Laylam

[envious sigh] we've been hearing the siren call of those Pacific islands for a while now & Mrs June is a huge fan of Polynesian art and cultures. There was a fabuilous exhibition here (UK) about 10 years ago of carvings, objects, textiles, jewelry, collected by travellers in the 18th and 19th centuries. One day......one day....... But first we must survive the Ring of Fire and piracy in the Sulu-Clebes Sea !

Flamin_June, I think we might be on the same cruise, sailing from Hong Kong, April 24th????

A few questions for the veterans here

 

.........................I have read a lot about the peso vs usd situation in Argentina. Did you exchange money? At atms? Are the taxis still pulling the bill swap scam? Last time we were there it was rampant

 

 

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You will obviously have read about the "blue dollar exchange rate" in Argentina. We found we got very favourable exchange rates using USD in restaurants....e.g. official rate approx. 10 pesos to $/restaurants 15 pesos to $.

We disembark Sojourn on June 3rd, so guess we aren't on together. I am sure you will have a wonderful time. As a first timer with Seabourn you should check out the "sticky" referral coupon thread on this board, and get yourself $400 OBC.

Can someone remind us what the letter OB stand for?

I think it means "On Board". Rather than choosing a suite, you can pay a lesser price and will be allocated a suite a week or so before sailing.

Thanks Jenidallas, we'll be disembarking and rejoining in the same port both times. Some on our Roll Call were denied permission to disembark at one port and rejoin at another as it violated Cabotage rules.

Overnights would be nice and we had one on the Indonesia itinerary where we actually stayed in a hotel near Borobodur temple so we could be there for sunrise. A definite once in a lifetime event. I wish Seabourn would at least adopt the longer evenings in port like Azamara. I was underwhelmed with the ship but really enjoyed the later sail away times. Most of the stops we didn't pull out of port till 9pm or later.

nolatravelgirl, did you have to gain permission from Seabourn to be away from the ship overnight? We have planned a couple of private tours which involve being away from the ship on two occasions on our upcoming cruise. Someone on our Roll Call says that she has spoken to Seabourn and was told that you need to request permission to do an independent tour that requires being away from the ship overnight.

Another vote for Ross, but also love Sophie, Jan and Handre.

Yes, armed guards come aboard for a few days, from a special ship anchored somewhere off the coast of Somalia I think. You may find this article interesting ...http://www.maritimeherald.com/2017/cruise-ship-industry-booming-middle-east/

My mother recently suffered a fall aboard a Viking ship and had to be air evacuated off. It made me think of all of my sea travels without any travel insurance .I'm considering purchasing insurance for my upcoming 72 day Sojourn cruise, any recommendations?

Thanks. Kevin

Yes, we always have Travel Insurance - a broken leg one holiday and last year a trip that had to be cancelled due to ill health. Our Credit card entitles us to free travel insurance and they paid up without a fuss both times.

We have recently been given a relatively large dollop of OBC (1290 USD). Bearing in mind we already get 4 bags of complementary laundry, and that we often do our own thing in port (there are only two SB excursions on our upcoming trip that we are intersted in), how would you spend it , or how would you recommend we spend it ?

The shop is selling Swarovski Binoculars that would eat up your OBC, if you are interested. Hope you have a great cruise.

Thanks for all your responses. I recently wrote to Seabourn about feeling disadvantaged for having booked early (after first taking it up with my TA). I received a reply from the 'Reservations Concierge' saying that he had conferred with the TA and to contact them again. End result was a saving of 4334 GBP pp on an upcoming cruise, Below is a link to the Job Description of the Reservations Concierge.

https://uk.linkedin.com/jobs/view/reservations-concierge-at-carnival-uk-%28p%26o-cruises-%26-cunard%29-506282038

Has anyone used the Platinum and/or Diamond Concierge Service that comes along at these levels? :eek::confused::eek:

I am wondering, in the 5 years that have passed since the initial query, has anyone used/know what this is? Also, how many who qualify for free subscription to 'Travel & Leisure' and 'Conde Nast Traveller' actually receive them?

Huh? I can be a satisfied customer on a 7 night cruise....not everyone can take longer cruises.

I am sorry Lois, I didn't mean any offence. On a recent cruise, Alex the barman in the Observation Lounge was pouring people's drinks as he saw them getting out of the lift, which blew me away. That is less likely to happen when there are 400+ new passengers every 7 days.

We did a 10 day cruise most recently and enjoyed the atmosphere. The next cruise we have booked on SB is for 21 days. It does bother me a bit when people comment on the 7 days cruises as the inference is that these are the less expensive cruises and perhaps the passengers are not up to snuff. I'm probably the ONLY person getting this impression, so please set me straight!

I haven't done a 7 day cruise, but I am guessing a 7 day turnover causes extra work for the crew and less time to get to know everyone's likes and dislikes. Hence a longer cruise = a more satisfied cutomer????

I'm sorry if my questions are redundant, but I haven't been able to find the answers yet. This is our first Seabourn Voyage and we got a stateroom at the last minute, so I haven't done all my normal research. We're sure looking forward to this experience!.............................................................Any secrets we should know:halo:

SECRETS.....As a first time sailor with Seabourn you are eligible for $400 onboard credit with a referral coupon. If you look at the "sticky" thread at the top of this board, you will find someone with a referral coupon to give away.

We were looking at cruising Antarctica on Quest but the timing is just not quite right for us. Then we noticed that Quest continues From Buenos Aires to Manaus. This looks like an interesting trip. Has anyone ever done this one and would like to share the experience? We have experience of Sojourn and Quest looks like a sister ship. Any major differences?

 

Many thanks for any guidance.

Here is a review of that trip in reverse https://www.cruisecritic.com.au/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=520156

Hi everyone,

 

Being a new to this board and a Seabourn Virgin I am having a slight panic as to what wardrobe I should bring with me on the above cruise.

I have 3 evening( full length gowns) I am bringing plus an array of evening separates/cocktail dresses. I think I am sorted but the DH is not.

Will he need a tux for this cruise ?- I am assuming there will be special evenings as its the holidays and we are onboard for New Year. What do the men wear of an evening? Will a suit be ok? What about on less formal nights, I was thinking a sports jacket and shirt - would he get away with trousers (dress) and a polo to some nights or trousers and a Tommy Bahama shirt( not the floral kind).

Sorry to bombard with the questions but he is driving me insane as trying to get him to go shopping is an impossible task....... sure the ladies will understand my frustration.

Hope to see some of you onboard - getting nervous as I am not too sure how this works as its a new cruise line for me and I am the type who likes to know in advance. LOL :-)

Hi Sarahjane, You'll find a very lengthy thread on 'Dress Code' at the top of this list as well as a thread on "Referral Coupons". As a first timer with Seabourn you are entitled to a $400 onboard credit. I am sure you will have a great trip.

I wonder if something has changed since last year because I did a Bridge tour whilst on the South China sea and definitely moving! It was not a private tour but advertised in the Herald

Yes, I think things have changed. On our recent Quest cruise the Bridge could be visited on sea days (after registering with Guest Services).

Other cruise lines have galley, bridge and other tours when available. We board Quest for 45 days in just 3 weeks and was wondering if Seabourn does these or others and if so how do we find out about them and sign up. Lots of sea days so hoping available.

 

Thanks for the replies in advance,

On our recent Quest cruise (Dover to Boston), Captain Joost Eldering regularly announced that guests were welcome to visit the Bridge on sea days, but to register with Guest Services first.

My husband and I are first-time cruisers on Seabourn, and want to really understand the tipping policies. "Not required and not expected" doesn't really tell us if most people do tip, and if they do, when and how much. We would appreciate guidance.

A donation to the Crew Fund is the way to go.....then it can be shared with all the behind the scenes crew, If you are a first timer with Seabourn check out the the 'sticky' referral coupon thread at the top of this board for a $400 onboard credit.

Thanks for your comments. :). Looking forward to seeing what it's like: we haven't cruised for 20 years after two disastrous trips on Canberra and Oriana, so hoping for good things from Seabourn.

Be sure to check out the "sticky" at the top of this board, as first time Seabourners you qualify for a $400 referral credit.

Thanks for the kind comments :).

 

Laylam, does your cruise include Quest's next call into Bergen? If so, I'll hopefully be able to get a set of photos of you underway...I'll post them here if I do :)

We will be in Bergen, on the 30th July, between 8 am and 6 pm. Your photos have added to our excited anticipation!!

I suspect they have failed to update their contract wording. During the period that the sisters were being transferred, they were actually sold en bloc to Windstar but then operated by Seabourn for varying periods of months, before finally being handed over.

Yes, that makes sense. It did seem tooooooooo gooooooood to be true!!

I have just read the beginning of the Seabourn Cruise Contract and, before my eyes quickly glazed over, I saw this.......PRIDE is owned by Windstar Pride Limited, a Bahamas company, and is operated by Seabourn; SPIRIT is owned by Star Voyager Limited, a Bahamas company, and is operated by Seabourn; LEGEND is owned by Star Legend Limited, a Bahamas company, and is operated by Seabourn.

Thank you! Counting the sleeps (16) until we board in Copenhagen.