texanaust

Some of Applebee's food might be better...😉

Just a quick review of the food so far...Dinner in the Restaurant very good to excellent.  Breakfast and lunch in the Colonnade poor.  Breakfast in the Restaurant-good service with poor ingredients.  The bacon is very low quality, no berries (sort of expected that) and the omelettes are terrible.

Regarding the food, we had nice conversation with the corporate executive chef during the cocktail party a couple of nights ago (there is no executive chef currently onboard).  We mentioned a few things we thought could be improved upon such as the curry at lunch that tasted nothing like curry, breakfast items, etc

Interestingly his response was that 'Seabourn does not prioritize food on its Expedition cruises.'  That is an exact quote from the SB corporate executive chef!   We were interrupted by the Captain's introductions just after he said that, so unfortunately no chance to follow up. 

I do plan to run that comment by the F&B manager (whom we know well) and get his thoughts!

The luggage limit is 23kg but no one weighs the bags as they go directly from the hotel (left outside your room the night before) to the aircraft.  If your bag was over, I don’t think anyone would care.

Personally, if we do another Seabourn in this area, we will plan to embark at a port that has good air services not requiring a charter.  Many of our fellow economy class guests agreed it was not a great start to the cruise.

Today our altered itinerary has us snorkelling on the wreck of the World Discoverer.  For us, this is an excellent alternative to touring Honiara so we’re happy.

We just joined the Pursuit after flying in to Honiara on the Charter flight.  The Qantas flight was terrible and a disappointing start to the cruise.  The food was inedible and believe it or not, no alcohol!  They did have a business class but I'm not sure how those people managed to secure that section.  Those guests did receive a proper meal with champagne, etc so certainly a different experience for them...unfortunately not for us and most other passengers. 

Seabourn also promised a half full aircraft, but instead filled every extra seat with joining staff and expedition members.  Certainly not a luxury experience which was then followed by a very long, slow drive from the airport to the ship. 

Fortunately, the Pursuit looks great and we are looking forward to an improved experience from here!

1 hour ago, commodoredave said:

I miss my toast in the morning on the Muse. On just about every cruise ship we’ve ever been on, we’ve been able to choose a slice of bread from the buffet and have it toasted in less than a minute right in front of us by the buffet waiter. And take it back to our table for buttering while still hot. Yum!

But on the Muse, toast can only be ordered from a table waiter, which means a significant wait for it to arrive, lukewarm and if I wait for it after getting my breakfast it too is then cold. 

But after several days of frustration, I am now ordering my toast before going to the buffet, waiting for it to arrive, and then getting my breakfast. The toast is still cold, but not my breakfast.

It’s just great when a cruise ship takes something that has worked well for decades, changes it for the worse, and can’t deliver on the new process. Let’s hope this change doesn’t spread to other SS ships.

Have you taken your concerns to the F&B manager or the HD?  Also, can you not order a freshly made ground beef burger?  Surely they have the ingredients onboard to make a decent burger (which should be standard for any 6-star cruise line).

9 minutes ago, Jim_P said:

but if they're showing older movies it would be nice to watch classic movies instead of a C grade thriller from 2012. 

It all comes down to the $$$$ they are prepared to pay for royalties.  The movies you quoted would be very inexpensive options for Cunard.

1 hour ago, Sunprince said:

I can guarantee that for $2000 - $2800 US$ per night, that I can find a much more luxurious and better land holiday than on a Seabourn ship.  Maybe it’s time to give up that cruise for a while and experience some of the best hotels/resorts around the world.

Agreed.  The food and accommodations on land will be much, much better. 

This pricing will stick around only if they are loading up their ships.  Up until a couple of months ago, SB was aggressively discounting, so this is very much a change.  I doubt that suddenly we are back in economic boom times again...it certainly doesn't feel that way.   

The fine print mentions the refund being up to 90 days which is cut off from my screen shot.

2 minutes ago, FLRI said:

Where did you get the info? Did you get an email?

Yes, an email.  I think they went out to agents first.

Both cruises are now cancelled.  Full refund (Takes up to 90 days to process???!!!🙄), 20% off the new increased prices and must book by May 31st.  Up to $500 for non-refundable things with receipts.  

Totally outrageous and if onboard, I would have had a word with the HD.  The whole point of these lines is their inclusiveness.  This is simply a money grab...what's next???

Hi Mark,

Nice photos as usual.  We will be joining the ship in Singapore for the voyage to Cape Town.  Will you be continuing?  

On 3/10/2024 at 8:53 AM, babydrum said:

I emailed both and bmuckerman@silversea.com bounced back so barbaram@silversea.com appears to be the appropriate address. 

Did she or her office reach out to you by chance?

Still nothing from SS...maybe they are waiting till the 30 day mark just to make sure all of their 'Esteemed Guests' cannot possibly make alternative arrangements.  

36 minutes ago, Herman The Cat said:

 

It is absolutely egregious that Silversea is sitting on this and doing nothing. 

It is disgraceful.  All the other cruise lines have notified including Azamara and still nothing from Silversea.  And when they do notify, it will be a delayed refund or 20% off a cruise this year that has probably doubled in price since it was released.  

I forgot to mention that the tableside steak diane is to die for...melt in your mouth deliciousness!

1 hour ago, Herman The Cat said:

I suspect if the cruise sails it will eliminate a bunch of ports and make its way from Sri Lanka to maybe the Seychelles, Madagascar and then Cape Town before heading up the coast of West Africa.

It would be nice to think that Silversea (like Cunard's QM2) is capable of adjusting their itinerary to go around Africa.  However I think this proposition is just a bridge too far for their logistics team.  It is much simpler to just cancel and sail empty which is what I expect them to do.

I'm curious...what is happening to all the passengers on Icon of the Seas and the Ascent?  Are they all being inconvenienced too?

We special ordered shirred eggs on QE recently and they were amazing.  The dish was served with caviar as standard so not a light breakfast by any means!  

I know this thread is somewhat dated, but what other special orders have people made in QG lately?

7 hours ago, pandawil said:

SS have made the decision to not do any repositioning cruises. Such as shame as it limits their itinerary.

This doesn't make any sense at all.  Maybe they are still deciding on ports, etc before releasing these itineraries? 

No cruise ship sails empty for any length of time-it is not profitable!!!  Silversea is not completely stupid and they will not reposition empty unless they absolutely have to last minute.  This thread is about two sailings where Silversea's management team has made some poor choices in not notifying its guests about cancellations in a timely manner.  As for all future repositionings being cancelled-well that is a very broad extrapolation of what is currently taking place.

We are on both these voyages and cannot imagine them going ahead.  SS will not cancel its Med itineraries so these two cruises are on the chopping block.  It seems clear that Silversea wants to hold on to our money for as long as possible so I expect the latest possible notice from them at this point.  

Two days ago I wrote SS regarding the possible cancellation and their written reply was that these cruises are going ahead but that they are 'monitoring the situation.'  Of course almost every other cruise line has already cancelled, a cargo ship was just sunk by the Houthis, but hey, we're sailing!

5 hours ago, Sunprince said:

Is it solely a money play?

Yes, Australians will pay more, especially with APT.  Depending on the cruise line, Australians in general pay more for their cruises than Americans or Brits. 

In addition, it is unlikely that US based TA's will have access to APT's itineraries.

17 hours ago, Herman The Cat said:

Hi Terry, great visuals!! Are you still onboard? 

Wondering if you might be able to ask guest services a question.

The Silver Moon will be docked in Mumbai the night of May 22nd. If you have a flight at 4:30am or 6:30am and need to disembark at 1:30am or 3:30am, can you disembark at that time??? Can the ship accommodate people getting off at that departure time? I suspect we may have to drag our own luggage but before booking a flight want to make sure they can  handle it. 

Very grateful if you might be able to ask that question. Tried Silversea reservations but of course they don't know. 

I know security is manned 24 hours a day when in port. 

 

We are on this cruise and I do not expect it to sail unfortunately.  They cannot make it to the Med in time rounding Africa without cancelling this itinerary.  SS will certainly not want to cancel their more expensive cruises as Drrron29 mentioned.  The only hope would be if Silversea pulls a Crystal and sails through the Suez empty. 

The problem is that the Silver Moon is a lot more expensive than the Crystal ship and is owned by a large corporation, not a private investor.  

The Princess Grill food will be better than Seabourn.  SB's food has declined in quality in the last few years.  Also expect buffets for breakfast and lunch.  Their main restaurant is closed for b'fast/lunch on most itineraries.  

However, free caviar on Seabourn.  I don't think Princess Grill has that option (QG does).  

You ask people on this board and the answer will probably be SS.  You ask on the Seabourn forum, the answer will be SB.  Both have pluses and minuses.  If you like breakfast and lunch in the dining room, then Silversea wins.  Seabourn limits the options to buffet (b'fast/lunch) on most days.  The entertainment is better on Seabourn.  The Cruise directors are mostly better on Seabourn.  The mainly Filipino crew on SS seems more cohesive.  I loved the TK grill on SB and will miss it.  I think this was a cost cutting move.  Others will point out that Silversea has done plenty of cost cutting too. 

Agree, its a coin toss.