Salice Salentino

We have had to cancel twice with Seabourn: once for health and the other when Covid-19 struck while on a back-to-back in the South China Sea and the ship couldn't stick to its itinerary. In neither case did we have to pay our travel agent a fee. In fact, he managed to get SB to refund the 2nd two weeks of the Covid-19 cruise and successfully defended us when SB tried to penalize additionally for the health cancellation.

I'd suggest you look for another TA

Love the Langham - especially the Club suites.

On 9/14/2019 at 1:58 PM, mking8288 said:

Just a FYI - for those with upcoming cruise(s) that embark and disembark in HKG (HKIA) over the next several months AND booked/planning to fly Cathay Pacific, the flagship airline based in HK with its key hub has announced - earlier this week - that a # of long haul oversea flights has been suspended, modified and/or adjusted due to reduced booking & drop in passenger (and, cargo) traffic due to the ongoing civil unrest ... with no apparent end in sight, not in the immediate future.

 

Please review your confirmed flights (especially if on CX or code-shared) and its scheduled, as well as possible change in aircraft configuration resulting in seat assignments being shuffled (i.e. no longer on that prized B773's bulkhead E+ seat)

 

Airport Authorities HK has been advising passengers on outbound (departing) flights to plan to arrive at the Lantau airport island up to 3 hours before scheduled departure ... this is especially true if it is over the weekend - despite the court issuing an injunction against gatherings & protests on/near/around the HKIA.  HK Police has stepped up its presence last weekend and this weekend to regain stricter control of attempts to disrupt and stall the transportation systems serving the airport - still, expect possible, wildcat style, unannounced efforts to block passengers from getting to/from the airport in the coming weeks.  

 

The indirect results last weekend has been partially accounted for by protesters (rioters) to go beyond peaceful, non-violent gatherings in hitting various & different MTR stations and train lines all over Kowloon, HK and N.T. at different times ... "be water" (fluid ... hit & run tactics to disrupt) resulting in local train & light rail services being shut down on short notice by MTR authorities whenever major/serious incidents are being called in or reported.  

 

Trying to be as neutral and objective as I can and should be, it is sad - troubling and personally, deeply disappointed at the scale & magnitude of these events with the labels of "freedom & democracy" in the calls to "liberate Hong Kong" and "direct election", etc.   Airside at the airport, security is tight and everyone is safe but landside, near the departure hall and downstairs outside in the arriving level - it is sometimes touch & go.  One of my BIL was on his way to Vietnam 2 weeks ago & could've been trapped - luckily, he was in transit only & did not stay in town - he is on his way back to the US shortly, flying Cathay Pacific and will be in transit overnight, due back in the US tomorrow ... should be getting a detailed update/briefing from him, as there are several of them traveling as a group.  

 

For the latest & current news, updates & local alerts - I recommend using the (English) SCMP online portal/news website - it is free (limited to XX number of articles per month) - to get a feel for yourself of what is going on and the sentiments on the protests.  When & if prompted, select the HK or local edition of the SCMP news to read or look up the news, decide & evaluate for yourself (keep in mind that news are sometimes biased and tilted) - https://www.scmp.com/hk 

 

There are other news sources, 3 or more live, 24/7 streaming news services that DW has been watching to keep up with what's going on, often in "real time" mode - in local/native language, not useful to English-only readers & to follow the news.  

 

If your trip/stop to and at HK is coming up soon (1 to4 or 5 months from now) - as a port stop, I do NOT see any strong reasons to not cruise or go visit, the ship is among the safest place to be  - it will be secured and worst case situation, I am sure that the cruiseline will decide last minute to skip the port stop and/or advise passengers to not go ashore, especially not for independent DIY excursion(s).  The shopping malls nearest to the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, including the MTR station/mall at Kowloon Bay & along that subway line has been hit by random protests, demonstrations & property destructions at the stations ... it is no longer confined to Central, Wan Chai or the infamous Prince Edward Station on Nathan Road - popular tourist sites familiar to just about any HK visitors.  

 

The risks are a bit higher, by no means deadly or dangerous but it will be unplesant & not a place that I think anyone wanted to be caught or trapped by - with these large gatherings - best to avoid, turn & walk away.  Police response & their presence has been stepped up and water cannon has been used, along with tear gas & pepper spray to disperse gathering crowds after repeated warnings to leave.  There's been talks of the PLA (mainland China's army being deployed or called in ... ) but authorities in Beijing still believe that the HK police force is capable and has the necessary means & resources to deal with these protests and demonstrations ... let's just wait & see.  

 

Pro-government/mainland locals or residents that are sometimes referred to as the silent majority, perhaps fearful of the "mob" like behaviors of the "black shirts" has been coming out with their counter-demonstrations in support of local authorities, calling for law & order ... resulting in clashes & fights among different camps, and police being accused of ...  It is a mess just trying to decode who is doing what, how & whether excessive force, lethal force or not were appropriate and unwarranted.  MTR authorities reported that the recent waves of vandalism and damages to nearly half of their stations & equipments, etc. are estimated to the upwards of $2 to 3 million USD alone, not counting the fare evasions (jumping the turnstiles - not using the Octopus Card) or the human "toll".)   Haven't seen the latest arrest figures, but police has given the cumulative count of those arrested to be somewhere over 1,200 over the last 3 months and close to/more than 1/3 of those charged with offenses are minors/teenagers age 15 and under.  

 

It's early Sunday (pre-dawn) morning already in HK now, police has denied and refused permission for one of the group of HK protest organizers to hold another major gathering on HK Island later today - the key question, we will learn & find out ater is what will happen ... it will likely be a repeat of what happened this Saturday already, police in riot gears moving in and making some arrests for those refused orders to leave or disperse, or as an indirect result of fights between opposing fractions. 

 

Nobody is sure of whether the HK government will invoke its special provisions to impose "emergency laws" similar to curfew ... some associating that with declaring martial laws (used previously by the colonia British government administration when it was running HK then, before 1997).  

 

Well, that's all for now on our end of watching the latest development. 

Thank you for this post. My wife & I are booked on Cathay Pacific business class at the end of January. I hadn't heard of any cancellations from Cathay, but I checked upon reading your post. Sure enough they had cancelled the flight we were scheduled for and moved us to a less desirable flight on the same day. I contacted them to have our flights moved to a more preferable time and was able to request and be given the new discounted rate. We ended up saving $4,300CAD. Thanks again!

We completed a 16-day cruise on Ovation in September of this year and there were no problems with wine service in any of the venues. In my opinion food service and wine service were excellent.

We have done this numerous times and have never had a problem

I suspect that it is the crew stairwell. Does it show as a blank space on the other deck?

… This is a complex cultural issue and there is no right or wrong answer.

I don't understand why this is so complex. I have been on cruise ships where you are expected to tip and I do. But one of the reasons that we sail on Seabourn is that gratuities are included and the staff is well paid. Therefore we receive equal treatment from all staff and don't have to feel that we must tip to receive good service. I do tip on Seabourn, but it is included in my fare along with all other services (and given the cost of fares, I believe we are assessed a good amount for gratuities).

Here is a great website that will give you a bit of an overview and maps of most ports:

https://www.whatsinport.com/

There was a notice on the website just the other day stating that there would be work performed this weekend which would interfere with certain functions.

I find this all very interesting given that we went through the very same thing on Sojourn 5 & 1/2 years ago on our South American cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Buenos Aires. Seems like this is a long standing problem with this ship's decking!

I had tried earlier to do this on the August 25th 21-day Baltic Gems without any luck. After reading you post I tried again yesterday and was able to book another seating - Thanks for the tip!

This an excerpt from an email I received today from SB Reservations answering the very same question: "for guests that do have shipboard credit and want to pre-purchase shore excursions you may have the amount credited to your onboard account and any onboard credit will be used for the shore excursions. If at the end of the cruise there is any money remaining from the pre-purchased shore excursions it will be refunded back to the credit card used to purchase them."

Love the Bob quote!

We are booked on Ovation for a combined cruise in Aug/Sept which works out to 19.4% less than doing it as B2B. We recently added another 16-day B2B cruise to this package and received a 15.2% for the 3rd segment over the published price.

This is a quote from Sea Trade News titled Sexy curves accentuate Adam Tihany's Seabourn Encore design: "Tihany's fondest of a new space, The Retreat, nestled high on Deck 12, in what's a seldom-used AstroTurf sports area on the earlier ships. It's ringed by 15 cabanas (that go for $349 on sea days and $249 in port) and partially shaded by canvas sails."

Try this site as a starter: https://www.whatsinport.com/Brazil.html

It appears the Sojourn will be docking at the new Kai Tak Cruise Terminal on March 18.

Here is a link to "What's In Port" a comprehensive website that provides links to all sorts of information on ports. I clicked on China, then Hong Kong, and then the link to the Kai Tak Terminal to look up what ships will be in on what dates. You can do this with all of the other ports you have mentioned. Good luck!

http://www.whatsinport.com/index.htm

I have sailed on both Seabourn (75 days) and Regent (45 days), with the most recent being onboard the Mariner this past Xmas. I must say I was extremely pleased with Seabourn’s announcement of significant changes to their smoking policy which includes banning it on cabin balconies and in the Observation Bar. Although they will continue to allow smoking on the starboard half of the open air Sky Bar and the outside terrace on the starboard side aft of Seabourn Square, these areas are very easily avoided. In my experience it is not quite so easy when it comes to avoiding the smoke on Regent pool decks, especially on sea days when lounge chairs are at a premium.

I am uncertain about e-cigs, as I have yet to come across anyone smoking them in my travels to-date.

We sailed on Voyager from Dover to Monte Carlo in 2010 in suite 1055. We loved the large wrap-around corner balcony (which doesn't show on the deck plans). However there was definitely a vibration problem, as well an issue with swaying in heavy seas. We had a stack of thin cardboard which we would jam into wall joints and between ceiling tiles in order to lessen the vibration.

The next year we sailed on Voyager around the British Isles. This time we booked suite 824. We found that we had the very same issue with vibration and once again out came the cardboard shims.

We loved our 2 cruises on Voyager and would definitely sail on her again, even with the vibration issue.

... I think we will take your advice and try a combination of a few excursions but just do research on the other ports, and make up our own journey for the other stops. 17 days is such a luxury for us so we may make use of day times to explore then later afternoon evenings to indulge in the ships' amenities.

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Here is a link to a website that we often times use to gain a bit of insight on the ports we will be visiting: http://www.whatsinport.com/

Enjoy your honeymoon on Seabourn - I am sure it will be wonderful!

The fitness center as you know is open 24hrs on Crystal. We sailed with you and your DH over a holiday cruise and you know they will have kids for sure as they did on Crystal. Holiday cruises are off our list no matter what line.

My wife & I were on the Mariner over the 2015/16 holiday season sailing from Rio to Miami. With respect to children on board there were just 2 young boys (about 6 & 8?) and a 16 year old girl. That was it! I actually felt sorry for the two boys as there was very little for them to do. And the teenage girl spent a great deal of time on her own as she really didn't have anyone to socialize with.

Bill, are you serious about what I quoted?? You actually pay your TA for their services?? If true, absolutely shocked. We've got a great TA with great resources and contacts and rebates a minimum of 10% of the commissionable cruise fare and are extremely happy with them.

 

With the high commissions that R pays the TA, can only understand them extracting a fee from you should you cancel negating their commission.

I totally agree. I can't imagine a TA charging for their services in this day & age of travel agency rebates. Our TA not only gets us the best deals (better than advertised), including OBC's, we also receive a healthy rebate cheque about 1 week before out departure. I would seriously consider finding a new TA.

When my wife & I were last there we used Elite Shuttle & Limo to get us from the airport to the hotel and then from the hotel to the ship. They were very good and not too expensive. Here is a link to their website: http://eliteruns.net/

I can speak from experience that a good TA is much better $$$wise than dealing directly with Seabourn. Five years ago I decided to see what it would cost if I booked directly with Seabourn. Once I got their price I contacted a luxury TA in Texas (although I live in Canada) who had come highly recommended. Although they didn't improve on the price, I received a "rewards" cheque in the amount of $1,234.00 from the TA one week before departure. Since then I have booked all of my cruises through them. Not only do they provide their TA "rewards", they are also able to get onboard credits which might otherwise been unavailable. As well, they are the first to be notified when upgrades or upsells come available. Plus, as stated by another poster, they have much more influence with the cruise line than I would as an individual should there be a problem.

I forgot to mention that we also received an additional $1,000 in onboard credits on this cruise from our TA that was not being offered directly through Seabourn.

I am not sure if things have changed recently, but we have never had a problem. In fact, we had $1,000 in onboard credits 4 years ago and when I enquired I received the following email response from Seabourn Destinations: "Thank you very much for you message regarding Shore Excursions during your upcoming sailing on the Seabourn Sojourn. You are absolutely correct, as you will certainly be able to get a credit card refund for the tours onboard and use your shipboard credit at that time to pay for the Shore Excursions. It is just required to use a credit card to reserve tours prior to sailing, and we will be more than happy to refund your credit card once you are onboard."

We were able to do the very same thing on our Odyssey cruise in Feb/March 2015.

Try sending them an email and see what kind of response you receive: destinations@seabourn.com