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

[SLSD]

20 minutes ago, Fletcher said:

And what, may I ask, is a Burger King?

Burger King is a chain of fast food hamburger restaurants in the United States.  

[lincslady]

I find it hard to believe that the sophisticated Fletcher  has never heard of Burger King.

 

Many years ago we were on a Cunard cruise (Sagafjord!) next at dinner to a chap called Albert and his glam second or third wife, and he told us he was one of the Burger King family.  I think we were supposed to be impressed.  He told pretty filthy jokes and was extremely crude.  (Though filthy rich as well).  

[topkatz]

As @kjbaconmentioned, we had a nice get together for the CC and FB members sailing on this cruise. It was not as well attended as I had hoped, perhaps due to the point in the cruise, the location of the event, and coming an hour after the sail-away event on the pool deck. Still it was nice to put faces to names. It was attended by the CD, ACD and HD. The Bar Manager was on hand serving drinks and canapes. The SB staff did a nice job arranging it.

 

 

[travel4b]

8 minutes ago, topkatz said:

As @kjbaconmentioned, we had a nice get together for the CC and FB members sailing on this cruise. It was not as well attended as I had hoped, perhaps due to the point in the cruise, the location of the event, and coming an hour after the sail-away event on the pool deck. Still it was nice to put faces to names. It was attended by the CD, ACD and HD. The Bar Manager was on hand serving drinks and canapes. The SB staff did a nice job arranging it.

 

 

I saw that all the top brass were there to speak (we were just inside at the destination briefing). Was there any mention of all the troubles onboard?

[kjbacon]

22 minutes ago, topkatz said:

As @kjbaconmentioned, we had a nice get together for the CC and FB members sailing on this cruise. It was not as well attended as I had hoped, perhaps due to the point in the cruise, the location of the event, and coming an hour after the sail-away event on the pool deck. Still it was nice to put faces to names. It was attended by the CD, ACD and HD. The Bar Manager was on hand serving drinks and canapes. The SB staff did a nice job arranging it.

 

 

Now that’s a great picture of a darn good looking group!! Thank you for organizing that terrific get together, you did a fabulous job. Hope to see you again soon.

 

11 minutes ago, travel4b said:

I saw that all the top brass were there to speak (we were just inside at the destination briefing). Was there any mention of all the troubles onboard?

What troubles? No, not one word.

[Viking1966]

We are getting on the Quest on October the 4th. I must admit I am really worried and disappointed about your reporting about the food. Looks like we have to lower our expectations drastically. Have you addresses this with management on board?

[fdnycruiser]

Like Viking, I too am a little worried about our Quest voyage on October 28th. Hopefully this gets all straightened out during the next 2 months.

[Champagne Socialist]

And I’m sailing on the Quest from NewYork to Montreal from 16th October – my first cruise with Seabourn. I’m very much looking forward to it but somewhat apprehensive. A friend persuaded me Seabourn was better than Silversea, but that was before the pandemic.

[PaulaJK]

Regent’s cuisine variety, preparation  and presentations surpass SB by far..also the soecialty restaurants..let alone SB’s MDR mostly open only for dinner. This is just an opinion with a lot of factual basis. I don’t know whetherSB should be considered luxury in this dept.

[nancygp]

1 hour ago, PaulaJK said:

Regent’s cuisine variety, preparation  and presentations surpass SB by far..also the soecialty restaurants..let alone SB’s MDR mostly open only for dinner. This is just an opinion with a lot of factual basis. I don’t know whetherSB should be considered luxury in this dept.

I’m currently on the Ovation and the Restauant/Seabourns MDR, has been opening daily for breakfast and lunch on sea days.

 

it my first seabourn cruise after many cruises with crystal and all has been great.

[travel4b]

9 hours ago, kjbacon said:

Now that’s a great picture of a darn good looking group!! Thank you for organizing that terrific get together, you did a fabulous job. Hope to see you again soon.

 

What troubles? No, not one word.

Wow. That must have been awkward.  What elephant in the room?  

[Wendy The Wanderer]

3 hours ago, Champagne Socialist said:

And I’m sailing on the Quest from NewYork to Montreal from 16th October – my first cruise with Seabourn. I’m very much looking forward to it but somewhat apprehensive. A friend persuaded me Seabourn was better than Silversea, but that was before the pandemic.

We did Quest, Montreal to Montreal (around Nfld), in 2018 and it was really, really nice.  The ship is a little small for our taste, but the public spaces, in the main, were very good.  Loved Seabourn Square particularly. Standard balcony cabin was just fine.

[rkacruiser]

10 hours ago, Fletcher said:

And what, may I ask, is a Burger King?

 

I don't know if they are in the UK, but, they have restaurants in other parts of Europe.  At least in Denmark, they even serve beer which is quite different than ours in the U. S.

 

11 hours ago, kjbacon said:

The menus are a rambling hot mess that don't accurately describe the actual dish, written by someone who either doesn’t know the correct culinary terms or who is trying to wow everyone with lots of big words.

 

It is infuriating when what was served does not reflect what you know it ought to be and does not reflect the menu's description of the dish.  Your thought about someone, somewhere, (who writes the menu descriptions?) is trying to "impress".   The "loaded croissant special" could not be eaten as a sandwich.  

 

11 hours ago, kjbacon said:

I must say that huge trays of caviar served by handsome waiters at sail away helped.

 

Looks good, but where are the accompaniments?  

 

[Mr Luxury]

5 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

 

 

 

Looks good, but where are the accompaniments?  

He's holding the tray.

[Covepointcruiser]

Is everyone onboard complaining and moaning bout the food?   That would make for a very unpleasant cruise.

[saminina]

Surely the folks dining on vegetarian chili and the Seabourn version of chicken parm are happy diners.

[SLSD]

2 minutes ago, saminina said:

Surely the folks dining on vegetarian chili and the Seabourn version of chicken parm are happy diners.

I think you are being sarcastic.  At least I hope you are!  Personally, I would welcome some vegetarian chili that was very tasty if the weather was cool.  I am truly aghast that kjbacon's dining experience has been so below her expectations.  In our cruising on SB, we have had a few dishes that we deemed inedible and we sent them back to the kitchen as soon as we realized that we could not eat them.  On one occasion,  a friend at our table had ordered the same dish and also sent the plate back.  So--it does happen.  We were not upset--just matter of fact about it.  Mr. SLSD and I have been discussing food on Seabourn and I have come to the conclusion that we just don't expect the world and choose carefully.  For example, I would never choose to eat Chinese food on a SB ship.  First, I don't particularly like Chinese food and second, I've had a LOT of it as we have a family member who is Chinese.  So, at least I know what good Chinese food is, and would not expect to find it on a ship.  Of course that is no excuse for bad food of any kind on a SB ship.  I think when it comes right down to it, I tend to order a lot of grilled Salmon and the tried and true. Its not that I am picky (I'm not) or not adventurous (I am), but just not expecting a lot from a cruise ship dining room.  And yes, I often find the food to be over salted!  But I am a home cook who uses a minimum of salt because I can taste it so clearly.  We do have guests at our table who ask for salt--so I know that not everyone sees this the same way. The upshot is that I am disappointed to hear that the food has been below par for people who have high expectations.  I hope future cruisers on SB will keep us apprised on food quality.  

[travel4b]

20 minutes ago, SLSD said:

I think you are being sarcastic.  At least I hope you are!  Personally, I would welcome some vegetarian chili that was very tasty if the weather was cool.  I am truly aghast that kjbacon's dining experience has been so below her expectations.  In our cruising on SB, we have had a few dishes that we deemed inedible and we sent them back to the kitchen as soon as we realized that we could not eat them.  On one occasion,  a friend at our table had ordered the same dish and also sent the plate back.  So--it does happen.  We were not upset--just matter of fact about it.  Mr. SLSD and I have been discussing food on Seabourn and I have come to the conclusion that we just don't expect the world and choose carefully.  For example, I would never choose to eat Chinese food on a SB ship.  First, I don't particularly like Chinese food and second, I've had a LOT of it as we have a family member who is Chinese.  So, at least I know what good Chinese food is, and would not expect to find it on a ship.  Of course that is no excuse for bad food of any kind on a SB ship.  I think when it comes right down to it, I tend to order a lot of grilled Salmon and the tried and true. Its not that I am picky (I'm not) or not adventurous (I am), but just not expecting a lot from a cruise ship dining room.  And yes, I often find the food to be over salted!  But I am a home cook who uses a minimum of salt because I can taste it so clearly.  We do have guests at our table who ask for salt--so I know that not everyone sees this the same way. The upshot is that I am disappointed to hear that the food has been below par for people who have high expectations.  I hope future cruisers on SB will keep us apprised on food quality.  

Well, out of sheer curiosity I ordered the vegetarian chili that night and I’ve had canned chili that was better!! Unfortunately, while food is someway subjective service is not. Latest example:  we just returned from dinner at Earth & Ocean. While service was eager, it was still a mess.  No sign of the signature starters, aka the chicken salad show, before our appetizers arrived. Once I pointed this out the starters cart finally showed up - 60 seconds before our mains. Ok, then. Moving on, dessert was 1 for 2. Mine was correct but my husband’s was not. Good grief, there are only three choices!!  On the flip side, all the food was delicious, as I’ve consistently found to be the case at E&O. 

[labonnevie]

I read elsewhere on these boards that Seabourn had just transferred some staff from the Encore. Any evidence of that?

We board Monday in Montreal. Please do your best to get all of the problems fixed by then. 😊

Thank you!

[PaulaJK]

5 hours ago, nancygp said:

I’m currently on the Ovation and the Restauant/Seabourns MDR, has been opening daily for breakfast and lunch on sea days.

 

it my first seabourn cruise after many cruises with crystal and all has been great.

Nancy , that is extremely encouraging to learn and outside of my last four cruises.

Have a great cruisr. Paula

[lincslady]

It seems obvious -well,  to me- that at present some of the Seabourn ships are well staffed with enough trained staff who know what they are doing, including in the galley, and others, possibly Sojourn and Quest in particular, which are currently  having some real staffing problems.  It is rotten luck for you if you are on one of the 'wrong' ones at present. And very bad for Seabourn's reputation.

 

 

[Champagne Socialist]

7 hours ago, SLSD said:

have come to the conclusion that we just don't expect the world and choose carefully.  For example, I would never choose to eat Chinese food on a SB ship.

I think you’ve made a very good point there. I haven’t been on Seabourn yet but I found on Silversea that if you stick to ordering what you know they’re good at, you’re unlikely to be disappointed. But if you opt for something more unusual or exotic, it won’t necessarily be the authentic quality you’d get in a good restaurant.

 

7 hours ago, SLSD said:

we have had a few dishes that we deemed inedible and we sent them back to the kitchen as soon as we realized that we could not eat them.  On one occasion,  a friend at our table had ordered the same dish and also sent the plate back.  So--it does happen.  We were not upset--just matter of fact about it.

Because you’ve already paid for your meals on a cruise, I take the view that if you don’t like a dish once it arrives, just order something else. While I very rarely send back a dish in a restaurant, I think it’s much more acceptable on a cruise ship. You’re absolutely right to be matter-of-fact about it and just order another dish.

[kjbacon]

For those of you that are boarding soon and that are now concerned, I am sorry. I should think that SB is going to act quickly and drastically about these staffing shortages. Hopefully, our cruise will be an anomaly and you will breathe a sigh of relief on your first day!
 

Sending a dish back is not a good option for us because it takes too long to get the first time so it’s better to work around it. My food expectations are based on my own experience with Regent and Oceania, both of which we have sailed post pandemic. The food is fabulous on both and their ethnic cuisine is spot on. Both, in fact, have a dedicated Asian restaurant on board that rivals any land based Asian restaurant.

Yesterday was a much better day all around. Saint John’s is such a beautiful little city with so much to do. We were lucky to find a great cab driver who gave us a wonderful tour and colorful commentary. He recommended Cape Spear and he was right. Great hiking, great scenery, and the bonus of lots of WWII history.

 

 

 

Dinner at Earth and Ocean has been the best venue on board and last night was very good again. This is where I’d strongly recommend your dinner for those of you boarding soon … but bring socks and a heavy sweater. Even gorgeous weather like we had in Newfoundland gets chilly in the evening.
 

The pictures are red because we were sitting under the heater. Apps were yellowtail sashimi and scallops basquaise, both delicious.

 

 

Main courses were Peking duck and sea bass. The duck was not an authentic Peking but it was delicious and a rose by another name and all that. 

 

 

Today is the first of two sea days. We have been invited to have dinner with Dusan, the Destination Services Manager and my favorite crew member. Looking forward to the day!

 

[Mr Luxury]

14 hours ago, saminina said:

Surely the folks dining on vegetarian chili and the Seabourn version of chicken parm are happy diners.

That's the crew 😁

[rkacruiser]

10 hours ago, kjbacon said:

Saint John’s is such a beautiful little city with so much to do. We were lucky to find a great cab driver who gave us a wonderful tour and colorful commentary. He recommended Cape Spear and he was right. Great hiking, great scenery, and the bonus of lots of WWII history.

 

Agree.  It is a port that is worth another visit or more.  Windy, cold, and rainy when my tour got to Cape Spear; there was light fog and the fog horn was working,  But, the views from the Cape were good.