AWillie

Yes, Lahaina is a disaster area. Still finding dead. Princess IT was never known for knowledge.

My original post may have seem to severe. What I am trying to say, until world positive test get below 5% for several months, there be no safe cursing.The situation is changing on a daily basis. The US is a long(many months) away from 5% criteria.

many Europe countries are near 5%. It will take several months for a good vaccine to be given to 70% of the world.

Americans are to diseased to be on cruise ships. Almost no state has a less then 5% positive rate. European countries understood the virus, America has not.

I think cruise lines should be liable for the safe return of their employees to their home when the contract ended.

We ate there 1 time on a 2 week cruise. The restaurant is very good, but not great. The MDR was our preference or outside dining.

After crushing 10 years with Princess I stopped two years ago. With  all of removal of positive amenities  mentioned in prior post and super large cruise ships that have to dock with cargo ships and not in town. It became a hassle to cruise. Changed to cheaper land trips and train in Europe. But to each his/her own.

I am on the Big Island now. Hilo air quality is very good. There is no reason to cancel stops in Hilo if the concern is air quality. The trade winds take ash and sulfur fumes south and west of Hilo.

Thanks Capri73 for the current information. We are on a 70 day holiday and this will make the 20 days on the Encore the only time without a laundry. The QM2 and the Airbnb rentals will all have a self service laundry. This is our first time on Seabourn. When we started planning this holiday we saw the other Seabourn ships had a laundry and though this ship would. Anyway, if this the worst thing that happens it should still be a great trip.

We are starting to pack for a mid July cruise on Seabourn Encore. Does anyone have a update on the self service laundry. There has been various reports ranging from they have the machines on board and are working on the room to install them. Then other reports of it will be 1-3 years from now before they will be installed. If someone is on board now or within the past month please share you thoughts/observations.

We have been on the QM2 each of the past seven years. Last year in July there were several(5-7?)broken chairs. This was a improvement from the two prior years.

Yes, the small hard to find box does work. It will result in a VAT refund. I have used it two times.

Well that is a very ambitious plan. It is my opinion that the best option would be the old port area, then the train up to Notre Dame. The port is a large and it takes about 40 minutes from ship to outside port gate. Most cruise lines do not have a free shuttle to the gate. The train is a tourist train and easy to spot from old port area. IIRC 5€ each.

I just received this message from Seabourn. It is good news! "We are happy to advise you that a launderette will be added to the Seabourn Encore in the future. The project is currently in the design phase and we will provide an update to our guests as soon as possible.

Until the launderette is available we continue to offer our guests dry cleaning, pressing, and full laundry service for a nominal charge."

Nice video!

This is a part of a email reply that I got from Seabourn. I asked if there would be a laundry starting in July. "In response to your question regarding the availability of self-serve laundry facilities on board the Encore, we have discontinuation of self-serve laundry facilities on our newest ship.We understand this has been a convenient feature for some of our travelers. In determining the most beneficial way to utilize space on our new ships we kept in mind that the majority of our guests prefer to spend their time on board relaxing, socializing or enjoying the activities and entertainment provided. Therefore, we opted to eliminate the self-serve laundry in favor of offering more inviting spaces for our guests to enjoy" I guess no self service on the two ships. This makes sad.

We have done seven or eight TA crossing on the QM2. On some crossing it is Tux with hand tied bow-ties on formal night and ties with jackets on informal nights. Other times 70% dark suits on formal night and 70% jacket without ties on informal night. The dreaded jeans occasionally appear in casino after 10 PM.

You are kind to call the retreat a innovation. I consider it a disincentive to cruise on this ship.

Has any one seen in writing that they will indeed have a laundry on the Encore sometime in July. I sent a email to Guest Relations on January 11 and have not heard from them.

Yes, it seems that information about the Seabourn Encore is very limited. Their website has had few updates on this ship. This close to sailing I would expect photos of many areas. We sail on her July 2017

We will be there in 2 weeks. The reviews I saw put location, room, and service above average. For about $100/night I think it should be a winner.

I am using a iPad and site is still not fixed. I called them and was advised to delete all web history and cookies. I hate to throw out the cookies that identify me on 10 or 15 web sites just to take care of princess and IT incompetence

If you are downtown Southampton the Bank of Scotland usually give the best ATM rate. Not all ATM are equal!

A taxi from Manhattan to Red Hook is a real problem. A car service should work much better. If , if you get a good taxi it will be about $10 less, but a bad taxi takes it will take an extra hour more and an extra $10.There is a $10 bus to from from EWR to grand central I think a car is the way to go. EWR to Red Hook. It will take 1.5 hrs to 2 hrs. As stated above do one great stop in Manhattan on the way to ship