Here are my thoughts on this cruise
In spite of all the conflicting information (you need a test before departure, you will be charged $100 if you turn up without one, you don’t need a test etc) from Seabourn pre cruise on their web site, direct emails and info via our TA we made it to Lisbon and to the ship.
The Lisbon airport transfer to the ship was quite efficient in spite of panic setting in when our second bag didn’t appear on the belt and it stopped revolving. Some 25 mins later it started again and our bag arrived. The Covid test at the port was quick and we made it on board in time to have a quick lunch at the pool grill.
Things are not quite back to normal on board. There was no welcome glass of champagne, no escort to our suite, no choice of soaps, and we didn’t meet the suite host till heading for bed first night
The buffet was almost back to normal with self serve. There were a few changes I think. For example for breakfast there were no individual pots of yoghurt only large bowls of plain or fruit which you ladled into your bowl. Also there was a limited range of cereals but the menu has not been updated. The cereals are now dispensed from 4 tall containers into your bowl instead of the little boxes of Kelloggs available before. I guess this is also an economy measure as they can buy in bulk. The biscuits for cheese we were informed by another passenger were very soft and when he asked for a new box to be brought out it was apparently 2 years out of date?
We saw little enforcement of hand washing or mask wearing. Many people continued to wear masks although once outside on deck they were quickly removed. One good quality mask is provided by Seabourn in a standard letter envelope not sealed in a manufacturers wrapping so not that hygienic.
There is almost total reliance on the source app. A paper copy of the Herald is not delivered although I believe you can request a copy. Restaurant and bar opening times and menus are not even shown on TV. No excursion tickets are issued and these appear on your phone in your wallet. We were told these e-tickets would be scanned at the tour buses but that only happened once. It is best to screenshot your tickets so they are available if you don’t have Wi-Fi or data.
Our In-suite bar was stocked early on the first evening and other extras like pieces of lime or Evian water were also supplied on request to the suite attendant. We couldn’t drink the water supplied but at least the Evian is in recyclable glass bottles.
We tried the pool grill a few times when the weather allowed but I have to say I was not impressed by the Napa or cheese burgers. They had a small beef patty with a big bun and half a lettuce. The burgers are much better on Regent.
On our 3rd night on board we had a reservation for the TK grill. Well we checked in on time and went into the TK bar for a drink and seemed to be forgotten about? We reminded the hostess we were still there and were taken through almost immediately. The first thing they gave us was the expensive wine menu even before we saw what food was on offer. It was fairly chaotic in TK with meals taken to the wrong table, wait staff giving meals to the wrong person, wine top up offered from the wrong bottle etc
Our first course of crab cake was ok but things went downhill from there. My beef arrived rare instead of well done. The mashed potatoes were more like custard being extremely runny. The Carrots were overcooked and mushy. They took my meat away to cook it a bit more but left my veg until I told them I wanted some fresh. They never asked to take my wifes meal so we both ate alone. By the time my beef arrived my wife had finished.
The desert was also poor. It was a basic lemon tart with foam on top. Needless to say we didn’t book again for TK.
We ate in the MDR quite a lot on this cruise due to bad weather and the service and menu choice was very good. We didn’t have dinner in the Colonade as it was a buffet and we are still nervous about the food that lots of people have potentially breathed on. Some nights a reservation was also required. We did use it for lunch and breakfast occasionally but arrived soon after opening before it got crowded.
Our balcony furniture plastic feet had disintegrated and bits were lying all over the balcony. This made the chairs wobbly. We eventually got them repaired after filling in the guest service mid cruise form. An earlier verbal report to guest services got us nowhere. Our suite Steward didn’t seem to go outside to clean the balcony as there were bits of the chair feet out there throughout the cruise. The balcony doors had finger marks which never seemed to get cleaned.
The included wine on board was exactly like the list published on CC for the previous cruise. We didn’t like the map maker Sauvignon Blanc so stuck to oyster Bay which seemed to be very popular. The LAN rioja, Peru and chile wines we enjoyed but not so much the Bordeaux. Personal preference of course. The choice of included wine was disappointing for us and not as good as on our Silversea cruise last November.
The food was generally good quality and well prepared. The lunchtime portions seemed to be bigger than at dinner time? The menus were quite varied and we always found something to choose. The MDR menu at lunchtime repeats a lot of the food from pool grill. The MDR in the evening is more of a taster menu so don’t expect a pile of potatoes or fries with your main course. I got 3 small cubes of potato with my fish one night which was supposed to be “new Potatoes”.
We were only disappointed with the food a couple of nights. For example the clam chowder was very watery and the fillet Mignon was disappointing as lacking in flavor. Choosing to abandon the menu accompaniments for the steak obviously proved a challenge. I didn’t think asking for a baked potato and some asparagus would be a problem but it certainly incurred a delay. Alternative sides are not listed on the menu.
We missed the port at El Heiro and the port taxes were quickly refunded to our account. Due to incoming bad weather our 2 sea days at the end of the cruise were cut to just over one with an arrival into Lisbon at 10.00 the day before disembarkation. This was an unexpected bonus even though we had been to Lisbon before.
I’m not sure how many passengers were on board but other than the Colonade at lunchtime when the tours returned the ship never seemed to be busy. Rumor had it that we had just over 400 guests but that was not confirmed.
We also apparently had a few cases of Covid on board, both passengers and crew, and ambulances were spotted on the quay several times. We did hear announcements for the medical response team to go to specific cabins which was not very discrete! Don’t they have phones or radios?
We enjoyed the cruise and the Seabourn crew looked after us very well although the senior officers weren’t very visible. One theory was they were making sure they didn’t catch Covid as they are probably more difficult to replace than some of the others?
One tip for those flying BA to Lisbon. Save yourself some money and don’t upgrade to business class. The ANA lounge is crowded, hot and stuffy with poor catering. You will also invariably be bussed to your plane so priority boarding is a joke as we were all crammed into the same bus which made the shipment of animals conditions look good. Social distancing must be maintained in the airport but apparently not on the bus.
