Join Me Onboard Seabourn Odyssey For Pre-Inaugural Peek!

[Host Dan]

Sue is onboard Odyssey, and is already blogging. Check out the luxury forum!

 

Host Dan

[tayl]

Thanks Dan.

[WesW]

Just read on another blog, due to late arrival of the Odyssey from

Genoa to Venice there is still a reasonable amount of work to be done before the maiden voyagevon Wednesday to get the Odyssey seaworthy. About 100 workers are still on board making final fixes. Now, the Odyssey will not sail as scheduled Tuesday so they

can this needed pre maiden voyage work

[SueBryantCruiseUK]

I’ve had a chance now to chat with some of the crew. Seabourn is known for its service but even so I feel I have to comment, having sailed with pretty well all the luxury lines. Without exception, everybody on Odyssey is incredibly obliging. Most guests have boarded the ship now so it’s all happening and some of these guys have been working all night to clear stuff from the decks, get the bars ready, and so on.

 

Seabourn’s CEO Pam Conover mentioned during that the yard visit I did in April that the company hires from all over the place (top hotels, etc.) -- and not necessarily from other cruise lines. It looks for crew members that are incredibly service oriented, even more than then norm. I chatted with a barman who was a bit distressed because he was unable to provide a proper ashtray for my companion. He’s worked for all the top luxury lines and says he also wants his bar to be perfect.

 

Even if distressed, he’s already learned my favorite label of chardonnay (he keeps bringing more and more). At lunch, we met a sweet waiter from the north of England who immediately offered to nip down to Seabourn Square, the Odyssey’s version of a pursers office, to get my laptop sorted with the ship’s Wi-Fi.

 

Sue

[SueBryantCruiseUK]

In all the public spaces there’s tweaking and changing going on as the ship is frantically prepared for the big launch on Wednesday.

 

We’re all wondering what Micky Arison is saying to the shipyard? Surely there must be a discount to compensate for everything being not quite ready.

 

On the pool decks chaises are piled up. Some suites’ balcony dividers are still lodged open. And men are walking around Seabourn Square with cables in hand, trying to get the Internet set up.

 

I don’t want that to come across a negative because we expected that. And the fact that the crew is so obliging makes up for any distraction.

 

The ship clearly is in very final stages of assembly and indeed, the barman in the Sky Bar, the one with the ashtray problem, told us that he expects his bar to be perfectly set up by “later tonight”.

 

 

Sue

[lord of the seas]

Will all of those on the maiden voyage please take your tool box along so that the Odyssey is ready for me in August.

[editor@cruisecritic]

Micky Arison, the Carnival Corp. CEO, is the one that writes the big check to the shipyard once a ship is ready for delivery and as Sue noted he must be pretty annoyed at the condition of Seabourn Odyssey at this point. Mind you, rumors have been floating around the industry at least since May that the ship wasn't going to be ready -- so you have to give kudos to the Seabourn team for a valiant and hopefully successful effort in a pinch.

 

This reminds me of a story I heard Arison tell -- last year, I think, at the launch of Holland America's Eurodam (had nothing to do with Eurodam, by the way). He was talking about the delivery of Costa Atlantica, the first new ship delivered for the line after it was acquired by Carnival. And apparently it was just in a shambles, so much so that Arison said he almost didn't take delivery. That was quite a few years ago -- but in the telling of the story you could tell he'd never ever forget it.

 

Anyone remember if the ship made it out on time? I can't recall, I think so, it was just a super stressful process.

 

Carolyn

[Cheryann]

Just being curious, was Seabourn scheduled to take possession of the Odyssey much earlier and what "finishing touches" does Seabourn do itself?

[crystal808]

Sue:

 

Thanks so much for your continuing efforts!

 

If possible, will you give us crew members' names to match up with those to whom you refer? I know it's a lot...and there will, no doubt, be more and more notable crew "maneuvers" to mention....! It would be great to hear of some "old friends" doing their magic on the new ship!

 

Thanks again!

 

Paul ;)

[Bluewatercruizer]

Thanks for the blog - Would you let us know about the stateroom configuration in terms of vanity seating? The triplets offer a mirror over a narrow desk and drawers with a chair - perfect for doing hair and makeup, etc. Couldn't tell from the diagrams if that is the case on Odyssey or if that function has been moved to another portion of the stateroom.

 

While this seems minor, it is an important matter for those, like myself, who sometimes have problems standing for extended periods of time (not too much champagne, just a back problem :p). It would, in fact, make the difference in booking that ship.

 

Many thanks!

[LaPaloma]

You are doing us a great service. We can live vicariously, I can actually envision sitting beside you @ the sky bar. Tell your wonderful bartender that the imaginary friend next to you would enjoy a Crown Royal on the rocks...a twist if he has it. It must be fun to be a part of history. Lola

[orchestrapal]

Sue,

Thanks for your continuing reports.

I noticed the comment about the ashtray. Is this going to be a smoking ship... what about cabins and balconies and other public spaces??? It's always good know before we get excited about the new ship. :confused:

[SueBryantCruiseUK]

Rumors are flying around Seabourn Odyssey. Are we sailing or aren't we? The problem is, there's so much work to do on the ship before the inaugural sailing on Wednesday that she needs to be kept alongside here in Venice. We've had a letter saying we will reposition to a rather beautiful spot close to the legendary Piazza San Marco with a deck party as we sail down the Giudecca Canal (in fact, I think it's already started!). But from there, nobody knows whether we will return to the boring Stazione Marittime, where we embarked, or set sail for the coast of Slovenia as originally planned. While this doesn't affect my ability to check out the ship, those who wanted to try their luck in the casino tonight will be disappointed, as it can only open in international waters. Still, sailing through Venice is always spectacular so I'd better get up on deck now!

[WesW]

check this blog out for details of work yet to be done on the Odyssey:

 

http://blogs.usatoday.com/cruiselog/

[lord of the seas]

Oh dear,not a good position to be in.I can see some compensation coming from Seabourn to all maiden voyagers.

[Robin G]

Excellent - can't wait to hear all about it!

[Host Dan]

Wow, hundreds of construction workers? Villa Spa suites, empty shells? Whoa boy....

 

Host Dan

[jhoney]

Sue: Didn't Pamela Conover have similar problems with QM2 not being quite ready, or was it just the retro-fitting of the bathrooms to comply with fire regs? I had a feeling that whatever the problem was, it had some bearing on her departure from Cunard.

[Host Dan]

Sue: Didn't Pamela Conover have similar problems with QM2 not being quite ready, or was it just the retro-fitting of the bathrooms to comply with fire regs? I had a feeling that whatever the problem was, it had some bearing on her departure from Cunard.

I think the sudden death of Debbie Natansohn had the most bearing on her departure from Cunard. I was on the 3rd and 4th sailing of QM2, and they were still ironing out problems..

 

Host Dan

[SueBryantCruiseUK]

I would love to know your impressions of the scale of the ship. Does it still feel intimate -- that is one of the many things I love about the little sisters. I really do feel like I am on a yacht and not a cruise ship and wonder if they can translate that to a ship double the size. Long story, but I was able to briefly go on board a Silversea ship only a little bigger I think that Odyssey and it felt huge, cold and impersonal.

 

The other thing that is of interest to me is the main dining room. In the current ships the ceiling is a bit low and I while the room is nice it lacks color and warmth IMHO. The pictures of the Odyssey show a high celing(maybe too high?) but the colors and decor still seem a bit cold. What is your impression in person?

 

Thanks for reporting!

 

Happy to answer this one now after my first meal - in fact, THE first meal served in the dining room. No, I didn't find it cold at all - but then, I loved the creams/whites/chandelier combo on Celebrity Solstice last year and this color scheme reminds me somewhat of that. There are different ceiling heights and partitioned-off areas separated by gauzy curtains so it certainly doesn't feel like one big, empty space; more like a chic restaurant. But there's no denying the creams and whites as the color scheme - they've certainly gone for a contemporary, minimalist-but-rich look, if that adds up. Everybody is also commenting that yes, Odyseey has a much bigger ship feel, although it's got lots of small, intimate spaces. I certainly don't feel as though we're rattling around and the ship isn't full.

 

Now the food. Because everything has run so late (we still haven't sailed, by the way), the crew have only had five days in the main galley and only a couple of days practicing serving in the restaurant. Tonight they did a sensational job. We had a tasting menu. Very small, delicate portions, lots of intense flavor, especially an amazing 'White Plum Tomato Cappucino', for which everybody wants the recipe. Also smoked salmon with caviar, a yummy ravioli with truffle sauce and citrus sorbet with champagne. I had the veggie main course (mushroom and eggplant lasagne) but everybody else on my table had either lobster tail or filet mignon with foie gras. So quite rich, but nobody appears over-stuffed, although several have said they couldn't sustain a week of this! Top marks for the service, too. The servers address everybody by name and really seem to care that we love the food. A few tiny slip ups but I think they've done an amazing job tonight, given how little time they've had to train on board.

 

More tomorrow when I do the really detailed inspection!

[SueBryantCruiseUK]

I think the sudden death of Debbie Natansohn had the most bearing on her departure from Cunard. I was on the 3rd and 4th sailing of QM2, and they were still ironing out problems..

 

Host Dan

 

Pam paid tribute to Debbie in her speech tonight and it was very moving. Although there are clearly issues at the moment as we STILL haven't sailed, the relationship with the yard seems cordial (remember, the next vessel is already well under way) and Pam herself is on great form - much less tense than when I visited in April! Everybody really wants this ship to succeed and she has huge support among the trade who are on board.

[SueBryantCruiseUK]

Just read on another blog, due to late arrival of the Odyssey from

Genoa to Venice there is still a reasonable amount of work to be done before the maiden voyagevon Wednesday to get the Odyssey seaworthy. About 100 workers are still on board making final fixes. Now, the Odyssey will not sail as scheduled Tuesday so they

can this needed pre maiden voyage work

 

Hi ColonelWes. Yes, you're right. We've now had confirmation that we are moving from the main cruise terminal later tonight to a smaller mooring along the Giudecca Canal, where we'll spend tomorrow so the guys can work on the ship (and yes, they are everywhere). Then we're heading out through the lagoon tomorrow at 5pm so they can at least open the shops, returning later in the evening. That's the latest, anyway. It could well change. Watch this space!

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the live comments.

 

It never ceases to amaze me that any ship be it newbuild/drydock try to schedule the first cruise right after without allowing any cushion to really get things done right. This goes for the ships heading into drydock and infringing upon the last cruise before the drydock.

They are so worried about loosing money.

 

Why bring people onboard when the ship is still in this state??

[SueBryantCruiseUK]

Sue, this is a repeat request (I posted this on your blog but see thank mosts people are using this thread) Thank you for your offer - hope you have a wonderful initiation on Odyssey and yes, I do believe you should get a Venetian mask!

 

We are new to Seabourn and will be on the maiden Caribbean cruise of the Odyssey in November. My husband is a bit of a fitness nut so if you could provide some information on the gym facilities, ie. weight-lift equipment brand, whether there are any stairmasters, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

 

Reading your blog will be a treat! thanks,

 

Hi Claudia

 

Have just made it up to the gym, which is looking good and is surprisingly spacious for a ship this size. The machines are all Technogym and there are eight treadmills. exercise bikes and a couple of crosstrainers. Didn't see a stairmaster. There are hand weights, too. New for Seabourn and possibly cruising is a Kinesis Wall in the yoga studio. Might be a bit girlie (ie not sweaty enough) for a fitness nut but it exercises everything without straining anything and the group classes are free of charge (as is group yoga and pilates). A point about the treadmills for anybody who's interested: a tall person can run on six of the eight without hitting their head on the ceiling! I often find this a problem in cruise ship gyms when I run and I'm 5'9" - so it must be hard for a 6ft guy!

[SueBryantCruiseUK]

Thanks for the blog - Would you let us know about the stateroom configuration in terms of vanity seating? The triplets offer a mirror over a narrow desk and drawers with a chair - perfect for doing hair and makeup, etc. Couldn't tell from the diagrams if that is the case on Odyssey or if that function has been moved to another portion of the stateroom.

 

While this seems minor, it is an important matter for those, like myself, who sometimes have problems standing for extended periods of time (not too much champagne, just a back problem :p). It would, in fact, make the difference in booking that ship.

 

Many thanks!

 

Hi! I'm in a V5 stateroom and there is indeed a narrow desk/chair in the vestibule area with a power socket (I used it to dry my hair this morning). The light in the bathroom is better for makeup as the desk/chair is in front of a mirror that's lit from behind rather than all around. In the living room space of the cabin, there's a sofa in front of the mirror and no mirror behind the desk opposite, so you're limited to the bathroom or the hair-drying mirror. It's comfortable and I would say perfectly good although you wouldn't be able to store your makeup in the vestibule - you'd have to nip into the bathroom next door to get it. Will check out the suites later if I can but they're almost all occupied.