jrmuk

On 3/21/2022 at 11:40 AM, travelwell said:

@jrmuk, thank you for your review. i have sailed all the lux lines except SS with Regent and Seabourn my favorites. Your review has me concerned with your up-selling experience. I have never seen this on Seabourn and your wife stating your cruise felt like Crystal has me even more concerned. I am used to a very different vibe on Seabourn vers Crystal. We do tend to book the smaller ships. (really miss the three sister ships). We have a long cruise on the Odyssey next year so post Covid reviews are helpful. I do recognize the length of the cruise and cruise destination can change the passenger mix and cruise vibe dramatically.

 

BTW, Happy Anniversary! 

Thank you.

As I said the upsell wasn’t intrusive and it didn’t bother us. 

However, for completeness, and as in our opinion it was definitely a step change from our previous experience on Seabourn, I thought it worth mentioning.

And to reiterate, we had a fab time👍🏻

Hi Isklaar,

Thank you - Sorry I had missed your post.
I had originally wanted to blog about our anniversary cruise but it was somewhat hijacked so I lost interest in repeating what others had rushed to post.

If you are in the Wintergarden suite I’m certain you will thoroughly enjoy yourself.

Maybe I over egged the upselling, it wasn’t intrusive, just not very Seabourn.

The Chateau Latour Camblanes Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux was included and very nice, however we preferred the Cardwell Hill Pinot Noir Willamette

Warning, long review….

Background.

My wife and I have been sailing with Seabourn since 2010 on the Odyssey, the Quest, the Spirit and now the Encore. We have also sailed on Crystals Symphony and Serenity. In total we have well over 100 nights at sea.

This cruise was a replacement for a 2020 cruise we had planned for a special wedding anniversary that was covid’ised.

We booked this cruise for two reasons, 1) we liked the itinerary (warm weather) and 2) the per diem was lower than usual meaning we could splash for a large suite.

We left home all excited hoping this cruise would live up to the standards we loved previously and couldn’t wait to get onboard.

Embarkation

Even with all of the covid protocols in place it was a smooth operation, lots of passengers had ignored the embarkation time due to hotel check-out times and flight arrivals but it didn’t slow things down at all.

There was a mocktail greeting in the latter stages of check-in whereas I remember champagne at check-in on our first Odyssey cruise.

First impressions

Everything seemed as normal, very crisp appearance, no real sign the ship had been laid up for virtually 2 years and only had 10 nights under it’s belt before we arrived.

Our suite attendant arrived within seconds of us with a tray of Champers and hors d'oeuvres and began to show us around.

Suite

Our suite (one of the wintergarden suites) was amazing, very indulgent and slightly decadent but if covid has taught me one thing it is carp diem.

The main living area is so roomy and comfortable, there is a dining table set for six, there is a large sofa and two armchairs. The TV was huge (65” I think) and on the bar there was six bottles of liquor and a bottle of red wine. The fridge had spare champagne, white wine, beer and a selection of soft drinks all of which were replenished daily without the need to ask.

The bedroom is comfortable but the space between the sofa at the foot of the bed and wall is a little tight. Again another 65” TV, a large mirror with a dressing table in front. Bedside cabinets and sockets each side but still no USB sockets. The walk-in wardrobe was huge with scores of hangers, the only issue was the twin doors had no hold to keep them open so they would swing, quite wildly sometimes, if you didn’t close them on rougher sea days.

The bathroom was bathed in marble (Encore uses a grey marble unlike the odyssey class which use brown, I much prefer the grey). There is a walk-in shower that could hold six people with various overhead shower jets, a large marble seat and shelves full of Molten Brown bottles.

The main bathroom is very large with a huge whirlpool bath with separate shower head. There are two sinks and a very large mirror. The lighting can be switched between dull, bright, to bathed in sunlight bright. Adjacent there is a sliding door to a separate toilet.

The veranda is split into two, with one side open and the other closed in with glass. In the closed in area there is a six person jacuzzi and two lounge chairs with foot rests. On the open air part of the veranda there is a table with 4 chairs and a large Balinese stye double sun lounger. The veranda overhangs the ship and so is very good for sunbathing. Back inside there is a small bar area with separate outside door which presumably is if you want bar service they can come and go through that door. Then there is another guest bathroom. There is also a small library with travel books, a writing table and a side table. The room also came with some Swarovski binoculars which are exceptionally good.

Previously we have sailed in a level 4 picture window, various verandas suites and also a penthouse spa suite. Obviously this was the largest of  them all and the best, but in my opinion if you’re not very comfortable, or celebrating something special, a normal veranda is probably the best bet.

Being in the Wintergarden suite answers a question I was always curious about. Do guests in the larger suites get better service? In my opinion once you leave your suite you’re treated no differently. In the suite it’s a little different, you can have anything delivered that is available, a bottle of tequila sir, no problem, special room service from TKG or sushi, let me see, I’m sure I can organise something.  However,  anywhere else it seems to be everyone is created equal (which I like).

Dining.

We ate at the colonnade twice for lunch. The first was on embarkation day and the food was underwhelming. We gave it another go one day when we returned from shore late and the MDR was closed. On this occasion and it was OK. Then one day when we again arrived aboard late it was full to the brim, not a single table was free and the buffet area was packed, we virtually ran to the MDR which was minutes from closing and grabbed a table. We never returned to the colonnade. It’s worth noting the service on both occasions we ate there was excellent

TK Grills, we dined there on three occasions. The first was a cheeky first night check and they were quiet, the second was our pre-booked evening and the third was on a sea day when the ship was rocking and rolling and there were lots of cancellations due to seasickness. The first two times I ate the RR bone in rib which was absolutely amazing. The third time I had an off the normal menu ribeye which was average. My wife tried the lobster, the table side sole and a rib eye, she rated the lobster as fabulous, the sole as great but huge and the steak like myself average. All of the sides on TKG are amazing as was our service. I ordered wine from the vintage menu on one occasion and it was very nice, the second time the sommelier mixed us up with another couple and when I asked for the same wine he served us something different which was very nice but turned out to be very expensive. I mentioned this in SS and they offered to remove it completely from our bill but I asked them to change it to the cost of the wine we were expecting which they did.

Sushi, we ate there twice for lunch and once for the special chef’s night. All of the food and service was amazing and we would have eaten there more if it were not a little informal and we were all formal this cruise (two suits and a tux….).

The MDR, we dined here for every other meal and it was a bit of a mixed bag. The majority of the time the food was excellent but I had three plates that were well below average and I had to speak to the waiter about them. All three were meat dishes that were overcooked, dry and under seasoned. We also had the misfortune to sit at the corner table near the galley that has a broken door so it was all plates and pans clattering and rowdy chefs, I mentioned this to the waiter and SS and received an apology form the F&B manager but on two more occasions we were steered to that corner and had to say no. I’m not sure when Seabourn introduced the MDR entrance host but I preferred the maître d' greeting us. The host was very friendly and remembered our names but was just not as attentive as the maître d's were. Eventually we found our favourite waiter (Peruvian Oscar) and from then on asked to sit in his area.

We tried the afternoon tea in the observation lounge and thoroughly enjoyed it, however, it is very dangerous to have such tasty food available at 4pm….

We ordered room service for breakfast every day. It was a true luxury to have the veranda table set with table cloth and silverware and enjoy a leisurely breakfast watching the sunrise. This was one of the real highlights of our cruise.

Outdoors

Because we had a lovely balcony we didn’t spend much time out on the main deck but whenever we did (operatic singing, sail away, rock the boat, caviar etc) it always seemed overcrowded.

We spent one day in the “retreat”. I realise there is a lot of debate about the use of such a large space for a small amount of patronage and even though we really enjoyed it, it did seem to make the ship have a two class scenario. The wine, champagne, food and service all seemed that much better and more attentive. In fact I’d go so far as to say the retreat was more akin to what we experienced on our first few Seabourn cruises.

Entertainment.

We thoroughly enjoyed all of the entertainment from the shows to the outdoor singing, the observation lounge duo and the pianist in TKG. However, we found the club band a little lacking in energy and a bit boring at times. It didn’t seem to stop some though, on one occasion there seemed to be some kind of “dance off” between some couples which was a bit unsavoury. I thought to myself I bet they are on a freebie, but then on the club cocktail night they were there so I guess class is not something you can buy (that may sound rude but at one point the gentleman shook my bar stool rigorously to try to coax my wife and I to dance and then asked us to move to allow their friends to sit next to them so they deserve my rudeness…)

Gym

Having eyes slightly larger than my stomach requires frequent exercise and the gym on the Encore is in a different league to the Odyssey class ships, it is so more airy and better equipped but left no excuse for not going...

Seabourn Square (SS)

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything but praise for SS and agree with it all.

Observations.

IMHO the Encore sized ship is not as good as the Odyssey. There is not sufficiently additional deck space to account for the additional passengers. Our cruise only had 400 or so passengers and seemed busy on deck and in the colonnade.  I can’t imagine how it would be if it was full on a day at sea in sunny climes. I anecdotally heard of lounger hogging and even though I didn’t hear of a single German onboard they must have been there as the Brits never reserve loungers, do they….

This cruise was only the second cruise after nearly two years out of service and so the entire crew had little more than 30 days before we embarked to get to know one another and the ship. There were lots of first time crew members as a lot of the South African crew were unable to join due to covid restrictions. This did show in some “malfunctions” but even during the 11 days we were aboard you could tell they were gelling more and more so I think they will be up to speed in no time.

The service crew are now very diverse, on previous cruises with Seabourn it was a very un diverse crew. This time we had crew from all nationalities which seemed more representative than it did in the past so well done Seabourn for embracing EDI.

At the club cocktaiL party they said there was just over half returning customers. I thought there were some overly demanding guests (we heard a few grumbles mainly about nothing much) who maybe had very high expectations. I truly believe that if you seek perfection you seek disappointment as perfection is very rare.

And so, to the question of what are my overall thoughts. Well, if I’m honest, I would have to say this cruise fell short on what we have previously encountered on Seabourn. The attention to detail was just not a good as it used to be. I also think Seabourn may be morphing into more of a US brand versus the original British brand. There is upsell everywhere, when you sit at the table in TKG the menu is handed to you at the love you for wine list page. In the colonnade there were two wine waiters with wine explaining the vintage packages. If you asked a sommelier for advice they never mentioned the house wines it was always a vintage wine. I think my wife summed it up quite well, she said this is more like Crystal than Seabourn and I have to agree with her to some degree. OK there is no photographer or expectation of tips but the whole feel was definitely less formal. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing I will leave you to decide but I’ll finish by saying that regardless of any minor hiccups and upselling, we left the ship extremely happy (not happy to leave the ship obviously, we would have stayed onboard if we could have….)

Will return to Seabourn? more than probably, but then again, maybe we’ll try Silversea or even Regent, or not…..

I suppose it is worth considering that this is only the second cruise in the restart of the Encore which has been out of service for nearly a year. There is a lot of new staff and the crew are still getting into their rhythm, there is no lack of effort and I think they’ll polish things cruise after cruise. 

It’s also worth noting that the cruise cost per diem is much lower than pre-covid and that may have attracted less formal guests. In comparison, a like for like suite on this cruise was less than an odyssey cruise we took 12 years ago and this one included flights.

I suppose the real question is where Seabourn want to position itself long term, ultra luxury and exclusive or attainable luxury? Money and markets will ultimately define the cruise industry but with the cost of oil at over $100/barrel margins are tight and I think fuller ships are more attractive which could mean lower prices and standards.

Having said all of that, we are still really enjoying ourselves and I would say to anyone thinking of booking a Seabourn cruise to do it. If covid has taught me anything it is life is short and very precious and we should grasp it with both hands.

Half time review.

The larger Encore is so similar and yet at the same time so different to the Odyssey class. It is less intimate and, in our opinion, feels more like Crystal than Seabourn (we’ve sailed on both several times). This may be a positive or negative depending on your point of view. However, there is more emphasis on upselling than I’ve seen previously which is a negative in our opinion. Also, I’m not sure when it started, but the colonnade is now a buffet restaurant in the evening which it wasn’t the last time we sailed on the Quest which is another negative for us.

On this particular cruise the guest demographic is a little unusual in that there seems to be a lot of “first timers” and we have both noted a far more casual approach to attire. Apart from the last night of a cruise I’ve never seen a sports polo shirt in the MDR until last night. We’ve also been questioned about our suite type a couple of times in a kind in Harry Enfield way (https://twitter.com/harryenfield6/status/1178586453841977344?s=21)

However, some things are just as good as ever, the staff are extremely friendly and attentive and nothing is ever a problem. The suites are just as well appointed and very comfortable. The drinks flow freely and we have met some really nice people and even shared emails.

We moved away from cruising as it had become a bit “same same” for us, will this cruise change our minds? Let’s see how the second half goes.
 

PS Happy for any comments or queries but would appreciate if you want to blog if you could start your own topic👍🏻

Good gym session with my wife trying the leg compression trousers that are quite comical but apparently really good…

Lunch in the colonnade today was fine (as they say In Aberdeen), we’re really not buffet people but enjoyed it all the same.

A short walk around town was nice, the port of Santa la Cruz de Tenerife is neither historical nor beautiful but it has a nice vibe.

Our TVs live stream have been off most of the day which helped us stop focussing on the awful situation in Ukraine. However, the feeling of apprehension over what is happening to the people of Ukraine is very worrying.

We ate dinner in the main dining room for the first time tonight and we were decidedly unimpressed. We’re used to being blown away in the MDR but this was only a little above average. I was so disappointed as I wax lyrical to all and sundry about how good the Seabourn MDR is and so it felt a bit personal….

Anyway, the show tonight was very enjoyable, Seabourn have realised the ballroom dancers are a real asset and included them in the show which really lifted it.

A quick night cap in the observation. lounge then off to bed for an early start in the morning.

Night night.

Here you go rucrazy.

Great night in TK max (🤣😂)

Can’t believe I managed this….again 🐷 

Something I’ve noted, the staff don’t seem to have to try to remember your names, obviously the ones you deal with tend to but in days gone by on Odyssey class ships and even more so on the little sisters, every member of staff were calling you by your names on the second or third day.

I’ve arranged for some extra firm pillows as the standard ones are for display purposes only. Once you put your head down they flatten and rise around your head so you end up in a sort of pillow cocoon.

We’re off to gym now to try to lose the 3k+ calories I ate at dinner…

The provided masks are KN95 and are readily available.

Although reported that from 01/Mar masks would be advisory they are actually compulsory. However, once sat down to eat of drink they can come off so it is not too intrusive👍🏻
 

We’re off to the grill again tonight which we’ve accidentally renamed TK Max….

The sushi night was definitely worth it if you like sushi/sashimi/nigiri etc

IT was so nice I had two of the courses twice….

I can confirm, as stated above, we have not shown out covid vaccination certificate once since leaving home. In Funcal we only needed our room key to enter and return.

We did the E-bike tour of Funchal this morning which was really good and we met some really nice people too.

Time for lunch in the main dining room.

Yes our second night (sea day) is our formal night.

Special sushi menu.

Day two was another early rise due to an early night.

We ate breakfast in our room, I ordered too much (as usual) and ate more than I wanted as I get leftover food guilt.

We then went to the gym which is much much better than the Odyssey class ships (and don’t get me started in the little sisters). You can have a good work out although the heaviest dumbbell is only 50LBS there are plenty machines and it’s airy and well spaced out.

We ate lunch at Sushi, we mixed and matched a bit and had a really nice selection on of teriyaki, noodles and rolls.

The waiter has convinced us to return for dinner tonight as there is a once in cruise set menu, even though it’s the formal night and I’ve brought a tux, I told him he was wasted on service he should be in sales.

Quiet afternoon mulling around and drinking coffee at Seabourn square.

We’re now off for sushi and another early’ish night as we have an e-bike tour at 8:30am

Very lucky to get a last minute reservation in the grill by Thomas Keller 🥩 

We had the prawn cocktail and Caesar  salad to start. 🦐 🥗 

We then had the lobster Thermidor and the on the bone rib eye.

Totally fabulous food, the steak was almost 1kg and I struggled a bit but managed to finish it and even enjoyed an ice cream sundae dessert. My wife said the Thermidor was fabulous.

Unusually for us we drank cocktails all night and they were amazing.🍹  🍸 

Long day, lots of fab food and drink, early night, again… 😴 

We are onboard 👍🏻
 

We arrived at our embarkation time of 12:40 to be met by a sea of guests ahead of us - lots are not adhering to their allotted times but I can understand why as if your flight has arrived or you’ve checked out your hotel what else can you do?

Check in didn’t take long, bit of blur of baggage checkin , pre-assessment forms, covid tests, multiple passport checks, photos and then we were onboard.

We went straight to our suite, met our stewardess and drank our welcome champagne.  

We then went to the colonnade for lunch and mosie around the ship.

NB there is no muster drill now, instead there’s an in suite video and muster introduction which was less intrusive but equally informative.

There was a wine selection in the colonnade entrance with a couple of sommeliers in attendance. At first I thought it was the included wines but it was actually some premium wines and some information about the reserve selection and other special (paid for) wine events. This is new to us and more akin to Crystal - it would have been nice to have been introduced to the included wines. 

It goes without saying ALL of the staff were fantastic and friendly and we are already feeling extra special and can’t wait for the best 11 nights.

Time for a nap to prepare for tonight.….

10 hours ago, claranda said:

Hi jrmuk

Just to let you know that your ship is at this moment sailing safely up the Tagus after a couple of slightly choppy final sea days. If you’re celebrating you might want to try the Sommelier’s Lunch, which we had today. Really splendid, but we’re rather feeling the cumulative effects of 10 days rich food and wine and will be happy to revert to simpler fare - until the next time!

Hi claranda, it looks amazing, we attended something similar on a Crystal holiday cruise in the connoisseurs club.

If I remember correctly it was $500 which in hindsight was a little OTT as my wine palate is not honed to $200+ wine but we did enjoy it and I’m a sucker for an up sell 😂🤣

Made it to the hotel with one case minus a wheel….

We did not have to show any covid vaccine or locator forms which was a bit weird as I thought they’d have been been really strict but it was just the usual passport control and nothing more.

We’re off out to The Lisboa a Noite restaurant then and early night.

Well here we are finally en route to Portugal, a day late due to the BA meltdown and moved onto this mornings redeye from row 2 to row 36…..However, nothing will dampen our excitement for what will be a very belated 30th wedding anniversary celebration cruise.

I’ll pop the occasional update on this thread as we go and answer any questions when I can.

Cheers,

John. 

Does anyone know if Seabourn still caters for in suite dinner parties?

We often meet other guests and have a meal together and thought it might be fun to do it in the suite.

I’d say 815, we’ve stayed in rooms adjacent to the lift on quest and didn’t hear anything. The lifts are hydraulic and so there’s no clattering cables.

whenever I pass through a door to outside I always try hard not to let it slam but know others aren’t so careful.

Noise below the pool is a constant complaint I’ve heard many times.

Is this your first time in Seabourn, do you know about the referral scheme? If you want referring and getting $250 onboard credit send me an email to jgbm80 @ aol.com (removing the space I put to stop bots hovering my email address).

Cheers,

john.

1 hour ago, firsttimers68 said:

Same here! Been using them for a few years now and always excellent service. I was especially pleased to receive the upset email and lucky enough to get a PH Spa suite.

I’ve the same TA too

Did you mean upgrade email? If so how far out did you get if?

7 minutes ago, longton said:

I am based in the UK.

 

I received this from my TA:

 

I am emailing you regarding your forthcoming voyage on Seabourn Encore 22^nd March 2022.

 

Since my previous email, Seabourn have been in contact to advise that they are no longer requiring guests to have a Covid test prior to arriving in Portugal.

 

Seabourn are still strongly advising guests to partake in a test before arriving at the port and leaving for Portugal as if you were to test positive at check-in you will be required to quarantine which Seabourn cannot intervene with, and any financial costs cannot be covered by Seabourn for any mandatory quarantine.

 

Me too, I just received the same email so that's one less thing to worry about.

Hopefully the mandatory mask rule may be relaxed soon too.

I’m very confused.

My problem is not so much the cost of the tests, although I’d not like to waste money on tests if they are not required, my issue is that we set off two days before the cruise to spend two nights in Lisbon.

I therefore can’t get a test at home and would have to arrange something in Lisbon which would be more difficult.

If it’s a case of take a chance and pay $100/each if I get it wrong, then so be it, but what worries me is being denied boarding because of missing test results.

fyi as a UK citizens we have free lateral flow test kits that we administer regularly and we’ll be self testing along the way so we expect any quayside test to match our own tests.

I found this out searching for what tests we needed as I was going to book ours today so saved some money👍🏻

Portugal have just announced that you do not need to take a covid test before entry if you are vaccinated.

https://www.visitportugal.com/en/content/covid-19-measures-implemented-portugal