Travelingnonni99

On 1/9/2020 at 3:06 PM, pattyj 1204 said:

My husband is considering another hotel in a "safer" area. We are not big city folks and don't want to run into any trouble on our trip. What about the yotel hotel? I thought I remembered reading something about it, but for the life of me I can't find it again. If it was in a book instead of the net, I'm sure I could track down where I saw it. I've checked and it is on the Trolley line. 

Speaking of books, I should probably check out our library or the local Barnes and Noble. 

We will be on the same cruise. We are staying at Marriott Towne Place Suites (near Logan Airport) 30 Eastern Ave. 2 1/2 miles into Boston. 

21 hours ago, Deeacof said:

I too will be on the Antarctica cruise in Feb. Jeans have never been a go to option for me as they provide very little warmth. I will probably pack a pair but casual day wear for the Antarctic part of the cruise  will be heavier fabric  slacks. It is a bit difficult to choose clothing as we go from Antarctic cold to Amazon heat and gumidity. Looking forward to meeting you onboard. 

Maybe pack some hiking clothes for the Amazon, my hiking pants are light weight and great for packing. I wore those with long johns for Iceland last summer. Seemed to work well for me. As was pointed out jeans are not very warm, but with long johns jeans work just fine. I lived in Iowa years ago and wore a brand called cuddle duds, even layered those if necessary under ski clothes. 

20 hours ago, Kate-AHF said:

After reading this thread, and reading the various blogs as to what actually happens on the Seabourn Antarctic cruises, I've decided I just won't eat in the MDR at all while in South Georgia or the Antarctic this December.  I'm on that cruise to see things I will never get a chance to see again.  Not to dress up for dinner.  At least in the Colonnade I can wear (I assume) fleece-lined booties and thermal slax, allowing me to be out on deck before and after eating without running back to the cabin to change out of the "acceptable attire and footwear"

 

While I will respect the dresscode, I will also go on record as saying I think it's utterly ludicrous while in the Antarctic, and I wish Seabourn would suspend the dress code while on that portion of the cruise, and enforce it the rest of the voyage.

Maybe they have suspended the dress code for the cold weather cruise? From the comments I have read,  it does seem people are opting for warm above all else.

11 hours ago, Redtravel said:

Nice to see that Seabourn has come to a point where tuxedos are less common and more casual attire has been accepted in the restaurants. It is 2019.  Just returned from a cruise.  Amazed at how casual attire is the choice of many cruisers. Guys in tuxedos were few.  There were few gowns.  They looked old and out of style.  The dress guide becomes what people wear. It seems that women can wear almost anything. Most people dress casually and conservatively. They look smart and look comfortable. No more formal attire.  I donated our formal wear to goodwill. 

Yep, my DH is glad tuxedos are BTO now. He hates even having to pack extra shoes that go with the tux. I am glad that we do not have to pack long fancy gowns either. I suspect what you thought were old and out of style is because ladies don't want the hassle and expense of buying a "new" dress for each cruise. We are just a more casual society now, that said, some people love the chance to dress up a little, more power to them.

19 hours ago, lincslady said:

Regarding jeans in the evenings- it does seem to be BLUE jeans which are deemed unacceptable, I have worn what I consider jeans ( pockets in the back, belt loops, fairly heavy denim type fabric) in the evenings in white and black, admittedly with a top over them which hides the waistband and belt, and  never had a problem.  I suspect it is just any shade of blue which alerts  the dress police

Yes, you may be right about Blue jeans. Have worn white jeans as well and as you said a long top hides the pockets and belt loops. I keep wondering if white pants will work at night on the Antartica trip? It is summer after all...

I do think jeans have their place, I for one live in mine, haha. That said, we should respect others and abide by the dress code in the MDR. I will be going on the Quest in February and I wonder if the dressing down is because this cruise is in the Antarctic and people are trying to stay warm. I was on the Quest last summer and did  not notice people  wearing jeans in the MDR.

 

5 hours ago, Hign n Dry said:

 

Just came off the Quest following the first Antarctic cruise of the season. The dress code was not enforced. Jeans n sneakers in the restaurant, jeans in Thomas Keller. Why bother having a no jeans after 6.30pm policy if it’s not enforced. Also, a smack in the face for those who have spent money on clothing to abide by the code.

We sail on February 24, I wonder if people were so casual because of the Antartica cruise. Good way to stay warm? We were on the Quest last July/August and people did dress up in the evenings.

I loved seeing DH when he would wear a Tux, now he also wears a coat and tie as you described. With airlines now charging for bags, it is so much more annoying to need to pack little used clothing for a trip. Yes, we travel business class and are allowed more bags, but if you are going to visit a country before or after your cruise it can be cumbersome with too many bags. Point in fact, visiting friends in the UK last summer their small car would not have taken so many bags. That said, we will be on Seaborn this February for a cruise to Antartica, my sister in-law and I have been wondering if we will need more that one 25" bag pp because of the cold weather gear. Since we are spending only one extra night in Chili before the cruise we may end up with extra bags. 

3 hours ago, sassyw said:

We play duplicate bridge here in Boca and one of the Directors at the Bridge Club told us that she was a director last summer on Seabourn (Alaska cruise) but she has not gotten any offers for 2019. She thinks that Holland America (who does the hiring) has suspended the bridge program. Has anyone heard anything??

Seaborn had a bridge instructor on our cruise this past summer. I know he applied for the opportunity.

On 11/28/2018 at 10:12 AM, Richard2 said:

Kkmiausa:
If you don't like the dressing style that Peregrina describes, and you can't enjoy yourself without caring what other people wear, you won't be happy on Viking. I have always felt perfectly appropriate dining on Viking in Dockers (in my case, Land's End) chinos and button-down shirts. I don't bring a tie or sport coat. People who wear blue jeans, sweat pants, or t-shirts to dine anywhere but the buffet do exist but are quite uncommon, and whether they are seated or not seems inconsistent, depending on the cruise and the maitre d. 

You can learn a lot about the environment on ships by looking at the implicit and explicit messages on the web pages - what the photographs show guests wearing, what words are used.  Seabourn uses the word "luxurious" all over the place. Viking does not, in fact it describes itself as "No formal nights, no butlers, no white gloves." 

My husband on Crystal and Seaborn wears slack and button down shirt. On Black Tie optional nights he wears a sports coat and tie. I did see tacky dressing (tight short shorts) on Viking even when they also ask for country club casual. My sister and her husband have stopped cruising with Carnival because they felt Carnival had lowered the standards for dressing nicely in the main dining room. Once on RCL a young man (at our table) showed up in a wife beater t-shirt and shorts.  They were a  very nice young couple, none of us said anything. He just had never been taught, maybe typical of our society?

Of course, you need to have good coverage in your home area. Both T-mobile and Sprint have terrible coverage in our city.

We had free boosters from both AT&T and now from T-Mobile. They have a senior rate for a lot less than AT&T. As mentioned above you have to see if your phone is compatible with what ever plan younger on. T-Mobile told Apple or AT&T we wanted our phone unlocked and then T-Mobile could do that for us as we waited.We were no longer under contract with AT&T at that time

We will be spending a week in Italy, then joining a TA to the US. I would like to have phone coverage while in Italy...and, if possible, during the port days in the other countries. There are so many options....and no web site that's clear on which work where....and then when you find one, the cost is crazy. I thought I found a great one...GiffGaff which is UK based, but they require you to use your phone in the UK (or have a UK address) before they will turn on EU roaming....so that doesn't work.

 

I use Verizon in the US but I have an unlocked worldphone...will work in the EU on GSM/LTE...so that's one obstacle I don't have to deal with

 

My minimal needs:

 

100 min or talk time- all calls within the EU

100 msgs (may be to/from US)

500MB data (don't need tethering)

must work in all the countries mentioned for at least 1 month.

SIM should not cost over 15 euros. The GiffGaff SIM would have cost 7.50 Euros and exceeded my requirements.

 

I do use skype, but I want standard GSM capability so a data only SIM won't meet my needs.

 

Looking for recommendations....

We switched to T-Mobile this year because we travel a lot. The data was unlimited and phone calls in Europe was 20 cents a minute. very worth while to leave AT&T.

Last night on Odyssey it was the club party and one man came in his shorts, t shirt and sneakers, I just found it disrespectful.

My sister and her husband can't afford to sail with Seabourn but, she recently told me they were through with Carnival because of the people who do not respect the dress code on formal nights. She said that getting dressed up for those evenings is a special part of cruising for her. Maybe that gentleman would prefer Carnival over Seabourn. ;)

Galeforce9, I have so enjoyed your thread. Your last comments on clothing and equipment were especially helpful. We have worked ourselves almost into a frenzy over a cruise such as yours, but 2018 is already booked and we will have to wait to see what 2019 has to offer. You sound as if you have the same problem that I always have when a Seabourn cruise ends, that is where to hide on board so that you do not ever have to leave. A quick tip: being dragged by the heels from behind the engine room generator is a bit painful and somewhat undignified. But maybe worth a shot.

Loved your idea of where to hide when trying to overstay our our trip. we booked the February 24, 2019 trip. Maybe you will be on board as well.

Because Viking is sucking employees and customers from Seabourn. Also, as each month passes, SB is much closer to 4 stars. You cannot maintain a product with such rapid expansion within a company within a rapidly expanding industry. New products coming online to compete with the market SB helped create and trying its best to distance itself from.

When you mention expansion, I think that is a very big problem with Viking. They want full payment for trips much earlier than other other companies. Will sell a product like their Cuba cruises before they have docking permission, then change the cruise. We booked 14 months before the cruise and then 3 months before the cruise they confessed they did not have docking permission in Havana. We are very leery of ever traveling with them again. Even canceled a cruise we had booked 2 years in advance because we do not feel comfortable trusting VikIng. We have not sail with Seabourn yet, our first cruise with them will be this July.

Thanks, that's good to know for the future. Doing our first Seabourn this September; don't need air for that one since it's "at home", so to speak, but if we book another Seabourn, we will definitely have a look at their air deals.

We have never booked air with a cruise line before,

always make our own arrangements, I must admit we were kicking ourselves for never looking before, then again maybe this was just lucky timing I do not know, as this is out first Seabourn cruise. We sail this July, have a wonderful cruise in September.

Are you saying that Seabourn has no deviation fee when you book air through them?

Our paper work (booked months ago) shows no air deviation price, I do remember that air was on a special, $500 off at the time. We were wondering if the air price was because of the buying power of Carnival Corp. Anyway we were thrilled with Seabourn's pricing at the time. They even told us the flights and airlines at the time we booked! Outstanding job Seabourn!

Hi all

 

We have done hundreds of days cruising over the last 10 years or so, but have pretty much stayed with what we know - predominantly Seabourn, with several on Regent and Paul Gauguin.

 

We were interested in the feedback you provided recently on the Cunard vs Seabourn query, as we had been planning a 37 day exploration with a group of mostly Seabourners a few of whom decided to take the plunge and try the Cunard experience on the same route. Your feedback was on par with what we have read and knew that we would prefer Seabourn.

 

Does anyone have any experience with the new Viking ocean ships and can comment on the food, service and experience vs Seabourn?

 

Thanks

We cruised Viking Sun last fall to Cuba. We were very disappointed, slow service and mediocre food. We paid for a cruise to Havana a year before, only to have them tell us 3 months before the cruise they never received permission to dock in Havana! We canceled our Viking cruise to Japan for next year and we are STILL waiting for our refund of money they owe us. Not real impressed ViKing. Beautiful ship but, that's it!

I’m not sure if I understand your point, so perhaps you can clarify? Naturally economy air will be substantially less than business class air, so it is not an apples to apples comparison. The research that is needed is to compare SB business air to non-SB business air and then also compare economy air with SB and econ air non-SB. That way you can decide if SB air offers good value for both classes of flights. Choosing to fly economy air to save money is a different type of savings.

 

 

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We were very pleased with the SB Business Class price, we no longer fly economy just to hard. SB also let us fly in earlier and stay longer at the end of the cruise at no additional charge.

I will say I found this thread disconcerting. We leave in two weeks on our first Seabourn cruise and I am hoping the attitude of most travelers is more tolerant. We are leaving the tux and dark suit at home and bringing slacks, and a jacket (dark blazer) as stated as appropriate on formal night on Seabourn’s website. If we are judged as inappropriate, it will be our last cruise with Seabourn.

Be your own person, what you are going to wear sounds just fine. My husband will wear a sports coat as well. No one cares, today society is more relaxed. Older generations like my Dad would wear a sports coat when he flew on an airplane. You know the days before airlines treated you like cattle?

pm1225

 

Seabourn has grown so much with 12 years ago 3 ships total 600 passengers now 5 ships total 2650 passengers it is a huge increase in the passengers you have to get on the ships 52 weeks a year. So it understandable you cannot fill the ships immediately without attracting new clients and this take time. The seabourn regulars , which I am one. are not that keen to go on bigger ships as they are very happy with the O class ships.

We will be new to Seabourn this summer with a cruise in July. I am excited needless to say. I saw two videos on U-tube yesterday. One was about the Encore the other about the Quest, which is the ship we will be sailing. I must say the Encore did not seem as pretty as the Quest. I also thought The Retreat on the Encore was not appealing and I would never spend the extra money they want to charge for using The Retreat. Seriously, on an all inclusive line they want to charge for that area?

I just read all twenty pages at once, as I just returned from my cruise last week. I was so shocked and sad to hear of Captain Larsen’s untimely passing. I can only imagine how the crew and passengers felt. I’m glad that he enjoyed his accomplishment of sailing so far south.

 

I am putting the following info out there for anyone planning on Polar cruising in 2020 and beyond who would like to experience South Georgia Island as well as the Antartic. I was on the Hapag Lloyd Hanseatic which is leaving the fleet. Beginning in 2020 they will have a brand new purpose built Polar expedition (highest ice class) ship, serving an international clientele (as opposed their other two expedition ships, the Bremen and Nature which are geared towards the German speakers) I can see that there will be four sailings, three of which include South Georgia Island, which most people regard, rightly as a highlight.

 

We had 160 passengers on our sailing... the new ship will have a max of 199. This does facilitate shore landings, making it more likely that everyone will get out, and also in turn, half as many announcements. It’s also a bit easier to be spontaneous and make last minute plan changes, such as our champagne party on an ice floe in the Weddell Sea (they only are able to do this when the sea is flat and they can find an appropriate piece of ice). They provide high quality boots, parkas and hiking poles at no charge and had two high quality boot rooms (one for odd cabins and one for evens). They have a open bridge, unless there is a red sign on the door. Food and service is in the same range as Seabourn according to my fellow guests.

 

The big difference, and who knows how this will play out, is that it is a German line, attracting a majority of German passengers. From 2020 on they will have three cruise ships in Antartica, so it will be in their interest to market the Inspiration to the many English speakers in the world! Despite the fact that we were in a minority, everything was as promised, bilingual on the Hanseatic. One of our lecturers even created a 37 page travel log of our 20 days, with all her notes and observations for each day!

 

Based on my companions recommendations, I will be looking to sail with Seabourn in the future. Once one has experienced a consistently high level of service, it’s hard to go back!

Thank you for your advice on South Georgia Island and this cruise line. We have not been to Antarctic yet. One question how is the smoking on board handled, considering this is a European cruise line? My husband is allergic to second hand smoke, He suffers from terrible migraines. He says he no longer wants to visit France because the smoking is so prevalent there. We traveled with a friend who suffers from asthma and we hard such a hard time in the restaurants, we could never enjoy an outdoor cafe for example and often the smoke contaminated the inside as well.

My wife and I have over 100 nights each on SB. We frequently watch the pricing and have seen the prices fluctuate.

 

We were on board the Odyssey last November and encountered a "revenue management" strategy that we had not seen before. A large group of passengers had booked with "Travel with Alan" and were bragging about the good deal that they got.

 

The best that I could,tell, this is a cruise re-seller (Alan) who takes a large block of rooms from SB and bundles the package with airfare, hotel rooms pre and/or post cruise and perhaps a pre or post shore side excursion, all for one price. One cannot tell what the price of the actual cruise is?

 

If we think about it selling unsold space to a reseller eliminates us from complaining. The reseller bundles the package and takes risk, but only because the price is not disclosed and may be severely discounted over what we early bookers pay. The same strategy is employed, in a reverse scenario, with Masters tickets. Bundle the rental house with the tickets (badges) and you will never know how much was for the ticket and how much for the "other services".

 

On this cruise my wife and I felt that SB service was slipping and that was a possible reason for the reduced fares and reseller. This may sound bad but we found that most of the Alan passengers were stepping up from lesser cruise lines and were naturally pleased.

 

We signed up to receive Alan emails with proposed deals. Recently we saw one come across for the Ovation in June. It included airfare, cruise, 3 total hotel nights in Europe and 2 excursions out of the hotels. The price of the "extras" was $1500 over the lowest SB internet price for a V1- which I found low for transatlantic airfare and 3 hotel nights. Personally, I find it odd that SB is having trouble selling a brand new ship and is discounting the cruise in only its 2nd month of service. By contrast the SS Explorer was sold out for about the entire 1st year - early.

 

We are booked on the O in September and we hope that it will e a good experience.

Hmmm, That is interesting. You would also need look at what the hotels and flights that Alan is using. We were very pleased with Seabourns airfare (BC). We book our own hotels because we fly in several days early and stay several days after a cruise. Seaborn was very accommodating with our flights. Viking by contrast charges an extra $150pp for air deviation.

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......

Yes, we were on Viking last Fall, the service was not up to our expectations. We feel they are expanding to fast and even with crews from other brands Viking did not seem to be training the crew well. Very impersonal service and slow in the MDR. Even had a waiter forget where I was sitting in an uncrowded bar ( bar tender told us later) and the waiter did not bring my drink! :confused:We were charged for the drink, next day customer service removed the charge.

I totally agree with Henry. A Seabourn cruise is not about included alcohol (and did anyone mention included gratuities). I think people are missing the mark when they think inclusive is only including alcohol. Instead, cruise lines like Oceania are putting a HUGE markup on alcohol and using it as a profit center, which is probably why they are not including it. I've never seen anyone over served on a all inclusive cruise.

I am glad you mentioned included gratuities. Think about the added hidden cost, for example on Viking at $30 a day you would be paying an extra $630 per person on a 21 day cruise. We love all inclusive on Crystal, our first Seabourn will be in July. I might add my husband does not drink alcohol because of migraines.