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Post Nov., 2017 itineraries!

markham

By markham,
in Seabourn Cruise Line

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jenidallas

jenidallas

Posted
Posted (edited)
That's what I'm doing :) Holding out....

 

Off topic sidebar... I'd love to hear from you about Azamara (mainly the big differences one would notice between the lines). I'm going to be on Azamara Quest in December (ironically while you are on Seabourn Odyssey... and I'll be on Seabourn Odyssey in October while you are on Azamara!)

Edited by jenidallas
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markham

markham

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And now back to the topic...

 

Has anyone heard about the all important "when"? I have emailed Seabourn and received no response in 3 days and so decided to throw a wider net to those who have good contacts.

 

Refresher: the post Nov., 2017 Quest itineraries have been out for a few months. What about Odyssey, Sojourn and Encore?

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

Ps- We don't want our friend florisdekort to get antsy, renounce hope, and consequently end up keeping that Azamara Azamazamazing Club Cruise booking for Christmas 2017, do we? I mean... really, Seabourn.

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jenidallas

jenidallas

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Refresher: the post Nov., 2017 Quest itineraries have been out for a few months. What about Odyssey, Sojourn and Encore?

 

My speculation is that some of the penciled in but not yet announced itineraries are getting reevaluated based on what the bookings look like for the Mediterranean and for this coming Caribbean season.

 

Seabourn may be watching what others do as the events of the last couple of years in the Black Sea/Eastern Mediterranean have affected the port schedules and variety of itineraries that can be offered. At the same time, changes to Mediterranean plans on other lines have left other regions with more capacity - and there has been much industry talk of the Caribbean being oversupplied (although not in the luxury market). I know Quest needs a bit more advanced planning since it is the ice-capable ship and has some destinations that have capacity controls and therefore requires a bit more forward planning than the other three vessels.

 

I'd like to plan for next fall/winter and beyond but I also would not like to see those plans changed after booking so I understand the caution.

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florisdekort

florisdekort

Posted
Posted
Off topic sidebar... I'd love to hear from you about Azamara (mainly the big differences one would notice between the lines). I'm going to be on Azamara Quest in December (ironically while you are on Seabourn Odyssey... and I'll be on Seabourn Odyssey in October while you are on Azamara!)

 

 

Azamara is not Seabourn, but in my opinion does provide great value for money and provides an overall better experience than its main competitor Oceania. They are my second choice these days, after Seabourn. The cabins on Azamara are way smaller than on Seabourn, but if you book in the suite category that's less of an issue. Perhaps surprisingly, I find the main dining room food and service comparable to Seabourn. Seabourn's Colonnade however beats Azamara's buffet. Azamara recently launched its Patio Grill for dining and it is virtually identical to Seabourn's Grill. Where Azamara in my opinion really shines are the two speciality restaurants: Aqualina and Prime C - both are simply excellent; I dine there most nights. The also new Living Room has a Seabourn Square feel to it but lacks an outdoor area. Mosaic Cafe is another nice area to enjoy a coffee and socialize with other guests and the very visible Officers. With 700 guests the ships are slightly larger than Seabourn but still small enough to have no queues. In short - I enjoy Azamara... but it is my second choice. And as their Christmas 2017 itineraries are boring, I need Seabourn to deliver :)

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cpinstein

cpinstein

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I have to respectfully disagree with florisdekort on Azamara. We just returned from the British Isles Cruise that included the British Open golf tournament. And I will not sail them again. I found the food just OK, and the service really poor. This was my first time on Azamara, and I knew the cabins were small, but that's all that were available. I had every intention of peeking at a suite for future cruises before leaving, but there was no need. I knew I wasn't coming back. We usually sail on Crystal, so maybe I'm just spoiled. I'm so excited about sailing on Seabourn in December, and sure hope it's a lot better than Azanara.

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bitob

bitob

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Posted
I have to respectfully disagree with florisdekort on Azamara. We just returned from the British Isles Cruise that included the British Open golf tournament. And I will not sail them again. I found the food just OK, and the service really poor. This was my first time on Azamara, and I knew the cabins were small, but that's all that were available. I had every intention of peeking at a suite for future cruises before leaving, but there was no need. I knew I wasn't coming back. We usually sail on Crystal, so maybe I'm just spoiled. I'm so excited about sailing on Seabourn in December, and sure hope it's a lot better than Azanara.

 

 

Plus 1. We will not sail on Azamara again either.

Nice to have choices. We are also excited about Seabourn. We have two cruises booked and we are awaiting release of the 2018 itineraries

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MightyQuinn

MightyQuinn

Posted
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I'm with cpinstein and bitob. Azamara is no match for Seabourn and doesn't even measure up to Oceania, in my opinion. We're sailing AZ again next month to use an Open Passage booking and it will likely be our last. Seabourn is tops for us, but we recently sailed Crystal and now we have another favourite.

 

But to stay on topic ;);) Crystal has published their itineraries through 2019 which is great for long range planning. Seabourn really needs to get with the program or risk losing bookings to very able competitors.

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Mr Luxury

Mr Luxury

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Seabourn generally sails full all of the time

Crystal does not always sail full so releasing itineraries years ahead does not mean that they sell out.

It's only because we get excited and like to get trips booked and under our belts that we can get impatient.

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divsec

divsec

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Just received my invite to look at the 2017 itineraries and was shocked to see the Sterling Pricing for similar cruises to the one I'm on in October. What an increase. 40% or so. I know , sterling : dollar. Brexit, shorter programme, nothing in October, reductions nearer to sailing date etc. But I don't think many Brits will be in a rush to book early.

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galeforce9

galeforce9

Posted
Posted

A

Just received my invite to look at the 2017 itineraries and was shocked to see the Sterling Pricing for similar cruises to the one I'm on in October. What an increase. 40% or so. I know , sterling : dollar. Brexit, shorter programme, nothing in October, reductions nearer to sailing date etc. But I don't think many Brits will be in a rush to book early.

 

 

Are you comparing to the current price now? These are not the prices they were originally on sale at but I do expect they will have gone up significantly.

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divsec

divsec

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A

 

 

 

Are you comparing to the current price now? These are not the prices they were originally on sale at but I do expect they will have gone up significantly.

Good point I'm comparing current to 2017. Glad to say I booked 6 weeks ago at a pricing which made it possible to enjoy Seabourn again.

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markham

markham

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longton,

 

Not sure about that. All I see on the site for Nov., 2017 and a couple of months beyond is Quest Antarctic. And so I would expect that the other ships- Ody, Soj and Enc- will have their itineraries published at the same time.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Edited by markham
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longton

longton

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Markham

 

They are on the Seabourn website but haven't yet appeared on the website of the cruise company we normally book through.

 

The itineraries are focused on the Caribbean for December 2017 and it's disappointing, at least for us, that there aren't any Asia or Indian Ocean sailings in this period.

Edited by longton
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markham

markham

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Longton,

 

Right you are. When I last communicated they were definitely not there and this shows that not all routers to Seabourn's site (or maybe how Seabourn deals with routers?) are treated equally. Thanks!

 

I see these itineraries now and so I will be on the phone tomorrow (Monday) morning to see what's what with my TA.

 

Happy and healthy saiiing!

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