John117

Yes and that's the point. When I arrive at Copenhagen airport my passport will be stamped as entering the EU but it will not be stamped again to say that I have left.

This is primarily a question for the Brits out there. When we left the EU the rules on free travel across borders changed. Now anyone with a UK passport can only spend 90 days in each 180 day period in the EU. The recommended way of proving you have complied with this is to ensure you have your passport stamped when you depart from the EU. This is easy to achieve if you fly in and out of an EU airport but if you enter the EU to embark a cruise ship and return to the UK by ship it is not so easy and presumably the clock on your 90 days keeps running? I have contacted my TA who contacted Regent who are looking into it! I also contacted Regent direct and all they could offer was to keep a hold of the disembarkation letter from the purser on the ship as proof you left the ship. I am not sure how this would work at the passport check point in an EU airport? I am sure there have been quite a few cruises where this has cropped up so I wondered if any of you can advise how the problem was overcome. I depart on Splendor on 26th July Copenhagen to Southampton so this will be the first test for us. I will speak to the Purser on board to see if he has any ideas.

I have received a reply from Seabourn Guest Services on the issue of dogs onboard. It is the same NON reply other cruisers have received previously. I have gone back to them to express my disappointment. Here is my email and below it is the reply for information " I wish to protest in the strongest possible terms about Seabourn’s failure to comply with its own protocols regarding allowing dogs on its ships. One of the main reasons we love cruising is not having to worry about dogs in rooms unlike many hotels and self catering accommodation which are increasingly becoming dog friendly I sailed on the seabourn ovation cruise on 11th June 2023 from Copenhagen and one passenger had her dog with her which was clearly not an assistance dog. It wore a flexible lead with no harness and was obviously not properly trained...a spoiled pet. I observed the owner several times around the ship without her dog so not requiring assistance. I believe the owner also boasted to another passenger that this was the dogs second cruise so obviously Seabourn’s system for preventing such dogs being on board is not working on more than one cruise. The definition of an assistance dog on your Web site is quite clear to me and I have no problem with that other than perhaps suites used for such dogs need to receive a deep clean afterwards to prevent following passengers having an allergic reaction. I have no doubt that someone in the Seabourn organisation monitors Facebook and Cruise Critic and I am sure they will have seen many posts on this subject so I am not alone in complaining about this issue. There have also been several photos posted of the offending dog but I enclose my photos for your reference. This dog raised many issues in my mind 1. Breach of Seabourns own protocols 2.Preventing allergic reactions on those susceptible to dog hair (including my wife) 3.Hygene issues as the dog was allowed to enter restaurants and feed under the table and even eat from some tables in the Collonade. I am not sure how the dogs bodily functions were catered for? 4. Tripping hazard as the owner walked the dog on deck with a flexible lead and basically let the dog roam at will sniffing all the Guests, seats, loungers and towels as it went!! I raised this issue with the maitre d of the Collonade and then with the hotel director. Both obviously followed the party line and gave almost identical answers.."there is lots of paperwork and it is an assistance dog". I am not sure who approves this paperwork but I am pretty sure the Hotel Director had not seen it? According to one of my fellow passengers from the USA $50 will get you a “medical certificate” with no questions asked so maybe this needs to be investigated in more detail? Seabourn could also draw attention to the definition of an assistance dog in the documents sent to guests. I have reached gold status with Seabourn but I am afraid I will not be boarding another of your ships unless I receive some firm assurances that this issue will be dealt with in an appropriate manner even if it means upsetting some of your privileged passengers who think they can flout your protocols (and at present they obviously can)." Reply " Thank you for the letter regarding your Seabourn Ovation sailing. We appreciate the further opportunity to assist. We hear your concern and thank you for sending in the photographs and bringing our attention to the ongoing Facebook discussion. In accordance with ADA rules we allow service animals that meet the U. S. Department of Justice definition for a service animal. We require guests who travel with service animals to provide the appropriate information about the task or work the dog has been trained to do to assist with a disability prior to their service animal being approved to travel with them. All guests, with or without disabilities, are expected to adhere to appropriate code of conduct & behavior. Additionally, we have policies regarding the behaviors expected of service dogs and of their owners which include ensuring the dog does not pose a direct threat to guests and team members as well as the dog being under the control of the owner at all times. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns. Thank you once again for contacting Seabourn Guest Relations. We look forward to our next opportunity to assist and until then wish you all the best.

Yes it was the Copenhagen Marriott. Looked as thought the reception was less than half the normal size. They may have finished their work by August but you could email the hotel. I guess the staff issues largely depend on where you eat, the time, and where you sit. Most of the problems we had were sitting outside at the Collonade. No issues in MDR or TK. Still waiting for a reply from guest services about the dog!

We were on deck 6 midships so good location. I am pretty sure the suite crew did not look after our suite on the previous cruise as they were shocked when we told them of our issues. We were pretty late boarding so we probably missed the announcements but from previous experience we knew to watch the video. We didn't check in at the muster station however as it was all over by the time we watched the video.

Well it wasn't as good as it could have been but overall the cruise was good. We are Gold members with Seabourn so remember what they were like pre covid and they have a bit of work to do to get back there. I hope your cruise goes well

Our flight to Copenhagen was 1.5 hours late due to Danish ATC strike issues. The transfer to the ship went smoothly as did check in. There is no need to print or down load your boarding pass or uploading photos as they take another at the port. Our luggage arrived as we got to our suite plus a bag labelled to our suite which was not ours. We totally missed the safety drill but we watched the video on the TV though no-one prompted us to do so. Didn’t visit our muster station either so for newbie cruisers (not us) there could be a safety issue. We had a few minor issues with cabin on boarding. The toilet pan was not clean and there was no water in it. It wouldn't flush either. The toilet seat was loose and ready to fall off. We didn't have any soap. The balcony door handle was almost seized so difficult to access balcony. The shower door was stuck closed so our first shower had to be using the handheld shower in the bath. The in suite drinks were not what we asked for. We did call Seabourn in Southampton to organise that but it didn’t work. These issues were corrected very quickly but didn’t someone check the suites before boarding? A few days into the cruise our mini fridge packed up and there was water all over the bottom of the fridge. The fridge was replaced the same day but 2 days later we had the same problem again and once again the fridge was replaced within 12 hours. We only used room service once for a cooked breakfast but the food food was cold on a cold plate so we stuck to the Collonade. Night lights have been installed under the bedside cabinets and dressing table but they are way too bright and wake your partner up if you visit the small room. If the sensor is taped over perhaps with a piece of paper the problem is solved but I didn't tell you!! Someone had a small fluffy dog on board and we saw it in the Colonade being fed under the table and walked through the buffet and on one occasion it had its front paws on the table eating food from the table. The owner walked it on the upper deck on a flexible lead and didn't seem to care about others trying to walk without tripping over the lead. The dog was sniffing guests, chairs, towels as it walked along so all this raises a few hygene issues. I raised these issues with the hotel director and the maitre d of the collonade but I got the same answer that it was a service dog and lots of paperwork had been completed. It was quite clearly not a service dog. I have written to guest services to complain about their non compliance with their own protocols regarding dogs. There was some evidence of cost cutting as there were no tote bags available on board. Apparently a supply issue. No pens or notepaper in the suite either so take your own. Are laundry bags getting smaller? Or is it my imagination? The food was generally better than our 2 cruises with Seabourn in 2022. The service is better too but some staff from warmer climates were very reluctant to serve tables outside so one day we had to help ourselves to the wine with lunch in the collonade. The Included wine list was not available although several times we were promised a copy would be sent to our suite which didn’t happen but we always found something drinkable. No Oyster Bay on board unusually but they had Yealands and Map Maker which has improved since the last time we tasted it. Then Yealands run out!! Quite a few reds were ok too. We found the table waiting staff generally more helpful in getting us an alternative wine. The "sommeliers " always seemed too busy unless you wanted to purchase a specialty wine. Most wait staff were very good but some could use a bit more training/supervision especially in table clearing and their attitude to the customers who pay their salary. There was lots of conversations in little groups in their native tongue. At least one luxury cruise line bans this beyond the staff areas. I found the meat in TK very good and well cooked but over seasoned with salt. I was disappointed in Earth and Ocean but perhaps I chose the wrong night and wrong dishes? The MDR got very busy most nights. The scheduling of some talks meant a large group descended on the MDR and on one night at least and they ran out of tables. The Cruise director is now called the entertainment director apparently but we didn't see much of her except at the deck parties. She gave very little info on the best times to view the fjords Disembarkation was fairly chaotic. We heard nothing from destination services so made enquiries and were told we didn't have a transfer booked. I produced the final document downloaded before we left and emailed it to them. Then I had a voicemail message to say we would be transferred to the Marriott Hotel for lunch. A few hours later I received another voicemail saying it would be a different hotel. Then a letter arrived saying we were going to the Marriott! On the day the bus left 15 mins late and we had to get our luggage off the bus into the hotel. The Marriott is undergoing major refurbishment in the reception area and the reception area was full before we arrived so it got majorly full. The rep at the hotel announced lunch was at 12.30 in the restaurant. No day room was provided and there were few seats in reception so a lot of us set off for a walk. Thank goodness it wasn't raining. We sat down for lunch at 12.30 but the burger and fries (no choice even for vegetarians) didn't arrive until 13.00. The burger meat was raw, the bun was soggy but the large basket of French fries were good. Iced water included but anything else was extra. Summing up this cruise was much better than the 2 we had in 2022 but still not up to the standard we had pre covid. We have cruises booked with Regent on Splendor (end July) and Silversea on Nova in September so we will be able to see who have got the best package and decide on our cruises for next year

I was on this cruise too and was amazed/ disappointed to see the fluffy spoiled "pet" on board. I 100% agree with your comments on "The Dog". I like dogs but in their place at home not on a compact cruise ship. I have already written to Guest Relations complaining that they do not comply with their own protocols regarding dogs which in my view are quite clear. I am happy with genuine assistance dogs but suggested that suites used by these dogs should be subject to a deep clean afterwards to avoid the next occupant having problems with dog hairs.

Well good luck with the transfer. I am surprised that you decided to stick with Silversea after the way they have treated you on your last 2 cruises. We haven't decided what to do as yet. I did complain to BM and Guest Relations but of course I haven't had a reply. I am still pursuing options with my TA but not hopeful. Not a disaster if we have to cancel as we have a Seabourn and Regent cruise booked between now and September.

I agree 100% with your post but I need to correct one point. This "Esteemed Guest" has still not been advised by Silversea either by letter or email. I suspect Silver Spectre who posted above and is also booked on this cruise has not had any communication either over a week since the itinerary was changed. The letter posted above was reluctantly sent to my TA by Silversea after she pestered them for some information and she forwarded it onto me. So it would appear that Silversea are actually worse than you first thought?

Contacted my TA again this morning and they still have had no notification, and in fact are still showing the old itinerary on their web site!! They managed to get through to Silversea while I was on hold who confirmed the itinerary change and told my TA the notification had gone out to all TAs. The agent managed to get a copy of the notification sent to her which she has forwarded to me. Surprisingly it starts "Dear Esteemed guest". I don't feel like Silversea hold me in great esteem given they just totally change our cruise and don't even bother to tell us. I have copied the text below not that it tells you much!! No mention of what options are available to guests who actually preferred the old itinerary and that is why they booked the cruise. Seems to be we think this is a better itinerary so YOU WILL PREFER IT??? I will be writing to BM with a formal complaint if I can find an Address for her!!! Dear Esteemed Guest, We are delighted you will be joining us on 29 September 2023 aboard Silver Nova to explore the authentic beauty of Europe. Today, we would like to share an important update regarding your itinerary. Due to unforeseen operational reasons, we are obliged to revise your itinerary. Whilst this news may bring some initial disappointment, we are excited to announce that the revised itinerary will still sail from Lisbon; however, Silver Nova will now explore iconic locales on Spain's Mediterranean coast. The revised itinerary's ports of call now include Spain's world-renowned ports of Barcelona and Valencia, with overnights in Málaga and Palma de Mallorca. These changes will enrich your experience with fewer days at sea and more opportunities for immersive discovery of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Island of Mallorca. Some of the highlight ports on your new itinerary include: Málaga, Spain, is the birthplace of Picasso, who was baptized in its towering cathedral in 1881. Once an important trading port that boasts influences from the Phoenicians, Moors, and Spanish, visitors are enriched by its many monuments, diverse museums, and the flavour of the Andalusian lifestyle. Valencia, Spain, is a city of innovation steadfastly proud of its past dating back as far as 138 BC. This lively face of Spain, famously known for its unique City of Arts and Sciences, offers everything from 15th-century palaces to recent wonders of modern art. Barcelona, Spain, a seaside beauty with sprawling beaches, eclectic architecture, and world-class tapas, is often referred to as the Mediterranean's Manhattan. There are so many reasons to fall in love with the city of Gaudi, with its boasting of nine important sites earning the acclaim of UNESCO. Palma de Mallorca, Spain, was founded by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago. A regal rose-coloured Gothic cathedral dominates this stunning city's geographic and historical heart. Vibrant neighbourhoods, buzzing public squares, and majestic baroque churches carve through these medieval streets while steep mountains, serene valleys, and broad plains form its varied landscape. For your ease of reference, the new itinerary is shared below: Date Day Port Country Arrival Departure 29-Sep-23 Fri LISBON Portugal 23:00 30-Sep-23 Sat Day at Sea At sea 1-Oct-23 Sun Casablanca Morocco 7:00 18:00 2-Oct-23 Mon Tangier Morocco 8:00 19:00 3-Oct-23 Tue Malaga Spain 8:00 4-Oct-23 Wed Malaga Spain 14:00 5-Oct-23 Thu Cartagena, Spain Spain 8:00 18:00 6-Oct-23 Fri Valencia Spain 8:00 20:00 7-Oct-23 Sat Barcelona Spain 8:30 23:00 8-Oct-23 Sun Palamos Spain 8:00 19:00 9-Oct-23 Mon Porto Mahon Spain 8:00 20:00 10-Oct-23 Tue Palma de Mallorca Spain 7:00 11-Oct-23 Wed Palma de Mallorca Spain 19:00 12-Oct-23 Thu Day at sea At sea 13-Oct-23 Fri Gibraltar Gibraltar 8:00 21:00 14-Oct-23 Sat Cadiz Spain 7:00 23:00 15-Oct-23 Sun Day at sea At sea 16-Oct-23 Mon LISBON Portugal 7:00 Please note all shore excursion reservations for the previous itinerary will be cancelled so please visit your MySilversea account for shore excursions available in the new ports of call in the coming days. Thank you for your kind attention and understanding. We are delighted to unveil this magnificent Iberian Mediterranean itinerary where senses come alive with the enchanting history, food, art, and natural splendour of this celebrated region. Best personal regards, Barbara Muckermann President and CEO

I have emailed our TA now asking for clarification and what are our possible options. Having read the invoice I received from Silversea via the TA it seems up to 150 days out they will still charge £200 per person admin fee if you cancel plus possibly £50 pp for air cancellation but these will be converted to FCC within 2 years. Within 150 days it is a scale of % charge of deposit. I also took the opportunity to read the general terms and conditions and the very first page has some alarming statements about what changes Silversea can make to your cruise without paying you compensation or allowing you to cancel free of charge. We have experienced charters on Silversea before and the priority they are given over other passengers!! Maybe other cruise lines have similar clauses so I will make a point of reading their T&Cs in more detail in future.

Thank you for posting this information. I WAS indeed on this sailing and like you I have checked my silversea and found the new itinerary and of course all the shore excursions I had book have gone!!. As you say the main website still shows the original itinerary but I notice the price has risen significantly. I did wonder about the cruise when I received an email from Silversea a few weeks back asking me to complete a survey regarding what I hoped to get out of the itinerary. I am of course waiting for notification of the change from Silversea or my TA and unlike the cheerleaders I don't think changing the whole itinerary is a step forward and shows me what Silversea really think about their customers. The new itinerary does of course lend itself to offering short breaks to Travel Agents or corporate groups as the new ports have much better access to airports allowing smaller segments to be offered. I will not be interested in the revised cruise. Please post on here again if you receive any further updates and I will do likewise.

We are booked to sail on Nova at the end of September 2023 and I wondered if anybody had a source where I can find out how the construction/fitting out is progressing? Her first cruise is scheduled for mid August which is just 5 months away now so hopefully she is well underway?

I have booked a Silversea cruise for later this year and would like to secure a table in the specialty restaurants when bookings open. My question is will I have to pay the fee up front when I book or will they charge it to my account so that I can use my OBC? If I have to pay will I be able to use my OBC when on the ship and have the fee refunded? Thanks in advance

Many thank to all of you for the helpful replies and advice. It has given me something to think about.

We have never cruised with Oceania. We have cruised many times with Regent, Silversea, and Seabourn and I guess we have got used to everything (or most things) being included. Since covid restrictions eased last year we have been on 4 cruises (Viking, Silversea and 2 on Seabourn) but our last cruise on Seabourn has persuaded us we need to look elsewhere. We find the Oceania website confusing. I am sure the information we are looking for is on there but where? So here are the questions i have 1. when you book flights with Oceania do they include transfers to and from the airport? If not can you book these with Oceania or do you have to book privately 2. Are all the speciality restaurants included or at extra cost? Do you have to have a reservation for all of them? 3. Is the MDR open dining or allocated times? 4. If you have a drinks package do you need to give your name and room number every time you order a drink? Can these packages be booked before departure? 5. If we chose a cruise with O life choice or ultimate which includes some excursions is the number of excursions per suite or per person? Many thanks in advance for any help you can give us.

"The presence of the new HD is quite noticeable and he seems to be seriously taking charge. We are hoping that it makes a difference because the service has truly been subpar and believe it or not, I have downplayed it and tried to emphasize the better points." I understand why you have been trying to remain positive about the substandard parts of your cruise. There are a few reviewers on CC who think we shouldn't complain as Seabourn are trying their best!! I take the other view that the deficiencies should be highlighted certainly to the HD, CC readers and also to Seabourn HQ. I think that we are in danger of accepting the current situation and this becoming the new Norm and I don't want to cruise with Seabourn if that is the case.

There were quite a few ex Crystal staff on Quest including the Hotel Director and Collonade maitre d and some said they really wanted to go back if they started up again.

I 100% agree and the reason I have complained vigorously to Seabourn on board and HQ since I returned home is that we cannot blame Covid for ever more or the current standard will become the new Norm. As one contributor suggested we need to "cut them a bit of slack" and I agree up to a point. But if they can only provide a much reduced service then they should advise passengers and allow them to cancel until they can meet the standards people expect.

This was the included wine list. We tried most but apart from the Oyster Bay not many were to our taste. We also tried the Chateaux shown which was $115 but again it was not the best and certainly not worth the money.

As the OP for this thread I would be very interested to know what ship you are on and if your experience is in line with ours? (I do hope you do not have all the issues we had)!! We have never been on Azamara or Oceania but what we experienced fell very far short of what we had on Viking August 2021 and Silversea November 2021 not to mention Encore March 2022 (which wasn't great either but not as bad as our most recent trip on Quest).

We tried to book a cruise around 6 weeks out and managed to reserve a guaranteed suite but flights were not available to book. This was supposedly linked to the move of embarkation from Venice to Ravenna. (didn’t Venice ban cruise ships from 1st August 2021? Why was this a surprise 9 months later?) After another week and calls to Seabourn and TA we were advised that flights could now be booked but the only “included” flights involved a change and some very long stopovers. We were offered a cruise only fare and then quoted a fare for the flights and transfers. The flights were with Easyjet so not a great 6 star start but at least we got Gatwick flights which is easier for us. The fares we got were considerably more than those available direct from EJ so our transfers were very expensive. In normal times we would have taken the cruise only fare and sorted out our own flights and transfers but we decided there were too many Covid problems so went with the Seabourn package. 4 weeks out we were told we would need a medically observed Covid test before leaving home. This was supposedly a government requirement but no-one could tell me which government. I emailed Seabourn guest relations for confirmation but I still await a reply. So we had to pay the £70 plus the train fare to go up to Gatwick airport and have the test done even though this was quite clearly a Seabourn requirement introduced after we had paid the full fare. Our flight was slightly late into Bologna but clearing immigration and collecting the luggage was very quick. Unfortunately, there was no Seabourn representative waiting for us. We searched the airport for an hour to no avail then started to make some calls. The ground agents phone kept cutting out but after 4 short interrupted calls I managed to get the message across and as if by magic a young lady appeared holding a Seabourn label. Eventually after a 2.5 hour delay we finished up with a private transfer which was quite fast (160km/hr for much of the distance) and we were soon on board. We met our suite attendant and her assistant and were given our customary glass of champagne (lukewarm! And no canapés) and sorted out the drinks for the room. My wife asked for some slices of lime for the mini bar but after 3 days some lemon appeared but never any lime. We also called room service for the lime but that didn’t work either. We had a few suite issues such as the air-con failing to cool the room, the shower valve wouldn’t turn far enough to allow a warm shower one of the sinks wouldn’t run away and the balcony divider rattling but these were quickly fixed by guest services (the balcony divider was fixed by me with 2 cocktail stirrers). Then our minibar fridge packed up on day 12 but within 4 hours we had a new fridge The other problem we had was the servicing of our suite. Our suite attendant was based on deck 7 but we were on deck 5. We had no chance to interact with her as we never saw her. We resorted to communicating by leaving her notes. We had several nights when our room was not serviced at all or not done fully, room service dishes were still in our room some 5 hours later, the glasses we used during the afternoon weren’t washed up etc. We always put the service card on our door when we left the cabin but of course out stewardess didn’t see it as she spent all her time 2 decks away. I raised this problem in the comments form after 3 days but never had a reply from guest services until day 10 when I received a phone call. After the first 7 days we were visited by a new suite stewardess and her colleague who were taking over our suite. Most of the suites they have to look after are on deck 9. This seemed to improve things but we still had a few minor glitches like being 1 towel short, and getting down to our last toilet roll and running out of tissues. We also found a large piece of broken glass just under the bed which had probably been there since we embarked. Fortunately, our feet were just too small to step on this. We understand some cabin attendants had over 18 suites to look after. Room service was variable. Warm champagne, portion of caviar for one instead of 2. Breakfast orders were a bit of a joke and it was a lottery as to what turned up. The coffee was undrinkable sludge and normally cold. How can they deliver an odd number of certain items when you order 2 portions. There were quite a few “new” staff who obviously needed some more training. Seabourn admit they are training staff but why should I have to participate in it and pay a large sum of money for the privilege? The choice of food at breakfast has been cut quite dramatically with a poor selection of fruit, yoghurt and cereals. Yoghurt now comes in a small glass bowl or a large bowl for you to serve yourself. It was generally very runny and tasteless. It could take in excess of 20 mins for an order of fried eggs to arrive so don’t cut it fine if you are on a tour. Coffee was another issue and even the “French press” coffee was variable. The wine selection was poor and even further reduced from our cruise on Encore in March. No French or South American Red wine. We were advised that some local wine had been taken on board but this was never publicised. On day 12 I got another list and it was reduced even further by 1 red. We tried some of the local Slovenia and Croatia wines brought on board but definitely not to our taste (even the supposedly better quality ones brought on on our second week of the cruise). Warm champagne was served on several occasions in the bars and even by room service. We ordered a $115 bottle of wine from the Head sommelier one evening but she never returned to check we were happy with it and topping our glasses was left to the wait staff. The Restaurant was never open for breakfast or lunch so the choice of dining venues was reduced. On Keller nights in the Collonade a reservation was required there too reducing the choice of dining options. Earth and Ocean was also closed some nights if the CD had arranged some on deck entertainment. The grill was slightly better on this trip (compared to Encore in March) but not great and the pisco sour was really good as was the Dover Sole. I asked for my steak to be well done and it was but it was practically incinerated. They don’t seem to appreciate the concept of butterflying the beef and prefer to burn it to get to well done. The fries and veg were acceptable at best. We have tried the deserts before and weren’t impressed so gave them a miss (except for one order to test them and I didn’t eat that either). The service in the restaurant was so bad one night as our regular waiter wasn’t there. Different types of butter were just dumped on the table with no explanation of what each pot was, bread was dumped on our plate without asking what we would like, wine was spilt on the table and down the glass and not mopped up, our order was not taken for 20 mins, food served from wrong side, fish overcooked…. And so it goes on. We spoke to the Maître d who accepted all our comments without argument. On the way out we were met by the food and beverage manager so we briefed him on our problems again On Seabourn we used to have a problem deciding which restaurant to go to as we liked almost everything on the menu. This time we searched for something we might eat and changed the side dishes to suit us as the recommended ones were pretty bad. This was definitely the worst food we have experienced on any cruise (Viking, Cunard, Regent, Silversea, Seabourn and several river cruises). This includes the three other post Covid cruises taken since August 2021 We never saw the chef in the restaurant. He seemed stay in the kitchen so the poor wait staff had to take all the bad comments. The water provided in recyclable bottles we didn’t like so we managed to get enough Evian and filled our own bottles for going ashore. The group of Entertainment staff spent time in the bars drinking on occasions. They were not performing as one of the team was ill. They have not performed in 10 weeks since being employed. They also made themselves at home in the hot tubs and swimming pool They have installed Night lights under both bedside cabinets and the dressing table which can’t be switched off. They come on automatically as you walk past and stay on for about 10 seconds. They produce an excessive amount of light and this normally wakes your partner if you try to visit the bathroom in the night. We understand our cruise had 280 passengers on week one and 250 on week 2 so not exactly crowded. The cruise following ours they think had 183 passengers. Management of tenders and groups was a problem. We sat on a tender for 25 mins one day waiting for a group to board. Our return transfer was by coach at a much more sedate pace with a Seabourn rep on board. We were dropped off at the bus station but received no help as to where to go to check in. This might not seem such a problem but Bologna airport is quite small and if I tell you our coach took 10 mins to negotiate the airport entrance road mainly due to the drop off car park being full and cars being abandoned and suitcases unloaded all along the road you will realise how busy the airport was and that some help would have eased the journey. So, in summary many of these are small issues and on their own would not have spoilt our holiday. The problem was they appeared almost every day. This was basically 3/4* service and food but at 6* prices. In case you think we waited until we got home to complain I can assure you that we had meaningful discussions with the Hotel Director “Harry” who accepted there were problems and they would “get fixed”. Unfortunately, not in time for our cruise!! If Seabourn don’t have enough competent staff to give the service they advertise, which it would appear was the case on this cruise, then they should not have started up so many ships. The present service level will destroy their reputation as a 6* cruise line. We will definitely not be returning to Seabourn in the near future until they sort themselves out and get back to where they were pre pandemic (if they ever do under new owners?)