CalmSea

4 hours ago, SkiWave said:

Are the complimentary "all weather" jackets provided by Seabourn for Alaska cruises of the lighter wind-breaker type, or the warmer/heavier insulated type?  We are preparing to pack for an upcoming Alaska cruise, and want to avoid bringing our own heavy jacket if not necessary.  Of course, August weather may be more wet than cold.  Thank you for your assistance with this question.  

We were on the June 19 to June 30 Alaska cruise, and we were the first cruise to be given the newer black version of the jackets. I would describe it as a breathable water repelling wind breaker. On rainy days, we took our trusty Seabourn umbellas along too.

Just a comment about the all-weather jackets in Alaska. The new black version, while very nice, is not what I would call all-weather. I would call it a Spring/Fall rain jacket. I don't think it is adequate for temperatures below 10C/50F.

Are there any interest in this final Grand Voyeage of the Odyssey under Seabourn? There seems to be very little discussion about it in this forum. I find no roll calls for any of the segments of this Grand Voyage. One online cruise booking site has this cruise and its various segments discounted for about 50%. In my just completed Alaska cruise, I read the flyer anouncing the 2025 version of the Grand Voyage on the Quest. I think the itinerariers are similar, but I don't remember the prices because I did not keep the flyer. Any comments?

I am onboard the Odessey. There are fresh fish on the menu every day. But that raised some doubts. They were serving fresh monk fish and Mahi Mahi. I don't think these species are local to Alaska. 

3 hours ago, nancygp said:

Great news!  Also, Matt is a wonderful Cd and can’t wait to sail with him again.

 

who is the singer/guitarist?

 

Nancy

He is Michael.

A word about DJ's. There is none on the current Odessey cruise. When I askef the CD, Matt Morgan, he said that the DJ did not work out. The time slot is now taken by a singer/guitarist, playing "Your Favorite Songs and Request". Last night, it seemed to go quite well.

15 hours ago, kahuna21 said:

Thanks Calm Sea We checked the Storm Creek website. They show model 6520 and 6525. Maybe the 8 series jackets you got are the same as those on the website, except with a Seabourn logo. They appear to be pretty lightweight, right?

Sorry. The "8" is a typo. It should be a "6". They look the same as those on Storm Creek's website, but with the Seabourn name and logo added in the front and the word Alaska added on the sleeve.

The jackets are very light. Certainly not as warm as the previous blue ones. However they are very good at keeping your body warmth. Probably good enough for summer Alaska weather, with some additional layering as required.

Just boarded the Odessey and received the jacket. They are black Explorer Jackets made by Storm Creek. Men's is model 8520 and lady's is model 8525.

18 minutes ago, SLSD said:

The galley lunch is alive and well--but we did not go.  I've been to a number of galley lunches and it just is not our thing.  We had lunch at the Patio Grill today along with quite a few others.  I feel guilty about not providing photos of the galley lunch!  Next up is the second lecture by Steve Wozniak.  I hope my spelling is ok.    Today has been a very relaxing sea day.  I've loved it!

I am with you regarding galley lunches. I don't like the long line. My wife and I will probably opt for the Patio Grill the next time.

Great pictures. Enjoying your posts. Slow cooked lamb shanks at the E&O is one of my favorites too. The last time we had it, it was bitterly cold. We even eat with our gloves on!

SB's Inspiration menu often has surprises. In today's menu, there is "Grilled Cantaloupe Melon" as a main course. If I am on board now, I will probably order one to try, and order another main from the Inspiration menu as a backup. Fortunately, their Inspriation servings are usually small. If they are both good, I can skip dessert.

7 hours ago, SLSD said:

Wouldn't it be difficult to store actual fresh fish (never frozen) on the ship?  When I buy fresh fresh at our local grocery store, I usually cook it on the day I buy it--and at the very latest, the next day.  Is it possible to keep fresh fish much longer that that?  If there is, please clue me in.  

The technology of freezing fish has improved a lot compared to say, 20 years ago. As TootyJane has mentioned, sometimes it is called "freshy frozen". They can be recognised by being in a frozen vacuum sealed  package. The vacuum process removes most the air, and with a much lower level of Oxygen, the fish will stay "fresh" much longer. If defrozed correctly, there is not much difference between that and a fresh one. One addtition advantage of frozen fish is that the freezing kills any parasites on the fish, and it is an FDA quideline for safely eating raw fish.

Back to SB, the adjective "fresh" is seldom used on their menu to describe fish. My expectation is that when it says "fresh", it is bought locally on a port day and kept chilled in their fridge, but not frozen. Of course, I could be wrong. 

57 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

 

Well, if the dish is "Fresh Alaskan Black Cod" then they actually need to have just purchased fresh cod. Whereas you could potentially get "Alaskan Black Cod" (defrosted from the freezer) upon request. 😀

The first time I had Black Cod was at a Vancouver restaurant in 2019. It was cooked in a miso broth. It left such an impression that I still remember exactly when and where I had it. Last year, I had Black Cod on the Quest, under the Inspiration menu, also cooked in miso, if I remembered correctly. Obviously, it was the defrosted from the freezer version, but still very good. The oily nature of the fish seem to preserve its favor very well even frozen. Yes, we can buy frozen black cod in Montreal, and we often do it. But, I am hoping that I have the luck to try the fresh version again on the Odyssey. If not, I will take even the frozen version.

The Inspiration menu has one of my favorites: "Pan Seared Fresh Alaskan Black Cod", but I will only be boarding in a week. I hope it will be on the menu again 

8 hours ago, JPH814 said:

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.

 

 

I was struggling with this same issue a couple of days ago. The only way I managed to see this preference page required some work. I opened the Seabourn Source app, then I selected "Online Guest Registration". It opened a new Chrome browser and asked me to login in. I login in, and then checked register for all guests. Then I sumped ahead and selected the preference page. Another page came up and asked me to login again! After these login in, the familiar preference page show up and I can select what my food allergy is. I was using an Android phone, if that makes a different. 

39 minutes ago, Genoabay said:

We used the automated passport control kiosk and breezed through embarkation with no problem whatsoever. We did go about an hour earlier than our designated embarkation time. No one bothered to ask about our assigned time, and we boarded immediately. It was all a very smooth immigration and boarding process.

Thanks. It seems that automatical passport control (APC) is different from the MPC, and almost all US and Canadian passengers can use the APC. So, whether there is a long queue still depends on whether one is unlucky to embark with several big cruise ships.

@Robertmartha, thanks. Now, the remaining question is regarding embarkation at Vancouver's Canada Place cruise terminal, which does not apply to your party. My understanding is that at Canada Place, one has to go through US customs and immigration before boarding. The question is whether the MPC is useful there too. There were reports that the wait for US customs and immigration can be long at Canada Place.

You can try do a google search for "sushi without raw fish", and you will find many possibilities. For example, avocado can be used to make very good sushi. On the other hand, I have many friends who sweared that they would never eat any raw fish, but once they try one, they become addicted.

I have a question about the MPC (Mobile Passport Control) app. It was a question raised by @robertmartha in an earlier thread. Did you use it during embarkation at Vancouver? And if you did, did the app help? And @robertmartha, if you are reading this post, did you use it when you disembarked at Vancouver? Thanks.

2 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

No, but you might find King Crab ashore for $80 or more.    There are severe restrictions on fishing for Red King Crab.   There is a small allotment for Golden King Crab.   The supply is insufficient to supply cruise ships.

Thanks. I was hoping to have a chance to try the fresh ones. Last year, on the Quest's galley lunch, King Crab legs were served, but they were the frozen ones.

Would SB serve Alaskan King Crabs on their Alaskan cruises?

Regarding jackets,  In a previous post, @2ws wrote: " We like the blue jackets. Others vocally preferred black." Was there an option for you to choose a different jacket, and did you see any black ones?

I have a June 19 sailing and the jacket choices are not unisex.

4 hours ago, Earthtones said:

I'm guessing Seabourn had a stock of blue jackets remaining from last year, and is using those up on the early season cruises, to be replaced by the new black jackets (of unknown weight/warmth) soon. I understand folks on the May Alaska cruises saw a blue jacket in unisex sizing on their order form. I'm sailing the 9/1 cruise and my order form shows black jackets in gender-specific sizes.

The suspense continues.