Questions from a Seabourn newbie

I have a couple things I would love some experienced opinions on:-)

We are thinking about booking our first cruise with Seabourn (Sojourn) for this November. We have done two fantastic Mediterranean cruises with Celebrity, but the Seabourn cruise fits our schedule best. I must say it looks like an awesome cruise!

I have been reading the boards and getting lots of great information, especially the referral coupon program, but still have a couple questions...

1)Is it possible to have a table for two in restaurants? We don’t like the idea of “group” dining and have been able to avoid that on Celebrity.

2)Does anyone have experience with an Ocean View room? As we are looking to book for a cruise in November, we think a GTY Ocean View may be a good option thinking the weather will limit the about of time the balcony is used. We previously have only booked Suites with balcony on Celebrity.

3)I am seeing that the age on the cruise is now tending to be a bit younger with the bigger ships and shorter trips. We are in our early 40’s . Will we be in the minority?

4)We have always booked straight with the cruise line. Does anyone feel there is a better option?

Thanks in advance for your help!

1. Yes. There are plenty of tables for 2. There are no assigned groups etc. You can choose each night where you eat and with whom. We have had some good nights and met new friends after asking to be seated at a table with 2 or 3 other couples. You do this as you arrive at the Restaurant. It is also likely you will be invited to join a table hosted by one of the Staff (Captain, Cruise Director, entertainers etc). Up to you whether you accept.

2. If you are booking Guarantee you are likely to end up in a higher category. The ships are well stabilized and suite choice is really just one of preference.

3. Yes but I think you will find everyone is pretty easy going and age is not an issue.

4. Depending on which country you are booking from there may be a pricing differential. A TA experienced with Seabourn may be able to provide some advice that is useful, but they generally don't offer prices different to those on the web site, except for some TA-related onboard credits etc.

You can have a table for two everynight if you wish. If you receive an invitation to a hosted table you can decline. No problem. Just tell the MD you want a table for two when you arrive at the venue.

Ocean View rooms are exactly the same as Veranda rooms except without the outside space. There is plenty of open air space with loungers and table and chairs throughout the decks and many people say they do not miss having a Veranda. On the Small ships we always had an oceanview room and never once regretted not having a balcony, not even for a second.

You will be in the minority. The majority will be older, especially in November, as many people under retirement age are tied to their work schedules. Having said that many of your fellow passengers will be young at heart, sophisticated, well-travelled, fit and healthy and geat company. And it is quite pleasant to feel you are in the 'youngsters set' when you are in your 40s.

There are many great deals to be had from TAs. Shop around, you might even find that a TA's Veranda price is better value than SB's Oceanview. Our UK based TA always has prices that are c. £300.00 pp less than SB's

As to Q3 - I'm in my very early 40s and there have always been a handful of younger passengers on my sailings. (I'd expect it would've less so on longer sailings.)

The crew has always found opportunities to make introductions to other passengers and we've ended up socializing with some of the entertainment staff (who pretty much can roam the ship when not working) too.

I recommend you try one of the online TA's. I have sailed Seabourne 5 times and on every occasion I been able to beat the Seabourn direct price by a few hundred dollars pp and still receive a shipboard credit. We are prohibited from mentioning names but there are some discount brokers that provide excellent service. I have booked four cruises this year through an online discount broker who recommends decks, cabins and sailings. They even send me interior pictures of the cabin before I book.

Thanks everyone for the quick and very helpful replies!

-I am glad to hear that we can book a table for two. We want to be anti social, but nice to have options.

-I think we will book with GTY, but not sure about balcony. I guess we have to decide if we are ok with out fresh air in the room. I tend to get a little queazy on rough sea days, so that air comes in handy;-) It sounds like all rooms are nice and we really can't go "wrong".

-I am not really worried about the age of fellow passengers. There are many people much older than I that can run circles around me! I just want to make sure the atmosphere on the boat was lively. Sounds like that won't be an issue.

-I will continue to do some research about TA and online sites. Looks like there may be some deals to be had.

Thanks again for your help and will be sure to check the referral board once we are ready to book!

Also don't forget if you are first time Seabourn Cruiser then you can get a referral credit voucher for 400 dollars OBC.

Leesre - my mother and sister are taking their first Seabourn cruise in November, Barcelona to Cape Town. How would they go about getting a referral voucher for onboard credit? They have booked through an agency in the UK.. Thanks.

They should go to the referral sticky at the top of this Seabourn message board and post there that they would like a referral. They cannot be receiving any other shipboard credit ( except Carnival shareholder credit) in order to use the referral credit. They ideally should submit the referral when they make their final payment.

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Hi..if I have AMEX platinum credit and have som social credits, can I still get a referral credit for my first Seabourn cruise?

Thanks..demainmann

No, as far as I know the ONLY exception is carnival shareholder credit.

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O.K Do not want to start a fight but.

Last 3 cruises

1 referral credit

2.CCL credit

3.Agents credit. All were applied no issue.

We are sailing again this spring and were told from SB that all 3 will be applied. The only one that would not was American Express.

O.K Do not want to start a fight but.

Last 3 cruises

1 referral credit

2.CCL credit

3.Agents credit. All were applied no issue.

We are sailing again this spring and were told from SB that all 3 will be applied. The only one that would not was American Express.

The agents credit comes directly from the agent as a gift, so that has nothing to do with seabourn, really. They are simply buying the credit for you. I. Such case, the above sounds correct.

Unlike other cruise lines you are not locked into a single dining configuration and time. Sometimes it is nice to be a table of two but other times it is nice to socialize with others. Just because you choose to dine with others doesn't mean you will be relegated to a table for 8 every meal. On my first cruise we were seated with an older couple (table for 4) at one dinner and had lovely conversations with them. We didn't dine with them again, but did chit chat and socialize with them in other venues. The nice thing about dining with others early on is you make friends. Seabourn ships (even the Odyssey class ships) are relatively small so it is nice to make friends. We have also dined with others on the patio grill. Right when the patio opens for lunch there can be a bit of a rush for the tables, but I have always managed to spot a "friend" and share their table on the pool deck.

Seabourn is a friendly bunch, so don't be afraid to socialize.

FKgirl is correct. An OBC which your TA provides it totally separate from any OBC which Seabourn provides. There was a time years ago when you could have both the referral OBC and the Amex Platinum OBC but that is no longer the case. Since the Referral OBC is $400 which is more than the Amex OBC go for that one.

So back to my original answer --- can only be combined with the Carnival credit. Regarding credits directly from a TA I much prefer to get a discount on the fare instead. There is only so much one can do with an OBC unless you are a big excursion or spa fan ( which I am not).

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They should go to the referral sticky at the top of this Seabourn message board and post there that they would like a referral. They cannot be receiving any other shipboard credit ( except Carnival shareholder credit) in order to use the referral credit. They ideally should submit the referral when they make their final payment.

 

 

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If I made my payment in total last week is it too late to use/get a referral coupon as a first timer and if we booked 2 cabins can we get to referral coupons

No Not too late.

Providing they aren't interconnecting/wintergarden with verandah to make a bigger suite it should allow 2

If I made my payment in total last week is it too late to use/get a referral coupon as a first timer and if we booked 2 cabins can we get to referral coupons

The Referral Credit vouchers have to be with Seabourn at least 10 days before you sail, they will then honour them.

Leesre - my mother and sister are taking their first Seabourn cruise in November, Barcelona to Cape Town. How would they go about getting a referral voucher for onboard credit? They have booked through an agency in the UK.. Thanks.

Hi Longton

I could let your mother and sister have a coupon for a referral, one per cabin. if you still need them. email me at linda dot newton at talk 21 dot com

Hi Longton

 

 

 

I could let your mother and sister have a coupon for a referral, one per cabin. if you still need them. email me at linda dot newton at talk 21 dot com

So could all of those posters that use the specific referral thread

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All of whom should be posting in the referral credit sticky, not here.