Sojourn Pool Deck

There have always been plenty of drama queens/kings on Cruise Critic. If I had a dollar for every time someone said they would not cruise on this ship, that ship or Seabourn, I could afford the Wintergarden every time.

Just astonishing that Seabourn manages to fill its ships all the time.

Honestly, I quite agree with Sailingnomads and Roxburgh’s take on the impact of the deck problems. While the damage may be severe, luckily for the impact to passengers is fairly minimal. The only time it has had a significant impact on cruising activities has been during the five failed repair attempts. Given none of these efforts have succeeded I would be surprised if they tried again until they can take the ship out of service for a permanent fix. Actually the main concern would be someone tripping and injuring themselves on the uneven surface. As long as they keep the area closed off with planters and tape and passengers pay attention to the surface on which they tread all should be fine.

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Boarding her March 5 in CT. Seabourn had better have fixed this problem by then.

We're on the same cruise as you and I hope so too, especially as we were on Sojourn January this year and it was a problem then also.... two cruises with this would be a tad annoying!

Not this will anyone, but a recent post dry dock Regent Mariner cruise a lot of time was spent be the staff repairing the deck which also seemed to be warping in a few spots.

We are just off 26 days on the Sojourn. Vancouver to Seward and back. Despite the cold and occasional rain we used the Pool deck extensively, had lunch there most days and at no time was the pool deck a problem as it is confined to two areas either side of the Pool both of which are covered by Potted Fern Trees. Many functions were held there such as sail away parties and even a singing and dance party one evening. None of this was affected by the two areas of teak boards which are bulging slightly so frankly to all those concerned CC`s stop worrying about it! In fact we had very Sunny and even hot days ( 85F ) which we were told is very rare for Alaska. All in all we had a wonderful trip.

We are just off 26 days on the Sojourn. Vancouver to Seward and back. Despite the cold and occasional rain we used the Pool deck extensively, had lunch there most days and at no time was the pool deck a problem as it is confined to two areas either side of the Pool both of which are covered by Potted Fern Trees. Many functions were held there such as sail away parties and even a singing and dance party one evening. None of this was affected by the two areas of teak boards which are bulging slightly so frankly to all those concerned CC`s stop worrying about it! In fact we had very Sunny and even hot days ( 85F ) which we were told is very rare for Alaska. All in all we had a wonderful trip.

Thanks, that is most helpful and we are pleased to know it won’t really affect our cruise

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We are just off 26 days on the Sojourn. Vancouver to Seward and back. Despite the cold and occasional rain we used the Pool deck extensively, had lunch there most days and at no time was the pool deck a problem as it is confined to two areas either side of the Pool both of which are covered by Potted Fern Trees. Many functions were held there such as sail away parties and even a singing and dance party one evening. None of this was affected by the two areas of teak boards which are bulging slightly so frankly to all those concerned CC`s stop worrying about it! In fact we had very Sunny and even hot days ( 85F ) which we were told is very rare for Alaska. All in all we had a wonderful trip.

My wife & I were on the first 12 days of this cruise as well (Vancouver to Seward). It was our first SB cruise, after sailing Crystal, SS, Regent, Windstar and Paul Gauguin. It was a wonderful cruise and we too spent a lot of time in or around the pool, including the lounge chairs, lunch, dinner and more time that I want to admit at or near the pool bar. While we noticed the pool deck and the plants, it in no way reduced our enjoyment. The sail away party and the officers on deck events went on without a hitch. I would sail the Sojourn tomorrow if I could.

Any updates about the pool deck repairs?

No repairs currently. Forward pool area including around patio grill & bar is fine - I believe repaired during crossing to Alaska. Port aft pool area has ~8 strategically placed potted ferns; Starboard aft has 3 ferns. Additionally, there are still some open squishy deck boards, particularly starboard side. Overall, not an issue in AK climate, but may be on warmer itinerary sea days, when pool area space is a premium.

I agree, the only way to fix this properly is to remove the whole wooden deck and re-lay it correctly without any leaks. It’s the water that has seeped between the wood and the steel underneath that’s causing the problem. Working around the clock the project could possibly be done in a week, but realistically it will take longer. It’s a noisy, messy job (as we saw during the Japan-Vancouver crossing) so trying to do it while the ship is in service just isn’t practical.

 

Seabourn has a real scheduling problem and it seems to me that the only practical option will be to cancel a forthcoming cruise and upset a lot of people.

This was what I was thinking. When I saw the freshly laid unsealed deck taking on water during that cruise I knew they had another ticking time bomb.

I have emailed Seabourn headquarters twice now, on 13th July and 26th July, asking if they have scheduled repairs to the deck. The only responses I have had were the automated replies promising a personal response from one of their representatives, which I am still awaiting.

Like Emporer Norton, I saw the deck immediately after the attempted repair "bubbling up" so I figure it has to be taken out of service and repaired properly, sooner rather than later. We are due to sail on Sojourn again in January, so it would be nice to know what Seabourn have planned.

If/when I get a response to my emails I will report back.

I have emailed Seabourn headquarters twice now, on 13th July and 26th July, asking if they have scheduled repairs to the deck. The only responses I have had were the automated replies promising a personal response from one of their representatives, which I am still awaiting.

 

Like Emporer Norton, I saw the deck immediately after the attempted repair "bubbling up" so I figure it has to be taken out of service and repaired properly, sooner rather than later. We are due to sail on Sojourn again in January, so it would be nice to know what Seabourn have planned.

 

If/when I get a response to my emails I will report back.

Thanks for your efforts we will look forward to their answers!

August 6, 2018

 

 

Mrs. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

RE: Guest Care #1-xxxxxxxx

Booking: xxxxxx

 

 

Dear Mrs. xxxxxx

 

Thank you for the email regarding your upcoming Seabourn Sojourn sailing.

 

Regarding the maintenance to the teak deck, we are able to advise that we have planned repairs that will be taking place well before you are due to embark in January 2019.

 

Again, thank you for contacting our office and bringing your inquiry to our attention. We look forward to welcoming you back on board again in the very near future.

 

 

Best regards,

 

 

Jade Barnes

Special Advisor

Office of the President

As promised, the reply I have received from Seabourn.

Interesting. We are on in October

As multiple posters, including myself, have said the deck issues did not adversely affect our cruise. So simply plan on having a great time, some warped boards and liquid coming up in places will not ruin your cruise. If it does, well...

As multiple posters, including myself, have said the deck issues did not adversely affect our cruise. So simply plan on having a great time, some warped boards and liquid coming up in places will not ruin your cruise. If it does, well...

If the ship is going to be taken out of service for the repairs to be done, someone's cruise is going to be cancelled.

I am certainly not concerned about having a great time, just would be sick if our trip was cancelled. Finally payment has been made

They are not going to take Sojourn out of service for minor repairs to the pool deck.

They are not going to take Sojourn out of service for minor repairs to the pool deck.

Well if not, a cruise scheduled between now and January is going to have on board repairs taking place during a cruise.

I would guess they will take place during a cruise/cruises. but would like to think that SB informed passengers before embarkation about how it would be, and offered at least a bit of compensation - no doubt just OBC - for the disruption of noise etc. on the pool and sky bar decks.

It did not seem to be dealt with too well previously, but it is certainly possible that nobody realised how much work needed to be done.

I would guess they will take place during a cruise/cruises. but would like to think that SB informed passengers before embarkation about how it would be, and offered at least a bit of compensation - no doubt just OBC - for the disruption of noise etc. on the pool and sky bar decks.

 

It did not seem to be dealt with too well previously, but it is certainly possible that nobody realised how much work needed to be done.

They were repairing it - unsuccessfully as it happens - between Cape Town and Singapore. It wasn't a big deal and the disruption was minimal.

Others who have been on Sojourn recently have commented that it wasn't a problem for them either.

Is it ideal? No.

Is it a deal breaker? Not for me.

Will Seabourn take Sojourn out of service to fix it? Not a chance.

Will Seabourn offer some form of compensation? Unlikely in my opinion.

It did seem to be a problem for some people. I do think it would be only fair for passengers to be informed of 'minor disruptions' on their cruise, at the least. It is what I would expect, anyway.

Just off Sojourn. There are a lot of squishy boards - they bulge up slightly and squish down when stepped upon - adjacent to both sides of the aft half of the pool area. Some are covered with potted plants, others out in the open. They are not a hazard now and don't impact area usage, at least for cooler AK itineraries. IF these boards become a tripping hazard or IF they are repaired during a cruise, THEN it will impact usage of the pool area to the point of impacting pax enjoyment. Sojourn departs mid-October for a sold 4-month Los Angeles to Cape Town itinerary. She will not go out of service before that's completed.

Just off Sojourn. There are a lot of squishy boards - they bulge up slightly and squish down when stepped upon - adjacent to both sides of the aft half of the pool area. Some are covered with potted plants, others out in the open. They are not a hazard now and don't impact area usage, at least for cooler AK itineraries. IF these boards become a tripping hazard or IF they are repaired during a cruise, THEN it will impact usage of the pool area to the point of impacting pax enjoyment. Sojourn departs mid-October for a sold 4-month Los Angeles to Cape Town itinerary. She will not go out of service before that's completed.

Maybe you missed my earlier post, with confirmation from the Office of the President, dated August 6th, that deck repairs are scheduled to take place "well before January 2019".

I hope this happens, we will be on the 36 day Cape Town to Singapore cruise (March 5th) and I think the hot weather will have a lot people around the pool! Also on previous Seabourn cruises a lot of activities occurred around the pool.

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