Live (again) From The Venture

[cruiseej]

14 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Wonderful museum and many shops with Greenland merchandise.

O

Ah, I remember this gallery! One of the few shops we found in Nuuk. We bought a nice glass serving plate here which brings smiles to our face every time we pull it out. 🙂

[Missabby]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share. If possible could you post a picture of the backpack Seabourn provides. Thanks 

[Missabby]

And perhaps an odd question if anyone knows. If you are flying back to Reykjavik from Kangerlussuaq on the charter and going ashore is via 'zodiac tender' how does one navigate a wheeled carryon bag? I'm wondering if I need to choose alternative carry-ons. If anyone has info I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks. 

[FlyingScotSailors]

Just now, Missabby said:

Thank you so much for taking the time to share. If possible could you post a picture of the backpack Seabourn provides. Thanks 

Here are the photos you requested. The back pack is waterproof with a fold down snap closure. Size is about 24x18

 

A

[Missabby]

Wow thanks for such a quick reply. Next question if you don't mind. Did you find it to be truly waterproof of should we pack our cameras in zip lock bags for protection?

[FlyingScotSailors]

2 hours ago, Missabby said:

 

I belive they are waterproof, however aren't zip lock bags part of standard packing lists!

[rallydave]

6 hours ago, Missabby said:

And perhaps an odd question if anyone knows. If you are flying back to Reykjavik from Kangerlussuaq on the charter and going ashore is via 'zodiac tender' how does one navigate a wheeled carryon bag? I'm wondering if I need to choose alternative carry-ons. If anyone has info I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks. 

Since they have to get all of the larger bags off the ship and to shore plus nedw passengers and their bags including carryon's see no problem with getting any suitcase/carryon either onto the luggage zodiac or simply put in the middle of the zodiac as passengers on the zodiacs sit around the perimeter  of the zodiac leaving the center of the zodiac completely available.

 

Seabourn has to make available for any combination of what is allowed on the commercial flight over and back especially since they sold me my flights.  I'b planning on a small roller bag legal size, a laptop backpack and a medical device all legal for fights anywhere.  Sure there will be room for all.

[Covepointcruiser]

Worked out on Sunday in the Zodiacs as it was not a rainy day.   Carry ons were put at the front of the Zodiac and did not get wet.   The buses we took to the airport were different.   There was no overhead storage for bags so if your bus was full your carry ons were stored underneath the bus where they typically put wheelchairs.    We traveled on a bumpy, unsaved road to the small airport. A cafeteria and a small gift store were open.   We all had seat numbers for the plane, however they were completely ignored and every boarded at one time resulting in a fiasco.

[travelordie]

We were last able to get off the Venture on September 24th at Pond Inlet.  The stops at Dundas Harbour and Crocker Bay were cancelled by the Captain due to unfavourable weather conditions. The stop at Beechy Island on September 26th was cancelled as the Captain suspected that our exit route would potentially be blocked by impassable ice.  September 27th and 28th were scheduled days at sea.  The stops near Lady Franklin Island and Monumental Island today were cancelled due to unfavourable weather conditions.  September 30th and October 1st are scheduled days at sea.  When we arrive in Newfoundland on October 2nd, we will have had seven consecutive sea days.  We realize that the Venture is an expedition ship and were anticipating some cancelled stops and a backup plan.  This is probably a new itinerary for Seabourn and there appears to be no backup plan for the multiple cancellations.  It would have been nice, for example, to have alternatives to the relatively large number of cancellations.  Given the daily cost of this cruise, at minimum Seabourn should be offering financial compensation, future cruise credits or shipboard credits to the many disappointed passengers on this segment of the cruise.

Edited September 29, 2022 by travelordie
Spacing error

[Covepointcruiser]

It’s a shame you missed so many ports but you can’t go against the Captain for safety as he has the final word.    We missed two stops on the 9/4 cruise because of ice conditions.   Guess you only had two possible submarine excursions.   We skipped them because there isn’t much to see in the Arctic.    I hope you have been able to see wildlife from the ship even if you couldn’t get in the Zodiacs.

[rallydave]

3 hours ago, travelordie said:

 Given the daily cost of this cruise, at minimum Seabourn should be offering financial compensation, future cruise credits or shipboard credits to the many disappointed passengers on this segment of the cruise.

based on previous missed port with Seabourn the most you will likely get back are the port charges, if any for the missed ports.  This is how it worked on our first Seabourn cruise.  What you have here is Force Majure which is loosely translated as act of God or tough luck.  Any port charges refunded can be used for on board purchases or refund as it is refundable.

[travelordie]

55 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

It’s a shame you missed so many ports but you can’t go against the Captain for safety as he has the final word.    We missed two stops on the 9/4 cruise because of ice conditions.   Guess you only had two possible submarine excursions.   We skipped them because there isn’t much to see in the Arctic.    I hope you have been able to see wildlife from the ship even if you couldn’t get in the Zodiacs.

One of the submersibles was out of service during our segment of the cruise.  We were waitlisted on the remaining submersible but did not clear the wait list.  We were booked on four different kayak excursions but all were ultimately cancelled.  I do understand that the Captain’s motivation is 100% safety and do not fault him for his decisions.  However, some token compensation would be nice.  We did see wildlife from the ship on September 25th and it was a memorable experience - polar bears, musk oxen and even beluga whales.

[worcestergal]

I am also on this trip, though I’ve been confined to my suite since Sunday after a positive Covid test. With all the cancellations, I have thought to myself that if I had to get Covid, my timing wasn’t too bad…🥴

Honestly, though, I do think that Seabourn erred by scheduling this voyage so late in the Arctic season. It’s an itinerary that would have worked much better a couple of weeks earlier. Maybe this is a learning experience for the schedulers, but it’s certainly an expensive one for the many disappointed passengers. 

[travelordie]

I agree that this trip would have been more successful a few weeks earlier.  It seems likely that initially it was planned for an earlier date but with the Venture under construction, then delayed, this probably created the new scheduling.

[Covepointcruiser]

At least you didn’t run into the Canadian hurricane which you would have had to endure if your cruise had left earlier.     Weather right now is unpredictable so we will never know what we will encounter or what ports will be visited especially on an expedition trip.   It’s very disappointing but it can’t be helped.

[travelordie]

I view this as a valuable learning experience about Canadian Arctic cruising.  We have decided that we will definitely do the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica on the Seabourn Venture but will probably not risk doing the Northwest Passage.  Seven consecutive “at sea” days was enjoyable yet sufficient.

[highplanesdrifters]

1 hour ago, travelordie said:

I view this as a valuable learning experience about Canadian Arctic cruising.  We have decided that we will definitely do the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica on the Seabourn Venture but will probably not risk doing the Northwest Passage.  Seven consecutive “at sea” days was enjoyable yet sufficient.

@10987654321has a great thread over on the Ponant boards about their NW passage experience. I think we'll skip it too. 🙂

[Covepointcruiser]

Weather in the South Atlantic is also unpredictable.    The stop in the Falklands is the most tenuous.   The year we did it, we were the only ship able to anchor and tender there.

[worcestergal]

I very much recognize that the weather can be unpredictable. It happens in the Antarctic, the South Pacific and even the Mediterranean. My point was that the ship needs to be flexible. On our first night aboard, the expedition leader pointed out that, since it’s an expedition route, things are bound to change and he asked all passengers to be flexible. I just think that flexibility is important on both sides. I’ve been on Quest in Antarctica when we were not able to make a landing. So, the captain and expedition leader managed to come up with a wonderful alternative. 
Unfortunately, on this cruise there haven’t been any alternatives besides more “conversations”. I totally understand the frustration of so many guests. 

[cruisr]

@worcestergal I hope you and your DH are feeling ok and have mild cases of covid.  Have you been released from quarantine?  Seven sea days with “conversations” with the expedition team sounds a bit much for me.   Am I correct in thinking that there are no other lecturers other then the expedition team?  Has the weather allowed for at least a bit of sitting outside (with blankets)?   Is the interactive TV the same as on the non expedition ships?  Hopefully there a good selection of on demand movies if one wants.

[worcestergal]

Thanks for your kind wishes. I was released today with a negative test. I had been quarantined for 6 days. DH will be able to disembark tomorrow and avoid the St. John’s quarantine hotel because the Canadian Covid rules changed today.  He has had 4 days of quarantine. 
Unfortunately, there were no other lecturers but the expedition team. They were very knowledgeable, but it really did get rather repetitive. 
I was very happy to be able to attend in person today. But, the crowd was kind of sparse. I don’t think anyone has been happy with the last seven days. 

[chicagomelinda]

On 9/29/2022 at 3:18 PM, travelordie said:

We were last able to get off the Venture on September 24th at Pond Inlet.  The stops at Dundas Harbour and Crocker Bay were cancelled by the Captain due to unfavourable weather conditions. The stop at Beechy Island on September 26th was cancelled as the Captain suspected that our exit route would potentially be blocked by impassable ice.  September 27th and 28th were scheduled days at sea.  The stops near Lady Franklin Island and Monumental Island today were cancelled due to unfavourable weather conditions.  September 30th and October 1st are scheduled days at sea.  When we arrive in Newfoundland on October 2nd, we will have had seven consecutive sea days.  We realize that the Venture is an expedition ship and were anticipating some cancelled stops and a backup plan.  This is probably a new itinerary for Seabourn and there appears to be no backup plan for the multiple cancellations.  It would have been nice, for example, to have alternatives to the relatively large number of cancellations.  Given the daily cost of this cruise, at minimum Seabourn should be offering financial compensation, future cruise credits or shipboard credits to the many disappointed passengers on this segment of the cruise.

We would have to agree with you. We were on the 28 day sailing for this cruise. For the last 14 days, we spent nearly 8 of them at sea. We do understand safety is a concern, but if Seabourn had done some research they would have been aware of what the weather here would be like. We were in an OB cabin, which is the cheapest cabin you can purchase, and it was $2000 per day for the two of us. Not an insignificant amount of money.

 

I should also note that we were on another cruise line when Covid first hit. We were at sea for 14 consecutive days, and the Druise Director and entertainment team and staff went out of their way to put together some really marvelous days for us. We didn’t see any kind of that effort on the part of Seabourn. There was, as many people noted, no Plan B. If you’re going to sail under these possibly negative conditions, there must be a Plan B.

 

We will be extremely unhappy if we are not recipients of some form of compensation for the last week of our cruise. For the 14 days that we spent at sea during the Covid “cruise,” we were pleasantly surprised to receive a complete 100% future cruise credit for that cruise, despite the fact that we had a great time. This latest cruise was a case where a lot of passengers had put their trust in Seabourn to give them an extraordinary adventure. Unfortunately, the last week did not deliver.

Edited October 2, 2022 by chicagomelinda
Proofing

[cruisr]

Agree 100%.  There should always be a Plan B.  I have been on a number of cruises which had to do a complete change of ports, had way more sea days and they made lemonade from lemons,   The itinerary planning and the expedition team and the entertainment department should have had a talk a long time ago about Plan B.  Seabourn in the past had Plan Bs.

 

I am getting the opinion that with examples of the Quest and a very negative experience my friends had on the Sojourn as well as examples of the Venture I don’t think Seabourn management care very much.

[FlyingScotSailors]

9 minutes ago, cruisr said:

Agree 100%.  There should always be a Plan B.  I have been on a number of cruises which had to do a complete change of ports, had way more sea days and they made lemonade from lemons,   The itinerary planning and the expedition team and the entertainment department should have had a talk a long time ago about Plan B.  Seabourn in the past had Plan Bs.

 

It may be the nature of the route through the Canadian Arctic.  We were on the previous two week's cruise, with the same expedition and entertainment crew (a few expedition members did change in Reykjavik).  As Expedition Leader Juan said, "We have a Plan B and Plan C".  We had a shift in schedule due to fog, and two changed ports due to ice blockage.  Also, when the weather did not permit submarine operation, (free) zodiac rides were substituted instead at least once.

 

The expedition team were quick to admit that the route was new to them and Seabourn.  Also, the weather has never been predictable far in advance, and nowadays, even less.   

[chicagomelinda]

1 hour ago, FlyingScotSailors said:

 

It may be the nature of the route through the Canadian Arctic.  We were on the previous two week's cruise, with the same expedition and entertainment crew (a few expedition members did change in Reykjavik).  As Expedition Leader Juan said, "We have a Plan B and Plan C".  We had a shift in schedule due to fog, and two changed ports due to ice blockage.  Also, when the weather did not permit submarine operation, (free) zodiac rides were substituted instead at least once.

 

The expedition team were quick to admit that the route was new to them and Seabourn.  Also, the weather has never been predictable far in advance, and nowadays, even less.   

We were on for the first two weeks as well. I would say they handled those changes and plans very well.

 

The challenge for us was virtually eight days at sea with no attempt to do anything other than to add a few talks by the expedition team. For those of us who had seen most of the talks the first go around, the additional talks didn’t really help. There was so much more they could have done. While I do love Seaborn, this one was a huge miss for us. Everyone to try to make the best of it, but eventually, it all just got very old. We were very happy to see land this morning.