Quick review - On board Odyssey now (Caribbean)

Yo have to remember that many people who makes the choice to post on a site called Cruise Critic take the name waaaaayyyyyyy too seriously.

People we spoke with on Odyssey, who had recently been on Encore, spoke of the differences.

Apparently 90% of Odyssey’s crew are fairly new, as many of the old crew have moved to the new ship.

People we spoke with on Odyssey, who had recently been on Encore, spoke of the differences.

Apparently 90% of Odyssey’s crew are fairly new, as many of the old crew have moved to the new ship.

Oh joy. That happened to us a year ago 24 days South America and now in 8 days we get another brand new crew

If our room person is good that will help

If no one says "not possible " (my requests are not outrageous) that wii help

We will find a few we like and stick with them. That makes a HUGE difference

To those currently on Odyssey, such as English Tim, despite the new staff ( we all have to start somewhere), do you see improvement as the days progress? Given those SB regulars on board, have you had a quiet word with ship management about expectations?

Selfish questions as my wife and I embark Dec 5. Hopefully things smooth out. Anyway, yes, we will form our own conclusions but hope to get drinks poolside without long waits while pondering all existential questions!

ditto

I am feeling a very strong need to reply to the individuals who feel that ANY negativity is unacceptable. Cruise Critic can and does foster opinion- if you choose to see things one way then you should not not engage on this forum.

I expressed my disappointment in my last cruise on Encore and I am not a " negative" or "difficult to please individual". My previous cruises were wonderful which explains why I returned; however, I do not believe that I should accept a lower standard than I previously enjoyed. The food on our Encore cruise was substandard and and the service about 50% of past cruises- should I shrug my shoulders and say "whatever"? Reviews benefit everyone- the cruise line "learns" about its customer experiences and can attempt to evaluate common concerns.

I have a difficult time with those who lump us into a category of chronic complainers or consumers who can't be pleased- I was a huge cheerleader for Seabourn until my recent experience and feel that the line is slipping- my comments should beaddressed by management. No one responded to my post -cruise review which is rather bothersome- every customer counts and their opinions should be heard.

If Seabourn is trying a new business "model" to determine whether their customer base will tolerate lower standards then it is up to all of us to express our opinions and key the chips fall- I just don't appreciate being labeled a curmudgeon for having a different viewpoint!

Here is what I wonder---is the experience of Cogal (which I do NOT doubt) indicative of a cruise line in decline? Or, is it one passenger's viewpoint that might be shared by some others, but not by all.

I also sailed on Encore and found the food more than palatable and the service quite good. I recognize that everything we say here is subjective. What one person finds to be terrible service, another person might find to be more than acceptable. I don't know of a way to find total objectivity. I am not one to discount negative reviews--unless they center around the fact that SB did not provide something that most would not require or find to be a deal breaker. I will be interested in the views of others.

I think that opinions should be treated as an important input- for instance, there are numerous websites geared to Restaurant, hotel etc reviews- do you discount those that are not aligned with yours? Is there a common thread? Lately there have been more negative comments about Encore which translates to a less than satisfactory experience- could it have been a "bad" week? Perhaps- but do you offer a less than consistent product and expect satisfied customers- I think not.

CC is a venue for those of us who feel that improvement is important- our critiques can contribute to a more rewarding experience for all. My concern is that Seabourn did not respond to my post-cruise review. I believe that most businesses would have reached out to allay concerns about a future cruise and they did not- i have no reason to believe that they care... so sad.

Cogal, I just said that I did NOT discount your opinion--but wondered how to place it among other opinions--like my own (for one example). Please read what I wrote.

SLSD- I did read your post and the point should probably be "why does a past cruiser feel differently about the line they were pleased with on previous cruises".

Encore was a new venture for Seabourn and I don't believe it delivered for us. The quality was lacking-if there are numerous passengers who feel the way that we did at the end of their cruise then obviously something went wrong. I don't recall as much negativity about the triplets or the O class ships. If I had never cruised on Seabourn I would have no point of comparison- but 3 prior and excellent vacations were replaced with a rather mediocre experience and "THAT" needs to be addressed.

Perhaps there are crew changes which affect food and service on different itineraries-( it's never happened in the past, ) but I believe that there has been some focus on economizing which is distasteful. New cruisers to seabourn may not know what the previous product offered but we remember and that is why we express ourselves.

We have taken several cruises over the last few years on all three O class ships and the Encore on a variety of different itineraries. So I think I'm able to give an objective comparison and /or opinion. I think we all agree that one person's "perfect" cruise is another's "cruise from hell" and some people have utterly unrealistic expectations while others tolerate mediocre standards.

I think the problems we experienced on our recent Transatlantic/Caribbean cruise(s) were primarily the result of a large proportion of novice staff who either hadn't received adequate training or weren't properly monitored and supervised. Or there simply weren't enough of them at the right time or place and general levels of service inevitably suffered.

We still had a great trip. But compared to previous experiences on SB it was disappointing because we know that it could have been better. Or maybe we are clinging to the past and must accept that as the world changes, so does cruising.