CalTexCruiser

Holy crap. I'll have to ask our butler for "crackers" on our next cruise. I'll be disappointed if all we get are crackers. 😉

I was just trying to offer some suggestions to hopefully help turn their experience around. Why make yourself miserable with unmet expectations when you can take practical steps to make the rest of the trip more enjoyable. On our last cruise our Retreat Host had to cover 18 suites. The cruise before that the Retreat Host had to cover 14 suites. They try hard but they are not super-humans.

For breakfast you can order using the breakfast order form that you can hang outside your door the evening before. You can write in breakfast menu items not listed, and they'll likely prepare it for you unless it's not available. For tea, ask your Retreat Host to bring an electric key kettle and tea bags, and you can make your own tea whenever you feel like it.

Has a cruise ship ever lost a collected passport? Out of up to 3,000 passports collected, I can't imagine that they have never misplaced a passport. And if so, what happens to the passenger of said lost passport?

Don't forget the gym...it's got a nice expansive view upfront across the entire front of the ship. What better way than to enjoy sailaway then on an elliptical while staring ahead at the beautiful view.

So back to the OP's OP (original poster's original post), will you really go to one of the nicer specialty restaurants on the ship in a short with built-in underwear? And do you own open-toed sandals to accessorize? And do they sell such sandals with built-in socks?

I lived in East Texas for a bit...tractor pulls are popular among the trailer dwellers and other like-minded folk, who also like to yell "yee haw" for no apparent reason.

Not that fancy...my $ 20 swim trunks from Walmart have built-in underwear. And even a back pocket to hold my wallet for those times I just can't be bothered to change after a swim.

Hope the Harmony captain does better in docking a ship in inclement weather than he did in Jamaica. Fingers crossed for everyone on board.

Yes the plunge pool is heated and is a jacuzzi. But the heat only lasts for 2 or 3 hours. Just let your room attendant know when you would like to use it so he/she can fill it up for you--I didn't time it but I recall it took at least an hour to fill. Unlike a normal jacuzzi, they'll have to drain and refill each day to get it heated.

Reminds me of when I was learning how to parallel park a 25' power boat in the SF Bay. It was windy and as I was trying to dock a gust of wind drove the boat laterally and slammed right into the dock. I can't even begin to imagine how a giant cruise ship can manage when there are gusty cross winds.

We were on the Eclipse in a RS right next to the elevators. Not only could we not hear the elevators, we could not even hear the music blasting from the Grand Foyer in the evenings that was pretty loud when in the hallway but once we shut our door, nothing. Also cleaning staff would line up right outside our suite everyday yakking away loudly, and we couldn't hear that either. Pretty good sound proofing.

Never sailed Seabourn before and am interested in an itinerary on the Encore in Spring 2024. (We usually do suites on Celebrity but the itinerary I am looking at on Seabourn is quite interesting) I see that Seabourn is offering a 10% discount if I pay in full by June 1. Does anyone know if this is refundable? i.e., if I change my mind after payment in full but prior to the final payment deadline, can I get a full refund to the original form of payment? And how quickly does Seabourn process refunds? Also, generally, is this offer a good deal, or does Seabourn have better deals closer in to 2024? Any insights from experienced Seabourn cruisers would be greatly appreciated.