were excellent. Pool area crowded and not very enticing as a result. The Restaurant was inconsistent. On the other hand, the Retreat is excellent and worth the money especially if you have credit. Room service seemed to be a better menu but they were slammed all the time (due to shortcomings elsewhere?).

 

2024 was more expensive (30% higher) and delivered less. All in I would encourage people to lower expectations. It is a good product compared to the mass market lines but it is not the same luxury line it was. The question is whether it goes in a better direction or continues the stride towards mediocrity. 

[markandjie]

Great thread filled with tons of great comments. None of our Seabourn cruises have been perfect... Well, our 2015 holiday cruise on the Quest probably was, actually... But on each and every one we've made amazing memories and had wonderful interactions with staff and fellow cruisers. We have had incidents, mostly very minor but a few more serious, and each time once we got thru to the right person things were made right. 

 

When I step back and think about the privilege we've had to see so many amazing locations while having every need met...we are very fortunate indeed.

[JodiandFrank]

Nops wrote “We cannot wait for our Pacific crossing in March 2025”…..

 

We are on that Encore Cruise also, from Kobe to Miami!  Can’t wait…..

[Nops]

15 hours ago, JodiandFrank said:

Nops wrote “We cannot wait for our Pacific crossing in March 2025”…..

 

We are on that Encore Cruise also, from Kobe to Miami!  Can’t wait…..

We are going the other way on Pursuit Chile to Solomon Islands

[JodiandFrank]

3 hours ago, Nops said:

We are going the other way on Pursuit Chile to Solomon Islands

Like ships passing in the night……..

[commodoredave]

Re: complaints. We've had a few disappointments on cruises, but never enough to make it a bad cruise. We try to judge our cruises based on the total experience, not isolated incidents. As a result, we have always left happy.

Re: cruises don't spend enough time in ports to allow passengers to experience them. Cruises, by their nature, give people a "taste" of various places rather than a "complete" experience. That's why we always spend extra time pre- or post-cruise to allow extra time in places we want to see more thoroughly. For example, on a recent Norway cruise that ended in Tromso, we flew to Bergen to spend 3 more days there despite it being a port call. We then took the train to Oslo and spent 4 days there. We've also gone back to special places we discovered on cruises as a land trip including Rome, Barcelona, Cinque Terra, Scotland, etc. 

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, commodoredave said:

Re: complaints. We've had a few disappointments on cruises, but never enough to make it a bad cruise. We try to judge our cruises based on the total experience, not isolated incidents. As a result, we have always left happy.

Re: cruises don't spend enough time in ports to allow passengers to experience them. Cruises, by their nature, give people a "taste" of various places rather than a "complete" experience. That's why we always spend extra time pre- or post-cruise to allow extra time in places we want to see more thoroughly. For example, on a recent Norway cruise that ended in Tromso, we flew to Bergen to spend 3 more days there despite it being a port call. We then took the train to Oslo and spent 4 days there. We've also gone back to special places we discovered on cruises as a land trip including Rome, Barcelona, Cinque Terra, Scotland, etc. 

I applaud the way you do things--both looking at the overall experience and spending time before and after a cruise to enjoy an area in a bit more depth.  We try to do the same thing--but had to rush home after our cruise this summer as we had already been away for a month. We are going to plan differently next time.  And yes, we would have loved at least two more days in Bergen--maybe three or four leisurely days.  

[diebroke]

It seems prices have risen & service declined on most of the "luxury" cruise lines I follow. I am curious if anyone can compare Seabourn & Explora Journeys based on experience.

[johng75370]

5 minutes ago, diebroke said:

I am curious if anyone can compare Seabourn & Explora Journeys based on experience.

We’ve done three SB sailings and 2 Explora in the last 10 months, and they are hard to compare because I think they are aiming at different audiences and are not “apples to apples”.  Both deliver excellent vacation experiences, but just quite different.  Long story short the physical ship and the food are exceptional on Explora; the overall service, crew, and shipboard experience we find better on SB.  Really was turned off by how Explora bent over backwards to accommodate “influencers” to the point of ignoring paying guests, and the overall attitude towards real paying guests (e.g. kicking off passengers in NY so they could have the naming ceremony, or not inviting guests to today’s EX2 naming).  A year post-launch and Explora still does not have a loyalty program.  On SB we like the flexibility; special orders no problem and a genuine friendliness across the whole ship.  On SB you can share a coffee with the Captain; on Explora you would never see that person.  Staff on SB seem relaxed; on Explora they are worried who is watching them.  That’s the feeling we’ve come away with.  

 

We’ve got upcoming SB bookings, but taking a wait and see approach on Explora.  But then again we’re the type of people who don’t feel “at home” hardly ever at a Ritz Carleton or Aman Resort, yet feel back home within hours of being onboard SB.  Best I can say is experience them for yourself, as they both have good and bad depending on your tastes.  

[1985rz1]

On 8/31/2024 at 4:31 PM, Covepointcruiser said:

Are the Oceania wines included or is there a subset that is included?   We haven’t taken Oceania in years but recall having to pay for good wines.

 

On 8/31/2024 at 5:58 PM, Vineyard View said:

They changed their pricing offering to include ‘x’ amount of excursion credit, as well as beer/wine.  Not sure about a separate by the glass list. 
 

And now Oceania is changing it again to include gratuities, but eliminating included wine by thr glass and beer with meals and the excursion credit.

Edited 2 hours ago by 1985rz1