Techno123

I do like buffets, however, I fully agree with you. After the kerfuffle over hand washing to enter the galley for the galley lunch, the number of passengers sanitising hands on the way into the colonnade was minuscule and not one member of staff was suggesting it might be a good idea. Then again, as adults, surely we shouldn't need someone to remind us to wash our hands before we eat, should we 😜

I would say between 4 and 6 couples by the windows on the day of the sommeliers lunch and a bit more or less on other days BUT that is a passing through count - people could well have come and gone.

We were on the 9th to 23rd July sailing on Ovation, join the Explorer in November and the Nova in 2025. Our first cruise was on Seabourn Odyssey 11 years ago and have sailed with them 4 times now. Perhaps I had Seabourn on a pedestal (first love and all that) but definitely nowhere near the quality of anything this time round. I intend to do a review but our thoughts (in summary) on food. The Colonnade - We do like buffets as I like to try 'tastes' of things. In fairness, after the first couple of days for breakfast we were back to fruit and a piece of toast or croissant. The cold buffet at lunch was nowhere near as good or varied as I remember and the cured meats were cut far too thick. Hot options were generally very good. Went twice in the evening and very happy with the food both times. The main dining room was definitely open for breakfast and lunch but agree, like a ghost town and as we didn't go to eat (only passed through or staff were setting up for next day during end of dinner service) so can't say which days. Dinner varied from excellent to awful (dry chicken and slow braised short ribs like shoe leather) and we didn't get tasty treats in the suite to say sorry. 😜 TK - hated it on Odyssey but went twice to the Grill and some of the best meals we had onboard Earth and Ocean - too cold and wet and Mr Techno refused to eat dinner in his rain coat! Sushi - never had 'proper' sushi before. Marie and June were amazing at guiding us through everything. Preferred the small plates but very much enjoyed the experience. The Sommeliers lunch in the main dining room was fabulous and the galley lunch equally so although it seemed a huge amount of effort for the 'experience' of walking through the galley. What did surprise me was the number of complaints we overheard with Chef Jes or the Restaurant managers being wheeled out to apologise (although we got the manager for poor food and the next night the table next to us got Chef Jes for slow service which didn't quite make sense)

BA do a non stop on the way out to Tokyo but do a shared code with Qatar on the way back from Bangkok which stops in Doha which is a bit more expensive than the Etihad flights (which require us to change planes) but not prohibitively so. I know Regent have offered this in the past and I'm not so fussed about my luggage going missing on the way back 😜

Probably one for UK guests and hoping I can get away without paying a deviation fee Has anyone flown directly from London with Regent to Tokyo and back from Bangkok (also direct) as a standard flight. We currently have these Regent flights from Manchester with Etihad but have to change in the UAE but if we can get direct flights through Regent may consider travelling down to London as less chance luggage will go missing thank you in advance

On the Ovation now and the laundry room does get busy but people have been pretty good at not leaving their stuff in the machines for hours 😜

@2SailingNomads we have a similar saying in the UK 'all fur coat and no knickers' or in Glasgow 'Aw fur coat an nae knickers' which can mean full of air and graces but no substance underneath 😁. @SLSD you are correct re interpretation - in the UK we don't really have 'country clubs' so using that phrase as a description of what to wear means nothing. It works when a description of what is acceptable as a minimum (and what is not) is included rather than using vague terminology then everyone is clear what is expected. Whether they then choose to abide by that is another matter 😜

@Khareef the use of cutlery is very definitely a cultural thing. In the UK most tend to hold fork in left hand, knife in right and cut and eat food as they go along, resting cutlery on plate between mouthfuls 😁 I was intrigued to see others cut all their food up first and then proceed to eat with fork in right hand but realise now after having read various boards - that is correct etiquette where they live.

@markham well Carnival are looking for income generation opportunities so perhaps, like Virgin, a tattoo parlour will be the next amenity offered to Seabourn's guests 😜

@SLSD if he was French, it is apparently compulsory in France to wear Speedo type swimming trunks in a public pool not loose shorts. One needs to wear blinkers to protect one's retinas from permanent destruction 😂😂😂

He absolutely was 😁

Thankyou @SLSD that is reassuring. I have so enjoyed following along with you and @jondfk. So excited for us to follow in your footsteps in 2 weeks time 😁. Just watching Elton John at Glastonbury ( on the telly of course, too old for festivals now 😂😂)

@jondfk were there taxis waiting at the terminal this morning? We will need to make a very sharp exit on the Sunday morning we dock 😁

Us too 😜

Our TA usually acts as a third party but she was able to pay the £1000 directly to Regent from our card (sadly we have made final payment for Seabourn)

@flossie009 and @lprp same for my hubbie - try saving the Seabourn one and the Regent one then appears a couple of minutes later (well it did for him) 😁

I have never seen an offer for either before so they must be trying to attract UK cruisers. The Regent offer appeared last week and the Seabourn one I spotted today.

For any UK customers of Seabourn or Regent, American Express currently have an offer on the online account - spend £1000 directly with either and AMEX will credit your account with £150. Our travel agent made a direct payment to Regent today and it appears to have gone through - sadly we have already made final payment to Seabourn - I know £1000 doesn't buy much from either company but as the jingle for a UK supermarket goes 'every little helps' 😁

For any UK customers of Seabourn or Regent, American Express currently have an offer on the online account - spend £1000 directly with either and AMEX will credit your account with £150. Our travel agent made a direct payment to Regent today and it appears to have gone through - sadly we have already made final payment to Seabourn - I know £1000 doesn't buy much from either company but as the jingle for a UK supermarket goes 'every little helps' 😁

I know this is not a fair comparison as different parts of the world but this year we have a Norwegian Fjord cruise booked with Seabourn and a far east cruise booked with Regent - both 14 nights and both on one of the newer ships. The Regent cruise includes flights (cattle class but we are from the UK😜), transfers, a superior suite, excursions and an overnight in Tokyo. Seabourn is cruise only in a V1 and the Seabourn cruise is costing 50% more than the Regent one. There really are huge differences in cost depending on when and where you are making your booking. Up to now I have loved Seabourn and very much enjoyed Regent but I am looking forward to being able to contrast the two experiences this year as both lines should be getting back to some semblance of normality 😁

Especially when some of their main competitors are including equally mediocre tours but not charging extra for them 😜

The best meal we had on Seabourn was following the shopping with the Chef on Corfu. I chatted with Chef Jes and he said the food was very 'precribed' by the corporate office and how much he enjoyed creating menus from the market fresh products. At the time I commented on CC that I wondered why they paid huge sums to 'famous' chefs when the ones they employed were so talented and creative.

It is (well almost) it's a gosling 😁

@Rothko1 that is so funny. So that's why everyone has butlers on Silver Sea 😜😜

@cruiseej the search continues then 😂😂