Sojourn Restaurants

I have been reading through various posts relating to food on SB as I am still on the fence as to who book a 2017 Alaska cruise with. Could someone clarify for me which restaurants are open for a) breakfast, b) lunch, c) dinner? Thanks in anticipation...

Simple answer - no! On all our recent SB cruises (quite a few) the dining room has been open for all meals, but this apparently does not always happen, and there is no knowing in advance. It is, of course, always open for dinner. The Colonnade, more casual restaurant, part indoor and part outdoor, is open for all meals, and although there is a buffet it is perfectly possible to have waiter service for all food and drinks, and it is offered willingly. The Patio Grill, outdoor but with some shelter in places, is always open for lunch and often for dinner, which is part buffet with main courses served.

Some people get upset if the dining room is not open for breakfast and lunch; when it is there are never many there, and we prefer the Colonnade, but it is more bustling and busy. The outside seating there in good weather is our favourite, particularly when there is a nice view to accompany your leisurely lunch and wine.

I have a slight feeling that Seabourn are becoming aware that having the dining room closed sometimes does not go down well, and maybe in future it will not be, but so far no news. The general opinion at present is that it is down to the Hotel Director onboard to decide.

A] Breakfast: Colonnade, Room Service, Seabourn Square for Coffee and pastries (e.g.Danish), MDR (can be closed on Med cruises. Will certainly be open on the Alaska cruise).

B] Lunch: Colonnade, Room Service, Patio Grill, MDR (can be closed on Med cruises. Will certainly be open on the Alaska cruise), Seabourn Square for snacks.

C] Dinner: Colonnade, Patio Grill, MDR, Restaurant 2 (Tasting Menu), Room Service.

E] Teatime: Observation Bar (High Tea), Seabourne Square, Room Service.

There is no need to go hungry at any time day or night. In fact, with some careful planning you could organise your day around having something to eat and/or drink every half hour from 0.600 - to midnight, with several changes of venue.

Thanks for the responses. I have asked the same question of SB but am heartened that you say the MDR will be open for breakfast on an Alaskan cruise. Incidentally, I did ask SB customer services whether the problem with soot on the balcony of the penthouse spa suites had been resolved, and their answer was 'we are not aware that there has been any such problem'.

Apologies for forgetting restaurant 2!

Flamin June - I wonder how you are so sure the dining room will be open for all meals in Alaska? Do you have some inside knowledge perhaps?

By 2017 there will be no more Restaurant 2. Will be a Keller restaurant.

In my experience, R2 is sometimes closed for dinner due to pvt function.

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Patio Grill is popular but somewhat weather dependent although I have seen folks dining while covered in blankets.

Be aware that Seabourn Square is counter service vs restaurant mode. Very popular for snacks and coffees.

Just learned from above post that tea can be served in the room!

Do many people order room service for lunch in cabin?

No inside knowledge, just observation and personal experience. The closed for lunch and breakfast issue crops up each summer on med sailings and short 7 day port intensive sailings. The longer and more exotic itineraries with sea days revert to traditional Seabourn service. We have always sailed longer cruises outside of the summer Med season and the MDR has always been open.

I don't have any inside knowledge, nor am I gifted with second sight, but I will bet my bottom dollar that the MDR will be open for the Alaska itinerary.

In my experience, R2 is sometimes closed for dinner due to pvt function.

.

Patio Grill is popular but somewhat weather dependent although I have seen folks dining while covered in blankets.

 

Be aware that Seabourn Square is counter service vs restaurant mode. Very popular for snacks and coffees.

 

Just learned from above post that tea can be served in the room!

 

Do many people order room service for lunch in cabin?

One can get tea at anytime with room service, but Seabourn does not really understand tea, and make a pretty poor fist of it. That is why we always bring our own kettle.

We sometimes have caviar and fries sent to our suite for lunch.

One can get tea at anytime with room service, but Seabourn does not really understand tea, and make a pretty poor fist of it. That is why we always bring our own kettle.

 

We sometimes have caviar and fries sent to our suite for lunch.

I think some points are being lost in translation here. :)

When Paula says 'tea' I think she is meaning afternoon tea (high tea) not simply the drink of tea. I think she read from the other post that afternoon tea can be served in the suite.

I may be mistaken but that's my understanding of it, and as far as I know, afternoon tea is only served in the Obs. However tea the beverage can be served to the suite at any time. And agree, SB does not do a terribly good job of it.

Ok, my post is clear as mud!

A] Breakfast: Colonnade, Room Service, Seabourn Square for Coffee and pastries (e.g.Danish), MDR (can be closed on Med cruises. Will certainly be open on the Alaska cruise).

 

B] Lunch: Colonnade, Room Service, Patio Grill, MDR (can be closed on Med cruises. Will certainly be open on the Alaska cruise), Seabourn Square for snacks.

 

C] Dinner: Colonnade, Patio Grill, MDR, Restaurant 2 (Tasting Menu), Room Service.

 

E] Teatime: Observation Bar (High Tea), Seabourne Square, Room Service.

 

There is no need to go hungry at any time day or night. In fact, with some careful planning you could organise your day around having something to eat and/or drink every half hour from 0.600 - to midnight, with several changes of venue.

I wouldn't bet my vacation on the above information. If having the MDR open for breakfast an lunch is important to you, Seabourn is currently not the line to book. They could treat Alaska as they do the Caribbean or they could treat it like a TA. I'd lean towards the above being accurate, but again, if its that important try a line that doesn't have such a haphazard policy.

Thanks for the intervention, Isklaar.

I tried to indicate in my original post that at 'Teatime' one could get high tea at the observation bar, but also one could obtain other foodstuffs and beverages in other venues: Seabourn Sq, or one's suite or balcony.

I imagine that in the old Yachts of Seabourn days, if one ordered tea in ones's suite from room service, at teatime, and asked if they could please also bring some canapes and scones and clotted cream along from the obs bar, they certainly would have. Part of the old, 'our aim is to delight you and pander to every (reasonable) whim' ethos.

My wife is an avid tea-drinker, and there have been times when we have brewed up in our suite and I have gone along to the obs bar at teatime and brought down a plate of canapes etc. to have 'at home'. I seem to recall a crew member offering to bring the plate down for me. Same for the galley lunch. We don't care for the scrum atmosphere, but I have gone down, filled up a plate with a few choices and had it brought up to our suite.

I wouldn't bet my vacation on the above information. If having the MDR open for breakfast an lunch is important to you, Seabourn is currently not the line to book. They could treat Alaska as they do the Caribbean or they could treat it like a TA. I'd lean towards the above being accurate, but again, if its that important try a line that doesn't have such a haphazard policy.

I'll bet you $50 that the MDR is open for breakfast and lunch on the Alaska cruises. DaisyUk can report the facts back here, if she does indeed book it (or someone else who is lucky enough to go). Loser to donate $50 to a named charity of their choice.

Just come off an Odyssey cruise and we found tea was poorly done. In the Square they serve it in glasses with a teabag on the side. When we told them what we thought, they offered to keep a teapot there for us.

We ordered afternoon tea and scones with jam and cream in our cabin on many occasions without problem. If we asked for teapots then they would bring one, otherwise it was just hot water and a tea bag.

Many other cruise lines have a much better appreciation of how to serve tea as other posters have observed. Perhaps it is the high proportion of Americans who are more into coffee?? But the observation bar afternoon tea service is good. It's just a pity they can't do it all day.

But the observation bar afternoon tea service is good. It's just a pity they can't do it all day.

We had this discussion on our antarctica cruise re the tea.

Miss W is a an avid tea drinker. We made a request for a specific loose leaf and a pot to be available for her in the MDR at Breakfast... (one of the reasons we dine there at breakfast and not the colonnade)

When ordering tea in The Square she would request they put the bag into the cup before adding the water... after 2 days it was a given...

By 2017 there will be no more Restaurant 2. Will be a Keller restaurant.

I was hoping TK would be open spring of 2016. Thought I read that somewhere.

I always thought it was not allowed to bring your own travelling kettle on board? Wonder if you keep it hidden between uses, Flamin June. Ditto your own iron - the reasoning is understandable.

We rarely have afternoon tea, but if we do, always find the food very good, but ideally you need to order a specialist tea in order not have the not quite hot basic stuff poured into your cup. And I do not let the server put the milk in; always far too much for me.

I believe the TK restaurant will be available from next spring, starting with Quest perhaps when she gets to Europe towards the end of April.

The captains wife on sojourn the other day (English) was wishing they had kettles in the cabin! We agreed there would be less demand from Brits at seabourn square for their cuppas!

Hopefully SB [& other lines] will find a way to satisfy the Brits who sound nicely particular about their tea. Kettles, irons and other items with eating elements are forbidden as they are potential fire hazards.

Yes, I was talking about 'high' tea served in the cabin. Not particularly important to me, just wondered.

I am being pedantic (again), but the meal at around 4 o'clock with sandwiches, scones, etc., is actually not 'high tea' but 'afternoon tea'. High tea is a meal eaten at around 5 to 6 p.m. essentially in the north of the UK, and is a more substantial affair, generally something like beans on toast, even fish and chips with a cup of tea, etc., after people get home from work. 'Supper', just before bed, would be cocoa and biscuits or similar, not like the 'kitchen supper' beloved of our Prime Minster etc., which is essentially a full evening meal served casually.

I was hoping TK would be open spring of 2016. Thought I read that somewhere.

It should be. That's why I said by 2017.