Mauzac

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!

That juat made me laugh out loud 😂🤣

Ditto! I do it all! I don't actually mind because it heightens the anticipation for me. I can't imagine what it would be like to have it all planned by someone else!

We were on Odyssey recently. It's the first time I had noticed the lighting up with sensor lights as you get out in the night. One by each bed and one by the dressing table. Staying on just long enough before switching themselves off. I liked them! Ovation didn't have this when we were on last February, but we were provided with a night light to plug in at the dressing table.

I love galley lunches, I love seeing those 'behind the scenes' in the galley we don't often get a chance to see. We had two or three on the Grand Pacific voyage last Autumn and enjoyed each one of them

I'm not sure, he did say Bali to Barcelona to me, so I don't know if he is staying on after that...

Is it available in 'your preferences'? For a cruise next year, it is showing in our preferences but there are no excursions available yet so I can't test it out. I have just checked a cruise we have in August and it is showing for us on the website. Have you looked on the app? Because it is also showing there for our August cruise.

That's interesting. P&O really wouldn't appeal, and for me Saga just has connotations of being for the more elderly than me. But maybe I am sounding like my dear old Dad who, in his nineties, talked about 'the old people' like he wasn't one! 😂

Ian and his lovely wife were both Assistant CDs to John Barron. What a team! To be honest, they all made our cruise. And I agree with you, it is so important 😊 I am greatly enjoying Shark's posts too, in cold and grey England they brighten my day!

For all those on the WC right through to Barcelona.... you are in for a treat! I am in sporadic contact with the Assistant CD and his wife from our Grand Pacific Voyage end of last year, and we had a quick catch up last night. He is Ian, and married to Eva who has the most wonderful operatic voice. Ian is probably the most talented musician and entertainer I have ever known on all our cruises over years. Every now and again he would do a 'set' up in the Obs Bar on the piano after the show and the place would be rocking! He also did his own show in the Grand Salon and there was hardly a seat to be had. Anyway... he told me he is joining Sojourn at the end of March to finish up the WC, Bali to Barcelona and is very excited to be doing this. I am so jealous, you are all so lucky! If ever we were privileged enough to be on a cruise he was on in the future, we would be overjoyed!

We are embarking on August 6th so I hold out hope it won't be too cold. I'm hoping for a typical english spring day, anything more than that is a bonus! We still hope to eat in E&O on occasion, we've done it before wrapped in blankets!

Yes, this is our first 'cold weather' cruise so it will be a new experience for us! Lots of layers, gloves and a woolly hat or two. I think there can be pleasant weather at that time of year so we live in hope.

I agree. I am one of those people who watch like a hawk the airline ground crew label up my cases at check in before they go on their journey.... checking they have put on all they should (sad I know!) I could not cope with any uncertainty, and I have known of more than one person whose luggage didn't arrive until near the end of the cruise, or it took 6 weeks to get back to them when they got home!

We were disappointed to get this cancellation especially as just two days before I had booked the SB Flam railway excursion, typical! The alternatve port is Skjolden, no excursions available yet, having researched it looks to be beautiul and SB have been there before as I saw a Quest passenger review on TA. I think we will be doing our own thing there.

I wish it was! No, just border control entering Canada and onward to US. It was totally exhausting.

Grand Pacific Voyage 3 hours queueing up. Nothing to do with SB. Vancouver, and US Border Control. Totally awful. There was a massive ship embarking at the same time. I must be honest here, it was 2hrs 55minutes actually

That's a shame!

We got to know him on the Grand Pacific 65 day voyage. A very talented guy, he put on a couple of shows and they were good! We are on Ovation in August, I wonder if we will be meeting him again?!

@frantic36I envy your friends, I would do it all again like a shot! We probably know your friends as we were on the cruise and had a totally wonderful time from start to finish. Once we had accepted the big itinerary change dropping parts of Polynesia and adding NZ notified to us well in advance, we were ready to go! We were disappointed of course, but soon put that aside once we boarded! All the staff from the Captain down worked their socks off to ensure we had a great time. There were lots of impromptu sail aways, plenty of interaction from all the Officers, the CD John Baron was superb, and as for the two Assistant CDs..... Ian and his wife Eva..... well, let's just say, we were very privileged to sail with them. She has a superb operatic voice, and Ian who has worked all over everywhere.... if he is not made CD, Seabourn are missing a trick! Every now and again he did a 'set' in the Obs Bar 10.30 at night... the place was rocking with everyone dancing! Yes some excursions were cancelled, but we found our way round that in some way or another. The food was excellent, under Executive Chef Maresh, the staff love him and it showed in the meals we ate. It was both our birthdays and we had a special night in the Restaurant with invites sent to friends we had hooked up with, and a meal of our choosing (an Indian Banquet), the attention to detail was second to none. The Gala dinners (apart from one that was not up to SB's standards but it was fun!) were superb. The one in the Chihuly Glass Museum in Seattle was something else, a fab start to our long journey. The farewell Gala Dinner was held in the Main Dining Room... entertainment, and dancing up and down the Restaurant. We were both apprehensive of doing such a long cruise (longest one ever for us) but so glad we did it. The memories will stay forever. I think because it was only just over 100 doing the whole 65 day Grand Voyage, we became like a little community most of us there to have the best time ever. And we did!

I do like the TK Grill Bar though... that's a treat. I hope they still have a musician/pianist there.