tv24

25 minutes ago, skybluewaters said:

I sure wish that Seabourn would begin or end some of their cruises in San Francisco!

 

Me too!  We would happily jump on board!

25 minutes ago, Lilly55 said:

Does your travel agent normally have upgrade offers?

Yes and no.  This is the first time for Seabourn.  We have had offers on other lines like Cunard and Princess.

We love Bamboo and Coriander and usually sail in the Grills.  We actually prefer the cuisine in Bamboo and Coriander to that in Princess or Queens Grill because we like good Asian food, and these 2 do deliver quality Asian cuisine with somewhat inventive recipes.  Definitely worth a free visit, and we even pay the upcharge.

I have spent way too many hours in the casino on Seabourn and have never been offered any perks such as the free play that I have been offered from Cunard and Princess.  However, once the casino staff invited us to join them for dinner in the Restaurant.

I am not a grandmother, but we too are on this crossing from Lisbon.  And we too were offered an upgrade to the Peel-Me-a-Grape Suite and we took it.  It was a very good buy.

1 hour ago, MCC retired said:

We were told the same thing onboard the QM2 in May.

Followed up by calling Cunard World Club as some here were reporting that they were purchasing FCD's onboard that included OBC.

CWC rep confirmed availability ,and wrong info onboard . Allowed us to purchase FCD over phone. 

I'm sorry, but my memory is slipping.  I received this information on the QM2 in May, 2023, just like MCC Retired did.  I guess I should have been more aggressive and called Cunard, or even asked when we were on the QE this month.  So it seems as though the Cunard sales rep on the QM2 was providing inaccurate information.  Oh well.  It's not the end of the world.  I will pursue this the next time we are on board a Cunard ship.

47 minutes ago, david,Mississauga said:

 

Future Cruise Deposits are still available to those in the US and Canada.  We bought two on the QE just three months ago. I hope they have not been discontinued since then. The cost for us was $390 pp in Canadian funds, so obviously it would be less in US funds.  They offer the same on-board credit as booking a cruise on-board and they are valid for four years and are fully refundable.

We tried to do this on the QE about 3 weeks ago and were told that this program is no longer available.

However note that one option is no longer possible.  We used to make an open booking while on board, that is make a deposit to be used the next time we book Cunard.  Cunard used to offer a modest amount of OBC for these open bookings.  That program has been cancelled.

I saw the same thing happen at the harbor in Southampton while on the QM2.  A woman we met on board lost her luggage and she was headed to a few weeks in Europe.  Clumsy Cunard staff.

I would never book a flight that early in the morning after a cruise.  However I am a worry wort and get easily stressed.  A couple of other things to note:  The taxi ride to the airport will take a minimum of 30 minutes.  And as another has pointed out, the Lisbon airport is very busy and very crowded and things don't always work well there.  They simply have too much traffic.  Staying on board for the crossing is the best idea.  We will be on that crossing and are looking forward to it.  I think there is a lot of space and Seabourn may be able to sell you a stateroom at a reasonable price.

We have crossed in both directions many times and on several lines.  Recently on the QE from Lauderdale to BCN.  Personally, I love the extra hours when we travel west.  We are night owls and like the extra time on board at night.  Yes, the Brooklyn terminal is problematic.  I have found it most difficult on arrival and find the only solution for avoiding huge lines is to hire a porter to carry our luggage.

11 hours ago, Isklaar said:

 

It should be possible regardless of whether it's your first SB. However if you're still unable to do it, you could ask your TA to do it on your behalf, but honestly unless your requirements are quite specialised don't worry about it.

Not sure if we are just unlucky but on embarkation our requested bar setup has only been correct a couple of times. It's not an issue, let your suite attendant know what you would like and they will get it set up usually the first night, or sometime the next day given how busy they are on embarkation day. 

 

 

As Isklaar wrote, your suite attendant can get you what you want.  No problem.

Happy (and relieved!) that you all made it through the Canal.  Continued happy sailing!

6 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Thanks tv24. Both itineraries are port intensive so I will admit we are not late night people. If I were on a transatlantic, it might be a different story. Oceania boasts the best cuisine at sea, which I believe is more marketing than anything, but our recent SB cruise was certainly a step up in food and dining experience over Viking (although we could get extra specialty dining on board ahead of time on each of our cruises with them). Sounds like you were not very impressed with their food even pre-pandemic compared to SB?

Vineyard:  We enjoyed the food on both Seabourn and Oceania.  But I think we were victims of the food hype on Oceania and had expectations that were so high that they could not be met.

3 hours ago, SLSD said:

Do you think the lack of people out and about on Oceania cruises after dinner has to do with the fact that alcohol is not included?  We know people who book Oceania instead of Seabourn because they do not want "to pay for alcohol for others" when they themselves do not drink alcohol.  Or, is the passenger demographic even older than Seabourn?  Just curious.  

Good questions, SLSD.  And I'm note if I can offer more than a couple of observations.  On "O" one can purchase a drinks package, but it is quite expensive.  Otherwise individual drinks are also expensive.  Anyway, at happy hour, the bars were full and people were drinking.  On our crossing, the demographic was about the same as a crossing on Seabourn, active Seniors.  Our conclusion was that the crowd on "O" was not into nightlife.  Lots of interest in food, both the restaurants and the cooking classes, for which there was a fee.

We enjoyed our Atlantic crossing on Oceania a few years ago.  The ship was beautiful and the passengers friendly.  We were excited about the cuisine, Jacques Pepin and all of that, but in the end we were underwhelmed.  It was just good, not exceptional.  And it was impossible to get a reservation in the specialty restos.  Our friends made a joke that the woman in charge of reservations should have been named "Dr. No" since no was the only word in her vocabulary. We got into the restaurants by showing up 8:30 when most venues were emptying out.  Which leads me to the most surprising observation:  There was nothing happening on board in the evening!  Everyone ate early and went back to their staterooms.  And this was on a crossing where there were only a couple of ports.  A big contrast to our Seabourn experiences where there was usually something going on in the evenings and lots of friendly people to hang out with.  We will return to O someday, but we are not in a hurry.  We will be on Seabourn in November.

We are not happy with the change in the internet charges vis-a-vis our elevated World Club status.  We used to get free internet, but now have to pay.  Not White Star Service.  But that is Cunard and that is what they do.  It's simply an upcharge, even though you are a loyal customer.

We spent the night in Southampton in a good hotel in the center.  We enjoyed walking up and down the high street and having a drink in the pub.  But the best part was an excellent dinner in Coriander, an outstanding South Asian restaurant on the high street.  Delicious.  It was a relaxing way to prepare for boarding the QM2 and we did not have to fuss with travel in and out of London.

Hope everyone had a great time in San Francisco today.  It was a warm day, a little sultry due to the spin off of moisture from Storm Hilary.  Warm enough that it would have been a good day to explore SF without any fog!  We will catch up with you in Ft. Lauderdale.

On 8/17/2023 at 9:26 AM, markham said:

Jimmycruiser,

 

Have you seen the video presentation of Silver Nova? If not, please do so. It’s on the Silversea site. Then you too may be as excited as I am by the concept. IMO it is a game changer for many/most people who are looking for excellence in design and a special treat.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

We've watched a number of YouTube videos about the Silver Nova, including the one on the Silversea web site.  Also a good tour provided by YouTube cruise guy.  All very impressive.  Includes all of the features we loved on the Silver Moon, but several have been Improved.  And all of those lovely nooks and crannies outside on deck.  Looks like a lovely ship and experience, so someday with the right itinerary, we will sail!

Thanks for the replies! We've very much enjoyed Coriander on the QM2, so now we can also spice it up on the Elizabeth!  Great one!

Thanks Hattie!  I read about Frontier, but I assumed that was just an Alaska thing.  We will be on an Atlantic crossing.

We've sailed the QM2 many times and enjoy the specialty restaurants that are set up in the evening in Kings Court, like Coriander and Bamboo.  On Sept. 5 we board the Queen Elizabeth for the first time.  Asking those who have sailed the QE recently, are there similar pop-up/specialty restaurants in the Lido on the QE?  If so, what is the additional charge?

We love Earth and Ocean as it is our favorite dining venue on Seabourn.  On our Antarctica cruise a few years ago, we dined at E & O outdoors in the cold a couple of times and were happy.  Not totally comfortable, but the staff did their best to provide blankies, etc.  And the food and wine made it all worthwhile.  A little adventure on a cruise ship.

4 hours ago, le chat said:

Hello 

We are considering a 38 day cruise and wondered if any regular Cunard travellers could assist. 
US$70 per day for a drinks package (hot drinks, soft drinks and wine & beer) over a 38 day period is a considerable cost. But so is a 15% surcharge on every drink. 
So - as neither of us drinks a lot (I would only have a wine with dinner probably 2 or 3 times a week max), we wondered if there was anything stopping us sharing a package? 
Thanks!

Very quick and simple answer:  You cannot share a drinks package as Cunard will not allow that.  And given the amount your drink, a drinks package would not be a good buy.