Seabourn Quest review from Seabourn newbie

[alexandria]

DW and I have been on dozens of cruises over the past 40+ years and now that we are retired and blessed to afford more luxury travel options, we have started trying out the luxury cruise lines starting with Seabourn.  We booked the Quest transatlantic crossing from Miami to Las Palmas sailing on March 24.  We booked with our preferred travel agent into a Verandah Suite and in December we accepted an offer to upgrade to a Penthouse Spa Suite.  Thanks to a kind member here, we received a referral OBC and we also received CCL credit as well.

 

Prior to sailing, we contacted Seabourn at the recommendation of some here to provide our suite preferences as the online feature for that was not working.  I do not drink alcohol and prefer sparkling water and no-sugar added soft drinks and vegetable juices.  The Seabourn person we corresponded with indicated that our requests would be no problem.

 

We arrived about ten minutes before our scheduled check-in time to find the laziest porter we've ever encountered sitting on a chair and directing us where to leave our luggage!  He didn't even get up and help those who were older or struggled with their bags.  But that isn't Seabourn's fault, probably just a sign of the times.  Then we encountered a DYKWIA couple (Seabourn regulars judging from the hugs we saw them give some crew members later that day) who actually cut in front of my wife and put their stuff on the conveyor belt in front of her purse as she waited her turn at the terminal security screening.  Fortunately, our paths did not again cross but it was a reminder that wealth does not buy class!

 

Embarkation was very smooth and quick but we found the first example of a Seabourn "stumble" while waiting in the terminal for boarding to begin when they put out dispensers of fruit juice and water with champagne flutes that were too tall to fit under the spout with the fixed base underneath.  It made quite a mess as many attempted to fill their glass by tipping it under the spout which put about 1/4" in the glass and the rest all over the table and floor.  A Seabourn crew member later appeared with a standard large beverage cooler and filled glasses with juice.  Unfortunately for those of us who should not avoid sweetened drinks, she only had the juice...water was not available.  Boarding began about 12:45pm but a line soon formed on the gangway as everyone stopped at a table to make Solis reservations or set up a special event.  Once the Seabourn crew member at the table realized everyone had stopped, he announced that anyone who didn't want to do those things before boarding could simply pass by and the line quickly dissipated.

 

We were greeted upon boarding and directed to the Colonnade.  We were surprised that embarking guests were not provided a glass of champagne as we thought that was something done on Seabourn.  Of course, it was available for the asking if one desired.  Lunch was good but seating was very limited at the Colonnade and service was very slow.  We waited about fifteen minutes for a simple glass of water and a request for a Diet Coke was never fulfilled.  At about 1:30pm, the suites were ready and we made our way aft to our Penthouse Spa Suite.  We found the suite to be well-appointed and clean but only stocked with a bottle of champagne with a note that Seabourn did not receive any suite preferences and to let our suite attendant know of any requests.  That was quite a disappointment, particularly since we found that they only carried Diet Coke (in a very limited quantity), Coke Zero and Sprite Zero onboard.  No other sugar-free drinks were available (unlike on RCCL and Celebrity where they had a wide variety of sugar-free San Pellegrino flavored sparkling beverages).  We also discovered that the only Nespresso pods available were decaffeinated as some provisions were apparently not restocked in Miami.  My request for cream or half-half to have with my early AM coffee was not met until day five when a pitcher of milk appeared in the mini-fridge.  They did provide a bowl of berries two days but the strawberries were soft and not very fresh.  We also learned that due to staffing issues we would not have a suite host and our suite attendant, whom we shared with penthouse suites on Deck 10 forward, was new to Seabourn.  Nonetheless he tried very hard and his efforts were much appreciated.

 

While service in the Colonnade on embarkation day was poor, it gradually improved over the next few days and by the middle of the sailing was quite attentive.  Service in the restaurant was always good but Solis was a disappointment, both in quality of service and food (see comment here:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3002788-solis-experience-on-quest/?do=findComment&comment=67229471).  The passion fruit sorbet offered one day as a no-sugar added option at Seabourn Square was outstanding.  I also loved the Napa burger at the pool grill...just fabulous!  Afternoon tea in the observation lounge was also quite well done.

 

We found many of the "conversations" and other activities quite enjoyable.  In fact, we spent so much time doing those things that neither of us made much progress on the reading we intended to do onboard.  I enjoyed talks by Bob Wittman (retired FBI agent who started the Art Crimes Team) and Keith Muras (retired British Foreign Service officer) while DW enjoyed doing artwork and was thrilled to find Debbie Macomber, one of her most favorite authors, sailing with us as a featured conversationalist so DW was able to enjoy some wonderful times with two new friends.  Team Trivia was great thanks to CD James Templeton, his lovely assistant (and Seabourn dancer) Tabitha, and the sometimes rowdy but fun crowd who participated for nine straight days!  Shows were quite good but the Seabourn singer who led two well-known hymns during the Easter morning service was unprepared and lost his place in the music during each hymn.  That was rather...unfortunate.

 

 

We found that our fellow travelers were (by and large) a friendly, fun and interesting group who, like us, took the service and quality missteps in stride and in good humor.  A number of them had sailed Seabourn before and acknowledged that service and quality has declined in recent years but opined that Seabourn is still quite better than many travel alternatives.  We had some great times talking with a few of the crew members and while all (but one) was helpful and friendly, several went above and beyond to make us feel very welcome and special.

 

The ship was in great shape with brand new cushions on the pool deck loungers and chairs.  There was always cleaning or maintenance taking place, we didn't see a speck of rust or any indication of deferred maintenance, and they even replaced all of the carpet on the atrium stair treads during our voyage even though the previous carpet (same color) appeared to be in excellent condition!  Internet (the stream package) was very fast and available during the entire crossing with no outages experienced.

 

Our overall thoughts:  Unfortunately, in business today the trend seems to be "over promise but under deliver."  That leads to disappointment and can diminish the likelihood of developing a loyal customer.  But marketing fills cruise ships and cruise lines (at least all of them we have sailed) have become adept at apologizing "for any inconvenience" and they are quite willing to sacrifice customer loyalty and satisfaction for increased profit.

 

Did Seabourn meet expectations?  No.  Did they deliver an above-average product and service?  Yes.  Would we sail Seabourn again?  It depends.  With recent substantial price increases Seabourn may not represent a good luxury vacation value for us.  We did notice (particularly at the end of the sailing) some benefit to their better crew to passenger ratio, we found the condition of the ship to be excellent, upcharge items on other lines (filet mignon, lobster and such) were included, and we very much preferred the small ship experience.  However, the inclusion of alcoholic beverages is not important to us, availability and variety of some food and beverage offerings were limited, and Seabourn simply missed the mark on their promised Seabourn Experience/Seabourn Difference.  While some crew provided exceptional personal service, the majority provided the typical service experience that we have come to appreciate on lines like HAL and similar.

 

We have a Silversea sailing coming up later this year and are looking at other luxury cruise options.  We may also look at some of the smaller Regatta-class Oceania voyages to see if they would be a good fit for us.  And we may book another Seabourn sailing when the time, itinerary and price is right.  Any other suggestions are welcomed!

 

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.  Fair winds and following seas to all!  🛳️

 

 

 

 

[purpleally]

What on earth is a suite host????

[alexandria]

11 minutes ago, purpleally said:

What on earth is a suite host????

 

https://www.seabourn.com/en/us/onboard-experiences/suites

[skybluewaters]

13 minutes ago, alexandria said:

 

https://www.seabourn.com/en/us/onboard-experiences/suites

 

Hmmm, looks like the suite host and the suite attendant are the two crew members who service your cabin.  I'm guessing that the host is the senior of the two, while the attendant does most of the work.

 

Btw, scrolling down the page to "Seabourn Cruise Suite Amenities," the Ocean View suites are checked off for having a "spacious veranda."  I don't think so.

[nancygp]

43 minutes ago, skybluewaters said:

Hmmm, looks like the suite host and the suite attendant are the two crew members who service your cabin.  I'm guessing that the host is the senior of the two, while the attendant does most of the work.

thats my take…

 

Nancy

[QuestionEverything]

OP, thank you for your review.

I particularly support your overall impression summary.

The over promise and under deliver reality has turned our household off cruising in particular.

This consumer is not purchasing travel,  restaurants etc until I observe improvements in value for money.

Many of our travel friends have gone stop on travel.

It is consumers like you that keep companies on their toes and working for us.

Thank you.

 

[sfvoyage]

12 hours ago, skybluewaters said:

 

Hmmm, looks like the suite host and the suite attendant are the two crew members who service your cabin.  I'm guessing that the host is the senior of the two, while the attendant does most of the work.

Typically the attendant cleans the bathroom, while the host takes care of the rest as well as being the primary customer facing one in terms of speaking with the guests and training the attendant, who is usually more junior than the host.

 

They are a team and support each other, working equally as hard.  I've also seen the host cleaning the toilet at times (e.g. when the attendant is off duty due to illness).

[kjbacon]

Our first experience on Quest was disappointing and we will be using our FCC’s in 2024. We will definitely give SB a fair second chance. I’ve been hoping that it will be a much better experience but this thread and the simultaneous thread on Solis has me thinking that might not happen. @alexandria you might want to try regent.