Salice Salentino

more follow up and possible thread hijacking, apologies...

 

regarding the fares - if I search the web and click on a link that says BEST CRUISE PRICES EVER or WE CANT BE BEAT or so on - and if I do this dozens of times, which I have - i have yet to see a fare that is less than the very same fare offered on Seabourn's website, or within, say, 5%. Hardly earth shaking, in any case. (this is not the fantasy brochure fare, but the realistic what-you'll-probably-pay fare)

 

sooo am I to conclude from all of you that, if I deal directly with a (perhaps local) TA, I will easily beat these rates by a decent margin?

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.

While I can’t comment specifically about an Antarctica cruise, I have cruised extensively on Seabourn, Regent, and Silverseas. I personally don’t think that children would enjoy the adult environment provided by these luxury cruise lines. We just finished a 21 day Amazon cruise over Christmas and there were 2 children on board aged around 6 & 8. Their parents were extremely disappointed that there were no other children on board, especially given that their TA had told them that there would be lots of other kids. Other than playing video games on their hand held devices, there was really nothing for them to do. There was also one 16 year old girl who was obviously bored out of her skull. I have rarely encountered children on any of these cruise lines, but when I do I feel very sorry for them as there is nothing geared for their age bracket. Don’t get me wrong – I think cruising is a wonderful experience for children. In fact, I took my two grandsons aged 6 & 8 to Alaska this past summer – but it was on Disney!

It was hot and humid, but not unbearable (I've experienced far worse). However, we left the Amazon right at the end of the dry season. As a result, there were no problems with mosquitos (although we did have our Yellow Fever shots & anti-Malaria pills). Not too sure how long the wet season lasts. We were quite fortunate with the weather during our entire time including 2 days in Rio plus the 21 days of cruising. Had a bit of rain, but not enough to be worth mentioning.

Our last 4 cruises have been on Seabourn and we wondered whether we would be disappointed in returning to Regent. That being said, we were very pleased with refurbishment of the Mariner, along with the fantastic/friendly staff. The food was very good, although not quite as good as Seabourn. I would not hesitate to recommend the Mariner to anyone.

Am looking at a last minute Rio to Miami March 4th on Mariner. The thing is it's available in all categories, guaranteed in a few. There is only one entry on the roll call forum. There definitely seems to be a lack of interest in this cruise, am wondering why. Is it itinerary or what? Any thoughts please?:

We just got back from sailing this itinerary on the Mariner (Dec 23 - Jan 13). It was a very enjoyable cruise. But there are quite a few sea days and the port attractions are somewhat limited. We had a similar experience with the amount of availability when we booked and while watching availability in the weeks prior to sailing. However when we got onboard, there were approx. 670 passengers out of a possible 700. And nobody ever posted on the Roll Call page. The Mariner was in beautiful condition and the staff was fantastic.

Could you perhaps elaborate on what kinds of problems your TA is referring to? We're booked on her next summer and I'd be interested to know what kinds of issues the ship has that can be remedied in a 2-week drydock - it's usually just soft goods that are redone in a 2-week span, no? Do you have any specifics you could share?

 

Thanks!

 

Bill

This is what I was told by my TA:

"I would stay away from the Navigator right now. She is going into a big dry dock in April and then everything should be good but she is having some issues right now with cabins flooding and AC/ Heat not working the best. The Mariner cruise would be a better choice. Of course if you want the Navigator I will gladly book it but don’t blame me."

Hope this helps. My TA specializes in RSSC as a Certified Regent Cruise Consultant

we chose this ship specifically for the size and look forward to having a quiet time. We were most concerned with the state of the ship. Given the cost our expectations are clearly higher than a much larger mass market cruise. I suppose what I am really asking is if Navigator is up to par ,as far as quality goes ,with Mariner

Although I haven't been on Navigator I recently looked into booking a Miami to Miami cruise at Christmas on this ship. My travel agent, who has a great deal of experience with RSSC, quickly steered us away saying that the Navigator has had a great deal of problems lately and he would not recommend her until she has gone back into dry dock. Instead he steered us to a Rio to Miami Christmas cruise on Mariner.

I too suffer from musculoskeletal difficulties and a soft supportive mattress is extremely important to me. If not, I can end up with crippling sciatica making it difficult to walk for more than fifty yards at a time. Our last Seabourn cruise was on the Odyssey in the spring of this year and was 32 days long. I found the mattress to be very uncomfortable. So much so that I had to ask the stewardess bring me enough extra pillows to fashion a ‘mattress’ on top of the regular mattress. This helped somewhat, but the pillows often shifted and made moving in bed rather difficult. It wasn’t until the day we were leaving that I saw an egg-carton type of foam pad being removed from another suite. I wish our stewardess had suggested this as an option for me. We were on the Sojourn two years before this for a 33 day cruise and did not have any such difficulty. I will definitely be making an online request for a softer mattress or special padding prior to my next cruise.

Fares are based on much more than inflation adjustment. The greatest factor influencing a fare is competition. If there is little of it on a particular route, one will be paying a premium that far exceeds inflation adjustment.

 

And, if you are searching for fares using the internet, you might want to enable privacy settings for your browser. Sometimes fares are inflated because one uses a certain browser or because one is identified as a repeat customer.

I know what you mean when you speak about using the internet as a means of pricing something. With so many companies now relying on data mining I have seen prices rise just because I go back a few times for online quotes (e.g. car rentals). However in all three of the examples I used here I dealt my regular travel agency not the internet. With respect to the quote for February 2017, my TA told me to that I should hold off as he feels that there will be significant decline in prices with all of the new luxury ships coming on line over the next two years.

So what is going on with fare pricing at Seabourn lately? The cost has been rising dramatically. When we took the 33 day Treasures of the Inca Coast & Patagonia cruise in November 2012 (staying in a V-5 suite) our per diem worked out to $896 for the two of us. A little over 2 years later, this rose by 9.6% to $992 per day for the 32 day New Zealand & Australia Adventure cruise in February 2015 (again in a V-5 suite). Now we are looking at the 36 day Amazon & Caribbean Exploration in February 2017 and find that the cost has risen by an additional 32% to $1,295 per day per couple for a V-5 suite. In just slightly over 4 years the cost has risen by a whopping 44.5% for the same category of suite. Given that the US 5 year inflation rate is running at approximately 9.5%, I am having a difficult time understanding what is going on.

Mr Luxury

I don't think anyone on Seabourn can NOT afford to pay for their laundry. I was enquiring about what seems to me to be a change in the benefits according to the new brochure. Apparently, my post makes no sense to anyone. I know what the CURRENT guidelines are. The point of my post which no one seems to be addressing (maybe I am the only one to get the new brochure?) is that there is a CHANGE in the new brochure for Silver level. That is all. Unfortunately, Silver members will not see this benefit until 2016 OR there is a typo in the new brochure.

I noticed the addition of the * for the Silver tier with respect to the weekly laundry bag in the 2016/2017 brochure as well. I suspect it is a typo since it does not appear in the online version.

“Tipping is neither required nor expected – service simply to delight you. Our award-winning staff is driven only by their sincere desire to please.” Am I missing something? I don’t think it could be any clearer. When we sail on Seabourn, we are purchasing a package which includes luxurious suites, world class dining, unrivaled service, plus complimentary fine wines & spirits. It is all incorporated into the price we pay. I personally think it is irresponsible for guests to disregard this policy and tip staff.

Don’t get me wrong – I am a generous tipper. At the same time I try to be cognizant of what the situation dictates. If I am in a country where service is included in the bill and gratuities are not common, then I do not tip. I will take the time to research what is the norm and adhere to it. In other words, I avoid inserting our North American standards into the mix. It really is beginning to get out of control. I know people who think they have to tip everyone – even plumbers!

We are taking our grandchildren on a Disney cruise this summer where it is customary to give gratuities in recognition of service. However, even Disney has acknowledged that the tipping rigmarole has become rather onerous. Instead of our having to going through the process of stuffing envelopes with cash, Disney will automatically add the suggested gratuity amounts to our onboard account.

I personally dislike being in those awkward situations where everyone has their hands out. It is one of the reasons I choose the Seabourn experience – it has all been taken care of and paid for in advance. I am “neither required or nor expected” to even think about it!

After saying all of this, I must admit that if I am in a port and see something that I know a particularly exemplary staff member would enjoy, I will buy it as a gift for them. But this is the exception, not the norm.

We were able to do this 2 years ago and I doubt very much that they will have changed their policy. I wrote Seabourn at the time and received the following response:

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.

My wife & I just returned from a 32 day cruise from Auckland to Bali on the Odyssey. The first 16 day leg of the voyage was great. Although there were the occasional smokers, they restricted themselves to the outside designated areas (which we avoided like the plague!!!). However, on the second 16 day leg we had a smoker move in two doors up wind from us. Both my wife & I are extremely allergic to cigarette smoke, so when this passenger would light up, we both would immediately begin to cough, forcing us to vacate our veranda. As a result, we were deprived of the opportunity to enjoy private time on our balcony for the last 16 days of the cruise. Although we brought our complaint to the attention of the Hotel Director & the Hotel Manager (both of whom were non-smokers and extremely sympathetic) we felt it was necessary to formally register our grievance with Seabourn's corporate office. The following is an excerpt from the response I received from Camden Rider, Special Advisor to the President:

"We understand your concerns regarding smoking aboard our ships and regret if you feel your experience was compromised by smoke from your fellow travelers. Currently smoking is prohibited or restricted in most public areas aboard Seabourn ships, although guests may smoke in the Observation Bar after 8pm. And while smoking is prohibited in all guest suites, there are designated smoking areas on some outside decks; cigar and pipe smoking are explicitly restricted to outside decks only. Smoking will continue to be allowed on suite verandas on board Odyssey, Sojourn and Quest in Categories V1 and higher, and indoors in a portion of the Observation Lounge after 8pm. Although our policy is an attempt to balance the desires of both our smoking and non-smoking guests, we do regret any dissatisfaction it may cause. As this policy is continuously reviewed, all of your feedback has been shared with our President, Mr. Richard Meadows for his review and future consideration."

Given this response, I would recommend that we all continue to keep the pressure on Seabourn by sending emails to corporate until such time as the company acknowledges that a revised Clean Air policy is in order.

It is incomprehensible that in this day and age a company such as Seabourn would still allow smoking in any public areas of the ship. Although they may believe that a passenger’s balcony is not a public area, it most definitely is when the smoke from one suite immediately invades the air space of other verandas. When is Seabourn going to come into the 21st Century by recognizing that smoking is not only a serious health hazard, but a safety issue as well? How can a corporation which prides itself on customer service be willing to so negatively impact the experience of the majority of their customers in order to satisfy so few?

That is in the T&C's advertised on their website!

 

Think about it.....it is like a frequent flyer programme.....do airlines award your change in status as you fly on a qualifying flight to the next level of status?

 

A loyalty programme could not operate on such a basis.

Although Seabourn does not credit you until the end of the cruise, Regent Seven Seas does. We were pleasantly surprised about this while onboard a RSS cruise a few years back.

RSSC's website states the following: "If you have sailed with us before and are already a Seven Seas Society member, your new tier benefits take effect on the first day of the cruise during which you transition from one tier to the next".

You will want to take a look at the deck plans for your ship and check out what is located above your assigned suite 734. We were initially booked into suite 735 for our upcoming February cruise and discovered it was directly below the Patio Bar on deck 8. Upon checking the Cruise Critic forum, I learned that suites below this area are subject to noise from the moving of chairs, tables, and loungers in the early morning - not to mention noise from parties. We can only imagine what a bar/pool area would be like at night. Accordingly, we had our TA move us to another suite on deck 6.

We have never had a problem getting our desired excursions when wait listed. You can always book an alternative and cancel within the required time frame if your first choice does become available.

We like to do a mix of Seabourn sponsored excursions and private tours.

In addition to the unlimited package at $399, the flat rate for both wireless and computer center access is 40 cents per minute. Prepaid plans are also available at reduced rates: two hours for $20, three hours for $30, four hours for $40 and unlimited weekly packages for $240. Plus, as someone already mentioned, Silver Member can elect to get 2 hours free, Gold 3 hours, Platinum 4 hours, and Diamond unlimited hours free.

Since my wife & I prefer to limit the amount of time spent on the internet, we just purchase in 2 hour increments. For instance, on our 33 day South American cruise we used less than 4 hours in total. We generally compose our correspondence in Word before logging in and copying it into email. This really cuts down on the amount of internet time used. As well, we only open messages that appear to be somewhat important (ie from family members, friends, etc.). However saying that, I do recognize that some people have a business need to be connected and therefor the unlimited packages work best for them.

Hopefully what you have received is a new policy as there is nothing worse than being accosted by a neighbour smoking whilst you are out enjoying time on your veranda. Unfortunately, the Seabourn website still states the following:

On Seabourn Odyssey, Sojourn & Quest:

Inside smoking of cigarettes will be permitted in the port-side half of the Observation Bar on Deck 10 after 8 PM.

Outside smoking of cigarettes is permitted:

• On the verandas of guest suites
  
• On the starboard half of the Sky Bar on Deck 9 including the bar stools
  
• On the starboard half of the open terrace aft of The Club on Deck 5
  

Outside smoking of cigarettes, pipes and cigars is permitted on the starboard side of the open terrace aft of Seabourn Square of Deck 7. This is the only area on board where pipe and cigar smoking is permitted.

Guests are asked to refrain from smoking pipes and cigars anywhere inside the ship, including in guest suites, on verandas and balconies. If you have any doubts about any area, please consult your onboard staff.

Any guest who smokes inside staterooms in violation of our policy will be charged a US$250 cleaning fee per day of violation.

Thanks for your feedback. We don't usually turn in until well after the evening show, so noise at night is not likely a big concern for the most part. However, we do prefer to sleep in, so I am a bit concerned about the movement of chairs, tables, and loungers in the morning. We have therefore requested to be wait listed for a mid-ship V5 (similar to that which we had during our 32 day 2012 South America cruise).

Because no suites on Seabourn ships are under the outdoor cafe.

On that occasion we were sailing on the Regent Seven Seas Voyager in suite #1055 which is directly below 'La Veranda'. Lovely suite with an extra large veranda (a bit of a secret as it doesn't show this on the deck plans). But the early morning shuffling of chairs & tables at breakfast was rather annoying.

We were in 736 and had no problem on the Quest.

Thanks for the feedback. We have already been on one cruise where the outdoor dining area was right above us and I can say that it was not pleasant waking up to the noise of moving chairs & tables when the early breakfast folks arrived. Therefore, I was a bit concerned about what a bar/pool area would be like at night or in the early morning when staff are setting up loungers, etc.

How far in does the noise start? We have suite 735 this coming week on Odyssey. I'm sure we'll be at any Rock the Boat parties so not concerned with that - but would worry about early morning noises!

Hi Jeni,

I am interested in what your opinion is of suite 735 is ow that you have been in it. We are booked in 735 next spring on a cruise from Auckland to Bali (sounds like your cruise in reverse!). We didn't get this as an upgrade like you, it was really all that was available other than by the elevator.

Any help you can provide would be appreciated!

We will be traveling with three boys aged 5, 6, & 7 on the August 3, 2015 Alaskan cruise. I haven't been able to find any information on how seating times for dinner coincide with evening entertainment times.

Are there shows taking place earlier so that the people on the 2nd season can attend before dinner? Or is it best to have the early dinner seating and then go see a show?

We have been thinking that we would prefer to have the boys eat at the 2nd seating, but only if they are able to see a show prior to dinner.

Please help with any information and suggestions!