Alaska - on board

[AnnaAusAFF]

Hi zelker, It was a guaranteed cabin and I still don't have the cabin number. Booked via *************.

[zelker]

Hi zelker, It was a guaranteed cabin and I still don't have the cabin number. Booked via *************.

 

I figured it was a GTY. Did you book the lowest category? If so, as I'm sure you know, they can pretty much assign you anywhere (hey, maybe you'll get lucky and wind up in an Owner's Suite!). Good luck!

[AnnaAusAFF]

Owner's suite would be sweet! I bkd 'SV'. As a novice and in shock at the price of a single cabin on Aussie dollars, I wasn't paying enough attention.

[marazul]

The zodiac and kayak excursions are still off. The substitute excursion in Misty Fjords was very good. They contracted with Allen Marine to bring two large catamarans to take the same route into the far end of the fjord (God's Pocket) as the zodiacs would have. As usual, SB only filled the cats to about half capacity and there was lots of room to move about, go outside for pictures, etc. The cats returned us to the ship, not to Ketchikan as they do for other cruise lines which would have taken two hours. Also, for other cruise lines, the cats do not go to God's pocket. IMO, SB should add this option in addition to the kayaks. It enabled many people to go who would not be able to ride a zodiac or kayak.

 

Today, we will also have the catamarans in Endicott arm to go to Dawes glacier.

 

Other Venture excursions have gone as planned.

[zelker]

Curious if they adjusted the "zodiac converted to catamaran" excursion prices and refunded any money?

 

Are Expedition Team members going out on the catamarans?

Edited June 7, 2017 by zelker

[marazul]

Curious if they adjusted the "zodiac converted to catamaran" excursion prices and refunded any money?

 

Are Expedition Team members going out on the catamarans?

 

Yes to both. Prices were refunded instantly and notice of the new excursions went out. More people signed up for them since it was not strenuous and a lot larger capacity.

 

The Ventures team came on board for added comments to the cat's naturalist.

 

Yesterday's excursion to Dawes glacier was spectacular. Sunny and warm. Very active calving on the glacier. Again, round trip to the ship. Not the usual Allen Marine excursion from Juneau for other lines. There were two outings. The weather was great all day.

 

Today we are in Haines. Partial sun and very windy.

[marazul]

Zodiac update – they might be used in Canadian ports since the “issue” is with US regulations. They will keep using the catamarans until the problem is resolved and maybe longer.

 

Good excursions:

Sitka – Raptor center and native tales, 4x4 Nature Safari

Haines – Wilderness river adventures (saw four brown bears and a spirit bear, moose and some eagles)

Juneau – whales and glaciers photo safari (saw multiple whale breaches)

All air excursions were canceled due to fog.

[zelker]

Zodiac update – they might be used in Canadian ports since the “issue” is with US regulations. They will keep using the catamarans until the problem is resolved and maybe longer.

 

 

Bummer!! :mad: We are doing the 14 night southbound itinerary on August 1st, which will be our 5th Alaskan cruise. We loved the zodiacs in Antarctica and a big part of the reason we decided to book this specific cruise was to be able to go out and explore on small boats and/or kayaks with the Expedition Team members. We've "been there, done that" on Allen Marine's various tours over the years and if that's the experience we were looking for, we could have booked a much less expensive cruise or just skipped going back up to Alaska this summer. I'm amazed that Seabourn didn't have this ironed out before you boarded, especially since they fall under the HAL umbrella who basically created cruising in Alaska, and will be really upset if this hasn't been resolved by the time we board. Again, sorry that those of you currently on board are having to miss out on going out on the zodiacs and kayaks.

[galeforce9]

Zodiac update – they might be used in Canadian ports since the “issue” is with US regulations. They will keep using the catamarans until the problem is resolved and maybe longer.

 

Good excursions:

Sitka – Raptor center and native tales, 4x4 Nature Safari

Haines – Wilderness river adventures (saw four brown bears and a spirit bear, moose and some eagles)

Juneau – whales and glaciers photo safari (saw multiple whale breaches)

All air excursions were canceled due to fog.

 

 

 

Thanks Marazul.

 

A couple of questions please about those tours.

 

Re the whales and glaciers photo safari please can you give me more info re the length of time at the glacier. Was it the standard trail to the falls to view the glacier and how long did you spend there. Were there a limited number on the boat or did you join another party?

 

On the Haines trip, how close was the wildlife and was the boat crowded. Thinking about ease of photographing again!

 

Sorry about the flight cancellations.

 

Did you go to klemtu on your cruise? I'm wondering about the klemtu cultural experience organised by seabourn running time/take up.

 

Enjoying your posts.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[marazul]

Zelker – the permits had been granted for over a year until some bureaucrat came up with a last minute objection. HAL or any other lines do not have equivalent excursions. The Ventures team is very frustrated and doing its best to come up with alternatives.

 

The Allen Marine excursions are not their normal ones. They are ship-to-ship and spend all their time at the glacier face. Actually, a much better choice in the rain.

 

It should all be solved by August.

 

Galeforce – in Haines we were 20-30 feet from the bears. Amazing views. It was incredible to see the spirit bear. The boat was not crowded.

 

There were eight in the whale tour and we had our own boat. There is no merging. We were well over one hour at the glacier. Jamie, the photo specialist, was excellent and very helpful.

 

Great day at Glacier Bay today. One more day before disembarking.

 

Klemtu is not in our cruise.

[frantic36]

Zelker – the permits had been granted for over a year until some bureaucrat came up with a last minute objection. HAL or any other lines do not have equivalent excursions. The Ventures team is very frustrated and doing its best to come up with alternatives.

 

The Allen Marine excursions are not their normal ones. They are ship-to-ship and spend all their time at the glacier face. Actually, a much better choice in the rain.

 

It should all be solved by August.

 

Galeforce – in Haines we were 20-30 feet from the bears. Amazing views. It was incredible to see the spirit bear. The boat was not crowded.

 

There were eight in the whale tour and we had our own boat. There is no merging. We were well over one hour at the glacier. Jamie, the photo specialist, was excellent and very helpful.

 

Great day at Glacier Bay today. One more day before disembarking.

 

Klemtu is not in our cruise.

 

Marazul thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences.

 

I have read about the Spirit Bear and you are very lucky for you to get to see one. I am so glad you did, maybe it is payback for all the help you give to other people.:)

 

Julie

[Chairsin]

Oh my a Spirit Bear -- from Haines and in June! That is so amazing. I am so happy for your good fortune -- that takes some of the sting out of the zodiac/kayak issue. Hope you have a good day in Glacier Bay.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[marazul]

Chairsin and frantic,

 

Thanks for your kind words. The bear was indeed a treat!

Glacier bay was very nice. Low hanging clouds at first and then plenty of light while at Margerie's glacier.

 

Unfortunately, we are no longer on board and trying to adjust to the real world. Disembarkation was smooth. All the luggage was sent to the airport ahead of time and it was waiting for us in a secure area.

 

A couple of last comments on the zodiacs. Whatever the problem is, it can have nothing to do with the quality of the equipment. We took a peak at them and they look great. They are kept on deck 6 and you can see them from deck 7 behind SB Square. There are six.

 

And if I must nitpick, here it is. The jacket should have two-way zippers. Other than that, it is very well designed and made.

 

We enjoyed saying goodbye to R2 and also enjoyed many of the Keller dishes at the Restaurant. They were very good. We were not impressed by the Keller night at the Colonnade.

 

I am looking forward to hear the comments of others on this and future cruises.

 

Happy sailing!

[Isklaar]

It's been a pleasure to read your posts marazul, thank you so much for taking the time to provide a very enjoyable read.

[Chairsin]

Marazul,

I really appreciate you and Jenidallas taking the time to provide us with the very detailed, evenhanded reports of Seabourn's long awaited return to Alaska. I hope that even with the big disappointment of the zodiacs/kayaks the trip was all you hoped for and more. Your upbeat attitude makes me hope someday we have the opportunity to meet on a cruise.

 

Now if we can press Roxburgh into service to continue this saga that would be quite beneficial to those of us who will follow soon.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Erica@cruisecritic]

For anyone who hasn't heard or didn't read our news item yesterday, here's the word from Seabourn about the Ventures tours:

 

At Seabourn, operating withintegrity and ethics is one of our core values. All countries have rules abouthow a ship flagged in another country (Bahamas for Seabourn) can operate withinterritorial waters. Recently, a regulator asked a very specific question aboutour operations under the U.S. coastwise trade regulations. As a result, we haveadjusted our Ventures by Seabourn Zodiac-only excursions in Alaska, which havebeen cancelled and replaced by alternate tours for sailings this season.

We will be operating themajority of our Ventures by Seabourn excursions throughout the Alaska season.Most of the Ventures by Seabourn kayaking and hiking excursions in Alaska arenot affected and all of our other shore excursions will operate as scheduled.As well, our Ventures by Seabourn program in British Columbia will operate asplanned.

 

Again, this change affects ourVentures by Seabourn Zodiac-only excursions in Alaska. All Zodiac-only tourshave been replaced by catamarans, ensuring an opportunity for an immersiveexperience in the remote scenic cruising areas of Southeast Alaska.

[queenie_texas]

Chairsin and frantic,

 

Thanks for your kind words. The bear was indeed a treat!

Glacier bay was very nice. Low hanging clouds at first and then plenty of light while at Margerie's glacier.

 

Unfortunately, we are no longer on board and trying to adjust to the real world. Disembarkation was smooth. All the luggage was sent to the airport ahead of time and it was waiting for us in a secure area.

 

A couple of last comments on the zodiacs. Whatever the problem is, it can have nothing to do with the quality of the equipment. We took a peak at them and they look great. They are kept on deck 6 and you can see them from deck 7 behind SB Square. There are six.

 

And if I must nitpick, here it is. The jacket should have two-way zippers. Other than that, it is very well designed and made.

 

We enjoyed saying goodbye to R2 and also enjoyed many of the Keller dishes at the Restaurant. They were very good. We were not impressed by the Keller night at the Colonnade.

 

I am looking forward to hear the comments of others on this and future cruises.

 

Happy sailing!

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to keep us all updated on your exiting adventures as well as the workings of the ship. It is most appreciated. Hope you had a fabulous time and am so looking forward to our own cruise next month.

 

Queenie

[zelker]

Interestingly, when I contacted Seabourn excursions late yesterday afternoon and asked specifically about the zodiacs in August, I was assured this issue would be sorted out and the zodiacs would be going out.

[Jawmaster]

Interestingly, when I contacted Seabourn excursions late yesterday afternoon and asked specifically about the zodiacs in August, I was assured this issue would be sorted out and the zodiacs would be going out.

 

I certainly hope so.

And also that this issue will be sorted out, one month earlier. :eek:

Our cruise will start from July the 7th.

I'm getting more and more worried.

The Zodiac and Kayak excursions were one of the major reasons why we booked this cruise, after all.

[jenidallas]

I plan to do some following up with Seabourn corporate now that I'm off the ship. I think that the new and unique theme it's that they've set up via Ventures are going to be great, even with the Zodiac hiccups. It is the ones that are the standard Holland America ones that I question whether they are up to Seabourn standards.

 

We did the Kenai Fjords cruise/transfer yesterday. The 6 hour cruise itself was good... BUT I strongly suspect that the dockside staff from that operation made a game time decision to combine us with an existing day cruise. We were supposed to be on a catamaran and were given boarding cards for that vessel. Then at the dock we were told "change of plans" and we boarded the other non-catamaran boat instead. We were then joined by a number of non-Seabourn passengers on that vessel (and also stopped to pick up more passengers/luggage at an island along the way). Basically the vessel was filled to full seating capacity which is NOT the Seabourn norm. We were very surprised the boat was so crowded and suspect that the tour operator decided to combine the groups themselves.

 

In a similar fashion, I was also surprised on the way back from the aborted crab feed in Ketchikan that the tour operator, seeing that our bus was not full (again a Seabourn norm), filled the rest of our seats with Disney passengers.

[zelker]

I certainly hope so.

And also that this issue will be sorted out, one month earlier. :eek:

Our cruise will start from July the 7th.

I'm getting more and more worried.

The Zodiac and Kayak excursions were one of the major reasons why we booked this cruise, after all.

 

Just read this this morning. VERY disappointed. Going out on large two-deck catamarans like Allen Marine uses versus sitting at water level in a small zodiac doesn't even compare. :-(

 

I am waiting for a call from the Excursions Team supervisor so see if she can shed more light on this.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7888

Edited June 13, 2017 by zelker

[Chairsin]

I have emailed my TA so see if she can provide further clarification of this disappointing news. And to add to what others have posted, the excursions are still available for booking on Seabourn's website.

 

I quite agree that going on a catamaran even if not filled to capacity or even one of Allen Marine's smaller vessels is a very different experience from being in a zodiac. The fact alone that it will open it up to more people with limited mobility makes it more of a typical tour and not an expedition style adventure. I know other operators of small Expedition vessels use their own zodiacs in Alaska but they are US flagged so hence their permission to operate. At this point I am unlikely to take any catamaran excursions but will wait and see until I am onboard and get updated information.

 

Jenidallas the idea of adding Seabourn tour groups with other tour groups without disclosing this ahead of time is inexcusable. Another reason why we usually only do private tours. But hey, at least not all was bad for you on this trip as you were upgraded to a Penthouse suite.

 

Roxburgh- please tell us the latest!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Roxburgh]

We boarded Sojourn yesterday in Seward.

 

A few comments .......

 

1. The transfer was excellent and our coach driver, George, was fantastic. There were only 26 of us on the coach so plenty of space. We saw moose and eagles on the drive to Seward.

 

2. Boarding and check-in process was very easy. We grabbed a light lunch and then went into Seward for a walk around. When we got back to the ship, our luggage was waiting for us. Apparently some luggage did arrive late, not helped by the longshoremen stopping for their dinner break.

 

3. Great to see old friends both amongst the passengers and the crew.

 

4. We had dinner in R2 which was very good. Service was outstanding both in R2 and in the Colonnade for breakfast today.

 

5. We took part in the 'Great Jacket Exchange' this morning which went very smoothly.

 

6. We had a couple of minor administrative hiccups all of which were quickly resolved to our full satisfaction.

 

7. Looks like we are going to have a 'killer' trivia team.

 

8. Waiting for our catamaran tour this morning. The weather is lovely and the sea is like glass.

 

9. Not sure when I will be able to post any photos as it looks like my photo server is blocked by Seabourn (probably because of upload bandwidth issues).

 

10. And MOST IMPORTANT ..... delighted to announce the birth of our first granddaughter, Victoria Luisa, on June, 11.

[Chairsin]

Roxburgh,

 

Thank you thank you for the update. And congrats on your grand baby !

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Isklaar]

Roxburgh,

 

Thank you thank you for the update. And congrats on your grand baby !

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

+1 !

 

Also thanks to jenidallas for contributing to the thread, for some reason I thought your posts were on a different thread. Going mad! ;)

 

So, thanks to all for your input and to Roxburgh for forthcoming input. It's very helpful to me as I'm so wanting to take an Alaska cruise