Sunviking

I'm on the 58 day round South America cruise and part of it was paid for using the 7 day milestone cruise. Once I decided to book this voyage I had my travel agent take care of arranging for the credit. Flamin June is correct that the amount of the credit is based on the category of cabin of the days you sailed to earn the milestone cruise. In my case my days were while my husband was alive and we always sailed in the Wintergarden Suite, with one exception which was in a Penthouse Spa Suite. Seabourn calculated the per diem I had paid and multiplied it by 7 before subtracting it from my fare. It took a little while after booking, but when I was notified of the reduction in price I was quite pleased. I think the per diem is calculated on the price of the category for which you paid. So for example if you paid for a V3 but were upgraded to an Owner's suite, your per diem would only be calculated using the cost of the V3. I didn't want to wait until I qualified for the 14 day cruise, because life is too short and as they say things can happen. As it stands with cruises I've taken since cruising resumed, I'm well on my way to another milestone, but unfortunately this time as I'm sailing alone the days have been mainly in V4s with a few Penthouse days. I've learned that a Veranda cabin is more than adequate for a solo traveller and that pretty much once I leave my cabin I'm treated no differently from the way I was back in the days I spent in the Wintergarden. If you have the milestone award coming to you and you use a travel agent, I definitely recommend you go for it and let your agent handle the logistics.

Flamin' June, while there are a few more things to deal with post-Covid, don't worry about it. I'm sitting in the airport lounge waiting for my next flight to Chile to meet the Quest. This will be my fifth cruise since Nov. 2021, all solo since I was widowed a few years ago. Making a list is a good suggestion and then as you tick things off you'll feel a sense of accomplishment. I also use my late husband's philosophy that if I forget to pack something I can probably buy a replacement along the way or learn to make do without it. So far that has served me well. You'll have a splendid voyage I'm sure.

Once again your food pictures look very good. It's very sad that whenever a place that relies heavily on tourism has political unrest ("manifestations"), the ordinary people who make a living off of visitors are hurt the most. It sounds like you had a lovely time in Callao and Lima despite the situation.

The tours you've written about sound great and the food pictures looked delicious. I am happy to read that the Quest has sailed and wasn't held up by local events there in Peru. I'm looking forward to boarding in a week in Chile. Now I need to stop procrastinating and pack, one of my least favorite things.

Sometimes it's hard to remember that only a very small number of people who sail on ships actually participate in these forums, and of those, often the ones who write reviews are those for whom something didn't go quite to their expectations. Over the years I've been fortunate enough to sail on more than 50 cruises on a variety of lines. While not any of them has been absolutely perfect, I've had a wonderful time on all of them. We always embarked with the attitude that we would have a good time and we always did. In the last 14 months I've spent a couple of months on the Ovation, the Encore and the Sojourn. It was clear that there were many new staff members who were training on the job. There were some hiccups, but it was clear that they were all trying their very best and I found the same smiles and willingness to please that I did pre-Covid. I'm boarding the Quest next week for 58 days and I fully expect to have a splendid time. I know I'll be well taken care of, see lots of interesting sights, and not have to worry about cooking or cleaning up after myself. If we miss a port for some reason, that's a risk one takes going on a ship as opposed to a land trip. I know there's not a chance that I'll go hungry; in fact, since this will be my longest cruise to date, I'm more concerned about eating more than I should. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the Quest and another adventure.

Aloha, shark b8, I hope you a lovely trip. I always enjoy reading your objective opinion. I am leaving in two and a half weeks to sail on the Quest from Chile to Antarctica, South Georgia , falklands and eventually up the Amazon before ending 58 days later in Miami. This will be my longest cruise and if it goes well, I’m considering a world cruise next year. So I’m really looking forward to reading how your cruise goes. Ann

I hope you have safe travels to Miami and that you have a lovely cruise. I'll be joining in Santiago for the last 58 days which will be my longest cruise. Hopefully we can meet for a drink onboard. Ann

I began a cruise in Istanbul in April of this year and spent a few days there first. One day I had arranged for a private tour with a guide my husband and I had used years before and I remembered how good he was. In fact, the first time we had availed ourselves of his services I later saw his name in a Travel & Leisure article as one of the 5 best tour guides in the world. Anyway, his name is Sinan and I was able to arrange my tour through a company he works with called Sea Song. Their website is at seasong.com. The e-mail of the person at Sea Song with whom I made the arrangements was ceren@seasong.com. That address worked in April of this year. BTW he was just as good this year as the first time we toured with him.

Thanks Julie. I'll post my suite number on the roll call too when I'm ready to leave. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and safe travels to Miami. Ann

Yes, Julie, I am on the Quest beginning in Santiago (San Antonio) and I would love to meet you too. I always enjoy reading your posts and observations. If you or any of the others on that cruise plan any get togethers after I board, I would like to be included. I'm looking forward to the voyage. I've been buying cold weather gear which I will probably never need again here in eastern VA. On the Sojourn cruise I just finished at the end of November, one of the lecturers was a woman who will be part of the expedition group on our cruise. Her photographs and those of people on the Venture really increased my excitement.

I've been on four Seabourn cruises since last November (2021) and for each I've been able to book TK reservations in advance for two (I have been traveling solo since my husband's death). When I've been on the ship if I wanted to change the reservation to four I have been able to do it with no problem. For an upcoming cruise beginning in January on which I will be onboard for 58 days, I have been unable to book any reservation at all until the last week in February when I will have been on for a month already and then only for myself. I called Seabourn and spoke to both Guest Relations and the Seabourn Club representative and I was told I shouldn't worry about it. They said I shouldn't have a problem booking when I board. I'm not at all confident that they know what they're talking about, but it's not worth worrying about. BTW, I have had a good time on all four of the post-covid cruises despite some little hiccups here and there. I have been on some of the cruises about which some of the negative comments have been written both here and on the other website and I have wondered if perhaps I had been on a different cruise entirely. I realize that we all have different expectations, but that has been my experience.

The Dover sole was always our favorite too, but we learned that to avoid having it drowning in butter all we had to do was ask for the butter to be brought to the table on the side. I had the sole a couple of weeks ago on the Sojourn and it was still too much for one person but the butter was brought in a little sauce boat and I was able to put as much or as little as I liked. Problem solved.

I am currently on the Sojourn. This is my 4th cruise on Seabourn in the past year and I am traveling as a solo passenger since my husband passed away. I can assure you that I have found many lovely people on my cruises with whom I've enjoyed cocktails, dinner, excursions and playing trivia. I have met lifelong friends over the years I've been traveling with Seabourn. There are sometimes a few people for whom nothing is ever right (I call them the glass half-empty people), but it's easy enough to avoid them once you encounter one. If you've seen a Seabourn cruise which appeals to you, you should give it a try.

I am currently on Sojourn on our second of two sea days. Both yesterday and today the restaurant was open for both breakfast and lunch and in fact, I just finished dining there and it was lovely. I think there were four tables occupied. I usually eat breakfast and lunch in the Colonnade and I have never felt that the food was presented as "slop the hogs." As a matter of fact I always order something at breakfast and the only thing I do fetch myself is fruit because on different days I might like different fruits.

I recently sailed on the Ovation for 2 weeks and did several Seabourn shore excursions. I never had to show an electronic ticket on my phone. As Nancygp said all I had to do was give my suite number. I do like paper reminders, but in the final analysis shouldn't we all have to take a little personal responsibility for what we have booked?

I returned last weekend from 14 days on the Ovation. Upon embarkation I asked at Guest Services for paper copies of the Herald and the Dining Guide to be delivered to my suite each day and so they were each evening. Like skybluewaters and Nancygp I didn't get any flyers re: jewelry or spa services. The only other papers I found on my bed were concerning required information like disembarkation or my onboard account and reminders of reservations I made at TK and the spa. BTW, I had excellent service everywhere on the ship.

the wonderful breadsticks in the Restaurant!

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The CDC issued new guidance and recommendations for Covid exposure. Here's a link to the article about it in the Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/cdc-drops-quarantine-recommendation-following-covid-19-exposure-11660244410

Those cameras are wonderful. I have on occasion seen as many as 16 bears standing on the falls with fish jumping all around them. If you watch over the course of the summer season you can see the bears getting progressively fatter in preparation for their winter snooze.

My husband and I spent more than 100 days total in 743 and 744 and were never bothered by noise from the pool deck.

When my late husband and I dined in Restaurant 2 for the first time he commented that the decor looked like a bordello in an old western movie - all red velvet and fringe. We thought the tasting menus they served were okay but if I recall correctly they only offered maybe three different menus each week, similar to the variety currently offered at E&O. We far preferred TK to the old R2, especially on the Encore and Ovation with the lovely bar.

I heard no noise from above when I was in a Deck 11 PH. It was an extremely quiet location as was the Deck 10 PH I sailed in on my previous cruise.

I’m glad to hear that you like the Villa Spalletti. I was hoping that it hadn’t changed since our visit there pre-Covid. I hope you have a marvelous trip and look forward to reading whatever you find time to post. Bon voyage!

I'm sure it's different for different countries, but this is my experience on the Encore which I boarded on 04/24/22 in Istanbul. I did not have to get a negative test before boarding. All passengers were given a rapid test at the dock at no cost to us. I did have to show proof of vaccination to enter Turkey and at check-in at the dock. At one point during the cruise, I think it was the day before we arrived in Athens which was the midpoint of my cruise and the end for a number of passengers , everyone staying on for another seven days had to get a rapid test on the ship at no cost to us. I believe that was because everyone coming on in Athens would be tested at the dock whereas we would not. Prior to disembarkation, I asked for and was given, with no question or cost, another test and the paperwork to document that I was negative. As a US citizen I needed it to return home. My test was done the morning of the day before disembarkation and my flight didn't leave Istanbul until 8 PM the following day, so longer than 24 hours. My understanding is that the rule is that a negative test within one calendar day before beginning a flight to the US is the requirement. In my case my flight connection involved an overnight at Heathrow, but since my journey was on one ticket, my test done on the ship was sufficient. As I said, this was my experience with sailing to and from Turkey. Other countries may differ and the rules change on a regular basis so what's true today may not be true tomorrow.