Just need some reassurance....

[xiphoid76]

...Hi there,

Going to book my first Seabourn cruise today.  Was hoping there would be some del (The Suite Life Deal which just ended was not available for my expedition cruise we want).  The price is very high, I understand than, but this is a once in a life time thing for us.  I need a little nudge to finally put down the deposit.  Was wondering if we do put down the 7,000 USD + today for the deposit...is that money refundable? It appears so from my reading of the policy as long as it is more than 120 days before the cruise. (I don't want it to be converted to a future cruise credit, I would like a refund if we so choose).  

My other hesitation is I am waiting for a better deal (or any deal) to come out...wishing for something that may never come.  Do they ever offer deals on these expedition cruises (Arctic?) or is that a pipe-dream?  free airfare? And if they somehow do offer a deal, could I cancel and rebook?  

OK, thank you for listening to my nervous rant this morning, just hurts to out down so much money...but the room we want is available and this is a dream trip.  Thanks for any advice 🙂

[saminina]

This situation, as written, I would pass on giving an opinion.

[xiphoid76]

OK, I booked.  With it being refundable, decided to bite the bullet and look forward to the trip without worrying too much about the price.  Got the cabin we wanted and now get to look forward to the cruise 🙂

[Mr Luxury]

4 minutes ago, xiphoid76 said:

OK, I booked.  With it being refundable, decided to bite the bullet and look forward to the trip without worrying too much about the price.  Got the cabin we wanted and now get to look forward to the cruise 🙂

Have a good cruise 

[Techno123]

1 hour ago, xiphoid76 said:

 

OK, thank you for listening to my nervous rant this morning, just hurts to out down so much money...but the room we want is available and this is a dream trip.  Thanks for any advice 🙂

Have you explored any other cruise lines that do expeditions like Silversea? Haven't sailed with them yet but was reading a long thread on another board where they had gone down to the Galapagos and there were some very complimentary posts. Might be worth considering if you aren't set on one particular cruise line (we tend to go with the one that offers us the itinerary we want at a price we like 😂😂)

[xiphoid76]

This itinerary was exactly our dream - I know - whose dream includes Greenland and Pond Inlet Canada - but it does for us 🙂 We went to Pond Inlet on a narwhal safari in 2019 and this is a great way to get back to that area and what better way to see Greenland. The timing is also perfect with my retirement.  The hard part was the money - but you only live once! 

[Dunnedg]

11 minutes ago, xiphoid76 said:

The hard part was the money - but you only live once! 

You cant take it with you.

We are here for a good time not a long time!

If its what you want you have made the right decision. Just relax and look forward.

[SLSD]

36 minutes ago, xiphoid76 said:

This itinerary was exactly our dream - I know - whose dream includes Greenland and Pond Inlet Canada - but it does for us 🙂 We went to Pond Inlet on a narwhal safari in 2019 and this is a great way to get back to that area and what better way to see Greenland. The timing is also perfect with my retirement.  The hard part was the money - but you only live once! 

You will probably have a great cruise, but hopefully. you understand that SB can and may change the itinerary and your dream ports may not be included in a new itinerary.  People get very frustrated by changes, but it happens more often than not.  

[highplanesdrifters]

21 hours ago, xiphoid76 said:

This itinerary was exactly our dream - I know - whose dream includes Greenland and Pond Inlet Canada - but it does for us 🙂 We went to Pond Inlet on a narwhal safari in 2019 and this is a great way to get back to that area and what better way to see Greenland. The timing is also perfect with my retirement.  The hard part was the money - but you only live once! 

Care to share some of the details from your Narwhal Safari.  Sounds interesting. 

[xiphoid76]

6 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Care to share some of the details from your Narwhal Safari.  Sounds interesting. 

It was from Arctic Kingdom and it was an amazing experience. Saw polar bears and narwhal and stayed on a tent on the ice for a week. Would never do it again 🙂 But glad we did it once. It cost a lot and was hard to get up to Nunavut but have such awesome memories. That’s why we are excited about this cruise - will be in the same general areas and we know how beautiful they are. Plus it takes away any of the stress you have hoping to see polar bears, narwhals, belugas as we already have had an experience with them so this trip would be purely for scenery and if an animal comes out to say hi - all the better 🙂

[phillipahain]

Please do not bank on SB doing your dream itinery or the tours 

 

Some on this forum do not like my negative comments about our much changed 65 day Grand Pacific cruise but we can only bitterly regret trusting SB and hoping for the best ...our previous SB cruise was great but this was sadly one issue after another cobbled together by a total lack of planning or research by an inept Seabourn HQ .

 

 

[Reef Knot]

Interesting,  when I booked from the UK  I was told that 10% is non refundable. 

Although under certain conditions they would allow that 10% to be used against a similar duration voyage .

[Techno123]

1 hour ago, Reef Knot said:

Interesting,  when I booked from the UK  I was told that 10% is non refundable. 

Although under certain conditions they would allow that 10% to be used against a similar duration voyage .

The UK has a totally different booking system to US. We become liable straight away - our schedule is below

    
 Cancellation Fees (Per Person)
On booking. 10.0% Gross Fare
8 weeks before 45.0% Gross Fare
6 weeks before 75.0% Gross Fare
2 weeks before 90.0% Gross Fare
1 week before. 100.0% Gross Fare
   

[Kiwi Brenda]

@xiphoid76which cruise have you booked? We’ve just booked Seabourn Venture June 30-July 25 2024 and like you a bit nervous about how expensive it is. However, it is a once in a lifetime adventure (another one 😉) and we did Alaska last year with Seabourn and loved it! 

[LNugent]

SB changes itineraries ALL the time. They just changed a key port on my upcoming summer 32 day cruise. They removed Cork, Ireland with Scilly Isle. Absolutely nothing to do in Scillys. My group was super disappointed they cancelled Cork with no real reason. 
 

I’m only booking Crystal in 2024 as they rarely nixed a port. Hopefully the New Crystal will be the same. 

[frantic36]

27 minutes ago, LNugent said:

SB changes itineraries ALL the time. They just changed a key port on my upcoming summer 32 day cruise. They removed Cork, Ireland with Scilly Isle. Absolutely nothing to do in Scillys. My group was super disappointed they cancelled Cork with no real reason. 
 

I’m only booking Crystal in 2024 as they rarely nixed a port. Hopefully the New Crystal will be the same. 

 

 

It will be interesting to see if Crystal is as you remember. I read the Regent board a couple of hours ago and someone was complaining about an upcoming cruise in May having ports changed and I have read similar on the Silversea board over the last couple of years. I don't remember port changes occurring this frequently in years past and do wonder why it seems to happen across the board of various cruise lines lately.

[xiphoid76]

18 hours ago, phillipahain said:

Please do not bank on SB doing your dream itinery or the tours 

 

Some on this forum do not like my negative comments about our much changed 65 day Grand Pacific cruise but we can only bitterly regret trusting SB and hoping for the best ...our previous SB cruise was great but this was sadly one issue after another cobbled together by a total lack of planning or research by an inept Seabourn HQ .

 

 

True, I understand itineraries  can and will change.  By dream itinerary - I meant the  area - Greenland/Arctic.  We have no real need to see any particular towns or animals or excursions as we have already done them on another Safari - this is just a nice luxury way of going back to the area and now relax and take the scenery in 🙂 Last time we were on a tent kind of   roughing it - at least I know this will be nicer 🙂 

[xiphoid76]

14 hours ago, Kiwi Brenda said:

@xiphoid76which cruise have you booked? We’ve just booked Seabourn Venture June 30-July 25 2024 and like you a bit nervous about how expensive it is. However, it is a once in a lifetime adventure (another one 😉) and we did Alaska last year with Seabourn and loved it! 

We are doing September 2024 - long time from now I know, but it is fun to  plan ahead 🙂

[Flamin_June]

15 hours ago, Kiwi Brenda said:

However, it is a once in a lifetime adventure (another one 😉) and we did Alaska last year with Seabourn and loved it! 

That's the problem with once in a lifetime adventures. Once you have had one, you want another one.

[Mr Luxury]

6 hours ago, LNugent said:

SB changes itineraries ALL the time. They just changed a key port on my upcoming summer 32 day cruise. They removed Cork, Ireland with Scilly Isle. Absolutely nothing to do in Scillys. My group was super disappointed they cancelled Cork with no real reason. 
 

I’m only booking Crystal in 2024 as they rarely nixed a port. Hopefully the New Crystal will be the same. 

I'm afraid it's unknown at the moment for New Crystal.

Fingers crossed though

[purpleally]

On 3/8/2023 at 11:15 AM, SLSD said:

You will probably have a great cruise, but hopefully. you understand that SB can and may change the itinerary and your dream ports may not be included in a new itinerary.  People get very frustrated by changes, but it happens more often than not.  

SB is not the only cruise that may change itinerary. ALL cruise lines might

[Mr Luxury]

3 hours ago, purpleally said:

SB is not the only cruise that may change itinerary. ALL cruise lines might

And they do

[docpetey]

Had a question for all cruise travelers. My feeling is all lines have trouble since covid with supply chains and retaining good help. My family was scheduled to go on Crystal two weeks before it shut down. We were denied boarding in Miami because my ICU nurse daughter tested positive for Covid. The entire family of 6 spent the week in Key west and all were well and we  made the best of a bad situation. Unfortunately no travel insurance and agent and company did nothing for us. I am hesitant about booking with the new Crystal and have not been happy with Silver sea even before covid so I am looking for honest opinions on Seabourn. I have a 2 week trip scheduled in Oct. Lisbon to Lisbon and so wanted updates on the quality of the ship, food and service. I am not to worried about itinerary changes since I trust they do that mostly for safety reasons, But this trip is interesting for a chance to see Morocco and travel past Gibraltar.  Thank you to any recent travelers. Mark

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, docpetey said:

Had a question for all cruise travelers. My feeling is all lines have trouble since covid with supply chains and retaining good help. My family was scheduled to go on Crystal two weeks before it shut down. We were denied boarding in Miami because my ICU nurse daughter tested positive for Covid. The entire family of 6 spent the week in Key west and all were well and we  made the best of a bad situation. Unfortunately no travel insurance and agent and company did nothing for us. I am hesitant about booking with the new Crystal and have not been happy with Silver sea even before covid so I am looking for honest opinions on Seabourn. I have a 2 week trip scheduled in Oct. Lisbon to Lisbon and so wanted updates on the quality of the ship, food and service. I am not to worried about itinerary changes since I trust they do that mostly for safety reasons, But this trip is interesting for a chance to see Morocco and travel past Gibraltar.  Thank you to any recent travelers. Mark

I can understand what happened to you with the old Crystal has made you reluctant to try the new Crystal.  I think some don't understand (you probably do, though) that the brand name and two ships were purchased.  It is not the same company as before going forward.  The new owners do not have liability for what happened with the old company.  They are different people altogether.  

 

We haven't cruised since Covid and will have our first Seabourn cruise in June.  I've read reports all over the map--everything from "it is just as good as ever,"  to "it has really gone downhill".  We have always loved Seabourn and are quite willing to try it post Covid for ourselves.   We are going to lower our expectations somewhat and hope to be pleasantly surprised.  We could have booked a cruise with Silversea or Regent, but decided to give our favorite cruise line a chance.  We've sailed Silversea and didn't think it was nearly as much fun as Seabourn.  

 

I think all the opinions given in this forum are honest opinions (make sure you read through all of them).  Some people have given a glowing report, while others have given scathing reviews.  I expect to see something right down the middle.  I expect to see some cost cutting, some additional changes in ports, and some cancelled excursions.  

[Mauzac]

We've done two cruises since Covid (one big one... for us!) and found it just as good as ever with the crew so so grateful to be back and wanting to do everything to make our journey the best ever. 

 

Yes, there were blips.  Changed ports etc, but nothing that didn't make us worry or regret our journey.