markham

Lest anyone wonder about this poster’s concerns, let’s all breathe a sigh of relief that he/she/they survived. I mean, in an age of a dangerous pandemic, droughts, famine, wild fires, political scandals, economic dislocation and a devastating war in Europe, we need to make our issues, well, ISSUES. Starting with that point about printing your luggage label and affixing it yourself. “Just say No!” Happy and healthy sailing!

It’s August, for goodness sake. Who wears shoes in the Med anymore? Now I’m offended. Happy and healthy sailing!

Mr L, What is next? In a week just a crossing on QM2 in QG. Same assigned table for all meals and I expect the crossing will be full. I know the food will be good, but I am going to miss the variety of choices, especially Italian, on Dawn. I reflect on Dawn now that I am back another day. Everything they did they did very well indeed. The cabins, eagerness to please and that food! But there is a void in my gut anyway, and it was pronounced at disembarkation. Nothing much - except for a warm goodbye from CD Vicki. We will be back there for a big cruise in Nov., and I will also celebrate a birthday there... But for the post-cruise letdown feeling which I always have on Seabourn there was nothing coming from Dawn. It was like I had just checked out of the best hotel in town, all fat, watered, cleaned and pressed. But that is all. So what am I really looking forward to? For the sheer fun of it all it has to be Seabourn, specifically our Quest Grand Voyage in January. No need for those awful loungers for some of this particular trip. Final payment is due in about a month, it’s an impressive number and it sharpens my mind. So I might as well expect the best and make that happen. Maybe with the Howdy Doody. Of course, it’s too early to know who will be the CD, Capt and HD, but I am setting the bar high. And I am glad I booked so long ago. It’s Quest’s last Antarctic voyage! I am not sure I am the true expedition ship type. And it’s not just the prices - although that features. It’s also the short durations. I hope to see you again on a Seabourn or Silversea cruise in 2023 or 2024. Happy and healthy sailing!

Markham does have his moments. All the same he tries to go with the flow, and upon reflection is somewhat more mentally positive today…. We left the brand new and lovely Silver Dawn yesterday in Barcelona after a week’s cruise, and we were required to show negative Antigen tests when we embarked in Civitavecchia. We were also instructed repeatedly to wear M95 masks on tours and tenders, and to exercise caution on board. Daily temperatures were taken by the butlers. As far as I know there was no Covid on the ship, and it was quite full. How welcome is that?! We avoided the show lounge and main bar since they were fully enclosed/inside spaces. But we ate many meals in the wonderful Atlantide restaurant, which I should add, was never more than 75% full. Otherwise it was the outdoor section of Terrazza. Pre-dinner cocktails were always in the near empty Panorama Bar with its quick access to the deck. It was usually us, maybe 6 other couples, 3 or even one musician and several wait/bar staff. Where were everyone else? Maybe by the big pool and its comfortable padded sun loungers. (And about sun loungers, may I carp one more time about the awful old unpadded narrow stuff on Seabourn ships? There is no comparison with the Silversea Moon, Muse and Dawn sisters!!!) About mixing it up, and maybe exposing yourself to more folks who might be infectious, you may well know that Silversea is not Seabourn. There are virtually no sail-away parties (with or without live music), caviar in surf or pool party, beach or marina days, welcome back on board red carpet event, Officers on Deck party, or the dreaded and silly Howdy Doody Git to Know Yer Nayber Party on day 2. On Silversea the entertainment was, well, simpler, eg far fewer musicians. So it’s safe there but rather boring or staid, depending on what might feel the urge to opine. But for me, the reduction or deemphasis due to Covid of some of these fun times on Seabourn would be more noticeable there. Silversea? Not as much happenin’. So not much risk for that reason. Oh, well. Let’s hope we can stay and sail safely as things ramp up over time and adjust to the best advice we will get from the cruise lines, local authorities and our own cautious common sense. Happy and healthy sailing!

That is a big relief. We have so many Seabourn cruises with warm, charming and active captains. It would be a shame if a new captain, while technically competent, stayed to himself. We are on Silver Dawn now. And their officers are invisible. Waaaay different social vibe. Happy and healthy sailing!

I guess this conversation is going full circle since there are lots of opinions about what is what these days. We are on Dawn now. The food quality is superb and have our routines including rotating between Atlantide and Terrazza for dinners. The 3 ships of the Muse class are light years ahead of the Cloud and Whisper class ships. Makes Silversea a small line for us to select a cruise with. We know a few passengers who, like us, alternate with Seabourn ships for cruises. What we all miss is the entertainment: poolside activities, officer engagement and spontaneity of a cruise director plus staff which very obviously have a much bigger budget and more important emphasis for the product. You all can take it from there, and you might as well try Seabourn to see for yourselves. I hope that helps put things into perspective. Happy and healthy sailing!

Oh please! Getting yourself tested within 2 days of sailing and complying with common sense rules is not a hardship. It helps deliver a safer ship - for the enjoyment of everyone on board and the welfare of the cruise line’s staff. No one needs or wants virus-positive people to embark and then spread the virus. That’s what this is about. And who cares what Regent claims to be doing? Maybe their customers think it’s somehow smart - as in a cost-saving for their self-indulgent attitudes. Sounds like a cop out from taking personal responsibility to me. Happy and healthy sailing!

Kjbacon, i appreciate your effort to identify the Quest captain. That said, it is extraordinary, and not in a good way, that crew are unprepared to answer, and that the captain’s choice of personal conduct and style is such that he remains aloof and/or a non-entity. This may well be the case elsewhere, especially the mass market lines such as HAL where passengers are kept at arm’s length, but this is NOT the Seabourn way. It never was, either! Of course we all know that a captain might limit personal interactions due to Covid etc but he could also compensate for this by serving up a more robust personality and presentation by walking about outdoors and on the public address system- all in order to maintain the Seabourn brand and difference. These things do matter; if you wanted to be on an expensive HAL cruise with dumbed down style, well, that would be a deal breaker for many, and then the captain could do what he liked. Happy and healthy sailing!

Thank you for this. There are always changes to the people we know. We accept that things will continue to vary. Years ago there were more or less predictable Officer rotations, but not now or yet. And I guess that due to Covid the senior officers are less visible and in contact with the passengers. Happy and healthy sailing!

Would someone on Quest please identify the names of the captain and hotel director? Happy and healthy sailing!

Of course UK passengers are disadvantaged due to the poor performance of GBP in terms of USD fuel, supply and wage costs. And costs are increasing everywhere anyway. I would like to think that prices might stabilize once the market demand peaks after all the delayed cruise vouchers are satisfied. But in the meantime Silversea is in the driver’s seat- assuming that they get the passenger yields they want/expect. If you think Silversea is outta line, look at Seabourn like for like pricing or similar itineraries, if possible. I say this because this Silversea expensive D2D and original PTP pricing options of late is causing some confusion (to say the least) and Seabourn’s optional transportation fares remain unbundled options. We like both for different aspects of what they offer and will not be tied to either as circumstances eg pricing varies so much. At least we all have choices. For us it’s the Muse class on SS and Odyssey class SB. We do not care for the other ships of these lines. Good luck with your work. Happy and healthy sailing!

It is wonderful to see the Quest underway again with appreciative passengers reconnecting after these couple or few years. When you have a moment please let me know who is the captain and hotel director. We are looking forward to joining Quest in a few months. Happy and healthy sailing!

Yes and sure. Enjoy it. Happy and healthy sailing!

And who is paying for it? Happy and healthy sailing!

You know, Julie, the dogged lack of compliance about masking on cruise ships generally, the luxury lines I know specifically ie Seabourn and Silversea, in public areas on the ship and on ships' tours, makes me tetchy, to say the least. And so I developed a strategy to avoid those potential spreaders which is simply to eat out of doors at the Patio/E&O, the Colonnade and in our suite as often as possible. I also evacuate from the Grand Salon, the beautiful Obs Bar and intimate Club (where they have those fancy hors d'ouvres) when the maskless passing trade exceeds some number/space ratio. And no tour buses ever. Is this difficult? Not at all. It beats wondering why that crowd cannot be bothered to follow directions which, after all, are in their best interests relative to their own health and the long term success of the cruise line they patronise. Which leads me to question whether these people would submit to daily Covid tests if they were so confident in avoiding Covid generally- if that were a condition of the line operating a mask free cruise.... Oh and for Mr L who introduced the subject of naturists, the masking business would apply to their noses and mouths indoors too, if you are concerned about inhibiting those who would not be inhibited. Just sayin' Happy and healthy sailing!

We usually get a note in the cabin on embarkation day saying the onboard credit. You can always go to Seabourn Square at the start of your cruise, ask about your onboard account, and if there is no credit showing then ask for the credit by using your email to show you requested it in the first place including an image of your brokerage statement. Then in a couple of days check back. Happy and healthy sailing!

I would be interested to know why Seabourn crew should tell passengers on board about the number of ill passengers. After all, the passengers identified as such are out of circulation by being confined to their cabins until they test negative. Isn’t that good enough? And if you want stringent reporting with controls, do you endorse mandatory testing daily? I don’t believe that piling on criticism of Seabourn is warranted unless the context above is clear and outcome sought is purposeful. Happy and healthy sailing!

Ok, everyone has an opinion. Anyway, about precruise testing in my world, Silversea has today once again notified us about the requirements for our 4 Aug., 2022 cruise from Civitavecchia. There is no doubt in my mind that a verified antigen test is required. The email says what is what. Nothing to do with CDC or anyone else. We will be duly prepared for embarkation. Happy and healthy sailing!

I hate to say it but I will anyway. What is wrong with this picture?! I do not have a reservation on the September cruise that is supposed to include Japan. But Silversea is treating those who do have reservations very flippantly and disrespectfully. People have a right to enjoy their booking process and not be positioned into some agonizing limbo. There is virtually no chance that in 6 weeks Japan will magically open up to cruise passengers, and if Silversea thinks they know better, well, where is the press release? ’nuff said. Happy and healthy sailing!

There are no butlers on Seabourn no matter what grade cabin you have. Either consult with Seabourn Square staff - there are usually 4 of them on duty all day and more reachable by phone - about administrative matters such as tours and special requests or for routine cabin matters the 2 cabin attendants. The fallback is always Seabourn Square itself. About caviar on Seabourn, well, those Caviar in the Surf on beaches and the Caviar by the Pool events are widely known, and are on most all warm weather cruises. Sometimes though they might be held on deck 6 front, a large open area with seating and jacuzzi. It should be noted that Silversea ships have no similar deck space. So it goes without saying that you can ask for caviar anytime on Seabourn and get it quickly. We like it by the Sky Bar (deck above pool/no equivalent on Silversea ships) in the late afternoon when they might not be a Sailaway Party accompanied by Champagne. In my opinion, the entertainment and "fun' aspect of cruising for social enjoyment and encouraging passengers to mix is far better on Seabourn than Silversea. Smoking areas are more extensive on Silversea, taking up about half the pool area- on one side. But bear in mind that Silversea passengers apparently like things just the way they are; they are a very loyal and sedate and maybe older cohort and/or Silversea is hopefully canny enough to make changes in time to keep their demographic happy. Another side note: the Seabourn ships are all very similar, actually 2 modern types plus the new expedition ships. The Silversea ships vary from very old and new, plus expedition, some very old and new. They are very different; we much prefer the 3 in the Muse class. Why? It's mainly the choice of restaurants, the vast outdoor spaces such as the top deck track, their large true swimming pools, and the very modern clean feel. The others are rather disappointingly less attractive and less well appointed- so you gotta know what you're getting upfront, and then enjoy the ride. I also hasten to add that we find the food on Silversea superior across the board, but not a game changer when you throw in pricing (the new DTD is poorly thought out and poor value), social vibe/life, itinerary, the unique Seabourn Marina days etc. Happy and healthy sailing!

Not sure what you mean and what the point of your response is. What does “relaxing” and the American CDC have to do with e.g. the Italian government maintaining whatever rules it has about the use of their ports? I was just in Italy where all of us using trains follow rules about 100% masking over nose and mouth. I expect no less structure and vigilance in August in Rome when we join Dawn for a cruise at the port. You can check the Royal Caribbean site by country if you need to know specifics on 48 hour pre-cruise test mandates. Happy and healthy sailing!

What the CDC says about testing has no bearing on what other countries mandate. Happy and healthy sailing!

You would risk getting the worst cabin in some category such as the ones near the Bridge whose cameras can see your veranda usage? No, definitely not worth the risk. And who needs any more risk now? This risk is avoidable. Pay for what you want, firm is all up, and relax. Happy and healthy sailing!

Simple. If there is a fox in the coop you want to have someone smart and on your side to rescue your chickens. Not another fox. Happy and healthy sailing.

Platinum is not what is meant by “premium”. That would be Queens Grill, and within that group its top suites. Happy and healthy sailing!