whirldcruzrs

What is cost of martini?

Bonus question: are there blue cheese stuffed olives available?

On 12/10/2023 at 7:56 AM, markandjie said:

There are three of us so we've gotten jackets 4 times... Of that the last two the jackets were identical. Kind of wish Seabourn would give the option to returning cruisers to forego the jacket in favor of OBC, but whatever.

 

We won't keep them forever... Sooner or later will donate them...

You’re so kind. 

On 12/11/2023 at 1:08 PM, DubDublady said:

I totally agree with jjs217. It’s not for anyone to to dictate what or how to donate. I’m feeling guilty myself going on such an expensive cruise that costs more than many people make in a year.

Nothing to feel guilty about if you donate to charities and/or volunteer your time to organizations.It should not be either or - I hope that those of who can do both do both. 

On 12/11/2023 at 9:16 AM, jjs217 said:

I've got a great idea.  Everyone who keeps telling the OP to donate their jackets should cancel their next luxury cruise and donate the cost of said cruise to the homeless.  That would be SO nice.

Who says we don’t do both? And quite a bit more to various charities.Given your suggestion, I would hope you do as well 

if you add it to another massage, you will find it will be easier to book. 

The 18% gratuity was clearly stated AND the nail tech also pointed it out, but she was so good that I added $$ tip.  I hope it goes all to her.  In retrospect, perhaps I should have handed her cash.

14 hours ago, nast said:

How many suitcases can you take on flight Buenos Aires - Ushuaia? 

This is apparently only 1 suitcase per person?

No limit whatsoever - at least from Ushuaia to BA.  Just put outside suite night before. Had what we had for Biz Class which is pretty much unlimited. 

Love seeing my honey in a thong, but he looks good in anything.

7 hours ago, labrasett said:

What a very ill informed comment.   There are and always have been fairly extensive bio security measures around Falklands and South Georgia for cruise passengers and the simple fact is that Avian flu has reached the area (and Antarctica) having been brought to these remote places by migrating birds  which makes it very difficult to exclude the carriage and transmission of this devastating disease.

Mea culpa.  

.

6 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Lets have fun with some math.  Assuming 5 oz wine pours (which we think is close to reality) if one were to have 15 glasses of wine in a day that would be 75 ounces or more than 2 QTs!  If somebody is drink that much wine, most days, they have some problems.  But lets assume they simply have cocktails where the pour is about 1 1/2 ounce.  15 cocktails would be over 16 ounces of booze....and we that is not a good thing.  Even 15 cans of beer is not generally considered a good idea.

I can’t speak for the OP, but with the 15 drink daily limit includes non-alcoholic beverages, if someone drinks 8 to 10 bottled waters, along with some specialty coffee, that leaves 5 to 7 drinks, which is not a whole lot on a cruise if one also drinks at lunch, I would think. I myself have drank 2 glasses of wine at lunch, 2 cocktails at a bar before dinner, 2 wines at dinner, and then an after-dinner drink or two. Not something I do at home, but certainly on a cruise, on a sea day. 

13 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

 

With my Sommelier Wine package, I tell the waiter "when". Customized wine pour to fit every situation. 

Sommelier Wine package and “when” - sounds like an oxymoron. I wouldn’t even let my kids say “when” to a waiter in a restaurant.  

19 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

My first and only meal of the day is dinner and no alcohol until then.

I’m usually in training for some event or other so I must absolutely eat well before dinner to keep up my caloric needs.

On 11/18/2023 at 2:30 AM, Keith1010 said:

You might want to start a thread on why they provide a bathtub. 

 

Why, oh why.  Still trying to figure out what I can do to utilize that otherwise empty space.  

On 10/12/2023 at 6:47 AM, firstforty2012 said:

Sounds like a great time.  Ive looked at Scenic but really need help understanding the value.  Ive taken dozens of cruises on many lines and have settled on Seabourn and Crystal as my go-tos if I can.  To me, they are near perfect.  Then I see Scenic with prices of $1k a night.  Id be interested to know how such a price point makes sense?  You can only drink so much wine.   Thanks

The new Seabourn cruise ships, Venture and Pursuit, are also at the price point of 1K per night.  Service, amenties, small ship, and some passengers do not even drink alcohol.  

6 hours ago, markandjie said:

I had a very disappointing incident with an expedition team member that is far and away the worst I've been treated by any Seabourn employee ever and the apologies I received from the chain of command were tepid at best.

Friends of ours were on the previous voyage and complained to us about one expedition fellow who was, among other descriptors, condescending and seemed to have a chip on his shoulder, and talked negatively about others staff.  Could be the same person as I would hope it was just one person.  

11 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

We also try to eat onshore and experience the local cuisine and people.

 

Ooh, but it’s such a long commute on a sea day.

7 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

The point, of course, is that if someone watched them cook the eggs they would see that they were cooked in a nonstick skillet which is the near universal way eggs are cooked, in both the commercial and home setting.  So his hope that they wouldn't use nonstick pans on a cruise ship indicates a lack of familiarity with the real world.

Could be that Hobar is actually not familiar with cooking in the real world. 

On 11/25/2023 at 5:32 PM, TravelBluebird said:

 

Wow! That was incredible.I’m cruising to Antarctica on HAL this January (so not a full expedition cruise like yours) but I hope to have a moment like this or close to this!  

 

Enjoying your LIVE blog!

How far south does a HAL ship go?Where does it start and end?Does it go through fjords?

Hobar, assuming you mean egg white omlette or egg whites scrambled, just ask the waiter or waitress for it to be dry.

5 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Have you ever watched them cook eggs?

I haven’t but it sounds very exciting. 

On 11/8/2023 at 10:03 PM, Covepointcruiser said:

Once we have to check out of our hotel we will move to the port.   Hopefully Seabourn will provide a place to wait.

There has always found there is a place to wait but recently no need as we always were able to board upon arrival. These are cruise ship terminals so they accommodate the ships by providing waiting areas.  

On 11/8/2023 at 1:56 PM, ephguy said:

My parents are booked on the December 10-17, 2023 Seabourn Ovation cruise from Sint Maarten to Barbados. My mom is very cautious about covid and is planning on only eating in outdoor venues (Colonnade buffet outside seating area, and the poolside dining area (called the Patio for breakfast/lunch and Earth & Ocean for dinner)). She also wants to avoid crowds and indoor areas as much as possible, and is planning on boarding at 2:30 or 3pm on embarkation day, to avoid any rush of people boarding as soon as possible and what seems to be crowded embarkation day lunch.

 

This is my parents’ first cruise. Any tips on avoiding crowds / indoor areas on the Seabourn Ovation? Will they have trouble finding outdoor seating for breakfast and dinner? They are flexible about going at off-peak times. I think they will be off the ship for most lunches, except for the one sea day.

What about open air bars? It seems that the two options are the Patio bar by the pool, and the Sky Bar one floor up. Any tips about these? Do they have live music at any of the outdoor locations? I have heard about the sail away parties with live music outside by the main pool on some nights.

 

Was the pool area that crowded in evenings? Is the deck 5 pool a good alternative if the main pool has too many people? What about other outdoor areas on the ship? It looks like there might be outdoor space on the sides of deck 5. How about the sun terrace on the top deck?

My dad loves sushi. Is it hard getting seating for 1 or 2 in the evenings?

 

Thanks in advance for your advice. Much appreciated.

Covid was rampant on the Ovation for the holiday cruise 2021-2022, fondly named the “Covation” cruise. Our friends were on it. Doubt that Covid is not still present on any cruise but it’s akin to the flu for most people. If your parents are worried, they should wait until it is gone forever, although that day may never come. 

2 hours ago, mnocket said:

This is a real concern for me as I've just recently booked a cruise that includes South Georgia for Jan 2025.  Could this be the beginning of the end for exploration cruises to Antarctica? 

Friends of ours are finishing their cruise in Antarctica now and there is no fly down there. It should remain clean given all the bio safety precautions which the Falkland and South Georgia do not have. 

10 hours ago, gogo65 said:

Ive done Ponant and Silversea, Ponant to Antartica, SS to Svalbard and Ponant North west passage.

We loved Ponant to Antartica and had booked another trip with Ponant that was subsequently cancelled, so we did the SS cruise as a last minute replacement. 

On comparison we felt Ponant was far superior for the lectures, naturalists etc, we also found silver cloud to be quite old and dark, we didnt really see much benefit from having a butler, and to a degree SS had more ‘snobbish’ people onboard, so we thought we would be Ponant people (more Australians onboard so generally a more relaxed feel), we don’t do jackets and gowns and Ponant is definitely more casual.

Fast Forward to 2022 when we did the NW passage with Ponant from Tromso to Nome, 30 days, we had a great group of people, some excellent naturalists (they all freelance and choose what expedition they go on) but it was an absolute mess of a cruise, it was meant to be a NE passage over Russia but was cancelled, it felt like they were making it up as they went (I’ve done a trip report if your interested).

So here i am looking at another expedition and will keep an open mind, it will be down to itinerary and dates, our son is getting married in Mexico in March 2025 so will be based on dates, at this point it will likely be SS (back on cloud), because the itinerary covers more of what we want(Patagonia and the Chilean fjords + Antarctica).

Thank you for taking the time to respond. If you have a link to the report, I would be interested in reading it. Congratulations on your son’s upcoming nuptials.