Not a newbie sails Odyssey August 11, 2023. Alaska: Glaciers, Fjords & Inside Passage

[jondfk]

Well, the first week of our two week cruise is quickly drawing to and end, we’ve been onboard long enough to start to draw comparisons to our prior Ovation experience in June.  Here are a few observations.

 

Small(er) ship versus large(er) ship.  We rarely felt crowded on Ovation, aside from the embarkation lunch.  On Odyssey we’ve felt crowded most every day.  I’m told this sailing is fully booked, more than 425 onboard.  Ovation was booked near capacity too, closer to 88% versus 95% on this sailing.  Perhaps more a factor of weather, we had superb weather in Norway with very little rain, here in Alaska we’ve had rain every day so far (though today’s promises to be grey but not wet).  I’m sure the rain has concentrated people inside.  Whatever the reason we find ourselves in lines much more than we would prefer, in the Square, the Colonnade and elsewhere.

 

One reason for the lines is undoubtedly that everyone moves en masse from venue to venue.  As I’ve noted the Restaurant rarely opens aside from dinner, the Patio has been opening for lunch at 1:30, to serve late returning excursion guests, this means the daily routine for most is, Colonnade for breakfast (which is slammed), move to the Square for a coffee or two (which again is slammed), a return to Colonnade for lunch.  Ovation, with multiple venues open, spread people out, we simply never experienced a wait at any food venue the entire trip.

 

Fit and finish.  Here we see no real difference it’s difficult to see the 10 plus years of wear on Odyssey, she may not look quite brand new, but she is by no means tired or dated.  There’s a stained carpet her or there, but honestly that’s probably more a matter of what happened yesterday and last week than general maintenance.  It’s had to identify deficiencies without resorting to extreme nitpicking.

 

Crew and staff, here, there’s a real divergence, and even a divergence on Odyssey alone.  We simply had superb service on Ovation.  Food venues, bar venues, the Square, were uniformly great and mostly excellent.  On Odyssey, the barista team has been exceptional, the bartenders likewise, much of the bar waitstaff very good with a couple all stars.  Hosts in the Colonnade and Restaurant have been cool (to be kind) or rude (to be honest).  We’ve landed on an excellent waiter and are secure in his section but those first few days service was shockingly uneven, and staff, disturbingly thin.  It’s as if we sailed two different lines, will the real Seabourn please stand up.

 

Intangibles, I’ve read on other threads that experienced SB sailors avoid 7 day itineraries, and perhaps we see why.  Can service possibly vary this widely simply based on the voyage length?  Do passengers who book shorter voyages really have such different expectations, I doubted it before sailing, but I’m inclined to agree armed with this experience.

 

I want to be very clear in writing here, we have enjoyed our voyage thus far gaffs and all.  I’ll continue to report our experiences through the second week.  
 

Tomorrow is turnaround day in Juneau this looked to be quite challenging with 150 guests leaving and a like number arriving all by tender, good news was delivered last evening though as pier space has been made available at least through boarding time.  The crew are greatly relieved as the workload is greatly increased when tendering for turnover.

[SLSD]

55 minutes ago, jondfk said:

Well, the first week of our two week cruise is quickly drawing to and end, we’ve been onboard long enough to start to draw comparisons to our prior Ovation experience in June.  Here are a few observations.

 

Small(er) ship versus large(er) ship.  We rarely felt crowded on Ovation, aside from the embarkation lunch.  On Odyssey we’ve felt crowded most every day.  I’m told this sailing is fully booked, more than 425 onboard.  Ovation was booked near capacity too, closer to 88% versus 95% on this sailing.  Perhaps more a factor of weather, we had superb weather in Norway with very little rain, here in Alaska we’ve had rain every day so far (though today’s promises to be grey but not wet).  I’m sure the rain has concentrated people inside.  Whatever the reason we find ourselves in lines much more than we would prefer, in the Square, the Colonnade and elsewhere.

 

One reason for the lines is undoubtedly that everyone moves en masse from venue to venue.  As I’ve noted the Restaurant rarely opens aside from dinner, the Patio has been opening for lunch at 1:30, to serve late returning excursion guests, this means the daily routine for most is, Colonnade for breakfast (which is slammed), move to the Square for a coffee or two (which again is slammed), a return to Colonnade for lunch.  Ovation, with multiple venues open, spread people out, we simply never experienced a wait at any food venue the entire trip.

 

Fit and finish.  Here we see no real difference it’s difficult to see the 10 plus years of wear on Odyssey, she may not look quite brand new, but she is by no means tired or dated.  There’s a stained carpet her or there, but honestly that’s probably more a matter of what happened yesterday and last week than general maintenance.  It’s had to identify deficiencies without resorting to extreme nitpicking.

 

Crew and staff, here, there’s a real divergence, and even a divergence on Odyssey alone.  We simply had superb service on Ovation.  Food venues, bar venues, the Square, were uniformly great and mostly excellent.  On Odyssey, the barista team has been exceptional, the bartenders likewise, much of the bar waitstaff very good with a couple all stars.  Hosts in the Colonnade and Restaurant have been cool (to be kind) or rude (to be honest).  We’ve landed on an excellent waiter and are secure in his section but those first few days service was shockingly uneven, and staff, disturbingly thin.  It’s as if we sailed two different lines, will the real Seabourn please stand up.

 

Intangibles, I’ve read on other threads that experienced SB sailors avoid 7 day itineraries, and perhaps we see why.  Can service possibly vary this widely simply based on the voyage length?  Do passengers who book shorter voyages really have such different expectations, I doubted it before sailing, but I’m inclined to agree armed with this experience.

 

I want to be very clear in writing here, we have enjoyed our voyage thus far gaffs and all.  I’ll continue to report our experiences through the second week.  
 

Tomorrow is turnaround day in Juneau this looked to be quite challenging with 150 guests leaving and a like number arriving all by tender, good news was delivered last evening though as pier space has been made available at least through boarding time.  The crew are greatly relieved as the workload is greatly increased when tendering for turnover.

As we were on the Ovation voyage with you in June, I can agree that service on that voyage was quite good--in fact, it was the best service we have ever experienced on a Seabourn cruise--in every venue.  So--I am disappointed to hear that you have not had the same on your Alaska itinerary.  

[nancygp]

Service on my recent odyssey cruise was significantly better than my April Ovation cruise.  In addition, we found the hostesses in the restaurant and colonnade on the odyssey cruise to be very accommodating, warm and helpful.  
 

Both weeks of our recent 14 day odyssey cruise were sold out yet it did not seem crowded.  We had much better weather than the current cruise.  We did find the April ovation crossing somewhat crowded in several venues as we had lousy weather.  We were at 75% capacity.

overall, our odyssey experience was very different from jondfk.  
 

nancy

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by nancygp

[SLSD]

37 minutes ago, nancygp said:

Service on my recent odyssey cruise was significantly better than my April Ovation cruise.  In addition, we found the hostesses in the restaurant and colonnade on the odyssey cruise to be very accommodating, warm and helpful.  
 

Both weeks of our recent 14 day odyssey cruise were sold out yet it did not seem crowded.  We had much better weather than the current cruise.  We did find the April ovation crossing somewhat crowded in several venues as we had lousy weather.  We were at 75% capacity.

overall, our odyssey experience was very different from jondfk.  
 

nancy

 

It seems that the lesson to learn is that no two cruises are exactly alike.  Thanks for point that out Nancy.  

[nancygp]

22 minutes ago, SLSD said:

It seems that the lesson to learn is that no two cruises are exactly alike.  Thanks for point that out Nancy.  

Absolutely!  Plus, we all see things differently.

 

Nancy

[SLSD]

15 minutes ago, nancygp said:

Absolutely!  Plus, we all see things differently.

 

Nancy

That is certainly something that I have learned.  We are all placing importance on different things.  For example, we are very casual wine drinkers and can make do with many of the included wines.  Others cannot.  We are also not picky about champagne!  Thinking back, on our last cruise, we didn't drink a single glass of it!  But, as everyone here knows, we don't like buffets.  So--there you have it!  We are all looking for different things and have different perspectives.  

[robertmartha]

So very interesting and different perspectives.

We were on the second sailing out of Juneau - almost full sailing - but we had beautiful weather...which I think also translated to never feeling crowded. Most if not all afternoons we had the pool and jacuzzies on the back deck to ourselves (we were a party of six) - one afternoon had the jacuzzi on the bow to ourselves with another couple. Restaurant never felt crowded (we did not go down till 8pm though) nor did the colonnade but we did eat outside (breakfast and lunch) on most occasions since the weather allowed us to. 

Gym and spa - empty. Lounge and the club never packed.  

We will be on Ovation the first week of November - so it will be interesting to compare to Odyssey (we have sailed on Odyssey twice).

[Earthtones]

@jondfk Is there covid onboard the Odyssey this week (that you know of)? Lots of friends testing positive just after or during travel this month--ugh!

[jondfk]

I walk the hallways every morning to get steps in (as I’ve written a very rainy sailing).  Today I saw two Covid footstools outside of cabins which we all know means quarantine.  That’s about average for our sailings over the last year and a half.  Stools start to appear about day 5, numbers start to climb from there.  I can’t say it seems either better or worse than our summer sailings last year.

 

A bit over 1/3 of the ship disembarks tomorrow which probably doesn’t impact the trajectory one way or the other.

 

[jondfk]

Sooo, I was misinformed, or misunderstood.  According to captain Tim it’s not 150 who departed today, it’s 150 who are staying on.  About 280 disembarked this morning a like number will board a fair number of them on the pier already.  We had a lovely leisurely morning with a wander around Juneau and a bite of lunch off the ship the 3 pound crab leg feast for $210 was difficult to order, since crab has been abundant on board, we went for pulled pork and a couple pints.

 

Now off for some gelato before things pack in….

[jondfk]

Perhaps a word about tote bags.  We didn’t receive one when we sailed in June.  On this sailing during turndown on the first or second night viola a very nice tote appeared.  It’s of very high quality with a nice sturdy zipper, a tote worth taking home.

 

[robertmartha]

jondfk

 

Enjoy Part 2!

 

Bob

[Earthtones]

49 minutes ago, jondfk said:

it’s not 150 who departed today, it’s 150 who are staying on.

That sounds right. I was surprised when you noted so many were staying on.

[Shipless in Seattle]

Hi

can you let us know the key staff on board? (MCaptain, SCaptain, HD, F&B, CD, ACD)?  We’re on it a few weeks and just wondered who we know. I think it was mentioned it MCaptain Tim is on board who we sailed with before last December.  Thx Kent

[jondfk]

Captain is Rim Robert’s I’ll have to gather the rest of the names, standby.

 

[nancygp]

15 hours ago, Shipless in Seattle said:

Hi

can you let us know the key staff on board? (MCaptain, SCaptain, HD, F&B, CD, ACD)?  We’re on it a few weeks and just wondered who we know. I think it was mentioned it MCaptain Tim is on board who we sailed with before last December.  Thx Kent

Robert Brendan will be the CD.  Ulrike was the HD last week and nit sure how long her contract runs for and Steve was the F and B manager as of last week.

 

Nancy

Edited August 19, 2023 by nancygp

[jondfk]

A few words about food and wine, both of which are highly subjective of course.

 

First, food, I’m talking here about quality and variety.  We’ve found meals in the Restaurant to be very good.  We stay close to the menu and generally do don’t ask for much customization in sides, sauces or preparation methods.  We’ve found nearly all dishes true to their descriptions which wasn’t always the case on Ovation.  We’ve also found regional dishes true to their origin perhaps spiced down for the American palate.  It’s difficult to pick a standout but the twice baked Roquefort soufflé holds a place in memory, the lobster tail too was well prepared and tasty.  We are surprised to see menus repeating from the first leg, generally with a change here or there mainly to the chefs special.  Some might complain about this, but thus far we’ve found enough new to try and indeed have enjoyed a second go at some favorites.  Overall, I give a slight nod to Odyssey for food.

 

Second, wine, even more subjective than food.  I’ve (DW cant drink a drop) found the offered wines better than we found on Ovation, there I ultimately landed on a single red and white which I relied on the second half of the trip.  I make it a point to sample the daily wine (generally having decided red or white to match my meal, though I’m no purest on this point).  Most of the daily offerings have been acceptable or well better.  My favorite which from Ovation is in the rotation on Odyssey but I’ve not gone to it other than when offered.  A number of the reds have been good one Spanish rioja quite exceptional.  On This point Odyssey well outshines Ovation.

 

Spirits, first a bit of expectation setting, I don’t expect SB to have my favorite obscure single malt or small batch bourbon.  I do however expect them to have the 40 or so spirits listed on their menus or pre order forms.  They could quite easily satisfy me by simply changing the list which includes some premium brands but nothing a well stocked grocery store at home wouldn’t carry - so no reason to run out.  I’m happy to report I’ve not heard the “supply chain” excuse offered even a single time.  Early in the voyage one bar didn’t have a particular request, but the bartender promised to have it available the following evening, and did so without fail.  Our in room bar couldn’t be stocked as I requested but on Ovation I didn’t prepare mixed drinks in my room, and doubted I would this sailing either so haven’t made a big deal about it.  The supply chain excuse was heard daily on Ovation, therefore Odyssey gets the clear nod in this category.

Edited August 20, 2023 by jondfk

[Techno123]

I must say, having done 3 Odyssey cruises pre C and an Ovation cruise last month - I too prefer the Odyssey - it's a shame she has been sold off.

[jondfk]

A bit more about food, on Ovation we requested a special meal one evening, we appreciated the effort, but frankly the execution was only so so, it felt for all the world like a rehashing of what was on the regular menu for that evening.  We walked away thinking B+ for effort C for execution, overall ehh.

 

Still we tried again on Odyssey thinking if we set down our expectations it would still be fun.  Twice the F&B manager confirmed what we wanted, we suggested a theme but left the particulars to the chef.  Wow, what a home run, an entire meal was prepared including special bread, starter, mains (yes a selection of mains) and finally a spectacular dessert.  Just blown away with the whole experience which far exceeded all expectation.

 

[Mr Luxury]

10 hours ago, Techno123 said:

I must say, having done 3 Odyssey cruises pre C and an Ovation cruise last month - I too prefer the Odyssey - it's a shame she has been sold off.

Sojourn and Quest await you. 

[Techno123]

@Mr Luxury I think Venture or Pursuit may be the next one 😁

[Mr Luxury]

Just now, Techno123 said:

@Mr Luxury I think Venture or Pursuit may be the next one 😁

They do look lovely. 

I'm going on Pursuit on Sunday.

[Techno123]

1 minute ago, Mr Luxury said:

They do look lovely. 

I'm going on Pursuit on Sunday.

Fabulous - please report back your findings - they do both look lovely.

[MBP&O2/O]

We are flying out to Odyssey tomorrow for a Friday embarkation.  Scarey 🤞 

[jondfk]

6 hours ago, MBP&O2/O said:

We are flying out to Odyssey tomorrow for a Friday embarkation.  Scarey 🤞 

Well then.  A couple of recommendations.  
 

Candi, the bartender in Observation bar is just stupendous.  She runs a tight ship, assigning and reassigning servers to meet surging needs.  If you have any specific requests she will do her upmost to meet them.

 

Paul the main man at the Square has the fastest smile on the ship, remembers orders after one encounter and is always pushing “vitamin K” a dash of Kalua in almost anything.

 

Juliana an assistant waiter who frequently works in Colonnade is the friendliest person you’ll ever meet, she runs a close second to Paul for widest, fastest smile.

 

Edited August 22, 2023 by jondfk