Complimentary wines

[2SailingNomads]

On 10/5/2024 at 7:41 AM, Vineyard View said:

I am curious 2SailingNomads who now is your first choice. Not having your history with Seabourn, but with other lines, I am reading some similar ‘downgrades’. It makes me wonder if your new first choice long time customers have seen similar ‘downgrades’ within that line. 
 

Given all the competition, and new ships coming along in the premium/luxury segment, I sincerely hope that SB steps it back up somewhat for those who truly know the difference. That said, based on what I am reading here, we may notice a difference next year. If that is so, and it impacts our experience (wines, etc) to a noticeable degree, we may go back to ‘looking’ harder. 

Good question Vineyard View BTW love your username - was recently in Bordeaux for 12 days and will be in Napa and Sonoma in a couple of weeks! - we have tried several other lines. all have their positives and negatives.  Scenic Ocean - great service (lots of ex-Seabourn crew including some of the best we have known from multiple Seabourn cruises over the years); lots of choices for restaurants for 228 pax with generally good food; extensive included scotch collection; senior officers always mingling with guests; several included tours every cruise; open bridge policy; marina like Seabourn ships have; decent included wines and not a big markup for revenue wines.  The negatives: no forward facing observation bar - Eclipse II has a bar on the top deck but the small pool blocks any views and it is not open past 6 usually; small ship so entertainment is very limited no real shows but they do have live music each afternoon and evening; some poor designs on the ships, easy to cut your hand on the railings in the halls and stairs with sharp edges (know multiple people who did it); some not so well thought out designs in the suites, like a not deep sink with a flat basin in the bathrooms and unless you get a SPA suite or larger the closets are small and the door opens right where the bathroom door also opens so you need to coordinate with your room mate when coming out of the bathroom.  

 

One cruise on Explora Journey's I, great layout of the ship, amazing marketplace restaurant a buffet that you get served from with everything from sushi to al la minute pasta; lobster tails and oysters available every night at all the restaurants; multiple pools, including one with a retractable roof; multiple out door bars; sport court - although too small for a legit pickleball game; good gym and included classes; probably the best coffee I have had on any ship; service was with only 2 exceptions exceptional, no having to wave to get someone's attention to come over to order; multiple specialty restaurants open for lunch in addition to the marketplace and one for breakfast; we had a penthouse but the lowest level suites are a good size; great deck furniture; true bartenders who can make a drink as opposed to someone who can measure 1 shot of X and add 2 ounces of Y with no creativity; very nice show room with a real bar that stays open thru the entire show and wait service to bring you a 2nd drink during the show if you desire; Observation bar also has outdoor seating.  Negatives: Explora thinks they are something else from a typical cruise line, even though owned by the same people who own MSC; no loyalty program; on our cruise no incentive to book another cruise; limited itineraries going forward, need some creativity instead of same thing; lack of shaded area outside; no library to borrow books from.

 

Regent - and have only been on their newer ships - love the ship design; great library with thousands of books and printed copies of several newspapers; multiple bars all with music at night; friendly efficient crew; good sized included wine list that have several wines I find perfectly acceptable (as somewhat of a wine snob 🙂); always a specialty restaurant open for lunch; good walking track where you don't have to navigate around people putting chairs in your way like on Seabourn decks 9/10; full sized sport court, cornhole / baggo, bocci court, golf net, putting green;  pool grill with a choice of sandwiches / salads in addition to the usual burgers, hot dogs, etc.; padded & comfortable lounge chairs; observation bar with plenty of seats and spaces between; very good gym along with spa facilities; coffee bar with sit down service - instead of standing on a line at SB Square (or yes ordering off the sometimes functional app); included tours in every port - and yes this is a point of contention but you can choose to not take any, I view paying for them in the fare the same as I do having to pay a resort fee at a hotel that I am not going to use 90% of the "included" benefits, but that is just me others object.  We have done a few of the Regent included tours and a few were very good, others just OK, none so far terrible.  One thing I also like about Regent is typically on the first full day of the cruise they have a tasting of all the included wines and give you a list of them, instead of trying to wrangle the list from some one on Seabourn.  Negatives, not too many in my book: biggest one is no seating near the pool bar except at the bar itself so if those seats ae occupied no place like SB has with tables near the Sky Bar.  

 

To your original question: Explora downgraded their included champagne and wines; Scenic we did not notice any difference and have not seen anything but do not look at the CC board much for Scenic (and we did a river cruise on Scenic and the included wines were quite good), Regent we did not notice anything on our last cruse in February different and do not think I have seen posts on the Regent forum complaining about declining standards. 

[2SailingNomads]

Sorry oysters are available at the Emporium marketplace.

[Vineyard View]

1 hour ago, 2SailingNomads said:

Good question Vineyard View BTW love your username - was recently in Bordeaux for 12 days and will be in Napa and Sonoma in a couple of weeks! - we have tried several other lines. all have their positives and negatives.  Scenic Ocean - great service (lots of ex-Seabourn crew including some of the best we have known from multiple Seabourn cruises over the years); lots of choices for restaurants for 228 pax with generally good food; extensive included scotch collection; senior officers always mingling with guests; several included tours every cruise; open bridge policy; marina like Seabourn ships have; decent included wines and not a big markup for revenue wines.  The negatives: no forward facing observation bar - Eclipse II has a bar on the top deck but the small pool blocks any views and it is not open past 6 usually; small ship so entertainment is very limited no real shows but they do have live music each afternoon and evening; some poor designs on the ships, easy to cut your hand on the railings in the halls and stairs with sharp edges (know multiple people who did it); some not so well thought out designs in the suites, like a not deep sink with a flat basin in the bathrooms and unless you get a SPA suite or larger the closets are small and the door opens right where the bathroom door also opens so you need to coordinate with your room mate when coming out of the bathroom.  

 

One cruise on Explora Journey's I, great layout of the ship, amazing marketplace restaurant a buffet that you get served from with everything from sushi to al la minute pasta; lobster tails and oysters available every night at all the restaurants; multiple pools, including one with a retractable roof; multiple out door bars; sport court - although too small for a legit pickleball game; good gym and included classes; probably the best coffee I have had on any ship; service was with only 2 exceptions exceptional, no having to wave to get someone's attention to come over to order; multiple specialty restaurants open for lunch in addition to the marketplace and one for breakfast; we had a penthouse but the lowest level suites are a good size; great deck furniture; true bartenders who can make a drink as opposed to someone who can measure 1 shot of X and add 2 ounces of Y with no creativity; very nice show room with a real bar that stays open thru the entire show and wait service to bring you a 2nd drink during the show if you desire; Observation bar also has outdoor seating.  Negatives: Explora thinks they are something else from a typical cruise line, even though owned by the same people who own MSC; no loyalty program; on our cruise no incentive to book another cruise; limited itineraries going forward, need some creativity instead of same thing; lack of shaded area outside; no library to borrow books from.

 

Regent - and have only been on their newer ships - love the ship design; great library with thousands of books and printed copies of several newspapers; multiple bars all with music at night; friendly efficient crew; good sized included wine list that have several wines I find perfectly acceptable (as somewhat of a wine snob 🙂); always a specialty restaurant open for lunch; good walking track where you don't have to navigate around people putting chairs in your way like on Seabourn decks 9/10; full sized sport court, cornhole / baggo, bocci court, golf net, putting green;  pool grill with a choice of sandwiches / salads in addition to the usual burgers, hot dogs, etc.; padded & comfortable lounge chairs; observation bar with plenty of seats and spaces between; very good gym along with spa facilities; coffee bar with sit down service - instead of standing on a line at SB Square (or yes ordering off the sometimes functional app); included tours in every port - and yes this is a point of contention but you can choose to not take any, I view paying for them in the fare the same as I do having to pay a resort fee at a hotel that I am not going to use 90% of the "included" benefits, but that is just me others object.  We have done a few of the Regent included tours and a few were very good, others just OK, none so far terrible.  One thing I also like about Regent is typically on the first full day of the cruise they have a tasting of all the included wines and give you a list of them, instead of trying to wrangle the list from some one on Seabourn.  Negatives, not too many in my book: biggest one is no seating near the pool bar except at the bar itself so if those seats ae occupied no place like SB has with tables near the Sky Bar.  

 

To your original question: Explora downgraded their included champagne and wines; Scenic we did not notice any difference and have not seen anything but do not look at the CC board much for Scenic (and we did a river cruise on Scenic and the included wines were quite good), Regent we did not notice anything on our last cruse in February different and do not think I have seen posts on the Regent forum complaining about declining standards. 

Thank you very much for these details. This sounds well balanced in review. You point out specifics that I was not aware of. 
I have not really looked at Scenic. When we were on Quest last year, their sleek ship was tendered in Kotor at the same time.  So thanks for that input. I would not have expected multiple restaurants, etc. 

Explora - I have looked at them. My two hesitations were limited itineraries and dedicated kids room.  - realizing the can be mitigated during school sessions, which we travel. 7 days is just not enough - but as they expand they are on my radar. 
Regent - yes, I have looked at them as well as SS. We truly are DIY or private-small group tour travelers when not doing land trips. That was one of the reasons we jumped to SB from Viking (along with years of repeated Mediterranean itineraries). I will say though, some of the itineraries are attractive on both. To your point, it is a choice to take excursions or not. 
 

We live in Sonoma Valley - vineyard views are lovely from home, and colors are just starting, harvest is on. So in a couple of weeks, they will be further along, and hopefully this heat will back off soon. You are likely well versed with our area, but if you have any questions lmk and we can connect separate from CC. Regardless, have a great time here! 
 

 

[2SailingNomads]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you very much for these details. This sounds well balanced in review. You point out specifics that I was not aware of. 
...

We live in Sonoma Valley - vineyard views are lovely from home, and colors are just starting, harvest is on. So in a couple of weeks, they will be further along, and hopefully this heat will back off soon. You are likely well versed with our area, but if you have any questions lmk and we can connect separate from CC. Regardless, have a great time here! 
 

 

Thank you! Ironically despite Explora claiming their market is 30ish with children that was NOT the demographic we experienced.  It was a 18 day cruise two 9 day segments.  We saw no one under about 9 years old and they were very well behaved.  Most of the pax were 50+ in age and we ran into a couple we have sailed with multiple times on Seabourn, who as it turns out spend 1/2 the year near where we now live. 

 

I tried to message you but it did not work. you can reach me at my CC name minus the "2" and outlook dot com - It has been quite a few years since we have been in Sonoma and while we get wines from multiple Napa wineries would love to hear what you suggest for Sonoma beyond the 2 I like.   

Cheers!

[Vineyard View]

13 hours ago, 2SailingNomads said:

Thank you! Ironically despite Explora claiming their market is 30ish with children that was NOT the demographic we experienced.  It was a 18 day cruise two 9 day segments.  We saw no one under about 9 years old and they were very well behaved.  Most of the pax were 50+ in age and we ran into a couple we have sailed with multiple times on Seabourn, who as it turns out spend 1/2 the year near where we now live. 

 

I tried to message you but it did not work. you can reach me at my CC name minus the "2" and outlook dot com - It has been quite a few years since we have been in Sonoma and while we get wines from multiple Napa wineries would love to hear what you suggest for Sonoma beyond the 2 I like.   

Cheers!

I just emailed you. Happy to connect! 

[galeforce9]

There’s talk on a well known social media site that this champagne has replaced montaudon as the standard pour.  We were served it as the upgraded champagne on Encore three weeks ago, until three days in it was swapped for Bollinger.  A bit underhand as this was never mentioned.  It was quite nice though and we enjoyed our time in the retreat.  

[brittany12]

Well, it's certainly no Bollinger, which is so nice as an upper-end Champagne. Never heard of Phillipe Fourrier, but I never heard of or liked Montaudon on board so maybe it's an improvement as the regular pour. These champagne contracts go out to bid every so often so it looks like, if this is true and not just talk, that Fourrier came in at the lowest price among the various bidders for the fleet. Total Wine sells it for $37.99.

[galeforce9]

9 minutes ago, brittany12 said:

Well, it's certainly no Bollinger, which is so nice as an upper-end Champagne. Never heard of Phillipe Fourrier, but I never heard of or liked Montaudon on board so maybe it's an improvement as the regular pour. These champagne contracts go out to bid every so often so it looks like, if this is true and not just talk, that Fourrier came in at the lowest price among the various bidders for the fleet. Total Wine sells it for $37.99.

I think people mention it is now being served on sojourn and quest. Not heard updates from any other ships yet. 

[tjcox9]

14 hours ago, galeforce9 said:

I think people mention it is now being served on sojourn and quest. Not heard updates from any other ships yet. 

We had it delivered to our room by room service twice during our cruise on Venture ending Oct 7. The rest of the champagne we saw and were served was was Montaudon. 

[Vineyard View]

3 hours ago, tjcox9 said:

We had it delivered to our room by room service twice during our cruise on Venture ending Oct 7. The rest of the champagne we saw and were served was was Montaudon. 

What was your impression/comparison between the two? I am not familiar. 

[tjcox9]

Just now, Vineyard View said:

What was your impression/comparison between the two? I am not familiar. 

My husband liked it better than I did. I found it sweeter than Montaudon but I an not a sweet drinker/eater.

[SLSD]

I've followed this entire thread with great interest.  But, in the end, we just want a nice serene place with good ambience to have our lunch onboard.  I'll brave substandard wines to be able to dine in the Restaurant instead of the Colonnade.  What does that say about us?  I'm not sure.  Until Seabourn can improve their included wines and provide a luncheon venue that is not a cafeteria, I think they should stop calling themselves a luxury cruise line.  We did enjoy our last cruise, but being reduced to room service lunches a number of times did not make us happy.  

[brittany12]

Bravo SLSD. I'm with you completely. About the DR, lunch and proper ambience to be called luxury. The wine though does not have to be substandard.  I'll even accept standard!!!

[Tony UK]

I'm with you brittany 12 and SLSD. I do not think self serve cafeteria style has any place on luxury lines. Similarly we would have loved the dining room area to be less open, perhaps split into smaller themed restaurants with individual decor. The theme could extend to the wine / cocktail choice. 

We ate room service breakfast more on SB than any other line. Patio breakfast opened too late for an early start on port days. We loved the menu and style on Earth and ocean...thats the way to go IMHO. 

I dislike the bring a couple of bottles and hope you'll go with it approach! The menu of included wines should be on the table to allow guests to consider and choose what they want to drink, like in a real restaurant!

21 hours ago, brittany12 said:

Well, it's certainly no Bollinger, which is so nice as an upper-end Champagne. Never heard of Phillipe Fourrier, but I never heard of or liked Montaudon on board so maybe it's an improvement as the regular pour. These champagne contracts go out to bid every so often so it looks like, if this is true and not just talk, that Fourrier came in at the lowest price among the various bidders for the fleet. Total Wine sells it for $37.99.

£17.47 on Vivino!

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, brittany12 said:

Bravo SLSD. I'm with you completely. About the DR, lunch and proper ambience to be called luxury. The wine though does not have to be substandard.  I'll even accept standard!!!

Standard would be nice.  We are being bombarded at home with mail from Seabourn and emails from Seabourn about booking another cruise.  The dining situation is holding us back.  Ultimately, it appears to be a staffing issue.  We think we may be planning a land trip next.  

 

Edited to add:  We sometimes have lunch at a restaurant in a port.  Unfortunately, we cannot always find a good place for lunch--depending on where we are.  We had a delightful lunch last summer in Bergen--but not every port is a Bergen.  

Edited October 9 by SLSD

[Lilly55]

2 hours ago, Tony UK said:

I'm with you brittany 12 and SLSD. I do not think self serve cafeteria style has any place on luxury lines. Similarly we would have loved the dining room area to be less open, perhaps split into smaller themed restaurants with individual decor. The theme could extend to the wine / cocktail choice. 

 

Think you should forget Seabourn and pick a line more suited to you 😀

[Tony UK]

Seabourn clearly have fans for whom they can do no wrong. 

I wont go into the details here, however we had an extremely disappointing experience on Seabourn which we have had validated and acknowledged by the President of the company who apologised profusely for our experience.

Constructive feedback to improve guest experience should surely be welcome in a bid to continually improve the offering.

To turn to the comment to which you respond, which incidentally wasn't part of our original feedback, We didn't expect to find the kind of buffet and dining room we can find on many other ships. We thought it would be more upscale. Similarly the fine wines advertised were extremely poor.

We wanted to love Seabourn. We didnt particularly want to be part of the family, neither do we want a home from home. We wanted a boutique style ultra luxury cruise as advertised.

Maybe you are right, however the company are giving us lots and lots of encouragement to sail with Seabourn again. 

[Lilly55]

11 minutes ago, Tony UK said:

Seabourn clearly have fans for whom they can do no wrong. 

I wont go into the details here, however we had an extremely disappointing experience on Seabourn which we have had validated and acknowledged by the President of the company who apologised profusely for our experience.

Constructive feedback to improve guest experience should surely be welcome in a bid to continually improve the offering.

To turn to the comment to which you respond, which incidentally wasn't part of our original feedback, We didn't expect to find the kind of buffet and dining room we can find on many other ships. We thought it would be more upscale. Similarly the fine wines advertised were extremely poor.

We wanted to love Seabourn. We didnt particularly want to be part of the family, neither do we want a home from home. We wanted a boutique style ultra luxury cruise as advertised.

Maybe you are right, however the company are giving us lots and lots of encouragement to sail with Seabourn again. 

I am not a fan that Seabourn can do no wrong but having done many years on Crystal, then many years on Silversea - Seabourn now suits us best.

Accept that your comments are not going to change a line and move on to something that suits you.

We had numerous conversations with Crystal and Silversea to stay with them - this is normal for a company that you make a complaint to. 
If you read the boards enough you will find comments that clearly display no line will give you the perfect ultra luxury cruiseline. Decide what is acceptable for you - Seabourn clearly wasn’t - move on.

[nancygp]

22 minutes ago, Lilly55 said:

I am not a fan that Seabourn can do no wrong but having done many years on Crystal, then many years on Silversea - Seabourn now suits us best.

same here!   Sailed crystal exclusively for many years and have been sailing frequently on seabourn since the old crystal ceased operations.  Overall, our complaints were minimal on either line and always addressed with the appropriate people.   For the time being, Seabourn now suits us the best.

 

Nancy

Edited October 9 by nancygp

[frantic36]

2 hours ago, Tony UK said:

Maybe you are right, however the company are giving us lots and lots of encouragement to sail with Seabourn again. 

 

I thought so. 

[Covepointcruiser]

Anyone unhappy with Seabourn should not sail with them.   You know the policies on the opening of the Restaurant, rarely open in port.   Find a line that meets your needs and leave Seabourn to those of us who enjoy it.

[Vineyard View]

9 hours ago, tjcox9 said:

My husband liked it better than I did. I found it sweeter than Montaudon but I a not a sweet drinker/eater.

Sweeter than Montaudon doesn’t feel encouraging - everyone’s pallets are different for sure, but I do hope that if they transition to this that it is not overly sweet. Thank you for your response. 

[SLSD]

28 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Anyone unhappy with Seabourn should not sail with them.   You know the policies on the opening of the Restaurant, rarely open in port.   Find a line that meets your needs and leave Seabourn to those of us who enjoy it.

That's what some of you always say.  We've sailed with Seabourn quite a few times now over a number of years.  This last cruise was great--except for lunchtime venues.  We don't mind dining on the patio (when the weather allows) , but a  crowded cafeteria setting never suits us (on land or on sea).  It's a question of staffing.  We like most everything else about Seabourn.  Not excited at all about trying (again--we've sailed with them) Silversea or Regent.  We've always been enthusiastic about Seabourn.  

Edited October 10 by SLSD

[Vineyard View]

15 minutes ago, SLSD said:

That's what some of you always say.  We've sailed with Seabourn quite a few times now over a number of years.  This last cruise was great--except for lunchtime venues.  We don't mind dining on the patio (when the weather allows) , but a  crowded cafeteria setting never suits us (on land or on sea).  It's a question of staffing.  We like most everything else about Seabourn.  Not excited at all about trying (again--we've sailed with them) Silversea or Regent.  We've always been enthusiastic about Seabourn.  

We almost always eat lunch off ship while exploring. It’s part of the attraction for us, enjoying local food and beverages. So the worry about what the ship offers is just not a concern. 
I do not mean to invalidate those who feel differently, but when sailing on a couple other lines when we have returned to ship early, we have found the lunch offerings to be more limited. I wouldn’t want to only have inside the Colonnade (for any meal), but I am curious if other lines do have more to offer on the regular when in port? 

[SLSD]

2 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

We almost always eat lunch off ship while exploring. It’s part of the attraction for us, enjoying local food and beverages. So the worry about what the ship offers is just not a concern. 
I do not mean to invalidate those who feel differently, but when sailing on a couple other lines when we have returned to ship early, we have found the lunch offerings to be more limited. I wouldn’t want to only have inside the Colonnade (for any meal), but I am curious if other lines do have more to offer on the regular when in port? 

 We also have lunch off the ship when we can find a nice place (doesn't have to be fancy).  Some ports are so small that we haven't been able to find anything.  

 

Silversea serves lunch in their dining room every day.  I'm not sure about other lines as Silversea and Seabourn are the only lines we've sailed.