Grace Smith is Seeking Advice

[Grace Smith]

The only cruise I've ever taken was back in 1974 Italy to New York on the Leonardo DaVinci...$99 for an 11 days crossing, bottom of the boat, no port hole & bunk beds. :eek: Needless to say, I was a student then and this still looked deluxe next to Youth Hostels that I frequented as I toured Europe.

I've never thought about taking a cruise, because though I'm a good traveller, I'm not a good relaxer. I think I'm ready to "dive in" though and try it. Last year my husband and I did Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade with the train. We had a wonderful trip, but at times it seemed like work. I've pretty much decided that though expensive, the way to go is with a smaller ship. I've narrowed things down to 1st choice: Seabourn and 2nd choice: Silversea.

On Seabourn, I've narrowed down the possible itineraries to :

June 30th 2007: Monte Carlo to Rome

July 7th 2007: Athens to Venice

July 14 2007: Venice to Rome

I'm not even sure whether they are all available at this point. I want to travel from the end of June through mid July and I want to disembark somewhere in Italy, because from there I'll be travelling to Zadar, Croatia. (Train & Ferry are preferrable to flying).

Any hints, tips or advice would be so helpful.

Thanks!

Grace:)

[blackbird71]

Grace Smith and welcome to the Seabourn forum on Cruise Critic.

 

Myself I have had service problems on my Sliversea cruise. But the service on my first Seabourn cruise in Nov was the best of my 17 cruises.

 

The main reason I got into cruises in the 80s is I wanted to unpack once and for my hotel :p to take me to wonderful places.

 

Others will talk about the cruises and ports that you are interested in, but if you have any other general cruise questions feel free to ask and we wil be happy to answer them.

 

If you do book Seabourn, leave your email addy and somebody on here may have a "ref" card worth $400 on your ship board account. :)

[Grace Smith]

Thank you Blackbird71! It is that packing and unpacking thing that does you in. I'm very prone to sea sickness, but I still want to forge ahead with a cruise. Thanks for your tip about the referral card. Do I just put my e-mail address in one of these threads?

If anyone wants to pipe in about the destinations, I'm all ears!

Grace

[Iamboatman]

I would strongly suggest you look at booking quickly. There is not much in the way of inventory for July.

[LaPaloma]

You picked three great trips--you can't go wrong on any one of them. We have cruised in all three areas you are considering. I would return in a "New York Minute" to any of the three! We just returned from 10 days on the Mexican Riviera on the Legend--the food and service were outstanding. Our experience on the Silversea was good(2cruises). The ships are beautiful, but the food and service don't come close to the Seabourn! What ever you pick--have a "good one"!

[Grace Smith]

I would strongly suggest you look at booking quickly. There is not much in the way of inventory for July.

Thanks,

Sure enough I checked with our travel agent and the July 7th departure from Athens was sold out. That might have been my first choice. There were only two cabins w/ balcony(and only midship veranda) on Monte Carlo -Rome and two on Venice-Rome. I made a decision and reserved a cabin! The Riviera it is! I'm excited and seasick at the same time!

Thanks for your prudent advice!;)

Any other tips for a novice will be heeded and greatly appreciated.

Grace

[Grace Smith]

You picked three great trips--you can't go wrong on any one of them. We have cruised in all three areas you are considering. I would return in a "New York Minute" to any of the three! We just returned from 10 days on the Mexican Riviera on the Legend--the food and service were outstanding. Our experience on the Silversea was good(2cruises). The ships are beautiful, but the food and service don't come close to the Seabourn! What ever you pick--have a "good one"!

Hi, La Paloma!

When I talked to my TA today, I realized there was no time to waste. I had to make a decision. I'm with you, how could I go wrong with any of these destinations? I booked the Monte Carlo to Rome Voyage!

My gut feeling was always to go with Seabourn and these Boards sealed the deal! There is something almost cult-like about the Seabourn clients. You should all be on their payroll, word of mouth is better than any advertising they could do!

I hope our paths will cross at some point on a future cruise!

Cheers!

Grace;)

[blackbird71]

Thanks for your prudent advice!;)

Any other tips for a novice will be heeded and greatly appreciated.

Grace

 

You have said that you are not a good relaxer, that is both a plus and a minus for cruising in general. :p You can schedule your days as busy as you want or as laidback as you want.

 

As the Seabourn ppl on here will say again and again.. "Prepared to be Pampered" I have only done one Seabourn cruise, but after 16 others one of the things that hit me right off was being addressed by my last name by the crew from the first day.

 

One of the things I enjoy is with the small number of passengers there is a bonding amoung passengers. I have tried "tea time" on other ships but I really enjoyed it on Seabourn and seating with other interesting passengers and talking.

 

So if you have any first time cruiser/Seabourn cruiser question just ask. LOL I am the iPod man, yes you can connect an iPod to the Bose sound system.;) I did that to listen to an audiobook while watching the world outside my very large window in my suite.

 

Ask away...

[LaPaloma]

Grace..you made a superb choice. Our favorite cruising is the Riviera...You will be so happy...trust me...relaxing will be EASY!

[DR John]

Hi Grace:

We are also booked on the June 30 Monte Carlo- Rome cruise. I also travelled on the Italian Line ships from NY to Italy in the late 60's and early 70's. We may have crossed paths on the Leonardo da Vinci. I think you will realy enjoy Seabourn.

 

John

[Host Dan]

Grace,

I did Seabourn Legend through the Med last summer for 3 weeks. You will have a fabulous time! Prepare to be pampered!

 

Host Dan

[Grace Smith]

Grace..you made a superb choice. Our favorite cruising is the Riviera...You will be so happy...trust me...relaxing will be EASY!

Thanks for the words of encouragement! I already feel like I'm part of something very special. It's all good!;)

Grace

[Grace Smith]

Hi Grace:

We are also booked on the June 30 Monte Carlo- Rome cruise. I also travelled on the Italian Line ships from NY to Italy in the late 60's and early 70's. We may have crossed paths on the Leonardo da Vinci. I think you will realy enjoy Seabourn.

 

John

It's a small world! Actually, my TA dangled the proverbial carrot today. We can do Rome to Rome departing Rome June 27th B3 for half price, wow, that sounds good! Now I'm scrambling to see if we can take all of that time off, plus a week in Croatia. One way or another Dr John, we'll see you in Monte Carlo.

Grace

[Grace Smith]

Grace,

I did Seabourn Legend through the Med last summer for 3 weeks. You will have a fabulous time! Prepare to be pampered!

 

Host Dan

Hi, Host Dan!

Pampering will be hard to get used to for me! I'm willing to give it a try.:)

Grace

[Grace Smith]

You have said that you are not a good relaxer, that is both a plus and a minus for cruising in general. :p You can schedule your days as busy as you want or as laidback as you want.

 

As the Seabourn ppl on here will say again and again.. "Prepared to be Pampered" I have only done one Seabourn cruise, but after 16 others one of the things that hit me right off was being addressed by my last name by the crew from the first day.

 

One of the things I enjoy is with the small number of passengers there is a bonding amoung passengers. I have tried "tea time" on other ships but I really enjoyed it on Seabourn and seating with other interesting passengers and talking.

 

So if you have any first time cruiser/Seabourn cruiser question just ask. LOL I am the iPod man, yes you can connect an iPod to the Bose sound system.;) I did that to listen to an audiobook while watching the world outside my very large window in my suite.

 

Ask away...

Thanks, Blackbird!

I'm pretty excited to be a part of all of this! I'm trying not to get "anxiety" about having to relax!

I have to tell you, that when I decide to do something, I research it to the max! I spent many months already, looking at all of the many websites for all of the possible ship lines. After reading everything, I had narrowed my choices down to Seabourn and then to Silversea. I decided somewhere in all of the research that a small line would be a better fit for me. I'm a very casual person...so I dappled strongly in the small informal lines like the Windstar. I also think I need a balcony or a window to be able to open....a little phobic! Obviously, that phobia is going to cost me!

Then, I found CruiseCritic.com and these boards. My fears that Seabourn would be too stuffy, were put to rest. All of you "regulars" couldn't be more "regular" and friendly & warm! All of my trepidations are behind me! The Mediterranean is in front of me! I'm so excited! Of course, I'm just praying I don't get sea sick.

No one will be able to pronounce my last name, btw, but it will be fun all the same!

Grace Smith

[blackbird71]

I would expect that you will not have any problems in the Med with seasickness, but still a very minor point, ships move :D and you have to get your "sea legs". When packing, bring shoes that understand that. Leave at home your 7" spiked high heels. :D If you have been on a train and walked around, it is less than that but still there is movement.

 

Everybody has their favorite seasickness prevention, mine is Ginger Root in 500mg that you can buy in any GNC store. Your grandmother may have said drink ginger ale for an upset stomach,, there are studies that prove that out. I always carried them my first couple cruises but never used them.

 

LOL my favorite seasickness story was coming out of the Panama Canal my family and I were walking down the hall to our cabin and in the hand rails every 10 feet was one of those funny bags you see in the back of airplane seats and we wondered and soon found out what did the crew know that we did not. :eek: For a couple hours the ship did Rock N' Roll ...

[GrannyLorr]

Well I can pronounce SMITH!! clever eh? and they say Aussies are dumb??? :rolleyes:

 

[zacho46]

Grace,

All of the advice provided by other posters appears to be right on target. I've cruised with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Radisson/Regent, Silversea and now have a reservation for the July 7 sailing on the Seabourn Spirit. Everything I have heard and read about Seabourn suggests you have made a great decision (and I hope to validate it's the right decision for me in a few months).

 

I just wanted to add one additional suggestion...

When I first inquired about the July 7th Spirit sailing, I was told it was sold out. Disappointed, I tried to find alternative itineraries and found only one on Regent (love the line) but it was also unavailable. With a desire to visit the Dalmatian coast of Croatia and also get a taste of Greece, I contacted the AmEx platinum desk last week and found an A-1 cabin available on the July 7 Spirit. If you love that itinerary, it might pay to check availability again with your TA as it seems like cancelations are made and cabins open on a regular basis. If you get lucky, please let me know and we can toast NJ as we sail through the Corinth Canal.

 

Best of luck!

Zach

[eleang]

The only cruise I've ever taken was back in 1974 Italy to New York on the Leonardo DaVinci...$99 for an 11 days crossing, bottom of the boat, no port hole & bunk beds. :eek: Needless to say, I was a student then and this still looked deluxe next to Youth Hostels that I frequented as I toured Europe.

I've never thought about taking a cruise, because though I'm a good traveller, I'm not a good relaxer. I think I'm ready to "dive in" though and try it. Last year my husband and I did Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade with the train. We had a wonderful trip, but at times it seemed like work. I've pretty much decided that though expensive, the way to go is with a smaller ship. I've narrowed things down to 1st choice: Seabourn and 2nd choice: Silversea.

On Seabourn, I've narrowed down the possible itineraries to :

June 30th 2007: Monte Carlo to Rome

July 7th 2007: Athens to Venice

July 14 2007: Venice to Rome

I'm not even sure whether they are all available at this point. I want to travel from the end of June through mid July and I want to disembark somewhere in Italy, because from there I'll be travelling to Zadar, Croatia. (Train & Ferry are preferrable to flying).

Any hints, tips or advice would be so helpful.

Thanks!

Grace:)

 

Hi Grace, good you are ready to experience cruising, I just took my first Seabourn Cruise in December, it is a great cruise line, service is the best I've ever experience, food is excellent, staff is trained to pamper and please you at all times. Just keep in mind there is not much to do since is a small ship, I would recommend it if you want to relax and not do much, while enjoying excellent food and service. We loved the experience but did felt my days were too lazy at times. I missed fitness classes, a broader number of lectures or enrichment programs, a bigger spa, more activities during the sea days, I participated in the trivia, did my daily soduko, ate, ate and ate, but felt I needed more! I hope this helps.

[Grace Smith]

Grace,

All of the advice provided by other posters appears to be right on target. I've cruised with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Radisson/Regent, Silversea and now have a reservation for the July 7 sailing on the Seabourn Spirit. Everything I have heard and read about Seabourn suggests you have made a great decision (and I hope to validate it's the right decision for me in a few months).

 

I just wanted to add one additional suggestion...

When I first inquired about the July 7th Spirit sailing, I was told it was sold out. Disappointed, I tried to find alternative itineraries and found only one on Regent (love the line) but it was also unavailable. With a desire to visit the Dalmatian coast of Croatia and also get a taste of Greece, I contacted the AmEx platinum desk last week and found an A-1 cabin available on the July 7 Spirit. If you love that itinerary, it might pay to check availability again with your TA as it seems like cancelations are made and cabins open on a regular basis. If you get lucky, please let me know and we can toast NJ as we sail through the Corinth Canal.

 

Best of luck!

Zach

 

Hi, Zach!

Right now things are up in the air for us...a few family problems leaving the Itinerary up for grabs!

Originally, my goal was to see mostly Greece with some Croatia sprinkled in. My husband is Serbian, but is from Croatia. I actually was married in Croatia.....it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. There are a lot of tourists (but no Americans, except you & I).

The trip you are going on has a slightly different itinerary listed on the Internet than in the catalog. The Internet says that it stops in Hvar. The catalog says it stops in Zadar. Do you know the scoop on this? If you stop in Zadar I'll be able to give you some Insider Tips.

I'm sure I'll be on one of these cruises...at least for now my fingers are crossed.

Grace

[Grace Smith]

:)

Hi Grace, good you are ready to experience cruising, I just took my first Seabourn Cruise in December, it is a great cruise line, service is the best I've ever experience, food is excellent, staff is trained to pamper and please you at all times. Just keep in mind there is not much to do since is a small ship, I would recommend it if you want to relax and not do much, while enjoying excellent food and service. We loved the experience but did felt my days were too lazy at times. I missed fitness classes, a broader number of lectures or enrichment programs, a bigger spa, more activities during the sea days, I participated in the trivia, did my daily soduko, ate, ate and ate, but felt I needed more! I hope this helps.

This is all very interesting. What is your favorite cruise line? Personally, I keep coming back to not wanting to be in a crowd. I hate lines. I love kids, but I think for a cruise I'd rather be on a ship with mostly adults. I love to travel & sightsee, so I'm not afraid of the days at port because we'll probably book the tours. I work all kinds of hours, so I usually go to bed pretty early so I can get an early start. So, the nightlife on some of these ships might be too exciting anyway!

I really appreciate your input. The one thing that I'm realizing is how friendly people who cruise are! :)

I appreciate that you took the time to give me your insight. It is one of my concerns that I might have to relax, God forbid.

There is that other part of me saying that I should just relax in the sun for awhile. You know, get some Vitamin D (I'm very pale...it's that Irish thing)!

Grace

[Grace Smith]

I would expect that you will not have any problems in the Med with seasickness, but still a very minor point, ships move :D and you have to get your "sea legs". When packing, bring shoes that understand that. Leave at home your 7" spiked high heels. :D If you have been on a train and walked around, it is less than that but still there is movement.

 

Everybody has their favorite seasickness prevention, mine is Ginger Root in 500mg that you can buy in any GNC store. Your grandmother may have said drink ginger ale for an upset stomach,, there are studies that prove that out. I always carried them my first couple cruises but never used them.

 

LOL my favorite seasickness story was coming out of the Panama Canal my family and I were walking down the hall to our cabin and in the hand rails every 10 feet was one of those funny bags you see in the back of airplane seats and we wondered and soon found out what did the crew know that we did not. :eek: For a couple hours the ship did Rock N' Roll ...

Hi, Blackbird!

I'll definitely try your Ginger Root solution...natural remedies make the most sense to me.

When I crossed on the Leonardo da Vinci the rough seas came right around the Rock of Gibralter I think! I was at Bingo with my friend MaryLou when thinkgs started swaying. And we, like you, found bags and people who had missed the bags on our way back to our "cabin". I slept off the problem with a little dramamine, thankfully.

This was back in the day where you were assigned to a table and ate every meal with the same people. MaryLou and I were alone for the entire crossing. The Italian family that were our tablemates never returned after the Rock!:eek: I have been known to get seasick on a row boat in a lake without motion....there's a reason for my paranoia!

Our Itinerary is a bit up in the air at the moment, but I'm determined to be amongst the Seabourn Faan Club.

Grace

[blackbird71]

!:eek: I have been known to get seasick on a row boat in a lake without motion....there's a reason for my paranoia!

Grace

 

LOL BB was thinking suicide was the only answer when he was around 8 or 9 and went deep sea fishing with his grandfather in a charter boat with 18 foot seas off New Jersey. Every time the boat stopped it's engines so the people could fish, I was feeding the fish.... :eek: I did 15 cruises with my mother and sister in ships the size of Seabourn up to 70,000 ton ships. While my sister never got real seasick, her stomach would feel uneasy the first night until she got her "sea legs" but after that she would be great the rest of the cruise.

 

I am like you, I get up early and now I am traveling alone, pack it in after dinner. I will get a movie and watch it after dinner or watch the sea outside of my veranda(RSSC/Silverseas) /picture window (Seabourn).

 

I also dislike crowds and lines. And I really dislike forced lines like most ships have getting off the ship and everybody has to stop to have their picture taken so you can buy it. You will not find that on the Seabourn/RSSC/Silverseas ships. The only line I have been in was on the RSSC Mariner (600 pax) when we stopped in Puerto Rico and we had to go thru US Immigrations and there was only 3 Immigrations officers to process the whole ship...

[firefly333]

And I really dislike forced lines like most ships have getting off the ship and everybody has to stop to have their picture taken so you can buy it.

 

I have been on quite a few cruises lately, 3 on Princess and 1 on Carnival and had no problem saying no thanks and walking on by. No one pushed to take my picture.

 

Im always surprised when folks say here they are forced to have their picture taken. I have no problem saying no thanks.

[blackbird71]

 

Im always surprised when folks say here they are forced to have their picture taken. I have no problem saying no thanks.

 

The problem is not saying No Thanks but the line that is stalled while people have their pictures taken. On RSSC, that has a photographer that does cruise pictures, they set up a "port" picture area aside from the line people go thru getting off. If you want to have your picture taken, you walk over to the photo area and have it taken.

 

Even on the RSSC 700 pax ships, I didn't find any "lines", LOL there is a security pause as they scan your ID but because of the low number of people you were almost always the next to be scanned.