Seabourn not currently requiring vaccination for future cruises

[jenidallas]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

But for what its worth, there is no reason to expect that everyone you interact with in a port will be vaccinated. 
 

And you might also consider that on the Celebrity ship that has been operating out of St Maarten with a 100% vaccination policy there have been some positive cases. 

But I can choose what I want to do in a port, whether I want to be around others, and if I want to wear a mask.  I don’t feel like I should have to have as high of a degree of risk surveillance onboard.

 

You seem intent on trying to convince me I’m wrong to want to sail on a less than 100% vaccinated ship.  And the bottom line is I just don’t want to have extra unnecessary things to fret about on vacation.  We all get to pick our personal level of risk tolerance and what experience we want to invest in.  Mine doesn’t involve worrying about unvaccinated people being in continuous close proximity to me for 21 days.  This is why we didn’t book a summer or fall cruise where we’d be part of the experimental group.

[Hlitner]

3 minutes ago, jenidallas said:

But I can choose what I want to do in a port, whether I want to be around others, and if I want to wear a mask.  I don’t feel like I should have to have as high of a degree of risk surveillance onboard.

 

You seem intent on trying to convince me I’m wrong to want to sail on a less than 100% vaccinated ship.  And the bottom line is I just don’t want to have extra unnecessary things to fret about on vacation.  We all get to pick our personal level of risk tolerance and what experience we want to invest in.  Mine doesn’t involve worrying about unvaccinated people being in continuous close proximity to me for 21 days.  This is why we didn’t book a summer or fall cruise where we’d be part of the experimental group.

No, I am not trying to convince you that you are wrong.  We all have our own degree of risk tolerance.  But when it comes to COVID I do think we need to be cognizant that this virus is not gong away next month, next year, or even the following year.  It will likely be with us for many years (Smallpox has been around for over 1000 years) and there will always be a percentage of the population that will not get vaccinated for various reasons.  So we either learn how to live our lives with the constant threat of COVID (like we have a constant threat of flu, meningitis, etc) or we go to ground and minimize our personal risk while minimizing our own activities..perhaps forever.  It is a tough decision which each person must make for themselves (unless they have a government who tries to make make decisions for everyone!).  

 

Best of luck to you :).

 

Hank

[jenidallas]

I agree with all of that.  And as the virus lingers into future years, we will see more reasonable policies around how we deal with individuals who test positive.  
 

For now though, if testing positive (vaccinated or not) means getting offloaded from a ship mid-journey, being unable to fly home and this bearing the burden of extra time/expense to quarantine in another country until negative, and being stuck in isolation protocol if contact traced, then I’m going to want every extra step possible to ensure that mitigation is in place to decrease my chances of that happening.  And I am still of the belief that the same people who refuse to get vaccinated are also the ones that play fast and loose with other precautions, or at least that’s what my direct sample here in Texas has consistently shown (anti-vax = anti-mask = anti social distancing).

 

As I said earlier, we are watching the next few weeks to see how these things are handled knowing they could be an indicator of what to expect in the coming months.  I have my own health battles to fight in the meantime and my doctors may say “heck no” for me to cruising or traveling to countries without robust infrastructure this year even at 100% vaccination rates.  And if that’s the case then we may be rolling our deposits forward and planning for something spectacular once more of the uncertainties are smoothed out.

[SLSD]

3 hours ago, saminina said:

 

Your thoughts regarding Crystal?

 

Scenic, Ritz Carlton, Atlas.....all untried and unproven.  Probably a couple more lines that I'm missing in this category.   Their crew will come from somewhere.  How many former SB crew will we see?

 

H-L....tried and proven.  Not suggested for sociable, non smoking Americans.

 

Skipping the obvious with wide CC following.

Yes--HL is out of the running for us.  While I studied German in graduate school and could speak it sociably at one time--that ship has sailed.  And being around smoking IS a deal breaker for me.  

 

I've had friends go on Crystal and they enjoyed it---so it might be a possibility, but I'm not excited about it.  And the others you mention do seem to be unproven.  Have you sailed Silversea?

[saminina]

Yes, like others on here, I' gave up on SS a decade ago.  Maybe three cruise in past ten years just to check if anything has changed.  It has not.

 

We've had a brief talk in OB and based on that two minute conversation, I believe Crystal would be a good fit.  You might like it better than SB.   Better wine, served in real wine glasses.  Better food.

Real entertainment at the bars.   Overall, crew more professional.   Worse thing is probably your fellow passengers.  More obnoxious types on board than on other lines.   No worries....they're not in your face and plenty of regular good people for entertainment.   I prefer Serenity.

[markham]

SLSD,

 

I think it would be shortsighted to dismiss Silversea when they have some great new ships sailing now. They are the Muse, Moon and (soon) Dawn, and are IMO magnificent.
 

In the same size class as Encore and Ovation, they have much longer and deeper pools, a real circular walking track on the top deck, 8 dining venues with terrific and varied cuisines. What they lack in Seabourn terms is the forward facing Obs Bar, the more energetic social vibe and depth of entertainment, and an above pool deck Sky Bar. In its relative space is a superb outdoor pizza restaurant! I knew that would attract your attention!

 

These ships are game changers for Silversea. They put their old midsize ships Shadow and Whisper in the shade which must make it more difficult for prospective sailors to appreciate the brand.

 

Never mind about that. Just be selective. You can have a video tour of Moon on the Silversea site highlighting the physical attributes of this new class of ship. Our first cruise on the Muse 16 months ago was a triumph and the newer-designed Moon and Dawn have a few changes to boast about, as you will see.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[markham]

PS- and back to the topic at hand, Seabourn apparently will have some “holistic” approach to what to me is a black/white issue: 100% vaccinated or not. This is, for us, a deal breaker. In contrast, Silversea is clear: 100% vaccinated is a requirement for sailing.

 

In any case, and as events roll out, I hope that Seabourn clarifies and revises its policies, whatever they may be, or I would expect a slew of reservation cancellations in the next couple of months.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[M&PGermany]

3 hours ago, markham said:

PS- and back to the topic at hand, Seabourn apparently will have some “holistic” approach to what to me is a black/white issue: 100% vaccinated or not. This is, for us, a deal breaker. In contrast, Silversea is clear: 100% vaccinated is a requirement for sailing.

 

In any case, and as events roll out, I hope that Seabourn clarifies and revises its policies, whatever they may be, or I would expect a slew of reservation cancellations in the next couple of months.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

It's the revenue that counts. Disappointing but not totally unexpected.

I called Silversea's German office yesterday. They confirmed: Only vaccinated people will be allowed to travel:

1x Johnson&Johnson

2x all other vaccines.

 

Also quite important:

The German/Austrian (et al) version of "1 vaccine after corona infection" (which in Germany is considered fully vaccinated) will NOT be accepted on Silversea.

 

Does anyone know if Silversea or Seabourn have reduced capacity? Hapag-Lloyd have a max. occ. of 60%...

 

[SLSD]

14 hours ago, saminina said:

 

 

We've had a brief talk in OB and based on that two minute conversation, I believe Crystal would be a good fit.  You might like it better than SB.   Better wine, served in real wine glasses.  Better food.

Real entertainment at the bars.   Overall, crew more professional.   Worse thing is probably your fellow passengers.  More obnoxious types on board than on other lines.   No worries....they're not in your face and plenty of regular good people for entertainment.   I prefer Serenity.

I know you were on the Kobe to Vancouver cruise at the same time we were, but I was not aware of meeting you.  Did we meet?  And you did not identify yourself as a Cruise Critic poster?

 

We will look into Crystal's vaccination policy.  Thank you for the reminder about Crystal.   And we may consider the new SS ships.  

[SLSD]

10 hours ago, markham said:

PS- and back to the topic at hand, Seabourn apparently will have some “holistic” approach to what to me is a black/white issue: 100% vaccinated or not. This is, for us, a deal breaker. In contrast, Silversea is clear: 100% vaccinated is a requirement for sailing.

 

In any case, and as events roll out, I hope that Seabourn clarifies and revises its policies, whatever they may be, or I would expect a slew of reservation cancellations in the next couple of months.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

I agree with you on this.  We may be seeing you on the Moon, Muse, or Dawn.  

[brittany12]

SB management is surely reading these and getting the idea we all so strongly feel about vaccinations. I want to live and respect your desire to do the same. Allowing on those not vaccinated threatens us from contact with them or when they go ashore and catch it from locals and spread it to us. It will ultimately destroy their resailing efforts, too.  I won't go on  any ship without such a policy that they strictly enforce.

[Robisan]

1 hour ago, brittany12 said:

Allowing on those not vaccinated threatens us from contact with them or when they go ashore and catch it from locals and spread it to us. It will ultimately destroy their resailing efforts, too.

Precisely. It's madness. If they're indifferent to their customer's pleas and wellbeing, perhaps they'll pay attention to shareholders, who should be outraged that management is risking the ongoing viability of their business. Those who own shares should consider communicating to them in that capacity.

[JDF]

20 of us booked on the Ovation (supposedly - different story since they switched us from the Sojourn) out of Miami in November. 
No vax.

No go. 
Not one member interested stepping onboard without a vax policy. 

[SLSD]

49 minutes ago, JDF said:

20 of us booked on the Ovation (supposedly - different story since they switched us from the Sojourn) out of Miami in November. 
No vax.

No go. 
Not one member interested stepping onboard without a vax policy. 

I am not surprised that no one in your group wants to sail on a unvaccinated ship.  Hell's bells --who wants that?  We will be looking for cruise lines that guarantee a fully vaccinated group of guests AND crew.  It's not not that hard.  

[cruiseej]

3 hours ago, brittany12 said:

SB management is surely reading these  and getting the idea we all so strongly feel about vaccinations...

 

Well, are they? My impression is that no one from Seabourn management or marketing actively monitors this forum. Perhaps they do at times, although no one from the company seems to post here. (By contrast, Silversea's chief marketing officer regularly responds to people in the Silversea's Facebook group, and at rare times makes an appearance on the Silversea's CC forum.)

 

This forum certainly represents only a small percentage of Seabourn customers, but it feels like they miss the boat (sorry!) by not assigning someone to see what hot topics come up on this site. Heck, they could assign an intern to do it and submit weekly summaries of top concerns, complaints, suggestions and ideas. 

[cruiseej]

Those who aren't happy with Seabourn's response to my email, or their lack of vaccine requirement after the summer/fall cruises, might want to consider sending a message with your own concerns to Seabourn. You can email Seabourn Guest Relations at guestrelations@seabourn.com

[markham]

cruiseej,

 

I have just done so. Now Seabourn knows that our winter cruise booking of 108 days is threatened with cancellation before final payment is due unless they reverse this nonsense “holistic” approach about vaccinations. We will go elsewhere, and know where that will be already.

 

Let’s see how guestrelations responds.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[frantic36]

3 hours ago, cruiseej said:

Those who aren't happy with Seabourn's response to my email, or their lack of vaccine requirement after the summer/fall cruises, might want to consider sending a message with your own concerns to Seabourn. You can email Seabourn Guest Relations at guestrelations@seabourn.com

 

Thanks. Email sent to Seattle and Seabourn Australia.

[M&PGermany]

No need to write to Seabourn about it.

 

Just booked Silversea Moon because of transparent and consequent health procedures.

[Cantara24]

Given Seabourn’s use of the phrase “holistic approach” I am beginning to think they are getting their advice from Dr. Andrew Weil. 😄 Sarcasm off…

[cruiseej]

22 minutes ago, M&PGermany said:

No need to write to Seabourn about it.

 

Just booked Silversea Moon because of transparent and consequent health procedures.

 

As a longtime Seabourn customer, all the more reason to write to let them know their policies (or lack thereof) and communication (or lack thereof) have led to you booking your next cruise on Silversea, for the first time, instead of Seabourn.

[M&PGermany]

1 minute ago, cruiseej said:

 

As a longtime Seabourn customer, all the more reason to write to let them know their policies (or lack thereof) and communication (or lack thereof) have led to you booking your next cruise on Silversea, for the first time, instead of Seabourn.

 

Yes, this will be our first Silversea. But to be honest - I am not wasting my time giving them feedback they haven't asked for. If they think their way to go about it is the right one - so be it. I'll certainly miss the wonderful onboard staff, some of which I consider friends and exchange emails with. It's not as if I haven't heard their opinion about company hq and company policies.

 

I'm disappointed - but not surprised.

[jjs217]

When I took the survey Seabourn sent out a month or so ago about future cruise desires  - of course I said I would prefer that everybody, crew  & guests be vaccinated.  I would imagine that most people felt the same.  I would love to see the results of that survey - and then find out why they are blowing off the results.  Maybe I'm wrong and people said they didn't care one way or the other.

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, jjs217 said:

When I took the survey Seabourn sent out a month or so ago about future cruise desires  - of course I said I would prefer that everybody, crew  & guests be vaccinated.  I would imagine that most people felt the same.  I would love to see the results of that survey - and then find out why they are blowing off the results.  Maybe I'm wrong and people said they didn't care one way or the other.

It would be interesting to know, but evidently SB is not into transparency at this time....  For us, this is the MOST important time to be totally transparent.   I hope those who are on these first cruises will fill the ears of whomever will listen about the need for a vaccination requirement.  

[rl787]

I am quite surprised about Seabourn's approach to this, it is not difficult for them to ensure all crew are vaccinated with an approved vaccine and as the vast majority of passengers book well in advance there is no reason why the majority can easily be vaccinated. Of course some people don't want to get a vaccine and that is their choice but I find it hard to believe that they will loose revenue by insisting on a vaccinated only passenger policy. 

I also feel that I would prefer to wait and see how things progress with some of the early cruises, I am quite concerned that if passengers and crew pick up Covid when ashore somewhere that it could be an unpleasant experience going through the procedures that will be in place.

Has anyone got any views on whether you feel comfortable with passengers who have been given the Russian Sputnik or the Chinese Sinovac Jab. These are more common with passengers from South America and the Far East I think.