Cape Town to Singapore

As we are now underway from the Mother City I thought I would jot a few notes on the beginning of this cruise.

After boarding the ship on the 11th and overnighting there we thought we would be disappointingly sailing at midnight last night and miss the views as we sailed round the Cape. So I was thrilled to look out at six this morning and find we were still quayside in Cape Town. I ran to the Square and brought back a couple coffees and DH and I settled on the balcony (luckily port side facing land ) and watched the sail away show. First a nice perspective of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head, then Camps Bay, Chapman’s Peak and soon we’ll be sailing around tip of Africa.

Lovely crew on board, many familiar and new faces. First night a nice dinner in the Restaurant, last night Mediterranean in the Colonnade and tonight, for the first formal night, we will dine in the TK Grill.

Life is good!

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Woke up this morning and we were sailing towards the Cape of Good Hope so we should round it sometime this morning. Much as I enjoyed Cape Town, after 7 days there we are happy to be at sea.

A nice surprise at breakfast this morning. It is Shrove Tuesday (for Brits) and our lovely cruise director Sophie was cooking pancakes in the Colonnade as is the tradition.

Food and service have been very good so far. Both evenings we have dined in the MDR and both evenings it was excellent.

The show last night was a local choir, Libertas, and very enjoyable it was too.

We have met up with some of the other Cruise Criticers. As a couple of us have been buying wine in the local vineyards and have brought it on board, we are planning a 'wine around' whereby each couple will host the others to enjoy a bottle of their wine and appetizers thoughtfully provided by Seabourn.

Two more firsts today. First trivia is at 12.00 noon and I am having my first massage. It's a tough life but somebody has to do it.

Yes, a beautiful rare morning sail away from Cape Town. Given the high winds, ( currently 50mph ) , i’m glad the captain kept us in port overnight.

On to Mossel Bay!

Welcome to the halfway mark of our Sojourn cruise from Miami to Asia. It is good to see everyone who boarded in Cape Town settling in, and yes, it was nice to have a later daylight departure due to the port closure / winds. At the risk of being unpopular (with the apparent inundation of “Cruise Criticers” onboard) - some observations if I may.

- Ex Miami, the average age of passengers was high, but ex Cape Town it’s almost like being on a floating nursing home, and with this comes the usual complaining about the dress code. I was stunned to over-hear people seated at the Observation Bar openly and loudly critique other passengers’ attire. “OMG - please no shorts” (it was 5:30 pm so shorts were still perfectly acceptable and much to my amusement the gentlemen in question left at 5:58 pm), “jeans - terrible, just terrible” (jeans are always allowed at the Observation Bar), and so on. And worst, at the Restaurant last evening, Food & Beverage Manager Antonio came to our table “because guests have complained about your jeans”, only to find out we were appropriate dressed (no jeans) and leave red-faced (and us embarrassed).

- Service very good so far but many of the best staff unfortunately left for Ovation in Cape Town or are leaving soon, mid cruise actually, in Myanmar. Our stewardess will change mid cruise and that’s an unwelcome first for us.

- Food generally good so far. The menus in The Restaurant cater to the 80 year olds (most meat / fish with some form of potatoes and vegetables and absolutely no spices). Anything non-western is nowhere to be found. The Colonnade partially makes up for this, but again, no spices anywhere, even in a curry dish. The food and service in The Grill are outstanding but as the menu hardly changes (except for a daily special), it quickly becomes boring on a long itinerary.

- The wifi went completely offline at Tristan da Cunah, for 4 days and is only 50% back online now, so even slower than usual - we’re surprised that’s possible in the first place. Perhaps even more concerning, they still don’t know what caused the blackout or how to fix the continuing bandwidth issues - and are selling the new guests internet packages at full price regardless.

- In quite a few spots, there are long lingering maintenance issues that simply aren’t being addressed, such as broken timber on the pool deck on both sides of the hot tubs, broken umbrellas at the Patio, malfunctioning gym equipment, etc. Pro-activity in resolving these issues is lacking.

Thanks all. I shall be looking forward to your updates!

Thanks to everyone so far for posting and getting this thread going. It is one I was hoping would appear and one I will be following with great interest: it is unusual to have at least three Seabourn CC regulars on board, all of whom contribute enjoyable and infornmative posts; It is a great itinerary, one I would have loved to have done had we the means and the time; and, we will be joining Sojourn in six weeks, so I'm keen to know where to pitch my expectations.

I had read elsewhere that there would be a major change of crew at Cape Town with many leaving to serve on Ovation. I was concerened that there might be another exodus of experienced crew in Singapore, a couple of weeks before we embark. Not sure if I should be relieved that this is due to take place at Thilawa. Does that mean there won't be any further changes for the next few months, or will there be another exodus in Singapore, or Bali, or Darwin?

We all know that at the time of crewing up Encore the O class ships suffered from an influx of poorly trained new crew, replacing the experienced staff sent to the new ship. That is a situation I'm sure anyone sailing on SB's other ships in the months before and after Ovation's maiden voyage will want to avoid.

Regardless, everything sounds good so far, and welcome TheBaron777: thanks for the informative, balanced and on the whole fairly positive observations. Nothing to instill too much alarm: the dress-judgemental elderly brigade may well be departing before we set off from Bali, and in any case we don't frequent the Observation Bar, so if that is where they are ensconced, all the better. Thanks also for reminding me to pack a bottle or two of hot chilli sauce to spice up a few evenings.

Sorry to learn about the wi fi - hope it does not hinder regular postings of all of your adventures.

I’m not going to touch on issues of food or dress at present as they are so polarizing and can easily go off the rails.

As to service yes, we do have many new crew BUT we also have a large number of seasoned crew ( Slavek, Daniel , Roberto, Antonio etc.) and many from corporate on to see things go just right - especially with the change over to the new system from food waiters and beverage waiter to “all purpose” waiters. There will be some bumps as crew and passengers adjust so I think patience is in order. It is a major change and I think it is unrealistic to think it will happen without some hiccups. But I am inclined to believe it will eventually be a good thing.

More tomorrow - for now off to get glammed up!

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Chairsin - Hello, it's me stalking you again. I'd love to know if your ship managed to land any passengers on Tristan da Cunha on the previous leg, Rio-Cape Town.

Have a nice trip!

Chairsin - Hello, it's me stalking you again. I'd love to know if your ship managed to land any passengers on Tristan da Cunha on the previous leg, Rio-Cape Town.

 

Have a nice trip!

Read my mind!

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Yes Fletcher and all the passengers I spoke with raved about how much they enjoyed the port of call.

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Barron, as you only have one post and it is not clear if you have cruised SB or other luxury lines before, if the food now is too bland, I would suggest you utilize the available option of talking to the food and beverage manager about special ordering spicy meals made just for you. Most luxury lines let you do this, as does SB, and after all, they do make special orders for Kosher, gluten-free, etc so why not ask for a hot and high spice special order? Make your wishes known.

I see you like TK Grill, unclear why, as I found TK nice but definitely not hot and spicy, and even though I am not yet a senior citizen, I would like to keep it that way in the TK and MDR unless it is a specific option and marked as a potential tongue-burner. It is also easier to add spiciness to a meal than to try and take it away from those who do not tolerate it, same with salt.

I considered asking for a “high fat high salt” special order, as I find many of the foods on cruises too lean, but I did not need to, instead I just piled butter or olive oil on food and salt away, if the saltshaker is not yet jammed from sea moisture.

I hope you are on balance having a good time.

Yes Fletcher and all the passengers I spoke with raved about how much they enjoyed the port of call.

Thanks, Chairsin. I had heard the little harbour on Tristan had been improved but I still thought tender landings were highly doubtful. After your post I looked up the Tristan website and found this -

http://www.tristandc.com/news-2018-02-07-tenders.php

This opens up new possibilities for the Remotest Island In The World.

Good morning from Mossel Bay.

Yesterday was a sea day and we struggled with a pretty heavy swell for most of the day and night. That did not stop normal activities from proceeding and trivia was amongst the best attended that I have ever seen. Our team, the 'Good Hopers' are sitting 30 points behind the leader with 230 points.

Last night we ate at the TK Grill. Unfortunately, my better half was feeling the effects of the swell and ate very lightly. I enjoyed the globe artichoke to start with and then the Dover sole. One of our number was eating the largest steak I have ever seen on Seabourn. I wondered if we were in TK or the Big Texan. I felt that TK was a definite step up from R2. I liked the decor, the food and the service. All outstanding! Will need to make another reservation!

Definitely an older crowd on board. Makes me feel like a mere teenager and I am just waiting to see if I will get carded in the Club. The older demographic does not seem to have made any difference to the sartorial balance. Last night was formal and there was a range of outfits on display from the white jacketed dinner sits to 'normal' dark suits to casual. There were plenty of older people on the casual - did I say 'sloppy' - end.

We don't know if we will get ashore today. Although the wind has dropped, there is still a fair swell and the captain is concerned about tendering in these conditions. Watch this space.

Thanks for the advice Catlover54. We’re Diamond with Seabourn so the food isn’t new to us; I’m just reporting our thoughts. We’re aware of the option to request special meals. We tried that and ordered a Thai green chicken curry but what showed up was slices of chicken breast with basil and steamed rice as well as a Larb gai which came out as minced chicken with mayonnaise. Fortunately this cruise is going to Phuket soon

Yes - we landed at Tristan Da Cunha and it was a very special experience to meet the locals and see their village. We were very lucky as it’s clearly way too rough to tender on most days! Scenic cruising Inaccessible Island and Nightingale Island the next day was beautiful as well.

I don’t think this thread needs any more “live” reports so I’ll be brief... I agree with most of the above comments including Baron777’s thoughts on the food. It’s all good enough to not complain but not great and certainly no better than Oceania or Azamara. I think most of it is because of the large amount of new/untrained staff and although unfortunate it’s just something we’ll have to make due with this sailing. Hopefully after Ovation has been fully staffed things will become more normal and consistent across the fleet.

As for attire, Roxburgh, if casual equals sloppy than I apologise... We dine at TKG on formal nights especially because the formal dress code does NOT apply there. We do of course adhere to the elegant casual dress code.

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I don’t think this thread needs any more “live” reports so I’ll be brief... I agree with most of the above comments including Baron777’s thoughts on the food. It’s all good enough to not complain but not great and certainly no better than Oceania or Azamara. I think most of it is because of the large amount of new/untrained staff and although unfortunate it’s just something we’ll have to make due with this sailing. Hopefully after Ovation has been fully staffed things will become more normal and consistent across the fleet.

 

As for attire, Roxburgh, if casual equals sloppy than I apologise... We dine at TKG on formal nights especially because the formal dress code does NOT apply there. We do of course adhere to the elegant casual dress code.

 

 

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Casual does not equal sloppy. But there was, nevertheless, a range of dress on display which, in a few cases may have gone beyond the 'casual smart' look. That said, my comment was more aimed at the idea that older people are likely to be more critical of casual dress than younger ones (in terms of this demographic, I think 'younger' is anything under 70). Based on my observations last night, older people were just as likely to be casually dressed as younger ones. That was the point I was making.

I also forgot to mention in my other post that one of the highlights of yesterday was being 'buzzed' by a South African Navy helicopter. He passed us once above the ship though at low level and then a second time he came right along the port side at about the level of deck 10. I was having lunch in the Patio Grill and waved to the pilot who waved back though not necessarily at me as I am sure there were others also waving.

With regard to food, it is clearly a very subjective issue. However, I have yet to have a bad meal or experience bad or even slow service since I have been on board. From my perspective it is all good so far.

Update to Roxburgh’s Reports!

Captain just announced that too much chop and we will not tender at present but will stay anchored in Mossel Bay for an hour or so and see if conditions change. Ironically it was here where we had booked a rare ( for us) Seabourn tour to drive along the Garden Route and visit the Canga Caves.

As to last night we had s wonderful dinner in the TK Grill DH and a friend shared a prawn cocktail ( biggest ones I have ever seen), crab cake and we all shared a succulent tender roasted chicken. As to formal night we were formally dressed, I in a long gown and DH in a white dinner jacket. Wr love the Grill on formal night because it is such and elegant intimate venue and the MDR can be a bit crazy on formal nights.

Wanted to note that yesterday we went to a fun event attended by about 20 other guests - a wine tasting hosted by a South African winery Speir. This was not the usual Seabourn wine tasting. There was a rep of the winery who introduced each of the six wines (three whites and three reds) and solicited feedback and questions from the guests. As we have so many corporate wine guys on board they all attended as well. There was no pressure to buy any though when pressed they agreed to send information to our suites so we could order some to be shipped home. Sadly, as there was a nice Pinotage ( far better than the one on the house wine list) amongst those we tasted, these wines are not available in.bar and dining venues on the ship. They will be doing another s such tasting in a few days time.

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Breaking News ........

Mossel Bay stop cancelled due to a 2 meter (6ft) swell which makes tendering impossible.

We fall into that younger demographic, especially on this cruise. That being said, we enjoy dressing up for dinner and I find the dress code appropriate.

We live in L.A.where people rarely really dress up so I enjoy that aspect of cruising.

Last night was formal night and there were a lot of great outfits on display. We sat with a group of people we met and though we may have been the most dressed up, it was without judgement!

I agree with Chairsin that yesterdays wine tasting from a local South African winery was a good event. I’m thinking of all the Mediterranean cruises we do and how welcome it would be if wineries were brought onboard to offer tastings with informative presentations.

The food onboard is the standard Seabourn 14 day menus. The food is good but predictable, a change would be welcome. They seem to be tweaking the Thomas Keller additions, we enjoyed a smoked salmon panna cotta appetizer at dinner that I don’t remember seeing before.

The WiFi is really bad. I’ve been on Celebrity ships with 3000 people that one can stream Netflix, cmon Seabourn , modernize the WiFi system!

We missed Mossel Bay due to aforementioned swells but the sea day is a warm one thankfully. I enjoy the relaxed vibe on the back of the ship deck five on sea days..

Tomorrow is Port Elizabeth.

Sounds like SB has successfully recruited the HAL crowd. This is a good group as they will be familiar with the kitchen offerings and less likely to complain. And they will not miss the osetra when it disappears as a freebie..

Thank you all for the updates. I had a ping of jealousy when I saw the roll call for this sailing... so many fun and prolific posters in one place (and a great itinerary to boot!)

Alas, we have to wait for the fall transatlantic for our next Seabourn adventure so for now, we’ll live vicariously through all of us!

Please keep on posting! Who are CD, ACD and Captain?

CD Sophie ( Assistant Chris - not useful of his last name) and Captain Hamish Elliott.

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Thanks, Chairsin. I had heard the little harbour on Tristan had been improved but I still thought tender landings were highly doubtful. After your post I looked up the Tristan website and found this -

 

http://www.tristandc.com/news-2018-02-07-tenders.php

 

This opens up new possibilities for the Remotest Island In The World.

Not wishing to derail the thread, I just wanted to say, we were lucky enough to be on those tenders and able to step ashore on Tristan. It was touch and go, particularly at the ship end... it needed two SB staff to almost manhandle us aboard the tender as the swell was big, but it was so worth it. The Captain worked so hard in getting aboard all those who really wanted to, and that included those with mobility difficulties - no mean feat.

A wonderful time spent on Tristan talking to the inhabitants and both my husband and I feel privileged to be one of the few to step ashore on the remotest inhabited island in the world, a memory we will treasure.

Sounds like SB has successfully recruited the HAL crowd. This is a good group as they will be familiar with the kitchen offerings and less likely to complain. And they will not miss the osetra when it disappears as a freebie..

:rolleyes: There is always a troll in the internet crowd and it seems we now know how ours is. Nothing useful as usual from this person.

Julie