DC Traveler244

Agree with previous posts — unanticipated things happen in port. It could be anything from local pilots or customs personnel arriving late, malfunctioning gangways or equipment for offloading baggage. We’ve seen all of these happen on disembarkation days. These delays are outside Seabourn’s control, and make for very unpleasant end-of-cruise memories for passengers who cut things close.

Once on Seabourn, we were scheduled on a late morning flight. We made our flight, but it was very stressful and we’d would never do it again.

Save yourself avoidable stress: don’t book an outbound flight that departs before early afternoon.

We've liked Deck 11 on the Encore and Ovation -- the Observation Bar is just down the hall (like a neighborhood pub). It's nice to be able to pop in for early-morning coffee or an after-dinner drink, and the hall tends to get little traffic.

The only downside: it is a bit of a hike to get to Seabourn Square and the Colonnade.

I've found that the roasted chicken is consistently excellent. Though it's described as serving two people, it could easily be shared by three.

I've also found that the the steak (huge portion -- enough for two) and lobster thermadore are consistently very good.

I tried the kurubota pork chop once -- I wouldn't order it again.

Here are answers to some of your questions:

1. Are the cabin outlets US or European or both? How many per V5 suite? (I’m wondering if I need to pack adapters and/or a power strip.). Both types of outlets are available. We bring a charging “hub” so we can charge multiple electric devices simultaneously, but not a power strip.
   
2. How good are the hair dryers (powerful or gutless)? Are diffuser & concentrator attachments included? The hair dryers are decent, but not salon quality. Sometimes the concentrator attachment has gone missing. Ask your stewardess to track on down if there isn’t a concentrator in your suite. I’ve never seen diffusers in the suites.
   
3. Is the vanity mirror a magnifying mirror? Is there adequate light for putting on makeup? No — the vanity mirror isn’t magnified. I bring a small magnifying mirror that attaches to the vanity mirror via suction cups. The light in the vanity is good.
   
4. 
   
   
5. Is there a retractable clothesline at the tub? (I believe I saw one in a suite video I watched.) yes.
   
6. Can I request a coffee maker (Nespresso or Keurig) for in our V5 suite? If so, how? Not to my knowledge. I would love it if they were available.
   

Hello NJ Belle. We aboard as well (joined in Barcelona). I agree with your assessment of what’s different on Ovation vs. Encore.

Additional issue I’ve noticed: there are no outdoor heaters in the Patio area, which means that it’s sometimes quite chilly eating at Earth &Ocean in the evening. I’ve commented on this to F&B management, and been told that they will be installed at a later date. It was unclear whether this was a deliberate choice, or just didn’t get done before the official launch.

In any event, passengers who enjoy al fresco dining, should pack an extra sweater. Also remember that staff will provide blankets upon request.

On a different topic — agreed that today’s visit to St. Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly was delightful. Looking forward to Dartmouth tomorrow.

We’re on the Ovation now, and stopped in Malaga earlier this month. We opted against the Alhambra tour because of the long bus ride it involved.

We stayed in the city and there are museums, great restaurants, Roman ruins and Moorish fortifications to explore. In the late afternoon, the ship arranged for a flamenco group to come aboard — an excellent performance.

So, take heart: even if you don’t get to the Alhambra, you’ll have a most enjoyable day in Malaga.

We’re on the Ovation now and have dined at Earth & Ocean twice. We really enjoyed it. The menu is limited, but we found the food options interesting and well prepared. The service is much more attentive and personal than we’ve encountered in the Colonnade and MDR.

Yesterday, we received the latest issue of the Seabourn Herald. Inside was a brochure re a 2019 93-day grand oceans exploration. I noted that the longer legs of this extended voyage include a "complimentary unlimited internet package per suite."

Note that this is per suite, not per passenger.

I'n not sure why this is happening to you. When I went through the screens to complete the e-pass info and clicked "save and continue," I was prompted to enter onboard preferences (pillow type, minibar contents, etc). When I completed that info and clicked "save and continue," I landed on a screen that had three print options: print e-pass, print final documents, and print preliminary documents.

But, in any event, you really don't need the e-pass to board: as long as the complete information is in Seabourn's system, they'll just need your signature at disembarkation. The staff who check you in have laptops and and pull up the info you've already entered. I suspect that they tell you to bring a hard copy of the e-pass in case there's a computer problem in port.

We were on a Seabourn Alaska cruise last August. We didn’t need windproof gloves. Be brought lightweight synthetic gloves, and they were fine for shore excursions and zodiac rides.

If you’re planning to kayak, then you definitely want something more substantial and water-resistant.

Agree with the others' comments. While there are formal-optional nights, black-tie attire is not required in the main dining room (though Seabourn encourages men to wear a suit or jacket and tie in the MDR on those nights).

Even when my husband has brought a tuxedo, I haven't brought a gown -- just dressy cocktail attire. I've only seen women in true ball gowns a handful of times (over Christmas/NYE cruises). Full-length gowns are the exception, not the norm.

Do bear in mind that you don't have to dine in the MDR on formal-optional nights. As others have pointed out, there are other, less formal, dining venues available.

So -- for flexibility re dining venues, I'd advise bringing a blazer/sports jacket, a couple of dress shirts, and a tie. Your wife will feel fine with a LBD (or comparable) and some dressy accessories.

I like the planned size of the RC vessels -- I've been unhappy that SB is trending larger and larger.

The RC itineraries aren't very interesting to me (although there seem to be more overnights in port than is typical on SB voyages). I think, however, that the itineraries will appeal to new cruisers, and that the shorter itineraries will be popular with guests who are working rather than retired.

You might want to post your question on Trip Advisor's Belfast forum -- you'll reach a wider audience, and there probably will be local experts who respond to questions.

Additional suggestion — if you’re going to travel after disembarkation, be sure the luggage shipping company is aware of this: otherwise, your bags could arrive home before you do!

We’ve used Luggage Forward several times. They’re expensive, but reliable.

Do pay attention to the restrictions on what can be shipped, especially internationally. If they say “no alcohol” that includes products like mouthwash. “Medications” includes over-the-counter products like aspirin.

Important: when disembarking in some international ports, we’ve had to claim all our bags, take them through customs, and then hand over the ones were shipping to the LF rep who’s waiting on the other side. Not convenient, especially for passengers who have difficulty handling heavy bags.

In other ports, the bags are collected on ship — you don’t see them until they’re delivered post-cruise.

I'm saddened to learn of this. We sailed with Captain Larsen to Antarctica a few years ago. It's a sudden and great loss for his family, friends, and crew.

Like many SB passengers who'd sailed with Captain Larsen, I was teary-eyed reading about his final departure from the Quest.

Dutchies47 and sfvoyage -- Thanks for the helpful (and reassuring) information. This is really useful to know.

My husband and I are booked on back-to-back Ovation cruises starting in mid-May. Unfortunately, by the time we booked, there were no suites available for both legs. So, we're booked in two different suites.

It's possible that a cancellation will allow us to stay in a single suite for both cruises. But, in case that doesn't happen, I'd like to know how Seabourn addresses guests in this situation. When I've had to move in a hotel, it was painless -- the hotel moved everything except the contents of the safe -- we didn't have to pack and unpack.

Does anyone have experience moving suites on a Seabourn ship?

Thanks!

Galeforce9 — a quick clarification about my previous post: the Canopy isn’t inspiring, but it iwas quieter than the centrally located Radisson, where we stayed on previous visits. We found the Canopy staff very helpful and pleasant. The hotel is newish, and very sleek/minimalist. It seems to have been designed with Millennials as its target customers. Though we’re not of that demographic group, we were content there for two nights.

We stayed in the Canopy by Hilton for two nights last summer. It's conveniently located but on a quiet side street. We didn't encounter any noise problems from the street. However, our room was on an upper floor, and faced toward the water -- you may want to request a similar room if you book there.

We were in 1015 on a holiday cruise a couple years ago, and I'd had concerns about its proximity to the Observation Bar and the elevators (it was the only PH available, so we grabbed it).

We were never bothered by elevator sounds. In the evening (cocktail time and post-dinner), we sometimes heard a faint buzz of conversation, but it wasn't bothersome. The OB closes promptly at midnight, and we found that guests didn't congregate in the hall outside the bar, or around the elevators (even on NYE).

So, while this suite clearly isn't ideal, it's not bad.

Carolyn, Chairsin expressed it well. We're hoping that you have a scenic and enjoyable cruise when you reach Vancouver. You most definitely deserve it!

Looking forward to your blog posts!

best,

Anne

A can highly recommend the floatplane trip we took in Prince Rupert. We were blessed with clear weather, and flew over some absolutely spectacular Canadian wilderness: glaciers, endless mountains, waterfall, mountain goats, eagles. We even spotted humpback whale: the entire length of its body was visible just below the surface.

We booked this floatplane excursion through Seabourn, and it was a jaw-dropping experience.

Regarding Anan creek: we too had a wonderful bear-watching experience, but we were told that the salmon that were attracting the bears were nearing the end of their run. So, it's worth checking whether the salmon (and bears) will still be around, and what will be done if they aren't (will you get a refund? Will they substitute another excursion?).

Also, note that there were two different Seabourn tours that went to Anan. The one we booked was a Ventures tour. It was supposed to be limited to 10 people and have a photographer on hand to offer suggestions re photographing wildlife. It cost $699 per person and lasted 7 hours.

We were extremely unhappy to discover that there were 15 guests on this tour, and that there was no photographer offering advice. Needless to say, I do not recommend booking this tour.

There were two other Seabourn tours that went to Anan. These tours were shorter (5 hours, I think), and cost $399 per person. Ironically, the groups on these two tours were much smaller than on our Ventures tour (which had 50% more guests than it was supposed to and cost $300 more per person).

Bottom line, if there are still bears at Anan (which I hope there are), I'd go with the shorter Seabourn excursion.

We did one zodiac tour in Alert Bay BC, on September 8. It was a wonderful finale to our cruise: beautiful scenery, humpback whales spouting, porpoises frolicking around the zodiacs, sea lions and seals.

We didn't do any catamaran trips. The secondhand reports I heard were mixed. Some passengers felt that they didn't get close enough to glaciers/waterfalls/animals. Others were okay with them.

Hope you made it to Vancouver!