Review 21 day Odyssey cruise.

[ramby]

I think that being flanked by even one smoker could ruin a cruise. Who wants to breathe in second hand cigarette or cigar smoke?

[cruiseyguy]

The large lines seem to be taking the lead on both the smoking and bad behavior issues, banning smoking on balconies and disembarking trouble making "guests." There is no reason for Seabourn to lag on these matters (except perhaps fear of lost revenue).

[4kitties]

Hi Clarky and curlyQ,

 

I suppose there is always some clown (or as we call them in Australia "bloody yobbo") who thinks about themselves and no one else. ... the person was simply loud and rude. .... Back in the mother country, the person would have been thrown overboard in the middle of the night.:cool:

Alfa

 

Well said.;)

[Martita B.]

Karen

One question ~~when is the best time to call for a dinner reservation for the Colonade or Restaurant "2?"

So many positive reviews as to the alternative dining venues I know I'll want to try these ~~

Thanks again for posting your review:p

Martita B.

[lord of the seas]

Karen

One question ~~when is the best time to call for a dinner reservation for the Colonade or Restaurant "2?"

So many positive reviews as to the alternative dining venues I know I'll want to try these ~~

Thanks again for posting your review:p

Martita B.

 

Martha,you have to get in quick and phone guest services at Seabourn Square at 6.30PM for a booking 48 hours in advance.

[clarky]

Miss Martha,

 

Please be on the phone at 6.30p.m. on the dot. I did try and be a bit sneaky and phone at 6.25 p.m. but they kindly told me that bookings opened at 6.30. We loved the themed nights in the Colonade and I know you love the Patio Grill so phone on time.

[Martita B.]

Thanks John! Guess I'll write out a dinner schedule and make notes as to when to call the Seabourn Square for reservations.

A 'tad confusing ~~but it is what it is :confused:

Do you have a preference as to the Odyssey evening dining?

MB

[lord of the seas]

Thanks John! Guess I'll write out a dinner schedule and make notes as to when to call the Seabourn Square for reservations.

A 'tad confusing ~~but it is what it is :confused:

Do you have a preference as to the Odyssey evening dining?

MB

 

Yes,I did not care for the layout and design of the main Restaurant but the food was great.I tried the Colonnade twice but had some food issues on the nights that I went.My favourite was Restaurant 2 which was small and cosy with very good food and the best service.I tried the patio Grill one evening but it was too informal for me.

[Martita B.]

Karen,

I'll take a stop watch ~~ha ha I appreciate your help.:p Thanks!

John, I'll probably enjoy the dining room and the Colonade as I enjoy dressing each evening. I'm hearing from several, that will be aboard the Odyssey Crossing that they plan to DRESS for dinner.

Hopefully the crossing Sailor's will respect the evening dress codes.

Thanks

MB

[clarky]

Regarding the smoking issue on the balcony. Someone having a cigarette that lasts for a few minutes compared to someone out smoking a cigar (which is a much longer and much smellier affair) nearly all the time is a bit different. If his wife had of been healthy it may not have been such an issue as he would have been out and about a lot more. It did not spoil our cruise but it was irritating and had he have been onboard for another week with a sick wife I would have said something to the powers that be. As it was I understood that he did not want to leave his sick wife so just avoided going out on the balcony.

[JunPOA]

Karen,

I'll take a stop watch ~~ha ha I appreciate your help.:p Thanks!

 

John, I'll probably enjoy the dining room and the Colonade as I enjoy dressing each evening. I'm hearing from several, that will be aboard the Odyssey Crossing that they plan to DRESS for dinner.

Hopefully the crossing Sailor's will respect the evening dress codes.

Thanks

MB

Just returned from the Sept. 26th sailing- All kidding aside in reality the stop watch may not be a bad idea, or better yet, hit the guest relations quick dial in the morning when you get up and ask for a wake-up call at exactly 6:30pm that evening and while they're on the phone make the reservation then. One should not have to be stressed out during vacation, especially not on a luxury line like SB, its an oxymoron.

Leah RN

[HotRoot]

Years ago we took our kids to an all-inclusive resort. The first day we learned that if we wanted to all sit together at the pool and eat in a restaurant with a menu, someone would have to be up at 6:30 am. So, everyday of our vacation after that, I would have a 6:30 am wake up call, grab the pool stuff, race to the pool to reserve our chairs, then head for the restaurant. I took a hand held solataire game and sat on the floor to wait for reservations to open. We had a great vacation but never went back. I have a feeling we will be eating in the main dining room every night we are on the Odyssey.

[Martita B.]

Leah

Excellent idea! I would have never thought of such a clever way to make the dining reservations.

The precise 6:30 p.m. reservation call it is!:D

Thanks!

Martita B

[JunPOA]

Leah

Excellent idea! I would have never thought of such a clever way to make the dining reservations.

The precise 6:30 p.m. reservation call it is!:D

Thanks!

Martita B

Martita - (LOL) Just wish I had thought of it during the cruise not afterwards...live N learn, hope it helps others.:) I must say however that once I addressed our concern with the most accomodating "I am here to please SB Square GR staff ( big KUDOS to them and they're all gems I might add) - it was fixed immediatley. Little did I know that when I happened to casually mention that DH (legitimately not a tall tale) has GERD (acid reflux) which requires one to avoid eating at least 4 hours from sleep time (being recumbent) ,offering an 8:15 or 8:30 dinner was a total medical contraindication and not a possibility. We know we're probaly outliers by wanting to eat earlier rather than later but we were on EDST from the US + almost every day we had 7-8 hours SB excursions booked leaving at 8 :15 am in the mornig so we needed to retire to bed at a reasonable time. to get up early. It would be nice if dinner was available in most restaurants prior to 7PM ! I think SB needs to do some mystery passenger/ sensitivity training (even a survey) and walk in our shoes for one cruise to experieince for themselves what its like to be passenger (poor them):rolleyes: we should all be so unlucky , huh. Oh what torture to be offered lush drinks,cool misted ,etc etc - its just too much.:rolleyes:

leah

[Martita B.]

Leah

Did you happen to see the hand sanitizing machine outside any of the Odyssey dining venues? Or at the gangway?

Thanks!

Martita B.

[JunPOA]

Leah

Did you happen to see the hand sanitizing machine outside any of the Odyssey dining venues? Or at the gangway?

Thanks!

Martita B.

YES Martita, to both questions, and guests were encouraged to use them as well.

[bradtarga34]

Leah

Did you happen to see the hand sanitizing machine outside any of the Odyssey dining venues? Or at the gangway?

Thanks!

Martita B.

I saw them at the entrance to the Collonade and gangway, can't recall if I saw them anywhere else though

[JunPOA]

I saw them at the entrance to the Collonade and gangway, can't recall if I saw them anywhere else though

I agree with Brad I definitely remember them @ Collonade but can't recall the other venues, sorry.

[Host Dan]

Martha,you have to get in quick and phone guest services at Seabourn Square at 6.30PM for a booking 48 hours in advance.

So does this mean that the alternative restaurants aren't open the first 2 days??

 

Host Dan

 

PS Great review and information!

[clarky]

Good point Dan. As we were on for three weeks we found that dis-embarkation day for the 7 day passengers was a great time to get a booking but you still have to remember to call 48 hours before. Although I did phone on the off chance one night and ask if there were any tables available at the colonade and managed to get in. Sometimes there our cancellations when people are invited to a hosted table. I think what annoys me is that I'm on holiday and this is the time I don't really want to be held to a schedule (it's bad enough having to get up for early tours) and sometimes I'm having fun meeting people and don't want to interrupt what I'm doing to phone or go to seabourn square to make a booking. I just wish there was another way to make it fare to all passengers.

 

I also wanted to mention that I saw no sign of Seabourn cutting back in anyway. The wines in fact were some of the best we have been offered. I think some people have been a bit nervous that they would see cut-backs due to the discounting but I saw absolutely no evidence of this.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions about making the booking of the alternative dining easier for all?

[Harvey2442]

How about if so far as 2 and the deck grill are concerned which I guess is where the problem really is I would allow bookings from those on a segment who have not gone once a priority booking period - thus on a 14 day cruises everyone should be able to go once to each if they want to and to the extent vacancies remain after say the first 3 hours of bookings open it to everyone.

[wripro]

I have it on very good authority that effective the current sailing on the Odyssey (departed Istanbul on October 17) reservations for the Colonnade and Patio Grill will no longer be required in the evenings. Only Restaurant 2 will continue to require a reservation. I hope SB can make this work, I just worry what will happen if 200 people all show up at the same time and want to be seated. I can only assume they have figured this out.

[alfa]

Hi All,

 

If wripro advice is correct regarding bookings being only required for Restaurant 2, that is a good solution to what we just experienced.

 

In regards to seating capacity, the main Restaurant is actually sized to fit all guests into it, if they all happen to chose it. No one will go hungry on that basis.

 

I like the simple idea of guests just walking up to the patio grill and seating at a table if it is vacant. I think you will find, more than one sitting would occur where some guests prefer to eat at say 6 to 6.30 pm with the possibility of them leaving at say 8 pm thus opening the table for another seating.

 

Open seating works for the Colonnade during lunch, so I don't think it will be a problem for dinner.

 

There will be occasions where you may get disappointed, but it will be less than what I experienced where if you rang at 6.31 pm, you would have to hold for 10 minutes, to later find all bookable restaurants were booked !

 

I welcome this change if it has occurred.

 

Alfa

[clarky]

Wripro,

 

I hope this works as I could just imagine the scene if people are told they can not be seated and have then not dressed appropriately for the dining room. The patio grill really does not accommodate many guests and even on the sisters you needed to book this venue. I have no problem with the "2" being reservation only.

[JaneBP]

I don't mind making a reservation, it was the 'must call at this time' caveat that already annoyed me before I even sailed. If they must, I think opening the reservations in the morning and perhaps capping the times allowed to go to '2' might work. On Seabourn, I cannot imagine 200 people descending at any time, unless it's after the formal cocktail welcome parties.