ailmarsh

We were on the Quest from Dubai to Venice in spring 2012 (if memory serves me correctly). Somali pirates were the threat then & Quest was draped in razor wire below deck 5. We took on extra security in Oman & they disembarked in Egypt where the razor wire also disappeared. We were shadowed by a Navy vessel too. Seabourn handled everything very professionally then and we have confidence that they will deal with whatever the situation is at the time.

As others have said, the situation can change a lot in the time before our departure and we have the luxury of following about 3 weeks after the Encore which departed Athens on Oct 21st.

Let’s not speculate too much or read too much into P&O cancelling their Dubai based itinerary. They fly the ‘Red Ensign’ which has a Union Jack 🇬🇧 in one corner.

Think positive and we’ll see you all in Athens!!!

 

Aileen

I quote DaiB

"The fault is all down to the idiots who drank too much and were loud and objectionable. BTW this was the first cruise of the school holidays and prices would have been way up. "

 

Scottish schools have already been on holiday for 4 weeks!

Another example of confusing 'English' with 'British' .......... not relevant but gets my dander up!

 

Gt Britain goes beyond Carlisle & Newcastle .............

 

We deliberately avoided the GBS on the Oriana in January. However the peace of the rear pool area was shattered by overspill of loud self important English passengers who didn't consider that their conversation was of absolutely no interest to those of us enjoying that space 😡

Thank you ‘Howarth’!

 

Happy Cruising ...........

Hi 

 

Has anyone done the ‘Acre & the Baha'i Gardens’ excursion from Haifa?

 

We’re interested in this tour but have read differing descriptions of the Templar’s Tunnel.

 

The web site says ‘properly constructed walk way’ while the tour description mentions 1000meters through narrow passages often 4ft high..

 

or can we just miss walking through the tunnel & enjoy the rest of the tour?

 

Thank you!

 

Ailmarsh

Sadly, we and four of our friends were booked on the cancelled Oriana cruise and yes, the logistics and ancillary expenses surrounding the planning for a 50 day cruise are considerable.

Only one of the shorter -35 night - alternatives would have suited us ( the 65 night itinerary was not offered) and even on the morning after receiving the P&O cancellation email, was only offering balcony cabins at much higher prices than the ‘Outside cabin’ on the original 50 night itinerary.

This would have been our first P&O cruise, our normal choice being Seabourn, who do factor regular dry dock maintenance into their schedule. Both are owned by Carnival but obviously with different management styles.

Being used to Seabourn’s excellent customer care, we are disgusted by P&O’s dismissive attitude in their letter & their derisory offer of 5% on a future cruise.

Shame on you P&O ............

Thanks for sharing!

Much appreciated ....... now I’ll take some Fever Tree on instead of the gin!

Why not take some ‘nappy sacks’ or dog ‘poop bags’ and put the used grounds in them, then bin them?

And I’d agree on using bottled water.

Thank you so much Stephen for sharing your great photos!

We are seasoned cruisers but have never cruised P&O.

Our first will be on the Oriana in Jan 2018! Very much looking forward to it :-)

 

Aileen

Hi

Just found this thread. These were our thoughts & experiences on our 21 night Pacific cruise on Sirena in Jan. Our first on Oceania. We have sailed 140 nights on Seabourn over the last 6 years, in many different locations.......

 

Oceania v Seabourn

 

Far prefer layout of Seabourn 'big' sisters. Have missed deck 5 aft and deck 6 forward

The R class Oceania ships really only have the pool deck on 9 and additional sun terrace space on 11 which is closed in any rough or windy weather. However, the Oceania sunbeds and double daybeds are more luxurious than those on Seabourn, with very comfortable mattresses. The Concierge level Spa Terrace is nice with large Hot tub but only sunbed/mattress space for around 12 guests ......... it's glassed in forward and partially covered too. There is nowhere to get outside either forward or aft except rear Terrace of Terrace Buffet restaurant. No deck surrounds 'Horizons' the equivalent of the Observation Bar.

Competition for sunbeds and day beds is fierce, especially after a few days of inclement weather, with most either occupied or reserved by 9.00am. They do have beds on deck 5 both port and starboard but again only in fair weather and no bar service and only accessible from each side.

Inside, Oceania is beautiful in an English country house style. Very comfortable seating is available on deck 4 and 5 around the stairwell but the seating in Martini's bar and the small Grand Bar doesn't provide enough space for those seeking a predinner drink, which leaves the large Horizons bar on 10, forward where the Orchestra playing makes conversation more difficult.

Balcony cabins are smaller as are balconies and the shower room is tiny! You would have to go to a PH to get the equivalent of a standard Seabourn suite. To be fair, ours, (Concierge A1 midships) was beautifully appointed with a very comfortable bed, lovely bedding and new, good quality towels and nice amenities. There is ample storage in a bank of wardrobes and even in the shower room. There's a similar size flat screen TV to Seabourn though films are timed, not 'on demand' and a mini bar stocked daily with soft drinks.

We had one open air event, a 'Rock the Boat' similar to Seabourn's style.

The 'Terrace Grill' is not as good as the 'Collonade', either in style or service. There is no table service other than for drinks, so it's always buffet service .......and all food is served by Oceania staff, so even a simple lunch can involve joining several queues! Space between the service areas is limited, so very crowded at busy times.

' Waves Grill' has a continental breakfast buffet and various cooked sandwich options incl burgers & hotdogs at lunch but it closes at 4 and doesn't reopen.

Ice cream, smoothies & shakes are available only until 4.00pm so no ice cream option after that other than Room Service [emoji45]

Couldn't agree that Oceania has 'Finest Cuisine at Sea' ........generally it is good and the two speciality restaurants, Red Ginger and Tuscan Steak are excellent (altho' Tuscan did struggle with table of 8 on my husband's Birthday). Reservations are necessary and number depends on your stateroom category ........

MDR doesn't offer special order option and there is no 'fall back' Classic menu optIon of Steak etc if you don't fancy what's on that evening's menu! I had to send back two shell fish dishes as 'over cooked' - lobster & shrimp .........

Room Service breakfast was excellent and hot items were always served on a hot plate. Selection slightly less than Seabourn but I found if I wrote a particular request on the menu card, it arrived.

Bar service was good but not every venue had a staffed bar e.g., no bar at trivia and it was sometimes difficult to get service before/during a show.

Entertainment was similar to Seabourn with a core team of 6 plus guest acts. Venue had no pillars but only two levels of free standing seating.

We paid for the 'Premium' drinks package, upgrading from the 'House Select' package included in our fare - an additional 20USD pp pd.

Staff were Indian, Indonesian, Philipino and Eastern European. The first three were wonderful but some of the Eastern European staff weren't fluent in English and struggled with any requests that deviated from the general e.g. "A big 'O' cocktail, in a tall glass with extra orange & cranberry juice" was a challenge!!!

Did we have a good time? Yes! We did, and saw some beautiful places.

Would we cruise with them again? Doubt it, but never say never! Though not in an R Class ship.

Do we prefer Seabourn???

Ohhhhh YES!!!

 

Ailmarsh

Thanks to all who have posted on this thread!

We don't begin our first Alaskan adventure until Sept 9th, so plenty of time still for planning tours etc.

Glad to know Sojourn is living up to expectations again as we had a few issues with slipping standards when we were onboard in the Med last summer.

Please keep the info coming, it is very much appreciated!

Happy cruising,

Ailmarsh

And the same to you both, from a wet & windy Scotland!

 

All the Best,

 

Aileen & Donald

Definitely Seattle ........

 

We have contact with a 'personal cruise consultant' there. Always excellent service .........email me on luvtocruizatgmaildotcom & I will give you his details.

 

Happy travels

 

Ailmarsh

:D:D:D:)That is so kind, but a little result, just called before I had seen last post.HQ sent email to the UK. They in turn just telephoned :)with an offer of a V6 no 722 as opposed to V1 517. So I am now happy, not on the right side of the ship, but you can not always have it all!!!! A BIG THANK YOU,,:)

 

 

Mrs Excited

 

You're welcome! I sure you'll be happy in 722. We were 719 on our last cruise and I found it a great location! Very convenient for the forward elevators and also a short walk up to the pool area on 8 [emoji41]

 

Happy travels!

 

Ailmarsh

Mrs Excited,

 

I can give you a little more info if you email me on luvtocruizatgmaildotcom

Before you call Seattle ........

 

Ailmarsh

Hi

 

Don't know if you are booking in the US or UK ..... We had a similar issue on a previous cruise & Seabourn UK were less than helpful but Seabourn in Seattle got it sorted very quickly!

Don't trust your TA to do their best for you ..... Go straight to Seattle!!!!

 

Ailmarsh

Hi Demainmann,

 

We did Auckland to Bali in Feb/March this year.

Like you we pondered a land NZ but the cruise won and we are SO happy with our decision. We visited friends on the Gold Coast beforehand and drove with them into the Outback as we had done the beautiful coast area, north & south of Brisbane before. Didn't get as far as Uluru but still thought the Outback was awesome!

We spent 5days in Auckland precruise, hired a car for 2 of them and explored the beautiful area north of the city & visited the amazing 'Hobbiton' film set area on the other. The city HopOn HopOff bus tour is excellent and the National Museum was so interesting we went twice!

Definitely yes to Waiheke Island which we did with Ananda Tours - took the Gourmet Tour so we had nibbles/tapas at each stop - including oysters!

We also hired a car and did Rotorua on our own from the ship.

In Akaroa I did the 'swim with dolphins' & my husband came along as a non swimmer for a very cheap price. Black Cat was the company.

From Port Chalmers we did an independent tour by boat out past the Otago peninsula (dolphins, tiny blue penguins, nesting Albatross, 2 additional types of Albatross flying, giant Petrel and much more!) Tour took us back along the peninsula by small coach and dropped us by request, in Dunedin which we explored on foot before catching the free Seabourn shuttle back 'home'.

Cruising Milford Sound was spectacular .....a highlight in what was a totally amazing journey.

Like a previous poster said, if we were to return we would do a land tour but you will not be disappointed if you decide to cruise :-)

 

Happy travels!

We have cruised 4 times in V2 (various between 526 - 534). Because you are lower down the ship we have had no feeling of our view being obscured, even when sitting down and you can easily see out to sea when moving around the suite. Last cruise we were in 608 but my husband really missed the mid ship position.

Happy cruising!

 

 

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And also on Quest in November .......... You need to be quick to get a space though!

 

Don't be shy ......just go put your name down as soon as the therapist appears on Deck 8 with her kneeling chair :-)

 

I enjoy the Signature 30mins too. I go early to use the Spa facilities beforehand.

 

Happy cruising :-)

 

 

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Hi Patnicc

 

You will love the Taj Mahal! Although you know what it looks like, you will be blown away by just how stunningly beautiful it actually is. It brought tears to my eyes!

 

While in Delhi, do not miss the Akshardham Hindu Temple. It was built recently but the sheer size of the complex and the beauty and artistry of the craftsmanship is stunning.

 

We took the train from Delhi to Agra which was quite an experience. We stayed in the Jaypee Hotel in Agra which I would recommend.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

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Hi,

We were also on the Quest TA and as Markham says, the Observation Lounge rules change in Feb. On deck, smokers seemed to congregate on deck 9 starboard of the Sky Bar & this area is easily avoided. On a couple of previous SB cruises we have had smokers on adjacent balconies but it hasn't been an issue.

We've only cruised on the 'big sisters' so perhaps someone else can comment on the 'little sisters'.

I'm sure all the positive things about Seabourn will ensure you have a wonderful time!

Merry Christmas!


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Hi,

 

Welcome to Seabourn! I'm sure you will love it :-)

 

The smoking policy is due to change in Feb 2014.

 

Smoking will only be permitted on one side of the Observation Bar AFTER 8 o'clock, which is good news.

We have never had a problem at the Sky Bar (deck9). You can just move elsewhere if it were an issue.

And on Deck 4, with no balcony, smoking will be nonexistent after Feb as guests will no longer be able to smoke in their suites!

 

We did he TA on Quest in Oct/Nov and the food was excellent - as it always has been on the Quest. Sojourn in S America was a little less so but still on the whole, very good. On a Mediterranean itinerary it should be excellent regardless of ship!

 

Bon voyage!

 

 

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Sorry I can't give you the detailed info you are looking for. However, we found the http://www.indiamike.com website very useful when planning a land trip to India a couple of years ago. There are very informative forums there.

In our experience, security at Indian airports is excellent. While waiting for our hotel transport outside Mumbai airport, we were approached by a guy touting tourist services. We ignored him, the police clocked him and he was off his mark very quickly!

Enjoy Mumbai!

 

 

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Hi pebullard,

 

We stayed in the Orly apartments across the road from the hotel where we had a modern, comfortable and well appointed one bedroom apartment with separate living room/kitchen. Breakfast in the hotel was included & we also ate lunch one day in the hotel bar. The public areas of the hotel are good & the staff were helpful. Our apartment wasn't quite ready on arrival so we were given vouchers for free drinks!

If you do book, ask for a higher floor to the rear.

 

Enjoy Santiago!

 

 

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Oops!

 

Picked up an old page .....senior moment!

 

But I do have a coupon available to anyone who has booked their first Seabourn cruise :-)

 

E-mail me luvtocruiz@gmail.com

 

 

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Hi Tu cruisers,

 

I have a coupon I'd be happy to send you.

 

E-mail me at luvtocruizatgmaildotcom :-)

 

 

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