Seabourn - in the Med - food......and the rest

[Les Picantins]

Personally I would rather have sea scallops brought on board sous-vide and frozen than calamari purchased at the fish market in Catania (an interesting market, but with sanitary standards that do not conform with the norm european) and then transported in a non refrigerated vehicle for one hour before being placed on the tender to join the ship.

 

Concerning the beef, nothing beats good old USDA. I have given up trying to find anything that compares to it in France. Aging beef is not allowed here, what a shame. The carnivore in me is a happy camper on Seabourn.

 

Too bad their ice cream doesn't come from the states. Crystal serves Ben & Jerry's yum. On SB they make their own using a pre-mix of terrible quality. The sorbets aren't any better (with the exception of those served in the MDR during the chef's dinner) the lemon sorbet is passable but some of the other sorbets are so colorful they must glow in the dark.

[vistaman]

and all the above not so nice comments are easily to explain by one word : Carnival.

years ago i was in the best cheese monger in Cannes

with a seabourn chef - 2 years later another chef on the same ship simply told me he could not afford to buy there anymore

and yes the meals on seabourn are overseen by R Sodamin of HAL, once the very good chef on ms Vistafjord i think 1985 until 1990

i recently was on a German 5 starred cruise ship in the Medit and in nearly every port fresh fish was bought.

[markham]

And is your point that you won't return to Seabourn?

 

Btw, in the last year my Carnival stock has gone from the USD 34 to 52 now. I have enjoyed 2 wonderful Seabourn cruises on Sojourn and Odyssey and received on board credits of USD 350 as I work towards my next free Seabourn cruise.

 

Happy cruising wherever you end up!

[Tillylovesseabourn]

Also bear in mind that the prices have barely altered since the late 90's.

In fact our very first .SB was in fact pro rata more for the week than one would pay now, so people have to accept that something has got to give. The quality retained by SB is still very good and some people trying SB now would not be doing so as if the prices had kept up a single week in the med would be nearer £3500 pp guarantee, as opposed to £2199 or lower

Edited August 10, 2015 by Tillylovesseabourn

[vistaman]

And is your point that you won't return to Seabourn?

 

Btw, in the last year my Carnival stock has gone from the USD 34 to 52 now. I have enjoyed 2 wonderful Seabourn cruises on Sojourn and Odyssey and received on board credits of USD 350 as I work towards my next free Seabourn cruise.

 

Happy cruising wherever you end up!

 

good news for your shares ...

i had 12 very good cruises on the Pride and the Legend, one rather terrible on the Odyssey and a very pleasant on the Quest

i do not like economising in the F & B department - that is my weak point

one example : serving prosecco on the welcome party when the Champagne is free.

May we have some home sickness for the Original 3 sisters in the late nineties ? :)

[wripro]

No one misses the triplets more than I. They were what made Seabourn Seabourn. But they are gone now and instead of comparing the current ships to the departed ones I prefer to compare Seabourn to other luxury cruise lines and it always wins for me. Every cruise line has made cutbacks in the last few years and Seabourn is no exception but it's still my favorite.

[vistaman]

No one misses the triplets more than I. They were what made Seabourn Seabourn. But they are gone now and instead of comparing the current ships to the departed ones I prefer to compare Seabourn to other luxury cruise lines and it always wins for me. Every cruise line has made cutbacks in the last few years and Seabourn is no exception but it's still my favorite.

 

you are saying it very well : cutbacks by every cruise line

ranging from no more caviar on one line, extra charges for speciality restaurants on another , no more special lunch buffets or even fresh orange juice...

however they all do present themselves still as the ultimate in luxury like 15 years ago.

cruising did change a lot and i think we only can accept all the changes.

[Catlover54]

and all the above not so nice comments are easily to explain by one word : Carnival.

years ago i was in the best cheese monger in Cannes

with a seabourn chef - 2 years later another chef on the same ship simply told me he could not afford to buy there anymore

and yes the meals on seabourn are overseen by R Sodamin of HAL, once the very good chef on ms Vistafjord i think 1985 until 1990

i recently was on a German 5 starred cruise ship in the Medit and in nearly every port fresh fish was bought.

 

Was the German ship you were on the Europa 2?

[vistaman]

Was the German ship you were on the Europa 2?

 

yes - Hapag Lloyd became my first choice since 3 years ago

the drinks are not free but are very reasonable and i agree it is another approach as the other luxury companies.

and i still do cruises on SB and Crystal - but for sure not on SS anymore

blame the orange juice...:D

[sfvoyage]

yes - Hapag Lloyd became my first choice since 3 years ago

the drinks are not free but are very reasonable and i agree it is another approach as the other luxury companies.

and i still do cruises on SB and Crystal - but for sure not on SS anymore

blame the orange juice...:D

 

Hapag Lloyd?... a ship-load of Germans?! :D Seriously, wouldn't all the lounge chairs be taken by 6am every day and "reserved" for the rest of the day...?;)

 

Check this out:

[Host Dan]

Hapag Lloyd?... a ship-load of Germans?! :D Seriously, wouldn't all the lounge chairs be taken by 6am every day and "reserved" for the rest of the day...?;)

 

Check this out:

Very funny!! :D

[oregon50]

yes - Hapag Lloyd became my first choice since 3 years ago

the drinks are not free but are very reasonable and i agree it is another approach as the other luxury companies.

and i still do cruises on SB and Crystal - but for sure not on SS anymore

blame the orange juice...:D

 

Ditto. However, it seems we're on SS once a year as a reminder of why we don't do SS.

[Ravenscroft]

yes - Hapag Lloyd became my first choice since 3 years ago

the drinks are not free but are very reasonable and i agree it is another approach as the other luxury companies.

and i still do cruises on SB and Crystal - but for sure not on SS anymore

blame the orange juice...:D

 

I have to ask about the SS orange juice. We don't cruise with them any longer either, but I'm sure they spent thousands of $ on their orange juice machine, at least the one on the Silver Spirit. I've seen a comment elsewhere about their orange juice recently. So curious minds need to know , what's going on with the OJ? :D

[oregon50]

Like other food commodities, SS buys the cheapest orange drink it can find. Also, SB has not squeezed oranges for quite awhile.

[Ravenscroft]

Like other food commodities, SS buys the cheapest orange drink it can find. Also, SB has not squeezed oranges for quite awhile.

 

So much for SS spending so much on that super duper orange juice machine that's on Silver Spirit, or used to be.

[vistaman]

So much for SS spending so much on that super duper orange juice machine that's on Silver Spirit, or used to be.

 

those machines are gone and orange juice is from concentrate i think:rolleyes:

[vistaman]

Like other food commodities, SS buys the cheapest orange drink it can find. Also, SB has not squeezed oranges for quite awhile.

 

good to know - i 'll take a small plastic squeezer with me and i 'll ask my cabin stewardess for a few oranges every day:D...

[lincslady]

I must admit I did think Seabourn's orange juice was still freshly squeezed - it is certainly not always the 'same'. Regent's is definitely from concentrate, and not particularly good.

[Les Picantins]

good news for your shares ...

i had 12 very good cruises on the Pride and the Legend, one rather terrible on the Odyssey and a very pleasant on the Quest

i do not like economising in the F & B department - that is my weak point

one example : serving prosecco on the welcome party when the Champagne is free.

May we have some home sickness for the Original 3 sisters in the late nineties ? :)

 

In Seabourn's defense I have to say that out of all the all inclusive cruise lines I have sailed (Club Med, Crystal, Regent, Seabourn, Seadream and Silversea) only CM and SB were the only one's that never tried to serve me anything but champagne when ordered. Unfortunately their champagne choice is not the greatest, at least it is champagne. At certain events they will pass around the fake bubbly, but if you go to any bar and ask for champagne, that's what you will be served.

[Tillylovesseabourn]

I think SB OJ is of very good quality and is certainly better than the rubbish SS served.

Les Picantins, i agree, SB are the only ones that dont try to hoodwink you by trying to palm you off with prosecco. When SS did that and tried to lie about what they had provided being champagne, i thought it was all a step too far!

[Nigella]

 

Les Picantins, i agree, SB are the only ones that dont try to hoodwink you by trying to palm you off with prosecco. When SS did that and tried to lie about what they had provided being champagne, i thought it was all a step too far!

 

Yes, SS tried that on our last cruise with them on several occasions.

I quite enjoy prosecco sometimes, but I don't appreciate anyone trying to pass it off as champagne. That was pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back with me and SS.

[Nigella]

I must admit I did think Seabourn's orange juice was still freshly squeezed - it is certainly not always the 'same'. Regent's is definitely from concentrate, and not particularly good.

 

Lincslady, is your comment about Regent reference to the cruises you took with them some time ago, or is this from your most recent experience ? I know you had a booking with them coming up some time soon but I'm not sure when. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about your cruise with them.

[oregon50]

good to know - i 'll take a small plastic squeezer with me and i 'll ask my cabin stewardess for a few oranges every day:D...

 

That is exactly what I do.

[oregon50]

So much for SS spending so much on that super duper orange juice machine that's on Silver Spirit, or used to be.

 

SS sold the machine for $2,800.

[pdx13]

Crystal still serves fresh squeezed OJ. It is wonderful to be able to stop by the Lido in the morning after a visit to the fitness center and watch the oranges rotate through the machine, and there is no substitute for fresh OJ in my opinion. However, this is no "deal breaker" for sure. But like Mighty Leaf Tea that they serve, it is indicative of the small things that make a line "luxury."