Snippets - Live from the Quest

[MJN1]

This will not be a detailed daily blog, but just top-line observations from a 11 days Ravenna-Ravenna cruise. 

We only booked this cruise on a whim over a weekend end May (after 3 years on land) and had read recent postings with some trepidation.

We arrived at the port 15min after the assigned 1 p.m. boarding time (difficulties getting a taxi in downtown Ravenna at lunchtime) and were in our suite 10 (yes, ten!) minutes later. Off to the Spa to book the planned massages and then a Napa-Burger and a cold Peroni at the pool deck before 2 pm. Relax - all is more than fine!

Back in the suite to unpack, meet the very experienced (500days+) suite attendants, follow the new safety drill protocol (drop by at muster Station, watch the safety video in your suite), get the list of complimentary wines from Guest services and all is set for life in paradise....

Dinner in the MDR as good as before, but sofar guests seem to be reluctant to join others at one's table. 

The only thing to get used to is that the Herald and thus the detailed daily schedule is now available only via the SB App (and on TV). 

Before you ask, the ship seems to be only half full and masks are only recommended when moving around the ship, especially in crowded areas (compliance was about 50% today in a really full tender). 

Back to bliss on Deck7 aft now...

 

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, MJN1 said:

The only thing to get used to is that the Herald and thus the detailed daily schedule is now available only via the SB App (and on TV).

 

Available in printed form if you request that through guest services.  Though it is only a single double-sided piece of paper.

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

Thanks for taking us along. Have fun!

[galeforce9]

5 hours ago, MJN1 said:

This will not be a detailed daily blog, but just top-line observations from a 11 days Ravenna-Ravenna cruise. 

We only booked this cruise on a whim over a weekend end May (after 3 years on land) and had read recent postings with some trepidation.

We arrived at the port 15min after the assigned 1 p.m. boarding time (difficulties getting a taxi in downtown Ravenna at lunchtime) and were in our suite 10 (yes, ten!) minutes later. Off to the Spa to book the planned massages and then a Napa-Burger and a cold Peroni at the pool deck before 2 pm. Relax - all is more than fine!

Back in the suite to unpack, meet the very experienced (500days+) suite attendants, follow the new safety drill protocol (drop by at muster Station, watch the safety video in your suite), get the list of complimentary wines from Guest services and all is set for life in paradise....

Dinner in the MDR as good as before, but sofar guests seem to be reluctant to join others at one's table. 

The only thing to get used to is that the Herald and thus the detailed daily schedule is now available only via the SB App (and on TV). 

Before you ask, the ship seems to be only half full and masks are only recommended when moving around the ship, especially in crowded areas (compliance was about 50% today in a really full tender). 

Back to bliss on Deck7 aft now...

 

Thank you for this update and I look forward to further posts 

[MJN1]

FlyerTalker - thanks for the hint, we are slowly figuring out where to find what on the App versus the TV....

One of the (for us) new improvements is the "healthy" breakfast now available at the pool deck. It offers less sugar muesli, a nice selection of fruits and yoghurts, daily changing selection of open sandwiches (like avocado and other toppings) and Tajine eggs (with any additions). Due to the dish size they serve it with 3 eggs (so much for "healthy" 😘), but will cut down to two if asked (and I am sure they will fry you just one egg in a normal pan  if you ask). So one can now spend basically 13hours uninterrupted from breakfast over lunch to dinner at the pool deck....

🍓🥑🥐🥚🍵🧋🍔🍕🍟🌭🍺🍪🍹🥂🍽🍷.....

Walked around the little town of Rab yesterday and joined the captain's welcome party before dinner. Without the Herald printed at least one guest apologised profusely for not having gotten the message of "formal" night, but no one got upset.  We had a marvellous dinner with a lovely couple, followed by a VERY lively time with the band in the club till quite late.

Today one could cover the sights of Vis Island in less than 1h and we now face the difficult calories choice 🤔 of Afternoon Tea at 4pm or the sail-away party at 17:00. 

 

 

[Catlover54]

On 6/22/2022 at 9:25 AM, FlyerTalker said:

 

Available in printed form if you request that through guest services.  Though it is only a single double-sided piece of paper.

 

 

 

This is good to know.  I like to make marks (in different colors and sizes :))  on the Herald and carry it around with me.  We will be on in a couple months and hope we will be able to ask for the schedule to be printed out for us daily, instead of having to ask for it one at a time each day.

 

I also like *well-designed and easy to use* TV information, and menu, schedules, but as a backup to the paper.

[FlyerTalker]

7 hours ago, MJN1 said:

Without the Herald printed at least one guest apologised profusely for not having gotten the message of "formal" night, but no one got upset. 

 

That's nothing....the "app" shows that there are two formal nights.  And apparently, the only way that can be changed is by someone at Seattle HQ.

[FlyerTalker]

2 minutes ago, Catlover54 said:

We will be on in a couple months and hope we will be able to ask for the schedule to be printed out for us daily, instead of having to ask for it one at a time each day.

 

At the square, let them know you want it every night in your suite.  Should then be a regular delivery, along with the very bitter dark chocolates.

[MJN1]

13 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

That's nothing....the "app" shows that there are two formal nights.  And apparently, the only way that can be changed is by someone at Seattle HQ.

Yeah, A.I. or IT's lack of attentoon to details. The special Events (e.g. Sommelier Dinner  etc.) also show the wrong DAY for the date. It does correct once you click on it.

[MJN1]

Still happy and content on board.

Mask use dropped to nearly zero as of Day 3 (yesterday) and entering the fully packed and boisterous Observation lounge for pre-dinner drinks requires our courage after having been conditioned to avoid noisy crowds for so long. 

Today is Sea day and thus time for Trivia... 

Q 1: have you ever wondered what lurks behind the air vents in the ceilings 🕳?

Q 2: do they ever vacuum 🧹 up there?

The vent cover in the wardrobe fell off yesterday 🤪 but here is a more enjoyable picture 😃....

 

[cruiseej]

On 6/23/2022 at 9:09 AM, MJN1 said:

we now face the difficult calories choice 🤔 of Afternoon Tea at 4pm or the sail-away party at 17:00.

 

"Or"? OR?!? This being Seabourn, the only conjunction allowed is AND! 😉. (Show up for tea promptly at 4, depart by 4:30 for a quick shower and get dressed, and arrive not too late for the sail-away party. Requires a little hustle, but it's doable!)

[FlyerTalker]

14 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

"Or"? OR?!? This being Seabourn, the only conjunction allowed is AND! 😉. (Show up for tea promptly at 4, depart by 4:30 for a quick shower and get dressed, and arrive not too late for the sail-away party. Requires a little hustle, but it's doable!)

 

OR....just show up.  There was little to no differentiation between the dress at "the party" and normal daytime dress at the pool area.

[MJN1]

We did "AND" but on different days, as the again badly functioning wardrobe is already causing all our clothes to shrink significantly!

Afternoon Tea is now no longer a buffet, but a tray service covering everything from small savory sandwiches to the usual scones. And in addition they served Crepe Suzette yesterday 😋

 

[rkacruiser]

12 hours ago, MJN1 said:

Afternoon Tea is now no longer a buffet, but a tray service covering everything from small savory sandwiches to the usual scones. And in addition they served Crepe Suzette yesterday 😋

 

 

Looks delicious!  Thanks for posting the photos.  

[saminina]

MJN.....can you post name of hotel manager, please?

[MJN1]

6 hours ago, saminina said:

MJN.....can you post name of hotel manager, please?

Klaus, a German. I think last name is Kabelitz.

[saminina]

Danke......

[MJN1]

Today is the mid point of this 11 days cruise, and I am afraid the snippets are becoming rather boring.

We added our own "Sea-days" in Malta and Syracuse as we had been there before and 33°C (or more) where no incentive...

We had dinners @ the Colonade (Chinese), Ocean and Earth and via room-service (very quick delivery and even faster pickup).

Today we braved the heat in Crotone and walked around this rather quiet (did I say boring above) town?

The only "complaint" sofar was that they keep the Jaegermeister bottle in the fridge instead of the freezer to serve it ice-cold at -18°C. This was duly reported on the "is there a little thing we can fix?" form and the F&B lady tracked me down after dinner the same day and promised me a Jagermeister surprise at that night's dance away party. As we don't imbibe a Jager daily we still have to find out about this at the next after dinner trip to the bars....

[SLSD]

36 minutes ago, MJN1 said:

Today is the mid point of this 11 days cruise, and I am afraid the snippets are becoming rather boring.

We added our own "Sea-days" in Malta and Syracuse as we had been there before and 33°C (or more) where no incentive...

 

Malta is one of our very favorite ports.  But, I have heard from others that they had "been there".  We look forward to going back.  The old capital city is magical!

[hoosier74]

10 years ago we did an excursion in Crotone (it was the first time Seabourn had visited the port...big welcome!) that went to Santa Severina  and just loved it.  Beautiful Italian hill town.  But heat can really make touring anywhere pretty unbearable.  

 

[SLSD]

2 hours ago, hoosier74 said:

10 years ago we did an excursion in Crotone (it was the first time Seabourn had visited the port...big welcome!) that went to Santa Severina  and just loved it.  Beautiful Italian hill town.  But heat can really make touring anywhere pretty unbearable.  

 

Which is why we choose when we cruise certain areas carefully.  We visited Malta in early October.  It was still hot then--but not unbearable  

[MJN1]

Maybe, I should clarify "boring" used yesterday. We jumped on this cruise a it offered small town ports to simply walk around, planned no excursions, longed to see (after 1130 days) again the waves and sunsets from our balcony and looked forward to reliable food (and venue) choices. 

Sofar, ✔️ on all points and thus enjoyably "boring" on all fronts.

The heat is a bit of a challenge, and does reconfirm our previous choice to stay away from the Mediterranean between mid June and mid September. But this does get compensated when we return on board and see that our perfect suite team have replenished the fridge.🥰 And the pool bar has found a solution to keep Jaegermeister at -18°C. 🥰

I would say SB is at it's usual ("boring") best!

[Mr Luxury]

I'll have a Jaegermeister ice cream with a wafer please.

[MJN1]

1 hour ago, Mr Luxury said:

I'll have a Jaegermeister ice cream with a wafer please.

One or two scoops? 🍧🍦🍨

[Mr Luxury]

3 minutes ago, MJN1 said:

One or two scoops? 🍧🍦🍨

I can only manage one. 

I'm not greedy you know 😁