phil09

Flamin_June – hope you don’t mind if I add a bit to your most excellent thread.  

We are also on Odyssey boarding in Sydney on March 21^st.  My wife self-tested Covid positive a few days ago and has another two days in isolation.  My test the same morning was negative and since zero symptoms have come forth but we try to stay apart in the cabin as much as possible and I avoid groups staying separated a few feet when around people.  She has been treated with very well and anything she has needed has only been a few minutes away after a phone call to Guest Services or request to our Suite Hostess.  Our hostess has – or had at one time – I think four cabins with an “isolator”.  We told her yesterday she needed to be drawing hazardous duty pay!

We don’t know the full count, but I have walked the length of Deck 6 where we are the last four afternoons with the number of “tray tables” outside cabins going as high as 10 but down to 8 today.  Don't know how many on the other decks, but deck 6 does have the highest number of cabins compared to the other decks.  Hopefully that is a sign of overall improvement on the ship.  Mask wearing is actually better that I would have thought with so many past their “sick and tired of Covid” point.  

Overall we are in 100% agreement with FJ’s feedback on how the cruise in progressing.  We are only on our second Seabourn cruise, but we have been very happy.  There are a couple of little cost-cutting things we didn’t see last trip but those are pretty minor to us.  From what we see every day, the Officers and crew are giving this cruise everything they have to make it wonderful.  Will be interesting to see the passenger changes coming up in Papeete then a couple weeks later in Honolulu.  

Thanks again Flamin_June – we are enjoying your cruise reports.

9 hours ago, jondfk said:

I will be waiting eagerly for your report as we sail Odyssey for Alaska in August.  Final payment is due in about a month and we are questioning the logic of keeping the booking.  It's big money (at least by our standards) and it will be a crushing disappointment if the product offers falls far short of the expectations set.

 

Jon

Jon, I fully appreciate your thoughts and concerns.  Will try to update our experience during the cruise in a separate thread so at least our relative newbie perspective might help along with what others may post.  We know a couple on the current Odyssey cruise who are very experienced Seabourn passengers and we have already received a very positive report from them (it was before THE announcement).  We hope for the best and go into this, as we do any vacation, with a positive attitude and expectation we are likely to experience a bump or two along the way.

3 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

Thanks to one and all for your kind wishes and thoughts. Will try to start another thread, as the current title is no longer apt. 
Home thoughts from abroad would be the obvious choice ...

Great thread FJ - we are also in Sydney ready to board Odyssey in a couple of days.  We arrived a day or two before you so the internal clock synchronization is a bit further along.  Looking forward to meeting you on the ship.

We board the Odyssey-Maru in a couple of days for the Pacific crossing finishing up in Vancouver.  Will be interesting to see if there is any significant vibe change with the crew or the many regular Seabourn passengers on the ship.  This is only our second Seabourn cruise - the last was a back-to-back Caribbean/canal crossing last Spring also on the Odyssey.  We loved the ship, the crew and the relatively small passenger volume compared to larger ships we had cruised.  Hate to see the Odyssey leaving the fleet but Carnival Corporation's financial situation does not look great.  Would not be surprised to see more ships or the full Seabourn fleet sold at some point.  

We had a great experience last year and look forward to a wonderful cruise over the next couple of months.  But you do have to wonder if the powers that be at Carnival and Holland America really have their heart into the luxury cruise market.  As noted, we don't have the experience to compare our upcoming cruise to the "old days" of Seabourn, but hope what we enjoyed so much last year has not changed negatively.  

On 3/3/2023 at 3:55 AM, BasandSyb said:

Mauzac - Last blast of 30s+ summer here and we will be chasing it when we embark Odyssey in 17days in Sydney, so have been following the recent world and grand voyages with interest to whet the appetite. Can’t wait. Would be nice to know who our CD is.

We will be boarding Odyssey also in a couple of weeks.  Have seen a couple reports which indicate Robert Brendan will be the CD.

Shark b8 - apologies for the slight detour on the thread.  Thoroughly enjoying your reporting and all the great photos.  Looking forward to the "watching" the remainder of your world cruise.

On 2/8/2023 at 6:50 PM, conchyjoe said:

...Not a chinagraph pencil in sight! It’s all gone digital and very electricity and satellite  dependent. Not sure how they would cope if it all goes down.

Now that brings back memories!  I wore out more than a few chinagraph pencils chasing aircraft carriers around the Pacific as a young watch stander.  Like you, not so sure about the automated and fully electronic systems.  But everything changes I suppose.  Looking forward to the chance for a bridge tour on the Odyssey which we board in about five weeks.

toseaornottosea,

What a great user name!!  Just my opinion - if I were booked on one of the Antarctic trips in question because of the issue with Venture's stabilizers I would absolutely, positively go.  I've never been to the Antarctic but I did spend some time in my younger years on ships of very similar size to Venture in some pretty rough seas.  Yes, the ships were painted gray with a number on the bow, but they didn't have stabilizers and we survived a few exciting days and nights with no problems.  The opportunity to see a part of the world most human beings will never see and enjoy the magnificence of Antarctica and it's wildlife would be worth a little rough seas.  My guess is Seabourn will be careful to pick good crossing times and I suspect your overall cruise experience will not be affected.

Will be interesting to see what happens (if anything) to the 16 February '23 departure which is scheduled to include South Georgia.

Great to see you back on a ship.  Enjoy your reports and hope you have a wonderful cruise.  Looking forward to hearing the details.

We're recently back from a month on Odyssey on a combined Caribbean and Panama Canal crossing itinerary.  Our first experience on Seabourn - so no history to compare before to now.  In my opinion, the look would be fine in the MDR on a non-Formal Optional night.  I remember seeing a few men in the MDR dressed similarly and never thought a thing about it - they all looked very nice.  It seemed to me the open collar dress shirt with appropriate trousers and a sport coat seem to be the most common - but there was always a good number of suits and sport coats with ties.  I did a mix of sport coat with and without a tie - but I am very comfortable with that and my wife likes it when I dress up a little.  Never did notice anyone who was "poorly" dressed in the MDR - and for that matter in any other venue for dinner.  

We are on Odyssey starting April 16th.  The current cruise ends this Saturday (April 2nd) in Aruba.  There is no activity for the two weeks between on Seabourn's site and I have found one source which indicates the ship will dry dock during this two weeks.  There is a European owned ship repair facility in Curacao  - not far from Aruba which is my guess as to the dry dock location.  Maybe just a coincidence?

In 2020 we had one cruise cancelled (at the last minute) by Seabourn and then we cancelled another Seabourn booking well before final payment date and never paid our travel agent a penny.  A business can put in place any rule or policy as they see fit, but in today's day and age it seems pretty silly to charge your customer a fee for a cruise which was cancelled by the cruise line.  If I was in your situation I would have an honest and open conversation with the agent about the upcoming cruise and what happens if/when it cancels.  If you get the party line again, I would take my business somewhere else and would be clear this is part of this conversation.  Hopefully the transatlantic cruise is the last one you have booked thru this agent.  Plenty of agents  with Seabourn experience who don't have the policy your current agent does.

2 hours ago, klkaylor78 said:

Just to let folks know that I signed on to my Seabourn account and it was a new web page design. It had a section for FCC so yea I can finish up my work and get all of this settled

 

Sadly the FCC page would not open Mac via Chrome but would open with Firefox.

However it did not show my already booked cruise nor my FCC - 

 

If it works different on a PC can someone give it try and let me know or maybe this section still has growing pains.  I think that it is a great addition to our Seabourn Club account information - now if it would only work better. 

 

Interesting - have not been on CC for two or three weeks and logged in today to see how the refunds were going.  We are waiting on a FCC - and have been since March.  Word through our TA was the credit was "done" and would post to our account in a few days.  That was a month ago.  

Based on klkaylor78's post above (THANKS!!), logged onto my account on Seabourn.com and low and behold my FCC is shown in the new Future Cruise Credit section.  How about that!  (by the way, I accessed the website through my MacBook Air with Safari v13.x)  But, logging into my spouses's account - and few who have been following this thread will be surprised by this - nothing showed up under the Future Cruise Credit section.  Confirmation of one half of our FCC is at least progress!!  

If any other FCC "watchers" are able to look at this section on your Seabourn account, I have a question for you.  In this Future Cruise section there are five columns - ID, AMOUNT, BOOK BY, SAIL BY and STATUS.  On my account four of these have understandable values with the exception being "SAIL BY" which shows "NA".  Wonder if anyone else has that?  Are they really saying as long as the credit is used by the "BOOK BY" date, the credit can be used for any available booking - at least to the end of currently published cruises?  Also, there is a hyperlink for "Terms and Conditions" but nothing happens when it was clicked?  Would be nice to read those pesky T's and C's - you never know what surprises might be lurking within them.

2 hours ago, dalliowner said:

When trying to look at terms and conditions of this new 10 pc offer , seabourn`s site says cannot find page  ???

Not sure if you received an email with the offer?  Here is the mice type from the email we received two days ago.  Maybe this is the not full T&C's - don't know, but it is what we received.

*Sensational Suite Savings: Offers are valid through July 31, 2020 on select 2020 & 2021 sailings. Offers vary by sailing. Featured fares are per guest based on double occupancy and promo code NG. Fares are in U.S. dollars. Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses are additional and range from $125 to $2,840. All savings amounts are included in the fares shown. Complimentary Veranda Suite Upgrades are subject to availability at time of booking. Upgrade will be reflected in fare paid for selected Suite category. Shipboard Credit offers are in U.S. dollars and are non-refundable, non-transferable, have no cash value, expire at the end of the cruise, may not be used in the casino and are not combinable with other shipboard credit offers. Shipboard credit offer is based on promo ZS. Air creditis available on select sailings and on select gateways for flights booked through Seabourn’s Flight Ease® program. Air credit is available to the first and second guests sharing a Suite and is non-transferable. Air must be booked no less than 30 days prior to sail date in order to be eligible for the air credit. Seats are limited and may not be available on every flight. Once air is booked, please check with the airline’s website or contact the airline directly for information regarding baggage fees and other charges. Each airline has its own baggage allowance policy. Guests are responsible for all baggage fees, including excess baggage imposed directly by the airline. Air Credit is based on promo JX. Internet Packages of 300, 600 or 900 minutes of internet access are offered per guest and are only applicable to the 1st & 2nd guest booking in Ocean View & Veranda Suites. Unlimited Internet Package is offered on a per Suite basis and only applicable to Penthouse & Premium Suite categories PH, PS, OW, SS, WG & GR. Internet service is not guaranteed and Seabourn is not responsible if internet service is unavailable. No credit or other compensation will be provided should internet service not be available. Internet Packages are based on promo ZI. 50% Reduced Deposit offer is valid on select sailings that are outside of standard penalty periods. Reduced Deposit amount is taken off of the standard deposit policy amounts. All offers are capacity controlled and may be modified or withdrawn at any time without prior notice Offer is subject to availability, capacity controlled and may be modified or withdrawn at any time. Other restrictions may apply. Seabourn reserves the right to correct errors.

*The 10% Early Bonus Savings (“Offer”) is based on promo code ZW and is only valid on select sailings booked by July 31, 2020 and departing on or after November 1, 2020. Guests must pay in full by July 31, 2020 to receive a 10% discount, which will only apply to the gross cruise–only base fare and does not apply to taxes, expenses, or port fees (TF&PE). Full payment means full balance of the booking (including, without limitation, any air, excursions, transfers, or hotels). Offer must be asked for specifically in order to be applied. Guests using a Future Cruise Credit and/or rebooking from 2020 voyages are not eligible for this Offer. Offer is subject to availability, and may be capacity controlled and may be modified or withdrawn at any time without prior notice. Discount is not valid on any optional packages including but not limited to: air, Seabourn Shield, private car transfers, or pre/post packages. Offer is not valid on World Cruises or segments thereof and sailings on Seabourn Venture. Other restrictions apply. Seabourn reserves the right to correct errors. 

*The Book with Confidence offer (“Offer”) is available on bookings made prior to July 31, 2020 for Seabourn cruises sailing on or before December 31, 2021 (“Eligible Cruise”). On sailings departing through December 31, 2021 consumers can cancel up to 30 days before the Eligible Cruise’s departure and the consumer will receive a Future Cruise Credit (“FCC”) equal to the amount of the non-refundable portion of their cancellation fees (subject to verification). The value of the FCC will be determined by the actual non-refundable cancellation fees for the Eligible Cruise’s booking. SeabournShield premiums and/or reimbursed amounts shall not be included in the value of the FCC. Consumers cancelling Eligible Cruises must visit seabourn.com/bookwithconfidence and fill out the form with all requested information at least 30 days before the departure date of the Eligible Cruise. Once verified and processed, the FCC will be applied to the consumer’s Club Number. If consumer does not have a Club Number, Seabourn will create a Club Number for the consumer. Consumer must use the FCC towards a future Seabourn cruise booking(s). Consumer must use the FCC within 12 months of issue or it will be forfeited in its entirety. FCC is only valid on cruises sailing through December 31, 2022. FCC may be subject to additional terms and conditions as provided by Seabourn and may not be used for deposits, TF&PE, or SeabournShield. The value of the FCC and the Offer are non-transferrable, are not redeemable for cash, and have no cash value. May not be combined with any other offers. Offer may be modified or withdrawn without prior notice. Any promotion or offer available during or with the Eligible Cruise booking shall not apply to the subsequent booking. May be subject to additional terms and conditions. The Best Fare Guarantee compensation is valid for guests if their particular voyage and booked suite category pricing is reduced. Guests must have a deposited booking with Seabourn to be eligible. Compensation will be done on a request basis only and the request must be received at least 30-days prior to the booked voyage departure date to apply. Compensation provided will be in the form of a shipboard credit, suite upgrade, fare reduction or other method. Seabourn reserves the sole right to determine the method of compensation made to guests. The amount of compensation will be determined by the difference between the booked fare and the current available fare displayed on Seabourn.com the day the request is received by Seabourn. Book with Confidence and Best Fare Guarantee offers are not valid on World Cruises or segments thereof and sailings on Seabourn Venture. Other restrictions may apply. Seabourn reserves the right to correct errors. 

SE2025EBS

Don't you love reading the fine print?

"...Guests using a Future Cruise Credit and/or rebooking from 2020 voyages are not eligible for this Offer..."

I agree with norm2002 about some type of communication misunderstanding.  I have been following this refund and FCC credit pretty close and first I have heard of 6 months.  The Seabourn party line has been 60-days since March, with some mention of 90-days starting to come out.  A variation of the 90-days is "60 working days" which I find almost laughable.

If I were you, I would ask your travel agent via email (if you have not already) and ask them to email you back a response.  Would love for you to post this exchange here on CC of course with names and company info deleted.

I would not be surprised if refunds will take 6-months - but that will most certainly start costing Seabourn some loyal customers as was previously mentioned.  I also wonder if and when the U.S. news media will start picking up on these very slow refunds from cruise lines (a little more negative PR might help those waiting for their refund).  Look at where Carnival Corp and Seabourn are - our member SLSD here has some good thoughts on this.  They likely do not have a great deal of money coming in and HUGE payments due on their debts.  They appear to be making a business decision to hold onto their cash - just my opinion.

36 minutes ago, zqvol said:

 

That's what happens when they have no cash coming in.

No, that can't possibly be true.  I thought the 12 week delay for refunds/FCC's was because the big backlog of work.  <sarcasm intended>

10 minutes ago, capriccio said:

 

 

“We cannot afford to have people who are not even Floridians dumped into South Florida using up those valuable resources," he said, adding he is in touch with the White House over the fate of these ships. “We view this as a big, big problem and we don’t want to see people dumped in southern Florida right now.”

Looking at the Governor's quote posted above (thanks capriccio) - he seemed to emphasize "south" Florida.  There are other Florida ports.  I can't see any way there will not be a solution for a Florida port.  One way or the other.

I've followed all evening and noticed the speed after Zaandam cleared the locks.  It sure seemed fast to me as well.  I've never sailed the Canal, but sailed a couple of US Navy ships into many ports and narrow waterways.  14-15 knots in such waters is "warp speed" as Copper 10-8 says!!  

27 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

The logistics of transferring at-sea passengers from one cruise ship to another are great.  Never mind all the pre-selection process; once they are identified, they have to be checked out of one ship and checked in to another, assigned a new room, and issued new key cards.  They need to be transferred a few at a time to ensure proper social distancing, luggage has to be transferred and manifests of both ships need to be changed.  What about muster drills?  While I'm sure they're not doing a traditional muster, they still need to know where their station is. 

 

But that said, sources tell me HAL and the officers & crew of both ships have been champs through this process.  Time will tell how this all plays out but for now, I have to extend a big Bravo Zulu to HAL!

Looks like both are underway now.  Great job by all the HAL sailors involved - and the passengers as well.  Get thru the canal and into a port where everyone can get sorted out properly. 

41 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

This situation should be more about compassion and offering good medical care to anyone, regardless if they are on a ship or land.  I am concerned for the ill passengers/crew on the Zaandam.  A lot of time is being spent anchored off the canal which means it is just that much longer until those sick passengers can access the kind of care only found at hospitals.  While the ship's medical center can offer some care, their ability is limited by the type of facility and equipment onboard.  This is not HAL's fault as they would obviously prefer to get these folks off the ship in Panama and on their way home of to a hospital.   What I find troubling are the number of ports around the world, including some in the US, who would deny necessary medical care to folks...just because they happen to be on a ship.  And the refusal to disembark passengers simply increases the odds that additional folks will fall ill....which might be the lesson learned from the Diamond Princess.

 

I am also appalled that some on CC would take a "not in my port" attitude to sick folks on ships.  We assume that most of these posters are also cruisers....and wonder how they would feel if they or a loved one was sick on a ship and refused medical care by the nearest port.

 

Hank

With you 100% also Hank.  There's been mention of compassion here and there in this thread - what HAL is doing getting the second ship in place to provide what were surely critical medical supplies and staff is a great example.  Just my opinion - forget the arguments of why did HAL sail, why did the passengers get on this cruise and who is going to pay for it.  We as a human species tend to show compassion for our fellow human - even more so when there is a dire need.  Getting the passengers and crew to a location where appropriate care can be effectively applied should be the priority.  

The rejection of true help by countries in South America (and the State of Hawaii in the case of the Maasdam) were a failure of leadership in those locations.  As an American citizen myself, I hope and expect these two ships will dock in an American port and ALL the people on board be helped.  It is really what we should do.

Thanks Jeni - interesting article.  

Nice tool to calculate distance between two points using latitude/longitude position.

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gccalc.shtml

Old school would be a proper nautical chart and a set of dividers!  Thanks for the position reports.

marinetraffic.com currently shows the Zaandam about 10 nautical miles off the port of Manta, Equador.  Posted course and speed suggests they are headed to the port. 

Recent history suggests Seabourn will be the last to make this announcement.  Hope I am wrong.