Med Cruise

[brian_uk]

Having been on Oceania in the Med twice in the last 2 Summers we are looking for a change of pace and style and have been reading up on Seabourne.

I have seen several references to the fact that the Ships are very rocky in choppy seas because of the very low draft......a bit beyond my expertise and welcome any comments you may have.

 

Also what are the Referrals that I have been reading about ?

 

Brian

[Host Dan]

Having been on Oceania in the Med twice in the last 2 Summers we are looking for a change of pace and style and have been reading up on Seabourne.

I have seen several references to the fact that the Ships are very rocky in choppy seas because of the very low draft......a bit beyond my expertise and welcome any comments you may have.

 

Also what are the Referrals that I have been reading about ?

 

Brian

Hi Brian,

I did a 3 week med cruise this summer and can attest to the fact that the seas were smooth! (almost a bit too smooth, like not being on a ship!) If for some reason rough seas are a problem, Seabourn ships have excellent stabilizers. I have done many crossings, including northern Atlantic, so I know! If you know a friend or relative that has sailed Seabourn in the past, that person can give you a referral coupon. This entitles you to a $400 ship board credit to be used as you wish (gifts, shoreside excursions etc). After you sail, your referring partner is entitled to the same.

 

I hope this information is helpful!

 

Host Dan

[brian_uk]

Hi Dan

 

Thank s for the info............I must say that on Nautica in July we hit 40 knot winds around Delos and it was rocky out there !!!

 

We will look further at the itineraries and if we decide to book....I will come back and see if anyone can help.

 

Brian

[Kate-AHF]

We went the first week in August of this year on the Spirit. I was expecting the Med to be a bathtub.

 

I was very surprised.

 

The Captain pulled anchor twice during the trip in two different ports (Messina & Capri) because of tendering conditions and either docked (Salerno) or anchored (Sorrento). This was after one WILD tender-ride back to the ship in Dubrovnik…8-10 foot seas…they literally flung those of us in the tender onto the gangway where the other ship’s staff caught us (we were the last trip that allowed the tenders – after that, they had to bring in much larger ferry from port to get those last people back on)

 

It is a tribute to the SHore-Ex staff that we had our tours as scheduled even after the "unscheduled departures" from anchor...they managed to get all the arrangements in place and waiting for us.

 

The last night I was awoken by a very strange feeling. The nose of the ship was going up, up, up…and I was lying there going “One one-thousand…two one-thousad” thinking we had to land again sooner or later. Then: POW. Following seas are so impressive. I realized that my husband was awake a short time later. When I heard him say “Holy ****!” and things started to fall off the dressing table. To my surprise I never got seasick.

 

I also realize that the weather the first week of August this year was freakish in that part of the Med. Temps in the 70's, cool chilly rainstorms alternating with brilliant blue skies. High winds. But my experience does serve to remind that you just never know.

It CERTAINLY is not going to prevent us from sailing the Med again on Seabourn. Despite feeling like I was trapped in a Robert Altman movie a lot of time - the service just amazing. Fantastic service in a very warm and unpretentious manner. I was awed, and it's the reason we will be back.

[Two4Sea]

Brian, that low draft is countered by a low superstructure height. 17’ draft with only 5-6 decks above the waterline versus 19.5’ and 8-9 decks on Oceania. This mainly affects wind tolerance.

 

The wave tolerance is set by where does the hull’s buoyancy lift compared to where does the ship’s center of gravity hang under it. This is a costly and critical performance item for the naval architect to reconcile but I believe the lifting effect is always set just a few feet above the center of gravity regardless of the other dimensions of the ship. Without getting glazed eyes you could read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metacentric_height, at least the paragraph under stability about ride quality tradeoffs.

 

I think more of the motion references about Seabourn are inquiries rather than answers, but here’s some past posts, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=280564 post #13 and http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=375623 post#10.

 

Bill

[brian_uk]

Thanks to you Two4Sea and Kate-AFH for the superb info.

 

We also experienced high winds and heavy seas around the Greek Isles and The Nautica had to leave Mykonos and wait out at Sea for 6 hours waiting for returning passengers.

 

Your knowledge Two4Sea is overwhelming and even to a layman like me....seems to make sense.

 

Brian

[lord of the seas]

Brian,

I have just returned from three weeks on the Legend which was in the Med.We had only one day where the sea was a bit rough,but not so much that you had to stay in the suite and lie down.

I have sailed with most of the cruise lines and found this cruise on the Legend to be the best for food and courteous service that I have ever experienced,all made possible by fantastic attentive staff who are interested in thier job.I have booked for three weeks next year on the Spirit Istanbul to Athens.

[ama22]

I would like to suggest Sea Dream. We are doing a 11 day from Istanbul to Rome Sept. 2007.

 

Mary Lou