Seabourn no longer doing covid test for passengers returning to US from Vancouver

[Thecat123]

4 hours ago, sfvoyage said:

 

I would encourage Seabourn newbies to sail with an open mind and heart.  Instead of going on board expecting and demanding everything to be how they used to like it on other lines, it would behoove them to take the time to observe and ask and find out how things operate on Seabourn.

 

We were on the same Ovation cruise in March, followed by the transatlantic crossing.  On the first segment, the staff had to contend with a lot of unusual demands by some of the new guests who wanted everything their way from Day One.  In fact, I overheard guests who complained daily about various inconsequential issues just because they didn't fit what they had been used to on another line.  One couple dined (and ordered a full dinner) at all the dining venues every night.  Another lady complained incessantly about an issue and wouldn't give up until she threatened legal action and got her way, i.e. monetary compensation.  (BTW, the issue was something that we and other friends have encountered on occasion, but we would never dream of asking for compensation, let alone threaten to sue.)

 

Please do not misconstrue the above:  I am not minimizing or denying the pain and suffering of those who had to try Seabourn for the first time.  However, I challenge anyone to find the perfect line who would deliver the perfect service the very first time based on their exact likings, unless they own or charter their own yacht and/or have had a chance to express their exact desires in advance to all the necessary staff.

 

The reality is that Seabourn delivers an impossibly high level of service and aims to please.  However, there are differences, and it's often not a black and white matter of better or worse.  As good as Seabourn is, it doesn't and cannot always read minds and it doesn't know your expectations until you make them known, preferably in advance.

 

BTW, on the topic of "dining course by course in the privacy of your own suite", I, too, have noticed and been intrigued by this marketing copy but have never indulged for dinner.  With the two of us, we tend to eat fairly quickly, and it doesn't make sense for us to keep calling room service every 5 minutes for the next course to be delivered.  All the hassle, the fuss, the labour...  So for us, it sounds interesting and lovely in concept but not in practice.

 

Having said that, we have been invited on a couple of occasions by another couple to their fancy suite for private dinners, and those had been very well executed.  The other couples contacted guest services and consulted with the F&B manager in advance (24 hour would suffice) regarding menus, service timing and pacing, wine pairing, etc., and we would get a dedicated server during most of the dinner.  Nobody would think of calling down to room service at a moment's notice to arrange or a course-by-course dinner the same evening.

Fully agree with your comments 😀

 

I still do not understand why anybody would want to try and change any cruise lines policy  just to suit themselves   Those policies to me make that cruise line special and a reason to sail with over a different cruise line

We have always sailed with an open mind,  MSC to Seabourn along with half a dozen different cruise lines over the years just looking for the good things and adapting  and not worrying,  like the Crystal passenger, of going through the effort of taking a photo just to post on CC a  column which holds up the deck above in the main theatre, an earlier post, to  block his view. We would just find another seat  

 

 

 

[Thecat123]

4 hours ago, skybluewaters said:

 

Wow.  Quite a leap for you to assume that just because I previously sailed on Crystal that I was implying that Crystal would have done things differently.  Go back and read my comment.  I mentioned that I was previously cruising on Crystal to make the point that a new would-be passenger to Seabourn might not be impressed by this recent change of terms.  If I had previously sailed on Princess or HAL, I would still have the same opinion that changing the terms after accepting a deposit is not customer-friendly.  Is it "legal?"  Maybe...but that's not the high bar of excellence that a luxury line should aspire to.

 

I believe a reasonable solution would be for Seabourn to initiate this change for all new bookings and to still provide pre-disembarkation tests for existing bookings.

 

This is the type of thing I am really on about

 

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/new-zealand-border-reopening-fully-from-end-of-july/ar-AAX8dYv?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=4a64e9779ba042d5f355104485d7d08a

 

How does any cruise line deal with when the NZ Government has not made up their mind yet if cruise ships can arrive let alone informing the passengers?

 

[Mauzac]

I would never judge anyone for coming from another cruise line but comparisons just don't work do they?  They're all different.

 

What I have a problem with is needless complainers.  This happened on one of our earlier cruises, just one couple, but it was so bad, we had to make a huge point of avoidance because it was spoiling our time onboard.  This person was trying to rally others into a mass complaint at every opportunity about nothing, nobody played ball.  (To give an example, the weather was very misty in Halong Bay and SB should've taken that into account and cut the boat trip we were all enjoying, short) 

 

Serial complainers should remember it impacts other guests.  There is nothing wrong with a quiet word with SB staff when something doesn't go right, of course.

[rucrazy]

14 hours ago, sfvoyage said:

I would encourage Seabourn newbies to sail with an open mind and heart.  Instead of going on board expecting and demanding everything to be how they used to like it on other lines, it would behoove them to take the time to observe and ask and find out how things operate on Seabourn.

That is how we are approaching this new adventure, we have cruised long enough to realize "things happen" and that not everything thing in the brochures are 100% factual.

In other words we have seen this play before!

We are just excited to try something new!

Edited May 11, 2022 by rucrazy

[highplanesdrifters]

2 hours ago, rucrazy said:

That is how we are approaching this new adventure, we have cruised long enough to realize "things happen" and that not everything thing in the brochures are 100% factual.

In other words we have seen this play before!

We are just excited to try something new!

I so agree.  It is the only way to travel!  1 star or 5 stars let's have fun and enjoy.  Hope to meet you onboard someday.

[SLSD]

12 hours ago, Mauzac said:

I would never judge anyone for coming from another cruise line but comparisons just don't work do they?  They're all different.

 

What I have a problem with is needless complainers.  This happened on one of our earlier cruises, just one couple, but it was so bad, we had to make a huge point of avoidance because it was spoiling our time onboard.  This person was trying to rally others into a mass complaint at every opportunity about nothing, nobody played ball.  (To give an example, the weather was very misty in Halong Bay and SB should've taken that into account and cut the boat trip we were all enjoying, short) 

 

Serial complainers should remember it impacts other guests.  There is nothing wrong with a quiet word with SB staff when something doesn't go right, of course.

At the same time, we, on this board, need to remain open to hearing all comments without bashing those that make them.  I totally agree that anyone trying a cruise line for the first time needs to understand that every cruise line is different.  None of the remaining cruise lines are like Crystal.  Silversea and Seabourn are different from each other.  Viking is not like Silversea or Seabourn.  Each cruise line has its own personality.  

[Thecat123]

15 hours ago, Mauzac said:

I would never judge anyone for coming from another cruise line but comparisons just don't work do they?  They're all different.

 

What I have a problem with is needless complainers.  This happened on one of our earlier cruises, just one couple, but it was so bad, we had to make a huge point of avoidance because it was spoiling our time onboard.  This person was trying to rally others into a mass complaint at every opportunity about nothing, nobody played ball.  (To give an example, the weather was very misty in Halong Bay and SB should've taken that into account and cut the boat trip we were all enjoying, short) 

 

Serial complainers should remember it impacts other guests.  There is nothing wrong with a quiet word with SB staff when something doesn't go right, of course.

 

Agree Mauzac our story with a pre covid cruise of 18 days?

We met Mr and Mrs Crystal on the boarding day lunch then having dinner with them that night of which we ended up sitting at the dining room table with the staff being brand new to Seabourn due to crew change that day so the service was a bit slow. Bad service according to Mr &Mrs  Then on in for the rest of the cruise every time we saw them there was another issue over every tiny little thing

It got to the stage that we would never sail with Crystal just in case we  mentioned sailing with another cruise line and getting told how much better Crystal is

Their continual comments did ruin our cruise

 

Even a couple of days ago there was a comment on CC on which I can never understand why Mr Crystal would make a comment like this

 

Stickman1990

• 
• • 4.4k
• April 13, 2018
• Cruising

• #4  

Posted May 2

The thread covering this on the Regent forum is

 

It's certainly not the same level of detail that Crystal published for each voyage

 

 

 

One of the things we liked about Seabourn was that there were no photographers present taking photos of us all the time as compared to most other cruise lines we had sailed with😀

[Mauzac]

7 hours ago, SLSD said:

At the same time, we, on this board, need to remain open to hearing all comments without bashing those that make them.  I totally agree that anyone trying a cruise line for the first time needs to understand that every cruise line is different.  None of the remaining cruise lines are like Crystal.  Silversea and Seabourn are different from each other.  Viking is not like Silversea or Seabourn.  Each cruise line has its own personality.  

 

Certainly.  On this board, anyone is entitled to talk of any problem they have had and on he whole posters are sympathetic if there has been valid issues.  And cruise lines are very different in the way they do things,  and of course there is a lot of loyalty with a favourite cruise line which can made posters defensive! 

  

However, when on my cruise, I don't want to hear it when I'm perfectly happy with how everything is going for us, I don't want to spend my holiday being sought out so someone can moan to me!  And I suppose for us, there's an element of 'easy come, easy go', we're just grateful to be there!  @Thecat123I think we're in agreement! 

 

When on our last cruise in February there were some real issues with an excursion and my husband and I didn't bother complaining because we knew somebody would be doing it for us, and we were right, and it was handled by SB with a letter and some recompense.  Maybe we're just lazy and switch off too much!  

Edited May 12, 2022 by Mauzac

[PaulMCO]

On 5/10/2022 at 6:16 PM, Hlitner said:

 Your comments are a bit harsh since the “SB” promise never promised post debarkation testing.  The policy did offer some guarantees if a person happened to get COVID immediately before or during a cruise.   On our cruise there were more than a few COVID cases and those folks seemed to be cared for by SB.

 

Hank

I guess you missed post #8

[SLSD]

3 hours ago, Mauzac said:

 

Certainly.  On this board, anyone is entitled to talk of any problem they have had and on he whole posters are sympathetic if there has been valid issues.  And cruise lines are very different in the way they do things,  and of course there is a lot of loyalty with a favourite cruise line which can made posters defensive! 

  

However, when on my cruise, I don't want to hear it when I'm perfectly happy with how everything is going for us, I don't want to spend my holiday being sought out so someone can moan to me!  And I suppose for us, there's an element of 'easy come, easy go', we're just grateful to be there!  @Thecat123I think we're in agreement! 

 

When on our last cruise in February there were some real issues with an excursion and my husband and I didn't bother complaining because we knew somebody would be doing it for us, and we were right, and it was handled by SB with a letter and some recompense.  Maybe we're just lazy and switch off too much!  

I totally agree with you that it would be annoying to hear constant comments while on a cruise about every little detail that doesn't suit someone.  The difference here is that we don't have to read what others write here. We don't have to comment if we don't like what others write.  We can skip entire threads.  

 

  Having to listen at dinner about complaints would annoy me.  I agree with you there.  I think it is a totally different situation.  

[frantic36]

4 hours ago, SLSD said:

I totally agree with you that it would be annoying to hear constant comments while on a cruise about every little detail that doesn't suit someone.  The difference here is that we don't have to read what others write here. We don't have to comment if we don't like what others write.  We can skip entire threads.  

 

  Having to listen at dinner about complaints would annoy me.  I agree with you there.  I think it is a totally different situation.  

We will have to agree to disagree withy this viewpoint.This constant complaints by some ex-Crystal people is tiring and I don't enjoy reading this board these days.

 

 I remember about 9 years ago early on when reading cruise critic as a newbie to Seabourn reading various complaints about the wines and some service issues. So even though I had enjoyed previous cruises I listened to these "experts" that I needed to speak up about any perceived fault on my next cruise. I made a rod for my own back and the first part of my cruise till I realised what I was doing. I was looking for fault and couldn't relax and enjoy my cruise. 

 

Not everything goes right but I have learnt to pick my battles and ignore the small stuff. Things I need to talk to someone about I do and I go to the person that needs to know, sometimes it is the Hotel Director but often Guest Services is enough. Only once after a cruise have I needed to go higher and that was resolved and I have sailed on Seabourn a number of times. 

 

Interestingly to me I did one cruise on Crystal in 2012 and that was enough, I was under the impression it was the pinnacle for cruises. My stewardess was the worst ever, destinations were unhelpful, unless you were in Penthouse or above you couldn't get any  extra speciality restaurant bookings. Apparently that changed in later years but I wasn't willing to risk the financial output to try again. However I had been thinking to try the river cruises prior to the bankruptcies because friends recommended them. 

 

My point is though some complaints are valid they need to be put in context to where the person's overall expectations are. Maybe like me they fell for the hype of Crystal and in this case Seabourn and it was never going to live up to the advertising. 

 

I haven't sailed on Seabourn since December 2019 but friends have and though generally good there have been some disappointments. But I have stayed in some regular 5 star resorts here as well and things are not as they were, as people adjust to difficulties in getting trained staff and Covid quarantines. We still have a good time though. 

 

I will go to my July cruise with an open mind and after these tough few years because of Covid and family issues I hope to have an enjoyable cruise.

[Mr Luxury]

I was with you on that crystal cruise in 2012 Julie. 

I didn't like it and never sailed with them again either 😁

[rwcooperuk]

On 5/9/2022 at 3:49 PM, FlyerTalker said:

 

Did you check on leaving from Toronto.  Lots of both flights and trains between Montreal and Toronto - and the difference in a hotel price would easily make up that expense.

Thank you for that....I did not even think of that....  First time up in that area of Canada and not really familiar with the area and our flight was out of Montreal.  I think I have it figured out...  Self test at the Hotel...if that doesn't work, make an appointment at the airport.  Cancelled our Spa and high speed internet to pay for the Montreal Hotel.  Traveling is always a challenge so we'll just have to roll with it but I do have a long memory so I'll probably sail with someone else next.  HAL was just a thought since I hadn't sailed them before. 

[MrToblerone]

For everyones info, we finished the cruise .

The testing was performed next door to the cruise terminal and very easy,5 mins walk max.

Our appt was at 9.50 and we arrived early with our suitcases ,there were no queues .

We got our tests straight away ,walked up to the Hyatt for a day room ,dropped our bags and went shopping!

Our results came through by email with 30 mins and we flew back to NZ that night 🙂

[MWillow]

1 hour ago, MrToblerone said:

For everyones info, we finished the cruise .

The testing was performed next door to the cruise terminal and very easy,5 mins walk max.

Our appt was at 9.50 and we arrived early with our suitcases ,there were no queues .

We got our tests straight away ,walked up to the Hyatt for a day room ,dropped our bags and went shopping!

Our results came through by email with 30 mins and we flew back to NZ that night 🙂

We were on your same cruise and were tested the day prior to disembarkation onboard the ship.  9AM in the Grand Salon.  How did we score this?  We asked.  Repeatedly.  Guest Services told us it would be announced in The Herald, it was not.  There were only about 20 of us in line, Seabourn charged our onboard account $10/person for the test.  

[MrToblerone]

Wish we had known that ! Ours were $70 CA each 

[saminina]

Yes, I asked once and received.    For $10 and zero aggravation.

Also, these arrive Canada forms are a waste.  Spain had similar form.  Nobody asked to see either.