Ka Honu

... Nothing is free.

... except possibly my opinion (to which everyone is entitled).

... We don't want to see the cruise be sold to large groups or discounted

Really? I must be missing something here. What does the price other people pay for their cabin have to do with how much you enjoy your cruise (unless, of course, the "other people" have been recently banned from Carnival for gang warfare)?

We strongly recommend getting a licensed guide (we used Tours by Locals). They can go directly to the gate at popular/crowded sites and get your tickets with no wait. Saves hours in line.

Horse dead. Stop beating.

Sometime between boarding and muster we fit in some time to do "errands" on board and resolve any issues or requests dealing with spa, excursions, dining, etc. SWMBO usually browses the library for a couple of books before they've been "picked over" (I'm an electronic book reader so this isn't usually an issue for me).

We've always been able to have a leisurely lunch, get all this done, acquaint/reacquaint ourselves with the ship, unpack, and still have a drink or three before muster. After, we pretty much follow SLSD's routine for the afternoon and evening.

Well, if we are going to beat this dead horse...

On the internet there is no horse too dead to beat.

Just sayin'...

We like her as well with one exception - she is a rabid Steelers fan :(

Which part don't you like - "rabid" or "Steelers?"

They're excellent at holding dart boards (and the really good ones can even move the board to maximize your points while minimizing their exposure to pointy missiles).

Paulchili - That only works if you really want to see Easter Island instead of complaining about what it cost you not to. Just sayin'...

I'm not so concerned about boarding time but I wish those of us in Veranda and "below" didn't have quite as many shifts on the oars, especially since the "upper suite" passengers don't have to row at all unless they choose to do so in the gym (which has chilled water and a much better view).

To be fair, I've come to look at it as a health benefit, but still...

... the bottom line is that Regent states that there is an included 18% tip included for passengers. Therefore, tips should not be solicited. Also, bait and switch advertising should not be permitted.

 

As noted by a few posters, this is not done by all Canyon Ranch Spa employees and many of their services are excellent. However, I am not going to pay an extra tip (on top of the 18%) for overpriced services.

Totally agree. It seems that I end up having a short, polite discussion with the Canyon Ranch manager to reverse the "excess" tipping, overcharge for advertised specials, and/or hard-sell product charges about every other time SWMBO goes to Canyon Ranch. She's too nice to say no. I'm not.

Don't know the dates of your cruise but you might consider flying Hawaiian Air via Honolulu. They fly to/from PPT from Honolulu on Saturdays. You can schedule your flights to/from HNL to match your cruise and pre/post-cruise stays in Tahiti. Round trip from LAX runs about $1300 and a day or two stay in Hawaii will sort out any jet lag and let you gradually slip into and out of the island lifestyle.

Just a thought...

Just off the Quest. Trivia winner was determined everyday rather than the cumulative total I have experienced in the past. Linda

On our last Seabourn cruise (about 3 months ago), Handre held trivia late afternoon on several port days (as well as the "standard" noon on sea days). I'm pretty sure they had daily as well as cumulative winners (but not all that sure as we didn't make the last couple of sessions).

If you don't care about location aboard, the GTY gives you a chance to get a better suite than you're paying for but it's a crapshoot. We typically book GTYs when available and have usually been assigned a cabin higher in the same letter category booked (e.g., PH3 to PH 1 or 2, but not to VS or OS).

That having been said, my advice is to check the suites in your category (in this case, PH) and make sure there aren't any you absolutely don't want that you might get if you book a GTY instead of a specific suite. For example, if you don't want to be directly under the Terrace Cafe or pool then don't book a PH GTY which might put you in a suite on Deck 11 aft or midship - right where you don't want to be.

It probably only works for a few itineraries but as part of their 30th anniversary sale Seabourn is offering "Up to 30% Savings on Select Combination Cruises."

It probably doesn't apply to the cruises you want but it's certainly worth checking out.

At the risk of starting one of "those discussions..."

There are three small smoking areas. If sensitivity and "distressful conditions" are an issue those areas are easily avoidable with no loss of freedom to enjoy the cruise. As both one of those "older people" and a smoker I find that Seabourn balances the interests of both groups as well as can (or should) be expected.

Seabourn is dealing with a touchy issue among groups of longtime customers with differing perspectives and degrees of tolerance. I think both "ANTI" and "fanatic" nicely describe those on any side of any argument who refuse to accept any compromise; those are the people to whom I was referring and, as I said, the number is thankfully small.

End of rant.

There are three smoking areas on Encore - all outdoors on the starboard side. All have at least partial overhead cover.

Except for the usual (thankfully small) number of "anti-smoking fanatics" everyone on our recent Encore cruise seemed to think the arrangement is reasonable for smokers and minimally intrusive for nonsmokers.

Not trying to beat a dead horse...

On the internet there is no horse too dead to beat.

Just sayin'...

We had a similar situation recently on Encore and sometimes it worked better than others. Whatever the arrangements you reach before boarding, I'd recommend you confirm them with the staff at Seabourn Square once you embark.

We have used Tours By Locals in several places including Rio and have always been pleased. Whoever you use, make sure they include a licensed guide who can "jump the queue" and get you "immediate entry" tickets to popular attractions (otherwise you may have to stand in line for a long (1-3 hour) wait).

... Seabourn apparently decided at least as early as December 2016 not to go to Xlendi, but to Mgharr...

On our recent (3 weeks ago) Encore port stop in Gozo we were told we were docking in Mgarr although our itinerary showed us tendering in Xlendi (which was eventually what happened). As small as the island is I'm not sure that it makes that much difference unless you're planning an excursion that requires you to have someone meet you at the port (and even then it's only a 15-minute drive/taxi ride from one to the other).

Regardless of the arrival port you should be able to do both routes on the HO-HO in under 3 hours combined.

We disembarked Encore about ten days ago and, while we had a terrific time, I have to agree with the OP's assessment. It just wasn't quite Seabourn, mostly due to issues in training, staffing, and communication. Individually all problems were minor and easily correctable but in the aggregate they provided an experience significantly below our expectations

Maybe it's just Seabourn trying to deal with the impact of Encore on the fleet and they'll get it sorted out but in the meantime we're going back to Odyssey. When they're "on it," there's no better cruise experience than Seabourn and we're hoping to recapture that on Odyssey next summer.

Our recent experiences on Regent were mixed (Mariner was fine but Voyager seemed a bit below standard). We're staying away for a while because I think, at least for the moment, they've outlived their price point.

Having said that, I have to admit a bit of dissatisfaction with our recent cruise on Encore. The experience was "not quite Seabourn," mostly in terms of service, communication, and training. I'm hoping that was due to the ship rather than the line (lots of threads on that topic) and am looking forward to next summer when Odyssey will hopefully restore my faith.

The Hop-on, Hop-off bus is one of the best in the area and a good way to get an overview of Gozo.

...found the breakfast items bland.

If by "bland" you mean "not spicy," I find most cruise food that way - probably because they have to make it to feed too many people with different taste preferences. You can always ask for (or carry with you) some of your favorite seasonings (like sambal, your favorite hot sauce, seasoned salts, wasabi, or whatever) to spice up the offerings. Not the same as including them in the preparation but better than "bland."