Cabin number selection & smoke

[benjaminmoser]

1st time cruiser.  On Seaboard Sojourn, do cruisers get to select their own cabin number, or just the class of cabin?

 

I hate cig smoke, are the Alaska cruises smoke free?  I don't want to go out onto our veranda and smell cig smoke from neighbors, or those below us.

I'm thinking there might be a designated smoking area somewhere on the ship, and if so, I want our room to be far enough away.  

 

Any tips to avoid that nasty smell of cigs would be greatly appreciated.

 

We want standard room with the veranda, going on 10-14 day Alaska cruise Vancouver-Vancouver. 

[alithecat]

Yes you select your cabin. When you book either thru Seabourn or a TA they will tell you which suites are available in your price category and you can pick the one you want. Or, usually not until closer to sailing or when the ship is almost full, you can select a Veranda Guarantee for a cheaper price. This is the category Veranda Suite (OB). If you do this, Seabourn assigns you a cabin usually between 1-2 weeks of sailing.

 

Smoking is not allowed either in the suites or on the verandas, or in any interior spaces. Some outside areas are designated for smoking. The policy is here: https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/faq.onboard-life.512.html

[benjaminmoser]

Thx alithecat!  We just booked it using a TA referred to us by this web site, and we did the Veranda Suite guarantee which saved quite a bit of $, but she said we won't get an actual cabin number assignment until ~2 weeks prior to departure.  Hopefully, our cabin will be fine.  She said they are all nearly identical w/ only a few being slightly different.

 

We're doing the 14 day Vancouver to Vancouver one.  I think we'll fly direct from Tampa to Seattle, rent a  car 1 way and drive it up to Vancouver.  This saves money, and allows us to get a non-stop flight.  Everything from Tampa to Vancouver has stops, and I hate stops.  I'd rather rent the car and drive a couple hours across the border than make a stop.

 

She gave us the same info on smoking that you did, so we are comfortable with that.

 

We have our booking number, but the Seabourn's web site wouldn't let us into the private area yet, so maybe the TA didn't enter it into the system, or it takes some time for it to let us in.  We want to start researching the excursions.  This web site has a lot of reviews on them which is very helpful.

 

This is our 1st cruise ever, so we're very excited, and are soaking up as much info as possible.  We've never spent this kind of money on a vacation before, so hopefully it will be worth it.  It's just over $1,000/day for us including airfare and a few non-flight excursions.  We're figuring $15,000 total.  

 

  

[shyla100]

Hi we did a very similar cruise last year with Seabourn and enjoyed it,  the zodiac  was fantastic but pricey  .

If you are a fist timer with Seabourn there is a 250 USD voucher that you are able to receive. Just thought I would let you know.

The idea is that someone refers you and they also receive the credit to their next Cruise. You can use that on board or towards the tours .

[benjaminmoser]

Thx shyla100!  A relative referred us, and she is going to fill out the form online at the Seaboard web site so we get the credit and she also gets a credit on her next cruise.  We gave her our booking confirmation #.  The TA we used got us a free zodiac ride for the 2 of us.  She also got us a cabin upgrade, and 600 minutes of internet.  She said cell phones and internet availability is spotty on board.

 

We're feeling pretty good about it all right now with this being our 1st cruise.  I think we found the nicest cruise line, and a great destination.  Our relative that referred us has discriminating taste, so we trust her judgement.  The positive reviews here have been reassuring as well.  Thx to all of you that write reviews & answer ?'s.     

 

We found it odd that June cost a lot more money than July.  Does anyone know why that is?  We've already booked, but just curious.  Maybe its just this cruises supply and demand history?  Maybe wildlife viewing is better in June than July?  I read that Orca spotting ends near Seward in early June, so we are unlikely to see than in mid to late July.  

 

July 2020 seems like a million years away right now since we are so excited about this trip.  

 

 

[shyla100]

That's great too good to miss out on.

I think the weather to has a lot to do with it. 

To be honest we loved the cruise and the tours from the boat,  but we didn't enjoy some of the ports very touristy full of Jewelry shops and so on.

If you can do the zodiacs and kayaking more so then the catamarans tours I think you will enjoy it more. 

 

Have a great time and look forward to your review next July.

[benjaminmoser]

I'm sitting here in Sarasota Florida wondering what time is it in Australia?  Its 8 pm here.

 

There are lots of reviews on the Alaska excursions on this web site, so we'll book ours according to those reviews.  We have zero interest in shopping, or buying stuff to bring home.  We have more than enough "stuff" already.  I doubt we'll even walk around those port towns.  I'm all about wildlife and natural scenery.  I kayaked in Tofino British Columbia, & loved it, so that will be on my to do list for sure. 

 

We're on the younger side of cruise passengers, & in pretty good physical shape, so we plan on being active.   

 

We went to Bar Harbor Maine last Summer, and we saw what cruise ships can do to an otherwise quaint little town.  I hate crowds of people which is another reason I chose this 450 passenger ship, and not a ship with 1,000+ people on it.   

[shyla100]

Hi  in Sydney at the moment it is 12.30pm we meet a wonderful couple from  Florida when we did that cruise and still in contact with them. The port I did like in Ketchiken , we are also quite active and enjoy the wildlife and so on.

I am sure you will have a wonderful time the Sojourn crew were also wonderful.  

[tv24]

Benjamin:  Welcome to cruising and welcome to Seabourn!  I think you will have a great time and Seabourn will really take care of you.

 

Regarding smoking, this is an ancient issue with Seabourn, but happily they changed their policy a few years ago and now have smoking only in a few designated areas outside, which is pretty standard for most cruise lines, mostly for safety reasons.  The designated areas on Seabourn are far away from staterooms.

 

We have a lot of days booked on Seabourn and always take the guarantee, and have had great success with that.  It is true that the verandah staterooms are almost all identical, with the big difference being the deck level and whether you are toward the front, middle or back of the ship.

 

Happy cruising and have a great time!  You may be spoiled!

[alwaysonaship]

I will mention there is a non stop Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver which we did and was convenient. 

[benjaminmoser]

Thx!  We'll price out Amtrak and 1 way car rentals.  I would never have thought of Amtrak.