travel4b

15 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

We eat in the Colonnade for Breakfast-and often for Lunch and have never utilized the buffet.   The sit down menu offered is limited but is still fine.    We enjoy the tables outside and those at the windows so have never been around a buffet crowd.    Since we sat in the same areas we had staff who knew our needs so we always had the right drinks.    Timely service was never a problem.

I think you have glossed over the fact that if the ship is full and the weather is inclement it feels like a scrum to get any table, much less a preferred one, at the Colonnade.  

5 hours ago, kjbacon said:

All of these posts offer helpful insights and thoughts. I’m not sure how much financial trouble SB is in right now but they are only setting themselves up for worse. 
 

They had no problem charging us for our 38 night cruise in the Wintergarden suite and also had no problem letting us deal with absurd waits every day to order breakfast that was more often than not incorrect and or unpresentable. That is but one example of way too many.

 

There were so many mess ups on our cruise that we had to work to find the positives and yes, I am well aware that these are first world problems. But I’m also well aware that we are comparing SB to luxury cruise lines as opposed to a Motel 6. The fact is that I went easy on SB in my live from thread.

 

I am finding myself more put out by this as time goes by and they continue to provide substandard service for the same price to the guests. At the time, we figured that these things can happen and ok, we pulled the short SB straw. Now, it is clear that SB is making a daily decision to shortchange their guests. 

Yes, it’s disappointing - to say the least - to continue to read about the shortcomings aboard Quest in the almost six weeks since we disembarked in Montreal.  What a mess!

I love soft shell crabs and living on the Chesapeake Bay I’m a bit of a snob about them. Seabourn’s we’re surprisingly good. 

3 hours ago, lincslady said:

In case it sounds as if I am doubting Catlover's report (which must have taken longer to type than the awful dinner) , not so.  There is no doubt that this ship is suffering from a real lack of trained staff - and maybe there are many off with Covid - and things are not what they should be. Also, it can be hit and miss as to whether you are lucky in getting good serving staff at any meal, and even good food, which can happen at any time; I have had the odd badly cooked dish and less than stellar service, though never like this.

 

I don't like to suggest that the ex-Crystal cruisers have been pointed out to the shipboard management, and looked after differently - but that did just cross my mind.

Sorry but “hit or miss” is acceptable now?

7 hours ago, conchyjoe said:

Had dinner tonight in the Colonnade - Canadian Market Menu.

Frankly it was appalling. If just based on the food quality tonight, I would cancel all my future bookings. Cold and waaay too much salt in all the dishes.

 

Unfortunately this voyage has been so badly affected by so many factors. Some new poorly trained and inexperienced crew, a Covid outbreak among the chefs, lack of communication from ships staff and a Hurricane that just compounded all the inherent  problems.

 

That said, there have been some of the crew that have shone as always. Not their fault that the other factors probably diminished their substantial efforts to make everything Seabourn perfect.

This pretty much sums up our experience on Quest in August from Dover to Montreal.  It’s seems that they still haven’t righted this ship.  I feel so very sorry for the veteran crew onboard who are proud of Seabourn but must be mortified about the continuing passenger disappointments.

7 hours ago, labonnevie said:

Elena

Yes, Elena is one of the best. Thomas is also good; Unfoetunately, I believe Fabian is no longer onboard. 

I think you meant “border”. 

5 hours ago, lincslady said:

For  whatever reason poor old Quest seems to have drawn the short straw when it comes to enough trained staff on board, as the other ships generally seem to be operating pretty much at the usual standard.

 

Regarding differing opinions on service, in the past - with full staff numbers on board - we have had very variable service now and again, according to having experienced ,  well trained  and personable servers on board, in different sections of the dining rooms - or not.  It can pay to remember which section you want to sit in, and ask the Maitre'd as you go in.

 

 

Yes, it’s sad to see that Quest seems to still be struggling a month after disembarking from our disappointing month onboard in August. We limited ourselves to one of three waiter’s sections in the Restaurant to manage having a pleasant dinner experience. We weren’t as lucky cracking the code in the Colonnade!

On the topic of enrichment lectures, two young bridge officers gave a talk in August that was very interesting.  The captain chimed in at the end and promised more in the future.  Perhaps you can suggest they follow up on that.  Also, glad you enjoyed MOBA!

2 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

Day 5, Quebec City part 2

 

The CD came on the loudspeaker at 8AM (heard only in the hall after the bell , or if you turn the TV on to the bow camera), to give a short speech about QC .  

 

He also noted that at 4:30 the navigation officers will discuss the impacts and challenges that Fiona had on this voyage.

 

Finally he reminded that there is a show tonight with young singer Jo Rochell (described as "one of the UK's leading piano bar entertainers."

 

All this information was also in the Daily Herald, which I am happy to receive in paper form each evening, per my request.

 

Tomorrow we will be in Saguenoy.  One excursion is posted on SB Source, a trip to a scenic park.

 

Weather is getting a bit wet, so it may be a good day for some museums.  We hope to, among others, get into this  "Museum of Bad Art" (art "so bad it has to be seen"):

 

 

 

I'm not sure how much street art, always a delightful aspect of walking in QC, will be out today in the drizzle (some from yesterday):

 

 

Not far from QC is also a copper museum and family run center for copper craftsmanship:

 

 

 

A bit outside QC, the beautiful Basilica of Sainte Anne de Beaupre's copper adorned door (posted earlier on this thread) was also created by that same family, and has an interesting history.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You absolutely must go to the Museum of Bad Art (aka MOBA).  It is riot!  Don't judge but it was a highlight of our day in QC on Quest in August!

8 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

Next time on a cruise stay away from the French toast just in case 😁

Ha, ha - I guess. 🤔  

14 hours ago, conchyjoe said:

Are you serious ? MSG on your French Toast ?.??

 

How could you tell it was MSG? I have never tasted it but I am allergic to it.

Dead serious. The Colonnade manager (a SB veteran)  was absolutely mortified. MSG has a fine powdery consistency similar to confectioners sugar but tastes incredibly salty.  

22 hours ago, hoosier74 said:

Just FYI...I'm making an assumption here that the critics of Chef Bala did not go to his cooking demonstration, which BTW was the best I'd ever seen on any ship. any cruise line.

He has been with Seabourn for 14 years and is the chef who works with the TK organization to coordinate their services on board.  He shared with us that the TK menus are being reviewed and may be revised, soon.  Menus are standardized throughout the fleet (allowing for local variations, obviously) as is provisioning.  There certainly have been supply chain issues....HORRORS!!! we did not have Seabourn fries for two weeks!!!!

I know there was some criticism of his Indian food, which I couldn't comment on as I'm not a fan in general and didn't go to Indian Market, but perhaps you just don't like the food from Madras, where he is from.  Others thought it wonderful and the sample we got at the demonstration was very good.  

Actually, I'm a big fan of Indian food and several times ordered the chef's special in the Restaurant - as it often had an Indian twist.  The disappointment lay elsewhere.  Dishes that were missing key ingredients, e.g. a pear, arugula and fennel salad with no fennel, were not an uncommon phenomenon.  I twice ordered a Napa burger only to get a plain cheeseburger - not that they didn't have Napa burgers available.   I could give numerous other examples from our 24 days aboard.    

17 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

That was Chinese Toast 

Now that you mention it, I guess Chinese vs. French toast was a natural follow-up to English vs. American bacon.  I guess I was partially at fault for not specifying "no MSG".  🤷‍♂️

41 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

 Move to another line and hope you will be happier.

You seem to have missed the point of this post and threaded comments.  If you will re-read the post, he refers to fellow passengers who just disembarked from another SB cruise that was fine.  Likewise, I have been on two other post-Covid SB cruises (TA on Ovation last fall and Sojourn this June) that were up to Seabourn's high standards.  This cruise was an entirely different kettle of fish - and, hopefully, an anomaly. Despite our disappointment after this cruise, we are not moving to another line.  However, SB should be aware when they fall short significantly.  

21 hours ago, Laylam said:

You only have to request English Bacon to receive it.  Although only American bacon is on the room-service breakfast menu, my husband crosses it out and writes "English" and gets it every time.

No, that’s not the point; they had both types. However, I found the odds of getting the type of bacon I ordered about 50/50. Not sure whose fault it was.  The waiter, kitchen or server?  Also, not sure who’s fault it was when my French Toast came out sprinkled with MSG instead of confectioner’s sugar.  It was a bit of a metaphor, I guess!!

Hopefully, someone at Seabourn is taking notes.  You are certainly not the first one to comment on the service issues on the Quest recently.  Having gotten off in Montreal after 24 nights, I feel your pain!  You've probably already read the very lengthy thread reviewing the Quest's voyage from Barcelona to Montreal.  

We’ve used eMed several times.  They are fine. Just a couple things.  eMed has two versions - one is supervised and the other is totally self-administered. With the recent changes by Seabourn, I’m not sure which version is acceptable for you particular itinerary.  You need a good internet speed for the proctored version; our hotel wifi was too slow so we had to switch to the local cellular LTE network.  

3 hours ago, sfvoyage said:

 

New hires get classroom training from a corporate trainer on a ship, and then they are released to work.  They wear the same uniform and badge, and pre-covid, most of them are so carefully selected and well trained that I wouldn't be able to identify them apart from the experienced crew.

I’m not so sure how this squares with what I heard and saw onboard. Per our sit down early on with the HD, Seabourn has only recently restarted Seabourn Academy (not something I had ever even heard of) but there have only been a small handful of graduates. In addition there were numerous waiters that were spending their first night on Seabourn. I’m not sure what training they may have had prior to boarding. There certainly weren’t enough veteran crew members to properly mentor them.  

36 minutes ago, SLSD said:

I would be quite interested in the answer to your questions.  Is it possible that SB is behind the eight ball in training new crew and that other luxury or premium cruise lines have done a batter job?  I think guest capacity may be a factor--but everyone does expect the full SB experience no matter the numbers on board.  I think this is a tough time--and perhaps an uneven time depending on where you find yourself.  We don't have side by side real times comparisons, and even if we did, we would be comparing different circumstances.  I know what all of us hope for is a return to all SB ships giving top quality service and cuisine as well as stellar entertainment all of the time.  

 

One thing I have noticed is the expectation for variety in cuisine.  Since I am not someone who would be considered food-centric, I will have to depend on others to clue me in as to whether SB has ever measured up when it comes to cuisine.  Also, does it matter  if a ship is 400+ or 700+ passengers?  Should both be held to the same standard when it comes to variety of food offered?  I don't know the answer to this question.  I am just asking. 

I believe I mentioned in an earlier comment that while food has never been Seabourn’s strong suit stellar service always has been, hence the disappointment. And yes, the service should be 6* regardless of the passenger count. Management has leaned a bit on the fact that this is Seabourn’s first sell out post COVID, which may speak to some poor planning at the corporate level. 

At this point the highs and the lows of this cruise have been well documented, and quite fairly by kjbacon based on my experiences onboard since Dover.  You mentioned that you have been on two previous post-Covid cruises - on Regent and Oceania - that were fine.  Not to excuse the lapses but I do wonder how full those cruises were.  I say that because we have also been on two post-Covid cruises that were wonderful.  However, they were both on Seabourn and sailed only half full.  Just a thought.  In any case, I feel most sorry for the veteran crew members onboard, who are well aware of the problems, are working incredibly hard, but can only do so much to compensate for the large number of inexperienced crew they have had to work alongside.  I know from numerous personal conversations that they are very proud of the Seabourn brand.  While they would never say so, I’m sure they have found this to be a painful voyage as they do truly care about their family of passengers.   

Just now, DaveA said:

If you read through this topic you will see that kjbacon and at least one other poster have had meetings with management on board Quest to discuss the issues. The posts seem to me to have been very balanced (and remained impressively positive during their Covid quarantine period on board).

Correct. And I know of at least five other couples, ourselves included, that also met with the HD early on. 

Dusan has been one of the true gems on this cruise. 

Just now, sunshineocean13 said:

No, there seem to be many people enjoying the food, including us! Much more positive than negative, and my glass is definitely more than half full. I’m  loving our 36 days on Quest, and excited that we’re boarding the Quest again in January for 79 days.

I’m genuinely curious - how much time have you spent on Seabourn?  Because for me, and quite a few others onboard, this cruise is very much an anomaly from our usual Seabourn experiences. 

20 minutes ago, SLSD said:

I think you are being sarcastic.  At least I hope you are!  Personally, I would welcome some vegetarian chili that was very tasty if the weather was cool.  I am truly aghast that kjbacon's dining experience has been so below her expectations.  In our cruising on SB, we have had a few dishes that we deemed inedible and we sent them back to the kitchen as soon as we realized that we could not eat them.  On one occasion,  a friend at our table had ordered the same dish and also sent the plate back.  So--it does happen.  We were not upset--just matter of fact about it.  Mr. SLSD and I have been discussing food on Seabourn and I have come to the conclusion that we just don't expect the world and choose carefully.  For example, I would never choose to eat Chinese food on a SB ship.  First, I don't particularly like Chinese food and second, I've had a LOT of it as we have a family member who is Chinese.  So, at least I know what good Chinese food is, and would not expect to find it on a ship.  Of course that is no excuse for bad food of any kind on a SB ship.  I think when it comes right down to it, I tend to order a lot of grilled Salmon and the tried and true. Its not that I am picky (I'm not) or not adventurous (I am), but just not expecting a lot from a cruise ship dining room.  And yes, I often find the food to be over salted!  But I am a home cook who uses a minimum of salt because I can taste it so clearly.  We do have guests at our table who ask for salt--so I know that not everyone sees this the same way. The upshot is that I am disappointed to hear that the food has been below par for people who have high expectations.  I hope future cruisers on SB will keep us apprised on food quality.  

Well, out of sheer curiosity I ordered the vegetarian chili that night and I’ve had canned chili that was better!! Unfortunately, while food is someway subjective service is not. Latest example:  we just returned from dinner at Earth & Ocean. While service was eager, it was still a mess.  No sign of the signature starters, aka the chicken salad show, before our appetizers arrived. Once I pointed this out the starters cart finally showed up - 60 seconds before our mains. Ok, then. Moving on, dessert was 1 for 2. Mine was correct but my husband’s was not. Good grief, there are only three choices!!  On the flip side, all the food was delicious, as I’ve consistently found to be the case at E&O.