Quest Review - Norwegian Fjords

[Grumpy Wombat]

Just back from probably the best cruise we've ever had on any cruise line. Perfect, clear blue skies and flat calm seas for 2 weeks cruising the magnificent Norwegian fjords certainly helped but the whole experience was enhanced by a beautiful ship, excellent service, great food, friendly (mostly) fellow passengers and a really happy atmosphere. We'd been warned about the "Seabourn Snobs" but saw no evidence of them.

 

I won't go into a big infomercial praising everything to the skies because the product speaks for itself. We have reasonably high standards and expectations and Seabourn didn't let us down.

 

Our verandah suite was very spacious with a blissfully comfortable bed and quality bed linen. The bathroom (tub AND separate shower stall) was great and the walkin closet had plenty of space. Good storage in the main suite too.

 

We liked that fact that while the ship was full there were plenty of "secret spots" to settle in with a book or just to look at the view. Wherever you were a waiter would turn up with a refreshing drink and a smile.

 

Plenty of dining options, all very good with something to suit every appetite and mood. We had room service dinner one night which was just what we needed and very good. Service in the MDR tended to be a bit "leisurely" sometimes but we weren't in any hurry so not a problem. LOVE the fact we could go and eat whenever and wherever we wished rather than fixed dining (take note Crystal). Wines were well chosen and good quality.

 

Entertainment was good for what it was although we aren't really into the "show time" thing and only saw one show. The band was versatile and talented and the Observation Bar pianist and Club guitarist exceptionally good.

 

So, was there any bad news? Of course! And it's a biggie. Yes, the smoking thing. We were unfortunately located next to and downwind from a couple of very heavy smokers who used their verandah seemingly 24/7 as their smoking den and made our verandah virtually unuseable. It was horrible to step out there on a crisp, fresh Norwegian fjord morning and get a face full of filthy smoke. I know that Seabourn currently allows smokers to pollute their and others verandahs but given that they form a small minority of passengers it seems very unfair that they can have such a major negative impact on everyone else. There are plenty of designated public smoking areas around the ship and that should be adequate for the comparatively small number of people who use them. Surely Seabourn has to fall in with other luxury lines and at least ban verandah smoking? It's a safety hazard apart from anything else. Will it stop use sailing Seabourn again? No, but we will make every effort to ensure we aren't next door to smokers next time.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for your review.

 

Keith

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Paminflorida]

Thank you for the review - would you share the excursions you enjoyed or those you wished you had skipped?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[frantic36]

Just back from probably the best cruise we've ever had on any cruise line. Perfect, clear blue skies and flat calm seas for 2 weeks cruising the magnificent Norwegian fjords certainly helped but the whole experience was enhanced by a beautiful ship, excellent service, great food, friendly (mostly) fellow passengers and a really happy atmosphere. We'd been warned about the "Seabourn Snobs" but saw no evidence of them.

 

I won't go into a big infomercial praising everything to the skies because the product speaks for itself. We have reasonably high standards and expectations and Seabourn didn't let us down.

 

Our verandah suite was very spacious with a blissfully comfortable bed and quality bed linen. The bathroom (tub AND separate shower stall) was great and the walkin closet had plenty of space. Good storage in the main suite too.

 

We liked that fact that while the ship was full there were plenty of "secret spots" to settle in with a book or just to look at the view. Wherever you were a waiter would turn up with a refreshing drink and a smile.

 

Plenty of dining options, all very good with something to suit every appetite and mood. We had room service dinner one night which was just what we needed and very good. Service in the MDR tended to be a bit "leisurely" sometimes but we weren't in any hurry so not a problem. LOVE the fact we could go and eat whenever and wherever we wished rather than fixed dining (take note Crystal). Wines were well chosen and good quality.

 

Entertainment was good for what it was although we aren't really into the "show time" thing and only saw one show. The band was versatile and talented and the Observation Bar pianist and Club guitarist exceptionally good.

 

So, was there any bad news? Of course! And it's a biggie. Yes, the smoking thing. We were unfortunately located next to and downwind from a couple of very heavy smokers who used their verandah seemingly 24/7 as their smoking den and made our verandah virtually unuseable. It was horrible to step out there on a crisp, fresh Norwegian fjord morning and get a face full of filthy smoke. I know that Seabourn currently allows smokers to pollute their and others verandahs but given that they form a small minority of passengers it seems very unfair that they can have such a major negative impact on everyone else. There are plenty of designated public smoking areas around the ship and that should be adequate for the comparatively small number of people who use them. Surely Seabourn has to fall in with other luxury lines and at least ban verandah smoking? It's a safety hazard apart from anything else. Will it stop use sailing Seabourn again? No, but we will make every effort to ensure we aren't next door to smokers next time.

 

 

I am so pleased you had a wonderful trip and Seabourn met your expectations.

 

I agree that with your comment re the open dining experience versus fixed dining and one reason why even though Crystal was a lovely ship we won't sail with them again. Especially if the ship is sailing full as it was on our cruise on Crystal it impacts heavily on the experience.

 

I also understand the smoking issue. This is one of the reason why on our cruise in January which is a 42 day cruise we have chosen to not spend the money and just booked a mid ship A1 and another long cruise we are looking at in 2016 we will do the same unless they ban smoking from the verandah. We will let Seabourn know our reasoning just so they have it on record.

 

Maybe I am wrong but I am confident in the future this ban on balcony smoking will become a reality. But in the meantime I enjoy the rest of the Seabourn product so I am happy to work around the situation.

 

Any comments on your Port experiences I would be interested as the Norwegian Fjords is a cruise on our to do list and it would be nice to know your thoughts.

 

Julie

[markham]

Thank you for taking the time to write your Quest review and your posts while you were cruising too.

 

Yes, let's hope that Seabourn closes out their silly and senseless policy permitting smokers to ruin the air and spoil the enjoyment of others on verandas down wind of them.

 

Happy sailing!

[funcruzer1]

We have avoided Seabourn for years due to their smoking policy but we finally decided to take a "chance" and booked the Quest for September Canada/New England. Will post a review when we get back and hopefully the smoking will not be an issue for us......

 

But we still cannot believe that Seabourn continues with such a relatively liberal smoking policy!!!

[Grumpy Wombat]

Excursions: We regard the ship as the destination in many ways so we tend not to schedule too many excursions. I know some people like to be off the ship as soon as it docks and then spend their days being busy but we take a more leisurely approach. The Seabourn excursions looked pretty good, if pricey, but there's really only so much to see and do in a tiny fjord-side village so be selective.

 

The railway at Flam is a highlight but the day we were there things got a bit chaotic as there was another big ship (Costa) in town whose guests seemed to be grappling with the concept of a queue. The North Cape bus trip was worthwhile but the spectacular weather made a difference. Again, it was busy as there was a Crystal ship in town. Surprise highlights were Bergen where the Tall Ships were in town and made a wonderful sight/atmosphere (take the funicular railway for the views) and Stevangar was a charming place too, even the Oil Museum!

 

I guess the trick is to Do Your Research in advance to get an idea of what's on offer and if there's a suitable excursion take it, or do your own thing. There are always plenty of private tours, taxis on the pier if you want more flexibility. Most Scandinavians speak excellent English so negotiating a price/itinerary is easy.

 

Oh and one more thing we liked about Seabourn - no photographers pestering you for expensive photos, in fact no photographers at all! :D