Salf777

4 hours ago, Katsings01 said:

We just returned from the Ovation on March 17 after taking a number of Celebrity Retreat cruises, usually in a Celebrity Suite or a Royal Suite. We were in a 6th floor V3 on Ovation. Although a bit smaller (more comparable to an aft sky suite on Celebrity), the Ovation V3, though smaller, had a much nicer fit and finish that the Retreat Suites. We booked Seabourn because a 14-day Southern Caribbean cruise was, after obc and incentives, less expensive on Seabourn than a comparable 10-night in a sky suite on Silhouette. Again, I think most of your questions have been answered but I will offer these observations:

-  Service on Seabourn is far superior to the Retreat. Within 2 days everyone knew our names and preferences. At the Retreat, that level of service was, in my experience, only found in Luminae. Atmosphere was relaxed and not stuffy.

- We like Luminae quite a lot, but the Restaurant on Ovation was usually better (I had a caviar appetizer with a beef wellington and side lobster tail entree one night which was among the best meals I have ever had on a cruise ship). Sushi restaurant much better. Solis (even with new restaurant hiccups) better than Murano, etc. 

-  Tender service much better on Seabourn.

- Caviar -- speaks for itself

- We expected a big drop off re entertainment on Seabourn. Other than the big production shows, however, they were comparable and one show (a West End singer) was one of the best we have seen anywhere. 

- CD and staff much more engaging (and less annoying) than Celebrity.

-  Shore Excursions were not quite as "marked-up" on Seabourn than Celebrity

-  Bar/drink service at pools/lounges much better on Seabourn

-   the included wines (while not necessarily "fine"), were generally better than available on Celebrity -- also liked never pulling out a sea pass card. the premium liquor also a bit better on Seabourn. 

-  Not big fans of buffets but we actually liked the "small plate" buffet structure at the Colonnade 

-  room service on Seabourn also much better -- more expansive and always on time. Champagne and Caviar brought to room in less than 20 minutes often for afternoon appetizers. 

-  On  really enjoyed The Retreat on Ovation. Great private space.

-  Loved the smaller ship -- never a long line or wait.

 

We will travel Celebrity Retreat again (booked for 2025 Iceland) but will prefer Seabourn if price and itinerary match with what we like (also trying Silversea for Antarctica). 

Thank you for this very helpful as a more direct comparison to what we are used to on Celebrity 

9 hours ago, notjaded said:

Former Celebrity passengers here (although not for years). We like Celebrity, but wanted a smaller ship. Tried Seabourn and have not been back.

 

Temper expectations. They market it as a luxury experience, and that may lead to dreams of wonderful pampering. Sometimes it happens, but mostly it is just pretty good service.

 

We have been on seven Seabourn cruises ranging up to 24 days. Have two more booked. It seems to fit our needs. Had some over-the-top/wonderful customer service experiences during our last voyage. One would not get this on a larger vessel.

 

We live in a community that has wonderful food options. Due to that, we don't have high expectations of cruise ship food. Seabourn is good most of the time, but not as good as our favorite restaurants on land. Temper expectations.

Thanks. We are not expecting an over the top luxury experience. We are looking for a smaller more intimate better than main line cruise. We like the retreat in Celebrity but with changes they have made and trying to make it more Royal Caribbean we don’t find the value there any longer. Also to pay those prices to go to Costa Maya and Cozumel aren’t what we are looking for. What appeals to us are the smaller ports and smaller ship. 
I also thank you for saying this. Some of the comments I read on here when people ask similar questions are as if you are walking into a royal palace. People ridicule people for asking if certain dress wear is ok like why would you even think to wear that on a ship like this? I’m not saying I’ll wear ripped jeans or shorts I just ask so I follow the rules and respect the lines policy. Someone mentioned a type of shirt in one post and you would have thought they committed a sin! I was getting concerned it was to stuffy for us

5 hours ago, Isklaar said:

Just to add a note to the excellent responses above.

 

I am not sure of your itinerary but you mentioned Yacht Harbours, if that's the name of your itinerary then I'm assuming its the Caribbean. Have done it several times.  If your itinerary includes Carambola Beach, St Kitts they will offer the 'Caviar in the Surf' event there, and there will likely not be Caviar in the Pool. The beach one is much better, the pool one is usually held during itineraries that there is no suitable beach. e.g on a Baltic cruise. When they hold the event at the beach you can look forward to a great day, caviar arriving by surfboard, unlimited champagne of course, and a lobster barbecue lunch. 

 

 

SB video here: 

 

Thank you!

we will be in St Kitts so thank you and looking forward to that

So I have booked my first Seabourn cruise and am very excited and have been reading almost all of the posts on here and have a few more questions please

1. WiFi- we aren’t in penthouse and I’m not concerned about days in port as I have an international plan on my phone so can always get access to what I need. Only one sea day on our journey so not to concerned. Does the Ovation have starlink? If I wanted the upgraded internet do you purchase onboard? I can’t seem to find pricing in the app

2. I have seen in videos they do things like caviar at the pool, do they announce or post these events so we can be sure to be onboard?

3. Excursions- I see a lot of excursions and we are doing a Yacht Harbors cruise and I don’t see like any thing like a day at the beach. We have done our own non ship excursions but I don’t particularly care for those just in case they get back late

4. Retreat or not? I know there are many opinions on this. I actually prefer a pool than a hot tub that the retreat has and we do The Retreat on Celebrity or Haven on NCL because we don’t like to deal with finding chairs or deal with chair hogs at the main pool. Does this happen on Seabourn?

5. Is there anything that’s a must do as soon as boarding? Like book dining or can we do all that prior on the app?

6. Boarding process. Does boarding get crowded? As mentioned we have only done Retreat on Celebrity or Haven on NCL and there was priority boarding and very easy. I am hoping with only 300 suites it shouldn’t be too bad. 
7. Lastly I know the subject of dress code is a time bomb. I see some saying elegant jeans are ok for men some saying not. Some say a polo shirt is acceptable and some not. I have seen some downright rude comments to people asking about jeans or polo shirts who are obviously just trying to get some advice. Is this the norm? We are looking for a more upscale experience but don’t want to be ridiculed should I not wear a jacket and tie every night

Ok so while we are on this subject are like Tommy Bahama button down shirts acceptable? They are very nice but sometimes nice designs and not a “traditional “ button down. Also like the Robert Graham shirts with nice designs that are meant to be worn not tucked in but are very nice

2 minutes ago, johng75370 said:

As long as you follow the dress code you'll be fine (and sounds like you plan to and will have a great time).  There are other options (Colonnade or Sushi) where you don't have dress up on formal night. You'll see a variety of opinions because of how it has changed over time, and also because the dress code is a minimum level and some prefer to be dressed above that.  

 

Here's what it is from the website:

Evening (after 6pm): Elegant Casual. The following is the nightly dress standard for all dining venues:

    Men: Slacks with a collared dress shirt or sweater; Jacket Optional.

    Ladies: Slacks / skirt, blouse, pant suit or dress.

Elegant jeans are welcome in all dining venues. 

 

Thank you. We just don’t want to end up putting an employee in an awkward situation if we aren’t dressed properly. Plus there are rules and if we choose to sail with them we want to follow those rules it’s their ship. I just read so many conflicting remarks 

Sorry I have tried to read thru the posts but see a variety of different answers. Just booked our first Seabourn sailing. 
On vacation I don’t like to wear a jacket every night, is a jacket required for dinner (not formal night)?

I of course will be wearing slack and a button down shirt but I see some people saying nice jeans are acceptable and others saying you shouldn’t wear nice jeans. I always try to look decent but it is a vacation so I prefer what we call country club casual. 
We usually also enjoy formal night getting more dressed up, but curious if there are options for dinner if you don’t want to participate?

Hi there first time cruiser on Seabourn sailing in January 2025. Not certain what this referral credit is if someone could explain and help. I would appreciate it especially if it’s OBC or something like that

13 minutes ago, stan01 said:

 

The main thing I'd emphasize is what someone up thread already said:  keep an open mind and don't expect perfection.  The main thing you are paying for is a ship with fewer passengers which is mostly a very positive thing because there is less crowding and you are better able to get to know people (crew and other passengers).  However, it does mean there are fewer choices in areas such as entertainment and dining.  What I'd caution against is expecting perfection, because if you arrive on the ship with that in mind there's a pretty good chance something will let you down.  Ask for what you'd like, and if there is an issue politely discuss with the management on the ship.  We found ourselves frequently having to ask the waiters to fill water glasses.  I'm not sure whether that was training or workload (probably some of both).  We didn't complain about it, we just got used to raising our hand when we were down to 1/3 of a glass and asking for a refill.  Shouldn't have had to do it, but I'd say its an example of avoiding a situation where a small thing could impact our overall enjoyment of the cruise.

 

Thank you for this. As far as entertainment we generally don’t go to shows. We enjoy our dinner walk the ship a bit and go to our room and sit on the balcony. We are a little boring LOL! I have learned thru my years of traveling that asking or discussing something nicely and not “complaining “ or yelling that being nice goes a long way. We realize these people work hard and everyone can have an off day. Plus getting angry or aggravated only ends up ruing my day. Even with the missteps we had recently at celebrity we didn’t get annoyed we were still on a beautiful ship in beautiful locations it’s just we don’t feel the value for the money any longer. So thank you expectation's will be kept in check

32 minutes ago, markandjie said:

 

I think most of your questions have been answered so will respond more generally. We sailed Celebrity in the Retreat just once on a one week Carribean itinerary, so using that as my frame of reference here are some high level thoughts:

 - In terms of the service you'll receive, every cabin on Seabourn is treated as well or better than the Retreat cabins on Celebrity. And honestly, I feel like we've received better service when we've sailed the least expensive cabins (we were just on a V1 on Venture in Iceland/Greenland with fantastic room stewards) vs the nicest room on the ship (we were also just on Venture in the Wintergarden Suite in Antarctica with very capable but unexceptional stewards).

 - You should temper your expectations on the breadth and variety of food that will be available on the ship. While I think Seabourn easily outdoes the Celebrity Retreat dining venue, I was impressed with the broader breakfast buffet on Celebrity and the selection in the Collonnade on Seabourn ships pales in comparison.

 - Same holds true for entertainment. Celebrity significantly outshone Seabourn.

 - Seabourn feels more personalized to me, with more of an opportunity to get to know staff and fellow guests and build relationships that endure across multiple cruises.

- Ovation is a great ship, but Seabourn really shines the smaller you get. Encourage you to try each size class when you have the chance.

- One of the biggest strengths IMO of all Seabourn ships is the viewing areas, particularly forward looking viewing at the front of the ship. Many cruise ships have poor opportunities to actually see where you're going, which I think is a great shame. To me cruising is a way to experience the world moreso than just a floating hotel that parks you at a different cruise terminal each day.

Thank you for this. As long as the food is good we don’t need so many restaurants like Celebrity has. We found recently that it seems service has gone down hill. There were butlers for all Retreat suites then they took them away then bought them back. We don’t really need a butler just someone who we can ask for water or soda in the room and coffee in the mornings. After these changes back and forth at celebrity the staff was confused. Our stateroom attendant told us he had to charge us to leave extra water (my wife has a condition where she needs to drink a lot). Went to the retreat lounge as was told it could be left. Saw the stateroom attendant and he said he hadn’t heard from the retreat yet. Took 2 days to get water in the room. One bar served a champagne she liked by the glass for an extra fee. The other retreat bar said we had to buy the bottle they have changed so much the staff doesn’t even know the rules yet. But what we found appealing in watching a Seabourn videos is the extra things they do, food at the pool deck parties etc. we were recently on a celebrity cruise and took a private tour to Jost Van Dyke. On the beach Seabourn had a section set up with chairs for their guests things like that add so much. We also love being on the ship and enjoy sea days just lying by the pool and seeing the scenery. We are very much looking forward to this. We looked at other lines and don’t want to sail where I have to wear a jacket every day to dinner. I like to be more casual on vacation (nice pants and a button down shirt)

6 minutes ago, caviarforme said:

 

1 Reservations for Solis are restricted to one per "Sector" - otherwise book on board whe required

2 Depends on what you like - try the Sushi a lunchtime

3 I am a traditionalist and would NEVER wear jeans in a restaurant, however it is allowed except on formal nights.

4 All suites have water and a stocked minibar - you are traveling at a different level from Celebrity

5 Wifi is good - never found the need to pay for a faster service

6 Not sure where you saw that excursions are included - they are normally at an additional charge and are listed on your online booking

Thank you and I wasn’t referring to wearing jeans to dinner I meant if we were walking around the ship exploring 

also I had looked wrong it said Venture and Pursuit included some excursions 

So have recently been sailing on Celebrity in their Retreat. Due to recent policy changes at celebrity have decided to try Seabourn. Celebrity premium drink package now charge $2 for a glass of wine that was included a month ago (it’s a $19 bottle of wine), no more onboard credit or very little, no included gratuities, and many other changes. 
So we looked and watched some videos and book a sailing on the Ovation, which is actually cheaper than a Celebrity sailing and we have heard great things about Seabourn

so a few questions for you experienced people please

1. Do we need to rush and make dining reservations when available or are they usually all available 

2. Any must do restaurants?

3. What is the dress code we don’t dress like slobs but like a casual look (sometime even nice jeans with a nice button down shirt)

4. We are in a V4 veranda suite, does that include bottled water, soft drinks, WiFi.

5. How is the WiFi?

6. I see it says most excursions are included, are these just like basic tours and are the good? Do they have for a charge excursions? We prefer more active

Lastly any advice you can give to a first timer appreciated. I know a lot of this can be found on the web but I find talking to experienced cruisers gets me better real advice so thank you

1 hour ago, skeeter195 said:

The HE room is lower than the H5, so no water or mini bar included.  It is still a great room for sure.  Enjoy

So you’re saying if I move up to an H5 category I will get unlimited bottled water and unlimited Wi-Fi? It might be worth it if I need those two things wouldn’t you think?

20 minutes ago, skeeter195 said:

You did not mention what type of cabin you have.  If it is an H5 or higher you will get all of the Pelligrino or Aqua Pana(both in glass bottles) that you want included with the room.  If not I would just buy the Aqua Pana by the bottle for about $6.

Hi

we are in a Haven Penthouse my confirmation says HE? Don’t know if that’s H5 or higher?

20 minutes ago, sjacobs11 said:

The $29/pp/day is to only upgrade the beverage package. If you go for the FAS+, that's $49/pp/day, but includes the upgraded beverage package, Starbucks, unlimited Wifi, and a $50 excursion credit for guest #2.

Ok so now I’m really confused. We have the free at sea package with unlimited “open bar” does that include bottled water. From what I read I thought not. So if I have that package how much does it cost to upgrade to a package that includes the bottled water? Trying to avoid the carton water

Thanks all this is awesome

14 hours ago, maren91 said:

If you pay extra for the premium beverage package (not free at sea) you can get bottles of Pellegrino and/or Evian water. That's what I did and then hoarded them in my mini fridge that I had the room steward clear out. 

That’s what I was thinking and just read about the upgraded beverage. I assume that we would have to both upgrade? So I guess I have to figure it out. From what I read to upgrade it’s $29 per person per day? That would be let’s say $60 per day and on a 10 day cruise an extra $600 for bottled water. Might just be better off buying them individually but then again I do like a specialty coffee so I have to figure it out. 
Thanks so much for the input been a long time since I sailed NCL

2 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

You get one box of water for being in a suite. The standard premium beverage package does not include water. (You would need to have the Premium Plus package). 

Thank you. Would you know if the premium package has a bottled water choice rather than those cartons?

Haven’t sailed NCL in a while and am booking the Prima in the Haven. My last NCL sailing in the Haven water was not provided and had to buy a water package and it was water in carton. Are they still charging for a water package? Does having the unlimited open bar package get any kind of bottled water?

I know this might sound trivial but my wife has a condition that requires her to drink a lot of water and from what we remember the water in the carton wasn’t very good

5 hours ago, bookbabe said:

You are unlikely to find many hotels offering day passes, especially during busy periods.

 

An option might be Coral Beach - https://coralbeach.ky

 

Thank you

Can anyone recommend a hotel that offers a Day Pass on the island. I looked on the usual websites and the only options I could find were the Grand Camanian and one other that both didn’t have very good reviews and no beach?

any recommendations appreciated?

2 minutes ago, keesar said:

 

Eden and Le Petite Chef are not open for lunch.  

You should be able to get reservations as a couple of weeks ago on our cruise, restaurants were being discounted and several restaurants had many times available.  Unfortunately, Eden was not one of them.

Are you saying when you got onboard the restaurants were available? I am looking now our cruise is in may and many are sold out 

So we just booked a last minute cruise and it says all the specialty restaurants we want are sold out. I know they offer a limited amount pre sailing on the website/app at a discount. Was looking at the specialty restaurant trio package a few questions 

1. What happens if we book and board and the specialty restaurants we want aren’t available?

2. Are all restaurants included like Eden, Le Petite Chef, and Le Petite Cafe for lunch?

3. Is Raw on 5 included with it? I’m thinking no since it’s a la carte

4. Could we do the same restaurant twice? Let’s say we wanted to Eden 2 nights for dinner could we if we could get a reservation?

any input appreciated 

So we went and booked a Jost Van Dyke tour thru them. Get off the ship early and tour is supposed to start at 9:15 am for the boat over to JVD. At 9:45 they tell us their boat is broken so they put us in cabs over to the public ferry and then cabs on JVD when we get there to Soggy Dollar. We were supposed to be back at the ship at 1:45 but since we were delayed going there they said stay at JVD until 2:45. After that a cab to the pier and there boat was working and a half hour ride back to the ship so what’s started bad ended up being very good

i will note that I think we could have just walked off the ship in Tortola and walked up to their booth and booked directly and saved a few bucks but not sure what their capacity is. Anyway for the price and that they gave us more time after a breakdown I give them a thumbs up and would use again. 
the JVD tour is a great afternoon by the way

Going on the Ascent soon and looking at booking this dinner on the edge. When I go to book on the website or app the time it shows is 10am? Seems a rather odd time for dinner? Has anyone booked this or know why this is how it shows?

3 hours ago, John Bull said:

That business was formed a good few years ago, it has a tolerably-decent reputation but like all agencies it also has the negatives mentioned by @CruiserBruce

 

Better to deal direct with a well-reviewed excursion operator.

If you name the port - and perhaps a precis of the excursion - we can try to point you in the right direction.

 

JB 🙂

Hi and thank you. We are sailing on Celebrity Ascent and stopping in Tortola. We have been to the Baths often and want to get over to Jost Van Dyke for an afternoon. I have seen some direct providers mentioned that a very expensive like private excursions. We are just looking to get over to Jost and have a drink and a bite for a few hours and get back. I saw an excursion on shore excursions group.com that says it’s a 4 hour excursion there and back that includes ferry rides. I’m guessing this is them taking us to the public ferry and putting us on and telling us to get on the return. I have no problem paying them if they arrange the taxis to the ferry and the rides back. I did a google search and the first reviews that popped up were very negative but I realize that the people that make the most noise are ones that had poor experiences and anyone company can have a bad day so I figured I would ask the good people of this board if they have used them and get an idea from people who have used them from a cruise like we will be. 
Celebrity doesn’t have an excursion to Jost Van Dyke and truth be told I’m not crazy about ship excursions the meeting in the theater and waiting to go, 

Any guidance greatly appreciated