lynn-in-nc

Hello,

I’m planning a cruise for next year and a friend is coming who is in a lower budget class. The page for this cruise shows a cabin for $3100 https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/voyage/1557028800/9-night-italy-greece-voyage but when I go to book so I can see what the prices are, that same cabin is $5756.

Can anyone explain the difference?

Thanks in advance!

I love that Seabourn stops at the smaller ports but on our cruise with them in the southern Caribbean we didn't end up in a few of the ports that were scheduled which makes it difficult to plan a private excursion. That is probably my only complaint. I think I am spoiled now for anything else.

We just did a southern Caribbean cruise on the Seabourn Odyssey and I'm looking into Italy/Greece for next year. We loved so much about the Odyssey, not the least of which was our amazing Penthouse Spa suite. After that these other suites pale in comparison. But Viking seems to have the best itineraries. And I wasn't super impressed with the Seabourn excursions. I've been looking at Oceania as well and their excursions seem really interesting.

I'd be interested in some updated thoughts on comparing these lines.

I actually wasn’t shown changing rooms on my spa tour? I just saw the sauna in the spa amenity section, I suppose because we were in a spa suite. To me, a sauna is not that desirable in a tropical climate.

We just returned from our first Seabourn cruise, and overall it was really wonderful. It was our first cruise on an ultra-luxury line, previous to this we have traveled with friends and the last cruise we did on Norwegian was in their spa suite which featured similar service and private dining just for suite passengers. A little elitist, but very nice to get away from the other 3000+ passengers at mealtime.

Anyway, I thought I'd post some things that I didn't know or hadn't been able to find the answers to before the trip.

Barbados

There is lots to do and see in Barbados. We arrived two days early and rented a car which was great. However, since the return flight to Miami didn't leave until after 4:30 pm it might have been better to stay a couple of days at the other end.

Embarkation

We had received no instructions about embarkation other than that we could start boarding at 2. We had to check out of our hotel at 11 so we went ahead to the cruise terminal and were actually able to board around noon. Embarkation was smooth and easy - so different with 450 passengers as opposed to thousands!

Suite

We opted for the Penthouse spa suite and were thrilled with it. I believe these suites were added at some point fairly recently so they are newer and the decor is more modern. The bathroom is fantastic, with a huge deluxe shower and soaking tub (the soaking tub was really too big for me, at 5'3"!!). There are videos online so I won't spend too much time on this. We chose 1090 because it's on the end and we had a panoramic balcony which was marvelous.

Bottled still and sparkling water are provided, as well as two refrigerators - one with juices and one with sodas and tonic. A bottle of liquor is supplied for each passenger and I suppose they would bring more if you run out which we never did.

There was a tea set provided, along with interesting flower teas. But as others have said, no coffee maker which is surprising. The Norwegian suite had a Lavazza italian espresso machine. Yes - you can order it from room service, but then you have to know when to get it. And it's frankly not that great. There is a coffee bar on the 7th floor in Seabourn Square, but then you have to get dressed to get your morning coffee.

The laundry takes two days unless you put it out before 10 am, then it's delivered the next day. There is a 50% surcharge for same day service.

Food

The food is absolutely great. From the breakfast at the cafeteria style Colonnade to the main Restaurant, everything we had was marvelous. We did book a table at the Thomas Keller grill which I found to be somewhat pretentious and really not any better than the main restaurant. The service at the main restaurant was perfect. The Colonnade is more informal and that was the area where I was disappointed with the service, on more than one occasion I had to start clearing a table to get a seat before someone would come and clear it for us.

Wine is included, but there isn't a list of what wines are included which makes it confusing. A red and a white are offered with every meal but you can ask for something else. And premium wines are listed on the menu but I suspect not all of the available wines are listed.

Someone we met onboard told us that caviar is available everywhere but you have to know to ask. On our last evening the people at the table behind us ordered everything off the menu - something we had no idea was even possible!

Spa/fitness

The spa services are excellent, and the facility is beautiful. The fitness center is small with the minimum equipment you need for a decent workout but I suppose that's not something the Seabourn population demands. The spa amenities in my view are not worth paying extra for - the heated stone seats and sauna are wonderful if you're cruising in Canada, but in the Caribbean you really don't need the extra heat.

Other miscellaneous things

The internet worked pretty well but is slow. My advice is, go ahead and spring for internet for the week and don't do what I did which was to buy four hours. You will use up a lot of it waiting for your pages to open! The public computers required a paid account.

It was hit or miss nearly every day whether we would land at the port which we were assigned to so I was glad I had not been able to organize off-ship excursions on our own as I usually do. Excursions booked on the ship were rearranged by the staff and required no effort or thought.

Final thoughts

I would definitely sail Seabourn again because of the small size of the ship and the quality of the food. But there were enough little annoyances that I did not forge a hard and fast allegiance to Seabourn.

Thanks so much for posting this.....it has confirmed our worst (almost) fears. Had we known when we were booking that the first available time to eat in the dining room was/is 7 PM, it might well have been a deal breaker. We never even thought to ask!

 

Jackie and I have almost 100 cruises between us (this will our first on Seabourn), and never have we heard of a dining room not opening until 7 PM.....some start seating at 5:30! There isn't even an alternative other than eating in our suite - not something we care to do. We have booked one night in The Grill, but there are 11 more nights!

 

As for the shows not starting 'til 9:45, that's a whole other problem!

 

Oh well, at this point I guess we will just have to suck it up, but it sure has taken the edge off the anticipation that precedes every cruise.

 

Sheila.

My husband and I are early eaters too. We were among the first people to be seated in the dining room at 7 pm every night! Note that dinner is not rushed and we weren't done until around 8:30 or 9 in the evening.

Also - there is a wonderful selection of movies that you can watch in your suite. We pretty much skipped the nightly entertainment and enjoyed quiet nights in our beautiful suite.

OK - thanks!

We haven’t taken a carry on bag with toiletries since the rules changed, we almost always pack everything except my handbag stuff. Our carry on bags have lots of little zipper pockets, can that qualify for the one quart zipper bag rule? Or do we need to put it all in one ziploc quart bag?

Thanks! This forum has been such a help.

Thanks for this! But I thought that there was a flat fee per bag of laundry?

Thanks for the tips!

We are on one of the Barbados 7-day sailings in March and putting together our plan. I think we will get a car in Guadeloupe and maybe Martinique, and looking for ideas for Nevis. I wasn't able to find much in the forums (fora??). Seabourn offers a Beach Extravaganza and an Island and Botanical Garden Discovery tour. Any thoughts/suggestions would be helpful! thanks.

Thank you. 😀👍

But more than that, I heard admonishments that we should make sure we are ironed and well tailored and don't wear an ugly khaki color if it veers toward the green or brown. What I objected to most was a generalization about people from the United States. We all have seen boorish people from a wide variety of countries, and I don't think it is helpful (or kind) to focus on citizens of one country in such a derogatory way. (However, in today's political climate I can almost understand it.) And then, come to find out the one knocking Americans was an American themselves, but one who has fled our country for a situation they deem better or at least more genteel.

 

Please note, I am having a bit of fun here, but do not like generalizations. My own comments (following the comments about the dress of Amercians) about the bright pants men from the UK was meant to express amusement. And who doesn't like to be pleasantly amused when traveling by ship?

 

I think the upshot is that none of really care what people wear, but many see the benefit of a dress code which maintains the atmosphere that we like on our luxury cruise ships--a bit of luxury and gentility.

Thank you for this, which did not at all seem angry to me, and made me glad that there are others who feel the way I do. On other cruise lines we have booked suites partly to be able to hobnob with others who appreciate that luxury and gentility, so I am looking forward to Seabourn which will have an entire ship with that sensibility and glad to hear that not everyone will be judging and evaluating the wardrobes of fellow passengers.

Thanks everybody. We’re booked on the March 3 sailing and looking forward to it. :)

@SLSD Thank you for your kind reply!

Is there any way to find out before the cruise where it will dock? I would like to line up a rental car.

This thread reflects why I have been anxious about cruising on Seabourn. My husband and I are well heeled but casual Americans, and the idea that our fellow cruisers will be judging our attire and tailoring makes me cringe. On the other hand I have been on plenty of NCL and RC cruises where I have been the judgmental one so perhaps this is my karma coming back to me.

Spouse doesn’t own a tux and I don’t see the point to rent one for a cruise. He has a perfectly nice suit and a couple of sport coats. I am typically dressed in leggings but can scrounge up a dress or two for the occasion. Hopefully that will be sufficient to satisfy the people in this thread who are concerned about where their fellow passengers shop!

Thanks Chancer!

Thanks so much for your replies. It sounds like maybe they make a decision where to dock when they get there? We did a bus tour to the volcano the last time we were there so I think we will rent a car and tootle around the island. Any suggestions for car rentals?

Hello - we will be on the March 3 sailing of the Odyssey and I am trying to plan our port days. The port for the Guadeloupe day says "Basse Terre," but the main cruise terminal is at Pointe de Pitre. Does anyone know where the ship actually docks that day?

Thanks in advance! I've browsed these forums for years but first time posting.