DCCruiser57

From Wikipedia -- The strip steak is a cut of beefsteaks from the short loin from a cow. It consists of a muscle that does little work, the longissimus, making the meat particularly tender; although not as tender as the nearby psoas major or tenderloin. Fat content of the strip is somewhere between the two cuts. Unlike the tenderloin, the longissimus is a sizable muscle, allowing it to be cut into larger portions.

According to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the steak is marketed under various names, including Ambassador Steak, Boneless Club Steak, Hotel-Style Steak, Kansas City Steak, New York Steak, and Veiny Steak.

In New Zealand and Australia, it is known as Porterhouse and Sirloin (striploin steak) and can be found in the Handbook of Australian Meat under codes 2140 to 2143.

In the UK and Ireland it is called sirloin.

In Canada, most meat purveyors refer to this cut as a strip loin; in French it is known as contre-filet.

It's referred to as the thermal pass which has an indoor area that includes heated loungers, a knippe (sp?) pool (hot water on one side and cold water on the other), special saunas and steam rooms along with showers. I believe there is also an outdoor shaded area. The area is directly under the penthouse spa suites. My recollection is the daily rate is about $30 per couple, but if you book it for the entire cruise, I believe it's about $20 per day per couple. That said, they may have increased the price. If you book a spa treatment, you can use this area before and after your treatment.

Markham - great to hear from you. Looking forward very much to your review. Like you we have lots of days and and points with Seabourn (498/600). We are very much Seabourn fans, but are very disappointed that they do no serve lunch in the MDR when in port and during sea days the MDR lunch menu is very limited. SS is light years ahead in terms of the MDR lunch menu during both sea and port days. We only have 208 days on SS, but they are now our go to cruise line. We are booked on the 2018 and 2019 WC trips. If you liked the Whisper, you should try the Wind and/or Cloud as they are very similar to the little sisters, except in our view very much better. Also, in our view, La Terrazza is much better for both lunch and dinner than the Colonnade. Just our opinion. At the end of the day, both are great, and most depends on itinerary.

Silver Spectre - thanks for the info. Good to know they would get you one with a “lightning” connection.

Thanks for the update. Interesting that Special Services told us that the interactive TV system had been installed. The clock I referenced was a silver and cube like with an iPod dock on top. Have a great trip aswe are looking forward to boarding on January 6th. Glad they did some updates and very good to hear the food is up to SS's usual standard.

Has SS fully installed the inactive TV system with on demand movies? What other features are included - menus, shipboard account, shore excursions, etc? Do they still have DVD players in the suites? I believe they used to have a clock with an iPod/iPhone docking station. Do they still have the same clock or did they upgrade it? Have they made any upgrades to fitness center equipment?

Thanks in advance. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Just do a web search. We have used a service with a dark color as part of their name numerous times. Very professional, on time, they text you the driver's name and phone number and then the driver follows up so you can meet promptly. Reasonable cost, about the same as a taxi from Miami to FLL.

witt's end - has SS installed the interactive TV system onboard the Whisper? Do the suites still have a DVD player?

Thanks in advance

Except for day 1, most ships, I believe have a "happy hour" in which you buy one drink and get the second for $2 (used to be only $1). On the Rotterdam last year the HH was 4 to 5 PM in the Crow's Nest and 4 to 5 PM and 10:30 to 11:30 PM in the Ocean Bar. I believe the time and location HH can vary from ship to ship.

Mark - thanks for the update. We got an e-mail from SS since we are on the 2018 WC about the planned drydocks in 2017 and 2018. Any insight as to the enhancements planned for 2018?

Thanks

Mark - thanks for your reply. Very much looking forward to what SS will do for the 2018 WC & the extensive dry dock for 2019. Again compliments to the wine ambassador and also to the chefs for great & varied menus. We are Seabourn fans, but SS is way ahead with MDR lunch & dinner menu selections.

We are on the Equinox in sky suite 2148. The suite is under the Oceanview bar and the constant noise of folks dragging chairs and tables is horrible. It starts early (6:00 am or so) as we are under the smoking section and lasts all day. No afternoon naps possible.

Mark - disappointing that you have not answered my questions.

We have 496 days on Princess, 121 days on Holland America, and 21 days on Celebrity. We also have 498 days on Seabourn and 207 days on Silversea. There is no comparison between the mainstream cruise and the luxury lines. Cabins (suites) are larger, service way better and excellent food. Also, SS and Seabourn will prepare any meal you would like with 24 hours notice, excellent free liquor and complimentary wine - Seabourn also offers anytime caviar. We have also sailed on RCL, NCL, Crystal, and Carnival. Our current go to line is SS, just like the ships, service, and food. We love the Silver Wind, and have done the 2016 Whisper WC, are doing the 2018 Whisper WC and also the 2019 Whisper WC. That said, we love the 57 day Sojourn Japan, China, and Alaska cruise we took in April/May 2017. That said , SS and Seabourn cannot compete with the mainstream cruise lines in relation to entertainment. That said, Seabourn and SS both have excellent enrichment lectures during the day with very well know individuals.

I forgot the link, but recently read SS had options for 3 new "Muse" class ships in 2020, 2022, & 2023, so this really confirms that that article.

Mark - I recently read that SS has options for 3 more new "Muse" ships - 2020, 2022, & 2023. Will SS exercise those options and what time frame might that be announced?

Could you provide some information regarding the Whisper in terms of future upgrades. We are going on the 2018 WC and have reserved the 2019 WC. We were on the 2014 WC and found the technology on board to be way outdated (on demand TV, lack of outlets, USB charging ports, etc). We also found that the fitness center was also outdated, especially with the poor quality TechnoGym equipment. Investments in high quality fitness equipment, such as Precor, LifeFitness, Cybex, should be made. On the flip side, we found the service and food to be outstanding. We also found the complimentary wines to be very good - kudos to the SS wine ambassador. Keep up the good work.

My experience would suggest that the FCC has a one year time limit and must be used on one cruise.

RCl's website advisory states that the FCC must be applied to a future cruise within 30 days. See the following link.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/itineraryUpdates.do?cS=NAVBAR&pnav=3&snav=10

As of yesterday afternoon, according to the crew, no change has been announced yet. I'll ask this morning at Sunset to see if they have any new information. It does appear all the staff however is aware of the storm.

 

 

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From September 4th roll call

Tentative update, from RC/Celeb's chief meteorologist via Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/JamesVanF...207683/photo/1

This is his account:

https://mobile.twitter.com/JamesVanF...Ctwgr%5Eauthor

We have been to Mumbai twice with Seabourn (2014 WC and a 60 day Odyssey cruise in 2015). My recollection is they did not offer any one day trips to the Taj - only 3 or 4 night overland journeys in which you flew to Delhi, took a bus to Agra, and also a bus to Jaipur. Don't recall, but probably departed from Cochin and returned to Mumbai - pretty expensive ~ $4,000 PP.

On our 2016 Silver Whisper WC, SS chartered an Air India plane, flew all WC guests to Agra where we toured the Taj, had lunch, and flew back to Mumbai - it was a long day, but was very worthwhile. And best of all it was a complimentary WC event. In addition SS also offered an overland journey that included the Taj, Agra and Jaipur at a cost of $3,999 PP.

I am not a wine connoisseur as evidenced by once sampling DOM and thought it was terrible. I'm wondering if you or another poster could recommend a good white and red from the complimentary list to accompany dinner.

My wife likes Santa Margherita and the Gavi. We both like Oyster Bay. The Wingspan and Petit Chablis aren't too bad. No chardonnays as we are ABC'ers (anything but chardonnay as we do not like the oakiness).

My wife generally does not drink red - I tend to stick to Australian/New Zealand wines. The South African and Chilean/Argentinian aren't too bad.

The above is strictly personal preferences and will probably have little impact on whether or not someone else likes the same wines.

Agree with Chairsin as the sommeliers usually learn what you like/dislike and make recommendations. May times they try to acquire local wines to supplement the list. Also, the list may vary due to availability/supply.

As requested here's the gold/silver list. We always get a gold package since we get a 25% discount Seabourn Club discount. If you don't like the wines, the sommelier will generally allow $99 to $109 wines from the premium wine list to be substituted. Attached is the complimentary wine list from our April/May Sojourn Japan/China/Korea/Alaska cruise. Having trouble uploading the premium wine list - will do separately.

Here's the premium wine list.

Premium Wine List.pdf

Just wondering if the silver and gold package lists are eventually published somewhere? I see the option to pre purchase individual bottles of mid range wines and also the packages but it doesn't let me choose or give me the selection for the packages themselves. I assume it will be released closer to sailing?

As requested here's the gold/silver list. We always get a gold package since we get a 25% discount Seabourn Club discount. If you don't like the wines, the sommelier will generally allow $99 to $109 wines from the premium wine list to be substituted. Attached is the complimentary wine list from our April/May Sojourn Japan/China/Korea/Alaska cruise. Having trouble uploading the premium wine list - will do separately.

Silver-Gold Update.pdf

Complimentary - May 16th.pdf

Markham - will be very interested in your SS vs Seabourn comparisons given your extensive Seabourn experiences. We have nearly 500 days on Seabourn and over 200 on SS. We actually like SS a little better, although both are excellent experiences. We have been on the Whisper 3 times - older than the Odyssey class ships but we like the cabin layout a little better. We did the Sojourn WC in 2014 and the Whisper WC in 2016. Headed back for the 2018 Whisper WC. Just did 57 day Sojourn Japan, Korea, China, and Alaska cruise in April/May.

As you know, SS is privately owned, and they have a wine ambassador who seeks out small vineyards to get the best complimentary wines possible. We find them ahead of Seabourn in this category. Also, SS has much better menu selections for lunch in the MDR than Seabourn does. Unlike the Seabourn Observation Lounge, SS's is just a self service coffee bar/library. In lieu of the Observation Lounge, SS has the aft Panorama Lounge. Whisper has The Bar on deck 5, however, we like The Club far better on the Odyssey class ships. IMO, La Terrazza is a tad better for dinner and has a better ambiance than the Colonnade. Unlike the Seabourn ships, the Whisper has launderettes on decks 4, 6, and 8. If you need more info, let me know. I have scanned copies of menus (lunch, dinner, & Hot Rock), the daily newsletter (Chronicles), and the premium wine list from our January Silver Wind trip.

And then this thread was started on August 25, 2017. What a coincidence!

I was only trying to post information for the OP.