Back and finally ready to post review!!

[wif]

Hi everyone!

 

Well, my husband and I returned from our Pride Barbados to Barbados cruise on 12/16 and after the holidays, kids, and returning to work etc, I am ready to relate our impression of our first Seabourn Cruise.

 

In one word, it was FANTASTIC! The only downside to our vacation was my husbands had bronchitis. :( However, that aside, we are now hooked, and my husband has agreed that as soon as schedules and finances permit we will try the Panamal Canal cruise. We can't wait!

 

We spent a week in Barbados pre-cruise and were glad that we did. It gave us a chance to get aclimated to the carribean weather and the time change. We stayed at the Coral Mist which is situated directly on Worthing Beach in Christ Church. While it is not the Hilton, it was perfect for us. The beach was gorgeous, the location terrific, the facilities very clean, and the staff and locals were some of the friendliest people we have ever encountered!

 

On Saturday 12/9 we boarded the Pride about 3:00 pm. Immediately, my husband and I felt out of place (but that didn't last long). I had read so much on these boards about the above board service, but I was still surprised. We were greeted by staff with chilled towels, and a very handsome young man insisting that he take by bag. Well, I felt kind of bad having this young man carry my pink backpack! We were escorted to the lounge where there was a table set up with sodas, waters, sandwiches, cookies, more chilled towels, and waiters coming around asking if you would like a glass of champagne or a cocktail! My husband and I looked at each other and whispered "we don't belong here". We had never experienced service such as this before! We then handed over our passports, swiped our credit card, our pictures were taken and we were given our id cards. Shortly after that we were escorted to our suite with champagne glasses in hand.

 

Our suite was just like the pictures! Very nice indeed. There was a chilled bottle of champagne and our bar set up was just as we specified. Our sweet stewardess, Sorina, greeted us with more champagne and returned shortly with a basket of perfumed soaps for us to choose from. What a treat! Since our luggage had not quite arrived yet, we spent some time exploring the ship a bit. We found that due to the small size of the ship, it was quite easy to get around and find things. The library was great and we immediately picked out a couple of movies and some books for me. When we got back to our room, our luggage was there and we spend the rest of the afternoon unpacking, drinking our champagne and looking over the menus and information about the upcoming day at sea.

 

Our first night in the dining room was wonderful. Both my husband and I were escorted to our table and from there on the service just seemed to get better and better. We found the food the entire cruise to be over all fantastic. There were some dishes better than others, but we always found something that we loved and even tried out new things too.

 

The next day was a sea day and was quite relaxing. We spent some time lounging on deck. I also took the galley tour and was quite amazed at the system they have going down there! The head chef was quite personable, funny, and very informative. That night was our one and only formal night and we dined with the guest speaker ( a travel writer with Travel & Leisure magazine) and his mother. The food again was spectacular and I am still dreaming about the creme brulee on parade!

 

I wont go into details about each of the ports. But, our favorites were St. Barts and St. Maarten. Two islands that we might go back and visit someday. We loved coming back from exploring the islands or a tour to find Seabourn staff waiting for us with waters, sodas, cookies and towels. it was wonderful. I don't remember what night we had to deck BBQ, but again, one of the highlights of the cruise. Every type of food you could imagine! Wonderful salads, breads, veggies, steaks, hot dogs, lamb, fajitas, kabobs, ribs, chicken, shrimp, just to name a few, and then the desserts! The night was beautiful. It was amazing watching the staff take down this elaborate set up in a matter of minutes and then there was live music and dancing!

 

The seven days went by way too fast and it was sooo sad to leave the ship! Our wonderful Sorina brought us our "survival packs" the last morning. I haven't tried the breadstick recipe yet, but I will. We really, really enjoyed our week on board the beautiful Pride and look forward to returning to one of these fantastic ships soon. Just like what everyone one else says, its the staff and service that makes Seabourn such a special cruise line. Every one of the staff works so hard but they really seem to enjoy making the guests happy. I of course had my favorites! Nelson up at the sky bar was great, Sorina our stewardess was so sweet, Zoltan in the dining room was a riot, Maarten another favorite of mine and he was frequently at the refreshment table at the pier. I also had a favorite room service gentleman, but at the moment his name escapes me! He was from France and a terrific young man.

 

We did meet some great people on this cruise. The other passengers were very friendly and we had a great time, but it was the crew that really made this trip for us! I can't wait to go back!! A lot of people on these boards always ask for comparisons to other lines like Regent and Silver Seas. I can't make any comparisons since I have only sailed on the mass market lines, but our Seabourn experience was so terrific that I would be almost afraid to try another line for fear of it not living up to our Seabourn experience!

 

Thanks for letting me ramble on! We really had a great time and these boards helped me tremendously in planning and prepairing for our trip! :D

 

Nancy

[Keith1010]

It was wonderful to read your review and impressions of Seabourn. I am glad to hear that you had a great time. Sailing on a ship the size of the Seabourn Pride is a very unique experience along with the wonderful service that is provided throughout the ship.

 

Keith

[crystal808]

Nancy:

 

Thanks for taking the time to give us your thoughts of your first Seabourn cruise! It sounds so very like my own impressions, particularly of the hard-working crew! They truly make a huge difference. :D

 

Welcome home!

 

Paul :)

who's itchin' to get his feet onboard the Legend...soon! ;)

[johnnycruise]

Nancy,

 

I'm wondering if the room service steward you're referring to is Cyril. He always did a great job on our cruise on 12/16.

 

johnny

[wif]

Johnny,

 

You are absolutely right, it was Cyril! He was such a terrific guy. We were always happy when he was the one who showed up at our door holding a tray!!

 

Did you enjoy your 12/16 cruise?

 

Nancy

[PeaSea8ch]

Nancy,

Thank you for taking the time to post your review of your first Seabourn cruise. I enjoyed reading it and was delighted that you became part of the family right away! :) It is totally aceptable to ramble on in this forum! I did it for 17 days on my Legend Trans-Atlantic crossing thread. :D BTW, you both will love the Panama Canal cruise!

 

Happy future Seabourn sailings!:)

[cruisr]

Happy New Year

 

Thanks for the review. I agree with all you said based on my experiences.

 

As the saying goes, "Different strokes for different folks". Its funny to read your review and Disney Jen who was on the same cruise. I have been on 2 Sea Dream cruises (one as Sea Goddess and the other as Sea Dream Yacht Club) and will never return again. Nothing wrong with them, just NOT for me. Its the opposite for Disney Jen. That's what makes the world go around.

 

I cannot wait till my next cruise which will be the Spirit on June 23. Can't wait to do the free Seabourn excursion to Ephesus.

 

Bon voyage

[BrittaniMV]

Cruisr--I'm just curious why you won't go back to SeaDream? DisneyJen's review gave us a good idea why she preferred SeaDream. Why do you prefer Seabourn over SeaDream?

[cruisr]

For me, traveling as a single I really appreciate that I am invited every night on Seabourn to an officer's or an entertainers table. Not that I accept all the time, I don't. Sometimes I dine with new friends, sometimes alone, sometimes I accept the invitations. I enjoy options in whom I can dine with as well as where (Verandah, Sky Grill, Restaurant or Suite)

 

On SD I never recieved an invitation and as it was almost entirely couples on my two sailings I ended up dining on my own most nights. I feel that the officers and crew are warmer on Seabourn and I also feel the food is better on Seabourn. I also like the suites for their size and layout on Seabourn. I have heard that it has changed but when I was on SeaDream in 2002 everybody had to dine in the restaurant or outdoors. You could not dine in the restaurant if the evening was designated as outdoors and vice-versa.

 

I do enjoy the pool/deck layout on SD and the Balinese sunbed.

 

As I said, different strokes for different folks. I have been on large yachts (both private and SeaDream) and they are very nice but for me I prefer a small luxury cruise ship.

 

Bon voyage

[Archipelago]

Thanks Nancy for your much appreciated review !!!:)

[SantaAna,CA]

I so much enjoyed your review of your cruise. There is such a common thread among first-time Seabourn cruisers, and the things you said I knew exactly how they felt! My first cruise was on the Legend in April of this year, and I was a little intimidated by the level of sophistication and service on Seabourn as well. May I make a prediction? Your second voyage, you will feel right at home. That's how I felt on my Pride cruise (I was on the week before you, sorry we didn't meet). I have never felt more "at home" on vacation than I did on the Pride. Such warmth and friendliness! No wonder people re-book over and over.

 

Thank you again for your review and especially for sharing the delight of discovery of this magical line. I hope to meet you someday on the Pride, the Legend, or the Spirit!

 

Jane :)

[wif]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. West Coast Jane - you are right about feeling like family. We did feel out of place at first, but it didn't take long to get used to the exceptional service and feel like family.

 

I too find it interesting how people on the same cruise can have such differing opinions. I have never sailed on SD, so I can't compare, but we did not have the service issues that it seems that DisneyJen did. The funny thing is, the other couple she talked about at "2" I think was my husband and me. It was steak night and we decided to dine outside and we were the only people out there at first. We did not have to wait any longer for our courses than we did in the dining room and found the service to be terrific. I too have worked in the food service industry and can be quite critical of dining service, but found no need, service for us was excellent. Its too bad that DisneyJen's experience was not the same.

 

As someone else said, different strokes for different folks. I have looked into SeaDream and those Balinese beds do look wonderful! But now that we have sailed on Seabourn and fallen in love with out, I'm almost afraid to try a different line for fear of being dissapointed! I think we will give the Panamal Canal a try first and then see. I'm hoping that with the new ships Seabourn will add the South Pacific to their offered itineraries. We would love to go there and would love to be able to do it on Seabourn!

 

Nancy

[Keith1010]

On the last day of our Seabourn cruise, I was sitting next to a gentlemen who had a Sea Dream jacket on. So, I decided to get his take about Sea Dream and how he thought it compared to Seabourn.

 

In his opinion, he thought a Sea Dream cruise was great for a seven day cruise but that it really is focused on the fine dining with very little to do other than to read and of course visit the ports.

 

His view of Seabourn was that for anything greater than seven days he would go with Seabourn.

 

We have never tried Sea Dream as we are very happy with both Seabourn and Crystal. Each for similar reasons and for different reasons as well.

 

Nancy, you are correct in what you say. It's like going to a fine restaurant; some will have a wonderful time and some will find it so so or even below that. I always say it's great that there are a variety of lines out there in each category (luxury, premium and mass market) with enough differences between each other so that passenger's can select those cruise lines that appeal to them the most based on a variety of factors from traditional to non-traditional cruises, from small-to-medium-to large ships and varying price points based on how much each passenger is willing to spend on a cruise.

 

Again, I'm glad that you enjoyed your Seabourn cruise.

 

Keith

[DisneyJen]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. West Coast Jane - you are right about feeling like family. We did feel out of place at first, but it didn't take long to get used to the exceptional service and feel like family.

 

I too find it interesting how people on the same cruise can have such differing opinions. I have never sailed on SD, so I can't compare, but we did not have the service issues that it seems that DisneyJen did. The funny thing is, the other couple she talked about at "2" I think was my husband and me. It was steak night and we decided to dine outside and we were the only people out there at first. We did not have to wait any longer for our courses than we did in the dining room and found the service to be terrific. I too have worked in the food service industry and can be quite critical of dining service, but found no need, service for us was excellent. Its too bad that DisneyJen's experience was not the same.

 

As someone else said, different strokes for different folks. I have looked into SeaDream and those Balinese beds do look wonderful! But now that we have sailed on Seabourn and fallen in love with out, I'm almost afraid to try a different line for fear of being dissapointed! I think we will give the Panamal Canal a try first and then see. I'm hoping that with the new ships Seabourn will add the South Pacific to their offered itineraries. We would love to go there and would love to be able to do it on Seabourn!

 

Nancy

 

We were the first couple to join you out on deck Nancy, lol. There was another couple that followed after us.

 

Thanks for sharing your report Nancy! It is interesting to read different experiences on the same cruise.

 

Cruisr I agree that it might be difficult being a solo sailor on SD. FrequentTraveler has doing SD solo (a crossing nonetheless) and said that she had a wonderful time.

 

As Keith said, it is wonderful that we have so many options!

[johnnycruise]

Johnny,

 

You are absolutely right, it was Cyril! He was such a terrific guy. We were always happy when he was the one who showed up at our door holding a tray!!

 

Did you enjoy your 12/16 cruise?

 

Nancy

 

We had a great time. If you cruise with Seabourn again, the staff members will remember you. We also saw several passengers from last year who we remembered. I'm glad you took advantage of the many opportunities to meet the other people on board. The passenger camaraderie is the biggest advantage of a small ship. I feel like those who kept to themselves missed out on the overall experience.

 

We also stayed at the Coral Mist a couple of nights pre-cruise. I'm in agreement with your assessment. Definitely not deluxe, but it has several key attributes (location, beach and staff) which allow you to overlook any shortcomings (loud Thursday night karaoke, 60's-era kitchenette). I would stay there again but perhaps get a one-bedroom unit instead of the studio.

 

johnny

[GrannyLorr]

Nancy, your report was great, and it sounded so much like our first experience. We too felt a little out of place when we first boarded The Spirit last March. We found ourselves in the middle of a rather confusing, rushed embarkation as the biggest cyclone (hurricane) to hit our part of the World was heading straight for us. We were shown to the Lounge to take care of the id stuff etc. and saw many passengers hugging and kissing members of the crew! We then thought "they all know each other, we know no one"......cant wait for our next cruise and hope to see some of the same crew again...I will hug and kiss them too!

Our finger nail marks are permanently etched in the gangplank of the Spirit, when they evicted us after 55 days! We also loved the way some of the crew said to us "I cant believe you are leaving, you have been here so long" (sometimes I wonder if that was a good or a bad thing??)

I just cant imagine how I am going to survive leaving my next cruise....72 days...then back to reality?? Has anyone ever done a calculation on how much it would cost to do B2B,s for a whole year on Seabourn? (My dream when I win the Lottery!!)

I am sure one day we will "try" other cruiselines.......but cant imagine anything being any better than what we had on Seabourn.

As I said "we didnt know anyone" the first day of our cruise......just had an email today from another couple we met onboard, and they are planning on doing part of our next cruise....that makes about 10 people already that we know!

[Dorinda]

Nancy - I enjoyed reading your review. We are doing the crossing on the Pride in March and as the time gets closer we are getting more excited. We are cruising with four friends - all of us first time Seabourn cruisers.

 

Reading your review just makes makes us all the more eager to experience Seabourn!

 

Cheers!

Dee

[Winner]

Dee--with four friends you have a team for Trivia, played daily at 12:15 on sea days. Team Trivia is especially popular on crossings as you have probably read on this board. I love crossings but prefer the Fall ones with the extra added hours almost daily. Have fun on the Pride.

 

Winnie

 

PS--what part of the Bay area is home?

[Dorinda]

Hi Winnie - oh, we will be playing trivia! However, only four of us play, so we will have to look for a couple of smart cookies and ask them to join us! We've sailed a lot on Princess and are sick of their trivia prizes so we will have a real incentive to win - just to get something new!

 

You are right - I just realized we will be losing several hours with our west to east crossing. Well, we have no reason to be up early since we only have the one port!

 

We are in Fremont - not too far away from you.

 

Cheers,

Dee