Greek islands cruise: new updates from Seabourn?

[wyattsaunt]

Question about whether or not to bring an empty water bottle:  I figure I’ll need one if walking around in the heat in port. Does Seabourn provide any, or should I bring my own?  Thanks!

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, cruiseej said:

 

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. 

No argument from me.  The person in question had pictures to show her issues.  We saw chairs with Xs, empty bars, dance floors with people dancing with masks, common areas empty, etc.  She told DW it was just boring and not nearly as nice as being here.  I am writing this at the TK bar while sitting at the bar (gasp).

 

Hank

[cruiseej]

1 hour ago, wyattsaunt said:

Question about whether or not to bring an empty water bottle:  I figure I’ll need one if walking around in the heat in port. Does Seabourn provide any, or should I bring my own?  Thanks!

 

Yes, Seabourn provides water bottles when heading out for excursions.

 

Since they switched from disposable single-use plastic water bottles to re-usable hard plastic bottles, some people find them too large/heavy for carrying around. They're half-liter (quart) bottles, which is about twice as large as the disposable plastic bottles of the past. 

 

 

Because I dislike room temperature or warm water, I usually bring my own Hydro Flask (insulated metal) bottle and fill it with cold water in our suite before going on an excursion; it holds a little less (24 ounces versus about 32 for the Seabourn bottles) but weighs about the same because it's metal -- but I'm much happier having ice cold water. 😉 I usually carry a small camera bag and can put the bottle into the side of my bag, making it easier to deal with carrying.

 

 

 

 

[wyattsaunt]

Thanks to all of you currently on board the Ovation for answering these questions. I’m only sorry you’ll be leaving the ship just as we are boarding on 8/14. 

[marazul]

Is SB providing excursion bags as before?  

[jill1349]

TV24, thanks for the update on the Athens air and glad it improved.   And you able to enjoy a nice dinner outside.   Looking forward to that.

 

 

[mcondition]

11 hours ago, wyattsaunt said:

Question about whether or not to bring an empty water bottle:  I figure I’ll need one if walking around in the heat in port. Does Seabourn provide any, or should I bring my own?  Thanks!

Hi every kiosk or mini market in Greece is obliged by law to sell bottled half litter water at 0.5 euro and bottled one and a half litter at 1 euro. You won't find any problem and I personally prefer a small cold bottled water than SB's heavy reusables.

 

  

3 hours ago, marazul said:

Is SB providing excursion bags as before?  

Yes we got only one though.

Edited August 9, 2021 by mcondition

[Hlitner]

We agree with Mcondition re water.  While SB has those large water bottles in the suites and also at the exits the water is room temperature and carrying the container is annoying to me.  We much prefer buying cold liquids when and where we are thirsty.  
 

By the way, if you want an extra tote bag just book the Retreat where you get a Retreat bag.  Just keep in mind that you will pay $249.00 for that bag. 😁

 

Hank

[TD_Cruiser]

We are from Canada and are booked to cruise in October, 2021.  We will need to have a negative molecular COVID-19 test prior to disembarking and flying home.  We read on the Seabourn site that they are offering antigen COVID-19 tests on board which is fine for entering the USA.  Does anyone know if there are any Canadians on board in Greece and if there is a way to get a molecular COVID-19 test on board prior to disembarking?  Thanks.

[Catlover54]

On 8/4/2021 at 11:37 AM, SLSD said:

You can have a whole bag of laundry done on SB for $50.00.  A laundry bag is provided and you can stuff it full.  It holds a lot.  Pieces that require ironing will be ironed and returned on hangers.  Other items will be neatly folded.  Considering how much a Seabourn cruise costs, spending a bit to have a LOT of laundry done a couple of times does not seem like a big expenditure.  If you go this route, do pay attention to the form and make sure you fill it out in detail and correctly.  (Don't ask me how I know this.)  We enjoyed the laundry service.  

 

There ARE washers and dryers, but not very many.  You will probably need to find a time when others are not using them or wait your turn in line.  There is an iron and ironing board as well.  For me, it is not worth spending my vacation time doing laundry (do plenty of it at home) when I can have it done fairly economically by others.  For SB club members, a free bag of laundry is one of the perks.We have enjoyed this.   I don't remember at what point that kicks in, but it is there.  For those who have sailed many days, SB does their laundry without charge--which is a wonderful perk.  

 

For me, a black dress works well for formal nights (and other nights as well!).  I've seen women wearing pants on formal nights as well--depending on how they are styled, etc.  My husband wears a conservative sports coat, dress pants, dress shirt and bow tie for formal nights (and other nights as well).  He has taken a tux in the past and has taken a dark suit, but finds taking a couple of dark sports coats, dress slacks, and ties to be the most versatile for our trip as whole.  Others love really dressing up and don't mind packing extra to do this.  You have a choice!  You can also plan to dine at Earth and Ocean or another venue other than the MDR on formal nights.  

 

 

 

I feel the same way about doing laundry on a cruise, and about black,  as you do (it's a waste of my precious cruise time, and it took just 2 cruises for me to realize the cost is trivial compared with the cost of the cruise.  I am not counting rinsing a few tiny things in Woolite in the sink.

 

If you just want your nice dresses and shoes to "appear" in your suite, without regard to cost, you can use something like Luggage Forward, for a few hundred dollars, and then you don't have to lug as much during those unexpected in between periods at airports or elsewhere where there is often no porter, no driver, and the flooring does not accomodate even the 4-wheeled suitcases to move properly, especially  for people with bad backs and weak muscles. But you have to have your stuff picked up well in advance and you cannot put all toiletries  or even tablet vitamins inside them  (I think mine was a week in advance pickup from CA for an Athens departure).  I used that option when traveling with a friend for a SB cruise, to avoid checking luggage and hauling it, and it was nice to find the suitcase in the suite.  But there is little point in doing that when I travel with DH because he is always still packing at midnight the night before so we still have to check something anyway.

 

 If we plan on taking any European trains before or after a cruise, for independent travel, we also have to plan on being able to hoist our own luggage, as porters and short-notice baggage checks have mostly disappeared or train connections are tight.  Once in London when we had planned a calm cab to the airport with our overly abundant stuff the streets were shut down due to a combination of gay pride march and a big concert, so the cab and other cars could not get out. We had to take our luggage on the underground, and of course the elevator was broken and we then had to drag it up and down several stairs and got nice and sweaty to prepare for our transatlantic ordeal.  No more -- we keep the load down to something reasonable, which is still too much.  I envy people who can travel with just a rollaboard and a backpack for a cruise, but DH hauls electronics and lenses (a key reason we travel) and I haul a small pharmacy. 

 

I considered getting back to SB in Greece when cruising restarted, but rejected it because I worried about a heat wave (and there indeed is one right now).  We went to Iceland on the new Crystal Endeavor expedition ship instead, which was wonderful, (pax did not have to wear masks on the ship, only staff did, and you could explore independently if desired) but that's another story.

[CanAmBrit]

We, too, are Canadians sailing on Ovation Sept. 25. Seabourn said today that both 

antigen tests and molecular Covid 19 tests are available onboard and we can request the one we want. At the end of the cruise this  should enable us to get the test required for returning to Canada.

[cruiseej]

13 hours ago, CanAmBrit said:

Seabourn said today that both antigen tests and molecular Covid 19 tests are available onboard

 

That's interesting. The PCR test requires an expensive machine to process tests, and I was doubtful that Seabourn had installed one on every ship. I know Silversea says they can arrange PCR tests for those who need one, but it is done by a shore-based lab, and there's a fee for it. 

[CanAmBrit]

Thanks for that info. We will have our TA check it again. I’m sure there will be more cruisers who will need a PCR test before they can return home.

[Catlover54]

3 hours ago, cruiseej said:

 

That's interesting. The PCR test requires an expensive machine to process tests, and I was doubtful that Seabourn had installed one on every ship. I know Silversea says they can arrange PCR tests for those who need one, but it is done by a shore-based lab, and there's a fee for it. 

 

I am not Canadian, so at least for now did not have the PCR requirement pre-return.  But I  have  resigned myself to the fact that cruising in the Covid era is going to generate more extra fees for this, that and the other (apart from fees quietly passed on in the general cruise fare -- all those Covid precautions cost cruise  lines, already struggling financially, a lot of money, so they have to pass the costs on).  

But I am glad the lines are at least cruising.  It is amazing how much they have been able to get together with moving target government requirements, getting international staff together and vaccinated, coordinating ports short notice, communicating with anxious "advance planner" pax who are used to better and clearer customer service, etc. 

 

[SLSD]

On 8/9/2021 at 8:25 PM, Catlover54 said:

 

If you just want your nice dresses and shoes to "appear" in your suite, without regard to cost, you can use something like Luggage Forward, for a few hundred dollars, and then you don't have to lug as much during those unexpected in between periods at airports or elsewhere where there is often no porter, no driver, and the flooring does not accomodate even the 4-wheeled suitcases to move properly, especially  for people with bad backs and weak muscles. But

I am aware of Luggage Forward and have a friend who used it.  I would consider using it if I was traveling alone, but so far, my Mr. SLSD and I like to travel together and do what we have to with our luggage.  We hire help as much as possible, but there was that nightmare in the Vancouver airport following our last SB cruise. We had to check and then reclaim our baggage three times due to cancelled flights.  No one there to help with luggage.  It was just us--and we were glad we did not have more luggage than we had.  

[cuddles115]

36 minutes ago, SLSD said:

I am aware of Luggage Forward and have a friend who used it.  I would consider using it if I was traveling alone, but so far, my Mr. SLSD and I like to travel together and do what we have to with our luggage.  We hire help as much as possible, but there was that nightmare in the Vancouver airport following our last SB cruise. We had to check and then reclaim our baggage three times due to cancelled flights.  No one there to help with luggage.  It was just us--and we were glad we did not have more luggage than we had.  

I've never been in Vancouver Airport and I can make no comment as to that.  I've used Luggage Forward always and find it worth its weight in gold.  Make life easy and spend the extra couple of bucks.

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, cuddles115 said:

I've never been in Vancouver Airport and I can make no comment as to that.  I've used Luggage Forward always and find it worth its weight in gold.  Make life easy and spend the extra couple of bucks.

We will consider doing just that--especially as we get older.  Who knew that the Vancouver airport would be such a disaster.  We thought flying home from a North American airport would be a piece of cake.  I have to admit to being a just a bit of a control freak who gets a bit anxious if my luggage has gone weeks ahead of me.   I will think about it as you are an an expert and I consider your advice to be valuable.  

[A Tucson Guy]

1 hour ago, SLSD said:

We will consider doing just that--especially as we get older.  Who knew that the Vancouver airport would be such a disaster.  We thought flying home from a North American airport would be a piece of cake.  I have to admit to being a just a bit of a control freak who gets a bit anxious if my luggage has gone weeks ahead of me.   I will think about it as you are an an expert and I consider your advice to be valuable.  

I was curious what the cost was on Luggage Forward from AZ to Dubai and then Delhi back to AZ and 2 50 pound bags was $2,000. That is not cheap and we can still handle the luggage.

[sfvoyage]

On 8/4/2021 at 1:31 PM, 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....

All good except the production shows.

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

Disastrous 🙄

 

I just did my first Silversea cruise, a 10-day Iceland circumnavigation on one of their older ships, Silver Shadow.

 

We were shocked at how bad their 6 production singers were.  I guess we had taken the Seabourn Singers for granted, but their Silversea equivalent were poor singers and couldn't harmonize if their lives depended on it.  A regular Silversea couple thought they were wonderful, so perhaps we were not just unlucky with team C on this particular cruise?  We saw the first production (performed to taped music) and never bothered to return to their other shows.

 

In general, we found the entertainment options poor and lacking:  no live band, no guest entertainers, no local entertainers, no enrichment lecturers (other than one guy who gave a few talks about the ports).  Iceland allows visitors that are fully vaccinated and tested with no quarantine requirement, so I imagine this was not covid-related.

 

Even though our cruise was port-intensive (only 1 sea day and 8 port days), trivia was run daily at 4:45pm but it was not much fun:  20 questions in one go with no daily prizes.  On Seabourn, trivia is a major affair and event, with clever comments, jokes, and mockery after each of the 3 rounds and bonus round.  This was run with emphasis on timing and precision and without hardly any fun, flair or camaraderie.

 

The CD was "Big Bob", who was a friendly and personable guy, but he is not assisted by an assistant and doesn't seem to be motivated to put together many activities.  There was no dance party on deck (always a Seabourn favorite) - well, there was no live band anyway.  No "epicurean event", no galley tour or market galley lunch (that could be due to Covid), no bridge tour, no shopping with the chef (but that's understandable, as most of the towns have a population smaller than one floor of one building in Mong Kok in Hong Kong!), no liar's club.  To be fair, there were "bingo" and "name that tune" a couple of times.

 

Also, no guest directory, no cooking demonstrations, no LGBTQ or Friends of Bill gatherings, no boggo.  They had some unhosted activities (table tennis and shuffleboard), vs on Seabourn most of these activities would be hosted and come with prizes.

 

I understand Silver Shadow is an older ship and wonder if things are much better on the Muse-class ships.  The things that they did better than Seabourn were so far and few in between - and the negatives were so widespread and meaningful to us - that we didn't even buy a future cruise deposit on board.  BTW, that in and of itself is another negative:  their FCD is only valid for 6 months vs. 4 years for Seabourn.

 

 

Edited August 12, 2021 by sfvoyage

[sfvoyage]

On 8/8/2021 at 7:35 AM, cruiseej said:

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.

 

On my just-finished Silver Shadow 10-day voyage, mask usage was mandatory everywhere and all the time except while sitting at your dining or bar table, or while lounging by the pool, and the staff was quick and vigilant to remind you to put on your mask.  I got used to this quickly and didn't mind, although I did get reminded a few times getting up to the buffet spread at La Terrazza (equivalent to Colonnade for breakfast and lunch) - it was harder to remember taking my mask on and off associated with multiple trips to a buffet setup.

 

Mask usage was also mandatory while on excursion tour buses, and most passengers abided by the rule.  Apparently there was one instance in which one guest refused to keep his mask on, and finally he relented after the local tour guide resolved the stand-off by refusing to depart.

 

I appreciated the extra protection by the mask protocol and may even feel "naked" when getting on SB Ovation this fall (hopefully), if they still do not require mask usage on board by then.

Edited August 12, 2021 by sfvoyage

[Hlitner]

After reading the last few posts let’s draw some comparisons.  Two days ago we had a mid afternoon sail away party as we left Cyprus.  There was a live band on deck with 3 singers (including our terrific CD Ross) and they did a fine Abba concert.  Meanwhile the Champagne and Caviar were flowing like water.  Two passengers were so happy they danced around the pool to Dancing Queen.  Tonight there will a be a big dance party on deck while we are still in the shadows of Santorini.  Yes, there will be live music, decent singers and lots of fun.  And all this without masks (except for the crew) ir anyone caring about social distancing. So there do seem to be some major differences compared to SS.  
 

Hank

[Catlover54]

2 hours ago, sfvoyage said:

 

On my just-finished Silver Shadow 10-day voyage, mask usage was mandatory everywhere and all the time except while sitting at your dining or bar table, or while lounging by the pool, and the staff was quick and vigilant to remind you to put on your mask.  I got used to this quickly and didn't mind, although I did get reminded a few times getting up to the buffet spread at La Terrazza (equivalent to Colonnade for breakfast and lunch) - it was harder to remember taking my mask on and off associated with multiple trips to a buffet setup.

 

Mask usage was also mandatory while on excursion tour buses, and most passengers abided by the rule.  Apparently there was one instance in which one guest refused to keep his mask on, and finally he relented after the local tour guide resolved the stand-off by refusing to depart.

 

I appreciated the extra protection by the mask protocol and may even feel "naked" when getting on SB Ovation this fall (hopefully), if they still do not require mask usage on board by then.

 

I appreciate your Shadow review.  A little follow-up: How many pax were on board?  Did the entertainers wear masks when performing? Were masks required in the fitness center, and/or when walking out on the deck?

 

You are of course  free to wear a mask anyway on Ovation and not feel "naked" even if masks are not required and everyone  on board is vaxed. On the Crystal Endeavor I just got off of, circumnavigating Iceland for 10 days, a handful of the 93 pax on board (out of 220 capacity) chose to wear masks even when they were not required to do so and distancing was easy, and that was not a problem for anyone. Crew wore masks indoors (mandatory -- and those I talked to about it hate it and just endure so they can work). Pax did not,  but we had to wear them on buses even though our excursion  bus drivers mostly oddly didn't, and on land when inside buildings (per both Iceland and thus Crystal requirements) .  Everyone including crew was fully vaxed and tested pre-boarding, and pax were tested again a couple days before disembarkation.

 

 There may be some people who don't want to wear masks on vacation just because it is "not normal" and that may sound trivial.  But many of us (and crew) experience difficulty breathing and are very uncomfortable behind a mask if the room or bus is warm, especially when talking,  for various physiological reasons, and our glasses fog up so we can't read with a mask on, so whenever it was not required, we removed them.  We did not remove them and just suffered through on the buses at first as best we could, because we had to comply with the rules Iceland had imposed right before the cruise started (these were not the rules when we booked). But we cancelled later excursions we knew would again be on stuffy buses with long drives. 

 

Neither of us would cruise on a line that would require pax to wear masks everywhere except when sipping or biting something or at the pool, unless the AC were set to 68 or 69 everywhere we went , and that isn't going to happen.  So SS  will be off our list for now, and every line will sadly be off our list if pax masking becomes mandatory everywhere (so far, it hasn't, and I'm glad to hear it is not on SB). We also provided that feedback to SB when we got a computerized questionairre from them a while back. We have a cruise credit we would like to use (having been on a SB ship when Covid hit last March and the cruise was aborted). 

 

I hope your Ovation trip comes through, and you have a wonderful time!

[saminina]

4 hours ago, sfvoyage said:

 

In general, we found the entertainment options poor and lacking:  no live band, no guest entertainers, no local entertainers, no enrichment lecturers (other than one guy who gave a few talks about the ports).  Iceland allows visitors that are fully vaccinated and tested with no quarantine requirement, so I imagine this was not covid-related.

 

On Silversea, the destination speaker is considered enrichment.   Often times a person reciting a travel guide.   Your review matched the experience on our last SS cruise on Wind two or three years ago.  You cannot reason with SS regulars.   Free laundry after 100 days converts to lifetime loyalty for many.

 

It does sound like the new ships are interesting enough to try.  

Edited August 12, 2021 by saminina

[markham]

I guess that is what the SS loyalists like: free laundry (which is same day and very high quality from results to packaging it), lots of smoking (the starboard side tables, 10 of them, are all smokers' tables all day long), minimal production shows (if you can call them that and I don't), no forward looking and lively Observation Bar (the place of the same name on SS is very small and has no outdoor area, much less any entertainment- as it's a little library and a card room), very little dancing especially in terms of the Seabourn club), no live band when having some kind of evening singers on deck, and low key Trivia- just as the passenger vibe is low key. It's very much a fine hotel and less like a cruise ship.

 

What is good, and this is only to be recommended on Muse and Moon given the age of other less competitive facilties of the other SS ships, is the wonderfully long swimming pool and top deck 8X for a mile open 2 lane track. These 2 facilities, the terrific food and wine, and a better itinerary are the main reasons why I would consider these 2 ships over Seabourn when comparing options. 

 

I  hate to admit it but when I left Moon last month I felt that objectively everything was fine or better but subjectively I was undersatisfied due to the lack of engaging moments that are spontaneous on Seabourn ships. For much of that I credit Handre in Seattle, head of entertainment, and Ross and the other peppy and well resourced CDs.

 

Yes, it is certainly worth trying Moon, Muse and soon Dawn just to see how the other side lives, and to have 2 cruise lines in your futures.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Edited August 12, 2021 by markham

[sfvoyage]

12 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

I appreciate your Shadow review.  A little follow-up: How many pax were on board?  Did the entertainers wear masks when performing? Were masks required in the fitness center, and/or when walking out on the deck?

 

On the Crystal Endeavor I just got off of, circumnavigating Iceland for 10 days... everyone including crew was fully vaxed and tested pre-boarding, and pax were tested again a couple days before disembarkation.

 

Ours had 240 passengers (including corporates & vendors/contractors) out of 388.  On the current cruise, apparently there are only 150 passengers.

 

The entertainers did not wear masks while performing on stage.  Audience was supposed to keep the first row vacant in order to establish a buffer zone, but two couples were sitting there, and nobody told them to move.

 

Masks were not required in the fitness center, in the outdoor jacuzzis, and while doing their walking exercise on deck, but some guests wore them anyway.