Kevnzworld

I’ve experienced none of this. My wife gets invited to many things, but yes the invitations are to Mr and Mrs.

I’ve rarely heard the crew complain about Seabourn , in fact I’m not sure I ever have .

I’ve spent 250days on Seabourn ships since my first Seabourn voyage in 2014, and I always talk to the crew, this just doesn’t seem credible.

Yes there’s the occasional unhappy crew member that wants to go home or get off the ship. That’s expected and natural, but overall the staff seems pretty happy to me.

Just my observation.

They’ve placed potted plants where the worst of the warping is, but you know the way these things go....during our trip on Sojourn which ended in May, the warping continued to progress gradually.

They’re trying to do what they can, but every fix that they tried while I was onboard failed. The deck needs to be completely reinstalled.

Be very street smart in Naples. Carry a minimum of valuables and no visible jewelry or nice watches and make sure you don't stray off the beaten path.

 

We were on a Seabourn cruise which stopped there and two guests were mugged and quite badly hurt. Naples has a reputation in Europe for being rough.

Hi!

Yes , I’ve read a lot about Naples. Thanks

Re: Amalfi, it’s small and crowded, but certainly scenic.

We’ve decided upon further review to have lunch at the Santa Caterina hotel overlooking Amalfi, then take a taxi to nearby Minori and Maiori to walk around

...I’ve never actually been to those towns, just driven by.

We’re on this cruise as well.

I’ve been to the Amalfi coast many times, so I won’t do another long windy road bus trip.

I wish they would dock ( tender ) in Sorrento, there’s so many more options that don’t involve long bus trips.

If we dock in Amalfi, we’re going to get a taxi, car to Positano for lunch.

The next stop is Naples, and we plan on staying in Naples for a change. It’s interesting that there’s never any excursions in Naples itself.

This, is why I don’t go to Europe in the summer. Yes, I’ve waited in that cable car line. Yes, I’ve marched down the smelly donkey path in the heat. Best chance is to catch the first tender, and leave early. Otherwise it’s every tourist for his or herself!

I buy 5% discount future cruise passes when I’m on board to take home. I later book whatever cruise directly with Seabourn. It’s easier to pick my cabin.

I then transfer the booking to my TA to get an additional 5% back. ( 10% total).

I pay for the cruise with a Chase Saphire rewards card to get triple airline miles.

I think that it’s just more efficient to serve the two wines of the day. I recall that almost everyone I ate with at group table happily consumed whatever was offered. I was the only one that asked for a different wine.

I’m not sure how many complementary wines are offered at any given time, but it has to be 15+. . I can’t imagine a system that could easily offer that many choices to each diner in a setting such as the Seabourn MDR.

One advantage of trying to always eat at the same table is the continuity of wait staff. They always knew what I drank and when...and it was quicker than waiting for a busy sommelier to come by.....

( Sojourn Feb-April 2018 ).

It's not complimentary - it's wrapped in the price of the fare. The boats don't own the satellites but have to pay the rent just like anybody else - I'm not sure where else it would come from. Nothing is free.

 

Seabourn gives you an opportunity to "not pay" for what you "don't need," just like laundry and massages.

 

While many people now "require" a connection so they can "work" on vacation, those folks are in the minority of Seabourn passengers (who are mostly retired).

 

I could happily go a whole cruise with zero phone or internet, and sometimes wish other folks would too. I'm sure I'm not alone.

 

(I'm not saying that there aren't people who need it - there are - I'm just saying it hasn't affected Seabourn's bottom line yet.)

I just exited a 72 day cruise on Sojourn. The vast majority of passengers use the WiFi constantly. According to many senior officers I spoke to, it’s the number ne complaint...by far.

I heard about it constantly at dinner...the damn slow intermittent WiFi.

Seabourn competes with other cruise lines that offer faster and more reliable internet. It’s time for them to upgrade their system, and they know it.

I’m also considering Viking. The reasons I haven’t booked yet is itineraries.

Seabourn goes to the smaller more interesting ports, Viking stops at the big obvious cruise ship ports...boring.

Deck 5. Deck 5 on Seabourn is our favorite part of the ship on sea days. Uncrowded with shade, pool and jacuzzi...right on the ocean. Unique in the cruise ship world.

So for now I look at everything and am interested in anything that offers a competitive product for the price point of a regular veranda on Seabourn.

So far....nothing.

The Seattle representative sent to Sojourn to oversee the wine service transition is Kelly Schaefer , he’s in charge of the wine department from what I gathered from my conversation with him. He’s not the one who made the decision, he’s just trying to help implement it and make it work better. He was on the ship briefly in Capetown, but now he’s returned.

I understand the Seabourn POV, and I did my best to descriibe the concerns as eloquently expressed by Markham. They are looking at efficiency from what I was told. Most passengers drink one of the two wines offered nightly. The wait staff can most effectively offer repoars so the customer doesn’t have to wait for a sommelier.

My wine service has been satisfactory, but my needs are relatively simple.

Hopefully the service can be adjusted to be better for all concerned.

I must add that I’ve been on the nights, and I’m enjoying the ship, the crew the service and wine. Today we are being joined by the New York Wine Guys. They will be holding special wine events as we are now in Darwin Australia. I like that Seabourn brings local wines aboard, as the did in South Africa ...

I’m glad that both Regent , Viking and Seabourn are building new ships, it helps keep the prices down.

I recently received a Regent catalogue and looked thru it. I’ve sailed on Regent perhaps 7 or 8 times a decade ago, but I tired of the ships and atmosphere . Old and older. The new Regent ship looked interesting until I saw the prices..., and it’s still old, just old on a new ship. Next.

Viking Ocean is also interesting except the itineraries are boring...the same big ship big port stops we’ve all been to a million times.

So for now I sail on Seabourn, happily. I’m on Sojourn now as I write this and I couldn’t be more satisfied.. Simple, clean, modern...good food, interesting itineraries, on a well run small ship.

Ok. I’ll add a few thoughts as well. We are still on the Sojourn so it’s been interesting to see how things have evolved.

The wine service seems to have become more efficient. It’s difficult for the waiters to fulfill every wine special request, so I feel for their predicament. They try to make it more efficient by offering a red and white of the night, hoping most guests will drink one of the two. We, like many, prefer a specific wine which has to be located somewhere which probably affects someone else’s service.

We’ve found the food to be really good, the best I’ve had on any ship in fact.

The WiFi sucks, Seabourn needs to address it and install a modern system with adequate bandwidth.

The service and ship are great. There are always a few issues and hiccups on any cruise, that being said there have been relatively few on this one,...but we still have 27 more days...

For those that are curious, the pool decking still hasn’t been repaired....

Onward to Java!

Every Regent cruise I’ve looked at is much more expensive than Seabourn.

I’ve sailed on 5 Regent cruises but none recently because I like Seabourn’s ships better.

Everybody has a different opinion about food. I liked Regent food and I like Seabourn food.

The standard Veranda cabins are approximately the same size.

Except for Explorer, Seabourn ships are newer. I had two ship breakdowns on Regent

The service is good on both ships.

I like the Seabourn ship layout with the pool area on deck five and the larger outdoor eating area at the Colonnade...advantage Seabourn.

Advantage to Seabourn, both ship and price....sorry!

WiFi Internet is clearly a negative on Seabourn, both in terms of quality and price. I’m currently on Sojourn and the WiFi is awful.

This is one competitive weakness that clearly needs to be addressed.

I agree with Chairsin, Georgetown was one of the better ports on this cruise.

The care given to preserving the colonial architecture coupled with the street art sculptures, I think there were 50 at least, distinguishes Georgetown from other ex colonial settlements around the world. Kudos to Malaysia.

Alas, but all voyages come to their conclusion and so must this one. I enjoyed everything about this cruise, the food, the ports and of course the other passengers we met .

Today begins voyage part two for us as we continue on to Hong Kong!

I sailed on Encore’s first cruise, pre inauguration, Athens to Singapore. I liked it.

I didn’t notice anything that weren’t normal cruise issues, like running out of certain wines and food ingredients.

I wouldn’t hesitate to do an inaugural cruise again.

It should be noted that our Encore CD Hendre also did the aforementioned Odyssey inaugural and he commented that the Encore was better planned and much smoother.

There’s something nice about that new car smell, and the enthusiasm of the crew on a new ship.

Great pictures Roxburgh and Chairsin!

We opted to stay in Yangon since we had never visited Myanmar before. The colonial sections of Yangon are beautiful but are badly in need of repair. We ate ( twice ) at the Rangoon Tea House which is located in one of the beautifully restored buildings. I highly recommend it...good food, drinks and desserts, as well as great atmospherics..

Two semi off the beaten path activities that we partook in were the Chinatown night market and the Yangon Circle train. Neither activities are for the squeamish or frail. The Circular Train takes about four hours without getting off at any of the frequent stops.

We exited about halfway at an immense outdoor market, beginning literally on the train platform. The heat was intense, as were the sights and smells. I’ve visited markets all over the world, but nothing quite like this. Myanmar is a dichotomy of extreme poverty and beauty, and that contrast couldn’t be more evident than in Dyan Ninh Gone.

We happened to see a taxi, and chose that as our return to Yangon instead of the train. We returned to the ship just before sail away at noon Monday...what an adventure and experience!

We enjoyed the two stops in Sri Lanka a lot. The first day in Colombo we hired a car and driver. The highlight for us was the Pettah market and the Kelanyi Raja Maha Buddhist temple. We had lunch at the always dependable Shangri La hotel buffet which was a nice respit from the heat and humidity of Colombo. We were one of those that were apprehensive about the port change from Galle to Hambantota, that being said, it turned out ok. We opted for a ship tour to Udawalawe Park. The safari style tour took us thru the park where we viewed similar wildlife to those that visited Yala. The best part of our tour was a visit to an elephant rehabilitation and transition camp. We watched the orphan baby elephants get fed and cared for before being transitioned back to a herd in the park.

Three sea days until Myanmar!

As Chairsin mentioned, Male city is a bustling cacophony of cultures, sights and smells. We opted for the Paradise island resort excursion as a diversion. . Though not a five star resort, Paradise still had a nice tropical beach and the included lunch was decent. It was fun to snorkel, ride wave riders and partake in beach activities as a change of pace. The Maldives are beautiful from the atoll island perspective.

Aftwards we visited the fish and vegetable markets in town. It must be Mango season, they were everywhere!

Lastly our guest Indian chef had a special menu in The Restaurant last night, it like the Indian Market night buffet a few nights back was wonderful. The food was fresh and flavorful and not standard Indian restaurant fare, which was refreshing.

Another sea day before Colombo!

Competition is good.

It keeps cruise fares down, and standards high. No cruise line should be complacent about service, maintenance, food or itineraries.

Staff retention is always difficult when cruiselines with big build outs need experienced staff ASAP,

Seabourn is feeling the stress internally with the staffing of Encore/Ovation, but the external pressure of lines like Viking makes it even more difficult. Some of the larger lines are expanding their premium Suite offerings as in the new Celebrity Edge class.

Oh, and soon there will be the Ritz Carlton line.....

They all need experienced staff......

I liked Mauritius a lot, and would love to come back and spend more time on that multi cultural island. Here are a few images.

Fletcher ;Yes, we missed Madagascar , but for us South Africa was a good beginning point, It gave us an excuse to go on a Safari for one...and though not the best of ports, it was interesting. Yes, like all cruises there are a few not so great ports

I am glad we visited what at least for me were fairly out of the way but beautiful places like Reunion, Mauritius and the Maldives. You left out Sri Lanka, I’m looking forward to Colombo. Yes, Myanmar should also be good, we are getting off the ship for a few days, I love the overnights on extended cruises.

Also they added Georgetown Panang which I’ve wanted to visit, it has some wonderful street art I’ve only seen pictures of...

Lastly, tropical sea days in between interesting ports, there’s nothing wrong with that!

Sea dazed....

Unfortunately this cruise isn’t doing an overnight in Laem Chabang/Bangkok. We hired a car/driver to drive us into Bangkok , but with a 5:30 departure, time will be tight.

Fortunately the Sojourn is doing an overnight in HCM city, and docking in the city....can’t wait!

We are now passed the two week point of this cruise. While I do agree that there are some service issues in the restaurant, it hasn’t detracted from the cruise experience for us.

I remarked last night that we have really enjoyed the food, especially in the evening.

A few nights ago Sophie conducted a wonderful show tunes program out on the pool deck. The warm tropical weather we are now experiencing make the evening activities outside especially nice.

We really enjoyed both Reunion and Mauritius. I wish we had more time in St Denis Reunion, so anyone reading this thread for the itinerary, consider that. The inner island waterfalls in Salazie were worth the drive.

Mauritius needs more than a few days imo. This was a great introduction and I would love to return for a few weeks.

The Central Market and Chinatown were interesting, and the beaches are great. The upcountry area around Curepipe is also nice.

A guest chef from India has boarded the ship, so we look forward to his culinary contributions. The Indian Market dinner is in two days....

While my photographic expertise pales in the company of Roxburgh and his great new camera, I will offer up a few of my iPhone photos when WiFi permits...

Happy sailing!

I am currently on the 2018 version of that cruise. The port for Bangkok is Laem Chabang , which you can look up. I believe it’s about :45 away, so not right on the Chao Praya.

The port for Ho Chi Minh, lists the city as the port. Having docked there before, I remember it being close, but industrial. Not a walk off port.

We’ve hired drivers for both ports.