Live from Quest, Barcelona to Montreal, July 22 to August 29

[Pam]

Did anyone on the previous segment interact with John Barron?  He is usually out and about when he is on as Cruise Director, and I thought their contracts lasted longer.  He didn't seem to be onboard as long as usual.  When he was with Regent, everybody loved him.

[lincslady]

John Barron has been a CD with Seabourn previously, and it seems has returned.  Most people thought he was great;  some didn't.  The Marmite effect, as we say in the UK; something you either really like or really don't.

 

 

[Mauzac]

We are on the Pacific Voyage on Odyssey embarking 30th September Vancouver - Sydney and he will be CD 

[rkacruiser]

15 hours ago, kjbacon said:

We are going to explore the city and the Titanic Museum.

 

I hope you enjoyed the Titanic Museum.  I thought it was an excellent experience (as a Titanic buff), very well done in concept and execution, and being able to visit a tender that had been used to ferry guests from the port in France to the anchored ship was an unexpected treat.  Their videos on board the tender made me feel like I was "really there".  I was very fortunate to have two taxi drivers who were both very friendly and informative.  The driver on my return to the pier gave me a mini-tour of the city which I otherwise would not have gotten.  

[Isklaar]

5 hours ago, lincslady said:

John Barron has been a CD with Seabourn previously, and it seems has returned.  Most people thought he was great;  some didn't.  The Marmite effect, as we say in the UK; something you either really like or really don't.

 

 

 

An accurate assessment. In our house we are divided. I'm a fan of John (although I don't think that series of programmes about Regent on UK channel 5 did him any favours). My better half is not a fan. It's around ten years though so we last sailed with John, I wonder if his time with Regent has changed him. 

[SLSD]

13 minutes ago, Isklaar said:

 

An accurate assessment. In our house we are divided. I'm a fan of John (although I don't think that series of programmes about Regent on UK channel 5 did him any favours). My better half is not a fan. It's around ten years though so we last sailed with John, I wonder if his time with Regent has changed him. 

All these comments make me very curious.  This John Barron must have been quite polarizing.  What were the programs on UK Channel 5 like?   Note the different spellings of programmes/programs. 

[Isklaar]

28 minutes ago, SLSD said:

All these comments make me very curious.  This John Barron must have been quite polarizing.  What were the programs on UK Channel 5 like?   Note the different spellings of programmes/programs. 

 

About the spelling. Yes in British English a tv show is a programme, but I believe program is used here as the correct spelling for a computer program. As ever, I'm  happy to be corrected by those who have British English as their first language.

 

John is not a typical SB CD.  The Regent Explorer series on Channel 5 went under the title 'The World's Most Expensive Cruise Ship'. It may be on YouTube. The whole series was tacky IMO, all about the price of items onboard the ship, cost of the cruise etc. But interesting to see the Regent ship nonetheless.
 

Apologies to kjbacon for the off topic posts!

Edited August 8, 2022 by Isklaar

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, Isklaar said:

 

About the spelling. Yes in British English a tv show is a programme, but I believe program is used here as the correct spelling for a computer program. As ever, I'm  happy to be corrected by those who have British English as their first language.

 

John is not a typical SB CD.  The Regent Explorer series on Channel 5 went under the title 'The World's Most Expensive Cruise Ship'. It may be on YouTube. The whole series was tacky IMO, all about the price of items onboard the ship, cost of the cruise etc. But interesting to see the Regent ship nonetheless.
 

Apologies to kjbacon for the off topic posts!

I enjoy the differences in British and American English.  There is a history there. I'll see if I can pull up the UK Channel 5 Programme

 

[labonnevie]

1 hour ago, SLSD said:

I enjoy the differences in British and American English.  There is a history there. I'll see if I can pull up the UK Channel 5 Programme

 

“Two (great) nations divided/separated by a common/the same language”

Take your pick: George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde or Winston Churchill. 

[kjbacon]

On 8/7/2022 at 6:56 AM, markham said:

Would someone on Quest please identify the names of the captain and hotel director?

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

I did ask for you and the SB rep did not know the answer (if you can believe it). He told us that he would get the info and get back to us, still waiting 2 days later.

 

Our day in Belfast was terrific! The titanic museum was our first stop and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Seeing the actual location of where the titanic was launched was amazing.

We took the hop on hop off bus around town and enjoyed the many sights.

Dinner was TK ribs night at The Collonade and it was good. The fried chicken from last week was much better than the ribs but it was a fun night and something different. The salad was my favorite dish.

Today is a cool and dreary day in Holy Loch, Scotland. We are doing the shorex to Inverarary Castle.

[hoosier74]

We are headed off to the distillery tour for my husband who loves his scotch, but there was a fascinating program, maybe on Smithsonian or PBS about the castle, the Duke and Duchess, clan Campbell and the town and the Castle.  She’s actually a Cadbury so probably didn’t marry for his $$. I am always interested in the ways they figure out how to keep these places going. Hope they are working in the gift shop so you get to meet them.  

[markham]

Kjbacon,

 

i appreciate your effort to identify the Quest captain. That said, it is extraordinary, and not in a good way, that crew are unprepared to answer, and that the captain’s choice of personal conduct and style is such that he remains aloof and/or a non-entity. This may well be the case elsewhere, especially the mass market lines such as HAL where passengers are kept at arm’s length, but this is NOT the Seabourn way. It never was, either!

 

Of course we all know that a captain might limit personal interactions due to Covid etc but he could also compensate for this by serving up a more robust personality and presentation by walking about outdoors and on the public address system- all in order to maintain the Seabourn brand and difference. These things do matter; if you wanted to be on an expensive HAL cruise with dumbed down style, well, that would be a deal breaker for many, and then the captain could do what he liked.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[Fletcher]

Inverary is particularly scenic, especially when viewed from across the loch in the fall/autumn.  It was featured in Downton Abbey a few seasons ago.  Here's a shot I took five years ago -

 

[kjbacon]

16 hours ago, Pam said:

Did anyone on the previous segment interact with John Barron?  He is usually out and about when he is on as Cruise Director, and I thought their contracts lasted longer.  He didn't seem to be onboard as long as usual.  When he was with Regent, everybody loved him.

We interacted with John on leg one and we both liked him. Our impression was that he’s high energy and enjoys entertaining. The new CD is named JP and we like him too. Our impression is that he’s more laid back and personable.

 

27 minutes ago, markham said:

Kjbacon,

 

i appreciate your effort to identify the Quest captain. That said, it is extraordinary, and not in a good way, that crew are unprepared to answer, and that the captain’s choice of personal conduct and style is such that he remains aloof and/or a non-entity. This may well be the case elsewhere, especially the mass market lines such as HAL where passengers are kept at arm’s length, but this is NOT the Seabourn way. It never was, either!

 

Of course we all know that a captain might limit personal interactions due to Covid etc but he could also compensate for this by serving up a more robust personality and presentation by walking about outdoors and on the public address system- all in order to maintain the Seabourn brand and difference. These things do matter; if you wanted to be on an expensive HAL cruise with dumbed down style, well, that would be a deal breaker for many, and then the captain could do what he liked.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

To be fair, the Captain is more accessible than it sounds, I just can’t find a spot where the officers names are listed. He came out on deck and hung out with us for awhile as we sailed through the straight of Gibraltar. We found him very likable.

[markham]

That is a big relief. We have so many Seabourn cruises with warm, charming and active captains. It would be a shame if a new captain, 

while technically competent, stayed to himself. 
We are on Silver Dawn now. And their officers are invisible. Waaaay different social vibe.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[SLSD]

6 minutes ago, markham said:

We are on Silver Dawn now. And their officers are invisible. Waaaay different social vibe.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

I always read your description of the various social vibes with interest.  

[Mr Luxury]

3 hours ago, markham said:

That is a big relief. We have so many Seabourn cruises with warm, charming and active captains. It would be a shame if a new captain, 

while technically competent, stayed to himself. 
We are on Silver Dawn now. And their officers are invisible. Waaaay different social vibe.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Markham,

I am on Encore now and have not seen the Captain.

The officers are doing a walk through at the OB and the Club and TK Bar this evening to introduce themselves if anyone is interested.

I'm introducing myself in the TK bar every evening.😉

 

[travel4b]

6 hours ago, markham said:

That is a big relief. We have so many Seabourn cruises with warm, charming and active captains. It would be a shame if a new captain, 

while technically competent, stayed to himself. 
We are on Silver Dawn now. And their officers are invisible. Waaaay different social vibe.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Four days in on this 24 day cruise, a low profile captain is low on the list of issues onboard. 

[nancygp]

1 hour ago, travel4b said:

Four days in on this 24 day cruise, a low profile captain is low on the list of issues onboard. 

What are the issues?

 

nancy

[Raiders4Life32]

My parents (Neil and Jo Anne) are on this same voyage and are part of the "80" that stayed on through Dover to complete the journey to New York eventually. If you play trivia or gamble in the casino, there is no way you would not know my mom JoAnne.  She is a character and highly involved in the daily trivia contests. 

 

I hope you are enjoying your voyage now that you are healthy and recovered from your bout with Covid!

[sfvoyage]

1 hour ago, travel4b said:

a low profile captain is low on the list of issues onboard. 

+1

On a cruise I'd expect the entertainment and guest services staff to be regularly visible and interacting with guests.  OTOH, the Captain and technical crew are not on board to entertain and engage with us; they are there to operate the ship and keep us safe.  I don't mind meeting them occasionally but would rather that they focus on their job.

 

[kjbacon]

The ship is full and it feels it. I’ve already made mention that we feel the meal times are too limited and we are finding it challenging to work around that with our shorex. Yesterday when we returned to the ship, the two busses from our shorex all went to the pool grill for lunch because it was the only open venue. It took us 40 minutes to get one hot dog.

 

Scotland is beautiful and we enjoyed our shorex to Inverarary Castle. Our guide was very good. The weather started out dreary but the day became absolutely gorgeous.

We went to our second lecture with Sir Alan Collins and thoroughly enjoyed it. He is excellent and we look forward to his next talk.

 

We had our second dinner in TK Grill and it was very good. The crudités and Parker house rolls were delicious. Apps were Caesar Salad and Shrimp Cocktail. 

 

Main courses were Lamb Chops and Eggplant Parm.

 

The chocolate chip cookies are fabulous!

 

Sunrise over Staffa was gorgeous and we are en route to Tobermorey where we plan to walk through town.

[dalliowner]

Was the colonnade not open at lunch ???

[sunshineocean13]

31 minutes ago, dalliowner said:

Was the colonnade not open at lunch ???

Yes, the Colonnade was open for lunch for its usual hours of noon to two. Our tour returned to the ship after two, but we were served quickly at the Patio, and it was a glorious afternoon to eat outside. The Scottish Islands we're sailing past now are beautiful in the cloud filtered light.

 

I think JP is doing a great job as CD, and we’re enjoying the food and entertainment. The flautist last night was excellent.

[travel4b]

16 hours ago, nancygp said:

What are the issues?

 

nancy

The issues are service, service and service.  We are now six days in and the ship is struggling to provide anything close to a Seabourn experience.  We’ve been on the Ovation and Sojourn post-covid with both ships being half full and had a marvelous time.  This time the ship is full and the inexperience of so much of the staff can’t be overlooked.  Service has ranged from sloppy to indifferent, with a few pleasant exceptions.  A couple (most recent) examples.  The most one can usually get out of the morning Colonnade hostess is a nod.  The crew member stocking the Card Room provisions just now completely ignored me even though I’m the only other person in the room.  And like a lot of other crew members, he needs to tuck in his shirt and get a haircut!  I’ve also given up on that Seabourn signature experience of being acknowledged by name, even by the cabin attendants.  I could go on and on with many more examples.  In sum, it’s not one glaring thing but rather a long succession of missed chances to provide exceptional service.  At the end of the day, personal service - that feeling of “family” - is how Seabourn has built their reputation.  We are definitely not feeling it on this cruise.  We are booked on a 47 night cruise next fall but are now inclined to cancel for fear of having six weeks of similar disappointment.