Live on Seabourn Odyssey to Alaska

[Pirouette]

This is our first Seabourn cruise. We got an incredible deal booking direct with Seabourn 17 days out from the departure date. We have cruised in other parts of the world, largely pre-pandemic on Oceania, Azamara, Regent and Silversea. Cruising is not our usual type of travel but this was a wonderful opportunity to take a holiday from our own home port without the need to fly anywhere.

 

Embarkation yesterday was friendly and seamless. Our deal was a guarantee cabin, we did not preselect it, likely part of the reason for the very favorable pricing. We have a veranda and the suite is just fine.  It is large and comfortable.  A bottle of champagne awaited us. 
 

Our cabin staff is attentive and eager to please. Nothing is too much trouble. We have yet to explore everything the ship has to offer.  We are looking forward to the next 10 days and the nature oriented excursions.

 

The demographic is mature.  There are a couple of families with older children.  The dress code is casual but still well put together. We were not aware that Seabourn provides its guess with complimentary waterproof jackets as part of the fare. They are Helly Hansen or similar and there is a choice of style and colour.  It was a nice surprise. My own purchase of a waterproof jacket before the cruise was unnecessary. 
 

The food has been good. Sushi in the afternoon was also a nice surprise. There is also high tea as offered on other ships and snacks throughout the day at Seabourn Square.

 

Tonight is the Captain’s Welcoming party and formal night. 
 

All is enjoyable ( and very quiet)  so far.

 

Thanks to everyone on this board for your various comments and suggestions. They were very helpful and appreciated.
 

 

 

 

[johng75370]

We will be on Odyssey in a few weeks; fingers crossed there will be some caviar and Champagne left for us after your voyage 😀

 

Is the temperature warm enough to eat outside, especially Earth & Ocean at night?  Hoping you continue to have a great sailing!

[highplanesdrifters]

15 hours ago, Pirouette said:

We got an incredible deal booking direct with Seabourn 17 days out from the departure date.

 

Thanks for your report.

 

Care to share details of your incredible deal.

[Pirouette]

Our “deal” was one third less than our usual cruise agency’s best price together with onboard credits sufficient to cover two zodiac excursions. 

[Pirouette]

I have just awakened to find what appears to be downtown Ketchikan outside the window! I thought we had to tender- this is a nice surprise! Once I rouse my better half, we can start exploring….

[Pirouette]

We spent a lovely time in Ketchikan yesterday. The weather was bright and sunny and relatively warm for Ketchikan…about 18C. We did not do any organized excursions. Instead we wandered to Creek Street, visited the local museum ( very well done), the Totem Heritage museum ( also excellent) and then did part of the “salmon walk”. 
 

The Celebrity Summit was in port at the same time but the port did not seem overly crowded.

 

On board before 2:30 for a 3 pm departure. We enjoyed a casual lunch by the pool and then sailed away. The scenery is beautiful, typical of what can be experienced in coastal British Columbia.  No wildlife or whales yet but lots of birds. 
 

The onboard experience has been good. We are never lacking for food or beverages. We have enjoyed the in room champagne and caviar and my spouse particularly enjoys the sushi available in the Club from 6pm -7pm. Breakfast has been in the Colonade as we are not early risers. 
 

Our dinners have been in the Restaurant. Again, the service is excellent and there are daily additions to the menu. The food is generally very good, though we have had a couple of disappointments. The servers have been quick to offer replacements or alternatives when this has occurred. 

 

Food is subjective and it is difficult to cater to the individual tastes of 400 passengers. Overall, Seabourn does a good job, but though well-prepared and presented, the food is a little bland for our taste. It would be nice to see more spice and fusion influence on the menu. Not complaining…we always find something we can enjoy but the offerings could be more adventurous.

Just waking up to the sound of the anchor dropping. Time to have breakfast and tender into Sitka under an overcast sky.

[seahill]

Thank You for the info.and please keep reporting..We board in approx 3 weeks.

Weather (temp.) would be helpfull for packing..

Enjoy your time onboard..

J&B

[Pirouette]

The weather gods have been smiling on us so far.  Yesterday it remained overcast yet bright when we were ashore in Sitka. A brief tender delivered us to the center of town and a five minute walk to the tourist center. We did not book any excursions through the ship for Sitka.

 

i had done some research in advance. We opted to take a shuttle from the tourist center to the Fortress of the Bear. The shuttle was $20 pp return. It normally stops at the Raptor Center as well, but yesterday was an exception. The Raptor Center could not accommodate a whole bus load, only walk ins. 
 

The Fortress of the Bear was worth the visit. It does a wonderful job caring for orphan bears who would not otherwise survive in the wild. Many have been there for years. We are accustomed to bears, they are regular fixtures in our backyard but I had never seen Black and Brown bears the size of these! 
 

The return shuttle dropped us within walking distance of the Raptor Center. Again, it does excellent rehabilitation work with injured eagles and hawks and provides shelter to those who will never be able to function in the wild due to their injuries. Well worth a visit.

 

We walked through part of the Totem Trail to arrive back into the center of town. We visited the cathedral and other local sites. There are some interesting fur shops in town. I do not wear fur but some of the pieces were beautiful. We were told that the best customers are from Florida and Texas! 
 

We returned onboard for lunch and some relaxation. We prefer to eat outdoors when possible. It’s not really cold but a jacket is required to cut the wind. Most people dress casually in the daytime: jeans, leggings, hiking boots. A couple of brave souls even went into the hot tub!
 

The sail away party was supposed to be outdoors but it was moved into the show lounge last minute due to weather concerns. Guests were treated to caviar, oysters, champagne, vodka and other drinks.  We were entertained by the Seabourn singers, a group of four very talented vocalists. The indoor venue was a much better place for their performance than the pool deck.

 

Dinner was wonderful last night. Our server pointed out menu items that we might enjoy, aware that we had found some of the menu a little bland. His suggestions were excellent. My spouse enjoyed the best spiced octopus that he had ever eaten. My lamb was also very good. 
 

We returned to our cabin to find rose petals and “towel swans” on our bed. It is our anniversary during this cruise and they are certainly taking care of us! The little extras are appreciated.

 

We are just arriving at Hubbard Glacier. We have a Zodiac excursion here. Time to test  our notions of warm layers! The weather is partly sunny and we are looking forward to this experience!
 

[ready2escape]

Thank you so much for your commentary!  We will be boarding the Odyssey in 2 weeks, and since it is our first Seabourn cruise, the information provided is very helpful.  Wondering if they provide a daily program in paper form? 

[Pirouette]

Yes, the daily program is called the Herald. You will receive it in your stateroom and it is available on the television. 

You will never want for food or drink and other activities!

[whogo]

Thank you for the reports, Pirouette. I hate to pester you during your cruise. If I may ask, is the dining room open for breakfast or lunch? I like an uncrowded meal.

 

The included waterproof jacket is a surprise. My bright orange with black outer jacket with inner puffer jacket is labeled "This modular jacket was designed specially for your Antarctic Voyage." Is that one of the options? I was planning to get by with a Gore-tex hooded windbreaker with sweater(s) as needed, will rethink if jackets are provided.

[johng75370]

1 hour ago, whogo said:

The included waterproof jacket is a surprise.

Here's a link to the Alaska jacket (and where you order it for your Alaska cruise):

Seabourn (newheadings.com)

 

Here's the outfitting for all Seabourn destinations that provide gear:

Seabourn (newheadings.com)

 

[johng75370]

Thanks for the great reporting @Pirouette!  If it's not too much bother, can you post who the cruise director and assistant CD are?

[Pirouette]

We arrived very early this morning at Inian Islands. This will be a two stop day as we sail later to Icy Straits. We have no excursions planned today we will enjoy the scenery from the ship and take advantage of everything it has to offer.

 

Hubbard Glacier yesterday was a great experience. I will confess that zodiacs frighten me….I am always afraid that I will fall overboard or that some disaster might occur. It didn’t and we had an excellent zodiac captain who provided interesting commentary throughout. The views were incredible!
 

Be aware that tours are governed by weather, water and ice conditions. We left later than the scheduled time and our captain skillfully wove a path through  the sea ice toward the face of the glacier. Only one other zodiac in our group came as close as we did. We were still a distance away due to the ice conditions, but it seemed closer. We did not see any calving and wildlife was mostly birds and a few seals.

 

A note about clothing. I wore my Seabourn jacket ( I got the slightly heavier one with a fleecy lining) My spouse wore the lighter weight Helly Hansen Seabourn jacket. We both wore layers. To be specific, I wore a T shirt, a lightweight wool sweater under a light fleece long sleeved top, a lightweight packable down jacket and then the Seabourn jacket. I wore a touque. I wore leggings with a long underwear type liner and waterproof hiking boots, wool socks and lightweight ski gloves.

 

My spouse  wore similar layers without the packable down layer and wool socks. He was cold, I was not. The Seabourn jacket is mainly to cut the wind. The actual air temperature is not that cold but being on the water surrounded by ice has an effect!
 

The sea conditions caused the kayaking trips to be diverted to another area. It was believed that the ice conditions would be overwhelming. Safety first, but no doubt a disappointment for some.  
 

The expedition team are experts at dealing with persons of all mobility levels. Getting into the zodiac was interesting, but they had the procedure down to a science and we were all seated quickly and without incident. My zodiac fears were unfounded!
 

Back on board for lunch, followed by laundry and then afternoon tea. The views of the fjord and glacier are visible from all the observation areas of the ship and from the verandas depending on the location.

 

We had our first negative service experience.  My spouse goes to a particular venue to read the newspaper and catch up on emails while I get ready for dinner. I usually join him within about 30 minutes. Yesterday he sat for 30 minutes, two servers walked past him multiple times, one in particular made eye contact and walked the other way. No one took his order or acknowledged him. He has been at that venue every day. He is very polite and not demanding.

When I arrived to join him we decided to go elsewhere. We noted the lack of attention to the server who offered a weak “sorry “. The venue was not particularly busy. There was no excuse.  The manager followed after us when we left and apologized profusely. Poor service is rare on Seabourn but it can happen. 
 

We had a nice dinner in the Grill with friendly and excellent service. We attended the show afterward ( which we rarely do) and really enjoyed the talented singers and two ballroom dancers.  A pretty full day!
 

Someone asked about restaurants at breakfast. We usually go to the Colonade because we are rarely up before 8 am. The Restaurant is open for breakfast but with limited hours of 8-9am. It is open for lunch between 12:30-1:30pm as well.

Now on to a relaxing sea day surrounded by exquisite Alaskan vistas!

 

[whogo]

10 minutes ago, johng75370 said:

Here's a link to the Alaska jacket...

Thank you, johng.

[Pirouette]

That is a useful link. That is one of the tree options available on the ship. The Helly Hansen jacket did not fit me well so I opted for a teal colored one…not sure who makes it. It is warmer than the Helly Hansen.

[Pirouette]

Yesterday was a two stop day: Inian Islands followed by Icy Straits. Both are jump off points for whale watching. We chose to watch from the ship in the Inian Islands. We saw whales from a distance, but those on the zodiac tours would have had a close up view.

 

Icy Straits has a purpose built facility for cruise ships. There appears to have been significant investment in this community and facilities: the transporter, gondola and Zip line are state of the art. There are several buildings with crafts and the usual tourist fare and a venue that offers indigenous dance shows. I was impressed because large golf cart type vehicles were available to assist those with mobility challenges. For active tourists, there is an extensive ropes course at the edge of the forest, parallel to the transporter. 
 

We chose to walk into the village of Hoonan. It is a scenic walk on a trail and roadway along the waterfront. We saw many ravens and a few whales surfacing. There is not much to see in the town itself, other than it offers a glimpse of an authentic Alaskan community that sustains itself with hunting and fishing and strives to preserve its cultural traditions.  
 

We always visit local grocery stores when we travel. I was aware that living in isolated northern communities could be expensive, but the prices on basic staples were shockingly high. 
 

Back on to the ship for high tea, taking comfort in that we had walked about 12,000 steps since lunch! We also saw a group of 2-3 whales spouting as we returned to the ship. 

As to the food, my spouse had ordered a special Indian meal for lunch ( 24 hours notice) and it was very good. Dinner was in the Restaurant with fresh caught Alaskan salmon. 
 

Early to bed because of

morning excursion departure in Juneau. 
 

Someone asked the name of the cruise director: it is a woman and her name is Jan. I could not find her last name. She is good at what she does and chats with everyone.

 

[lincslady]

Is that Jan who is a lovely lady no longer in her first youth?  If so, she has been with Seabourn for many many years, and is consistently charming and excellent as a CD.

[whogo]

Jan Stearman had been with Seabourn for 25 years when we sailed with her in 2020, quite personable and an excellent singer. She started out with Royal Viking.

[Pirouette]

Yesterday was a long port day in Juneau. We were there with Royal Caribbean’ s Radiance of the Seas, Regent, Silversea, National Geographic and one other that I do not recall. It was a busy day in town. Being Sunday, the Alaska Museum was closed. 
 

We did an excursion to Mendenhall Glacier through the ship. I had considered indépendant options but the ship’s offering was the most direct and competitively priced.

 

After being transferred in a Greyline bus, we had two hours to explore the visitors’ center and surrounding trails. A word about the bus.  Our driver was a retiree from Indiana. He obtained his bus driving credentials in February this year.  He seemed to have difficulty manœuvring the bus and was particularly worried about red lights. He was an affable man, but his driving skills did not inspire confidence.

 

We enjoyed our visit to the glacier nonetheless and did the trail to Nugget Falls. It took about an hour there and back at a comfortable pace, with stops to take photos. There are bears in the area.  There has been one on the trail just before we set out, but it was gone by the time we got there. A passing ranger told us that the bears are quite habituated to humans on the trail and they usually just wander away.

 

That was our experience. Before leaving the visitors’ center I turned left at the bottom of the stairs only to come face to face with a very large black bear. It was about three feet from me and just as surprised as me. I called my spouse’s name and as he rounded the corner, the bear walked away. We frequently have bears in our yard at home, but this one was much larger than its urban cousins!
 

This was a wonderful opportunity to be outdoors and the scenery is spectacular. This is also a jump off point for whale watching, dog sledding and other excursions.

 

Our bus dropped us safely port side, with all the other cruise passengers in town. I had read that some of the population in Juneau is unhappy with the number of cruise ship passengers that overwhelm the city during cruise season. One of the crosswalk attendants was particularly sour. We thanked her for her assistance ( twice- there and back) : not a smile or even an acknowledgment. 
 

We found the shops very touristy but some of the buildings in the original part of town have character: check out the saloon!

Back to the ship for lunch, champagne and caviar, and a very nice dance party after dinner. We sailed away at around 11 pm. 
 

It has been smooth sailing throughout. The weather in Juneau was overcast and bright with no rain. We have been very fortunate as we have had little to no rain. 
 

On to Endicott Arm and our last zodiac excursion.

[Pirouette]

We had an amazing zodiac excursion at Endicott Arm yesterday. We preferred it to the Hubbard Glacier experience. The itinerary specified either Tracy Arm or Endicott Arm. Our zodiac captain (who we also had for the Hubbard Glacier experience a couple days ago) told us that the choice would likely be Endicott and that it was his favorite.

 

The water was calm and the fjord serene. There were no other ships in the fjord. Ours were the only zodiacs. We were able to get very close to the face of the glacier and saw it calving many times. There were some beautiful iceberg formations surrounding us, a group of seals and many birds. It was a majestic and almost spiritual display of the wonder of nature.
 

There are currents in front of the glacier due to an under glacier river that flows into the fjord. The kayak excursion did not go close to the face of the glacier due to the current. They ventured closer to the side wall of the fjord away from the glacier itself. The scenery is still spectacular.
 

Did I mention that there was no rain??? We have been truly fortunate again. That being said, layers are still required because of the wind and it is much cooler when motoring amongst icebergs.

 

This was our last ship offered excursion and for us it was the best. Our zodiac captain said the Misty Fjords excursion is more wildlife focused without a glacier. We will opt to explore the town and petroglyphs on our own. There is something to be said for a more leisurely wake up time and less structure in the morning.

 

The laundry facilites have been a great bonus- and a great place to chat with other passengers. They are in high demand, especially when people have returned from excursions. 

We have continued to enjoy afternoon tea. Our preference for dinner is the Restaurant. The Colonade offered a night of 50’s food and music last night. It did not appeal to us and judging from the large numbers in the Restaurant last night, I expect others had that same view. 
 

There are still some minor service issues. At dinner we are often seated and served by several different people. Things get lost in transition and there are gaps in communication between the servers: items are missed or delayed and sometimes incorrect. The dining room was busier than usual last night but this should not happen on a cruise line that prides itself in extraordinary service. 
 

All in all, we are quite happy with our onboard experience. These minor service glitches would not prevent us from sailing with Seabourn again.

 

On to Wrangell, where again, it is not raining!

 

 

 

[Pirouette]

We sailed into Wrangell at 10 am yesterday morning. It was a full day stop, with a departure at 6 pm. This was a tender port. Three other ships were in town but only Silversea got to dock at the pier.

 

This is a small and authentic working Alaskan town. The ship offered excursions included hiking and nature viewing: it is also the jump off point for some fishing excursions.  

We woke up at leisure and then tendered to the pier. We walked in both directions from the pier- one leads to shops, and the commercial and industrial areas. A left turn at the pier will lead to the petroglyph beach-about a 20 minute walk. We saw some people with electric bikes. Those were not offered through the ship but There are some independent tour operators ashore. 
 

We would like to have visited the Anan Bear facility but it was not offered through the ship. As far as I was able to determine, it opened yesterday for the season and our arrival was too late. It is 30 mile south of Wrangell and can only be reached by seaplane or boat. There was an excursion available through an independent operator. I was never able to make contact and the departure time was earlier than our ship’s arrival.

 

We contented ourselves with the walk to the petroglyph beach and enjoyed the incredibly pleasant and relatively warm day. No jackets required!
 

We enjoyed the rest of the day aboard the ship. My spouse has been working sporadically throughout the cruise ( unfortunately, but it has to be done) and that occupies at least part of every day. I have tried to disconnect but it is difficult! Our location on the ship, far forward is quiet ( except when the anchor is deployed) and if we have to attend to matters at home it is a lovely setting.

 

The Club offers sushi and cocktails every evening from 6pm onward. After an embarrassing defeat at shuffleboard on deck 11, I joined my souse for our usual pre- dinner cocktail. There were a group of four people there that I had not seen before. They appeared to be from Japan. I learned later that they had embarked in Juneau and that they are from the company that has purchased the Odyssey. This is its last season with Seabourn. It will be sailing to Japan in September. 
 

Another excellent diner in the Restaurant. The sommelier Alexia has helped us to discover some interesting wines on Seabourn’s included offerings. She has great knowledge and expertise and always finds the perfect accompaniment to the meal.

 

We took in part of last night’s show. There is a new high energy Broadway style vocalist N’ Kenge who has just arrived on board. It was a nice way to end the evening.

 

On to Rudyerd Bay- Misty Fjords tomorrow where we hope to catch some glimpses of wildlife from the ship.

[TylerRose]

I just stumbled on your postings and could not stop reading. We board in 2 weeks and it is so helpful to read such a useful and honest share. TY for taking time away from your cruise to post.

[ready2escape]

Thanks for the information about the petroglyph beach, we are thinking of walking there too. We board next Friday in Juneau, and it feels real now since we were assigned a cabinet number  Tuesday.  We booked our guarantee a couple months ago (first time for us), and I was starting to wonder whether it would be assigned before we left for Juneau 😉

[Daisy617]

I appreciate your writeup, Pirouette. I’m on an upcoming Odyssey voyage, so it’s very helpful. Regarding your visit to Fortress of the Bear, with whom did you book the shuttle?  Thank you!