Seabourn Announces Refreshed In-Suite Dining Menu

[SLSD]

4 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

Not those of us that go to the gym perhaps.

I don't even go to the gym and would never eat such a thing!

[Rothko1]

6 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

Not those of us that go to the gym perhaps.

 

It says it's gluten free (without the bun perhaps?), so it must be healthy.

[bitob]

When we did the end of cruise evaluation for our recent seabourn cruise our biggest complaint was the in suite dining menu. So few choices. 
 

so glad to read they are improving the menu 

[Hlitner]

On 6/24/2023 at 8:26 AM, SLSD said:

I don't even go to the gym and would never eat such a thing!

My goodness, when I was a kid we loved to eat hotdogs stuffed with cheese and wrapped with bacon.  Caviar is fine, but there are times when comfort food is nice.  As to the Gluten Free, there are recipe's and commercially sold gf free brioche buns.

 

Hank

[Khareef]

That's a welcome change but they could improve it even more by allowing people to order via the app....every time I called the line was busy and once someone picked up the phone there was so much noise from the kitchen that I could hardly hear anything.

 

Another welcome change would be to have some desserts in the Japanese restaurant, there was no dessert option on the Venture when we sailed last December. Not sure why they can't add 2/3 Japanese desserts.

 

And not sure why they poor guys need to hold everything on their shoulders----the wheel was invented a long time ago...

[SLSD]

3 hours ago, Khareef said:

 

 

And not sure why they poor guys need to hold everything on their shoulders----the wheel was invented a long time ago...

I totally agree with you here.  While our room service orders were only breakfast--and only a few items, I saw room service waiters with HUGE loads on their shoulder.  Why not give them carts?  Probably because the carts would make noise going down the hallways.  It's such a shame they cannot use them.  

[Khareef]

4 minutes ago, SLSD said:

I totally agree with you here.  While our room service orders were only breakfast--and only a few items, I saw room service waiters with HUGE loads on their shoulder.  Why not give them carts?  Probably because the carts would make noise going down the hallways.  It's such a shame they cannot use them.  

Indeed, to the point where a couple of times we wanted to ear in the suite but we felt so sorry for the guys we ended up going to the restaurant. I asked and one guy said the issue was due to the plates being too big they wouldn't fit in a cart....Just use smaller plates for in suite service...I don't need to have 80% of my plate being empty space just because it looks very "gourmet" that way...Some choices are so weird sometimes...

 

 

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, SLSD said:

I totally agree with you here.  While our room service orders were only breakfast--and only a few items, I saw room service waiters with HUGE loads on their shoulder.  Why not give them carts?  Probably because the carts would make noise going down the hallways.  It's such a shame they cannot use them.  

It is probably quicker and easier to carry them than to load a trolley.

They can use the stairs also which would limit the trolley dolly service.

[BasandSyb]

We have known a number of wait staff with wrist, shoulder and back issues relating to carrying the heavy trays, including one who had to return home mid contract for treatment and another who had to leave with ongoing issues. Standard size dishes and trolleys won’t detract from service. It’s the way the finished product is delivered into the room which is the more relevant aspect, not how it is carried down an internal stairwell or through a hall. Some of the young chaps are gun-ho, but we all know the costs longer term.

[Khareef]

27 minutes ago, BasandSyb said:

We have known a number of wait staff with wrist, shoulder and back issues relating to carrying the heavy trays, including one who had to return home mid contract for treatment and another who had to leave with ongoing issues. Standard size dishes and trolleys won’t detract from service. It’s the way the finished product is delivered into the room which is the more relevant aspect, not how it is carried down an internal stairwell or through a hall. Some of the young chaps are gun-ho, but we all know the costs longer term.

 

We should all write to Seabourn and complain, hopefully they will change the system.

[2seabournsailors]

1 hour ago, Khareef said:

 

We should all write to Seabourn and complain, hopefully they will change the system.

In 17 years or so of sailing with Seabourn we have NEVER ordered the Course by Course Room Service, as we wouldn't dream of expecting a Crew Member to climb up and down the stairs three or four times to deliver each course. We just opt for the same old Club Sandwich or Burger.....hoping the new Menu will be an improvement as Room Service can be relaxing after a long day.

[jrcruisealong]

On 7/7/2023 at 5:42 AM, 2seabournsailors said:

In 17 years or so of sailing with Seabourn we have NEVER ordered the Course by Course Room Service, as we wouldn't dream of expecting a Crew Member to climb up and down the stairs three or four times to deliver each course. We just opt for the same old Club Sandwich or Burger.....hoping the new Menu will be an improvement as Room Service can be relaxing after a long day.

Can you order from the Restaurant and tell them to bring everything (except maybe the dessert) all at once?

[Mr Luxury]

7 hours ago, jrcruisealong said:

Can you order from the Restaurant and tell them to bring everything (except maybe the dessert) all at once?

Yes

[Steve007NY]

Just reading through this thread begin wondering. In the past, we have, after discussions with the chef a couple days in advance, had him prepare things that we dreamed up (probably our favorite was scallops with bacon brittle). There was never an issue with having these served in the room. Have things changed or are we just overly indulgent? 🙂

[frantic36]

3 hours ago, Steve007NY said:

Have things changed or are we just overly indulgent? 🙂

 

I have cocktail parties in our room when we booked larger rooms but never pre-booked a special meal there. So maybe it is still possible but it will be a wait and see? 

 

Actually I just remembered that a friend was in a spa suite on the Grand Voyage in January and while we sailed through the Panama Canal they had organised a special meal at lunch time served in the suite for 5 passengers. So maybe it is still possible?

[Robisan]

"The menus will be available onboard the Seabourn Venture’s June 18, 2023 voyage and onboard the rest of the fleet by October 2023, according to a press release."

 

Coming soon?

[Sunday golf]

I guess it’s good news although would have been happier if they refresh the menu in the Restaurant first. On our recent Encore Cruise food was very variable. Even in TK! The worst being the restaurant. On a two week cruise, very repetitive, generally cold  and lacking flavour. Ironically the best meals were on the patio in the evening.

[Khareef]

2 hours ago, Sunday golf said:

I guess it’s good news although would have been happier if they refresh the menu in the Restaurant first. On our recent Encore Cruise food was very variable. Even in TK! The worst being the restaurant. On a two week cruise, very repetitive, generally cold  and lacking flavour. Ironically the best meals were on the patio in the evening.

Indeed, that was my experience on the Venture (X2) as well. Food in the Restaurant was uninspired, they offer way too many options and that kills the quality imho. Plus everything is so dull and traditional, they do need a breath of fresh air, less choices, more modern presentation and food choice, less pre cooked stuff...I think it is a 6/10, most of the times I ended up having Sushi or eating in Colonnade where in the evening they have a small menu but freshly prepared.

Plus don't get me started on the restaurant look which is very very dated....

Things have really moved on in the gastronomical world, Seabourn is stuck in the 80es...

[kjbacon]

We did a 6 week cruise last year and were quite disappointed with the food and so bored with the repetition. The absurdly and sometimes incorrectly written menus were the only source of imagination or inspiration. We are really hoping for improvements when we give them a second chance next year.

[nancygp]

5 hours ago, Robisan said:

"The menus will be available onboard the Seabourn Venture’s June 18, 2023 voyage and onboard the rest of the fleet by October 2023, according to a press release."

 

Coming soon?

The new room service menu is now available on the Sojourn

 

Nancy

[sfvoyage]

6 hours ago, nancygp said:

The new room service menu is now available on the Sojourn

 

Nancy

It is scheduled to be rolled out on the Odyssey starting in about a week.

[Mahogany]

On 10/11/2023 at 5:45 AM, Khareef said:

Indeed, that was my experience on the Venture (X2) as well. Food in the Restaurant was uninspired, they offer way too many options and that kills the quality imho. Plus everything is so dull and traditional, they do need a breath of fresh air, less choices, more modern presentation and food choice, less pre cooked stuff...I think it is a 6/10, most of the times I ended up having Sushi or eating in Colonnade where in the evening they have a small menu but freshly prepared.

Plus don't get me started on the restaurant look which is very very dated....

Things have really moved on in the gastronomical world, Seabourn is stuck in the 80es...

Are you saying the "restaurant look which is very very dated" was on the new ship Venture?

[Utopia1]

47 minutes ago, Mahogany said:

Are you saying the "restaurant look which is very very dated" was on the new ship Venture?

I don't understand what kind of dining people expect when they cruise.   I cruise a lot- if I want something special I have always found the chef is more than willing to prepare it if given proper notice. 

 

At home we have restaurants with top chefs- I seldom frequent them. I have dined at Thomas Keller restaurants because I was invited- but I would never want to dine there every night. Thomas Keller on the ship provides a simple menu that can be enjoyed often- unlike some of his restaurants in the USA

 

There are people who look for what is wrong rather than how good things are.

[Khareef]

16 hours ago, Mahogany said:

Are you saying the "restaurant look which is very very dated" was on the new ship Venture?

Yes I am saying that. Everything is dated, the design, the food choice, the food presentation.

 

Some people might like it old school. Food is not bad but there is nothing particularly remarkable either. The pros; It is spacious and comfortable and hardly any waiting times on the Venture since it is a small ship.

 

All the guests I talked too were a bit tired of the restaurant after the first week since the food felt a bit repetitive and the taste a bit dull.

 

Other lines, even in inferior categories, have much better food. As simple as that. The Venture strength it is in the peculiar itineraries and in the Expedition Team department (which makes sense since it is an expedition team 🙂). The ship is also a Beauty to look at! 

 

I think they can and should  improve greatly their food offering, regardless of the personal taste on the restaurant design. It is a competitive world and the competition is simply doing better than Seabourn foodwise.

[Mahogany]

On 10/13/2023 at 5:20 AM, Khareef said:

Yes I am saying that. Everything is dated, the design, the food choice, the food presentation.

 

Some people might like it old school. Food is not bad but there is nothing particularly remarkable either. The pros; It is spacious and comfortable and hardly any waiting times on the Venture since it is a small ship.

 

All the guests I talked too were a bit tired of the restaurant after the first week since the food felt a bit repetitive and the taste a bit dull.

 

Other lines, even in inferior categories, have much better food. As simple as that. The Venture strength it is in the peculiar itineraries and in the Expedition Team department (which makes sense since it is an expedition team 🙂). The ship is also a Beauty to look at! 

 

I think they can and should  improve greatly their food offering, regardless of the personal taste on the restaurant design. It is a competitive world and the competition is simply doing better than Seabourn foodwise.

What are some of your suggestions to achieve "the design, the food choice, the food presentation" that you say are "dated"? And who is the competition that "is simply doing better than Seabourn foodwise"? For example, Oceania has good specialty restaurants, but their main dining room is poor.

 

And please don't compare cruise ship dining to your fave at-home restaurant, not fair. Being on  Seabourn and Silversea almost 3 months this year gives me many opportunities to praise and complain - and dining onboard is important to me - but I don't compare the quality and service of a venue that is more typically comparable in size to a large wedding or convention dinner to a much smaller establishment with access to different and maybe better provisions and staff on land.

 

Let's not be unrealistic about what the Food Department on ships can do. Maybe if one insists on cruising, then just accept the limitations. Or not...🙂