My partner and I were eager to experience Seabourn's newest vessel the Sojourn after having had a great cruise earlier this year on the Legend on similar itineraries to the Caribbean.
First off, let me say Seabourn is a great line. The vessels are beautifully maintained and staffed with attentive crews.
Earlier this year I asked the Legend captain -- a guy who appeared to have a personality like mine, which is to say a bit picky and crusty -- what he thought of the newer and larger Seabourn vessels, along with the concept of cruising with about 400 passengers versus 200 on his smaller ship. His opinion was quick: one loses the club-like atmosphere on the larger ship, even with only 400 passengers. He was right! Something gets lost on the newer Seabourn vessels, and I got the same opinion from several other fellow passengers on the Sojourn who also had taken one of the smaller ships in the past. When the Legend captain saw virtually anything not attended to right away, he took personal responsibility for it, even picking up stray service items himself. That never happened on the Sojourn. On the smaller Seabourn ships, the crews really do know your name. That didn't happen on the larger Sojourn. While not in any way controlled by Seabourn, fellow passengers on the larger ships appeared to me to be trying Seabourn for the first time. A significant percentage of them were not friendly. They didn't mix with others as well and certainly didn't greet fellow passengers in the same way as on the smaller Seabourn ships. Again, that club-like atmosphere was lost on the larger ships.
The cabin was perfect. How else can a person express it? On the Sojourn, it is impossible to open the verandah hatch and keep it open without propping it. On the smaller Legend, a sliding door will remain open and allow you to hear the wave action below. On the other hand, the Legend's verandah size is too small to be used, and the Sojourn's verandah is perfect for sun or enjoying a breakfast.