jenidallas

On 12/7/2023 at 12:21 PM, chuckncole said:

For the most part lunch (with exception of sushi) at each venue looks the same. shrimp cocktail, garden salad hamburger, hotdog, chicken breast, minute steak all with fries... a small addition here or there but basic that is what is served at every venue, 

This is one of the reasons why I like the Retreat on the larger ships.  The lunch menu is far more interesting to me so in addition to my daily spa credit, guaranteed shade on deck, and padded loungers I can also get the room service menu for breakfast and their menu (or anything on room service) for lunch.

On 12/6/2023 at 6:23 PM, SLSD said:

  I don't think you can generalize about Americans.  We would never request an Indian meal.  

This American enjoyed a specially prepared Indian dinner on Odyssey following our ceremony officiated by the captain.
 

Different strokes for different folks, but this American loves great Indian food which is very hard to come by where I live.

On 12/4/2023 at 8:33 AM, CalTexCruiser said:

 

This is unexpected.  I thought I read a post by someone else that the credit was applied on a per-day basis, so if one did not use spa services on any given day, the $ 50 credit would be lost.

 

If it is indeed accumulated, that would be great for someone who uses a lot of spa services...makes booking the Retreat almost a no-brainer in that case.

 

I think that at one time they were on a per-day basis, but that was also when they thought they had adequate staff to provide massages in the dedicated spa cabana on the Retreat deck. I have yet to be able to get a massage up there and on our recent 14-day experience in the area, it sat open and unused for the duration of the sailing.

The spa credit is added to the onboard account as a separate $50 credit for each day the Retreat is booked, but I can confirm from my experience disembarking last Sunday that they will aggregate and apply them to any spa service rendered during the sailing automatically.  If you book for the entire sailing, all the $50 credits show up at once.  

Just now, Covepointcruiser said:

No, you can’t reserve a specific cabana.    We go up early, they open at 9:00 AM and select the one we like.  We all seem to have different favorites.

That’s strange that they wouldn’t let you.  We went up on the first day and reserved #10 for the duration of the sailing. Two others were already reserved/unavailable when we went up.

Another thank you for the thorough review.  As we board Ovation in a week's time, it is helpful to have a current view of the baseline expectation and potential shortcomings.

I have never been impressed with the excursions offered on Seabourn.  In fact, I've twice ended up with a refund of excursion fees because the actual excursion fell far short of what was described. Based on past experiences, I think they have particular execution issues in ports they don't frequent repeatedly in a season as they are relying more heavily on the local operators to provide accurate information.  Similarly, excursions that are "new" to Seabourn or in a port they are returning to after a long absence can be dicey. We had that issue being on one of the earliest sailings in the Alaska "return" season in 2017 - the local operators were pros, but used to servicing Princess and HAL passengers, not Seabourn passengers, so they didn't understand that they couldn't jam us into their full capacity on busses - or combine our small group with another large cruise operator for efficiency.  I've also found that being in the Mediterranean on the very early/very late edges of shoulder season leads to quite a few issues with closures.  

1 minute ago, ephguy said:

My mom seems to mostly be concerned because she has never been on a cruise before, and has images in her head of crowded megaships.

Both of my parents got the latest booster a month ago, had mild covid cases a year ago, and are in good overall health. They go indoors to stores and restaurants regularly, my dad never masked and my mom rarely masked. 

Please reassure your mother that Seabourn is nothing like the crowded megaships.  The closest she'll ever need to be to another person is easily arms length apart for almost any activity or venue on Seabourn - and its easier than that to enjoy almost all Seabourn has to offer without being in anyone else's space bubble.  

The theatre is designed like little private lounge areas... your parents can have small sofa to themselves with the next nearest person 3-4 feet away.  Ditto enjoying afternoon tea or the like.  As others have mentioned, exceptions would be participating in group activities where people cluster by nature of the activity - team trivia, playing bridge in the card room, or sitting at a blackjack table at a peak casino time.  Beyond that, I think they will find that they will have plenty of personal space.

Honestly, the airport and airplane are likely going to be their most significant risk areas.  If they feel like they are comfortable with that then the rest of the cruise is going to be a breeze.

I’m going to echo the “if this is really an extreme concern, stay home” advice.  They’ll face bigger crowds on the airplane and in the airport than they will anywhere on a Seabourn sailing. So unless they plan on swimming to/from the embarkation/disembarkation ports it frankly seems silly to take the risks to get there and then refuse to enjoy most of the experience they are paying for. Seabourn doesn’t ever pack passengers in the way you might be imagining.  For example. I’ve never been on a Seabourn tender with more than 40 people which is about 1/3rd or 1/4th the amount a mainline cruise would squeeze into tte same space.  You aren’t hip-to-hip in the theatre or standing in crowded queues at the port.  It just does not happen.

In that vein, I took a Silversea cruise to Alaska this summer.  The sailing was fine - no crowds except for when I was completely off the ship, specifically the airports, when I was out and about in one Alaskan port at the same time two mega ships were there, and on a whale watching ship after disembarkation. I came home with Covid and based on the likely incubation time and observed circumstances, I almost surely caught it on that whale watching boat.
 

I ended up taking to a lot of people who weee in Alaska in June, July, and August and a significant number came home with Covid so it was presumably everywhere.  Presumably the Caribbean in the winter will be the same.

Does anyone have any updates on this implementation?  It looked like Odyssey and Encore both got it in October… but does anyone onboard the other ships have updates?

I'm specifically interested in Ovation since I board in two weeks, but I’m sure others want to know about the remaining ships as well. 

On 10/10/2023 at 8:05 AM, frantic36 said:

I also send condolences as I remember seeing your beautiful wedding photos from onboard Seabourn. Take care and you and your Mom have a wonderful cruise.

Thank you Julie and SLSD.  This would have been our fifth anniversary on this sailing.  I’m grateful for the time we had although it was unexpectedly short.  I’m glad my mom can come with me for this as she also loves Seabourn transatlantics!

7 minutes ago, SLSD said:

Good to see you posting JeniDallas!

Thank you!  I'm slowly reemerging from the insanity of the last couple of years and getting back to travel.

Mom and i decided to pre-book the full 14 days for our transatlantic on Ovation next month.  We have tons of onboard credit and like knowing we can have shade while still being outside.  My late husband and I enjoyed The Retreat as a bit of a quiet spot on the ship without having to remain in our suite.

I anticipate we'll use our cabana as a bit of a daytime HQ while wandering off to do other things (lectures, trivia) while knowing we won't lose our shaded spot.  I know from past experience that as long as I get one of the cabanas that is on the side (and not the center ones) that the shutters open up for a sea view.  And it's a guaranteed patio table for lunch, which isn't always easy to come by on a nice transatlantic day.  Everything else is just a bonus - we don't really drink but will hopefully make friends with potential dinner partners who don't mine us bringing a bottle of premium champagne to share with the table.  

I'm SO excited to see this and hope it makes its way to Ovation in time for our November transatlantic.  I very rarely drink these days and look forward to being able to enjoy something interesting at cocktail hour (and beyond).  

This was one of my criticisms of Silversea earlier this year.  No mocktails on menus, not even on request.  I only found one bartender onboard willing to try to make me anything that wasn't a shirley temple or straight fruit juice - all way too sweet.  I otherwise drank them dry of every bottle of NA sparkling wine they had loaded.  

On that note, does anyone know what NA sparkling wine Seabourn stocks?  I know it's been reported they have one.  

I’m very excited about this news. I am sometimes worn out from busy days so a nice dinner and movie night in my pajamas is my idea of a perfect evening!

On 6/2/2023 at 1:49 PM, jimdee3636 said:

A Friends of Bill meeting on an alcohol-included line like Silversea must be, for them, like going into the lion's den---an expensive trip to the lion's den, given that in effect they're subsidizing everyone else's alcohol consumption. It's certainly a test of their will power. Having said that, though, I admire them for recognizing their problem and doing something about it. There are few things worse than being an alcoholic.

One could be judgmental and misguided… both worse in my book.

On 12/29/2022 at 9:01 PM, TakingFlight said:

I second that recommendation! Unfortunately we have been unable to participate due to the fact that they do not offer the Yacht experience  every day and our timing  was off. They are offer it on January 14th. Good luck!

 
A third endorsement for this… I’m not a big shore excursion person, but I’ve done this one twice and would happily do it again.  

On 11/25/2022 at 5:23 AM, saminina said:

A child in charge of the new Seabourn.

Goad to know that those of us in our 50s are “children”… I’ll feel incredibly young if I ever have the pleasure of cruising with you! 😉. 

16 hours ago, frantic36 said:

 

When I was onboard in July/August on Sojourn they didn't offer dipped powder only gel, acrylic and standard. I did find the choice of colours limited and generally conservative but that's just me.🙂. I am taking some chrome powders for my long Quest cruise and hopefully they are okay to use them and mix things up a bit.

Thank you! My nail specialist here thinks I’m the most boring client with my ultra-neutral nails, but that’s a great idea for mixing things up.

I’ll start altering my standing appointments now so that I can stretch my dip, but I’ll plan a pedi midway.  😍

4 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

Get nails done just before your trip. Use a light color and relax.

I’m aware that’s a possibility (and what I typically do) but that wasn’t my question. For a 16 night sailing that spans the holidays, it’s easier to NOT disrupt my normal cadence if I can avoid it.

Has the salon begun offering dipped nails? I hate the gel on my fingers as it peels. I’m trying to figure out if I need to shift my maintenance schedule at home to prepare for my cruise dates or if I can take care of it on the ship.

I’m glad this topic is still around… save for the dress code threads, this has been the most contentious topic over the past decade. These threads go back at least that far… the alarmist “The Restaurant is no longer open for breakfast/lunch thread” followed by all the debate defining what luxury is/isn’t.

I’ve yet to be on a sailing where The Restaurant is closed every day for breakfast/lunch.  I’ve been on a couple of port-intensive sailings with early docking a where breakfast was unavailable on those early days.  I was told it was because waiters were instead deployed to room service or The Colonnade to accommodate pre-tour rushes.  Likewise, I’ve seen some days closed to lunch when most guests were off the ship on long tours.  This seems to be something that Seabourn tries to plan for, but certainly misses the mark for those who want to dine on The Restaurant.

I personally love breakfasts/lunches in The Restaurant.  My husband, not so much, mainly because he loves “a bite of this, a bite of that” and doesn’t feel he can dine that way in The Restaurant - we end up compromising with The Colonnade so he can look at the buffet while I order off the menu.  My mom is a late sleeper on vacation so usually is up past the limited hours so when with her, we rarely end up dining there.  My girlfriends that I’ve sailed with are “up and at ‘em” sightseers, so we’ve usually dining with room service or in The Colonnade for speed.  And when I eat an early breakfast alone (I’m an early riser, even on vacation), I usually grab yogurt, coffee, and a pastry to enjoy at the back of Seabourn Square while I read the papers and work the daily puzzles.

But I still vote for The Restaurant being available when demand calls for it, even if it’s only sparsely utilized, because I like the option.

The ports on Athens/Istanbul are more appealing, but I do love the sail away out of Istanbul.  If the ports were the same, I’d pick Istanbul/Athens hands-down just for that experience.

Has anyone had good success getting NA beer other than Becks Blue stocked?  I seem to recall my husband enjoying a couple of other good European NAs when we were last onboard (without requesting them specially), but its been a hot minute since we last sailed pre-Covid.

Bumping this older thread based on an article that Silversea sent me last week about non-alcoholic cocktails and their S.A.L.T. program.  

How Do You Serve Travelers Who Don't Drink Alcohol? It's Easier Than You Think. - Discover by Silversea

I have not been back on Seabourn since I decided to take a break from the "leaded" stuff 32+ months ago, but I'm curious what might be new with NA beverages on Seabourn since we last discussed this two years ago?  There are so many more NA spirit companies that have expanded (some with major beverage conglomerate investment) like Ritual, Lyres, Monday, and Spiritless that I'm sure that the cruise lines may have advanced too, right?

2 hours ago, rucrazy said:

Question: Moving forward how stringent do you think Seabourn will get towards uncomplying guests?

No more stringent than they were at the riskiest heights of the pandemic.
 

In other words, vague encouragement and policies that meet legal and regulatory requirements , but nothing that risks conflict with a guest or otherwise creates an uncomfortable situation for anyone involved.  
 

That’s just my read based on real-time onboard comments and Seabourn’s replies to such inquiries. They will moderate toward a policy (non-policy) that allows them to keep sailing and earn passenger revenue.

On 2/25/2022 at 8:36 AM, CabinBoy2020 said:

I’m on my first Seabourn cruise end of April. Is it possible to dine with the real “help” (that’s a joke! Based on a quoted comment above)?  I mean waiters, bartenders, stateroom attendants etc.  These are the crew I find most interesting and sometimes form lasting connections with. Their lives are fascinating and challenging and are typically much different than mine. As a solo cruiser, I feel more of a bond with them as most are sailing without family. 

Not ON the ship, but we have enjoyed the company of some of these folks during port visits - either being quietly invited to join crew out while on a late night in port or being asked to pull up a chair when we’ve bumped into them at a local watering hole. But nothing was arranged or encouraged by the ship, just the result of getting to know many crew members over the years, which has also led to a couple of “night before embarkation” invites from those we stay in touch with.