stan01

I suspect if they had used the tenders not the zodiacs there would be other people complaining that the zodiacs sat unused on an expedition cruise. Seabourn seems to be pretty coy about where the zodiacs and submarine can be used; they know upfront where they are not legally allowed or the conditions generally are not conducive. I'm not surprised to hear the submarines were not used on a repositioning cruise where they might be less familiar with the water conditions in each location.

The airlines publish their schedule in the booking platforms about 330 days prior to departure, so if you are doing a round trip you should see something in Flight Ease about 330 days before your return flight. However, airlines can and do change their schedules. If you make a reservation 330 days out there's a decent chance the airline will change something before your departure date. However, since you don't have to pay for the airfare until final deposit you can cancel what you book 330 days out and rebook if you need to.

Cunard really can't extend the time on the ship. They have to clear the ship of all passengers for US customs (which likely was not delayed) and they have to get the ship ready for the next passengers whose embarkation they would try to keep on schedule. You might want to write your Congressional delegation about your experience if you are a US citizen. I think they would agree a 3 hour wait is too long.

Great review, thank you. We are on the Ovation from Barcelona to Barbados in 2024 and Barcelona to San Juan in 2025. I'll always go with the 25 hour days over the 23 hour days with (hopefully) the extra hour used to burn off the calories consumed.

Let's say the worst happens, and luggage containing formal wear does not arrive for a transatlantic cruise despite all efforts by the passenger to be proactive such as travelling at least one day early. Airlines can and do lose bags. What is the reasonable expectation for a passenger who faces this? Should one be expected to only eat in their room or casual dining even if they are in a QG or PG suite? Putting formal wear into carry ons isn't achievable. I certainly hope losing bags doesn't happen, but at the same time it would seriously detract from one's enjoyment of an expensive vacation.

It was a nice feature to build anticipation for one's next cruise. I hope they re-enable it.

Likewise I can no longer view the current daily menus in the Source app for Ovation. Our cruise is later in 2024 and we are US based. I think Seabourn may have disabled viewing of the menus unless you are on the ship's wi-fi. If anyone can still view menus from their home for a future cruise booking please identify the ship you are sailing on. I have tried deleting the app and loading it again, did not bring back the menus.

One of the things we like about Seabourn is no constant signing for drinks or extras, and everyone on the ship is in same situation so all can enjoy the moment and there are no service delays caused by payments. I could see that some passengers who do not drink alcohol might want a "no alcohol" option though. Don't mind paying for laundry or premium internet although laundry right now is a perk for club members. We would not want included excursions, and with onboard credits one can get then at no cost if desired. I don't expect things to be free. I would not mind a reasonable premium for Solis if it was necessary to keep the quality of ingredients high. I've read that Solis portions are large so I'd rather they go to a reasonable sized portion before they add a surcharge. There were no questions about inclusive air such as Silversea's door to door service (at least in the version of the survey we took).

Similar happened to us in November, we had $1000 per suite OBC applied but the terms of the offer we had were $1000 per person. I noticed it on the first day. Seabourn Square rep demanded proof which I was able to email to them from cloud storage accessed through my phone. Next time I will print it out. It showed up the next morning correctly. I would call them during their regular work hours rather than emailing them.

I would go in with a very open mind, and just assume Cunard and QQG will be different than your experience on Azamara. Some things you might like better on Cunard QG, some things you might like better on Azamara. Both should be very nice experiences to enjoy. There are pros and cons of a larger ship. There are pros and cons of a more formal atmosphere that comes with Cunard. Cuisine styles are different and each person will have their preferences about that subject. I'd try to avoid boarding with a lot of expectations and instead be surprised and delighted when something fun happens.

Re attire: The Seabourn website states elegant casual is: Evening (after 6pm): Elegant Casual. The following is the nightly dress standard for all dining venues: Men: Slacks with a collared dress shirt or sweater; Jacket Optional. Ladies: Slacks / skirt, blouse, pant suit or dress. Elegant jeans are welcome in all dining venues. You will not see many polo shirts other than first and last night, but will see quite a few Tommy Bahama style untucked button down shirts especially in warmer climates. For formal night add a jacket. Tie or tuxedo optional. The idea is "elegant casual" not "casual". In warm weather I don't find jeans to be practical and don't travel with them. Instead I use something like Lululemon ABCs. I have worn those on "elegant casual" nights. There are a few chair hogs who in our experience focus on the most sun protected locations but not to the degree of some other cruise lines. The sun beds above the Observation Lounge are always available in our experience and you will often have the jacuzzi on the bow to yourself.

OK, I will try to jump on this grenade. For men: technically I think the answer is "no", a polo shirt is not a "collared dress shirt" nor is it generally "elegant casual". I'd guess on our last Caribbean cruise less than 5% of men were wearing polo shirts other than the first and last night of the cruise. They weren't being turned away but some definitely did not look "elegant". "Tommy Bahama"-style collared, untucked button down shirts were fairly common.

The main thing I'd emphasize is what someone up thread already said: keep an open mind and don't expect perfection. The main thing you are paying for is a ship with fewer passengers which is mostly a very positive thing because there is less crowding and you are better able to get to know people (crew and other passengers). However, it does mean there are fewer choices in areas such as entertainment and dining. What I'd caution against is expecting perfection, because if you arrive on the ship with that in mind there's a pretty good chance something will let you down. Ask for what you'd like, and if there is an issue politely discuss with the management on the ship. We found ourselves frequently having to ask the waiters to fill water glasses. I'm not sure whether that was training or workload (probably some of both). We didn't complain about it, we just got used to raising our hand when we were down to 1/3 of a glass and asking for a refill. Shouldn't have had to do it, but I'd say its an example of avoiding a situation where a small thing could impact our overall enjoyment of the cruise.

Right, but for us either of those would be a whole lot of drinks! Agree folk need to do their own calculations. The other consideration is that adults in a cabin or suite together need to have the same drinks package, so if one adult drinks alcohol but the other adult does not the benefits would be much less than pay-as-you-go for the one who does.

Yes there are up charges everywhere and I don't think anything is fully all inclusive. There is zero reason to go to that Retreat area unless you want a private area other than your balcony, plus it is only on two of their seven (soon to be six) ships. You can pay for premium wine and spirits, you can pay for spa treatments, you can pay for shore excursions.