Are people booking without sight of the Seabourn Brochure

[Harvey2442]

Many of the recent posts about life and other aspects of life on Seabourn appear to be from guests who have booked without sight of the brochure as many of the queries are dealt with in it. Certainly there will be occasions when additional questions or views will be sought but I would never book a cruise without sight of the lines' brochure to obtain a feel of whether I am likely to enjoy the experience or not.

 

May be the problem is getting hold of the brochures in the first place certainly they are difficult to find. If Seabourn want to encourage guests to return again after the excellent experience they should have they do need to make certain that those cruising with them for the first time have a feel of what to expect and decide whether Seabourn is likely to be right for them. There have been too many disappointed posts recently.

[wripro]

Personally, I don't think a brochure can give you the slightest feeling for what a cruise will actually be like. Brochures are filled with models acting as passengers, usually in the most expensive suites. Each cruise is different even on the same line so a few photos give no clear indication. The most you can get, if you are new to a cruise line, is a limited idea of what the public spaces and staterooms look like along with a list of amenities and services provided. A newcomer can and should imo seek advice from an experienced TA and ask questions of him/her to determine if SB or any other cruise line fits his needs.

[Keith1010]

Harvey, I think those considering a cruise on Seabourn or any other line can utiliize a number of sources to make an informed decision.

 

1. This includes Cruise Critic and use the 90/10 or 80/20 rule. By this I mean that if 80 or 90percent of the people say something is positive or something is negative I take that as fact until I experience it for myself.

 

2. Get a good TA and one who has sailed on many of the lines one is considering.

 

3. Read trough the cruise line brochure and also visit their internet site. These are marketing tools but the do give one a sense of what is emphasized by the respective cruise line and study the layout of the ship.

 

4. Seek out any family or friends that you respect who have sailed on that particular cruuise line.

 

5. Pick up a copy of the annual book written by Douglas Ward and published by Berlitz on cruising. It provides a nice writeup on each ship.

 

I think all these steps help to select a cruise line but in the end it will be the actual on board experience that will tell you whether or not you made the right choice. And, even then sometimes we are all guilty of coming to judgement based on one cruise. So, many factors can influence the enjoyment level on a cruise, particularly the first one with a cruise line, from the weather, to the itinerary, to the mix of passengers, to just one crew member who either provides excellent service or poor service to even how long the ship has been in service. Personally I believe it takes about one year for the crew on a ship to click and work as a well organized team even if members have come from other ships of that cruise line. I often think of a favorite restaurant that we went to for years before we recently moved. 90% of the times we enjoyed outstanding food and service but sometimes we didn't. If we had gone to the restaurant on an off night for the very first time we might never have gone back. This can happen on a cruise no matter how hard the cruise line strives for consisetency. It just doesn't always happen for some of the reasons I just mentioned.

 

Keith