offtoalaska

I took the plunge on New Year's Day 2020; the crew on the Seabourn Quest did a great job in organizing the event. I don't recall the no. of participants but it was dozens on that sunny day off the coast of Base Aerea Antartica. I love looking at my certificate on my desk. Don't recall Jaegermeister but a group of us went to the whirlpools on the pool deck and enjoyed shots of Becherovka, a Czech herbal, liqueur (heavy on clove, cinnamon and star anise flavors.) My DH did not participate but did cheer me on. Go for it if you're healthy; I was 72 at the time and plan to do it again at some point in the future. The water temperature was 34 degrees F. Air temp was around 40 degrees.

Sailed on the Ovation in June; stayed in cabin 548; liked the location - low and mid ship and close to the launderette; sailing on the Encore Sept 2024 and chose 547; declined a two category upgrade because of my good experience this past June.

Thanks so much. We'll stick with the plan.

Thank you for the info. Would you sail in an ocean view again with these changes to storage?

Has anyone sailed on NC Serenity in a double ocean view cabin? The drawer storage seems to have disappeared and I'm wondering if this will be problematic. We typically sail on Seabourn where there is lots of storage. Originally booked Aquamarine suite but traded down due to an unexpected assessment from last year's hurricane (FL.) Not sure if we're going to feel comfortable and may cancel before final pay next week. I can see that hanging storage is more limited due to placement of safe. Any feedback would be appreciated. I believe there had been previous comments but can't find them.

Was that recently or on "Old" Crystal?

Thanks for the quick response; so I think for a 13 night cruise we have access to two dinners without an additional charge. It's been quite a while since we've been on Crystal (2017) so we're looking forward to our Caribbean voyage in January. Seabourn became our go to line but we're done flying into SXM or BGI to catch their ships. Miami is so much easier; I believe the Serenity will be at Terminal J; so easy- just drop off luggage, park the car and a very short walk to enter the terminal. Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale in 2025 will be even better.

Does dining at the sushi bar count toward the limited access to Umi Uma?

Also it is important that Crystal revise the Jan 5 voyage description on their website which still references a stop in St. Barts; some may read this and not notice that Gustavia is no longer listed nor on the map for that itinerary. Not a problem for me butI'll contact my TA.

We're on Serenity's Jan 5 voyage and wish St. Barts had remained on the itinerary even though we've been there several times. Not a fan of St. Martin although it is somewhat nicer IMO than St. Maarten. Seabourn made a similar change recently on one of their Caribbean trips but I did receive direct notification. I ultimately cancelled in favor of the Crystal voyage. Still a good itinerary - Les Saintes, Jost Van Dyke and San Juan in particular.

The launderette is open from 6 am to midnight seven days a week.

We sailed on the Quest Dec 2019 for a 24 day Antarctic holiday voyage from Buenos Aires. DH wore his tux several times and was not out of place. We do like to dress for dinner but we fit in with the rest of the passengers. Do keep in mind that Christmas and NYE occured during our trip. A November trip on the Venture might see a different mix of dress.

My DH and I booked this cruise earlier this week. Good itinerary; the rollcall is very quiet. Wondering if anyone else is joining us. We've found an excursion that will pick up at our ship which is great given we are in Akranes and not Reyjkavik. See the Ovation roll call June 25 - Jul 9 for details.

Thank you. That's a great site.

What sight are you monitoring for sea conditions? We're booked on the Ovation departing Copenhagen on Jun 25; our crossing to Iceland from Gothenburg Sweden departs 6 pm Jun 26 with two sea days arriving Djupivogur, Iceland at 8 am on the 29th. A little anxious about the sea days although we did weather Drake Passage in Dec/Jan 2019. Hopefully weather might be calmer in late June.

We sailed on the Splendour in February; we were in a G2 category suite (deluxe veranda) and there was a freestanding light up makeup mirror on the dressing table. Enjoy your voyage.

My TA doesn't have any specifics; I've checked and I can get travel insurance which would cover any default scenarios. The Crystal agent was great to speak with and provided good info regarding how past guests were compensated during the transition from old Crystal to the new Crystal. We've booked the Serenity sailing from Miami on Jan 5 2024 and are eager to get back on board.

Just contacted my TA to book a Serenity sailing in January; she indicated that "Regarding Crystal, we are not booking them due to their financial status and the industry reviews of their stability. (It's been a rough road for them since Covid). Our insurance company is not insuring them at this time. " Hmm I was really eager to book the Jan 5 2024 sailing now hesitant. Any comments are appreciated.

Thank you all for your thoughts; we've decided to stick with our Grandeur cruise Feb 5 - 17. Why? Many of the staff and crew that we so enjoyed on our Spendor voyage are scheduled to be on the Grandeur . The excursions we've booked seem attractive even though we've been to ABC and other stops before. Celebrating the Super Bowl and Valentines Day on RSSC is sure to be great fun. The savings when the excursions are included is nada over Oceania. Thanks again.

We're booked on the Grandeur next February in an F2 cabin for a 12 night Caribbean cruise. Oceania has a similar itinerary on their new ship the Vista about the same time. When I compare the costs all in RSSC vs Oceania (same cabin category, prestige bev pkg and gratuities) it appears I could save about 25%. No interest in the excursions, so thinking perhaps I should cancel and re-book on Oceania's Vista. Has anyone sailed on both and have any comments? We typically sail with Seabourn; tried RSSC once; Crystal many times. Food and service are most important; entertainment less so. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

We live on Lake Keowee, near Clemson. Second home is in Ponce Inlet FL. Booked on our first Regent cruise Jan 21 - Feb 1 on the Splendor. Looking forward to getting back to cruising after a nearly three year hiatus due to Covid. Usually sail with Seabourn and Crystal (eager to see what Geoffrey Kent aka founder of Abercrombie and Kent vacations does with the Symphony and Serenity.) Only cabin available was G1 which is fine but wish we could have unlimited device and logins instead of the one device limit for our cabin category. Anyone know the cost of adding another device? How many PCs are in the Splendor's business center and is there a charge for using the internet there? Thanks in advance for any replies.