NJBelle

Excuse me, but in this video, calling the presenter's voice "shrill" is really not accurate. In fact, she has quite the lower pitched voice. Just wanted to observe that sometimes (saying a woman is shrill) is an (unwarranted) criticism of female speakers when they want to put her down, and so, in the future, you may want to watch your adjectives if that is not your intention.

We were just on an Ovation back-to-back cruise (Lisbon-Amsterdam-Copenhagen). On the first leg, there was not a Block Party. On the second leg, there was one, several days into the cruise. It was fun to chat with our neighbors and makes it nice to be able to smile and say hello to folks you know (at least a little bit). We like them and have made "cruise friends" from Block Parties (Regent does them pretty regularly as well, so that is where we became familiar with them). We always attend, but clearly, people have options if they don't like them. Stay in, leave early for a lounge, or leave from your suite during the party, saying hello as you head toward the stairs/elevator.

Hey Susan, so glad you and Tobias enjoyed your cruise. It was great to meet y'all and like you, I was sad not to ever see/meet the other CC posters. Oh well, next cruise....Anyway, glad you got home safely. We got home 7 days before you did (for others reading this, my husband and I did two 14-day cruises, back to back. First was Lisbon to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Copenhagen; SLSD was on the Amsterdam to CPH with us), and so we are acclimated, have all our clothes clean, patio planted and we are somewhat detoxed from all the champagne!

It was very interesting to read your impressions of the 7-day portion of your back to back. Actually it agrees with my thoughts after we had done a Mediterranean cruise (on Regent) in July about 10 years ago. One, it was way too hot and so I will never do a Med cruise in the summer again, and two, the other passengers were different than what we had been accustomed to on Regent (and Crystal, too, for that matter). I determined that because it was summer (and a trendy destination) there were a lot of working youngish people who wanted to get the bang for the buck fun (drinking and shopping, etc) and didn't really care about how their good time impacted our time. Anyway, you confirmed that short cruises in the summer even in the Baltic are probably not a good way to go. In fact, your comments made me reconsider one of the cruises we were just thinking about booking. We loved the Ovation (and Seabourn - this was just our second experience with SB, but we definitely want them in our rotation) and bought a Future Cruise certificate. We figured we would look at our leisure after getting home and see how another SB cruise would fit into our schedule. We "have an opening" in September 2019 and we liked an 14 day Ovation cruise (Dublin RT) and a 17 day Encore cruise that starts in Monte Carlo and ends in Rome. It it actually a 10 day and a 7 day combined to call it (and sell it as) a 17 day. Attractive, but then when I thought about that 7 day portion (and plus September can still be really hot although not technically summer), the Dublin RT won the nod. So, thanks for helping me to avoid a mistake!

One interesting note in the category of how portions of BtoB cruises can differ, we did not notice a big difference in civility and nice interactions in the two 14 day segments. Yes, the average age of the passengers in the first segment was quite a bit higher than the second segment (think we were getting more "still working" folks on summer vacation since the second segment was in June vs the first segment in May, but that is only a guess). And so there was more evening activity in the second leg, but the tenor of the cruise and the passenger interactions were similar. Just lots of pleasant folks (of course, the occasional boor, but that is life).

Back to the Mariner - As Wes stated above, my husband and I were on the Mariner in Jan/Feb on the Lima-Buenos Aires cruise. I guess our review would fall somewhere in the middle of the reviews of Wes and Marc. We love Regent (but also Crystal, Silversea and Seabourn) and we love the Mariner (despite the smaller regular suites). We had done a Buenos Aires to Santiago several years ago and liked it a great deal (we went on SS for that one), so we decided on the Mariner cruise since it started in Lima and we could work in a separate trip to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley (which we did and had a fabulous time). Anyway, I had read on CC that Mariner seems to get a Code Red frequently on this cruise, so wasn't shocked when it happened. What I was surprised by was that they didn't take more precautions initially (surely after all the other Code Reds, the higher ups on the ship and Regent do a "lessons learned" type of activity). Well, the Code Red happened and the staff worked hard to deal with the extra cleaning, serving of food, etc. The Code Red went on for about 2 weeks of the 3 week cruise. So, it definitely impacted the cruise. The ports were fine and we had a great time, food was good, suite comfortable, but it was still a bit of a pain and not very luxurious to use paper napkins, open 14 tiny packets of catchup, have to wait for someone to appear to use the self-serve machine (which was no longer self-serve), etc. I am not saying we didn't enjoy the cruise and that we didn't appreciate that the regular staff had to work overtime to deal with all the issues. However, there was one person who did NOT seem to work overtime. That was the Cruise Director. It is fortunate that I do not remember his name since it is bad enough that I am singling him out. But he was really very apathetic. Just phoned it in. When you have a ship-wide "crisis" - then THAT is when the CD needs to earn his/her paycheck. There needs to be a lot of senior presence and focus on enjoying the cruise, etc. But he was pretty much MIA during much of the cruise.......Also, after the Code Red was lifted, it would seem like there might have been a "good will gesture" on the part of Regent due to the the hit to our overall experience. But no (and I understand that some will point out that it is not Regent's fault, stuff happens, everyone shouldn't expect compensation, etc.). But, we did not even get a heartfelt letter from Regent about hoping that we understand, that we enjoyed our cruise, that they appreciate our business, etc. Nothing. And yes, we realize that a Code Red is a one-off, but frankly, it that had been the only Regent cruise that we had even taken, we would never be cruising on them again.

The reason that I am saying all this now - many months after the cruise - is for two reasons. This thread was started, and then Wes asked me to chime in. And I just got off a fabulous Seabourn cruise. It was great in so many ways, but I will mention two ways that stand out in reference to my comments above. The CD on this cruise was just unbelievable. He was personable, hard-working, seemed to be everywhere, was a one-man band (at one of our outdoor parties, I saw him moving chairs for set-up, then chatting with guests and then I looked up and he was singing on the stage), and he was an open person to all. We are "nobodies" on Seabourn (this was our second Seabourn cruise) and yet, he sought us out on embarkation, stopped and talked on several occasions, and even asked if he could join us for lunch one day. He certainly used our names on all occasions and made us feel special. And we really don't require this kind of treatment, but I will say, when you get it, it does feel good! The other thing that happened is that when it turned out the television/AV in the suites (just some were affected I think) were not working properly (the ship is brand new - this was only her third real passenger cruise), those suites affected got a lovely note ("this is not the Seabourn way, we are so sorry", etc) and a credit of $490 since they believed that they should refund money since part of our cruise was affected! Now since we don't even turn the blasted TV on during the cruises we take, this was just found money for us (and totally redeemable, not just OBC). Anyway, we were totally blown away by the customer service and the generosity. (And it really cemented that Seabourn is going to be more of a "go-to" line for us in the future.)

So, Regent didn't bathe themselves in glory on this Mariner cruise. Does that mean that they have not finally learned lessons that they clearly need to learn? I don't know. Turns out, some friends of ours (just met on the Seabourn cruise) have signed up for this Explorer cruise; we did not tell them horror stories/say negative things, since it is a different ship and I would like to give Regent the benefit of the doubt. We did tell them in general about the Code Red, but we didn't offer advice one way or the other.

And indeed Observer, if seeing Greenland were the only reason to transit the NWP, then it would be wasteful to do that. Clearly, this trip is not for you. And lucky you, you have lots of other choices and ways to see Greenland!

My husband and I did the Crystal 2017 Northwest Passage and we thought it was hands-down, the best cruise we have ever taken (and this includes about 40 cruises (we cruise on Regent, SS, Crystal and Seabourn) on all 7 continents). We were awed by the scenery (especially in Greenland), saw a number of polar bears, the Aurora Borealis, and loved the expeditions to the small towns along the way.

It is true that 2017 was not full - I think Crystal overestimated the demand based on how fast the 2016 sold out. We even got rebates as the price decreased. When Crystal flew in fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat halfway during the cruise (32 days), we knew we had also gotten the deal of a lifetime.

All this being said, I absolutely loved Antarctica (including the Falklands and South Georgia) and put that almost in its own category. 8 different kinds of penguins and otherworldly scenery....

Well, here we are in Bornholm, Denmark - ready to leave our last port on this fabulous cruise. Today was a picture-perfect day on our excursion on this island. And Eric and I just finished “day-drinking “ rose wine with 4 wonderful folks who turn out to have been on since Lisbon! We all said - how did we miss you? Alas, we will all be disembarking tomorrow In Copenhagen. Oh well, next cruise....I just got my last coffee-to-go in Seabourn Square and am now sipping and writing as I read and go through pictures of the day.

This has been a great cruise. Just convinced my two sets of new friends to go and do a “Future Cruises” deposit before the deadline this afternoon. We did it as well, and will figure out our next Seabourn cruise once we get home and look at the calendar very closely. There were some goods, greats and a couple of not-so-greats, but overall, it was an excellent cruise. I will probably do a succinct wrap-up once on shore, and once the clothes are washed and jet lag over. But, in a word for Seabourn, KUDOS!

Well, you know you are a grizzled traveler when (while getting ready for an early morning excursion) the Captain announces over the loudspeaker that a port is canceled and you and your husband do a happy dance and shout “Yay”!

We were outside the pier of Visby, Sweden and seemed to be taking a while to dock. In the meantime, I had been thinking about how much I needed a sea day. We have had 4 port days in a row and no more sea days were scheduled for the rest of the cruise. But yet, since we hadn’t been to Visby, it would go against my grain to just blow off a new place because I was too lazy to get my sweet self off the ship for a few hours. BUT if it is impossible to get off the ship, then that is a whole different matter. (And sometimes in port intensive cruises, if we have been to a city before, we will declare our own sea day). So, now we have the whole day ahead to relax and enjoy the ship. Nice touch that it is also formal night tonight.

Oh, and for those wondering why the port was canceled, the pier is very new (in the last year; this used to be a tender port) and for some reason, they built it in a rather unprotected place. It was determined that the seas were too rough and winds too high to attempt a docking. So, we let off the harbor pilot and now we are sailing out to sea. Probably to do great big donuts since our next port is pretty close too. Anyway, no sadness in this suite with the news. We can see Visby next time!

Beautiful day in Turku, Finland. And a spectacular sailaway in nice weather! Turns out that Turku also gives access to an incredible archipelago, stretching all along the southern Finnish coast. We didn’t have a party for the sailaway (a lecture at 6:00 had already been scheduled) but I am sure that many are enjoying it on deck or from their balconies, as I am (Eric went to the lecture!).

And as it happened last evening, even with the rain, we had a great time during the sailaway from Stockholm. We went to the Observation Bar to meet friends and found that every single table was filled. Many had stayed on from tea time (tablecloths were the telltale sign). Don’t blame them a bit, but after standing around for 5-10 minutes, hoping someone would leave, we decide to go to the Club. Initially, we watched the scenery from inside, but after a bit, we moved to the sheltered back deck with our drinks, hoping no smokers would venture out. The Clean Lung Gods were with us, so we had a little private sailaway party (bartenders were very accommodating since they liked the scenery as well!) in the rain.

Agree with others about the specialness of that sailaway, but this Turku one is pretty good too. So with that, let me sign off and pour a glass of champagne and enjoy the view!

Wow! Didn’t realize it had been so long since I posted! It really has been a full and fun cruise with little time for the internet. (Sometimes that is a good thing). Anyway, we are about to have our sail away from Stockholm. The sail in yesterday morning was beautiful (with the sun shining pretty brightly as of 3 am) and I am sure this afternoon’s journey will be lovely as well. We were set for a Caviar Sailaway on the pool deck, but Handre just announced that since there were some raindrops already, the celebration would just relocate to the bars. We will be heading up to the Observation Bar shortly to enjoy caviar, drinks, and the view.

Last night, we had another concert of sorts on deck - the singers did a medley of Sting and George Michael hits, then the band cranked out some ABBA tunes (of course!). Lots of dancing and fun until a bit late!

Last two days have been gorgeous in Stockholm. We enjoyed a walking food tour that I had set up independently yesterday. Then today, we just walked around Gamla Stan and stimulated the Swedish economy.

We have a new Captain. Don’t know the name yet, since we missed the first part of the announcement just now on the speaker, but he sounds of British origin. This was planned, of course, but not sure we have ever had the Captain change in mid-stream, so to speak.

Tomorrow is Turku, Finland. New port for us. Then 4 more port days and then it is goodbye to Seabourn for a while.

Today was Kiel Canal

And it was fabulous! For those who don’t know/remember, the Kiel Canal connects the North Sea to the Baltic Sea, and allows ships to avoid going around the Danish peninsula. It is a lovely passage, and we saw lots of beautiful scenery. At 526 feet wide, it is not possible for many ships to pass through, but we did, although it was close under some of the 7 bridges. Whew!

It was a very enjoyable day - we hung out in the Observation Lounge the whole day (lunch was available as were Bloodys, Mimosas, and hot chocolate). Tomorrow is Wismar, Germany. It is not far away, so we are going really s..lll..ooooo..www.

Just catching up a bit - yes, SLSD and I met on the first afternoon. She and her husband, and Eric and I would love to meet the other CCers at some point. Maybe on the next cruise day? Just speak up and make a suggestion!

And yes, there are plenty of outlets.

And internet remains great. (Now color me part of the brigade who thinks it should be free or much less expensive. All the other luxury cruise lines provide it free). Someone asked about the cost. We wanted unlimited (there was/is a serious family situation and we wanted to monitor) and for our BtoB (4 week total) cruise, it was $399. We paid it, but I think that’s a lot for internet.

Hey Roger/EmptyNester, glad y’all got home safely. It was great to meet you and Janet - and we found you charming as well! (That was a little inside joke after a fun dinner).

It is interesting being on a Back-to-Back: the first day we kept looking for our previous buddies, and wondering who all these interlopers were. Now we have settled down and think this new crowd is pretty nice too. This set of passengers seems a bit younger and that has given this leg a different vibe. I think Handre is offering lots of fun things: in just 3 days, we have had a sail away party, a sail in party (to Hamburg) and last night Classics under the Stars and then a dance party. The deck was rocking with dancers and everyone seemed to have a great time.

Here we are on our last day of this cruise. Well, not our last day, since we are staying on for the next cruise, but this 14-day Cruise is coming to an end tomorrow in Amsterdam. We were in Zeebrugge yesterday (for Bruges and Ghent, mostly) and the sail time was 5:30 this morning since we were about 47 feet from our next port. Today we are in Vlissingen (or something similar - I know it was originally Flushing and that is what the NY city is named after). And then tomorrow, we will move again slightly toward Amsterdam for disembarkation/embarkation.

We (and a total of 141 passengers who are continuing on) are thrilled not to have to pack up today. It is great to sit in Seabourn Square and sort through pictures, drink coffee, chat and read. This has been a great cruise and it seems that most agree. We are looking forward to this next leg and I hope the others who will be joining us will contribute to this thread and share their impressions.

Just taking a moment to say that we are in the middle of the English Channel, heading toward Europe, on June 6. Thinking in awe of D-Day and happy that I am able to be here.

DCTraveler244, great to hear from you as a fellow current cruiser. Sorry we haven’t met yet - I actually did meet another CC couple at a hosted dinner early on in the cruise and it has been nice to see them from time to time. I have to admit, even this far into the cruise, I am still seeing people that I would swear I have never seen before!

And SLSD and cruiser02, look forward to meeting you in a few days. Hard to believe that we only have just 3 more days left in this cruise. The Officers are arranging a special get together for continuing voyage passengers this evening. So will be nice to see who our fellow travelers will be. We have met a few continuing folks already and everyone seems excited about the next itinerary.

This itinerary has been great. Just had a very enjoyable day in Dartmouth, UK. It was overcast and a bit chilly, but everyone dressed appropriately and I saw no one suffering. We chose the combo Steam Train and Boat trip, along with 130 ish of other passengers. They did a nice job of partitioning us off, so that half did train and other half did boat and then vice verse, and everyone seemed to really have a nice time. However, the tenders were a bit slow and we had to wait quite a bit on both ends. I know weather can be a factor, but this weather seemed pretty normal for the area for the time of the year, so perhaps they could have done a better job of scheduling the departure times and also having an extra tender or two for when the bolus of passengers finished their long day. (Okay, going to stop the kvetching at this point!)

Actually speaking of size of Ovation vs the smaller SB ships, we were talking to another couple while we waited in line to return to the ship. They love the smaller ships and were very hesitant to come on Encore or Ovation. They liked this itinerary, so pulled the trigger. They said they have been delighted and now worry that they won’t like going back to the smaller ships. So, that is one anecdote, but maybe it can assuage some concerns about the larger size.

I had hoped that other people on this cruise would have posted by now. Anyone on this cruise - please feel free to post since we all have different experiences, even while on the same cruise!

The cruise has been great for us so far. We are some of the ones staying on after Amsterdam - there are 120 of us onboard doing that. And the cruise from Amsterdam to Copenhagen will be full at essentially 600.

We are in a tender port today - St. Mary’s in the Scilly (pronounced silly) Islands. Absolutely picture perfect weather. Lots of people just wandered around the cute island town. Was nice to come back to an outdoor lunch at the Colonnade. Now, we are in the Seabourn Square enjoying a kind of half sea day!

Yesterday was our second real sea day after 6 port days in a row. The ports have been really interesting (Gijon, Bilbao, Biarritz, Bordeaux (overnight) and the La Rochelle) but I really like more sea days. While the sea days are not action packed with entertainment and talks, for us, it is nice to have a chance to read. I am still on my first book from the library here, and usually I can do one every few days. Oh well, lots of beautiful places and nice memories instead.

Just talked to one of the staff in Seabourn Square about changes from Encore. She said they took a lot of feedback from the staff regarding the layout/ amenities of their area (like chairs, sliding shelves under the printers) and it has made their life easier.

For the public spaces:

Certainly having the laundry from the get-go was a big improvement.

Also, they made the bar in The Club on the 5th floor as an actual functional bar (not just for set-ups like on Encore).

In the TK Grill, they moved the hostess desk to the front of the lounge and now people can easily check in when they arrive.

In the stateroom, the shelf/cabinet across from the bed is wider so that people can actually use it to store things on top.

That was all she could think of as I just caught her cold. If I hear more or see more, I will report back.

The layout of the Ovation seems the same as Encore to me. And the sizes of the areas appear not to have really changed. The pool area is still pretty small (IMHO) for a ship this size. I seek shade and have used the areas outside of Seabourn Square and The Club.

What should have changed is the theater - the layout there still has columns blocking views, etc. (although as my husband says, if the columns are needed, then he thinks aesthetics have to suffer). It is just that it is the least attractive of all the ship theaters that I can recall. I much prefer the two levels of Silversea and Regent. Even Crystal ships have better sight lines. What has improved, however, is the sound system. They have over 200 speakers and essentially one very 2 chairs.

Also, the internet seems quite good. Fast, pops up right away. They seem to have put some money into it and it shows.

Next time I see someone who would actually know, I will ask if there were any changes from the Encore.

Wripro, as it turns out, our Port Update today was delivered by Sylvia, one of the Destinations Staff. She was lovely, patient and I heard others saying how much more pleasant this was than with that other guy. I’ll bet others had similar concerns as mine. Well done, Seabourn!

So, packing questions....

I think most of you who are packing or anticipating doing do, have wisely decided on layers. Definitely bring a light waterproof coat. Folding umbrella is in the suite and lots of the big stick umbrellas are available at the gangway. Today, in Biarritz, we needed everything initially. Was definitely raining as we got on the tender. By the time we headed for the bus, it was just misty but not active. Temp was about 60 F to start but warmed up as the day went on. By the time our 4.5 hour excursion was over, i think it was about 70 ( and humid) and I was just in my short sleeves (but still carrying the raincoat over my arm for the walking tour since the skies were really gray). Now we are heading north and getting later in the season, so who knows what the next few weeks will bring. But layers are the key.

And as far as formal night, as I said earlier, I estimated 90% dark suits/tuxedos (but mostly the suits) in The Restaurant. Now remember that people who didn’t bring or want to dress in jackets may have been in other eating venues. So, really, you can get by with what you want to get by with. For us, although we did a lot of dress up during our business careers and (also some now for fundraisers, etc), we think it is a nice part of cruising to dress for dinner. But again, each to his/her own.

I brought a swim suit and coverup but have not seen anyone in the pool or laying out. It has been on the chilly and rainy side for that. But again, I would definitely bring it since there are sure to be some nice days later on.

Jennidallas, we used Culinary Backstreets in Lisbon. We had done tours with CB in Lisbon and in Barcelona, so felt comfortable with them (along with good TripAdvisor reviews). It was a really nice tour of a kind of “untouched” neighborhood - still lots of families, old and young people, all living and enjoying the parks, etc. There was not a ton of food; actually a good thing since we didn’t waddle off afterwards. The guide was a serious food writer and we learned a lot about the food of Lisbon and Portugal.

Lots of things to post:

First of all, it was a great day in Gijon. We did not get rained on at all. Carried the raincoats and umbrellas (at least on the bus) but did not need them. Weather was about 65 and I was happy with just shirtsleeves, but carried a sweater. Great excursion to Oviedo, a cider brewery and then a fantastic lunch of Asturias specialities.

Sail away was very nice. Since it didn’t rain, we had the quartet and special cocktails on the pool deck.

As far as formal night last night and what people wore: I would say about 90% dark suits or tuxedos ( but really only about 20% total tuxedos). My husband wore his tuxedo since it is as easy to carry as as a dark suit. He also has a lighter sport coat for dinners that he wears, but he decided since we were doing a BtoB that it was worth it to bring the tuxedo.

Entertainment has been good. We like a piano bar and loved Katy Shotter on the Encore last year. Deborah Dyer is the one in the TK Grill this cruise - and she has a fantastic voice, although I don’t love the mechanical assisted music (although she is a great pianist) but understand that management may want something that translates well to the Grill itself. All in, I think TK Grill will be our Go-to, but do have to say that the Observation Lounge (Rachel and Vlady) was good too.

Oh, have to mention a negative. For those who are not going on excursions, there is a “port talk” in the Square each afternoon before a port day. Today I went since we are on our own tomorrow in Bilbao. I have to say the person handling this from Seabourn was the rudest person (from staff) I have seen ever on a cruise. He spoke to us like we were in kindergarten and I heard several people muttering unkind things. In fact, one guy apologized to me since he saw that I heard him, but there was no need to apologize since what he said was not worse than what I was thinking. Seabourn could just set out about 100 maps at 5:20, then a person could show up at 5:30 with extra maps and give a brief talk on what to do. Simple as that without offending multiple passengers.

Actually, there is a folding umbrella in our suite as well. Must be a new (and much appreciated) amenity in each suite. Today we carried the full size umbrellas from the disembarking area, but didn’t need them, as it turned out.

Greetings from Ovation!

We have had a relaxing sea day; went to the two lectures, had lunch in The Restaurant, and read our books in Seabourn Square. Ship is very lively with lots of nice people. We are at full capacity (606 passengers) but plenty of room for all.

We really like this ship - size, layout, etc. and the fact that it is brand new (even had that “new ship smell” as we boarded) doesn’t hurt. We sail on Crystal, Silversea and Regent as well, but this ship is ranking in the top in our estimation. All the ships we have sailed on have been 300 to 1000 passengers , so this has that nice Goldilocks factor size wise. We really like the Seabourn Square- none of those other lines I mentioned has anything quite like this. So far, we have not noticed any kinks or issues with the new ship. And Handre is the Cruise Director. He might actually be our favorite CD (he was the CD on our Encore cruise last year also) that we have ever experienced.

Before I forget, thanks for all the well wishes for the cruise. It is nice to hear from so many and definitely appreciate the note from Wes. (We have fond memories from our last cruise with Wes and Ida on the Regent Mariner this past Jan/Feb.) With regard to the weather, it has been mostly cloudy and 63F/17C today. In fact, since it wasn’t so nice out on the pool deck, they had refreshments in the Observation Bar for lunch and afterwards, in addition to the other venues. Tomorrow we are in Gijon, Spain - I just checked the weather and there seems to be a 50% chance of rain during the time of our tour and predicted 65ish temps. So, we will take the anoraks and folding umbrellas to be on the safe side.

Tonight is formal night. We are going to go to dinner a little later and then, we will see the second show. We don’t always go to the shows on our cruises, but last night we were invited to join one of the performers at his table for dinner. We had a lovely time, so want to go to show support!