JPH814

23 hours ago, markham said:

“Victim” sounds a bit dramatic. Maybe “complainant” is appropriate?
 

It seems to me they want to know what to do this time and probably how to avoid experiencing the same problem next time.
 

Do you have a suggestion for the poster? Mine is/was use a resourceful TA going forward.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

You are suggesting a solution to a problem different than the problem identified .

I believe the  OP want’s Seabourn to be aware of a problem with the seabourn staff that booked their hotels seabourn. I would hope Seabourn would want this feedback.  The OP asks how best to give that feedback 

you suggest how to keep this from happening in the future - by using a travel agent.   Probably good advice, but not on point.  
 

By the  way, I find an email to a corporate CEO gets the best attention when all else fails. 

I guess all my previous seabourn cruises happened to be ones that would allow me to apply the past guest discount.  This is the first time I ran into it not being applied 

10 minutes ago, SLSD said:

Hmm... That is interesting.  What would be the point of doing the onboard deposit with the promise of 5% discount?  I don't remember being told it was not combinable--but maybe it was there in fine print?  Or was it not?

maybe I was not clear...

Not the on board deposit discount.  I was referring to the 5% discount for past passengers.

Maybe I am going nuts....wasn't there a discount for past passengers?  Or am I confusing that with another cruise line.

I just booked a cruise for august of 2024 under the “A sail to remember” promotion. 10% off the regular price.  I was told I would not receive the 5% past guest discount.  Is this a new policy or have I not paid attention in the past?  

I am not a "noob" - to cruising or Seabourn (you can see my signature.   We (my wife and I) have used ship sponsored excursions and have booked my own privately. 

I agree that the quality of private touring is so much better.  But it is not necessarily less expensive  - unless we share with another couple.  We sometime travel with others and in that case it is a good deal. 

With private, we hop in a car and go off, spend as much time or as little at a stop and often custom fit the day to our desires. 

With a Seabourn excursion, you wait for 20 people to board the bus.  You spend X minutes at a stop - no more and no less.  The schedule invariably includes time at the gift shop.  You make time for 20 people to use the bathrooms.  The transportation is usually fine (comfortable bus).  The guides have been good, rarely great, occasionally blah.  And you do get what you pay for.

Having said that, we continue to book some excursions through Seabourn.  The more exotic or "back woods" the port is, the less inclined I am to book something on my own. Also, if I am just looking for a 2 or 3 hour trip around town to see the sights, Seabourn is fine  But for most major countries and ports, we have been very successful booking through Tours by Locals.  We will tend to book a full day - 8 hours or more - of a local guide who knows the area well.  

Let me provide an opposing view to most.

I often prefer DJs to live music. Some of you may prefer Twisted Sister or Led Zeppelin. Others may prefer Frank Sinatra or Broadway tunes.  Show me the trio or quartet who can do justice to both.  Do I want a lounge singer doing In Da Gadda Da Vida?  Or a Rock band doing Send in the Clowns?  

2 hours ago, robertmartha said:

JPH - completely understand. I was checking constantly for our other two cabins - our adult daughters and their SO's on their first Seabourn cruise - so of course I had told them about the tab and they of course thought how fabulous it would be ! But as I said all was made good within an hour of embarkation. And the fridge stayed very well stocked for all of them for the week ! For the wife and I - all we drank was the Pellegrino...never even opened anything else that had been stocked. Unless someone spends a lot of time in the cabin - anything we needed was available in the colonnade, the pool deck, bars, restaurants, etc. I definitely indulged more then I would at home ... but it is vacation !

I did get a bit nervous when I didn't recall finishing one night in the club with an espresso martini though! 😨 !

I enjoy a cocktail in the room while my wife finishes getting dressed in the evening,,,,And she has ben known to have a glass then as well.  

We are on the fifth deck and love the aft pool.  So rarely used  it is like my own private oasis.  Only problem the cocktail servers never make it around to there.  So I will bring a cocktail with me.  

22 minutes ago, robertmartha said:

JPH814

 

A lot of folks have posted that the tab on the registration page has been "down" / blank / 404 Error (I believe) for quite some time. We had 3 cabins on a sailing two weeks ago - our cabin when I registered all the other tabs - it worked and was filled in from our previous sailing. The other two cabins were never able to complete that tab. Just told our room stewardess' on embarkation when they stopped by to introduce themselves. We were 3 cabins in a row and were "toasting" the start of the cruise when they stopped by - so made it easy all around !

 

Bob

thanks Bob.  You are right.  My experience with Seabourn is that all will be well.  If the fridge is not set up when we arrive, it will be made right in very short order.  
 

it is just my OCD Ess worrying about it 100 days before the cruise. 

Has something changed with Seabourn?  

I have a cruise in September.  I have completed my online registration (passport info, flights, etc.)  But the tab that says "Preferences" is blank. I seem to recall that this is where I would tell them things like what kind of booze and other drinks I want in my suite, how I want the bed arranged (queen vs 2 singles) etc.  Is this something that I will just do as we get closer to sailing?  My last cruise (October of 2022) I recall being able to fill this out when I did the registration.

This is not to be confused with the Seabourn Club benefits (free laundry and shore excursion discount) that I already successfully selected.

Wow...this thread has take some weird tangents.  

Back to the original question:

• I booked my September 2023 cruise with a travel agent in November of 2022. 
• In January I booked my first excursions via the website
• In February I booked my TK  Grill Dinner via the website
• I continue to go back to the excursion list because several new ones have been added over the past few months.  In May I booked an excursion that had not been offered when I was looking back in January. 
• I also see that several excursions I booked are no longer listed. I assume that is because they are sold out.  It may also mean that the excursion was cancelled and they have not yet informed me.  (This actually happened to me on a previous cruise....pissed me off!) 
• As an aside, I also booked some private excursions using Tours By Locals in February.  I was concerned because I thought it was too early.  IN emails from the tour guides, they assured me it was not too early ( 7 months ahead) and their calendars were already filling up.  

Your milage may vary. 

I book TK and excursions as soon as I book the cruise and I know what I want to do.  You can always change or cancel. Some will be sold out months before the cruise.  But be warned - new excursions are frequently added so feel free to check back

You can book and and then look for a future “sale”.  Then you can have the price adjusted. 

At 10:30 this morning I sent an email to seabourn asking to apply the stockholder’s credit to my September sailing.  By 2:30 I received an email telling me the on board credit was applied to my account. 
 

Good job Seabourn!  

How rough are the seas on this itinerary?

ok...one post says lunch and dinner.  One post say 6PM to 8PM

one post says "Hot Meat dishes". The other -  menu -  does not mention them

Anyone else care to weigh in and break the tie?

I’ll be on the Ovation in September.  My wife is not an adventurous eater but I am willing to try.some new things. 

Believe it or not, I have never tried sushi.  I would like to try out the sushi restaurant on the Ovation but don’t want to plan a dinner there (which would probably be a dinner for one)

What time is the sushi restaurant open? I’d love to pop in for lunch or an afternoon snack.  Or maybe as a pre-dinner appetizer. 

We enjoy the lecturers - if you consider that entertainment. 

I am more inclined to see a solo singer - whether playing piano or guitar themselves or with a backup band - versus production shows or song and dance stuff.  (Although the fairwell show on our last Quest cruise was really good)  This can be in the small bars/lounges or on the big stage.  We were on a  cruise with Judy Carmichael.  She was tremendous.  We also have enjoyed solo pianists/singers on Holland America (SHOCKING I AM SURE!) .  One guy named Sir Stryker was extremely entertaining.  

On 3/12/2023 at 4:53 AM, dalliowner said:

The old saying "you can please some of the people sum of the time " etc etc

I prefer: "De gustibus non est disputandum"

Deck 5 is my favorite.  Low i the ship makes for less movement.  I love the easy access tot he pool at the back of deck 5.  It is a frequently forgotten spot.  small pool and hot tub.  I can not tell you how many times i was the only one in the pool

By the way, as of today Carnival stock is down to under $10.  That means you can get this credit for an "investment" of under $1000.  The stock itself is not that good of an investment.  But if you take even a 7 day cruise that is a 10%, tax free "dividend" .  

I think sometimes it is better to have a little bit of sourness in the anticipation.  More than likely the trip will exceed your expectations and you will be thrilled.  When you anticipate everything will be perfect, you will start to notice the few flaws much more quickly.

3 hours ago, JHLH821 said:

 

I saw this site.  But there are multiple locations in the region for ships.  I was looking for a rather specific address so I can arrange for a driver pick up. This site does not seem to specify.  

I have been to Bordeaux on a river cruise and the ship docked pretty much in the center of the city.  Does anyone know where the Seabourn Ovation will dock September 30- October 1?

I have been to Bordeaux on a river cruise and the ship docked pretty much in the center of the city.  Does anyone know where the Seabourn Ovation will dock September 30- October 1?

My wife and I are planning to book this cruise for the Spring of 2024.  We would book an "Owners Suite" (since I am a big guy and appreciate a little extra room.)  Does anyone have an opinion of which of these ships to pick? 

The room sizes seem about the same.  Akll three have cabins that are facing front,   but wonder if the Pilot House would obstruct the forward view on the Song and Harmony.  I think I like the Pride since it has a smaller passenger capacity.  And the price of the Pride is a bit less - we could save about $1000. But the Song and Harmony are significantly newer ships.

Anything else I should consider.