Greek islands cruise: new updates from Seabourn?

[Doolz]

On 8/5/2021 at 12:31 AM, Mr Luxury said:

The music is generally good but I am afraid that the production singers are not up to much.

Seabourn do the shows and production much better but I think Belinda King has got a lot to do with the attention to detail.

There is a great singer pianist duo that perform in Silver Note which is a super club.

The venue is a wonderful addition to a ship.

You can go for dinner and last orders are 10.30pm.

You can dine and dance which I really like.

There is a DJ that plays good music for all tastes in the Panorama lounge and also a trio who play modern classics.

All of this I know is subject to taste.

But that said it is generally good 

There is a pianist and a guitarist who have also been good.

They play solo in different venues or as a duo.

All good except the production shows.

Magician was rubbish and based his act around a white and a red handkerchief.

Disastrous 🙄

When we sailed on the Muse we enjoyed sitting around the bar in Silver Note for post-dinner drinks and listening to the excellent duet followed by a few dances, are you allowed to sit at the bar on the current sailing?

What is your feedback on the new central bar in Dolce Vita? Looking at the official photos it looks like a well needed improvement and if you are allowed to sit at the bar then a sociable option.

[Mr Luxury]

You are allowed to sit at the bar anywhere on the ship.

Dolce Vita is a vast room and is like a ghost town.

I can't think that it will be used more even when the ship is full. 

 

[SLSD]

36 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

You are allowed to sit at the bar anywhere on the ship.

Dolce Vita is a vast room and is like a ghost town.

I can't think that it will be used more even when the ship is full. 

 

Has Dolce Vita taken the place of the Panorama Bar?  I remember the Panorama from our first Silversea cruise and it was an enormous room.  I much prefer Seabourn's Observation Bar.  

[jill1349]

Hank/Hlitner, thanks for all of the information you have been providing.   We will be getting on when you get off.   

 

You mention antigen test before going ashore in Nafplion.   I am interesting in what type of covid testing is being done at the port and on the ship.   Are you having to do the kind where they stick the swab way up your nose (like to your brain) or just the kind where they swirl it around in both nostrils without sticking it way up.   I have had both and the first is very uncomfortable for me whereas the second usually just sort of tickles with a bit of discomfort.   Just wanting to be prepared.

 

Thanks again for all of the information.   Will be in Athens 3 nights before boarding and hoping smoke and weather improve.

 

 

[Hlitner]

The antigen nose swab done at the port before embarkation is handled by a local medical contractor and I would categorize it as medium deep (not to ones brain).  The swab they do on the ship was shallow and not to uncomfortable.  DW thought both swabs were no biggie.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

Sitting at the pool while docked at Piraeus.  There is lots of haze to the North (where there are fires) but the air quality here is pretty good with no smoke smell.  The forecast says it will only be 95f today although most days do seem to top 100.  Yesterday they did use the Marina platform while we were in Nauplion but had to stop the activities around 2pm due to rough seas and a 30 knot breeze.  DW and I were among the last to get a ride in the donut (more like a floating sofa) and it was truly wild.  We somehow survived so I could write this blog.

 

Hank

[Heather White]

These updates areso useful. Please continue!

[tv24]

It's Saturday in central Athens;  we are not on Seabourn.  This is the first day that the smoke from the fires in the northern suburbs is noticeable, and it really is unpleasant, maybe unhealthy.  Local news reports of the fires are very troubling as the fires are out of control.  The heat wave is over, at least temporarily.

[cruisr]

I am watching BBC coverage of the fires and they are suggesting wearing Kn95 masks due to the very bad air quality.

[Hlitner]

Since my last post about 3 hours ago we have had some shift in the breeze and we now are getting some wisps of haze and a slight smoky odor in Piraeus.  But it is still a great feeling being aboard this beautiful ship 😋. We actually did some laundry this morning and noticed a few others had the same idea.  I imagine using the laundry room would be a real challenge if the ship were full.  We have been told that we will be gaining about 30 additional passengers in this voyage which would put us at about 300 passengers or less then 1/2 capacity

 

Hank

[Mayford on Sea]

We are on Ovation in September and have been given a 4.00 pm check in time. Is it worth turning up a bit earlier in the hope of boarding before 4.00 or are Seabourn strict with boarding times?

[Mr Luxury]

17 hours ago, SLSD said:

Has Dolce Vita taken the place of the Panorama Bar?  I remember the Panorama from our first Silversea cruise and it was an enormous room.  I much prefer Seabourn's Observation Bar.  

No Dolce Vita is on deck five and there you  an find the reception desk,future cruise desk and tour desk.

There is a fully stocked bar with a coffee machine and a piano.

The space is vast and rarely frequented by anyone.

The Panorama lounge is on deck nine and had a bar and an outside terrace.

I don't like it for a drink as the best place on the ship is SALT bar on deck four which only seats thirty when the shop is full but due to restrictions it will now only take about sixteen due to social distancing 

[medroots]

On 8/4/2021 at 6:17 PM, saminina said:

Gee whiz Luxury, you can almost get me on a new SS ship.   I've been a few days short of a two week freebie on SS for about ten years.  It's been difficult justifying the time/expense to climb aboard a SS ship.  

 

The laundry facility on SB ships is pathetic.   The former regime originally omitted them on the newer ships.  Later relented and installed four cheap W/D in two tiny spaces.   It's a department SS wins over SB and Crystal beats both.....by far.   And yes, I cruise to do my own laundry.

The washer/dryers on the ODY class ships are older and not of great quality.  I can’t speak for Encore, but the washers and dryers on Ovation are Miele, which I don’t consider to be cheap brands. 

[saminina]

You are correct and I agree.    I'll always think of Odyssey class as the newer ships.  Newer....newest.

[greeneyedgirl58]

Can anyone presently onboard verify if you have been allowed to explore ports on your own? Or only on ship excursions? Thanks

[Hlitner]

Regarding the ports we are free to go ashore on our at all the Greek and Cypriot  ports.  I would emphasize that everything aboard is normal (like pre COVID) except for the crew still needing to wear masks.
 

Last evening I met another passenger who has just cruised on the SS Moon.  She has hundreds of days on both SS and SB.  She said her experience (last week) on the Moon was “awful” and the worst SS cruise ever.  She was unhappy about the SS masking, tables and chairs being blocked to maintain social distancing, bar seating closed, etc.  Apparently all these restrictions on the Moon are SS policy and nothing forced by the authorities.  
 

One of our crew members told me that our entire crew had recently been tested and they are hoping to soon be able to go mask free on the Ovation.  Another crew member was not as optimistic so we shall have to wait and see.

 

Just pulling into our anchorage at Patmos and it is an absolutely gorgeous setting.  So happy we came in this cruise.

 

Hank

[jill1349]

Hank, thanks so much for the testing information and other information.   And thanks TV 24 for information on smoke smell in Athens.  We arrive Wed morning and hoping for some improvement - and lower temperatures.

 

 

[mcondition]

Do you know the crew percentage that has been vaccinated? 

[tv24]

4 hours ago, jill1349 said:

Hank, thanks so much for the testing information and other information.   And thanks TV 24 for information on smoke smell in Athens.  We arrive Wed morning and hoping for some improvement - and lower temperatures.

 

 

Jill:  The wind shifted last evening and the smoke is gone in the center of town.  Temperatures have moderated;  we dined comfortably outdoors last night at around 83 degrees Fahrenheit.  Today the air quality is OK and the high temp will be 95.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, mcondition said:

Do you know the crew percentage that has been vaccinated? 

That would be 100%
 

Hank

[greeneyedgirl58]

Thanks so much, Hank and tv24, for your valuable updates! It helps those of us who are on our way so much. 

[mcondition]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

That would be 100%
 

Hank

Thanks Hank, also if you know, is it a Seabourn decision the ships to sail at half passenger capacity or there is low interest for cruising and therefore cannot reach near full capacity? 

[cruiseej]

10 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Last evening I met another passenger who has just cruised on the SS Moon.  She has hundreds of days on both SS and SB.  She said her experience (last week) on the Moon was “awful” and the worst SS cruise ever.  She was unhappy about the SS masking, tables and chairs being blocked to maintain social distancing, bar seating closed, etc.

 

That's interesting. I've been closely reading all the reports from passengers on the SS Moon, here on CC and on Facebook, and the comments have been overwhelmingly positive. People love the new ship, and Silversea's new restaurant featuring local food & drink has been a big hit. I saw a few people on the first cruise or two say it was a minor disappointment not to be able to sit at a bar to chat with the bartenders, but there was plenty of seating in the lounges. The ship has been at or below 50% capacity so far, so I'm surprised that having any tables out of commission would impact the experience at all. (And I believe sitting at the bars is now allowed, based on some reports this past week.) I actually hadn't seen any comments about being disappointed with one of the Moon cruises until what you relayed above; most posts have been "over the Moon" about the experience onboard.

 

But I do see some people here on CC and on FB who say they won't cruise again as long as masks are required anywhere, because being directed to wear a mask would detract from their vacation because it wouldn't be "back to normal." Personally, I think we're still a long way away from a mask-free, old "normal" world, so I'm happy if we can travel with only minor inconveniences, but I understand some people will see things differently.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, mcondition said:

Thanks Hank, also if you know, is it a Seabourn decision the ships to sail at half passenger capacity or there is low interest for cruising and therefore cannot reach near full capacity? 

I do not know the official policy.  But when we booked the Odyssey I asked the SB phone person that same question and she told me she was not aware of any capacity limit.  At the time I was not sure if she was correct or uninformed.

 

Here on the Ovation a capacity limit would not make much sense since there is no social distancing policy.  We sit at a crowded Observation Bar every evening where there is good socialization and all seems right in the world 😋

 

Regarding my post on SS you might consider we relayed the opinion of only one cruiser.  I also saw the mostly positive posts about the Moon especially from Lois.  
 

Hank

[cruiseej]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Regarding my post on SS you might consider we relayed the opinion of only one cruiser.  I also saw the mostly positive posts about the Moon especially from Lois.  

 

Just to clarify, I wasn't trying to discount or diminish that cruiser's opinion -- it's her opinion, after all. 😉 I was only providing an observation that between CC and Facebook, I've seen posts from more than a dozen cruisers on the Silversea Moon, and 100% of them have been over-the-top enthusiastic and positive. The comment you relayed was the first negative one I have seen, and in stark contrast with all the others.