Seabourn Odyssey Feedback

[Hellojw]

Hi,  We haven't cruised much, once on Princess, Uniworld, and Windstar but have found that we like the smaller cruise ships.  We are looking at a Caribbean cruise on the Odyssey at the end of January and would like some feedback on others' experience on Seabourn.  We are in our mid 50's and really enjoyed our experience on Windstar as far as the customer service, ports, comfort of the ship, well-versed guides and the food/drink was outstanding.  Also wondering are the tours included?   Thank you!

[lincslady]

Hello jw (your initials maybe?)  just to set the ball rolling; tours are not included on Seabourn.  Not having cruised the other lines you mention,  I would think if you liked Windstar you will also like Seabourn - essentially casual; suites all around 300 sq. ft., personable staff from all over the world, everything else included, with fairly top notch spirits etc.  The wines are not by any means 'fine', but most people can find something they like, from a reasonable amount of choice, and you do not have to have the ones actually suggested for any meal; find some you like and ask for them.  No photographers, pushy sales people etc. All very laid back and pretty high class.  You do not need fancy clothes, 'formal optional' evenings just mean that men need a jacket, not necessarily a tie.  Your travelling companions will probably be about 50% from the USA, but also lots from the UK, Canada, Australia etc., and other European countries.

 

Others will come in other ideas for you, but do ask about specifics so it is easier to help.

 

Most people who try Seabourn do get hooked!

[marazul]

If you go to the "Referral Coupon" thread sticky on this board, you will see that you can get referral on board credit of $400.  You can apply that to the cost of your excursions.  On subsequent cruises you can give the credit to a newbie and get $400 OBC for yourself.

[Hellojw]

Thank you for the information!  Just torn right now between choosing a vacation that has an itinerary or 2 weeks at a resort where there isn't much for a schedule and an opportunity to recharge.  We have to decide soon as the cruise we are looking at departs Barbados on Jan. 26th.

[SLSD]

I think a Seabourn cruise is a great way to recharge.  We haven't done the Caribbean itinerary, but have taken two other Seabourn cruises (signed up for a third one) and have enjoyed them immensely.  

 

Our only other cruise experience was Silver Sea, so I can't make a comparison to Princess or Winstar, but can't imagine that you would not enjoy Seabourn just as much.  

 

 

[PAULINELESLEY]

Can someone please explain what a referral coupon is we are going on the Caribbean cruise with Seabourn on the 26th of January, thank you.

[DCCruiser57]

If you connect with a person who has cruised with Seabourn, they can provide you with a first time Seabourn cruiser coupon that provides you with a $400 shipboard credit.  The person providing the coupon also receives a shipboard credit of $400 for their next cruise after you have completed your cruise.

[marazul]

5 hours ago, PAULINELESLEY said:

Can someone please explain what a referral coupon is we are going on the Caribbean cruise with Seabourn on the 26th of January, thank you.

Go to the first thread on this board.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/79-seabourn-cruise-line/

Referral Coupon Thread- This is the only one! 

[Hellojw]

Ok so we booked, leaving Jan. 26 out of Barbados, ending in St. Martin.  Thanks for the info everyone...now I just have to figure out the Referral credit🙂. 

[travelwell]

You will have a special free beach day that includes Seabourn’s “Cavier in the Surf”. This was one of our favorite days and not to be missed.

 

[Hellojw]

Do the excursions sell out, ie. should we book them in advance if there are ones we are interested in?

[kathy16]

Any idea which port will have the beach BBQ on the St Martin to Barbados itinerary?

[Isklaar]

1 hour ago, kathy16 said:

Any idea which port will have the beach BBQ on the St Martin to Barbados itinerary?

 

If you have a stop at Carambola Beach St Kitts. probably there. Or Mayreau but I'm not sure your itinerary goes as far south as Mayreau.  There are a couple of different itineraries starting St Maarten and ending in Barbados so it would help if you could list your ports. 

Edited December 16, 2018 by Isklaar

[jdk-atlga]

We just had our first Seabourn Odyssey cruise - Barbados to Sint Maarten started on December 15. The BBQ was scheduled for Mayreau, but it was too rough to hold it. instead the Officers did the Cavior in the Pool. Because all the food was ready, Chef Marco and the entire galley crew had a moving buffet through the galley to the Restaurant. It was a great way to see the various stations, meet people and the crew and still have all the same food that would have been the BBQ. It was a very creative way to preserve the spirit of the event when conditions were less than ideal. We had the Marina Day later, at Jost Von Dyke. 

[jdk-atlga]

Relative to the original question, this being our first time on Seabourn, I can report that it was perhaps better than I expected. My previous cruises had been on Crystal, Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. I do not think that I will ever do another cruise other than on Seabourn or Crystal - the value proposition with the crew service, food and drinks, fellow passengers, entertainment and accommodations are just too great comparatively. And, with the periodic sales, they are a fantastic bargain, in my opinion. 

[Hellojw]

Thanks so much for your insight.  We are booked to travel on January 26 out of Barbados ending in St Maarten as well.  Looking forward to it.  Would you have any recommendations on any of the tours offered?

[raphael360]

On 12/16/2018 at 4:39 PM, kathy16 said:

Any idea which port will have the beach BBQ on the St Martin to Barbados itinerary?

We did St Martin to St Martin (14 days) and the first Sunday out from St. Martin was the beach BBQ.  There was a beach BBQ the next week out of Barbados too but not sure what day it was.

[raphael360]

On 12/25/2018 at 10:44 PM, Hellojw said:

Thanks so much for your insight.  We are booked to travel on January 26 out of Barbados ending in St Maarten as well.  Looking forward to it.  Would you have any recommendations on any of the tours offered?

We've done 2 x 14 day Caribbean cruises on SB.  We very much enjoyed the zip lining tours on our first 14 day cruise in 2017. 

 

We just got back from our most recent cruise and, to be honest, only got off the ship 3 times in 14 days.  We love the Odyssey ship, the staff and the food SO much we're happy get away and just hang out on the ship.  With that said, it was our second cruise to all of these ports so we're kind of the 'been there, done that' people.

 

One more thought, be sure to read the threads on the St. Maarten airport.  Spoiler alert: if there is any way you can spend a night or 2 after the cruise and leave any other day that Saturday, do so....

[PAULINELESLEY]

Hi Raphael,

i hope you enjoyed your cruise of the Carribean, I have just read the latest review from a passenger who has just done seven days and had a terrible time, did you take all the crew with you when you disembarked? It really doesn't sound like Seabourn, I would love to know what you think of the review.

 

Happy New Year,

 

Pauline

 

 

 

 

 

[raphael360]

On 1/3/2019 at 7:02 AM, PAULINELESLEY said:

Hi Raphael,

i hope you enjoyed your cruise of the Carribean, I have just read the latest review from a passenger who has just done seven days and had a terrible time, did you take all the crew with you when you disembarked? It really doesn't sound like Seabourn, I would love to know what you think of the review.

 

Happy New Year,

 

Pauline

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline,

We took a cruise from Montreal to Ft. Lauderdale a few years back and the weather was pretty bad for the first half of the cruise.  Rough seas, snow, rain, cold weather.  But I really enjoyed this SB cruise and wrote my first and only review on CC.  It was a; "I loved my SB cruise despite the bad weather" review. I read another review about the same exact cruise and they hated their cruise because of the bad weather. 

 

But to your question, I DID steal all of the best staff and brought them home 😉  Seriously I have to be honest, and I said this to my wife several times over the 14 days we were onboard: "How can Seabourn be so consistently good - cruise after cruise."  The service, staff, food, entertainment - everything was absolutely perfect on this cruise.  This cruise was better that the last SB cruise which was better than the last SB cruie and on and on.  I'm in bewildered awe that SB can have such good customer service, food, entertainment, everything every time.  After a dozen cruises on SB you'd think they would mess up once but no, not once, ever - for us anyway.

 

You're going to enjoy your cruise in Jan. but dress warm, it may go down to 75 degrees.  Burrr

[PAULINELESLEY]

Thank you so much Raphael, I feel much better now.

[raphael360]

48 minutes ago, PAULINELESLEY said:

Thank you so much Raphael, I feel much better now.

Thinking about my post last night and I realized I did have one issue.  I didn't like my meal at the Thai night in the Colonnades.  My steak was not as tender as it should have been.  Wifie had the chicken curry which she loved.

 

Pauline, I read some reviews where water glasses were not getting filled up as quickly as they should be or the complementary wine could be better. The only real complaint I've read about the TK restaurant is the portions are too big.  Seriously?  With these being the worst things to complain about, I kind of smile.  I've done 26 cruises prior to my sailing on SB (all big box cruise lines) so I know how bad things can be (chains by the inch :).  I'm not a Mary Poppins -  I could spend hours detailing all the things  I HATED about our one and only Oceania cruise we took in 2016.  And if you read my experiences on the St Maartin airport you can see how grumpy I can get - wink.

 

Go with a positive attitude, expect excellent food and customer service, and I'm sure your going to enjoy.  Let not your heart be troubled.

Raphael

[raphael360]

Pauline,

One more SB tip.  Watch for the TK "fried chicken" night in the Colonnade restaurant.  It will be the BEST fried chicken you will ever experience in your life - ever. (Hopefully you not vegan ;).  Keep this suggestion on the down low because not everyone knows about this secret.  Watch for this menu option to show up in your "dining options"  the night before and make reservations asap.  FYI: we go at 7pm so we can gorge on this fried chicken and not go to bed stuffed.

 

Edited January 6, 2019 by raphael360
picture upload

[Mr. Manhattan]

Hi, all.  Anyone care to give a review of the Odyssey and its Caribbean voyages now underway?  

[PAULINELESLEY]

Read the answer in Raphael360 reply to PAULINELESLEY