Odyssey: A lesson in contradiction

[FlyerTalker]

On 2/3/2023 at 6:08 PM, Psychbabs said:

You’ll never find a better cruise director than Jan Stearman. She is so engaging - a real gem!

 

Glad that you find "engaging" to be the qualification for a quality cruise director.

 

I, on the other hand, prefer a professional who makes sure that the entire entertainment department presentation is spot on and working correctly.  Over the years, I've had too many CDs who use a happy patter to cover up the errors in administration.  First and foremost, they are an administrative officer of the hotel department - THEN they are a showman.  Just like a captain....I hear that Francesco Schettino of the Costa Concordia was quite the engaging personality.

 

 

47 minutes ago, phillipahain said:

They ran out of Brandy / Cognac for 2 weeks thru French Polynesaia !!!!

 

As if they couldn't get some onshore?  This shows a management that has the ability to correct a problem, but chooses not to do so.  Perhaps by their own choice, perhaps a decision of shore-side management.  But a lack of "can do" to ensure guests have the experience they paid for.  Just take the credit card ashore and buy a case or two or three.

 

Still remember a Crystal cruise where they had a run on limes and ran out.  F&B manager went out personally to shop for a few boxes at the next port.  That's a customer-focused manager.

 

47 minutes ago, phillipahain said:

For a so called Luxury Cruise Line sorry the news that you cant access CC when onboard does not surprise me one iota

 

Since I always use a VPN when traveling, I can't say if that happened to me.  (And for that matter, EVERYONE should be using a VPN.  That is, unless you don't care at all about your online security.  And don't say, "well, it's just a message board" - your devices are transmitting far more data than you suspect.)

 

 

[Host Dan]

I'm so sorry you experienced a lack, especially for 65 days!

My SeaDream 2 week cruise last November was truly a luxury experience.

[saminina]

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Glad that you find "engaging" to be the qualification for a quality cruise director.

 

I, on the other hand, prefer a professional who makes sure that the entire entertainment department presentation is spot on and working correctly.  Over the years, I've had too many CDs who use a happy patter to cover up the errors in administration.  First and foremost, they are an administrative officer of the hotel department - THEN they are a showman.  Just like a captain....I hear that Francesco Schettino of the Costa Concordia was quite the engaging personality.

 

 

 

As if they couldn't get some onshore?  This shows a management that has the ability to correct a problem, but chooses not to do so.  Perhaps by their own choice, perhaps a decision of shore-side management.  But a lack of "can do" to ensure guests have the experience they paid for.  Just take the credit card ashore and buy a case or two or three.

 

Still remember a Crystal cruise where they had a run on limes and ran out.  F&B manager went out personally to shop for a few boxes at the next port.  That's a customer-focused manager.

 

 

Since I always use a VPN when traveling, I can't say if that happened to me.  (And for that matter, EVERYONE should be using a VPN.  That is, unless you don't care at all about your online security.  And don't say, "well, it's just a message board" - your devices are transmitting far more data than you suspect.)

 

 

Yes, you are correct about the CD job description.  But.....passengers only see the upfront personality and judge all by what is visible to them.   It's like the pretty girl sitting at a piano

and hitting the same keys to five different songs.   Passengers notice what is visible.

 

Corporate has dictated no purchases on land to fill inventory gaps.   Extremely unSeabounish.

 

Everyone has their own acceptance tolerance level and Seabourn has pushed it below mine.

[skybluewaters]

1 hour ago, saminina said:

Corporate has dictated no purchases on land to fill inventory gaps.   Extremely unSeabounish.

 

I wasn't aware that this was a corporate decision.  What is your source for this information? 

Thanks

[saminina]

Senior staff on board.

[Laylam]

11 hours ago, saminina said:

 

Corporate has dictated no purchases on land to fill inventory gaps.   Extremely unSeabounish.

.

10 hours ago, skybluewaters said:

 

I wasn't aware that this was a corporate decision.  What is your source for this information? 

Thanks

 

10 hours ago, saminina said:

Senior staff on board.

I have just watched a "Shopping with the Chef" video in Papeete, on the World Cruise.  Surely this is filling in inventory gaps

 

 

[dseag2]

We sailed on Seabourn last August to Alaska.  We were with two other couples.  We have sailed on Seabourn since 2001 in South America and have sailed on every one of their ships.  The service was the best we have experienced.  

[cruiseej]

2 hours ago, Laylam said:

 

I have just watched a "Shopping with the Chef" video in Papeete, on the World Cruise.  Surely this is filling in inventory gaps

 

First, that's the Word Cruise, so it gets special treatment. Second, Shopping with the Chef provides a few local items, but doesn't plug any major holes in provisions which have run out.

 

(When they run out of limes, they can acquire some locally; when they run out of cognac, it has to wait until their next resupply container in whatever upcoming port it's waiting in. They were out of Cointreau, my after-dinner drink of choice, on Caribbean cruises for a few weeks last year, and they didn't purchase more from the local liquor store.)

[commodoredave]

20 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Glad that you find "engaging" to be the qualification for a quality cruise director.

 

I, on the other hand, prefer a professional who makes sure that the entire entertainment department presentation is spot on and working correctly.  Over the years, I've had too many CDs who use a happy patter to cover up the errors in administration.  First and foremost, they are an administrative officer of the hotel department - THEN they are a showman.  Just like a captain....I hear that Francesco Schettino of the Costa Concordia was quite the engaging personality.

For me, a good cruise director can do one of those well; a great CD can do both really well.

[saminina]

7 hours ago, Laylam said:

 

I have just watched a "Shopping with the Chef" video in Papeete, on the World Cruise.  Surely this is filling in inventory gaps

 

 

Shopping with the chef is not filling in inventory gaps.     Filling in inventory gaps would be buying items ashore when when running out of normally stocked goods.   Yes, I watched the video.   Hope they are still doing this fleet wide.  Not just as a treat on the world cruise.

Edited February 16, 2023 by saminina
Written before reading post by cruiseej.

[frantic36]

On 2/16/2023 at 2:25 AM, saminina said:

Corporate has dictated no purchases on land to fill inventory gaps.   Extremely unSeabounish.

 

Everyone has their own acceptance tolerance level and Seabourn has pushed it below mine.

 

Well then Quest obviously didn't get the memo about no purchases on land from corporate. I have seen them unloading fresh fruit and vegetables they purchased in Arica.

 

In Punta Arenas they didn't get some pallets in time so they went out and purchased large quantities of wine, we know the bar manager and he told us he was concerned as the wine he bought got stuck in customs for awhile before it was allowed on the ship. Quite odd when you consider it was bought in town. 

 

We were in Port Stanley yesterday and quite a few provisions purchased there were loaded onto the tender I was on. 

 

Enjoy the other cruise lines you sail on saminina.

[saminina]

Hey, just repeating what was told to me during Sojourn holiday cruise.  Certainly hope folks on current world cruise and grand voyage around South America are being treated as one would expect by the company.

Edited February 17, 2023 by saminina

[phillipahain]

On 2/16/2023 at 8:31 AM, cruiseej said:

 

 

(When they run out of limes, they can acquire some locally; when they run out of cognac, it has to wait until their next resupply container in whatever upcoming port it's waiting in. They were out of Cointreau, my after-dinner drink of choice, on Caribbean cruises for a few weeks last year, and they didn't purchase more from the local liquor store.)

Yup  65 day Grand Pacific ...zero Cignac or Brandy for at least 10 days till arrival in Auckland 

[Flamin_June]

2 hours ago, phillipahain said:

Yup  65 day Grand Pacific ...zero Cignac or Brandy for at least 10 days till arrival in Auckland 

Not even Armagnac ? ... What about Calvados ? Or Poir William? ... Not quite the same thing, I know, but any port in a storm. By that I mean harbour, not the other stuff.

[phillipahain]

Nope not a single form of brandy or cognac at all 

[Flamin_June]

[phillipahain]

Umpteen tours cancelled with just 36 hours notice and nothing to replace them despite being booked at the start 

 

All very well if your able to repeat the cruise and also found out that vital islands on original itinery that were scrubbed for radically changed itinery were actually open and other ships went in 

 

So many things that combined together to really spoil what had been looked fwd to for so long