MarciAnn

17 hours ago, grandma*knows*best said:

No, not true.  We booked our own air travel and Seabourn provided us transportation to

the hotel.

I apologize what I meant to say is that if you go early ( i.e. before the first night of the included hotel) they will only pick you up from the airport if you book the extra nights hotel through Seabourn.  (Didn't mean to say the air). I asked Seabourn rep about this spedifically.

We re also doing the Antartica cruise out of BA in January 2025.  Seabourn rep.  just told me that the flight from Ushuaia doesn't land in BA until 5 pm and thus they are advising not to book a flight home before 8 PM.  Has anyone heard differently?

They will only provide the transfer from the airport to the if you book your air through them.  

It will show up only under Ushuaia on  the first day of the cruise.  That is because they don't know what the weather will be like on any given given day in Antartica.  Book the trip under Ushuaia, that reserves and guarantees you a spot for kayaking on one of the days in Antarctica it is available.  (This info is per Seabourn).

Yes. Kayaking and the submarine are excursions that cost extra.  Just wondering how far out they appear on the website for booking.

Do you know how far out from the cruise date it appears on the website?  How many times did you do it?  Is it worth it to do more than one and if so do you recall where you did it?

  I booked my Antarctic Cruise in the February sale and I believe I got a really good price plus a $1000 shipboard credit.  it is now about 25% more (with a claimed $2000 OB credit).  Only  guaranteed suites where they select the cabin are available now on that cruise so I doubt  the price will go down as I assume the ship is almost filled.  Seabourn  has sales throughout the year on selected sailings that I would assume are not selling as well.  That’s when you can get the deals.

We are booked on the Venture for an Antarctic cruise in January 2025.  Do I need to make dinner reservations and book shore excursions (which I guess is just kayaking since I have no interest in the submarine) ahead of time?  As of now the site says dining reservations are not yet available and it shows no shore excursions except in Ushuaia.  When do these appear on the site?  Thanks in advance.

As I understand it based on the size of the ship, there wasn't going to be any landings in Antartica so was it just going to be a sail by, am I correct?  Not downplaying the passengers disappointment but trying to understand exactly what they are missing.  The Shetlands are also amazing!

Truthfully, the only way to see all the splendor of Iceland is by land.  May of the crise ports are small villages far from the sites you would otherwise see on a land tour. Just MHO.  Also highly recommend a short stay at the Retreat at the Blue Lagoon.

 We reserved a Viking cruise because it was a great itinerary but upon further research cancelled because we decided Viking was not for us. The included tours are drive by  bus tours or dozens of passengers following guides holding flags which is not appealing to us.  The ships also hold close to 1000 passengers which is much larger than SB.  if you check the boards you will see that Viking creates tremendous anxiety by allowing reservations (including dinner) to be made in advance with availability depending upon how expensive a cabin you reserve.  It seems most passengers on Viking do not do their own private tours but sign up for the ship’s excursions (not the included ones).    People get up at dawn to log on to make reservations and then write on the boards endlessly about their anxiety about being closed out.  Just not for us.  They do have great itineraries though!

Our cruise includes a charter flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia to board the Pursuit.   In terms of luggage limitations, my itinerary says 75 lb max per person (I can live with that), 2 bag maximum.  Can anyone who has experienced this kind of charter tell me if the two bag max applies to just the checked bag maximum or does it mean on checked and one carry on?  Are there size limitations on the carryon?

Sorry if this question was asked and answered already.  

The ADA only recognizes dogs as service animals and altho there is a relatively new regulation pertaining to miniature horses, a cruise line can limit the service animals it permits to dogs only.  Cruise ships are between a rock and a hard place.  It can not ask for proof of disability nor any kind of certification pertaining to the dog. If a passenger claims he needs a service animal to assist with a disability, it must comply or face potential liability. I am sure Seabourn is not allowing dogs to fill rooms or assuage "entitled" passengers. It really has little choice under federal law.  If however, you see a service animal that is not under the control of its owner or otherwise displaying disruptive behavior  speak out to management.  It is their job to assure compliance with the rules.   

SLDS is correct if the cruise line operates within US water it is subject to the ADA.  If a passenger does not comply with the rules as to his his or her service dog, management should enforce the rules especially if it interferes with other passengers' enjoyment.  Unfortunately, some cruise lines may not train their employees fully when it comes to service animals.  They should be leashed (unless it interferes with the task the dog is trained for, but the cruise line is allowed to what the task is (altho not the disability). The dog must also be housebroken and relieve itself in specific areas designated by the ship. Some cruise ships do not allow service dogs in the spa if they deem it a safety issue (which is ok).  Also, not all third party excursions providers in foreign countries allow service animals and this is not within Seabourn's control. 

With all of this said, let's not forget that there are passengers who truly can not travel without a service animal and not all disabilities are readily discernible. For example, an otherwise healthy looking passenger subject to seizures may need a service dog to alert them of an oncoming seizure (based on symptoms) so that medication may be taken or alert another passenger (by barking).  Let's not assume all dogs are merely pets. 

 I sympathize with you about the dog issue but, to a large extent, a cruise line's hands are tied by the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is a federal law, when it comes to allowing service animals.  If a passenger claims he has a disability that requires him or her to have a service animal,  the cruise line is required to allow it and  can only ask if the dog is required because of a disability and what work or task the dog has been trained to provide.  The cruise line can NOT ask the nature of the passenger's disability, require certification of training or ask that the dog demonstrate its task. If a cruise line refuses a passenger's request, it an be subject to liability under the statute.  There are a few rules however, including the fact that the dog must be with the "disabled" passenger at all times (can't leave the dog in the cabin),the dog must be leashed at all times (unless it interferes with the task it is trained to provide), and if the dog can not be controlled it can be excluded. There are some additional exclusions and I refer you to the statute, but in general  it is not difficult to "game the system" as it seems this passenger did.  You will have to take it up with your Congressman.

I sympathize with you about the dog issue but, to a large extent, a cruise line's hands are tied by the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is a federal law, when it comes to allowing service animals.  If a passenger claims he has a disability that requires him or her to have a service animal,  the cruise line is required to allow it and  can only ask if the dog is required because of a disability and what work or task the dog has been trained to provide.  The cruise line can NOT ask the nature of the passenger's disability, require certification of training or ask that the dog demonstrate its task. If a cruise line refuses a passenger's request, it an be subject to liability under the statute.  There are a few rules however, including the fact that the dog must be with the "disabled" passenger at all times (can't leave the dog in the cabin), the dog must be leashed at all times (unless it interferes with the task it is trained to provide), and if the dog can not be controlled it can be excluded. There are some additional exclusions and I refer you to the statute, but in general  it is not that difficult to "game the system." You will have to take it up with your Congressman.

Good to know.  We will be on the Pursuit in March!

Our cruise ends at 8 am in San Antonio, Chile and our flight home is not until 11:00 pm.  I thought we would book a hotel in Santiago, drop off our luggage, take a private tour and then return to the hotel for dinner and rest before heading to the airport.  I now see that San Antonio is more than an hour from Santiago.  Should I instead head for Valparaiso and book a hotel and tour there before the airport?  Don’ t know which is the better option and which has more to see.  Has anyone out there done this and have advice?  Much appreciated.  

Thanks for the info Frantic36.  We will be on an expedition cruise and can’t imagine taking anything approaching formal!

I thought Seabourn did away with formal nights years ago.  Is that not correct?

How far is the cruise port from the hotel area of Santiago?

It is not true to say you do not sail the fjords of Chile.  if you are on an expedition ship, which by definition is smaller and many less passengers, there will be zodiac excursions everyday into the fjords and in some cases, hiking as well.   If you are on a big non-expedition ship Viking, it is probably true that it is mostly scenic cruising.

Our refundable flights through Flight Ease are refundable to the original form of payment.  

PSAhoy, Have you done this itinerary?  If so, can you tell me how rough the seas were?  Anything else we should know?

Flyertalker, I have never used a cruise line’s air ticketing before.  Always booked my own flights so your advice is very helpful.  The Flight Ease booking is actually a refundable fare on Delta.  Even though I am on a scheduled Delta flight, is there more chance of having my flight changed without my consent by virtue of my using Flight Ease then if I has booked myself?   I