Roxburgh

On our recent 36 day Sojourn cruise we went to the TK Grill six times and thoroughly enjoyed  each meal. Service was excellent, the Maitre D' was very helpful and flexible with regard to our needs, we tried different dishes (lamb, steak, sole, chicken) and enjoyed every one.

We just did 36 days on Sojourn and I think it fair to say that the Berlitz Guide is wholly inaccurate.

There isn't just dragons. Lots of birds and butterflies and we also saw a wild bees nest which was very interesting.

We bought two bottles in Margaret River on our recent Sojourn cruise. 

Enjoyed both of them, one night in Keller and the other in the MDR. The sommeliers were very happy to serve it and there was no corkage fee.

We did the short trip a couple of weeks ago on Sojourn. It was very hot and very humid. So much so that one passenger had to be stretchered back to the ship suffering from heat exhaustion.

I enjoyed the walk through the forest but I am on the younger end of the Seabourn scale or, at least the Sojourn scale. So it is very important that you be aware of your limitations and take appropriate precautions with regard to hydration, bug repellent, proper clothes, etc. etc. 

We did see several dragons which was the high point of the tour obviously. They were fairly placid most of the time but still managed to exude an air of menace.

Another high spot on the tour was a wild bees nest. Fascinating. 

8 hours ago, 2SailingNomads said:

As both Roxburgh and I know there can be fishing boats that are lost in that part of the world that the good ship Odyssey can rescue in that area. (Hint: check out the 3 stick figures on the Odyssey rescue boat, that was a cool experience how the pax and crew responded)   

2 hours ago, DC Traveler244 said:

Isklaar, I noticed that Seabourn offers a shore excursion from 6:15-10:15 on December 22 (a night safari). So, I assume that they’ll conduct the safety drill in the late afternoon. And, I think that guests will have the opportunity to spend time in Singapore after the drill and before the all-aboard time. 

The night safari is very good (I’m assuming to the night zoo) so if you haven’t done it then I can recommend it.

I’m not sure what the problem is here. We all know that TK serve larger 

portions and we know that the MDR and other venues serve smaller ones. Some people like larger portions while others prefer smaller ones. Once again different preferences are catered to by Seabourn. 

If portion size size and food wastage are a particular concern the one has other options.

Ile des Pins from when we stopped there on our 2012 Odyssey cruise:

11 hours ago, frantic36 said:

Ahhhh, Flamin_June I am so envious...I want to be on the ship NOW. Your description of the sunset is lovely.

 

I have never told Claudio my CC name so I will let him know when I board, not that it is important, as long as they know they are respected and loved worldwide.

 

It is nice you post on here but I mainly want you to enjoy your cruise. Oh, I am with Chairsin, I would have loved seeing Mrs June's killer Formal night outfit.

 

Julie

I haven’t either. Once on board, CC isn’t really a topic of conversation. But wherever Claudio is, I shall enjoy seeing him again.

How about the Club until 8.30pm and then the Observation after that.

Please have Claudio moved to the Observation Bar for the December 11th sailing.

Thanks in advance 😎

That was a great watch and especially when in the locks.

I have never seen Seabourn passengers move so fast. 

We did Denali and Talkeetna on our own. Rented a car in Anchorage and it was a very easy drive up there. Talkeetna to Anchorage isn't that far by car.

We spent a day in Talkeetna and took a small plane up on to the glacier. That was fun although I can understand that your wife might not want to do it.

We stayed just north of Talkeetna and then drove up to Denali the next day. The park offers lots of very reasonably priced bus tours/trips. We spent a day there and saw bears, wolves, caribou, etc..

I can't really compare with a Seabourn experience. However, this one is very easily done on your own.

13 hours ago, Chairsin said:

 Roxburgh my understanding is that Sophie will be on our December cruise so you will have a chance to say adios before she and. Claudio leave next spring. 

Thanks Chairsin, that was my understanding too.

1 hour ago, CLOU said:

Thanks.  I am not familiar with her (I assume from the name that Verity is female), but it has been some time since I have been on the Odyssey.  For my most recent cruises the CDs have been have Handre (multiple times), Sophie (who I know has retired from Seabourn) and Jan, so Verity has some hard acts to follow.

Has Sophie already retired?

3 hours ago, galeforce9 said:

Well, the cases are mainly packed.  It’s off to the Indian Market lunch tonight after an on deck event.  We had a Grill booking but cancelled and thought we’d have a change of scenery and formality for the last night. I will continue to post some thoughts, especially today and tomorrow during the journey home, so keep posted. 

The Indian Market is one of my favourites. Seabourn usually has several talented Indian chefs on board and they do a great job. On our last cruise we even had an Indian guest chef on the ship and the food was amazing.

Galeforce ...... as ever, I love your photos.

9 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

The whole thing seems like an exercise in frustration for everyone concerned.  Yes, Keller has to be profiting, but isn't he also damaging his image by indulging in aptly named "mass catering"?

I had never heard of Keller prior to his relationship with Seabourn so he had no reputation  to damage in my eyes.

They say you cannot please all the people all the time.

I was not a fan of R2 and we rarely ate there. I do like the TK Grill and have several reservations for my upcoming cruise. 

Seabourn offers several dining venues so if you don't like one there are other choices. If they don't work then you are on the wrong cruise line.

Also, we don't like caviar. Seabourn could do away with it completely for all we care.

When I read these threads I do wonder how it is that on almost every Seabourn cruise we take, somewhere between 70% - 80% are repeat customers. Don't these people read Cruise Critic?

It sounds as if the Captain took the right decision to get away from Italy. Just a shame that it was communicated rather poorly judging by the previous posts.

The problem with a tour to Petra is that it is a long way from the ship and a long way back to the ship and that limits the amount of time you get at the site.

We went there in 2015 spending two days at the Movenpick hotel and a full day on the site itself. There is so much to see that even a day isn't really enough. All you get from the ship's tour is a 'taster'. Nothing wrong with that but one should set expectations accordingly.

These things are always very subjective. One person's delicious meal is another person's disappointment.

We were not fans of R2 but love TK. Some people loved R2. We are all different.

What can be a minor gripe for some becomes a huge issue for others.

We have seen people blaming Seabourn for something that was clearly their own fault.

If you are not happy then don't go back. There are plenty of other cruise lines to choose from.

For us, we will be boarding our 15th Seabourn cruise in 52 days. But who is counting? 

We ate 6 times in the TK Grill when we were on Sojourn last Feb/March. I thought the food and service was excellent. I especially enjoyed the sole and the lamb chops.

Regarding smoking - I thought I saw it mentioned that Seabourn has a smoking area on the smaller ships on deck 5 aft near the pool?? How does that work out? Does the entire area get smokey? Thanks.

Seabourn has several smoking zones. The one on Deck 5 has never been a problem in my experience. Same for the one on Deck 9. There have been a few occasions when the Deck 7 one has been 'smellable'.

I read the review and thread and overall I think the observations were fair. Seabourn is good but not perfect.

A decade ago I sailed on Regent exclusively and I liked it...until I tried Seabourn which I now prefer.

I like the informality and style of Seabourn versus Regent or even Oceania.

Hopefully your next Seabourn cruise will be an improvement, especially if there’s better weather !

I think you are right. We are very comfortable with the Seabourn 'ambience', we now know a lot of the crew, we have diamond benefits and Seabourn still has itineraries that entice us.

I have no doubt that Regent, Silversea and possibly others are also very good if not outstanding. But while Seabourn continues to deliver a product that we like, why change?