SLSD

We are just through with the horrific pine pollen at our East Texas farm--so I feel your pain . I swept and vacuumed our screened porches yesterday and it was an undertaking. This video is great. Fun to see.

Does this mean you will be spending all of your time at the bar for the next seven days??? And for me, the breadsticks joke was a bit weak (not your fault of course). There are probably only some regulars (and a handful at that) who cared... Seriously, have a great week of sea days. How do you plan to spend them?

It IS mystifying. We have also seen them being made when we took a galley tour. That doesn't mean a mix was not being used. I think the breadsticks are just Ok. Not really worth the calories for me and we have never tried them with butter.

I think it is more likely that Seabourn is having cash flow issues. They are trying to get around this by stocking less of their usual stock on a ship at any one time--hoping to restock just in time. While this is not ideal, it is just a fact of life--and not a reason to castigate the cruise line. This is what happens when money is tight.

And due to cash flow issues, inventory onboard each ship is skinnier--leaving the possibility of running out of key items.

I've been thinking. The breadsticks are probably made from a pre-made mix. The kind of mix where the breadstick maker just has to add water. They are probably out of the mix.

I've never quite understood it either. We've tried them, they are good--but we certainly don't need to eat them everyday we are onboard. I THOUGHT they were made on the ship. The main ingredient would be flour. Is there no flour on the ship? Hmm....

Is your agent one who has a relationship with Seabourn?

I totally understand this. We are going to try to MOSTLY pack in our carryon bag for our summer SB cruise. I am going to put in my black silk pants and various tops, but I am convinced our checked bag may get lost. I won't be wearing jeans in the MDR either--and the one pair I am bringing will be in the checked bag. I am beginning to agree that a more relaxed dress code makes sense, especially for those of us flying from afar and changing planes at least once. A related question for you is: what is your favorite carryon bag for international travel. I am shopping for a new one and will welcome suggestions.

We've only seen the marina used twice on our SB cruises. I think one issue is that the conditions have to be exactly right. I would never count on seeing the marina used. It puzzles me when they use it in advertising.

Consider using a very good travel agent who may be able to help you.

We love the lecturers also and I usually attend almost every lecture. They ARE entertaining, but I was asking about evening entertainment (thinking music, etc.). I also enjoy the solo singers and instrumentalists. I appreciate the effort of the set piece offerings, but think they are a bit dated. I am not at all shocked that Holland Am. entertainers can be great.

The dressing we were served was too mustardy. WAY too mustardy.

I can imagine that it is, but the dressing we had was so bad that I never wanted to try the Caesar salad again!

I totally agree with you about the dressing for the Caesar Salad. We only tried it once, because the dressing did not taste right. Others have said they love the dressing, but it did not taste like any Caesar Salad dressing I've ever had and I have probably had it scores of times in various restaurants. I'm glad you enjoyed your first Seabourn cruise.

Total rubbish! There is no way they could accurately generalize about such a thing! Luke warm food for North Americans? I don't think so! Thank you for all of your commentary. I'm enjoying it.

In the US, the word bath CAN mean the entire room.

Markham, I totally agree with you. I do believe that the atmosphere around us contributes mightily to our experience while cruising. Mr. SLSD wears a jacket every night to dinner and almost always with a bow tie (which suits him). We are just a few years older than you are. At the same time, I can see the tide changing. Things are NOT going to stay the same. While we would prefer to see smart casual be something other than droopy jeans and t-shirts, I think we are going to have to accept the fact that younger generations of cruisers do NOT want to dress "up" for dinner. Even the luxury cruise lines are having to come to terms with that. The rest of us are going to have to blend in and accept the changes.

Not ideal if they are just plating what is available in the Colonnade in the MDR for lunch. But, like many, I crave a quiet served lunch instead of a busy buffet.

It must be that beets are a vegetable that keeps for a long long time. Perhaps the ship has a large store of them.

Not obsessing. I expect to have a great time, but taken aback sometimes at the disappointment of others. Mostly, I hate it for them.

Hmm... I typed a response--thought I posted it--and it disappeared. I'm not trying to be critical of anyone posting anywhere--just trying to glean a balanced picture of what to expect when we cruise SB this summer. As I know you realize, different cruisers have different expectations. The fact that some are very unhappy does not mean that there are not others enjoying every aspect of their cruise. The other venue is one where you post as well. You probably just haven't read the entire thread I'm referring to. Once again, I am not discounting anyone's experiences or expectations.

I think people look for different things in a cruise. Some people who have cruised many many days with SB are upset if things they really loved about the cruise line change. I understand that. I am not being critical. It might be a food item that they loved which is different now--and not to their liking. It might be that the quality of the food is perceived as not as good as before--or less consistently good. In the case of what I have read, it's a lot of little things that seem to add up to a change in SB and affect their overall experience. There are things that people have loved about SB cruises that I have never even tried on our cruises. An example would be the snacks provided in SB Square. I don't drink coffee and don't eat between meals (except for tea), so I have never tried the goodies in the case. If there was an item carried in the case which was particularly loved and then changed--I would not know it. We DO go to tea and I try to limit myself to one little cucumber sandwich or one tiny piece of Grandma's cake. If tea was discontinued, I would be disappointed. So--I guess to an extent--I can understand someone counting on a particular thing and then being very disappointed. Caviar could be discontinued and I would never bat an eye--since we only order a couple of times each cruise. We just never think to do it. I understand that Carnival is in financial distress and that there are cutbacks (no more jackets given out for Alaska cruises) of all kinds. I'm sure the cruise line is trying to make cuts that will not be noticed by most people. But, the people most likely to notice are people who cruise on SB a lot--especially people who take the World Cruise and other long cruises. I have noticed that none of these things seem to phase/faze you--Shark b8.

Shark b8, I continue to read some scathing reviews of the World Cruise in another venue. I am very disappointed for those sailing with you who are so unhappy. Evidently, many small cutbacks have made the trip not the usual Seabourn experience. I'm sure you have heard some of the complaints. Is it possible that you are concerned with other aspects of the cruise and are not bothered by many small cutbacks? I'm just trying to assess what we might find when we sail in June (on a different SB ship).

I've been wondering the same thing. I don't recall seeing beets on SB either. They do seem to be a popular item in many restaurant salads lately. Such a shame.