Pride review

[rols]

I just posted my review of our August 10th - 22nd Kobe-Shanghai cruise.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=71658

[writer100]

I just posted my review of our August 10th - 22nd Kobe-Shanghai cruise.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=71658

Rols, nicely done indeed, and with some original insights . Seems quite fair-minded. Maybe, because it agrees with my own experiences on Legend--cheap wines, some sense of the galley being cutback on variety of food-which translates to lower costs- excellent service.I even agree with your appraisal of the dress code "violations", although I don't agree that SB should return to a more formal approach, as that is why I will not sail on Silversea. But because a code is more relaxed does not mean that the less stringent requirements should be ignored.

[redheadednancy]

I just posted my review of our August 10th - 22nd Kobe-Shanghai cruise.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews

 

/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=71658

I liked your review also and agreed with much of what you said. I also would like to see more formal...but I think we are in the minority as the world changes. The wines don't bother us. That's not what we sail for. We have excellent ones at home and just make do when we are at places where the good wines are overpriced (and I do think they are on Seabourn). It was nice to hear overall they met your expectations and you would sail again. We normally always think the people are wonderful and we hate to get off!

[wripro]

Somehow I always manage to find one or two wines which please me enough and I order them every night. It pays to have a talk with the wine server to see what is available and not just rely on what they pour.

 

As for dress code I think we have to accept the less formal style as the wave of the future. I wouldn't be surprised if Silversea follows in kind sometime in the near future.

[lord of the seas]

Somehow I always manage to find one or two wines which please me enough and I order them every night. It pays to have a talk with the wine server to see what is available and not just rely on what they pour.

 

As for dress code I think we have to accept the less formal style as the wave of the future. I wouldn't be surprised if Silversea follows in kind sometime in the near future.

 

I understand that the Silver Spirit is on the same path as the Odyssey/Sojourn,sartorially.

[lincslady]

On Pride and Sojourn, over the past two years and about four cruises, we have found the wines to be of a similar standard - maybe they have gone down just recently.

 

However, to I think the majority of pasengers the included wines would seem reasonably good. We usually try whatever is originially on offer, but if it is, say pinot grigio, which we dislike, we just ask the wine waiter nicely if there is any,say, New Zealand sauvignon blanc, or Australian chardonnay for example. You are almost certain to find something you find agreeable, and can then stick to the four or so wines you have enjoyed previously. I admit that they are not expensive, mostly what would be between £4 and £8 is the UK. We along with some others did drink the ship out of Oyster Bay sauv. blanc a while ago!! (About £9 in the UK).

 

I think the Seabourn wines compare fairly well with the other inclusive lines, and we have been offered some real stinkers only on Seadream.

 

If you have expensive taste you would have to try some from the chargeable list, but as daily wine drinkers we have never felt the need.

[Able Seaman H]

Is there a definitive list anywhere showing what wines are included within the cruise price. I have found a list of premium wines available on a place called the luxury cruise bible which seems to cover pretty much all aspects of cruising with seabourn but no mention of what you get F.O.C. (well for your £5k :) ).

 

I like a nice glass or two and whilst not a wine snob know what's drinkable. The way some people are posting it's as though the included wines are almost undrinkable.

 

I found Royal Caribbean has had a bit of a shake up in the wine list department this time round. Gone are the $20 bottles, there wasn't much I ordered under $40 and fairly routine wines were costing $60 by the time you'd stumped up the 15% service charge so I don't think Seabourn are alone in charging stronger money than you might expect for wines. To be fair though you could argue the same with any decent land based restaurant.

 

The LCB website listed a bottle of Perrier-Jouet Grand brut at $54 which isn't a great deal more than you'd pay on the high street.

 

I understand you could argue that having already paid for wine and thus corkage within the cruise fare premium wines shouldn't be too far off high street prices, but then would you want to carry them half way around the world for nothing;) If you really want to know the true meaning of expensive average wines then go over to Thailand. I love the place to bits but you wouldn't go there with your wine legs on.

 

Thanks in advance for any help re: inclusive wines.

 

Henry

[xplrcrzn]

Seabourn, in my view, is all about service and if that is maintained at its usual high levels then I think most Seabourn fans would be willing to live with "slippage" in other areas.

[lincslady]

I wonder if maybe the wines were different and poor on Pride because she has been in Asia for so long - problems getting supplies in that part of the world? Perhaps I am just being naive and inclined to forgive Seabourn for problems. Anyone have an idea?

[hoosier74]

lincslady probably has made at least a partially correct supposition, particularly given what Able Seaman said about wine in Thailand.

 

How is the included wine served on Seabourn? I won't sail until March '11 so I don't know. On Regent, the wines that have been selected for the evening (or other included wines that are requested) are poured by the glass...as many glasses as you wish, of course... rather than a table getting a bottle, unless you wanted one. I found this to be the most positive aspect of the inclusive wines as you could select a wine to go with each course without being tied to what your tablemate was eating and drinking, rather like a wine paring. I am not fortunate enough to have a very discerning palate for wine...the subtleties of wine that retails much over $50/$75 a bottle is pretty much lost on me. I do know, however that wine does not have to be high priced to be good. And of course, when it comes to anything subjective like wine or food, what is good is what tastes good to you!

 

So if the wine was bad, was it corked, had it turned, or was it just not the type or vintage you would have preferred? And Able Seaman, thanks for reminding me about the LCB website. I had forgotten about that one. And like you, I found the listings to be very reasonable priced.

[margbem]

The wines are poured by the glass at lunch and dinner, whether you are in the restaurant or in the verandah cafe. They aren't bad (husband is a wine buff) but we did notice a slight downturn in quality between the Med in September last year and the Caribbean in March this year(both on the Legend). What I would say is this: always ask for something you would prefer and the wine waiter will do his best to find it for you. My husband asked for a rose with lunch which wasn't offered. The waiter brought one and told him that it would be on the sweet side so he didn't want it. He said he would have white instead. With that the waiter went away and came back with a drier rose which was perfect. Seabourn staff always try to provide you with what you want so ask! If they can't do it they will tell you.

[Able Seaman H]

Thank you, that's helped me better understand how things work. By the sound of things it's a case (pardon the pun), of finding a wine or wines that you like and then seeing what each bar has. If they don't have what you are after it may be possible for them to pop elsewhere and get if for you.

 

On RCCL explorer over Christmas I was surprised to see a Pouilly Fuisse on their by the glass list at various bars as a "house" wine. Something a little different from the usual Sauvignon, Chardonnay or Pinot G.

 

Many thanks for the review by the way Rols. A couple of things you mentioned: "Book the cook". What's that all about? It sounds as though you can ask for what ever you want. An interesting if potentially dangerous option for the kitchen :)

 

Also restaurant number 2, is that a cover charge restaurant in the same way Portofinos is on RCCL ?

 

Once again thanks in advance for the answers.

 

I still find it interesting how little influence age of ship seems to have on people's descision making when it come to booking a Seabourn cruise. In stark contrast to the large fleets such a RCCL where we all go chasing after the latest and greatest, almost to the point of hysteria in some cases. Once a ship is more than a few years old some cruisers seem to write them off.

 

I also found your comparison to Silverseas very interesting. For some reason I don't feel the same draw to them as I do Seabourn. It's not that I want to avoid dressing up for dinner, far from it and everyone looks good in black tie. I just sense that the guests might be a little too hung up on the formal side of things. Possibly a misguided belief but I have a mental image of a slightly dated interior decor and people moaning too much. A bit like we Brits do about the tea when cruising on any line other than Cunard or P&O ;)

 

Anyway, once again thanks for the review.

 

Henry :)

[JaneBP]

>""Book the cook". What's that all about? It sounds as though you can ask for what ever you want."

 

There is a fairly recent thread about asking the chef to prepare special meals and tidbits.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1236257&highlight=ask+the+chef

 

'Book the Cook' may also mean joining the chef as he tours local markets at one of the ports.

 

'Restaurant 2' has no cover charge, just a slightly annoying reservation system.

[marchanxiety]

I agree with Margbem about the wines. They are certainly not "awful" (I've had "awful"--ever been to Egypt?) The reds are pleasant if not always up to what we drink at home. I'm not too fond of whites, so I won't comment on those. We get the majority of our reds shipped directly from wineries in California and Oregon, so I'm not used to plonk. I don't think I've ever had an undrinkable wine on Seabourn. But if you don't like what's poured, just ask for something else.

[rols]

Ok. Perhaps 'awful' was a tad harsh, the wines weren't undrinkable but they were not good and we felt not up to the standard of the food they were served with. We did ask to try other available wines and they happily obliged and by half way through the cruise we stuck to one red which was better than the others. And again as a testament to service the staff quickly figured it out and had this on hand and offered it to us.

 

I still maintain these are the least nice wines we have had on our recent cruises and there was a definite impression that this is one area seabourn has made savings. It's clear that with the discounts we've been seeing that they need to cut costs somewhere and I'm happy they didn't cut service levels because that is key.

 

"book the cook" was a phrase I used to say that we ordered a special menu, as did half the ship that day. The galley did a great job dealing with 140 special orders.

 

Just to reiterate we loved our cruise, we agree that service is key and service was superb and I'm sorry what was supposed to be an overwhelmingly positive review has been a bit lost because of one negative.

[redheadednancy]

I'm with you on service. They have a nice selection of dinner wines, and we can always find something we like. Seabourn does such an outstanding job on service, if they want to cut, do it on the wines...not on the service that they are so known for and made their reputation on. Really, after the second glass (or first?), does it really matter?

[tyfh]

Just to reiterate we loved our cruise, we agree that service is key and service was superb and I'm sorry what was supposed to be an overwhelmingly positive review has been a bit lost because of one negative.

 

That is why you never tell them that you have posted a review! I contemplated posting my review on this site ... as well as on The Pride review site, but thought that I best not ... that is IF I ever wanted to sail on Seabourn again! "Which I Do!" You think your review pointed out some negatives?? Read mine!

[wripro]

Able Seaman H,

 

In answer to one of your questions Restaurant 2 has no cover charge. It's included but you do have to make a reservation 48 hours in advance though it always pays to check the day of in case there's room. Unlike Silversea Seabourn never charges for its alternate restaurants.