ephguy

20 minutes ago, MWillow said:

Never mind, I just found your note in my spam folder.  Responding now!

 

Thank you, replying to your email now.

6 hours ago, ephguy said:

Looking for a referral for my parents' first cruise on Seabourn this December (2023). Thanks in advance.

Still looking for referral. Trying to get this done today or tomorrow.

Looking for a referral for my parents' first cruise on Seabourn this December (2023). Thanks in advance.

Thanks Jen. That's helpful info.

Even if covid wasn't a consideration, they would be mostly uninterested in the indoor group activities anyways (trivia, cards, casino). My dad would enjoy the indoor live music and bars, but guessing my mom would skip that, and be happy when there is live music outdoors, which seems to happen at least several nights on the pool deck. Do you know if there are musicians in outdoor bars (patio bar, sky bar) or other outdoor areas most days?

Guessing mom would skip afternoon tea, and most indoor dining options, though she might get more comfortable as the cruise goes on and they see that many indoor areas don't have that many people in them, if you avoid times when they are popular (observation lounge and main dining room seem to be very popular in the evenings for example).

Thank you fdnycruiser and jenindallas for sharing your experience with covid on cruises. It does give me pause that so many people seem to have caught covid on Alaska cruises this summer.

My mom seems to mostly be concerned because she has never been on a cruise before, and has images in her head of crowded megaships.

Both of my parents got the latest booster a month ago, had mild covid cases a year ago, and are in good overall health. They go indoors to stores and restaurants regularly, my dad never masked and my mom occasionally masked. It seems inevitable they will be exposed to covid repeatedly this winter in their normal lives on land. So, to me, the incremental risk of going on a cruise seems low, where they plan to mostly hangout/eat in outdoor areas, and my mom plans to mask indoors and on tenders. My mom plans to still fly to St Martin for 4 days ahead of the cruise, whether or not she ends up going on the cruise. If she decides not to go on the cruise, I will take her place and go with my dad.

Is it easy to avoid crowded tenders?

Thinking if you aren't in a race to be first off the boat, and don't wait until the last few tenders back at end of port day, it should be pretty easy to find an uncrowded tender to/from the ship. Is that your experience?

7 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

 

They'd certainly get a table that way, but… just before the restaurant opening, a lot of other people will queue up in the same area, which sounds like it's exactly what they're trying to avoid. If they aren't planning to go to the show in order to avoid the theater, it might be a better strategy to go to dinner later; as the first seating starts leaving (about 90 minutes after opening time) there will be plenty of tables becoming available, and there won't be a lot of people queuing at the entrance. Just another thought…

That's definitely an option I'll pass along.

I was hoping they could perhaps grab a drink at the Patio bar, and plop themselves down at one of the Earth & Ocean tables 30 minutes ahead of when E&O opened. That's how it sounded like it worked according to this 2019 post that I think is about Sojourn, but maybe it's different now / on the Ovation ship they will be on.

23 minutes ago, SLSD said:

I think the Colonnade is very popular for dinner.  Your parents might enjoy Earth and Ocean for dinner as it is outdoors around the pool.  It is great in good weather.  

Earth and Ocean does sound like a good fit for them most dinners (and the same area as 'The Patio' for breakfast). For dinner sounds like snagging a table can be a bit of a challenge. Maybe best bet is to get there 20-30 minutes before it opens for dinner service, to ensure they get a table.

14 minutes ago, johng75370 said:

It usually is not, but if they want a “better than usual” Sushi dinner on formal nights they offer a Kaiseki menu which has some items special to that night, FYI.  Here is a link to a post from 2019 showing the Kaiseki menu:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/2674969-earth-and-ocean/?do=findComment&comment=57783236

 

The Kaiseki menu sounds amazing. Thanks,

Thanks for the tips SLSD and Johng, much appreciated.

It looks like there is outdoor seating right outside Seabourn Square in one video I saw. So that could be a good place to hangout after picking up a coffee in Seabourn Square.

Thinking the poolside Patio might be good option for breakfast, and perhaps the occasional room service. It sounds like the Colonnade is most popular at breakfast, so thinking it might be tricky getting an outside table then. My parents wake up early, so perhaps an early breakfast at Colonnade would have plenty of outside seating.

It seems like the Colonnade is less popular for dinner, as there are more other options in evenings, so hopefully they won't have too much trouble getting outdoor seating for dinner.

This is a genuine question. I know that Seabourn is a luxury small boat, so shouldn't generally be crowded. But my mom is worried about getting covid on the cruise, so trying to find out what tips I can, so that she has an enjoyable cruise.

My parents are booked on the December 10-17, 2023 Seabourn Ovation cruise from Sint Maarten to Barbados. My mom is very cautious about covid and is planning on only eating in outdoor venues (Colonnade buffet outside seating area, and the poolside dining area (called the Patio for breakfast/lunch and Earth & Ocean for dinner)). She also wants to avoid crowds and indoor areas as much as possible, and is planning on boarding at 2:30 or 3pm on embarkation day, to avoid any rush of people boarding as soon as possible and what seems to be crowded embarkation day lunch.

This is my parents’ first cruise. Any tips on avoiding crowds / indoor areas on the Seabourn Ovation? Will they have trouble finding outdoor seating for breakfast and dinner? They are flexible about going at off-peak times. I think they will be off the ship for most lunches, except for the one sea day.

What about open air bars? It seems that the two options are the Patio bar by the pool, and the Sky Bar one floor up. Any tips about these? Do they have live music at any of the outdoor locations? I have heard about the sail away parties with live music outside by the main pool on some nights.

Was the pool area that crowded in evenings? Is the deck 5 pool a good alternative if the main pool has too many people? What about other outdoor areas on the ship? It looks like there might be outdoor space on the sides of deck 5. How about the sun terrace on the top deck?

My dad loves sushi. Is it hard getting seating for 1 or 2 in the evenings?

Thanks in advance for your advice. Much appreciated.