Seabourn--Third Place

[LaPaloma]

This months Conde Nast Traveler has put Seabourn in third place in the small ship rankings. What a crock--I wonder if the fact that Seabourn had no ad in the stupid book had any influence on the placement? Has anyone who reads this board ever been asked by one of the rating magazines how they like there cruise? We have been on about 25 small ship cruises, and one has asked us!! In the trash with Conde Nast Traveler! Don

[Grace Smith]

While I have a subscription to Conde Nast, I rely on Tripadvisor, Travelling with Friends, Rick Steves, Arthur Schwartz & Cruise Critic when planning a vacation.

I booked a Seabourn Cruise Summer 2007 after investigating many Boards on Cruise Critic. Those two weeks were the best two weeks of my 30 year marriage! It was our first cruise, so maybe we just loved cruising! But maybe Seabourn is as fabulous as everyone said it was!:)

[Iamboatman]

There is a thread on the Regent board regarding the "ratings" - er, humm, stuff ballot boxes...as well. Basically it shows that a fun and interesting rating poll can be turned into garbage...and the publisher is more concerned with selling the issue than having some integrity. (This is not just related to Seabourn, but if you look at other categories and also compare last year vs. this year as to who is where - if they were even noted last year - and the rankings, you can see the computer age has made the poll a farce.)

 

I would also note that Porthole Magazine - which has become quite marginalized since being purchased a few years ago - also has a poll. It became irrelevant when things like Carnival was voted best cuisine.

 

As to the Small Ship poll:

 

Grand Circle Travel is No.2 Pleeeeze. While its river cruises are fine, it is one horrific company and not the cruise nor the service compares to Seabourn...or many other lines; which is indisputable. Of course, the number of passengers is very limited, so one must wonder how many votes were from passengers. Ballot stuffing is all that is possible here, so there is really not much else to say.

 

Regent is No. 1. While I had an excellent time on the Paul Gauguin (a 350 passenger ship) this summer, even Regent admits it is that ship is not a luxury product. The other ships are - at best - mid-sized, if not large ships (700 passengers). After 5 Regent cruises I can say the food is OK (for the past 3 years it definitely is not of a consistently high standard), the waitstaff in many instances is challenged to communicate in English and there are many lapses in service. To be fair, the suites are very nice - many better than on the triplets (except the PG which doesn't have but a few suites) and the ports are solid. When you have the issues Regent does, it is impossible (at least from my perspective) not to have at least 2 or 3 lines we all know ahead of it (and some smaller lines that just don't have the passenger loads or US customer base).

 

So without beating a dead horse, I think the issue is not Seabourn's "ranking", but rather the rank deficiencies of the "poll" and Conde Nast's willingness to have its annual poll denigrated.

[CruisinMatt]

I never pay much attention to these constant polls, awards and accolades that are thrown at us ad nauseum. Most of the results seem somewhat manufactured.

 

Good for Regent however! I wish them the best and may try them one day. :)

[Keith1010]

Let me start off by saying that our cruises on Seabourn have been wonderful. As such, we have recommended Seabourn to others, andI have said many positive things about Seabourn on this board and other related boards.

 

With that said, the ratings from Conde Nast and Travel & Leisure are based on feeback from its readership and they have absolutely nothing to do with the views of the publisher nor the advertising that is spent with them. As in any poll, I am sure that if people wanted to they could stuff the ballots so to speak.

 

And the same is true for other sites including TravelAdviser.Com Some will say that competitors write review on that web site to knock the competition while some say that some of the glowing reviews come from the employees of a particular establishment. So, who knows.

 

While these magazine polls are not scientific by any means, most cruise lines do hope to get high rankings from them and those who do will publicize the rankings including Seabourn. We receive the surveys each year and some years we take the time to fill them out and some years we don't. One year we didn't fill it out and we were disappointed that out two favorite cruise lines did not finish in first place, so this year we made sure we filled it out.

 

I do not make my crusing decisions based on the results from those magazines but I will continue to subscribe to them and I know that the rankings have nothing to do with the publishers views. And in the end, we make our decisions based on our own experiences along with sometimes taking recommendations from people who we personally know and have a high regard for their opinion.

 

Keith

[JaneBP]

>"It became irrelevant when things like Carnival was voted best cuisine."

 

I hear their molten chocolate cake is to die for. I will let you know. <G>

[CruisinMatt]

 

I hear their molten chocolate cake is to die for. I will let you know. <G>

 

It is, and you can have it every night if you want. ;)

[marazul]

"at least 2 or 3 lines we all know ahead of it (and some smaller lines that just don't have the passenger loads or US customer base)"

 

Hi Eric,

just wondering which lines are those, especially the "smaller" ones. I love SB, but I'm always looking for ideas.

Thanks,

Marazul

[Iamboatman]

"at least 2 or 3 lines we all know ahead of it (and some smaller lines that just don't have the passenger loads or US customer base)"

 

Hi Eric,

just wondering which lines are those, especially the "smaller" ones. I love SB, but I'm always looking for ideas.

Thanks,

Marazul

 

I don't want to hijack the thread, but you just named one of them.

 

Matt:

 

I hope I didn't come off like I was panning Regent. I was just making a comparison between it and Seabourn and some other lines. I have cruised Regent consistently and find it to be a solid product. My gripe is it markets itself as "6 star" and it isn't. By lowering my expectations to something realistic I find I have a very good experience.

[SantaAna,CA]

I have not been on the two cruise lines that were ahead of Seabourn in the Traveler ratings. I do subscribe to Traveler and I really like the magazine. As a matter of fact, about 15 years ago, I saw my first ad for Seabourn (I think my eyes popped at the picture of the gorgeous stateroom). I can't believe I'm actually about to board one of their ships....again.

 

It is only for the crew and management of Seabourn that I am disappointed in the rating. I hope they are not discouraged that they didn't come out number one. They are wonderful, and are certainly first in my experience. It's a rare privilege to sail on these ships. I was just thinking today, at any given time, only about six hundred people on the planet are fortunate enough to be passengers on a Seabourn ship. That's pretty special, and I'm grateful that I am about to be one of them.

 

Jane

[Host Dan]

Hmm, Interesting... I have sailed Regent (when it was Raddisson) on her ex-small ship Diamond. While the cruise was delightful, it didn't come remotely close to a Seabourn cruise (and this was a 14 day voyage that was all-inclusive). As far as Grand Circle, I sailed on a fully booked Grand Circle cruise several years ago, and THAT experience was so bad, I vowed to never have anything to do with that company again.

 

Seabourn #3, and worse yet SeaDream and Silversea 4 and 5?? Hmm.. somethings not quite right..

 

Host Dan

[wripro]

I too subscribe to Traveler and in past years have been sent the survey which I promptly tossed in the trash. I agree with Eric that Regent and Seabourn should not be in the same category since their two most important ships, the Mariner and Voyager carry 700 passengers. It is a totally different experience. All these awards and guides, imo, are just like the plethora of awards shows in the entertainment industry. There are too many of them and often you scratch your head, wondering how certain people win over and over.

 

I have said this before. Who cares about ratings or awards? If we love Seabourn that's all that matters. If someone else prefers Regent, fine. It will only mean more cabins for us to book when we want.

[Keith1010]

Dan, I have to tell you that for whatever reason there are swings in the ratings. If you ever had a chance and look at the hotel ratings there are big swings there. Some ratings seem logical to me while others don't. I don't know how many people fill out the surveys. I did for a few years and didn't last year and then when I realized that one of the lines was 1/10th percentage behind the first place winner and I would have given high marks to the one in second I said to myself that I would fill it in this year. But, in the end what this survey represents is the ratings that those who filled out the survey gave. The form is quite extensive so I don't know how many people fill it out.

 

The point of my original post was to say that these ratings represent those who filled out the survey but also that they do not represent the views of Conde Nast and Travel & Leisure. I say this because the fact that one line advertises more than another is not the issue here.

 

They are no big deal either way though. How often do we read surveys/reviews about hotels, airlines, restaurants, movies, cars and you name it and in the end we might differ in our personal views.

 

Keith

[Iamboatman]

My point was not at all that the magazines were motivated by any cruise line's ad dollars. I am very confident that is not the case.

 

My point was that there should be some oversight/integrity if the polls are going to be a part of the publications, for failure to do that only hurts the reputation of the magazines; not the cruise lines. Their choice and, of course, my decision whether to purchase the publications or not.

 

I really don't think the polls will increase or decrease Seabourn's revenue, though it may have an effect on lines who aren't filling their ships.

[lord of the seas]

I use my own ratings when deciding which cruise I will take.

No1 Hapag Lloyd (Europa)

No2 Seabourn (Spirit)

No3 Silversea (Silver Shadow)

No4 Hebridean (Hebridean Princess)

[Iamboatman]

Your Lordship:

 

Fine choices!

[Keith1010]

My point was not at all that the magazines were motivated by any cruise line's ad dollars. I am very confident that is not the case.

 

My point was that there should be some oversight/integrity if the polls are going to be a part of the publications, for failure to do that only hurts the reputation of the magazines; not the cruise lines. Their choice and, of course, my decision whether to purchase the publications or not.

 

I really don't think the polls will increase or decrease Seabourn's revenue, though it may have an effect on lines who aren't filling their ships.

 

I could be wrong, it won't be the first time I've been wrong :) but as a subscriber to the magazines I get one survey form to fill out. I believe you can also do this on line but again I think you do it once so I really don't think there is too much ballot stuffing. To me the bottom line the results are based on those who fill out the surveys. It doesn't mean they are correct and it is really not scientific. All they say is these are the results of the readership and that is what it's meant to be. Now many times I don't agree with the ratings but then again there are many who probably don't agree with my ratings.

 

Honestly, I think people tend to be happy when some of their cruise lines that are rated number 1. I remember when Regent was rated number 1 the folks on the Regent Board were happy about that but this time if they are not rated number 1 then people find fault in the poll. To me this is just human nature. We all take pride in what we prefer.

 

I have enjoyed our Seabourn cruises so when someone criticizes Seabourn I probably take some offense to that. Anyway, in the end, the only opinion that counts when we cruise is our own opinion. And, what we like we realize that others might not like. We just hope that enough people like the cruise lines that we like so that they can continue to offer the type of product that we enjoy.

 

Keith

[cruisr]

While I have a subscription to Conde Nast, I rely on Tripadvisor, Travelling with Friends, Rick Steves, Arthur Schwartz & Cruise Critic when planning a vacation.

I booked a Seabourn Cruise Summer 2007 after investigating many Boards on Cruise Critic. Those two weeks were the best two weeks of my 30 year marriage! It was our first cruise, so maybe we just loved cruising! But maybe Seabourn is as fabulous as everyone said it was!:)

 

Actually Arthur Schwartz is on the Pride now as the guest lecturer. I rec'd an email that a friend of mine who is a friend of his forwarded to me. It seems he is having a fantastic time and is raving about Seabourn.

 

His lectures are of course about cuisine of the regions and NYC cuisine (though the ship did not go to NYC) and he has done a cooking demo. He and a group of 20 did Shoppping with the Chef, with Chef Markus, at the Reading Terminal Market. That is one of my favorite markets and I go there everytime I am in center city. Lucky Marita is on the cruise now. I am sure she is enjoying it also.

 

He raved about the fact that there are 188 guests on board and 160 crew watching over them.

 

Bon voyage

[Iamboatman]

Without getting into polling issues, there are many ways to have multiple votes. I have, for example, 7 or 8 email addresses and could probably find another 20 free email accounts if I wanted to. Copies of paper ballots can be made, etc. (Personally I don't have the time or inclination to do such things, nor I would suspect would any on this board.)

 

Regardless, when the results clearly show a lack of substantiation...

[Signor John]

Copies of paper ballots can be made, etc..

 

I don't think CNT or T+L are naive enough to fall for that. I often get CNT reader polls, and they're printed on heavy paper and accompanied by special business reply envelopes. I doubt very much whether CNT would count a photocopied ballot that I'd mailed in a regular envelope.

 

Also, I think people need to distinguish between a poll with a controlled audience that's conducted according to accepted research procedures and one of those online polls where anyone can vote on the fly. All polls are not the same.

[westmount]

If I'm allowed to throw in my two cents, I've been on two cruises in my life. A year ago on the Seabourn to Turkey and six months ago the Regent to Rome. They were both great, but you just can't beat the fact that on the Seabourn you actually dined or took an excursion with the entire ship by the end of the cruise, something that the Regent just can't match. When we arrived at St. Tropez on the Regent, and the Captain announced we were not able to tender due to weather, and 300 yards away was that little Seabourn guy unloading its passengers, you understand the difference. Bottom line, if Regent or Seabourn pay top dollar for their ads, why not give them number one, that's the way Google works, and look where they are.

Westmount

[ltsally]

Lord - Serendipity led me to info about the Hebridian Princess last year and I swooned. Maybe someday.....

 

Have you written about your experiences with them or Hapag anywhere; would be interesting to see some first-person.

[lord of the seas]

itsally,

No I do not often write a review of my cruises but I do enjoy reading other posters reviews.I take a mental note of what people say and generally they are not too far away from my own experiences.

Ain't life good. :)

[JaneBP]

I figure that cruises are next, right?

 

>"Zagat Survey, the consumer guide and rating company noted for rating restaurants, hotels and bars, is teaming up with WellPoint to rate physicians.

 

Starting in January, members in some of WellPoint's Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans will be able to go online and review and rate their experiences with doctors, while patients using the online tool will get to apply the same 30-point scale that has helped make or break plenty of restaurant reputations, reported the Wall Street Journal. Doctors will be rated on trust, communication, availability and cost, and WellPoint says each entry will display contact information, the 30-point scale ratings in each category, plus the percentage of members who recommend the physician, while a doctor's rating won't be posted until he or she has been rated by at least 10 members, the Journal added.

Wall Street Journal, October 22, 2007 (subscription required) "

[seapenarth]

This months Conde Nast Traveler has put Seabourn in third place in the small ship rankings. What a crock--I wonder if the fact that Seabourn had no ad in the stupid book had any influence on the placement? Has anyone who reads this board ever been asked by one of the rating magazines how they like there cruise? We have been on about 25 small ship cruises, and one has asked us!! In the trash with Conde Nast Traveler! Don

 

 

I regard Berlitz as the foremost cruise ranker:)