cruising kirby

I've noticed there have been many views but no responses yet, so I will throw in my experience of deck 5, on the Odyssey class ships. I am assuming the Encore is the same? The balconies on Deck 5 are just fine, yes the view is partially obstructed by the lower metal area of the balcony, but it really wasn't an issue at all for us. In fact, the little ledge where the metal meets the glass made for a very handy and comfortable footrest when gazing out to sea! I generally book the all glass balconies, but wouldn't hesitate to book Deck 5 again depending on price/deal etc

Looking forward to your "Live From". We are on the Encore (from Barcelona) in early September.

In case you missed it, a great Alaska trip report, complete with wonderful photos, from From the Deck Chair: http://www.fromthedeckchair.com/2017/07/10/seabourns-ultimate-alaskan-sojourn-day-1/

 

NOW I'm really getting excited to get onboard!! :-D

Is it the same Aaron Saunders from the Avid Cruiser?

Beautiful photos, thanks!

That is hysterical! Does one need to RSVP? What attire is recommended for this opening?

Wear your dirtiest clothes????? !!!!!!!

Cruising kirby-we thinks you are over dramatizing a bit. We were on the same Carib Ody cruise as yourselves. Heat stroke? Really. Relax mate ... enjoy the ship for what it is.

 

 

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Me......................overdramatizing..................never!

I certainly aim to enjoy myself on my Encore cruise, and I will be relaxed. I will report back here on cc with my experiences.

Regarding the lack of shade - is the pool deck design on Encore almost the same as the 3 smaller ships? I know that the food serving area is at the other end, but I am trying to understand the lack of shade issue. I find that the 3 smaller ships have insufficient shaded areas around the pool too (the poor staff had to put up multiple umbrellas every day when we were in the Caribbean earlier this year - otherwise we would have all died of heat stroke!) . Generally only one row of loungers on each side of the ship are in the shade and that is never enough, particularly for those of us that want to avoid the skin cancer risk. Is the shaded area the same on Encore and there are more passengers putting even more pressure on limited space, or have they reduced the actual shaded area on Encore? I have no idea why a designer would fail to appreciate the need to provide adequate shade! Even removable shade sails would be better than no shade at all.

Seabourn must really be crazy to release the Ovation with the same design flaws. Or is it that all the newcomers from the mass market lines think they are in paradise on the Encore????!!!!!!!

Agree 100% No shade and the hot tubs were jammed with people staying on board.

Oh dear! Well I am about to find that out for myself. It might be my first and last Encore cruise!

I have been on the Odyssey, Quest and Sojourn, and will be on the Encore (same as the Ovation) in a few months. Even though there have been several Seabourn regulars providing feedback about the Encore that suggests the larger size may not be as good as the 3 smaller ships, you may find that staying on the ship rather than disembarking for shore activities could mean you almost have the ship to yourself for the majority of the port days. That means your service will be even more personalised, the hot tubs will be vacant, and the ship is yours to enjoy almost as your own yacht! I have been on Azamara too, and enjoyed it, but thus far all my Seabourn cruises have been my best experiences.

The exterior view looks quite similiar to the new Scenic Eclipse yacht - also another one to watch.

Thanks for that. Do you know the sq.ft ? We spend a lot of time on our balcony so I hope I don`t get that cabin. No complaints ! That`s the chance you take with GTY.;p;p

I can't help you with the specific size of the cabin next to the Wintergarden suite, but I can tell you that the overall size is fine, but the layout is different (see Techno's comments) and that wasn't an issue at all for us. In fact I liked the "make up" area next to the bed instead of in the passageway to the cabin door, as it is for other cabins. I also didn't mind the location of entry to the bathroom. However the balcony is almost unusable for a couple. Two people can stand up in the space, but there is only room for one chair and using the footstool required Olympic standard gymnastics to move out the door and get onto the balcony. We adapted by using the outside decks a lot more than usual, but I would never select that cabin if I had a choice. I suspect if you see any couple in it, they were likely to be in our situation - the recipients of a guarantee booking, or they booked very late when that is all that was left!

I have played the guarantee game a few times and have mostly had good outcomes, with V5 or V6 suite allocations. However I did get that unusual very small balcony suite next door to the Wintergarden suite once and thought I wouldn't survive as we use our balcony a lot. The balcony is really only big enough for one person, and even then it is a squeeze. But I did survive, we just spent more time on the outdoor decks than we normally would and it really wasn't a big problem after all. It has a great midship location. We also got an interconnecting suite for Antarctica and I was very concerned about noise transfer, having read lots of complaints on cruise critic. Once again, it turned out to be fine. We must have had good neighbours because I didn't hear a thing, and we in turn, made sure we were equally considerate! Having said all of that, I have booked specific cabins for my next two cruises, because I got good deals on an upgrade offer and being sure about where we will be located avoids the potential worry of the "guarantee lottery". I don't want to be located too far forward!

Not yet, but I will be able to tell you how I compare the two cruiselines after my Viking Ocean cruise next year! I am expecting the experiences to be quite different, not the least being a much larger ship on Viking, and smaller cabins than Seabourn, different alcohol offerings etc. I have another cruise booked on Seabourn later this year, but with a few significant disappointments on recent Seabourn cruises, I thought it was time to start spreading my wings a bit.

As an Aussie you are probably aware that Scenic is launching a small luxury ocean "yacht" next year (Scenic Eclipse), that could be an option for you as well - I have booked a cruise on her for 2018.

I might come running back to Seabourn with my tail between my legs once I try Viking and Scenic, but I won't know unless I try!

We are not fans of the vast and rather impersonal MDR (even for dinner) and would far rather eat outside at the Colonnade or Patio Grill - although we have yet to take a cold weather Seabourn cruise. It's fun to take a look at the beautiful displays and see what is available. Vive la difference anyway - it makes for more room in all three venues!

I agree, it is great that Seabourn offers choice in dining (most of the time!). I also love to eat outside, particularly on warm weather cruises. Although on our Seabourn Antarctica cruise, we also ate out on the back deck of the Colonnade as well as the Patio Grill on a few occasions! I must say the copious supply of rugs and heaters did make it more pleasant. Drinking a cocktail, and eating succulent prawns while the snow fell around us, was quite surreal!

I wondered about the plumbing etc but that seems like they could build a ship in that time. I am happy with the ironing boards now being available (for "touch up" ironing).

My understanding is that the new Scenic Eclipse just had its keel laying ceremony recently and that is supposed to be sailing in August next year, so installing some plumbing on the Encore surely won't take until next year!!!

We talked to Seabourn a couple days ago about an upcoming trip on Encore. The agent said they had just received a communication about the laundry and the scheduled completion was some time in 2018. This date primarily due to plumbing and venting that had to occur. My takeaway was not much hope that it will happen soon, or this year.

Gosh that seems odd, if the washing machines are already delivered to the ship. Perhaps there was a special on washing machines and Seabourn grabbed the chance to save a few $'s! (ha ha!)

Excellent comments Chairsin. Those with balance issues should definately be careful about choosing a zodiac excursion. However for the majority of us, the zodiacs are very safe, providing you follow the instructions of the expedition staff. Like everything that carries a risk, it is important to listen to what is required and for your own safety, and that of others, just do as asked! I have been on zodiac excursions in Antarctica (with Seabourn) and in crocodile infested waters in Northern Australia (with Silverseas), and always felt very secure because I was lucky to have fellow passengers who did the right thing.

I have been on 6 Seabourn cruises and have only had the marina experience once. Even our recent Seabourn cruise in the Caribbean didn't have a marina day directly from the ship. More commonly they offer "beach toys" such as kayaks, windsurfers, banana boat rides etc from the shore at specific places, perhaps once per cruise depending on the itinerary.

On the one occasion when they had the marina out, you could only swim in the pool that extended from the ship, not in the ocean around the ship. The sides of the pool were mesh, fine enough that "nasties" couldn't get in! Water activities such as kayaks etc were launched from the marina platform. In the Caribbean on the Seabourn Odyssey, we were offered goggles and snorkels to take ashore to snorkel, but they had a very limited supply of fins and most were in very large sizes so I would take my own.

I can't wait cruising Kirby - Alaska then Antarctica for me this year!!

 

 

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You are in for the trip of a lifetime in Antarctica! And Seabourn does it so well.

so ... from other experiences ... I'm curious how wet you would get in a zodiac tour of a glacier? I read all the stuff that says you will likely get wet and wear water proof pants, etc - but is that really necessary? just trying to pack appropriately for an Alaska cruise on Seabourn in June.

I would take waterproof pants and parka. The zodiac rides are generally comfortable (and safe) but there can be some sea spray as you move along. The last thing you want to be is cold and wet!

As Galeforce9 says, this is the first season for Seabourn in Alaska involving the Ventures programme so I can't comment specifically on that destination. However I went to Antarctica with Seabourn and experienced their zodiac tours there - it was absolutely brilliant! Anywhere where you can glide through ice, get closer to the scenery and wildlife, i am sure you won't be disappointed.

Notwithstanding the comments from Seabourn's Sydney office, it appears that there are examples both in the USA and the UK of an increasingly inflexible Seabourn. Taking into account my recent experience on a 28 night Odyssey cruise where service was significantly compromised due to reduced numbers of staff in the bars and restaurants, I am concerned that my wonderful run with the cruiseline may be coming to an end. I have one more Seabourn cruise booked later this year and if service is again not what I expect, I am going to look around for alternatives to try in 2018. I doubt I will go mass market again (even in their suite "enclaves"), but there are mid sized ships around that are a lot cheaper than Seabourn, and if I pay less, I don't have the same expectations.

For several years Seabourn has been the only choice for me. I struggle with the notion that times might be changing!

Ab21au, Seabourn seem to be using that marketing strategy more these days, in lieu of the previously more common "guarantee" or OB strategy.

I have recently booked two cruises on Encore, selecting a V5 suite, but only paying a V2 price. After a few weeks, I have noticed that the V5 prices have reverted back to higher levels, I guess because the allocation of suites at the "special" rate has gone. So then I have the psychological high of "wow I got a great deal!"

In the end I have have paid more than I normally would though, as I quite often book OB on the Quest, Sojourn and Odyssey (the price is always lower than a V1), and I take my chances on suite allocation. So now Seabourn has extracted more $'s from me (very clever of them!), but I have secured a specific V5 suite (albeit at a "discounted" rate) and that is a cost I am prepared to pay on the Encore with its smaller V1 suites near the front, and modified bathroom arrangements in some suites.

I suspect this new marketing strategy is delivering much higher revenues than the OB approach!

I have just returned home from Hamilton Island today, I was there when Cyclone Debbie hit and for the past few days have been caught up in the chaotic aftermath. I can confirm that there has been very significant damage to many parts of the island, and the cleanup will take some time. Most guests should have been evacuated from the island today, only a few remain for flights home tomorrow.

Thank you for the feedback. This would have been the 1st. A D. I have missed since returning from Vietmam. Great to see they can accommadate countries Special days. A mature comany.

Are either of you two blokes on this trip.?

Unfortunately no, we are not on the Encore until September this year.