10 Day Caribbean Sojourn Review

1straveler · December 12, 2013

My wife & I were on the November 27th sailing of the Sojourn as well. We felt the food was quite good and actually more options than on previous Seaboun sailings. I recognized several crew members from the smaller ships that told me they had been transferred to the Sojourn such as Bogdon the restaurant manager and Nelson the bartender. Their were several waiters in training and we experienced a number of occasions where the courses were delivered in the wrong order, such as salad before appetizer, and waiters were confused about who ordered what. I had a conversation with Bogdon and Annabel the cruise director about the experiences and Annabel stated that management was aware of the problem & it was being addressed. We found the staff & crew to be courteous and professional, although service was not what I have experienced in the past. I would like to think this was an anomaly and that Seaboun will get its act together. This was a cruise that started with having the captain being replaced after the previous captain had a heart attack and it seemed that it took a few days for things to settle down.

rl787 · December 13, 2013

Ronnie, I take it you did not enjoy your holiday then?

lincslady · December 14, 2013

Just the latest reviews under 'member reviews' on Sojourn, and they are both about 90% positive. Maybe the various pax were not all on the same cruise, as there are several 10 day Caribbean trips, but it does seem strange.

Anyway, good to read that some people are still liking Sojourn.

Mr Luxury · December 14, 2013

Just the latest reviews under 'member reviews' on Sojourn, and they are both about 90% positive. Maybe the various pax were not all on the same cruise, as there are several 10 day Caribbean trips, but it does seem strange.

Anyway, good to read that some people are still liking Sojourn.

Surely it's just some prat trying to wind up people.

There is nothing to back his post up anywhere.

I shall be on the Sojourn from Monday.

Karl Eckle has been Hotel Director and Vitor Alves starts on Monday.

Nothing will be amiss.

Able Seaman H · December 15, 2013

Surely it's just some prat trying to wind up people.

There is nothing to back his post up anywhere.

I shall be on the Sojourn from Monday.

Karl Eckle has been Hotel Director and Vitor Alves starts on Monday.

Nothing will be amiss.

I take it you are renting a pedalo (paddle boat for the US cousins) and meeting her out in the Caribbean.

I'll see you aboard when she docks in Port Everglades on Tuesday. :)

Henry ;)

Mr Luxury · December 15, 2013

Walking around Lymington marina now, looking for something suitable.;)

lincslady · December 15, 2013

Looking forward to two unbiased reports after the next Sojourn - one from Mr. L, and one from the newbie, Ableseaman H. Don't forget to post them, please chaps.

Poppy1966 · December 15, 2013

Walking around Lymington marina now, looking for something suitable.;)

.....my old chum works at a yacht brokerage company at Lymington marina, maybe he can help!

Able Seaman H · December 15, 2013

A good job my old tub is safely tied up in Gosport then :)

See you Tuesday.

The wind is backing off, dawn is just starting to break and it looks like we are in for a hot one today. Tuesday looks like a moderate Northerly breeze around 15 knots, low cloud cover but dry. Temperatures in the early 20 degrees Celcius, around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Long Range for San Blas looks like gentle breeze, temperatures around 28 degrees Celcius, 82 degrees Fahrenheit, partial low cloud cover and the possibility for a spot of rain around 16.00hrs. Previous days indicate a steady North Easterly Breeze around 10-12 knots.

Henry :)

RonnieL · December 15, 2013

I will put something together... the food was horrible and the one excursion we went on was unacceptable... I did speak with destination services who said that they would get back with me, but never heard from them... we had a sushi special order that I would not have even given my worst enemy... same for the crepes suzette... same food almost every night in another variety... tasteless... as for maintenance, the pipe on our PH veranda, had no paint on top and the woodwork in the pool area needed to be refinished... I could go on and on but for what we paid, we expected a lot more!!!! the cabin was lovely and was cleaned as needed... no problems there... the special request was not done on the night we requested and had confirmed and no one told us prior to sitting down... a call to our cabin would have been nice so that we would have known prior...

markham · December 15, 2013

Oooooh,

That tour, that dessert, that pipe's paintwork and the pool's maintenance, and that sushi order...I would have cancelled my future 2 cruises as well.

Best of luck elsewhere in 2014 and beyond.

Happy sailing- wherever your travel agent takes you!

Mr Luxury · December 15, 2013

A good job my old tub is safely tied up in Gosport then :)

See you Tuesday.

The wind is backing off, dawn is just starting to break and it looks like we are in for a hot one today. Tuesday looks like a moderate Northerly breeze around 15 knots, low cloud cover but dry. Temperatures in the early 20 degrees Celcius, around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Long Range for San Blas looks like gentle breeze, temperatures around 28 degrees Celcius, 82 degrees Fahrenheit, partial low cloud cover and the possibility for a spot of rain around 16.00hrs. Previous days indicate a steady North Easterly Breeze around 10-12 knots.

Henry :)

Thank you Michael Fish.;)

Mr Luxury · December 15, 2013

.....my old chum works at a yacht brokerage company at Lymington marina, maybe he can help!

Yes,he can start with my bar bill at the Yacht club

Joc123 · December 15, 2013

I will put something together... the food was horrible and the one excursion we went on was unacceptable... I did speak with destination services who said that they would get back with me, but never heard from them... we had a sushi special order that I would not have even given my worst enemy... same for the crepes suzette... same food almost every night in another variety... tasteless... as for maintenance, the pipe on our PH veranda, had no paint on top and the woodwork in the pool area needed to be refinished... I could go on and on but for what we paid, we expected a lot more!!!! the cabin was lovely and was cleaned as needed... no problems there... the special request was not done on the night we requested and had confirmed and no one told us prior to sitting down... a call to our cabin would have been nice so that we would have known prior...

Please don't give Ronnie a hard time. We have just returned from the Quest Antarctica cruise and although we loved it, had some of the same problems. We had peeling paint on the pipe on our PH veranda, the metal partitions were held together with gaffa tape ( no idea why), the veranda furniture was rusty and badly pitted. The food was the worst we have had on Seabourn but we put it down to our itinerary - not many fresh farmers markets there. We will not give up on Seabourn but hope this is not a sign of the times. We did however have a bad experience with Silversea and cancelled our next booking with them so I know how he feels.

rl787 · December 15, 2013

as for maintenance, the pipe on our PH veranda, had no paint on top I think RonnieL means the pipe that is actually part of the track that the window cleaning car travels along as the balcony windows are cleaned.....I do not think any cruise line has figured out a way for the rollers to travel along the bar without stripping off the paint........

Although I do not agree with RonnieL's views at least he came back and explained why he felt he did not enjoy Seabourn.

tv24 · December 16, 2013

Thanks for the info, Ronnie. Please provide as much info as you have the time to do. It's much appreciated by me.

PaulaJK · December 16, 2013

Who currently is the executive chef on Sojourn?

We have loved this ship so sad to recent some negative comments....as well as about Seabourn in general....hope this is quickly addressed.

mick70 · December 16, 2013

The Executive Chef on our 27 Nov sailing was Martin Kitzing.

Grandma Gilly · December 16, 2013

I too was on the Sojourn nov 27 sailing. It was my first time on Seabourn and I was quite disappointed. Ok, I know food is subjective but I found the evening menus very uninspiring. I agree with ronnieL, different names but same taste each night.

At night, there is a choice of two bars to sit in. One has such loud music that we couldn't talk and the other stank of cigarette smoke.

The paint on our veranda furniture was peeling. We filled in a questionnaire after the second day and noted this. The following morning it was changed but I do think it shouldn't have been in that state in the first place. Apart from that I thought the ship was in a good condition.

Service started out poor and we complained to Bogdan who listened. After that our service did improve but we don't want to be known as 'the complainers'.

Would I go on a Seabourn ship again? Yes but I won't desert the other premium lines that I've sailed on in favour of seabourn. It will depend entirely on the itinerary.

We did end up enjoying the trip as we met some fun people.

Edited December 16, 2013 by Grandma Gilly

nolatravelgirl · December 17, 2013

Well I am not very good at following through, but here are some photos from the Beach Day at Isla Catalina. A few points of note:

There are mosiquitos galore, so be sure to bring your repellent or check the water sports table for repellent wipes
The guys in bright yellow shirts work on the island and if they assist you with getting situated they will want a tip. I wasn't prepared for this
The loungers are quite low to the ground and they didn't have any regular chairs near the surf, though I am sure if you asked they would fetch one for you.
Caviar was at 11:30 and the lunch buffet opened at noon
The private island was the only time I saw disposable glassware, so if you are offended by this, stay on the boat. Real plates and silverware were provided for lunch
The water was quite choppy, though this could have been do to the overall weather conditions.
There is a steep drop off at the beach
The only restroom facilities were up two flights of stairs and behind the buffet area