FKGirl

Also, your Travel Agent should be able to get you decent fares. (I know I get really good one way fares to/from Europe for cruise clients!)

 

But yes, you could also just not use the return half.

I have a small group on the Oct 13 Malaga to San Juan itinerary (I'm a TA) and that includes a single. Yes, she already knows some of the other people going, but the very attractive single rates make the crossings ideal.

 

I have done a crossing on Seabourn (larger ship, but not "large" by any stretch) and I don't think anyone would have felt uncomfortable chatting, socializing and dining with others. The transatlantic itineraries are ideal for this!

I am somewhat older than you, but will also be in the "youngest on the ship" camp when we board a Uniworld ship next April. We have been in that situation before, and it never bothers us. I think as long as it doesn't come as a big surprise to you, it will be fine.

 

About U by Uniworld... I am sure their product is fantastic. It is less inclusive than the regular Uniworld and certainly more geared to the targeted age range. They don't even allow you to sail if you are over 45.

 

Also, please do use a travel agent. I have been a travel professional for a long time, and cannot begin to tell you the number of time I have been able to intervene and assist while someone is away, or just get them exactly what they want and save them a lot of time in the process. A good agent will compare a couple of choices for you.

I fit 54 items once... but that was a lot of undergarments, interspersed with pants, shorts, tee shirts...

 

Roll, stuff, and then add the small stuff at the end to fill in the spaces. You'd be surprised at how much you can cram in there.

We'll be on the Westbound TA on SDII in October 2018... Sorry to miss you!

 

We did an eastbound TA last year and we lost an hour every day. I'll be glad to gain a few extra hours of vacation this time!

We have a solo friend coming with us on the TA in 2018. (I have a group going, so she is not really solo, but the single supplements on the TA are very attractive.)

Agree entirely. As a travel agent, I have seen it all. I cringe every time someone refuses insurance. Just this week (and it is only Tuesday morning) I have filed two insurance claims for clients...

 

Please buy insurance, people. (Now, cruise line insurance vs other travel insurance - that is a whole different discussion. Just know what is covered, please!)

I agree with thebutlerdidit. I thought the tour was very good, and I was glad to be on the Celebrity tour as we were late getting back (after all aboard time). Our tour, however, was 22 people and it was too many.

 

I wrote a review on my blog of our tour: http://floridakeysgirl.com/2016/12/12/flavors-of-st-martin-an-island-food-tour/

Which cruise are you on? We are on the 2/18/17 Breeze and am organizing some private excursions...

I am TA. I book a lot of cruises - mainstream cruises, luxury cruises, expedition cruises and river cruises. (Do I know everything about all of them? Obviously not, but I know a lot. And am always learning more.) So find yourself a travel agent that is actually good at their job. There are quite a few of us.

 

As for insurance, I ALWAYS buy it when I book my own travel. 100% of the time. Why? You never know. You never know when you may break a leg and need emergency surgery a month or two before a major vacation, or get an unfortunate diagnosis requiring emergency surgery, or have flight troubles - even though you were booked to fly the day before your cruise and the airline refuses to pay for anything, or you were approved for vacation time but your job needs change and your boss rescinded the time off approval, or... the ist goes on. These are all examples of things that have happened that have happened to clients of mine in the last couple of months. They all had insurance. They have or will be compensated.

 

One last thing and I will get off my soapbox - a good travel agent will also handle the insurance claim for you, acting as a liaison between you and the insurance company, making sure they have everything they need (and making sure you don't screw up by saying something that you shouldn't).

 

You just never know.

For what it's worth, I was told today that they HOPE to have it up by the beginning of December. Meanwhile, all bookings can still be made through your travel agent or over the phone.

 

(I'm a long time member, travel agent, and lurker on many forums, but I think this may be the first in Windstar!)

I'm sorry for your loss.

We were on the same fabulous cruise with jenidallas and nolatravelgirl. Halloween was a lot of fun, even if it was a day late. It had just been Fantasy Fest in Key West so we brought our very Seabourn-appropriate costumes (plus they were easy to pack as we drove to the port...)

 

We dressed as champagne and caviar.

I'm a long time Celebrity traveller. I like Celebrity, but one thing keeps me from booking more cruises next year. The early breakfast closings in Blu and Luminae.

No other supposedly " premium " cruise line does this. Oceania and Seabourn are open until 10 am.

 

I agree with you entirely that Luminae should be open longer hours. I'd especially like to see them bring back brunch, as that was a nice way to spend a lazy sea day breakfast/lunch... Maybe that is just me.

 

BUT, I will disagree with you on the Seabourn comparison. We were on the transatlantic this past spring on Seabourn and main dining room breakfast was usually 8:30 - 9:30 (or 8-9, I can't recall exactly. But it was one hour.) Lunch was 12:00 - 1:30. Somehow I managed to miss breakfast daily in the restaurant and still not starve :)

If Celebrity is offering reduced deposit, I can do that on individual reservations, but not as part of a group booking.

[quote name='Les Picantins']Some people can never be pleased.[/QUOTE]

I am quite sensitive to cigarette smoke and was delighted by the new policy. I also have a couple of friends that have e-cigarettes. They are usually fruit flavored, and the smell does not linger. The idea of someone smoking one indoors is of no concern to me at all.

No, I think it is the December 2016 dates for all ships (I copied and pasted the text directly from the Seabourn email.)

Well, I would say it is about time... received this from Seabourn this morning...

 

Dear Travel Partner,

 

Thank you for continuing to recommend Seabourn to your valued clients.

 

We are writing to give you advance notice that we will soon be implementing changes to our onboard smoking policies to better align them with the wishes of our guests. These changes are being made for the comfort and convenience of all our travelers, in response to surveys conducted during the past year, as well as ongoing comments from our guests and their travel agents.

 

The new smoking policy takes effect on all ships starting on the following dates (as well as any combination cruise spanning these dates):

• Seabourn Quest: 11/28/16, Buenos Aries – Valparaiso

• Seabourn Encore: 12/4/16, Athens – Dubai

• Seabourn Sojourn: 12/5/16, Dubai – Singapore

• Seabourn Odyssey: 12/7/16, Lisbon – Ft. Lauderdale

Smoking will no longer be permitted anywhere inside any Seabourn ship at any time, including on the private verandas of guest suites.

 

For guests who wish to smoke, there will continue to be designated areas:

• On the starboard half of the Sky Bar on Deck 9 (Seabourn Encore Deck 10) including the bar stools

• On the starboard half of the open terrace aft of The Club on Deck 5

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

Smoking of water pipes, glass pipes or other smoking devices is not permitted on board. Smoking is not permitted on open decks during fuel bunkering operations in port. Smoking of electronic cigarettes is permitted in guest suites, as well as other designated smoking areas.

 

Please share this information with your clients. Additionally, Seabourn will notify guests with contact information on file via email or mail sent July 27, 2016. The revised policy will be posted on our website in the section entitled FAQs under the heading "Is Smoking Allowed?" It will also be printed in the daily Seabourn Herald on board all Seabourn ships.

 

Should your clients have questions or concerns about this policy, please contact us by August 15 to discuss options.

 

We thank those of you who have taken the time to advise us of your opinions about our smoking policies.

 

Sincerely,

 

Seabourn

I'm pretty sure I'm one of those people some folks love to hate. I write a travel and food blog, and as such, take pictures of my food. I also photograph food that my friends and family are eating. Every once in a while, I get a shot of a perfect stranger's plate (with permission, of course.) And I sometimes use flash.

 

I always use my cell phone for this purpose. It is portable, I have it with me anyway, and it's convenient. It's part of my job. I don't spend the entire meal on photos, nor do I text, email, Facebook, tweet or anything else while out with friends or family. But photos with the phone? More often than not. (Of course, on a cruise ship, I have to make a conscious effort to bring it with me since I do sometimes forget... You know, that whole vacation thing.)

We are going to be on the same cruise in 2017. On a recent cruise on another line, we met a lovely couple from Edinburgh. I asked the same question about the Tattoo. They said it is a must!

Well aware of that, John - and we have. Was just wondering about the logistics side if things now starting to be clarified after Quest dry dock, although not clear if FKGirl is actually on board or conversing with somebody who is.

 

I was on the transatlantic, so I've been off the ship for almost a month. The above comments were from an email received from Seabourn. I can't remember if it was one to travel agents or to the public (sorry).

Yes, Seabourn is just rolling out the online reservations for Quest. One per suite per sailing. You can request additional reservations once onboard, if you choose.

I haven't cruised Seabourn that often (yet) but whether or not smoking is an issue is the luck of the draw... Have smokers on the balcony next door? Game over.

 

I have just filled out my post-cruise survey and gave them an earful. Jenidallas is 100% correct (as we discussed many time onboard), as in MBSILK (same discussions onboard). I am going to remain optimistic that with officers that also back a smoking ban something will change. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

For what it's worth, we spoke with several people onboard that could not use their balconies because of the neighbors' smoking....

Spoke to Peppi (Hotman) about this. Although he does not have the authority to prevent smoking in the Observation Lounge, he has been speaking to individual smokers asking them to show restraint and think of others. Yesterday evening, the atmosphere, while not wholly smokeless, was far better.

 

Both Peppi and Heather have implied in separate conversations that the issue of smoking remains a hot topic at corporate and that they would not be surprised to see policy revisions going forward.

 

I had a similar conversation with Peppi and was encouraged to submit complaints in writing so he has some ammunition when working on getting the policy changed. I've discussed this with several other passengers who seem to feel the same way I do (which is to say: ban all indoor smoking)

(If I am allowed two bites at the cherry) EVERYBODY would say "PLEASE" and "THANK YOU". Day 6 of the current cruise and I am constantly amazed by what sound like barked orders (no PLEASE), BUT, then I will often hear a gracious, "thank you very much". Is this a cultural thing, some figure a "thank you" is all that is needed??????

 

I am constantly horrified by the number of people that cannot be bothered to say please or thank you. It's just not that hard.