Tried Seabourn---DEFINITELY prefer Regent

[Iamboatman]

I would think it impossible to cruise any line if the measure was the prejudice of an individual; noting the Crystal was on top of the situation because of the proactive staff.

 

Whether it be at a dining table or the pool or a bar, the first instance will understandably be horrifically memorable, but the same thing could easily happen (and I am sure it unfortunately has) when dining with open seating and sharing a table, or sitting next to a table, with such individuals.

[Roland4]

With all due respect, blaming Crystal's dining policy for such inexcusable conduct is analogous to blaming the iceberg for sinking the Titanic. I like to think that the staff of ANY cruiseline would have responded in such a professional manner to such unspeakable ignorance.

[Paul59]

I have never, in 14 cruises on Crystal, had a bar chit shoved under my nose at dinner, or anywhere else.

 

QUOTE]

 

I have cruised on all of the Crystal ships, over many years. I have never been able to leave the dining room, or any of the lounges, without having a bar chit for alcoholic beverages "shoved under my nose".

 

I am wondering just how you were able to accomplish this. Would you care to share?

[Iamboatman]

I believe the comment refers to Crystal's staff politely placing the charge, with discretion and unobtrusively, at the table...as would be done in any fine hotel or restaurant. (As opposed to holding a bill in the air and standing over you until you sign, interrupting your dinner or discussion.)

 

We can beat this horse further, but the concept will always bother some and never bother others. It is fascinating to me that it is such a big issue for some, but that is me...and I respect those that considering same. I chose to cruise both ways, for I would hate to miss a great itinerary or other services I desire over that one issue. But, again, that is me.

[Roland4]

I have never, in 14 cruises on Crystal, had a bar chit shoved under my nose at dinner, or anywhere else.

 

QUOTE]

 

I have cruised on all of the Crystal ships, over many years. I have never been able to leave the dining room, or any of the lounges, without having a bar chit for alcoholic beverages "shoved under my nose".

 

I am wondering just how you were able to accomplish this. Would you care to share?

 

As Iamboatman suggests. the folio containing the bill is placed discreetly on the table or on the bar for me to deal with when I am ready. On occassion when we have left the dining room before the wine bill arrives (rare, but it has happened) it has been discretely presented in the same way the next evening. No big deal. More often than not, after a day or two (at most) the bar staff simply hold the tab open until I ask for it. While I can no longer drink, I will admit there are some advantages to all-inclusive, A previous posters' comment about enjoying one wine with the appetizer and a different one with the entree being a perfect example. Frankly, I am puzzled by people who think it is a terrible hardship to be asked to sign a bar tab once or twice a day and use that as a deal-breaker for trying something different. To each their own, but it certainly isn't on my list of pluses and minuses when considering which cruise to take next.:rolleyes:

[annierie]

I believe the comment refers to Crystal's staff politely placing the charge, with discretion and unobtrusively, at the table...as would be done in any fine hotel or restaurant. (As opposed to holding a bill in the air and standing over you until you sign, interrupting your dinner or discussion.)

 

We can beat this horse further, but the concept will always bother some and never bother others. It is fascinating to me that it is such a big issue for some, but that is me...and I respect those that considering same. I chose to cruise both ways, for I would hate to miss a great itinerary or other services I desire over that one issue. But, again, that is me.

 

 

Thanks, for setting the record on how well Crystal does in this little nit pick that I have. Princess and HAL both annoyed me with their staff interrupting dinner, sometimes more than once to request our key card with the cabin number on it to take out to the bar and settle, then bring back the bill for us to sign.

 

I definitely prefer getting the tab at the end of dinner instead of settling up our bar tab immediately at the insistence of the bar staff. It just imparts a feeling that we can't be trusted and would skip out. Not to mention the fact that Princess was understaffed. I believe we sailed when they were eliminating wine stewards.

 

I guess you had to be there at the fiasco we experienced with Princess, where we got the wrong check more than once, and also where they threw out our leftover wine one night instead of saving it for us the next evening. We had to have a manager deal with finding us an alternative -- it just did not make for a pleasant dinner atmosphere to deal with wait staff and bar staff that didn't do a very good job of serving us.

 

I still prefer open single seating dining, and that's our personal preference for why we gravitate to cruise ships that don't have assigned seating.

 

We also don't want to deal with cruise lines that have insufficient staff to make our dinner time special and relaxing. It seems Crystal does it right when it comes to service, so other than fixed dining they have much of what interests us.

 

I do agree with Dan, though, that I don't really enjoy having people assigned to dine with us. We prefer dining with our friends, or dining with people that we meet on the ship and feel comfortable about dining with.

 

We had a few bad experiences on our relatively small number of cruises (we are still novices with only 16 cruises), one with rude tablemates and another with people we didn't have anything in common with, so dinners were strained.

 

I don't mind the cruise lines being different. I like to find information that assists me in making the best choices for my preferences. I do mind being told to try something I don't particularly like because it is "better" than what I am considering. I have a scientific background. I want facts as much as possible, and I want lots to digest during my decision making process.

 

Like the OP, I try different things to find my best fit. Their input told me what they liked and disliked about Seabourn. That's the sort of info that I personally like to see and then I'll take it into consideration if their input answers something I find to be important.:)

[Iamboatman]

Don't get me started about Princess.:mad: It is a line that I truly avoid and warn clients about. Those that take it almost universally come back and say. "Please don't say 'I told you so.'"

 

(Actually the example the sealed the deal for me was when the sales rep told me how much fun it was at the pool on a recent cruise when a football game was on and the pool became akin to a loud football stadium.:eek: )

 

Putting Crystal and Princess in the same category just isn't right.:)

[Host Dan]

I've enjoyed the direction this thread has taken.. BUT it IS a thread regarding the OP experience on Seabourn vs. Regent. Lets try to stay on topic! :)

 

Host Dan

[Travelcat2]

Thanks for directing us back on topic. It sounds like "expectation" played a significant part of the Seabourn experience.. Were the expectations from reading reviews, from friends or ???

 

From what I have read on the boards, my expectation of Seabourn would be superior food, cabins without balconies, smaller ship, perhaps a bit more formal. . . Just wondering what it was about Seabourn that was appealing to you.

[Host Dan]

Thanks for directing us back on topic. It sounds like "expectation" played a significant part of the Seabourn experience.. Were the expectations from reading reviews, from friends or ???

 

From what I have read on the boards, my expectation of Seabourn would be superior food, cabins without balconies, smaller ship, perhaps a bit more formal. . . Just wondering what it was about Seabourn that was appealing to you.

For me, having sailed Regent and Seabourn, I find the passenger and staff familiarity more prevalent on Seabourn. On Regent, the cruise experience was fantastic, but not up-to-par with my previous Seabourn sailings. I will say, however, 7 day Seabourn sailings can be a bit of a crap shoot. I did 3 back to back cruises on Seabourn 2 summers ago, and all 3 couldn't be more different. ALOT has to do with the passenger mix. (as in all cruise experiences).

 

I'm surprised the OP didn't "know" up front about the lack of "real" balconies, the age of the ship and the small "pool". (As they are marketed as glorified Yachts, not cruise ships) Its been discussed on these boards ad nauseum.

 

Host Dan

[Ste. Michelle]

Yes, I was aware of the lack of real balconies, the small ship size, and the lack of a real pool. I was led to believe, however, that the "Seabourn Experience" was so incredibly overwhelming that those things would be totally insignificant. The "seabourn experience" wasn't any more incredible than the "Regent Experience", so all of those low points certainly mattered. The highlight was fellow passengers. The crew were wonderful, but they spent a good portion of their time trying to accommodate those "never say no" requests. (There were times that I thought some of the passengers were in a contest to out request someone else. ) At times, in the quest to meet those "special" needs, I couldn't seem to get a napkin or a glass of water. Yes, the crew did seem to know our names, but they recognize us on Regent just as readily. (I really liked the crew and didn't want the comment questionaire to reflect on them in ANY way, so I didn't comment on most things.)

 

Food? Good but not exceptional. I usually come off a Regent ship (5 previous cruises, 2 more booked) wishing I could repeat many of the menus at home. The Seabourn food was largely forgettable. I can truly say, I only remember one thing (a cheese souffle appetizer) that made any kind of impression.

 

You asked, so I'll go on.

 

The cabin was hot every night. When I asked others if they were having the same exerience, the answer was a resounding "yes". There was a strong sewer odor near the elevators for the first 4 days. The very first deck chair I sat in was missing a screw and the back kept falling back before I realized it wasn't me, but the chair. The private beach party was on par with Regent---certainly not better. The "caviar in the surf" was ok, but ,again didn't take my breath away.

 

Here's another discovery. While having cocktails in "The Club", we took a seat at the very back. (The Club is the aft most lounge.) The drinks were served and nearly VIBRATED off the table!! Yes----the V word. When has that ever been mentioned? The ship never traveled fast enough to matter with this itinerary, but what about at higher speeds?

 

It wasn't a bad cruise. The positives just didn't outweigh the negatives.

[Iamboatman]

I am pretty amazed at how negative your comments are about literally everything, but say it was a good cruise (just not exceptional). The passengers were pains, the crew forgetful, the ship falling apart and vibrating, the suites hot (and cramped and with small closets), the food forgettable, maintenance poor, smells, etc., etc., etc. Reading all this I would say, "Put me on Carnival. The people are nicer and so are the ships." I wouldn't say it was a good cruise.

 

It seems to me that you were led to believe the ship and experience was different and there was no way the cruise would be satisfactory. I would suggest that you put your concerns in writing: First to the TA that didn't accurately advise you about what Seabourn really is and second to Seabourn about how bad the ship and crew supposedly are.

 

I am not sure that I had any clients on your particular cruise, but I do know that if it was a bad as you say, comments would be floating around if not in my office, on the Seabourn board. It is so atypical eyebrows would be more than raised and the issues addressed.

 

Sorry for your bad cruise.

[Ste. Michelle]

I'm posting on the Regent Boards. The whole point of my original post was to let Regent cruisers know that the grass isn't always greener on the other lines.

[Host Dan]

Thank you Ste. Michelle for posting. You obviously did not have a stellar cruise. Seabourn Execs read these boards, and I hope they take your comments into serious consideration. Your experience was real. It is unfortunate that your fellow passengers badgered the staff for the "can't say no" experience, at your expense. I would feel exactly the same way.

 

Host Dan

[jhp]

The "seabourn experience" wasn't any more incredible than the "Regent Experience", so all of those low points certainly mattered. The highlight was fellow passengers.

Food? Good but not exceptional. I usually come off a Regent ship (5 previous cruises, 2 more booked) wishing I could repeat many of the menus at home. The Seabourn food was largely forgettable. I can truly say, I only remember one thing (a cheese souffle appetizer) that made any kind of impression.

 

You asked, so I'll go on.

 

The cabin was hot every night. certainly not better. The "caviar in the surf" was ok, but ,again didn't take my breath away.

 

It wasn't a bad cruise. The positives just didn't outweigh the negatives.

 

Funny how I read that Ste Michelle liked the passengers, when another poster read they were "pains". The rest of the review was one passenger's subjective assessment of the what he/she experienced! Some TA's who prefer Seabourn get defensive when there is a less than positive critique about their favorite line. I have not cruised Seabourn, the one reason is the lack of balconies, as I really enjoy being able to step outside when I am in my cabin. I welcome any and all reviews of Seabourn, as I look forward to the introduction of their new ships. With all the new builds coming out in the next few years in the luxury market, it can only give us all more choices!

[Gail C]

>>>accommodate those "never say no" requests. (There were times that I thought some of the passengers were in a contest to out request someone else. ) <<<

 

This is such an attention-getting ploy. I find it rather sad as well as annoying and embarrassing.

[Suite Travels]

Thanks, for setting the record on how well Crystal does in this little nit pick that I have. Princess and HAL both annoyed me with their staff interrupting dinner, sometimes more than once to request our key card with the cabin number on it to take out to the bar and settle, then bring back the bill for us to sign.

 

I definitely prefer getting the tab at the end of dinner instead of settling up our bar tab immediately at the insistence of the bar staff. It just imparts a feeling that we can't be trusted and would skip out. Not to mention the fact that Princess was understaffed. I believe we sailed when they were eliminating wine stewards.

 

I guess you had to be there at the fiasco we experienced with Princess, where we got the wrong check more than once, and also where they threw out our leftover wine one night instead of saving it for us the next evening. We had to have a manager deal with finding us an alternative -- it just did not make for a pleasant dinner atmosphere to deal with wait staff and bar staff that didn't do a very good job of serving us.

 

I still prefer open single seating dining, and that's our personal preference for why we gravitate to cruise ships that don't have assigned seating.

 

We also don't want to deal with cruise lines that have insufficient staff to make our dinner time special and relaxing. It seems Crystal does it right when it comes to service, so other than fixed dining they have much of what interests us.

 

I do agree with Dan, though, that I don't really enjoy having people assigned to dine with us. We prefer dining with our friends, or dining with people that we meet on the ship and feel comfortable about dining with.

 

We had a few bad experiences on our relatively small number of cruises (we are still novices with only 16 cruises), one with rude tablemates and another with people we didn't have anything in common with, so dinners were strained.

 

I don't mind the cruise lines being different. I like to find information that assists me in making the best choices for my preferences. I do mind being told to try something I don't particularly like because it is "better" than what I am considering. I have a scientific background. I want facts as much as possible, and I want lots to digest during my decision making process.

 

Like the OP, I try different things to find my best fit. Their input told me what they liked and disliked about Seabourn. That's the sort of info that I personally like to see and then I'll take it into consideration if their input answers something I find to be important.:)

 

 

 

I don't see how anyone can compare Crystal to Princess or HAL. Totally ridiculous.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

- "and also where they threw out our leftover wine one night instead of saving it for us the next evening" -- This would never happen with ol' Ragnar at the table.

 

- We do open seating cruises so as to not have polite tablemates for ol' Ragnar to offend...

 

- Balconies are a must so that Mrs. D has a well ventilated place to store ol' Ragnar.

 

- Assigned seating times are bad because ol' Ragnar is easily distracted by things mechanical or electronic, and by things alchoholic.

 

- Tipping requires ol' Ragnar to do calculations after too many distractions (see above).

 

- Chits are bad because waiters dislike ol' Ragnar just signing with his "X" mark...

[basedow]

Ragnar,

 

too funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!:o

 

May I sit at your table?

 

Basedow

[basedow]

Just curious. Does anyone on this board cruise equally between Crystal and Regent?

 

Basedow

[jhp]

So much for the control the adminstrator has on this board!

[planner8]

What is going on??? Board malfunction, I guess - Host Dan, Sir, thank you for supporting the poster unhappy with Seaburn - we all learn from others

[Travelcat2]

Also appreciate Host Dan's support of someone giving an honest and balanced opinion of their cruising experience. Hope others will see your reminder about the subject of this thread (which isn't Crystal. . . .)

 

It sounds to me like the age of the Seabourn ships may be catching up with it -- wonder if they will work on them once the new ship is launched. Don't know what to think about the service and food issue. This is subjective. . . I really enjoy dining on Regent ships -- it's not perfect -- but then, what is?

[Iamboatman]

I would suggest the OP write directly to Seabourn as Seabourn does not read this board (at least not with any regularity). I'd offer to assist, but considering some of the comments I will defer.

 

Also, not that it excuses any problems, the Legend is the last of the three triplets to go into dry dock for a fairly major overall with an expanded Sky Bar, many new interior upgrades, etc. And there are over 100 new menu items being rolled out. (Of course, as I have said in relation to Regent cruises as well, that is great for the next guy/girl, but it doesn't address the present concerns.)

[Host Dan]

I beg to differ with Eric, as I know for a fact that certain execs DO read this board regularly. On the other hand, a letter to Seabourn expressing the OP opinions of the cruise would be very helpful. I can assume that a well written personal letter would be regarded in a higher regard than a post on an internet message board.

 

Host Dan