We recently took our third post-Covid Seabourn cruise, the Grand Voyage to Antarctica aboard Quest, and were pleased with the steady improvement. Our first try back at sea was the unfortunate 2021-22 "omicron cruise" aboard Ovation, with a lot of Covid (we escaped) and enough cancellations, disappointments, and so on to result in a partial refund. Our second was summer of 2022 on the Quest voyage from Dover to New York via Iceland and Greenland, which began understaffed and undertrained and slowly improved, allowing us to enjoy an intriguing itinerary. The South American Grand Voyage had its share of problems - civil unrest that shut down Peru, a lot of windy weather, an Antarctica jacket fiasco ultimately fixed - but still managed to be better than the prior voyages with excellent entertainment, improving food, and intriguing speakers including the Ventures expedition staff. The crew was fully staffed and training keeps making the service better. Flawless? Not at all, but what travel is? While Seabourn doesn't yet equal the astonishing charm we first experienced more than a decade ago on sparkly new ships (and maybe it never will) it has vastly improved since the pandemic disruption. We and most guests (not all) had a great time. And incidentally we met new Seabourn President Natalya Leahy as we concluded the voyage in Miami. All I can report from our brief handshake is that she's pretty, energetic, and very nice, so I hope folks give her a chance.
If you're planning a first Seabourn cruise, here are a few suggestions:
- If something's wrong, don't just grumble or vent on the Internet: explain your problem to the appropriate crew (usually supervisors) and ask for help. If you don't know who to speak to, ask Guest Services, officers, guests, cruise directors, etc. Seabourn lives and dies on repeat business, and they want you to go away happy. Really. But ask, don't shout or quietly steam. Can they fix everything? No. (Not for us, either.) But they do try. And they apologize.
- Either request a daily paper menu summary from your suite attendant or study the restaurant menus on Seabourn Source to plot your nightly cuisine. Consider all the restaurants each evening, not just one. Ask your waiter about the entrees. If you can't find anything you like, consider two or three appetizers instead of a main: the appetizers are often the best thing. Or, just make a special request a day in advance. If your entree turns out dreadful anyway, ask for a different one. At dinner you can ask for extra vegetables, or a baked potato, etc. It is also possible to dream up and ask for special multi-course meals. Some friends asked for a Persian meal in their cabin, and reported it was delicious.
- Seabourn ethnic cuisine meals in the Colonnade are hit and miss. You just have to try. There is no guest consensus on what is good or bad.
- One thing that makes Seabourn fun is the non-stuffy social atmosphere. Ways to meet new friends include joining activities such as Team Trivia, bridge, art class, dance class, casino tournaments, etc. You can also ask Guest Services to be offered seats at a hosted table to meet officers and entertainers. We also made friends on a multi-day side trip to the Galapagos. People bond on those longer (pricey!) excursions.
- Seabourn Square has a good library and you can take books to your cabin. Just return after reading.
- Explore the ship. Find your own favorite spaces.
- The cabin walls are magnetic. You can bring magnets to hold up maps and itineraries, or bring hook magnets to hold hats and jackets.
- Bring multi-plugs and a couple (battery) night lights. If the built-in cabin night lights are too bright (they are for us) ask guest services to send someone to turn them off or tape them over.
- You can ask your suite attendant for extra hangars, glasses, cabin booze, refrigerator soft drinks, etc.. You will also get hangars each time your laundry comes back. Again, politely ask, or leave a note.
- If something breaks or sticks or drains poorly in your cabin, report it to Guest Services. The crew responds quickly. We had a new cabin refrigerator in a couple of hours.
- Don't try to hog a deck chair all day. I mean, come on.
- Don't slam your cabin door or leave your veranda light on all night. The switch for that blazing light is behind the cabin curtains. Sometimes it is accidentally switched on.
- Internet service has steadily improved over the years, but can still go down at times. Expect this; you're sometimes in the middle of nowhere. Also, if the ship changes time zones, you may have to log on again through Seabourn Source. Again, ask for help with any electronic problems, guests as well as crew.
- For various reasons, ports occasionally change or excursions get canceled. You just have to roll with it and enjoy the new alternative.
- Your cabin has a very effective thermostat.
- There is a lot of information on the tiny TV, if you poke around the channels.
- Some pillows are firmer than others.
- If your excursion gets back after normal lunch time, alternatives include lunch at the Patio Grill until 3:30, tea in the Observation Bar at 4, or room service.
- Try as much as you can: the shows, the lectures, the music groups, the parties, the sailaways, etc. You'll learn quickly what you like.
- Order a drink, sit back, and enjoy the world.
