commodoredave

Last time I left my socks over the back of a chair they left a hole in it!

Recently returned from a 14-day Amazon River cruise from Barbados to Manaus. The ship is beautiful, the food was some of the best we've had at sea, the service very good, crew is excellent, and the Expedition team fantastic. Iggy, the team leader, is a joy. As are many of his team. We signed up for another expedition cruise before we left the ship. My only criticisms: 1. No bathroom anywhere near the stern pool inside or outside, which requires one to walk soaking wet through the Colonade restaurant, down the hall past the elevator, and finally to a head. How could a ship designer allow this to happen? 2. The shower stall in the veranda cabins is very small but the bathroom does have a separate tub. Most would prefer a larger shower stall and sacrifice the tub. 3. The walk-in closets would be better described as a crawl-in closet. The space is very narrow and the closet door won't stay open. Bring a door stop with you. 4. The two hot tubs at the stern corners of deck 9 have very steep steps that get slippery and dangerous when wet. I took a tumble down them - be careful!

Is it even politically correct anymore to suggest men wear tuxedos/suits and women wear dresses/pant suits? 😐

It was taken by the CDCA -- Cruise Dress Code Authority. They are vigilant, and have a huge warehouse filled with photos of people who break the dress code. On one occasion I inadvertently wore mismatched socks. They threated to keel haul me!

Depending on one's age, "older passengers" can mean different things. For me, older passenger means over 75 -- everyone below that is "young"!!

Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?

Business Insider has today published the most insightful story into Storylines since I published my critical piece in September of 2020 at: Search Results for “storylines” – Gentlemans Portion. I was interviewed for this story: Storylines Residential Cruise Faces Backlash From Investors, Ex-Employees (businessinsider.com) Load of Ship A startup is charging up to $8 million to live on a never-ending cruise. Investors and ex-employees say it'll never happen.

Me too!

We have found most cruise line excursions to be hit and miss. Which is why we always compare offerings from local tour providers to those offered by the cruise line. About 50% of the time we book a private tour, especially if we can find another couple or two to share the cost.

Never rely on Seabourn for information on Visas or entry fees. If you’re lucky, they will advise you 5 days before departure.

The engine room is lovely, and everyone there enjoys self-service.🤪

Smart.

For 2 people that is

Actually, one if the 2 companies (CBIT) recommended by Seabourn charges GBP 164 for the evisa, whereas the other recommended company (vfs global) charges US$65. I think the big price difference with CBIT is because Seabourn knows it is okay to charge Brits more than Americans for anything. 😃

I’m sure they did. My point is that SB kept us up to date on Brazil but not Suriname, leaving us with a false sense of security.

I’m so grateful to Seabourn that I just booked my next cruise with Silversea. 😊 When we originally booked our Seabourn expedition cruise about 18 months ago, both the cruise line and our TA told us that no visas were needed in advance for Canadians and Americans. Then, about 9 months later, Seabourn advised that Brazil now required a visa. Then, 4 months after that Seabourn advised that Brazil no longer required a visa. And then last night, that Suriname now requires a visa. Actually, it’s just a $25 visitor entry fee that should have been easy for the ship to organize, as so many other cruise lines do, including parent HAL. But no, we have to do it last minute. In defence of Seabourn, they do state in the fine print that it is up to passengers to check on the entry requirements as they may change. If we cruise with Seabourn again, i will make a point of regularly checking entry requirements right up to departure. As for the multiple changes (again) to the itinerary last night, I guess that comes with a new ship doing its inaugural cruise a new place. Either that, or someone shoreside has a drinking problem 🤪.

The Seabourn Gong Show continues. Today, just 4 days before our cruise departs, we received notice that a visa for Suriname is required and must be applied for by end of tomorrow for it to be processed in time for our arrival in Parimaribo on October 14. In addition, a large number of itinerary changes were announced last night. We are already in Barbados and now using vaction time to sort the mess out. Another Gong for Seabourn shoreside.

As long as you can still remember the cruise that you are on, you're doing just fine! ☺️

I can share some of mine if you'd like!🤪

Was "The Bar" still in the lounge at the stern on Deck 5?

We sailed on the Shadow in December of 2019 in the Caribbean and enjoyed it very much. It had recently been refurbished and we liked the changes -- in particular, moving the casino from deck 5 and adding a cafe there. And we made some good friends having pre-dinner cocktails at The Bar each night. I am curious about what was done in the most recent dry dock in 2022. One thing I find confusing is that the current deck plan on SS shows no mention of The Bar which used to be near the stern of deck 5 near the Show Lounge. It is there on the deck plan in the review of the Shadow on CC, but not on the SS website. Is the Bar still on the ship?

Thanks. It’s getting close!!

Well said. I put a premium value on advice from well-seasoned cruisers like Mr. Luxury and others like him, so I appreciate knowing how much actual experience they have with a cruise line and ship that I may be considering. I also love the manner in which some of the advice is delvered -- often good fun. So please keep it up!!

I agree. All of our previous cruises with SB have been delightful, and I see no reason why this one will be any different. And one of the best parts will be that once we are on the ship, we won't have to deal with shoreside!

Thanks for the tip. My TA called SB and straigthen it out. SB were embarrased that the "computer" assigned us different boarding times than our friends since our reserations are linked.