ivyleaguegent

The cheeseburgers. The best I have ever had on a cruise ship. 

I have never used a cruise line's air program before but the business class airfare for an upcoming Regent cruise I am planning is 1/3 of what it would be if purchase directly from the airline. Are the airlines chosen by Regent usually major air carriers as opposed to startup or discount carriers? Do they choose nonstop flights when available? If a nonstop flight is not available do they choose flights with the least amount of stops?

Thank you.

2 hours ago, kjbacon said:

We were on the Quest just before you were and it was a disappointment for us. We far prefer Regent for being all inclusive, better shorex, service, food, wine, cabins, and public venues … everything!

 

We have an upcoming booking on the Mariner so this caught my eye. Why do you prefer Splendor so decisively over Mariner?

Just booked the Mariner for next summer. I had met four different couples traveling separately while on the Quest who had sailed on Regent within the past six months. All four couples strongly preferred  the Regent. 

Hello,

We are Crystal refugees looking for a new home.  Just got off of a 12 day cruise on Seabourn Quest (we posted a thorough review on the Seabourn CC Board).  We are in the process of booking our next cruise to Europe on either Silversea or Regent and would appreciate any comparison of Regent (particularly the Navigator) to Silversea and Seabourn from folks who were recently on one of those lines and are frequent or infrequent Regent cruisers.

Thank you.

1 hour ago, alexander51 said:

We were on the Quest, Dover to New York, and while the service noticeably improved just over those weeks, I was reminded of the answer I got when I joined a company and asked how many worked there: "About half." Actually, it wasn't that the waitstaff wasn't working hard, it was that half were experienced and smart (including Vanessa!) and half were clearly inexperienced and struggling. They lacked the traditional Seabourn radar to scan the tables and anticipate needs (like refilling water or wine, or spotting guests who couldn't even place an order) and they didn't attempt many of the flourishes of old. (When my wife left the table briefly once and a waiter quickly replaced her used napkin with a new folded one, it was a one-time reminder of days of yore: not necessary, of course, but part of what was once the wow factor in luxury cruising and missing since the pandemic.) We still had a great time and are returning to Quest in January, but I hope the steady increase toward normal staffing levels during our cruise and continued training will keep edging the line closer to what it was pre-Covid. I thought the middle management supervisors were also a mixed bag, from those who pitched in when needed, remembered guests, and anticipated needs, to those who didn't seem to supervise (or help) very much. Sometimes they just seemed to be staring at the sky. I called them bird watchers.

I will be very interested to hear about your experience in January.

1 hour ago, Mr Luxury said:

Seabourn are well aware of the problems that the Quest has been having and they have sent key personnel to put things right.

The other ships in the fleet have had no such problems.

The hospitality industry is lacking in workers at present and most establishments on land or at sea are having some adjustment to their working life.

I suppose that we all must be patient while everything gets up to speed.

It appears that SilverSea, Regent, and the other Seabourn ships have already made the necessary adjustments, and as you state Seabourn has known about the problems aboard the Quest for months.  It had no problem charging a premium cost for a far from premium product.  Frankly, it should give all of the passengers on the Dover to Montreal leg and the Montreal to NY leg a partial voucher for a future cruise considering the level of service (or lack thereof).

DW and I just returned from a 12 day cruise to the Canadian maritime provinces on the Seabourn quest. This was our first cruise on the Seabourn line. Prior to COVID we frequently cruised on SilverSea and Crystal.

The ship was beautifully designed, very well-maintained, and immaculate. The standard balcony cabin was materially larger than the same cabin on Crystal. It was well designed and had a surprisingly large amount of storage before including the walk-in closet. The bathroom was relatively spacious with dual sinks, walk-in shower, and a separate full-size tub (I would rather have omitted the tub and made a larger shower or had a larger tub/shower combination with a glass door but that's just one person's preference). The main pool area had 2 whirlpool tubs and a pool with a substantial surrounding sun shelf. Again, really well designed. There was an outdoor area aft of deck five that had two smaller whirlpools and a small pool as well as chaise lounges,  couches and chairs. Very few people ever used this area and was like having the ship to ourselves.

The cruise director, JP, and the assistant cruise director, Olivia, were energized, engaging, and always helpful. I am not generally a fan of shows on cruise ships but the production singers and dancers were excellent and the trio, the cruise band, and the guitarist/keyboardist at the Observation Bar were very good. The lecturers, a husband and wife team of physics professors at a Canadian university, were interesting.

The food was good but not great, similar to SilverSea but a step down from Crystal. However, I do not expect cruise ship food to be the level of a Michelin starred restaurant on land. The food at the TK Restaurant was a step above the  Dining Room. The food selection at the Dining Room, the Colonnade, and  Earth and Ocean should have been substantially larger. I am far from a wine connoisseur but some of my fellow passengers who are commented that both the complementary and premium wine lists were deficient for an ultra-premium cruise line. There was not one German Riesling (the only wine I drink) on either the standard or premium wine lists which was surprising given that the cruise director is German. Both SilverSea and Crystal had a number of German Rieslings on their complementary wine list. I ended up buying several bottles of Riesling in port and carrying them back and forth to dinner which made for some interesting looks from our fellow passengers. Hopefully they thought I was a wine snob and not an alcoholic… lol.

Unfortunately, the service throughout the ship was abysmal (with the exception of my two cabin stewardesses who were excellent). Dirty appetizer dishes remained on the table for one half hour at a time in the Dining Room. It required semaphore flags (note the nautical reference) to attract a waiter or a busboy. This was somewhat alleviated towards the end of the cruise when a server named Vanessa, who should be immediately promoted, was moved from the Earth and Ocean to the Dining Room. She was excellent, attentive, engaging, and remembered my drink preferences from the prior evenings. Of course I commented to the Dining Room manager on how well Vanessa was performing and requested a table in her section each night thereafter.  There were three hour periods on numerous days where no clean pool towels were brought to the pool. Again, it took semaphore flags to waive down a server at the pool to get a drink.  None of the pool servers remembered my standard drink from one day to the next. This was not my experience on either SilverSea or Crystal where the dining room staff and pool severs new my preferences by the second day of the cruise.

Our opinion regarding the service was shared by many passengers we spoke with. One couple who had over 500 days cruising with Seabourn stated that the service was the worst of any of their cruises. This is not a COVID issue since that same couple had concluded a Seabourn cruise on another ship just three days prior to this cruise and stated that the service on that ship was equal to their pre-COVID cruises. Three couples I spoke with, who were not cruising together, cruised on Regent within three months of this cruise and stated that the service was equal to or better than the service on Regent pre-COVID.

Odds and ends:

The hamburgers and iced tea on the ship were the best I have ever had on a cruise line. The bath towels were tiny and thin unbefitting an ultra-premium cruise line, although the pool towels were nice. When the band was set up on the pool deck for sail-away parties it was set up between the whirlpools and they were closed at that time. One of my favorite things to do on a cruise ship when leaving port is to watch the scenery go by from a whirlpool. The band should have been set up in a different location. The last night of the cruise was a "parade of officers." I thought this was bogus and reminded me of the parade of servers with trays of baked alaska on their heads that occur on mass-market cruise ships. The dance floor at the Club was far too small. We enjoyed interacting with our fellow passengers and made a number of new friends who we will definitely keep in contact with.

3 hours ago, JodiandFrank said:

Oh, no!!!  Our hotels are a block from each other so I’ll scout the neighborhood for someplace good.  Worse comes to worse we’ve got the hotels.

    Any chance your initials are LL???

Hugs, Jodi

Check Facebook Messenger. 

6 hours ago, JodiandFrank said:

We are doing a “Beyond the Bagel” tour and visiting all the famous bagel spots in Montreal that morning…for four hours!!  Montreal is very proud of their bagels!  But, how about meeting on Sunday morning?  Check out “Olive Et Gourmando”.  Supposed to be a great place for breakfast…..

It says on it’s website that the dining room is presently closed and the Internet says the restaurant is closed on Sunday even for takeout.

35 minutes ago, JodiandFrank said:

Not sure how to give you my info without posting it for the world to see!  What time on Friday do you arrive?  What hotel will you be at?  

We arrive at the airport at 6:00 pm.  We are staying at the Sofitel.  Perhaps meet for breakfast Saturday morning at one of our hotels?

3 hours ago, JodiandFrank said:

Are you on the Montreal to NYC Cruise?  We leave Friday for 3 nights in Montreal before boarding the 12 night cruise…  We have used the laundry bag in the past and paid the $50.  Definitely worth it!  
if we are on the same cruise, let’s meet in Montreal for a coffee (or more!).  We are staying at the Ritz Carlton and should be arriving Friday morning at 10:30am into YUL from LGA if all goes well…..

JodiandFrank,

Yes, we are on that cruise and will be arriving in Montreal this Friday evening.  Would love to connect.  I tried sending a private message on this board but received a "Feature disabled" error message.

Thoughts?

Gentle Cruise Critic Members,

Your thoughts would be much appreciated.  We will be cruising for 12 days and staying at the embarkation city 3 nights prior to the cruise.  We do not have the complementary laundry service.  Would you pack for the entire trip assuming that laundry is never done or pack assuming that you will send laundry out to the ship at least once during the cruise.

Thank you for your input.

Gentle Cruise Critic Members,

Your thoughts would be much appreciated.  We will be cruising for 12 days and staying at the embarkation city 3 nights prior to the cruise.  We are first time Seabourn cruisers and therefore do not have the complementary laundry service.  Would you pack for the entire trip assuming that laundry is never done or pack assuming that you will send laundry out to the ship at least once during the cruise.

Thank you for your input.

Good afternoon,

Are there refrigerators in the Sky Suites on the Apex?

Thank you.

Good evening,

Is there dancing before and/or after dinner and if so where?  What activities are offered on sea days?

Thank you.

If there are open cabins when the ship sails does Seabourn have any type of program for upgrading cabins?

If there are open cabins when the ship sails does Seabourn have any type of program for upgrading cabins?

Good evening,

What has the occupancy rates been on the ships for the past several months?

Thank you.

On 7/17/2022 at 7:51 PM, labonnevie said:

Excellent, so there will be at least 20 passengers on board!😊

Could you join the roll call?

I joined the roll call on Facebook but very few others have.  I would be happy with on a ship with only 20 passengers.........LOL.

We are also doing Montreal to NYC.

The pre-bankruptcy Crystal Cruise Line is gone. Period.  What made Crystal the favorite ultra premium cruise line of many (including me) was the outstanding food, service, and ambiance.  A & K bought 2 outdated ships (with the smallest cabins in the market segment), a trade name, and a mailing list.  It did not, and could not, buy  the outstanding food, service, and ambiance.  Whether the "new" Crystal Cruise Line will equal or exceed its predecessor is anyone's guess.  However, if it doesn't live up to the expectation of the Crystal loyalists it will not be a success.  With the operations of the "new" Crystal contracted to vShips and the folks who ran the hotel side of the "old" Crystal scattered to the four winds I am not sanguine that the "new" Crystal will equal its prior incarnation.

That said, I will not give up cruising simply because the old Crystal no longer exists.  I am excited about my upcoming first trip on Seabourn and will endeavor not to compare evert minute aspect of it to Crystal.

Good afternoon,

Is there an iPhone dock that allows music to be played from an iPhone or does the TV have this ability in V2 suites on the Quest?

Thank you.

Hello again,

How many power outlets are in the V Suites on the Quest and what type are the outlets (US or European)?

Thank you.

My bad.  The ship is the Quest, not the Encore.

Good afternoon,

First time Seabourn cruisers (Crystal refugees). Is there dancing on the Encore and if so when and where?

Thank you.