Seabourn Odyssey Review
Makes you think you were born to live on a floating palace
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our first ever cruise and I chose a relatively small ship to avoid "people processing." I chose Seabourn based on their reviews. Because of the small number of passengers--I don't know if we had the maximum of 450--and high number of staff the ship had more of a private yacht feel. Our favorite dining venue was the Colonnade open air but shaded restaurant at the stern. Because this was the Caribbean in March and the ship's speed was never more 12 knots, the "wind" and air temperature were right for all 3 meals to be outdoors every day. There were 4 special dinner nights and because we failed to make reservations for three we did not get to eat at the Colonnade on three nights. However, they also bring excellent food to the poolside tables and that was where we ate one of the nights. For the formal night we ate in the main dining room. Also we failed on boarding to make a reservation in Restaurant 2 so we missed out on that. However, this was the extent of not having the ship revolve solely around me and my wife. All the other meals we ate when we felt like it at the Colonnade unless we missed lunch due to an excursion in which case we had excellent and very prompt room service. On the topic of food, it was very high quality and served in not overly large portions. Of course, if desired one could have multiple items, but reasonably sized portions made it easier to enjoy quality and eat healthy.
We enjoyed the uncrowded public areas. The pool was tiny, but we swam in the Caribbean on most days. The pool deck, on the other hand, was great for walking and having a drink or slice of pizza or other snack while passing through. Much of the 11th deck (the top deck) was open air and and the open air portions fairly deserted. There were many lounges with great views.
Swimming in the sea was great. One day there was a party at a private beach with a magnificent lunch buffet. On a couple of days we took snorkeling excursion. On a couple o other days we took cabs to a beach. We did have some rough seas on the snorkel trips.
Cabin Review
Penthouse Spa Suite
We booked a veranda suite and totally lucked out and got upgraded to PS 1090. Obviously, this was probably a once in a lifetime bit of luck. The bathroom was magnificent with a large tub and huge shower with a pebble floor. The large corner stern balcony afforded a 270 degree view. Noise insulation was fantastic since this was one of only 4 suites with its own corridor and "private" staircase from Deck 9. In addition, the bedroom was two doors removed from the hallway and the adjacent suite by an entrance way to closet door and a closed to bedroom door. The beds were very comfortable but consisted of two pretty narrow beds that could either be separated or tied together. My guess is the beds in this suite were the same as in all the other cabins. There was a decent size sitting area with couches and a table and chairs.
Port Reviews
Barbados
Arrived and airport was very congested. Went straight to ship
Dominica
Very poor area; houses all had bars over windows and doors. Took the shuttle into town and straight back after getting hustled as we walked the town.
St. Barts
Went swimming. Nice area to walk around
St. Maarten
Got off here and stayed an extra night. Wonderful French food at modest prices.