BasandSyb

It might be different in 2024, but we are doing Pursuit in Feb and were advised by Seabourn that there are 2 x flights down and back (return arr 3pm and 4pm “ish” haven’t got the paperwork with me) an hour apart. AEP (Jorge Newberry) being used in both directions. Our onward flight leaves at 6pm from EZE so will be staying an additional night. AEP suits the extra night. Advised luggage limit is 34kg across max 2 checked cases. I find it quite annoying there is so much different information when you supposedly get it from Seabourn direct. Will re-check ours. We still can’t get confirmed hotel information for June 24 after Seabourn now ends our itinerary in Edinburgh rather than Oslo. It’s not great for planning a longer stay! Seabourn can be very slow.

This comment only relates to Australian wines as we are more than familiar with their pricing 😇. We get the top tier loyalty discount and they are still well over the odds at restaurant prices, then factor in 64c = $1US. Occasionally we may stumble across a bargain but find they quickly run out whether due to other eagle-eyed diners or a realisation the price has been listed incorrectly. 😂

Have just spent a few weeks resort hopping in Thailand and the recent drink trends for cocktails/mocktails has seen some amazing experimenting and results - spices, chilli, cucumber, pepper, pimento, coconut, almond, lime - endless flavours and combos all delicious. We don’t like sweet and won’t have any syrups, soft drinks or diet anything. Every evening there was something new. Look forward to trying the new Seabourn offerings and putting the bar staff through their paces not to use premix (eerrk!)

Very good news, we have gained another dining venue. Have avoided TK for years. Got talked into it one night by people new to Seabourn on our last cruise. 8 waitstaff visited the table doing their song and dance routine - we then had to call someone over for water to be poured and it was another new face! I’m sure the other restaurant teams will appreciate a more equitable distribution of staff at night time. Agree pan-Asian would have been more of a variety offering. However, the sample menu sounds a vast improvement on Mac n Cheese!

That’s great. Looking forward to enjoying this innovation in a few months. It’s a great alternative. Can you comment on what it was like? When on Odyssey earlier this year sushi was prepared three or four times for deck activities and it was very disappointing. The rice was complete mulch each time - so not just a poor batch. I will eat anything and hate waste, but the texture had me leaving it on the plate. Hoping the quality control has improved.

Def take the Dyson. The hairdryers are hair fryers with/without diffusers. Even the recent replacements. Wish they would buy a decent product. Anything longer than a 7 day cruise and I look like Doc Brown’s sister.

Hobar we too have found lifelong friends on Seabourn - and we weren’t even looking! Longer cruises on small ships. We surprised cruise buddies on a Ft L - BA trip years ago. In doing so we met an Irish couple at check-in and had lunch with them in the Colonnade. They thought we were completely nuts ducking under the table when the others passed by - now we are all firm friends. Indeed we feel the same way about “coming home” on Seabourn.

Thanks for the suggestions will check them out. Kitchin had already made it to the list. It’s now confirmed as a must do.

Great post Hobar. We are doing Antarctica in Feb and Arctic in June. You have us so exited now. Will have to pack our swimmers. Walking on water may be my new party trick.

Yes, I can see it now. Seabourn has no advice as of yesterday of the Edinburgh hotel which isn’t terribly helpful. We are trying to decide how many extra nights to stay before changing our homeward air travel. Having to change hotels might be the tipping point - that and a Facebook site my husband recently linked to called Scotland Travel Tips - sheesh! It seems everyone in the US is currently travelling in Scotland or intends to in the next 12 months (thanks Outlander!). BTW the site is hilarious - so many crazy questions - the locals who take the time to answer have so much patience. My sarcastic nature would take over. “We are flying into Gatwick, how long will it take us and what is the cab fare to Edinburgh” We did several weeks in Scotland 20 years ago and will do 2 weeks prior to boarding Venture. Accommodation bookings are limited now for May 2024, so June in Edinburgh has the potential to be chaotic. You might have the correct plan Nops - grab the car and get out of Dodge.

Used it in March. No one checked it/ looked at it. Ground crews for check-in are local port authority staff. They want to see the documents - IF they check, so don’t forget your hard copies.

Thanks Nops. May see you “out and about” on Venture. We are enjoying a lovely spring day on the Gold Coast with a gentle ripple on the ocean. Appreciate the comment Woodrowst. We always organise our own air as we usually do more than just a cruise. Not sure I would in the future given some of the layover and routing horror stories I’ve heard. We also have airline preferences for our longhauls from Australia. Good to hear it seems to be a combo of the rubbish website and updates rather than any sinister. Am I the only one who uses other websites to search for cruises and only then navigate to the Seabourn site to check prices? Always looking for a longer cruise I need to see the pre and post cruises for possible extensions and also where the other ships are at the same time in case jumping to another is appealing. The Seabourn site is not terribly useful for this purpose (I’m try to be kind but get very frustrated). What I need is a chronological list and maps. Seabourn provides a map but when you drill down on the cruise it disappears. The “map view” becomes a tedious running commentary about “verdant hills”. A cruise calendar would also be useful. Years ago they were published in the brochures - perhaps they still are but I don’t want more paper in our lives! My control freak mind is obviously at odds with intuitive website design.

Now I’m starting to worry. We have bookends for our 4 month holiday - Pursuit in February and Venture in June. Hopefully it will be clear soon. Perhaps they are playing with a range of itinerary changes. I don’t want to alter the air travel again until things settle.

We received email notification this morning that our May/June 2024 Scotland/Norway/Svalbard cruise on Venture has had an "adjustment" and will now end in Edinburgh and not Oslo. A charter flight from Longyearbyen to Oslo will now be a flight to Edinburgh. "Adjustment" is a fabulous euphemism! While this is extremely frustrating in as far as we only altered our homeward flights 2 days ago and paid an additional $600 each for the privilege, now a further change will be required... the bigger puzzle is we simultaneously received an email about the current sale extension. Checking to see the current price for the Norway sailing, the website now shows a blank for the ship name on the cruise leg prior to ours and also the first half of our B2B. When searching on the normal Seabourn website (not using the email link), it won't show anything for Venture in 2024. Website glitch or should I start a conspiracy theory 🤔

After years of saying how much pfaff we thought TK was/is and having our dining options reduced on a cruise as we avoided its mediocrity, the direction of this thread is bringing much joy. Our preference has always been to showcase amazing crew. 2 votes for Asian/French fusion

Have you checked out the 28 day Japan circum-navigation March 2025 or the pre/post with a couple of stops in the Philippines etc. We haven’t noticed Seabourn doing such an extensive Japan run previously. Other lines have.

Not if you are using your phone vs iPad/laptop.

Totally agree with Covepointcruiser. We have included laundry but never use it. Easier to use appropriate care for your clothes rather than submit to a very busy laundry. Too many ruined items in the past - including linen shirts caught on rollers. Unfortunately most clothes these days have 5% elastane or spandex (even denim) and heat is a killer. Other than heartbreak for favoured items, if you continue on with your travels after the cruise it is expensive and time wasting - IF you can find suitable replacements. The laundry is an excellent facility.

Arggghh - Odyssey, not Sojourn. Planning next year’s trip. How early does holiday brain start?

We did 6 weeks in March/April on Sojourn and the 6 of us remarked it was far better than pre-COVID. The food was excellent and varied (TK was still…TK - doesn’t rate with us), service was very good. COVID was on the ship and himself caught it, self tested and stayed indoors for 7 days with no symptoms. About 12 affected cabins at its height. It was dealt with well and quickly fizzled out. A week in your room on a 6 week cruise while a nuisance was fine. He was treated like a king! Same on a 14 day would be very disappointing. I can understand Seabourn’s nonchalance, but don’t condone it. I applaud your very difficult decision.

We did the cruise in March. Hong Kong can be cooler in Jan/Feb and also northern Vietnam. However, the further south you travel there is little seasonal variation. We’ve done the region many times over the years for short breaks (different seasons) and can’t recall much temperature variation except a slight lessening of humidity.

Great memories flooding back. Our first Seabourn was HK to Singapore on the Pride in 2010. We also did Athens to Singapore on the lovely Pride. SLSD - picking up on your earlier comment about escaping heat - HK to SNG is extremely hot and humid. At the very least three changes of clothes per day (out and about; back on ship and freshened up; dinner). I’m used to 33-35C with 90% humidity, but the Chu Chi tunnels tour in Vietnam just about did me in - but extremely interesting. Seabourn website - appalling. It’s worth its own thread with the hope the new management might follow this site. I can never find anything even using filters. As we normally book long cruises we look at the before and after cruises with a view to linking if interesting. All we want is a list or calendar of dates for regions and ships. Vacations to Go is our starting place as it provides a list and great filters. If something looks interesting by date, length, starting and finishing ports you can then bring up the map. Looking as the pre and post cruises is a snap. We have been doing this for years. Seabourn could close its marketing department and we wouldn’t notice. Segments of World/Grand cruises - have had no problem joining for a while or people joining us for segments. A tip though - don’t book a segment during a holiday season. We have endured a 10 day segment when the ship was swamped by party people from Europe for a warm weather Easter cruise and it certainly changed the atmosphere on the ship. No sitting by the pool and evenings ended early to avoid raucous behaviour in the bars. I can only imagine this is what doing a long cruise in the Med would be like - having 7 day turnarounds changing the “vibe” would not make me happy.

😩we were wondering the make of aircraft as we do a bit of regional travel. Seems it doesn’t matter. Thanks to the OP for raising the question.

Thanks, yes, that’s what we’re going to have to do. It’s just uneasy feeling these days sending luggage separately not knowing when you will see it again. We will have to get some trackers. The reference to 45 kg or more was across multiple bags, which we are allowed with a number of airlines given business plus status credit. 32kg total each would solve our problems and provide himself room for a couple of pairs of size 12 shoes😇

As said, we travel so far we don’t go for just a week or two.This time we are doing 3 cruises (21, 11, 26 days), travel in between and are away for 4 months. You do need some clothes rotation to cover weather, adventuring, dining. 😀