skybluewaters

Sweet Suite would be better. 

Or maybe Toot Suite. 

Almost anything would be an improvement over the use of "Junior."

Even "Way over-priced cabin that you don't really need" would suffice.

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

FWIW, I highly recommend a free app for your phone called PredictWind.  Shows current and predicted wave and wind status.  Especially nice when weather may be marginal.

Thanks!  However, I just read this about the PredictWind app:

13 hours ago, tv24 said:

...combined with the great TV choices on Seabourn, we will be happy guys.

I don't agree with your description of the TV choices as being great.

The news channels are predominately from UK, Australia and other countries, totally not in proportion to Seabourn's clientele.  CNN, which is traditionally the standard for news (and I'm not looking to get into a political argument) is not available.  ESPN, which is the standard for sports in the USA, is also not available. 

IIRC, on our recent cruises there were three or four sports channels, not one of which was from the USA.

I'm not saying that the channels for the other countries need to be removed, but there should be at least one USA sports channel, given the national demographics of Seabourn's cruisers.

15 hours ago, bizinsider said:

@skybluewaters That photo is a rescuer after everybody else was on board. @lincslady, there were no further details. Just saw two people, so the likely thought was the ill person and a spouse/partner/friend. 🤷‍♂️

Thank you for your explanation.

Do you know if the helicopter landed on the Ovation and picked the passengers up or if the passengers were lifted to the helicopter by rope? 

Is that a passenger (or a rescuer) hanging onto a rope under the helicopter?

Did the helicopter land on the ship and pick up the two passengers?

What type of emergency would result in two passengers being involved?

Hopefully there will be a good outcome.

The ocean vessels' beds were queen, the river cruise boats' beds were king.

Speaking of the Keller Grill on Ovation, I've noticed that the Dover Sole is listed under "Service for Two."  Has this always been the case on Ovation?  On my recent cruises on Odyssey and Sojourn, the Dover Sole was an individual dish.  So is the Service for Two sole larger than what is served on the Odyssey and Sojourn, or have they determined that the portion is too large for one person? 

23 minutes ago, whystayhome said:

You need to pay up front with a credit card.  WHen you get on board, go to Seabourn Square and ask the assistants to transfer your booking to OBC.  What they will do is make your OBC refundable.  Collect it in cash before you disembark.

 

Linda

 

And if you don't want the cash, whatever refundable OBC remains at the end of the cruise will be refunded automatically to your CC (that's why it's called refundable). 

3 hours ago, TootyJane said:

The ship’s menus are on a 3-4 week rotation.

Sometimes it seems they're on a one week rotation. 

1 hour ago, SLSD said:

I like a curated menu, not a plethora of unrelated items. 

I love a plethora of unrelated items.  It's fun to scout them out, perhaps be tempted to try something you would not otherwise try off a menu, when you can actually see it first.  And with a buffet you can sample multiple dishes in one meal. 

1 hour ago, SLSD said:

It seems so unsanitary to me.

On all my cruises on Seabourn as well as on other lux lines, I've eaten many hundreds of buffet meals and have never had any gastrointestinal issues.  To put it into perspective, the number of times that I've fallen off the ship into the high seas equals the number of times that I've gotten sick from a buffet. 

Thank you so much for your (and jondfk's) running commentary on this cruise.  I'm very happy that you're back cruising again!

1 hour ago, SLSD said:

Add to this, they had saved their table with a jacket draped over a chair for a full 45 minutes when other people were looking for chairs to enjoy tea.

That jacket would have been in the lost and found after ~ 20 minutes if I would have been there. I'm surprised the staff didn't take notice and remove it themselves.  

Sorry about your interrupted sleep. Hopefully the visual display somewhat made up for the inconvenience.  What time did the fireworks go off?

I've also heard that the bell at City Hall sounds off every 15 minutes (up until MN), so that would be another area to avoid if you value your sleep. 

3 hours ago, jondfk said:

...though nothing is likely to be worse access wise than our home port of San Francisco.

I can still recall the slow crawl in a taxi up Embarcadero to the pier in SF.  It reminded me of the opening scene in Office Space, where the elderly man in a walker is moving faster than the cars stuck in traffic.

47 minutes ago, jondfk said:

Yes, I also found quay 331 listed elsewhere.  MSC Euribia is in port the same day with pax capacity of 6000.  How many will be boarding is unclear as MSC famously boards passengers in major ports nearly every day.  Still, her 6000 passengers are a factor as those not boarding will doubtless be taking excursions in Copenhagen.

Good point about the MSC ships.

And Mein Schiff 4 with its 2,500 passengers will be at Oceankaj on June 11.

Seabourn Ovation will be docked at Oceankaj (Ocean quay) Terminal at quay 331 on June 11.

There will be two other ships at that terminal, with a total capacity of ~9,000 passengers, that day.

56 minutes ago, nancygp said:

We will miss you by a year…doing the Iceland cruise next year…enjoy

 

Nancy

Thanks, Nancy!  We booked this cruise on short notice - the day before yesterday - just 3 1/2 weeks before the cruise begins.  Unfortunately, that means less time to enjoy the pre-cruise anticipation, but we couldn't wait until our next SB cruise, which begins in October. 

Very much looking forward to your impressions.  We will be getting on Ovation the day you disembark for the 14-day circumnavigation of Iceland. Sounds as though you're going in with a great attitude!

P.S. Let me know the name(s) of the best waiters in The Restaurant so we can ask for them.  

11 hours ago, oakridger said:

I'm not looking for a "carbon copy" of the previous experience!

Actually, I would be more than satisfied if the new Crystal was a carbon copy of the old Crystal...and that especially includes Umi Uma.

8 minutes ago, Tallante said:

Gifts on the bed at night are hard to find...

 

 

Use a flashlight and look under the pillows.

The only issue I have with the drinking water is that the bottles of water in the cabin are placed right above the refrigerator, causing the water to be warm.  Of course, I could move the bottles elsewhere, but that's where the slots for the bottles are located. 

Even if you request a specific size, quite often the jackets you are provided are the wrong size; this has been mentioned on previous threads on this board.  However, it's a simple matter to exchange your jacket for one of the correct size.

On the Sojourn holiday cruise this past winter, one evening there was a Friends of Bill W meeting at 5:00PM, an LGBTQ+ get together at 5:30, and a Hanukkah celebration at 6:00.

If you were a gay, Jewish recovering alcoholic you were well taken care of.

On 4/13/2023 at 4:18 PM, ERNLYN said:

I called the Bank of America and spoke to a rep, they do charge a fee but she could not confirm

if they do or do not charge a 3% foreign transaction fee for usage in Hawaii. 

Perhaps the rep was so utterly gobsmacked by this question that she temporarily lost the ability to think clearly.

Can't argue with that, especially if the Chronic Tacos in OC are as good as the venue in Vancouver.

After several weeks of escargot, beef Wellington, lobster thermidor, etc. etc. on a cruise, a hefty burrito dripping with spicy Mexican sauces really hits the spot!

Check again around the time when cancellation fees kick in.  This is when you can expect some cancellations to occur.