Discussion
bad company said:
From the Seabourn Friends & Family Facebook group when discussing your ship:-
Do not try it right now. I was on the NYE cruise and it was awful. They do not have enough staff to open separate restaurants and two of the seven nights we couldn’t get food. We met with the captain three times and nothing was changed. Over 30 children under ten were allowed at all venues at all times without parents and therefore taking all available seating. Overall experience was disastrous. I have over 200 days on Seabourn and will take Seabourn all day every day.
Strange, it sound like they are describing a different ship to the one we have been on. Do not try it right now. I was on the NYE cruise and it was awful. They do not have enough staff to open separate restaurants and two of the seven nights we couldn’t get food. We met with the captain three times and nothing was changed. Over 30 children under ten were allowed at all venues at all times without parents and therefore taking all available seating. Overall experience was disastrous. I have over 200 days on Seabourn and will take Seabourn all day every day.
There have been a few hiccups, some not their fault such a cloudburst wetting all the outdoor seating for one restaurant and so tables were limited. One night we had 4 dinner reservations even though we made none (personal concierge does that) sorted quickly and without fuss.
Tobago was a bit of a disaster as they had never been there and the big tender couldn't get to shore so excursions were delayed and then not very good. Received a full refund and had an apology letter on the bed when we returned with the offer of whatever we wanted to be brought to room food/drink.
There are a few kids but never bothered us, guess it would be worse new year as it's school holidays.
All the staff are great the service has been excellent and I would recommend without concern.
bad company said:
From the Seabourn Friends & Family Facebook group when discussing your ship:-
Do not try it right now. I was on the NYE cruise and it was awful. They do not have enough staff to open separate restaurants and two of the seven nights we couldn’t get food. We met with the captain three times and nothing was changed. Over 30 children under ten were allowed at all venues at all times without parents and therefore taking all available seating. Overall experience was disastrous. I have over 200 days on Seabourn and will take Seabourn all day every day.
A little harsh having a dig at his ship when he's on it.Do not try it right now. I was on the NYE cruise and it was awful. They do not have enough staff to open separate restaurants and two of the seven nights we couldn’t get food. We met with the captain three times and nothing was changed. Over 30 children under ten were allowed at all venues at all times without parents and therefore taking all available seating. Overall experience was disastrous. I have over 200 days on Seabourn and will take Seabourn all day every day.
DT1975 said:
A little harsh having a dig at his ship when he's on it.
It's fine 
I had read all the horror stories on the Facebook pages before I went and I was willing to give them some slack as it's a new brand and ship. However everyone has been excellent and I am considering booking another one.
DT1975 said:
bad company said:
From the Seabourn Friends & Family Facebook group when discussing your ship:-
Do not try it right now. I was on the NYE cruise and it was awful. They do not have enough staff to open separate restaurants and two of the seven nights we couldn’t get food. We met with the captain three times and nothing was changed. Over 30 children under ten were allowed at all venues at all times without parents and therefore taking all available seating. Overall experience was disastrous. I have over 200 days on Seabourn and will take Seabourn all day every day.
A little harsh having a dig at his ship when he's on it.Do not try it right now. I was on the NYE cruise and it was awful. They do not have enough staff to open separate restaurants and two of the seven nights we couldn’t get food. We met with the captain three times and nothing was changed. Over 30 children under ten were allowed at all venues at all times without parents and therefore taking all available seating. Overall experience was disastrous. I have over 200 days on Seabourn and will take Seabourn all day every day.
bad company said:
That wasn’t the intention. The Ritz Carlton ship looked great but it sounds like they had some early teething problems which isn’t surprising. Sounds like it’s resolved and working well now.
As with everything there will always be people who have unrealistic expectations or go ott when something goes bad. Tobago as said was a bit of a disaster and at the time I was miffed. But when we got back had a full refund waiting and 7 different members of crew apologise and them keep the restaurant open and forgo dress code, check feedback for all other excursions etc it won me back.Other people on the other hand continued to moan and go on to try to cancel all other trips on the cruise (which to me is ott) and no doubt they will b
h and moan to anyone that will listen. They probably won't provide the context that it was the first time at the port and first round of the trips. Lessons I guess will be learned and will be interesting to see if it sticks on the itenrary.It's my first cruise and other more established places would no doubt be more polished in things like this but as everything else has been near perfect I am more than happy
cymatty said:
As with everything there will always be people who have unrealistic expectations or go ott when something goes bad. Tobago as said was a bit of a disaster and at the time I was miffed. But when we got back had a full refund waiting and 7 different members of crew apologise and them keep the restaurant open and forgo dress code, check feedback for all other excursions etc it won me back.
Other people on the other hand continued to moan and go on to try to cancel all other trips on the cruise (which to me is ott) and no doubt they will bh and moan to anyone that will listen. They probably won't provide the context that it was the first time at the port and first round of the trips. Lessons I guess will be learned and will be interesting to see if it sticks on the itenrary.
It's my first cruise and other more established places would no doubt be more polished in things like this but as everything else has been near perfect I am more than happy
Sounds like you're having a good time, be plenty more of these brand owned yachts to come...Other people on the other hand continued to moan and go on to try to cancel all other trips on the cruise (which to me is ott) and no doubt they will b
h and moan to anyone that will listen. They probably won't provide the context that it was the first time at the port and first round of the trips. Lessons I guess will be learned and will be interesting to see if it sticks on the itenrary.It's my first cruise and other more established places would no doubt be more polished in things like this but as everything else has been near perfect I am more than happy
Although it's your first cruise, either by accident or design you executed on one of my favourite new ship tricks. Always, always book on the inaugural sailing - 95 times out of 100 the ship is delayed and you end up with sizeable discounts / credits etc.
Gilmore said:
Sounds like you're having a good time, be plenty more of these brand owned yachts to come...
Although it's your first cruise, either by accident or design you executed on one of my favourite new ship tricks. Always, always book on the inaugural sailing - 95 times out of 100 the ship is delayed and you end up with sizeable discounts / credits etc.
Ha yeah we booked 2 years ago, not on the first but about 6 months in. With covid and everything we have been cancelled twice (ship delayed 9 times) we got 30, then 40% discount. With fares around £4.5k that's a decent chunk of change. Although it's your first cruise, either by accident or design you executed on one of my favourite new ship tricks. Always, always book on the inaugural sailing - 95 times out of 100 the ship is delayed and you end up with sizeable discounts / credits etc.
cymatty said:
bad company said:
That wasn’t the intention. The Ritz Carlton ship looked great but it sounds like they had some early teething problems which isn’t surprising. Sounds like it’s resolved and working well now.
As with everything there will always be people who have unrealistic expectations or go ott when something goes bad. Tobago as said was a bit of a disaster and at the time I was miffed. But when we got back had a full refund waiting and 7 different members of crew apologise and them keep the restaurant open and forgo dress code, check feedback for all other excursions etc it won me back.Other people on the other hand continued to moan and go on to try to cancel all other trips on the cruise (which to me is ott) and no doubt they will b
h and moan to anyone that will listen. They probably won't provide the context that it was the first time at the port and first round of the trips. Lessons I guess will be learned and will be interesting to see if it sticks on the itenrary.It's my first cruise and other more established places would no doubt be more polished in things like this but as everything else has been near perfect I am more than happy
I see Virgin Voyages cleaned up at this years Cruise Critic Awards taking home all of the awards in the large ship category from Best Overall to Best Dining, Best Service and Best Value for Money. Its debut ship, the adults-only Scarlet Lady, won Cruise Critic's Best New Ship of the Year award for 2021 as part of Cruise Critic's Editor's Choice Awards.
https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/7328/
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/cruiser...
https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/7328/
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/cruiser...
First ever cruise for us on Sunday, P&O Arvia from Southampton, 2 weeks around the Mediterranean. Family of 4 with kids 2 and 5, all very much looking forward to it. Any first timer tips appreciated!
We decided against the drinks packages, will be interesting to see how that one pans out. Taking a pack of soft drinks and some squash with us for bottles, then will just buy whatever else we fancy. £300 on board spend included so I guess that will come in handy there.
No excursions booked either, most looked not particularly suitable with young kids, so we'll just do whatever takes our fancy at each place, assuming there will be plenty of local options anyway to cater for the thousands of cruise ship passengers that influx in to these places.
We decided against the drinks packages, will be interesting to see how that one pans out. Taking a pack of soft drinks and some squash with us for bottles, then will just buy whatever else we fancy. £300 on board spend included so I guess that will come in handy there.
No excursions booked either, most looked not particularly suitable with young kids, so we'll just do whatever takes our fancy at each place, assuming there will be plenty of local options anyway to cater for the thousands of cruise ship passengers that influx in to these places.
Daaaveee said:
Any first timer tips appreciated!
You've already got one of the most important tips sussed:Daaaveee said:
No excursions booked either, most looked not particularly suitable with young kids, so we'll just do whatever takes our fancy at each place, assuming there will be plenty of local options anyway to cater for the thousands of cruise ship passengers that influx in to these places.
If you really want to be as prepared as possible, have a look at the Gary Bembridge's excellent'tips for travellers' Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@tipsfortravellers
First time cruising:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs3662YkgOg...
Most important tip of all - have fun!
Daaaveee said:
First ever cruise for us on Sunday, P&O Arvia from Southampton, 2 weeks around the Mediterranean. Family of 4 with kids 2 and 5, all very much looking forward to it. Any first timer tips appreciated!
We decided against the drinks packages, will be interesting to see how that one pans out. Taking a pack of soft drinks and some squash with us for bottles, then will just buy whatever else we fancy. £300 on board spend included so I guess that will come in handy there.
No excursions booked either, most looked not particularly suitable with young kids, so we'll just do whatever takes our fancy at each place, assuming there will be plenty of local options anyway to cater for the thousands of cruise ship passengers that influx in to these places.
We decided against the drinks packages, will be interesting to see how that one pans out. Taking a pack of soft drinks and some squash with us for bottles, then will just buy whatever else we fancy. £300 on board spend included so I guess that will come in handy there.
No excursions booked either, most looked not particularly suitable with young kids, so we'll just do whatever takes our fancy at each place, assuming there will be plenty of local options anyway to cater for the thousands of cruise ship passengers that influx in to these places.
We always try to pack a couple of nice bottles of wine to have in the cabin. Used to top up at each port but they don’t let you do that anymore!
Bobtherallyfan said:
Daaaveee said:
First ever cruise for us on Sunday, P&O Arvia from Southampton, 2 weeks around the Mediterranean. Family of 4 with kids 2 and 5, all very much looking forward to it. Any first timer tips appreciated!
We decided against the drinks packages, will be interesting to see how that one pans out. Taking a pack of soft drinks and some squash with us for bottles, then will just buy whatever else we fancy. £300 on board spend included so I guess that will come in handy there.
No excursions booked either, most looked not particularly suitable with young kids, so we'll just do whatever takes our fancy at each place, assuming there will be plenty of local options anyway to cater for the thousands of cruise ship passengers that influx in to these places.
We decided against the drinks packages, will be interesting to see how that one pans out. Taking a pack of soft drinks and some squash with us for bottles, then will just buy whatever else we fancy. £300 on board spend included so I guess that will come in handy there.
No excursions booked either, most looked not particularly suitable with young kids, so we'll just do whatever takes our fancy at each place, assuming there will be plenty of local options anyway to cater for the thousands of cruise ship passengers that influx in to these places.
We always try to pack a couple of nice bottles of wine to have in the cabin. Used to top up at each port but they don’t let you do that anymore!
ruwokeenuff said:
Bobtherallyfan said:
Daaaveee said:
First ever cruise for us on Sunday, P&O Arvia from Southampton, 2 weeks around the Mediterranean. Family of 4 with kids 2 and 5, all very much looking forward to it. Any first timer tips appreciated!
We decided against the drinks packages, will be interesting to see how that one pans out. Taking a pack of soft drinks and some squash with us for bottles, then will just buy whatever else we fancy. £300 on board spend included so I guess that will come in handy there.
No excursions booked either, most looked not particularly suitable with young kids, so we'll just do whatever takes our fancy at each place, assuming there will be plenty of local options anyway to cater for the thousands of cruise ship passengers that influx in to these places.
We decided against the drinks packages, will be interesting to see how that one pans out. Taking a pack of soft drinks and some squash with us for bottles, then will just buy whatever else we fancy. £300 on board spend included so I guess that will come in handy there.
No excursions booked either, most looked not particularly suitable with young kids, so we'll just do whatever takes our fancy at each place, assuming there will be plenty of local options anyway to cater for the thousands of cruise ship passengers that influx in to these places.
We always try to pack a couple of nice bottles of wine to have in the cabin. Used to top up at each port but they don’t let you do that anymore!
Deep Thought said:
ruwokeenuff said:
Bobtherallyfan said:
Daaaveee said:
First ever cruise for us on Sunday, P&O Arvia from Southampton, 2 weeks around the Mediterranean. Family of 4 with kids 2 and 5, all very much looking forward to it. Any first timer tips appreciated!
We decided against the drinks packages, will be interesting to see how that one pans out. Taking a pack of soft drinks and some squash with us for bottles, then will just buy whatever else we fancy. £300 on board spend included so I guess that will come in handy there.
No excursions booked either, most looked not particularly suitable with young kids, so we'll just do whatever takes our fancy at each place, assuming there will be plenty of local options anyway to cater for the thousands of cruise ship passengers that influx in to these places.
We decided against the drinks packages, will be interesting to see how that one pans out. Taking a pack of soft drinks and some squash with us for bottles, then will just buy whatever else we fancy. £300 on board spend included so I guess that will come in handy there.
No excursions booked either, most looked not particularly suitable with young kids, so we'll just do whatever takes our fancy at each place, assuming there will be plenty of local options anyway to cater for the thousands of cruise ship passengers that influx in to these places.
We always try to pack a couple of nice bottles of wine to have in the cabin. Used to top up at each port but they don’t let you do that anymore!
Well not off to a great start on Arvia... Turns out our cabin is a 3 berth despite what the deck plan says and reassurances over the phone that it would have the required pull down bed. Our 2 years old is too big to sleep in the cot bed so we can't stay in this cabin.
No other 4 berth balcony cabins available but they have a seaview one instead, so looks like we'll be having to take a downgrade. Not even left the port yet, wasted 3.5 hours onboard waiting to see what they can do
No other 4 berth balcony cabins available but they have a seaview one instead, so looks like we'll be having to take a downgrade. Not even left the port yet, wasted 3.5 hours onboard waiting to see what they can do
ruwokeenuff said:
We are Ruby Princess out of Ft lauderdale later this year........have never been on a cruise let alone know the "rules"
I just checked there and Princess will allow you to bring a bottle of wine / bubbly each when embarking. Spirits would be a no.They're all different. If you havent done so already, find the facebook cruise for your particular cruise line / ship as they're usually a mine of information and pics.
Daaaveee said:
Well not off to a great start on Arvia... Turns out our cabin is a 3 berth despite what the deck plan says and reassurances over the phone that it would have the required pull down bed. Our 2 years old is too big to sleep in the cot bed so we can't stay in this cabin.
No other 4 berth balcony cabins available but they have a seaview one instead, so looks like we'll be having to take a downgrade. Not even left the port yet, wasted 3.5 hours onboard waiting to see what they can do
on your first cruise? Oh man, I'm sorry to hear that No other 4 berth balcony cabins available but they have a seaview one instead, so looks like we'll be having to take a downgrade. Not even left the port yet, wasted 3.5 hours onboard waiting to see what they can do
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