caviargal

Forced meaning that leaving puts us in Dover by 9-9:30am and would necessitate stopping along the way. We are not interested in doing that just to accommodate the road closures. I also learned that the day before is a separate mini-marathon, also affecting the hotel we had booked. Being forced to alter our schedule to accommodate the race did not work for us. Plan B does.

Lunch is only bento boxes from what I read. No nigiri or sashimi, which is what I most enjoy.

I looked at that as an option but it just was too forced. I also learned that there is a mini-marathon the day prior that also will have roads closed. Not worth it. I'm happy with my Downton Abbey decision 😄

I decided to avoid London altogether this trip and booked a lovely manor home in the country instead. Thanks!

We are spending a few days in London prior to boarding Ovation later this month. I just learned from our driver that streets in a five block radius of our hotel will be closed from 7:30am on. Our option is to leave by 7am (which puts us in Dover at 9am) or change hotels to be out of the path of the marathon. Hotels of course are far more expensive now than when I booked 6 months ago. We have no problem wandering about Dover for a few hours before boarding. Seabourn is advising we cannot drop luggage this early. What has been your experience with the earliest we can drop bags?

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed review! We are on Ovation in three weeks and I will share our thoughts upon return.

Yes, I would not accept for that cost either. Willing to roll the dice!

That's me most nights, if I last until 5am. That would qualify as sleeping in!

Understood. We will hope for good news and are willing to entertain an upsell. With less than 28 days to travel and wide availability mid ship, I am hoping for a decent location.

Yes, OB. Thanks!

We are sailing with friends on Ovation next month and chose to book Verandah guarantees. It was a nice savings and since all suites have verandahs only V2 and above are available to confirm, we made the decision to go for it. Currently there are 5 higher end suites and about 29 verandahs available. Does Seabourn generally offer upsells? If you have booked a GTY with SB what has your experience been? We have no expectations of an upper suite but wondering if they normally berth the mid ship Verandahs in the higher categories first. Can't wait in any case!

The diver scallops with seared pork belly in Prime 7 and the tuna tartare in CR were my favorite bites of the trip.

And how would you rank these: Silversea, Crystal, Regent, Windstar and Paul Gauguin.

We enjoyed Compass Rose in terms of food and service - with the exception of one night when both were off - however, the lighting (Navigator) was so bright as to make the restaurant's ambiance unappealing. They need to tone it down. We referred to is as the "helipad", especially in the center areas.

Yes, they have been. To each their own, I say. Hard pass for us.

He was last week.

I would say we are the average demographic for SB and taking our first SB in a few weeks on Ovation. We were sorely disappointed in the quality of live music on our Regent cruise earlier this month. We love live music and dancing and did not feel motivated to even listen to the band after two tries. We had much better entertainment on our two river cruises last year and danced the night away most nights until well past midnight. We do not want to sit and watch a show. Live music before dinner (jazz works for us!) and dance music after dinner are our preference. Regent offered a ventriloquist (the CD) and the shows that simply had no appeal. They felt dated and boring by description. I cannot speak to the quality as the description was not interesting enough to have us attend. I am hoping that the Ovation next month offers better options - and quality - for live music and dancing that is not limited to Sinatra type music. While I love Sinatra and enjoy his music interspersed with a more contemporary playlist, we would love to dance the night away. A good DJ would be preferable to what we had for a week on Regent.

We are very recently off Navigator. I would estimate that 25% of the men wore sport coats on a regular basis, more in Prime 7. It was a Caribbean sailing. The vast majority were in long sleeve, button down shirts in the evening.

Two open staterooms on Navigator last week. It taxed the ship's facilities IMO.

On a similar note, we dress for dinner here at home when going to a nice restaurant and intend to do the same on our Seabourn cruise next month. We were recently on Regent and most guests - but definitely not all - did dress nicely for dinner. Will I be out of place wearing a cocktail dress a few nights of our 12 night cruise?

Same, but ended at 10:30am so not what I consider a brunch.

Tried this twice, last night at 7:15 and the previous at 7pm. They were not accepting waitlist for a table and we were advised we could not be accommodated any time that evening.

Go to the Destination Services desk upon boarding. They were very helpful.

Its nice that you feel that way and hopefully you can sail with him soon We do care about activities and live music. We have not been to a show nor do we plan to.

Thanks for this. We are on Navigator and also are underwhelmed with dining as well as other aspects of the ship. Pool area is very congested and chair hogs out early to save their seats. It is undersized for the ship. Fitness also lacking onboard with a cramped gym and no classes. CD has to be in his 70's, an odd choice IMO. Excursions so far not impressive. I was thinking it was just our ship but seems not to be the case. I am also excited for Explora and looking at them for next year.