Mauzac

Very true and at the time we were happy (ish!) with the price. I think if it had just been £1K or so we would've taken it on the chin... or if it had been a 65 day Voyage like we did last year. It was just the massive price difference that did it! As you say, we might get lucky... if not perhaps we might be booking last minute (although that doesn't always work does it...)

Thank you. Totally agree. To be honest, but keep this to yourself (and the rest of the CC Board 😂) we would have been happy with just a gesture, not the full amount obviously.. anything in OBC really to acknowledge our disappointment. It was the categoric 'SB are not prepared to offer anything' that took us aback. It has made us rethink our loyalty to SB somewhat, to be honest 😕

Hoping for some wise words on this Board 🙂🙂 I'll try and be brief. We are UK based, very close to being a Diamond member, have two cruises upcoming and the one in question we booked last December, it is a 2 week cruise due to embark in 43 days, V2. We have paid our final bill. We received a promotional email from our (well known UK based) TA. Our upcoming cruise has a special offer on. Upgrade V2 to V4 (not worried about that, we like the suite we have chosen) However, the price difference is enormous. If we were to book today we would be paying £3,562 ($4,530) less than what we did pay (for a 14 day cruise). It would possibly be even more than that once the TA savings are factored in. I contacted the TA who in turn contacted SB. Whilst I do not expect any credit as far as refunds, I was expecting some OBC to soften the blow especially as we have a lot of SB excursions booked and paid for.and costing ££££. The TA has come back to me, SB will not offer anything. Zilch. They say it is a special offer for customers booking now and there is nothing at all they can offer us. We are so disappointed about this, as we are loyal to SB, and we've recommended 4 family and friends to SB who have taken numerous cruises. In the past we have actually had some price adjustments if this has happened before paying our final bill. We have written to Guest Relations in US but our TA informs us it can be up to 28 days for any reply or even acknowledgement. Has anyone had this sort of experience? Any advice gratefully received. Signed Mr & Mrs Disappointed from UK 😂

Ditto here! We go August 6th, really enjoying these posts and pictures as an appetiser for us!

I have to say, last time I had it, it was far too much for one

Hello! Very much looking forward to any reports of this cruise from jondfk and slsd. We are on Ovation August 6th doing the same one and have our excursions booked ready (but there's still time to change them!) Hope you have a great time 😊

That certainly was not our experience on the Grand Pacific Voyage last Autumn. We were in a queue for 3 hours along with all other SB customers and the passengers on a large capacity ship. Those from US did move slightly quicker as we got towards the end of the queueing, but for us Europeans it was 3 hours, and only slightly less for those from US. No signs for SB and no magic card and believe me we looked for relief from the process!

Ditto, but 67 days and counting! (I'm not sure what I need to keep looking at on the app but I do have a peek at the menus, and getting excited!)

Yes, I had the same problem. Deleting the app and starting again didn't work. I had to go into app info and clear the data and the cache. Then log in again, and all fine. 😊

I find the Nordaq water good. We drink a lot of water too! We keep the water bottles in the fridge door, then when on an excursion we decant it into our own insulated water bottles and on a hot long trip, the water remains lovely and cold. Anything we can all do to minimise single use plastics is a good thing in my book.

Interesting thread, thank you. We are cruising Norway in August, and I am imagining the weather to be much like it is now in the UK! We are used to hot weather cruises so I shall have to rethink the clothes somewhat.

We have also done Sojourn Cape Town and up the coast of SA including Port Elizabeth but that day the weather wasn't on our side so we never actually docked in Port Elizabeth, it was the only port we missed in a packed schedule. We never took passports at all for any of the stops. And I certainly won't in the future. However, I just feel for those passengers, it must've been a horrible and scary experience. I am sure they are being looked after and do hope they are coping mentally. Anyone who has been burgled or had something like this happen will know it can take a while to get over and come to terms with.

@Flamin_June. I do hope you enjoy Dravuni. It was actually my favourite island of all on the Grand Pacific Voyage. Do have a peek at the little school, the children put on an impromptu show for us, it was wonderful ! Here are some of the 'stars' !

Do you know how long they have to quarantine for? On our Grand Pacific voyage it varied depending on what waters we were sailing in. I know someone who came out of their suite after just a few days, and someone else who was quarantined for 10 days!

I'm a bit of a Martini girl, it has been known. There are different Martinis. A french Martini for instance, not so keen on that one. A Gibson, I enjoy one of those in TK. The number one for me is a Vesper Martini. Rumour has it, it started in London when Ian Fleming walked into a bar there. I made quite a habit of drinking them on the Pacific Voyage last year. It is three parts Gin, 1 part Vodka, and Lillet (a french aperitif), with a twist of lemon. I do remember someone on the other side of the Obs Bar asking the mixologist what he was making. And he said "it's a Vesper Martini, probably the strongest drink I make up here". Ooops, that was for me then!

Excited to be going here on a SB cruise in August 😁

That looks just my sort of starter! The beef stroganoff was a 'Daily' on Odyssey end of last year and it was delicious. 😋.

Thanks for the update! I really liked Captain Radev when we were on the 65 day Grand Pacific voyage. Very personable, engaged with lots of crew and passengers. Enjoy!

You are all but there! @Flamin_June Hope you have a fabulous cruise.

Absolutely not! I dress up on when dining, it's my chance to do so and I like it!

I was just thinking this! Personally, I am always relieved when I miss a meal when on an excursion! I always remember doing a SB helicopter trip to the top of a hill/mountain in Durban, SA. Helicopters land and the crew then proceed to set up tables and tablecloths and get out cool boxes full of food! I thought I was getting away without eating dammit. 🤣

One event in the Grand Salon that was great fun on our Grand Pacific Voyage....they turned the evening over to the crew, and some were immensely talented... it was a sort of Odyssey X-factor! One of the early evening Club staff played guitar, he was brilliant, one of the Spa staff sang, an Officer brought the house down with a rock song and more. Just a bit different.

"We have found many outstanding musicians in the club - yes most are pulled together into a “band” and are so professional in their flexibility. Some have their own groups within the band eg a duo or trio. If they were allowed to do their own show (songs) in the club this would add some variety and spontaneity away from the formulaic pre and post evening standards. In some cases the club singer is more talented than the production singers and is better placed to headline the sail away parties - but this rarely happens." I so agree with this. A cruise a few years ago had a singer that was just amazing, one of those soulful voices that just sent shivers up the spine. She was also a free spirit, and used to sing anywhere, and up in the Obs Bar if she got a chance. She wanted to do more, but I think 'management' resisted. She was wonderful. But only did one season with SB, she probably didn't toe the line enough!

We've done two cruises since Covid (one big one... for us!) and found it just as good as ever with the crew so so grateful to be back and wanting to do everything to make our journey the best ever. Yes, there were blips. Changed ports etc, but nothing that didn't make us worry or regret our journey.

Oh yes to some jazz! On our last cruise (Grand Pacific last autumn) there was a fabulous saxophinist, so talented. I used to ask for music that highlighted his skills! He was a lovely guy. Interestingly, he only met his 'band mates' when he joined but real musicians can just make great music!