claranda

Hi Salf! You and I communicate by email (my address above) and I fill in a referral form, submit it to Seabourn and we both receive $250 per cabin on board credit. It’s very straightforward. See below https://www.seabourn.com/en/gb/refer-a-friend Hope to hear from you!

I’m so glad to have found this discussion as I just saw that Oceania list the Prestige package at £57.58 each daily for us Brits, which is crazy. Have calmed down now, knowing that with Simply More it’ll be more around the £25 mark, but is it beyond the wit of Oceania to provide that information on their web site? I think we’ll hold on a bit (cruise is June 2025), unless anyone here thinks the daily rate is increasing any time soon? We’re getting on in Southampton, so we can take good gin and wine with us on the train, and we’re visiting several French ports, including Bordeaux, so we’d only take the extra package because we like sitting at the bar, really. It’s a tough decision, especially because now we’re over 70 our alcohol intake is lessening by the month. Such trials…..!!

I’m happy to provide a referral for first-timers on a cruise before March 2025. Please email me on claranda506 @ gmail . com

Thanks all, have got it now….I like the cocktail blurb!

Thanks! Mine is still showing TK with no content…I’ll re-boot!

Is there a menu anywhere on the board? If not, can someone post, please?

Yes, take an Edinburgh train from Kings Cross (which is, incidentally, next door to St Pancras, but a good way from Paddington). Keep an eye on the LNER website or put in an alert for the day you want - weekday trains are released about three months in advance and you would certainly get a much cheaper fare than buying on the day. First Class is nice: food, drinks included. If you fancy breaking the journey, here’s another plug for York, with its Minster, Viking museum and very quaint streets. There are a couple of good hotels v close to York station. https://www.lner.co.uk

Thanks, lackcreativity, glad it was helpful. It’s interesting looking at itineraries from the points of view of American and British cruisers. We do very little cruising in the Med or Canary Island because they’re so close. We’re off to Lanzarote for five days next week, for example, just because we feel like it. The itineraries I was thinking of are those going further afield from the UK, for example Africa and Asia, and there Viking offers more. It’s all a matter of perspective!

First of all, must point out that Dublin and Cork are in the Republic of Ireland, not in the UK! Both lovely places, though. Secondly, no need to fly around the UK if you decide to venture a land tour. The trains (when they're not on strike) are quick and efficient, especially between cities. For example, from London to York, where we live, takes just two hours. I’m afraid I think the stops in England and Wales you list are, to put it lightly ‘fill in places’. Indeed, I suspect that Fishguard is pretty much at the end of the civilised world… . Scots will be better able to comment on the delights of their share of the itinerary. We are in our mid 70s and are still travelling independently as well as cruising. Cruising is nice, but not if you want to explore a country. We’re glad we’ve stopped off for the day in various spots (eg Valetta in Malta, St Petersburg, et al), because we know we won’t be going there independently, or, for example, the whole of Norway because independent travel there is so expensive. I agree with others that you could add on London and a few other key spots in the UK to your cruise itinerary. But why not do it yourselves? You speak the language, it’s pretty good value for money at the moment, it’s safe and the natives are relatively friendly… Try to come in April/May or Sept/Oct. Do see London - take a trip down the river, see Westminster Abbey and the Sky Garden (free) for great views. Then head out for day trips - Windsor and Eton certainly, perhaps Stratford on Avon - book the theatre in advance. Bypass the crowded Cotswolds. Why not the beautiful Yorkshire Dales - hire a car and pootle round staying at pubs..? Have a great time in the UK, whatever you decide to do..

Oh, sorry, forgot the spa on Viking - absolutely brilliant, and very good competitively priced massage.

We began cruising with Seabourn in 2010 and have been on seven S’bourn cruises, with our next one booked for March 2025. We first cruised Viking in 2022 and have done two, with our next booked for November this year. We’ve also been on Regent (2) and Crystal (1) and are trying Oceania next year, too. Thoughts: Choice of itineraries - Viking. The choice on Seabourn is very limited once you’ve done a few of their cruises. Pricing - surprisingly, now usually Seabourn. In our opinion Viking is hiking up its prices as its popularity and capacity increases. Service - Seabourn; no comparison; although standards have slipped a bit on Seabourn, the responsiveness is still there. Ship decor/ambience - Viking. Clean, open, Scandinavian lines, no faux bling, more sea views, no casino, so many more places to sit and relax, seems less crowded in public areas. Stateroom - Viking (so far we have sailed in the junior penthouse suite, which is a bit bigger than the Seabourn veranda suite, in November we will go down to the penthouse veranda, which is a bit smaller than the Seabourn veranda suite). Modern, practical. Bathroom - Viking, by all means, Viking… Breakfast - Seabourn (after all, they have English bacon!) seriously, better food and less crowded. Lunch - Seabourn. The food, the walk around buffet, compared with Viking’s cafeteria ambience. Ah, but fresh tuna steak on Viking. Tea - Viking, really superior, so beautifully presented, too. Dinner - Seabourn. This is where the difference shows most with food quality. We sometimes get fed up with the monotonous American style of the food on Seabourn, though; but Viking seems to be losing its more varied/European options, too. Seabourn will serve you special meals on request, Viking doesn’t. Wine - Viking. The list of included wines on Seabourn is very short, and we don’t pay their ridiculous prices for Sommelier choice bottles. Viking has a nice list of about 13 whites and 13 reds by the glass, but of course you pay for them, either individually or by getting the drinks package if you want a drink outside mealtime hours. But the individual and package price is much more reasonable than any other cruise line. Bars - Seabourn. Entertainment - not really our thing, but the volume level on Viking suited us better. We’d love both lines to cut the ever present ‘muzak’ in public areas. Excursions - Don’t have sufficient info. The Viking free excursion is sometimes useful, but you are paying for it up front, it’s not really free. Tend to do our own thing or use local providers. Hope that’s of interest. Sorry to be so long-winded! We enjoy both lines for differing reasons…

It turns out, much to my surprise, that Viking (and I suspect most cruise lines) only give their stateroom sizes in sq ft! I usually look for comparisons on a generic site that lists both ft and metres and hadn’t picked up on this. Oh well, even though only three nations still use imperial measurements, the vast majority of cruisers hail from the US (not many from Liberia or Myanmar), so the rest of the world must do the conversion! Not a problem - I’m of an age that remembers imperial…

Nice…but how about adding the sq meterage for us Europeans?!

Oh, shame; Viking has the advantage here, then, with ad lib laundry (including ironing) at that suite level…. . Never mind, won’t be cancelling our 2025 reservation!

Does the laundry not include ironing? My worst nightmare, ironing on a cruise…especially bone dry ironing!

We have tolerated TK over the years, mainly as a change of venue. Solis looks as if it will be an interesting alternative, especially the fish, although the ‘meat’ section, with its two steaks and plain chicken (at least on the sample menu) is boring. Where is the lamb, the pork, the game? Are these not eaten in the US?

Well done, Regent Mariner, for having the Ireland v S Africa available on tv yesterday. Thrilling match and congrats to Ireland. England will win, though………!!

Oh yes, you can always get what you want, though they may have to go away and get it. We can’t take the Pinot Grigio either, although we’re assured by friends that it’s improved since the ‘80s! Why not try the Morning Fog Chardonnay as a way into the New World - very palatable? We are also enjoying the Pinot Blanc very much, being Alsace fans.

I meant in terms of still providing paper-based information rather than by electronic means. They’re a bit behind, too, in not having an earpiece system for tours. Not at the cutting edge, Regent!

Update! At an exemplary breakfast in Compass Rose, Abegail kindly pursued the elusive wine list and it was delivered in person by the charming head sommelier, Joliza. It’s a formally printed four page document with a nice picture on the front. Can’t think why it’s not in every cabin together with the plethora of other printed stuff that the technically-challenged Regent provides. But anyway, here it is. The Sancerre is not available on this trip.

On Mariner now and have asked five different people, including our butler and at Compass Rose, for the complimentary wine list, but with no success so far. We were a bit surprised last night to receive evasive replies from a not very helpful sommelier in Chartreuse when we asked him to remind us what complimentary wines were available there as they were not listed on the menu. Luckily, we’d checked the wines on the Regent web site and so were able to ask for the Crozes Hermitage, which was produced a little grudgingly and was quite good, recommended! Many good things to enjoy so far on this cruise, but the service is a bit hit and miss, except at the bars where it’s prompt and smiley.

Adding our appreciation for your lovely posts to those already expressed and looking forward to boarding Mariner on Sunday.

I think we’ll be trying the wine lunch, although we only have one sea day, so we may be too shattered! Talking of wine, I’ve scrolled back to your useful drinks list and I’m really surprised to see only five complementary white and five complementary red wines available by the glass. Is this just in that bar? Are more wines available in the restaurants and/or on request? We’ve tried Viking recently (lots of positives, food lets it down), and they have 13 of each - enough for a couple of nice wine tastings. Can’t believe Regent doesn’t do better. Again, nothing unusual or special in Regent lists; the mass-market Villa Maria SB, duh….

Licking our lips here as we look at your photos - and not long to wait as we get on Mariner in NYC as you get off (?). We’re hoping for a hurricane free journey after that. Tell me, do you book the connoisseur wine lunch once on board? Is it frightfully expensive?!

I’ll take a Seabourn one along - that may do the trick. And it’s much nicer…!