ravenclaw

CORRECTION : The Odyssey NOT the Quest.

NY Times article on the experience of a staff member currently on the Quest.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/03/us/coronavirus-cruise-ship-singer-barbados.html

 The U.S. entity Carnival Corp. is incorporated in Panama, ( to avoid paying U.S. income taxes, among other benefits) and its operational headquarters are in the city Doral, Florida.

Not aware of Panama bankruptcy laws, but if Carnival was incorporated in the United States, they would probably explore the option of filing  for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 reorganization laws to settle at reduced rates with debtors, ( loans, bond holders, suppliers, travel agencies, booked passengers and even crew wages/benefits). Has happened numerous times in the U.S. with airlines.

On a Qwest cruise a few years back, based on our travel experiences, we decided to stay on board during the Santorini port call. The best Greek islands are the ones Greeks vacation on and cruise ships infrequently or never visit.

" Nobody Goes There Anymore, It's Too Crowded ". Attributed to Yogi Berra and anonymous others.

Just notified by travel agent that the Sojourn will sail on a world cruise from Jan. 4, 2020 to May 28, 2020....Miami to San Francisco. Last Seabourn world cruise was five or six years ago. Checked Seabourn web site, but no info posted yet.

TK Grill last night on the Quest after departing from Liverpool.

Crab cake appetizer on the bland side despite the spicy description,(more crab, please), while partner enjoyed and complimented the "Gulf" shrimp and especially the artichoke appetizers.

Shared the "Elysian" lamb main course, (for 2), with sides of mac/cheese, "wilted" spinach and mushrooms.

Lamb was extremely tender and flavorful, somewhat under cooked for my liking, as I prefer the Patio grill lamb versions. Partner, a picky carnivore, who likes meat "mooing and moving", was thoroughly impressed.

Sides were tasty and well proportioned.

Passed on the desserts.

Service, knowledge of menu, timing and execution was flawless.

Low key effort and suggestions by sommelier to order wine from "revenue" list.

Impression is that a lot of effort and attention to detail placed on TK Grill.

Two Seattle "corporate" types boarded recently, ( G & L), as well as Hotman, often seen hovering around TK Grill, obviously preparing for rollout to Sojourn and Odyssey.

About 6 fellow passengers who dined at the TK Grill all raved about the chicken main course, (for 2). If we get another chance to dine there, as this is a 16 day cruise, we'll give it a try. Reservation was easy to come by as the request was made same day at about noon. (Aware of one couple who has dined there 4 times(!) and counting with less than a week to go).

IMO, a very good and improved replacement for the tired R2 venue.

..... but I will stick by my comment that they are cost cutting and they are hoping nobody notices. ...

Exactly...as pricing has steadily increased over the past two years or so.

Thank you so much for the clarity. I suspect the OP deserves a few apologies on this board as it seems his concerns are well founded! Disappointing that Seabourn would inconvenience its guests in this manner. If the ship is full, I would hate to think of what the poor guests on deck 4 have endured.

Apologies ?...LOL....from the Seabourn cheerleading apologists ?...don't hold your breath... :rolleyes:

Ditto. We haven't seen his prices in Phoenix, either.

Greetings Phoenix/Tucson.. happening now..pick up latest flyer for Fry's Supermarket.. currently running a 4 day 30% off wine sale if you mix or match six bottles...(big selection of US, NZ, Aussie, S.American, S. Africa wines, less on the Euros).

One example: Oyster Bay (NZ), a Seabourn fine wine offering, at $11.99..six pack price (minus 30%)= $8.40 each..on the neck of each bottle is a manufacturer's coupon,(common in the USA), for $ 3 off per bottle..final price = $5.40. Good probability that Carnival procures mass quantities of this fine wine around the $4 range.

The majority of the wines listed can be found in certain American states for quite less than listed. Factors affecting prices are state distribution laws, state taxes, local competition, etc. For example in several western states, (near California production), wine prices are very competitive at supermarkets and some of the Seabourn "fine" wine is priced from $6 to $9 per bottle. If you buy a mix of 6 bottles an add'l 10% off, as standard policy. In addition, just about every month there's a sale and the "six-pack" discount is increased to 25% off and on holidays even 30% off, (the Kroger chain, dba as Ralph's, Fry's, and the now merged Albertsons/Safeway chains).

At the volume that Carnival contracts for wine, my guess is that they procure at an average cost somewhere in the $6 range per bottle.

The Nicolas champagne (750ml) is sometimes on sale at $19.95 per bottle with the "six-pack" option.

The worst Hotel Manager in the entire SB fleet imo.

Often referred to as, "The Invisible Man".

I wasn't aware of an expiration date on the complimentary cruise. ??

Dan,

the booking has to be made by 24 months, (if not, the award is "debited"), but the cruise date can be in the future,(past the 24 months)..... but no changes, (too restrictive, imo).

Per Seabourn web site:

"Once a 14-day Milestone Cruise Award is earned, it must be booked within 24 months. If a Milestone Cruise Award booking is not confirmed within 24 months, the 14-day Milestone Cruise Award expires and 250 Redeemable Sailed Days will be debited from the guest’s Club account. If a Milestone Cruise Award booking is made within 24 months, for a sailing that departs after the 24-month period, that booking cannot be changed for any reason or the Milestone Cruise Award will be forfeited."

As others have said supply and demand. Seabourn is extremely popular and extremely full.

 

They are also in the business to make money so if the prices have been raised and the ships are full their business plan is working

 

Seabourn has been sailing full.

 

Seabourn is going out full or full enough they don't need to offer the public lower rates.

Hmmm...full,full,full,full. That's been our impression as our 14 day Complimentary cruise award is about to expire unused.

As Yogi Berra said:

"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." ;)

hello

 

Somebody told me that everything concerning the food is DICTATED TO DETAIL BY HQ.So, if so the chef can't do mutch about it.

In this case,correct me when i am wrong,the chef is no longer a chef,but a "cook"who works in a ship's galley.So i do not see that he can present a plate (dish ) to be proud off,or he diserves a gr.award in the category non fiction.

/QUOTE]

 

If this statement is true, then why does the Chef bother to go into each port and buy fresh local ingredients to prepare meals back on the ship? Why does the chef take Seabourn passengers with him on his "shopping with the chef" trips? Perhaps if you had participated then you could have asked the Chef directly? But maybe it is easier to make wrong assumptions and complain after the fact?

 

That's a marketing angle..I've been on over a dozen Seabourn "Shopping with the Chef" outings...even led/assisted on two based on my language skills...chef fills in some shortages, mostly on the fruit/vegetable side...never meat, (in my experience) and sometimes fish. But nothing in quantities for 400 plus passengers. The port agent does that.

So where have you been for the past three years? Nick?

Ah!..you remember me... as a good trivia player you have a keen memory. We've done some more on Seabourn...Antarctica, was the last... as we prefer long cruising and try to minimize air travel, usually book the longest "end of season" Med cruise segment/s and piggy back them on a transatlantic-bound itinerary. Next cruise we're strongly leaning on, is the December Odyssey 32 day cruise, (Caribbean & Panama canal), from FLL to LA which fills an itinerary gap for us (the canal) and has very convenient start and end ports.

BTW, reconstituted Polymaths have won more trivia rounds since our WC and crushingly lost a round in Antarctica by one point. Feel free to use the name if you wish on your cruises and keep posting on CC as I enjoy reading your posts.

Hope we meet on Seabourn again.

 

It was. Unfortunately we have never encountered any of them again on another cruise!

 

A bit of trivia on Seabourn trivia, if I may, I was the "captain" and "recruiter" of the Polymaths.

 

As a couple who enjoy trivia we were positively fought over by teams who were losing some of their players in Dubai! The team we finally joined had racked up good scores on previous legs and (I like to think with worthy input from ourselves!) emerged as overall WC Champion team - meaning we then benefitted from receiving Seabourn Quest World Cruise polos and memorabilia even though only on board 21 days!

 

That trivia team sounds like the Polymaths...they won all 5 rounds of the trivia competition during that world cruise.

Tipping is my business and absolutely is done discreetly. It is none of your concern whome I tip and you don't tell me how to spend my money.

Exactly and perfectly phrased.

In my experience 90+ percent of the passengers do NOT smoke and that was the worst case, one cruise on the Pride had roughly 18 identified smokers. So why do the clear majority have to be inconvenienced? Majority rules- guess not.

Hmm...identifying and classifying the broad range of minority groups based on gender,religion, lifestyle choices, etc., is always the first step by the "ruling majority"...then it develops based on the level of the perceived

"inconvenience"...

According to a post on a cruise travel forum, (no link, as run by a travel agency and not allowed per CC guidelines), Seabourn is about to announce changes to the dress code and the penalty/cancellation time frames.

Can't find an official Seabourn announcement yet, but in summary and according to the post, the dress code is relaxed and the cancellation policy is stiffened.

New dress code supposedly in effect on October 17, 2014 and new cancellation policy in effect for all 2015 cruises and beyond booked starting August 1, 2014.

Perhaps this went out to the TAs first, (or some of them), but searching on the web, no luck on finding anything "official". For what it's worth, the cruise travel forum with the information has been credible in the past based on my experience.

Julie, I agree with you and Flaming June. By being friendly and kind to the staff, were you really monopolizing. I read his post again. I think he did a jealous stab at "regulars". Unfortunately or fortunately there are regulars on all lines and in hotels too! End of my comments on this thread. I had a curiosity as to what was written on this thread and my curiosity is satisfied. On to other things.

What's your definition of a "regular" and are you a "regular" ?

Making a comment that someone is "jealous" of the "in crowd" and dismissing this thread, comes across as self-centered and juvenile American high school gossip.

Point me to a rest home that has Restaurant 2.

Not up to rest home standards.

Point me to a Restaurant 2-like establishment in the USA that would still be in business after 6 months let alone the almost 4 years on Seabourn.

John resigned from his position as CD almost 2 months ago. His last cruise was on the Quest, Oct. 6th, Barcelona to Piraeus. After over a decade working on ships, John decided to pursue another career opportunity which allows him to spend time on land. His new position is in the mass media marketing arena with public visibility, requiring some travel, but a lot more time at home to spend with his family.

I find post #105 offensive and inappropriate to this board, especially in light of the quote found in post #104.

I don't...it's on point, factual and overdue to this board. The ongoing kabuki farce with NYK/zorro/SB needs to be exposed and addressed.

Could we please depersonalize this thread? I find it to be not informative and rather petty. Please, Host Dan, look at this and do the right thing here.

only "petty" if you don't care in preserving the integrity of this forum and you don't mind it turning into an adolescent chat board.