MARIANH

 

You've been struck by an attack of the wardrobe gremlins too, have you MarianH? ;)

60s/70s is quite easy to do with a maxi dress/skirt/cheesecloth-type blouse, a few long strings of beads, floaty scarves and bangles.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise.

Thanks for that.

I look forward to dressing as you recommend;but should I shave off my beard so as to not spoil the effect?

JFI , although my soubriquet might suggest otherwise, I am a guy - not a gal:o

Black and White is one of the 4 Formal Evenings so men wearing DJs and women wearing some form of Black and White - often a black outfit with white pashmina or a white flower. Some women will not abide by this but in my experience they do tend to stand out but if they don't mind this then fine. This usually the Gala Evening when the Gala Menu includes things like Beef Wellington, Lobster etc.

 

I would expect there to be a Tropical Night - casual. Many men tend to wear the Caribbean/Hawaiian sort of shirts - they do sell them on board but my husband's came from ebay. Women wear brightly coloured outfits - I usually wear white trousers with a bright pink top - haven't seen any grass skirts! We have only had 60s/70s night not seen an 80s/90s. However, very few people bother about this one, have seen the occasional outfit but not many. There will be a disco on deck - weather allowing.

 

Hope this helps.

Yes it does - many thanks. Glad to hear not too many dress up for the disco night as having retrieved my 70's gear from the loft ,inexplicably all the clothes ( especially trousers) seem to have shrunk. Or perhaps.....

Does anyone know what theme nights are planned for Ventura Canaries 14 day cruise leaving Southampton 22 April 2016?

P&O says they could be - 70/80's, black and white and Tropical. These in addition to four formal ( black tie ) nights.

Is it usual on 14 day P&O cruises to have all three additional theme nights?

Many thanks.

Perhaps a weekly letter to Rick Meadows might be more effective is one really wants to "bang on." The same post over and over again on CC doesn't seem to be doing the trick.

Good idea- lets all do it.

But also lets keep banging away on CC to share experience

And feedback directly to Seabourn by way of the cruise comments form.

In this way we might get more bang for our bucks and convince the Seabourn decision makers that there's no smoke without fire.

All the cruise lines I have looked into over the last couple of months, including Oceania, Silversea, Regent, Azamara, Crystal and Celebrity - none allow smoking on verandas.

 

I agree that our smokers need a place/s to have a puff, but suite verandas are not the place for two reasons - 1. The very close proximity to others - fumes and the impact on neighbouring suites. 2. Fire hazard - the verandas are exposed to more wind and it only takes a lite cigarette or ember to take flight and land on something flammable and you will have a fire - as seen on the Star Princess in 2010.

 

I believe it is good to give this subject a bash from time to time and I am happy to “Bang on“ :D from time to time in hope that SB will take notice.

 

I would hate our first SB cruise to be our last.

 

Bev

Exactly.

On our recent Seabourn cruise we could not use our verandah ( that we had paid a premium for) due to inconsiderate smokers next door and also below.

It is time Seabourn moved with the times and stopped allowing smoking on verandahs. Or will it take a fire to concentrate their minds?

As to " banging on" about it , anyone who is bothered by this does not have to read the thread- the clue is usually in the title viz " smoking". So lets keep banging on from time to time and sharing experiences. Even if the " suits" are too busy to read Cc ( which I doubt) there are many potential Seabourn customers who welcome information gleaned from Cc posts in order to make an informed choice about which cruise line best meets their preferences.

Oh, and BTW I do not need unsolicited advice from a serial poster about what I should or should not contribute to this forum.

I'm currently also on the Odyssey, and my experience onboard is far from that of the OP but much more in line with the less glowing reports about the ship here at CC that go back as far as October.

i didn't board the ship looking for issues, as suggests OP, but in fact my experience is that this is not the SB quality of one year ago.

Is poor food and service the main issue as highlighted by other posts. Or are there other issues as well ?

My wife and I are currently on the 20-day Odyssey Panama Canal trip. I am pleased to report that this journey so far is about as close to perfect as can get. The staff is upbeat and energetic and they are going out of their way to please the passengers.

 

The food coming out of all the restaurants is some of the best we have had (we are seabourn diamond). Having been trained and have cooked in Europe for 5 years – I can tell you that they are doing an impressive job for the passengers. This is not a 12-table bistro. I’m confident you won’t find better on any cruise line

 

The complimentary wine choices are very good and offer a great variety. If one can’t find a couple of wines they really enjoy – My guess is they don’t want to find one.

 

The CD and Ass’t CD (Sophie and Meredith) are the best we have experienced. They are fun and unpretentious and are making an extraordinary effort to add a nice Christmas touch to our trip.

 

The Captain manages to delight the passengers each day with a short Christmas poem as part of his mid-day update.

 

Of course, we all experience a couple of hiccups, water glasses not refilled right away, or one of the crew being diverted for a short time etc. We had an incident where we had to reorder our dessert 3 times because they kept bringing the wrong one. We had a great laugh with the server about it and it turned out to be one of our most memorable moments on board. In the end, we got our dessert (which we didn’t really need anyway) and no one died!

 

Unfortunately there is always a small set of passengers who want to focus on the inevitable imperfections one will find in an operation this complex. But we are finding that the vast majority of passengers are interesting, upbeat and friendly. It's a genuine privilege to just be able to sit back enjoy the wonderful crew and the great experience they provide for us!

 

Overall – I would recommend the Odyssey and her extraordinary crew to anyone looking to book an amazing experience.

 

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, Fair Winds and Calm Seas!

What a glowing report!

It would appear from your helpful review that the quality of the food and service has improved amazingly since the the previous two cruises when it was best desribed as patchy and there were substantial quality and service problems. Have you any idea how this can be - new Fand B manager, new chefs, new serving teams, stopped the TK experiment etc?

And on a minor matter, has the ship PA system been improved? On our November cruise it was very frustrating not to be able to hear clearly and understand what was being said? Especially the midday report from the bridge. Is Stig still your captain?

Merry Christmas and safe sailing.

Not true. Our first cruise was on the Spirit in 2012, and we have been fortunate enough to enjoy another three cruises since. Whilst not claiming all crew knew our names (nor expecting them to), those who attended to us used our names, as we did theirs (??grammar)

!

Just our experience on a recent Odyssey cruise.

It is nice when when crew do remember your name but rather unrealistic to expect every crew mamber to do so.

After all whats in a name? I sometimes forget my own!

Emperor: I think I know exactly what you are hinting at. As to Prego, when I wrote my review of my spring Crystal cruise, I provided some snarky comments on Prego and got some negative blowback. But here it is again: We giggled out way through a clunky dinner that seemed straight out of a New Jersey strip mall restaurant, interior design included. The place looked as though Tony Soprano had recently dined there, and the food to his taste. We really couldn't stop laughing about it all. And when we told the Maitre'd that we were less than wowed, he was incredulous. I guess we are just odd, not your typical Crystal passengers.

Isn't this "off topic" again?

Not clear?

Would 't it be more productive fort he's last several posts to become a topic on the Crysal board....and hope some other posters will return to posting their experiences on board Odyssey..?.

Agree entirely.

Perhaps Host Dan could remove them to another place so that thia important thread could refocus attention on the serious issues raised by the OP.

Comments from pax on the current Odyssey cruise would be particularly welcome. Anyone out there?

Don't remember his name, a German chap. I ran into him at the entrance to The Restaurant after my first (very good( venison experience and complimented him.

Could have been Manfred Schaller. Yes, that compliment cost you deer.

Apropos your problems with the food and service, I suspect you may have been the victim of the law of unintended consequences due to Seabourn trying to introduce two variables at the same time .Viz electronic recording of orders and Kellerisation. Each by itself could be a recipe for problems. In combination you have the potential for a perfect storm. But there again you could just have been unlucky. Regression analysis indeed!

Certainly on the cruise before yours there were problems with the Galley coping with Keller ( with knock on consequences); but overall the food was OK if you stuck to the normal menu. In fact I had the best Chateaubriand ever at sea.

BTW did you make your displeasure known to members of the Management Team?

It would be interesting to hear if there are food/service problems on Odyssey currently.

And plagiarising an apposite phrase - " Other than that, how was the cruise , Mrs Lincoln"

Flamin. Thank you again for such an interesting and evocative post. It brightens up another dull and miserable day in Blighty.

You live in exciting times, Flamin. Nothing like that happens when we are on board. Do you reckon they are putting Ecstasy in the drinks, after midnight, perhaps?

 

Look forward to the next episode.

Or perhaps Absinthe -it does make the heart grow fonder.

No such excitement on our recent Odyssey excursion. In fact on some nights the ship could have been the Mary Celeste, everyone seemingly having retired to bed by 11pm. Perhaps with nothing stronger than a cup of hot chocolate which is not likely to inflame passions.

That morning we had been awoken at 2.00 am by our bete-noir neighbors indulging in some procreative activities.

Were they perchance the "baby boomers" that you mention in your first post?

Thank you for yet another interesting dispatch.

Although you may save a few bucks with a package, buying individual bottles will increase the choice available to you.

It is always helpful to cultivate the sommelier on board and discuss with him/ her your wine style preferences and price ceiling. He/she will then be able to make recommendations.

On our last cruise there were some good value wines on the premium list which seemed to have only a modest markup. One of the sommeliers was recommending Napa Caymus Cab Sauv and Ken Forrester Gypsy GSM blend from South Africa. Price points were in the 55 to 100 dollar range if I remember correctly.

In any event it is worth an approach to the Sommelier to check if he/she has any bin ends squirrelled away from previous included lists that might be to your taste. Who knows , a gem might emerge that will taste all that better because it is "free"!

Yes all the good things other posters have mentioned but there is an Achilles heel if you you are smoke intolerant.

The Seabourn permissive smoking policy allows pax to smoke on their balconies. Should these be near to yours you will be exposed to second hand tobacco smoke.

Now this may not matter to you or indeed you may welcome the freedom to do likewise. However if not you should be aware that this may impact on the enjoyment of your cruise.

Just posted in the interest of balance.

Could be even worse if you have smokers next door as we are aware from a previous cruise.

And yes I know Seabourn does not now allow smoking in suites; but I am told that it is sometimes practice for smokers to leave the door to the verandah open when smoking on the balcony. With obvious consequences. Unless of course they ignore the new smoking policy and smoke in their suite, which I am told is also happening!

There are plenty of younger travelers who don't require deep discounting to sail Seabourn. I know that occasionally shocks some but it's true.

Judging from my experience on this cruise , I am sure this must be true. There was absolutely no evidence of the "youngsters" being impoverished. In fact I saw a very young couple regularly enjoying rather expensive wine from the "to buy" list. And clearly enjoying it! Interestingly, although young, many pax retired early and this was not a party ship. Well if it was I didn't find it!

Furthermore, it strikes me that generally discounted prices would more likely attract impecunious seniors like me! The fact that there were fewer seniors may well be due to the itinerary, which actually was very good IMHO. Even though we did miss a port ( and caviar in the surf etc) and Antigua port of call was a dump.

So Seabourn, please keep discounting and maybe one day I will have saved enough to enjoy another bit of luxury at sea.

And let's not forget that age is just a number.

I have noticed quite a difference in the workload for the staff when the ships are completely full; just down to about 90 % makes a big difference. Plus trying to cope with the changes of the TK menus. I would doubt that there are fewer wait/bar staff on board, does anyone know for sure? In any case, is there sleeping space for any more?

 

.

Perhaps a bit if Officers move to the newly built accommodation on Deck4?

Maybe this is the reason for this new build accommodation

We met Tony and Trevor onboard and they were charming gentlemen.

Taken on face value, some would interpret their review in a rather negative light which would be unfortunate.

Yes, no cruise lines are perfect and some of the comments are justified, However from my perspective, the cruise was pretty darned good overall and saving the misguided smoking policy met most of our expectations.

I do not know if discounting was responsible for the younger demographic. However the newbies seemed perfectly well behaved to me and the children ( I only counted two) were not disruptive - well perhaps they were a bit excitable in the pool. Actually , I think Seabourn is not at all well suited for children and parents might do better introducing them to cruising on more child friendly ships.

The standout feature for me was the staff. Invariably friendly, cheerful and helpful, they worked their socks off with no complaints ( at least in public). But really Seabourn, they are too stretched and you need to recruit a few more to ease the strain. And allow time for more customer liaison. Especially if the TK experiment is to continue for much longer.

Hope this slightly different perspective is helpful.

Had another look at the list. Why no merlot? Hope those on board will save some of the Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc for those joining next week.

Although merlot is not on the list it is always worth asking the Sommelier if he/ she has any " bin ends". It's amazing what they have squirelled away and can produce if cultivated!

BTW you may have to sign the Official Secrets Act before you are allowed access to the Sommelers treasure trove!

Maybe someone on the ship or with friends on board could actually go to deck 4 (assuming there are passengers in suites on that deck, which seems likely) and have a look at what is going on? And whereabouts?

Very constructive suggestion.

Will try to contact friends on board. Perhaps other CC contributors could do likewise.

Have jusr emailed friends on ship. Hope they pick it up.

There is a rumour that on the forthcoming Odyssey cruise, starting next week, Seabourn will be supplying guests with earplugs so as to reduce the noise from construction and screaming children. There might even be some device for making those who smoke on balconies fall overboard!

If only!

Splendid jest.😄

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Flamin June.

Most evocative. Thank you.

You aren't the first person to have Zinned and suffered retribution!

We found on our recent Odyssey cruise that it only took a word to our room stewardess to have a fruit basket delivered every day So no big deal for us also.

I like the idea of a pre printed note to alert neighbours that their misbehaviour is upsetting fellow pax. Sadly no such note seems to be available to give to smokers.

I look forward to your next report with eager anticipation.

Happy cruising.

Personally I probably would put up with some construction noise rather than endure the tacky classless people with the rentlessly screaming children that we had 2 doors up from us on our Seabourn cruise.

Since you mention it, personally i would put up with construction noise or screaming children or even both rather than the tacky classless people who smoked relentlessly on their balcony just near to us on our Seabourn cruise.

Like others on this thread, i am stil waing to hear details of the construction work from the OP.

Our friends currently on this cruise have not reported any problems.