cruising kirby

2 hours ago, texanaust said:

We just joined the Pursuit after flying in to Honiara on the Charter flight.  The Qantas flight was terrible and a disappointing start to the cruise.  The food was inedible and believe it or not, no alcohol!  They did have a business class but I'm not sure how those people managed to secure that section.  Those guests did receive a proper meal with champagne, etc so certainly a different experience for them...unfortunately not for us and most other passengers. 

 

Seabourn also promised a half full aircraft, but instead filled every extra seat with joining staff and expedition members.  Certainly not a luxury experience which was then followed by a very long, slow drive from the airport to the ship. 

 

Fortunately, the Pursuit looks great and we are looking forward to an improved experience from here!

Oh no!  We have that charter flight at the end of our cruise. It’s a long flight. I can’t believe they don’t provide decent food and alcohol!

Can you tell me if Qantas enforce weight restrictions on the checked luggage?  Seabourn have told me it’s 23kg per person but I can’t find any reference to that on my documents. 

2 hours ago, kej1 said:

@FlaviaOfTheMonthsnorkeling and I think scuba were offered in Cook Islands through third parties.  In Tonga in the afternoon we snorkeled and I believe there was scuba as well.  In Fiji there was snorkeling and scuba on the first day in the afternoon.  Not on the second day.  Neither was offered in Vanuatu or on the first 3 stops of the cruise.

im hoping on this second half we will have more opportunities.  Again there is no schedule published and as much as we ask what’s happening we are told we will know the night prior.  Since Dom, the current leader will leave tomorrow to go home I’m assuming ( hoping) there will be a replacement.  
 

all, we are on til May 15th so I’ll keep updating.  Strange those getting on May 15th have some excursions to choose and we have none….maybe you can share what they are as I assume they will be similar?

I’m on the 15 May cruise from Guam. There are three excursions being offered in Rabaul. The paid option is Balanataman Hiking at USD145pp. The included options are Kopoko War and Colonial Experience and a nighttime tour Baining Firedance and Village Experience. 
 

Nothing else showing up for any other ports at this stage

I use Chrome and find I have to clear cookies frequently.  That usually works

6 hours ago, CLOU said:

Thanks for all the info. I understand the point about the small tables.Also, if we were to have sushi for dinner it would beat dinner time, after 7:30 at the earliest for us, so I imagine the pre-dinner drinks crows would likely be done.  Perhaps will try it as a snack one night and see how it goes and decide if we think it is worth trying for dinner.

That was our strategy. We went to the Club around 7.30pm when the dinner crowd had left and we ordered a range of sushi dishes and asked they be served one or two at a time ( the tables are too small for much more than that). It was a leisurely light meal with only a few others  doing the same thing so we had great service from an unhurried waiter. 

We had sushi in the Club for dinner a few nights when on the Odyssey last December.  It was an excellent light meal alternative for us.

29 minutes ago, sanne said:

APT also packages up cruises with land tours. So in the Kimberley it looks like on several of their cruises they have land and sea itineraries. This could be very interesting for both local and overseas passengers. Kimberley cruises generally only 10 days and there is so much more to see and experience. 

APT are a very reputable company in Australia. As noted above they package cruises and land content, not just here in Australia but around the world. They are a luxury product and I can see how they would align with Seabourn. Having said that I’m a little sad about these developments……………. 

Seabourn has blocked the sale of cruises from Singapore and Dubai in March/April for a few weeks now. Cruises from 21 April appear to be available to book at this stage. 
 

There is certainly something going on at Seabourn but nothing is released to guests yet.   Clearly they don’t want to accept new bookings on affected cruises. Anticipate cancellations and/or itinerary changes as Seabourn makes adjustments for Red Sea issues. 
 

There is much speculation in social media but no one outside Seabourn knows the plans yet. 

30 minutes ago, CalTexCruiser said:

 

Although possible, remember that while Singapore-Dubai is sold out, Dubai-Athens has a substantial number of cabins available.  That means a lot of folks (including us) end their trip in Dubai.  If they were to swap the itinerary to a 36-day Singapore-Athens around the cape, what happens to those folks?  Will they have to fork over more money for the extra 18 days, assuming they are even interested?

 

Assuming all the Singapore-Dubai passengers cancel if presented this option, Seabourn will still end up losing a lot of money. 

 

There is no slam dunk solution here.

There appears no cheap solution unfortunately. The compensation for guests in each scenario looks to be significant for Seabourn (shortened or cancelled cruises, vastly changed itineraries, reimbursement of hotel/flight/visa costs etc). We just have to keep waiting (and worrying) until Seabourn decides to tell us what they have planned. 

4 hours ago, CalTexCruiser said:

The Silver Moon (which was supposed to have transited the Red Sea) is now on its way to Cape Town, South Africa, scheduled to arrive on Feb 2 (no passengers).  

 

(1) They have scheduled 15 days from Malta to Cape Town. 

(2) It took them 1 day to go from Athens to Malta.

(3) The anticipated travel time from Cape Town to Mumbai is 11 days.

 

The total trip time is estimated to be 27 days between Mumbai and Athens.

 

The currently scheduled Seabourn Encore Singapore - Athens sailing is 36 days, and is made up of two segments: 18-day Singapore-Dubai and 18-day Dubai-Athens. 

 

It is pretty certain that the Dubai-Athens segment through the Red Sea will have to be cancelled, and there appears to be a lot of cabins available on this segment.

 

Scenario 1:

(1) Reduce the Singapore-Dubai segment to a 12-day Singapore-Mumbai sailing.

(2) This will given them 18 + 6 = 24 days.

(3) Then cancel the first 7-day Athens-Venice sailing, and start the Med season from Venice.

 

Scenario 2:

(A) cancel the entire Singapore-Athens.  But Singapore-Dubai is fully booked so this will be quite expensive for Seabourn.

There is another scenario............................Cunard has a Singapore to Southampton cruise in March April that consists of a 17 night segment to Cape Town and a 16 night segment to Southampton.  Its has 7 stops including an overnight in Cape Town and obviously a lot of sea days.  So I guess its possible for Seabourn to take passengers from Singapore to Athens in the 36 nights it has available, even though the Encore won't travel as fast as the Cunard ship. It would mean a completely new itinerary but it might be preferable to taking an empty ship most of the way (and refunding pax most/all of their fare)?

1 hour ago, Tallante said:

 Have just read an article saying that MSC have cancelled 3 ships due to sail through the Red Sea.  One is in April but it didn’t mention the dates of the other 2.  I realise MSC sail a different class of ship and have many more passengers but they stressed the most important thing was the safety of the passengers and crew,  Maybe Seabourn will soon follow suit and clarify their position.

 

Lets hope the Seabourn announcements are imminent.  There is no way a cruise ship can risk the Red Sea for the foreseeable future with continuing escalation of hostilities.

6 hours ago, wyocruiser said:

Just received the official email. The January 26 cruise is canceled. Only offer is 20% off a future cruise.

Is that a full refund and 20% off a future cruise?

I can add Seabourn to the list of cruise lines that are due to cruise through the Red Sea on its Singapore - Dubai - Athens cruise in March/April 2024

I know this must be a time of great concern to all cruise lines. What I can’t understand is why they don’t make the very tough (financial) decisions now and re-route their ships so that all of us who are booked can make our plans. Surely their responsibility to keep guests and crew safe overrides anything else?
 

The longer they wait the more we will speculate and try to find answers through communities like this, which only adds to the stress of the unknown. I think it is human nature to try and make sense of ambiguity and all of us are probably trying to weigh up the various possibilities as each day passes. 

Unfortunately no one outside Seabourn knows the answers to your questions at this time.  The reservations teams are maintaining that no changes are envisaged, even against the background of the very recent escalations in the Red Sea.  Its not a problem of their making, but Seabourn must take action to protect its guests and crew so it seems unlikely that the Dubai to Athens sector will proceed exactly as currently planned.  I guess we can't rule out that the Singapore to Dubai sector immediately prior won't change either, particularly given a potential diversion via Africa will take longer than the 18 days of the Dubai to Athens sector.

As for compensation, refunds might be on the table but I think Future Cruise Credits and On Board Credit might be more likely.

Lets hope that we don't have to wait too much longer to hear what Seabourn has planned for us.

Just spent 2 weeks on the Odyssey using the app. It works just fine. Every morning I would look at the days schedule, check out the dining options and my booked shore excursions and even pre ordered my morning coffee from Seabourn Square ( not that there was ever a queue but I am a technology convert). Embrace the change!  It takes a little getting used to and some were still complaining about it after 16 days but I found it easy and useful. Could it do with some tweaking - yes!  However we do everything on our phones these days so why not give this a go. 

I will admit to being very nervous about further cancellations.  I'm booked on the late May 2023 Vista cruise that is now the inaugural.  I wish Oceania would release photos/videos of the Vista so we can see  that the ship build is progressing well.  I may have missed something, but the last visual I had was at the time the ship was floated out.

Having been booked on two new ships pre covid that were not delivered on time, I worry that the lack of transparency means further delays to the Vista.

It is so hard to plan with confidence.  

12 hours ago, DaveA said:

I have a different point of view, that doesn't seem at all bizarre to me. Getting a test is indeed a small ask. Risking being denied boarding after flying half way across the world when you have no symptoms is a bigger ask, as is risking being confined to a cabin for several days. We don't test for colds, flu or norovirus - we take common sense precautions to reduce the risks of catching and spreading them. Covid isn't going away. At some point (and the CDC has now pretty well reached that point) we need to accept it is endemic and treat is as we we do flu.

I tend to agree with you.  Covid has been around for a few years now.  Most of us have either had it, or know many people that have had it.  We have seen how it manifests.  We may have had personal experience of the terrible affects in some people, and also the very minor way it impacts the vast majority.  Fortunately in my family and circle of friends, Covid has been nothing more than a minor cold.  Even with that experience, I still take extra very careful measures around vulnerable people like my 92 year old mother, I always wear a mask when inside public spaces, and I am a handwashing expert now!.

Pre-covid it was obvious that people travelled when unwell.  Flu's, colds, noro etc were common place.  I think it is inevitable that people are going to cruise when they knowingly or unknowingly have covid.  I support the current pre cruise testing, even though it doesn't provide guarantees, because it hopefully means less covid is on board.  However we are really kidding ourselves if we think we can cruise (or go out to dinner in a busy restaurant, or go shopping in a crowded store etc etc etc) and not be exposed to covid these days.

Each of us needs to assess our own risks and decide the appropriate personal action in relation to covid.  I have 4 Seabourn cruises booked over the next 12 months.  I will take all the usual precautions that I do at home, and if I become unwell, I'll follow the requirements of the time.  For those who are much more risk adverse, then staying home is fine too.

I'm on a Vista May 2023 cruise and trying to remain positive about the on time delivery.  However I have been booked on a three new ships (pre covid) that were not delivered on time and it was very disappointing and frustrating rearranging everything at the last minute.  Unfortunately on each occasion the cruiselines did not advise the delay until a couple of months prior, even though I was actively seeking clarity well before that.

To be fair, the cruiselines that didn't deliver the ships on time were not Oceania.  Hopefully things are on track, I certainly hope so!  The issues identified in other posts are certainly real and may impact.

I have had to consider the purchase of airfares in the past few weeks.  I've decided to book our flights as we choose business class when we fly to Europe, because waiting will only mean more expensive options.  Our fares do come with a penalty for cancellation or refund but I've decided to take that risk.  What I am doing however is running a "Plan B" that can be implemented without too much distress.  I'll have to make a decision about the Vista early in 2023 before final payment is due.

Anyone have any insight as to whether HAL will cancel cruises to Japan due to depart in early 2023?  The Westerdam is still showing as offering cruises (Singapore to Yokohama, Yokohama to Yokohama), however some other companies have already announced cancellations, presumably due to the covid restrictions in Japan.

It is possible that rather than being distressed by all these comments (if CwazeAndCwaze are still reading them), they are actually laughing at all of us!  Their videos on Youtube have never been so popular!  A quick non scientific analysis of their previous Crystal videos shows views around the 300 - 400 mark for most, these Seabourn videos are around the 700 - 900 views.  Genius!

17 hours ago, cruiseej said:

 

Not necessarily. There are some cruises departing from the Marghera industrial port on the mainland side of the causeway into Venice. They just don't have enough capacity there for all the cruise ships scheduled this year. Seabourn may have some of those slots next year, and there may be more capacity there by next year. 

Yes that is what I'm hoping for!

Our cruise isn't until June 2023 so much can change between now and then.  Currently its showing departing and arriving "Venice" on the Quest.  However the Quest cruises in 2022 are departing Ravenna, so I guess its likely that will be the case for us too.  Seabourn is telling me that as our cruise says "Venice", if it changes to Ravenna they will provide a bus transfer, presumably complimentary but that's not clear yet.

I am interested to hear how things go this year.  There must be many people making their way to Ravenna for Quest cruises.  If I can learn from their experience it will be helpful!  Please come back and report how the transfer goes.  I'm assuming most people will be transferring from Venice?

I'm interested to hear from people boarding in Ravenna (in lieu of Venice).

What arrangements are you making to get to Ravenna?  Private transfer?  Seabourn transfer?  Or something else?

I'll miss that glamorous private boat transfer from the hotel to the Venice cruise port!!!  

I have been in a Sky Suite on Celebrity once, and have many more cruises with Seabourn.  Nothing in the past 2 years since Covid so my opinion is a little dated.

For me, there is just no comparison between Celebrity and Seabourn, they are completely different experiences.  I enjoyed Celebrity (what's not to like about a holiday?) and yes, the food was certainly very good. We had our own "suite guests only dining room" which provided a level of personalised service.  The ship I was on was modern and the decor was very nice. I can see why people would choose that cruiseline.  

However, the big ships are just not for me any more.  I will always prioritise Seabourn because I like the opportunity to form friendships on board, to get to know the crew, to feel like the service is personalised to my preferences.  When I am on Seabourn I feel completely comfortable.  I like being called by name and having my favourite crew know something about me.  There are so many crew that we have sailed with many times, and that Seabourn "family" is priceless to me.  I agree with all of the Seabourn positives listed in the original post.  However I've never had a problem with the cocktails, other than having one too many on occasion!

17 minutes ago, CwazeAndCwaze said:

What the H*LL is a 50% Surcharge?!!??!

Thats for same day service.  It doesn't apply if you are happy to accept regular service which can be 24 - 48 hours return.  

smarttraveller.gov.au has some good information on travel insurance and covid (designed for Australians but is good common sense advice).  While not specifically recommending any companies, it does give valuable guidance on the issues you need to consider (eg where are you travelling, are multi night cruises covered, border closures, quarantining etc etc).  I would think that as Australia opens up international travel in the next few months we will see cover for covid become more available.  Right now its not easy to find a company that will provide the comprehensive cover normally required for international travel, particularly cruising.