What we had heard from friends was true - Seabourn is the best cruise line short of having your own private yacht. If you just compare a Seabourn fare to anyone elses' you are definitely "missing the boat". We are not experienced cruisers, having only gone on 2, but just the comparison of cabins was worth the price difference. Our cabin was more like a hotel than a "cabin"...A spacious 5-fixture bath done in marble and granite, a walk-in closet, king bed, good-sized seating area and balcony with chairs and table.

The food, entertainment, service and all amenities (all drinks are included, all the time) were superb, no need to explain all that. But one special treat is worth mentioning - When we visited Kusadasi, Turkey (Ephesus), after a day touring Ephesus and the house of the Virgin Mary, we came back about 4:00 to clean up and change for the evening. After an early dinner, most of the passengers (it only holds 450) departed on nice motor coaches back to Ephesus, by then closed to all "normal" tourists. We were met by well-dressed, white-gloved waiters serving trays of wine. We picked one of the white-clothed tables and enjoyed the hors d'oeuvres placed there for us. A live chamber music orchestra played about classical selections for close to an hour under the stars, all right adjacent to an ancient Roman amphitheatre.

Afterward, when we arrived back at the ship, a number of the chefs, waitstaff, and entertainers were there to greet us with more hors d'oeuvres and drinks while we queued up to check back aboard. Read more