Silversea or Seabourn? That's a tough question for cruisers waffling between the two lines for their next luxury voyage. Both offer fairly intimate ships that sail the globe, and both have new vessels -- Silver Muse and Seabourn Ovation -- with more new-builds in the works.
Both lines offer sophisticated and personalized service, as well as all-inclusive cruise fares that cover all beverages and gratuities. Silversea cruises -- with a butler catering to every cabin -- tend to be a bit more formal, while Seabourn ships offer a true sense of community via amenities such as Seabourn Square (a living-room style concierge area), a well-designed coffeehouse and an aft water sports platform.
So, in what ways do these lines actually differ? Let's compare Silversea vs. Seabourn.
Fleet
SilverseaSilversea has five luxury cruise ships: the 596-passenger Silver Muse (launched 2017), the 608-passenger Silver Spirit (launched in 2009, refurbished in 2018), 382-passenger Silver Whisper (2001), 382-passenger Silver Shadow (2000) and 298-passenger Silver Wind (1995). It also has a fleet of expedition-style ships, including the 120-guest Silver Discoverer (launched 2014), the 100-guest Silver Galapagos (launched in 2013) and 132-passenger Silver Explorer (built in 1989 and refurbished for Silversea in 2008). Silver Cloud, formerly a cruise ship for the line, transferred to the expedition side of the business in August 2017, after some upgrades and retrofits. The maximum number of passengers on all of Silver Cloud's polar sailings will be 200. Silversea will retire Silver Galapagos in March 2020 when it launches the 100-passenger new-build, Silver Origin. In addition, new parent company Royal Caribbean is investing heavily in the line. Part of the investment is Project Invictus, which will revitalize all ships in the fleet over the next few years. Silver Whisper will get an extensive refresh in December 2018 to give it a more "Silver Muse" modern look. Silver Wind will also receive a makeover.Seabourn Cruise LineSeabourn sails five ships total, including three sister ships: Seabourn Odyssey (2009), Seabourn Sojourn (2010) and Seabourn Quest (2011) that accommodate 458 passengers. Quest was refurbished in 2016 while Odyssey and Sojourn were refreshed in 2017. Two newer 600-passenger ships -- Seabourn Encore (2016) and Seabourn Ovation (2018) -- are also sisters.The big news for Seabourn is that it's branching into expedition cruising territory with two new-builds. One will launch in June 2021 and the second in May 2022. Each 264-passenger ship -- offering 132 balcony suites -- meets PC6 Polar Class standards for Antarctica and Arctic itineraries. Each sail with two submarines, two dozen Zodiacs and a kayak fleet.This article will focus mainly on the lines' cruise ships, rather than the expedition ones.Price
Both lines include nonalcoholic and alcoholic beverages throughout the ship, plus gratuities and meals in most dining venues. When it comes to cruise fares, we compared voyages in Alaska, the Mediterranean and Asia. We did our best to compare apples to apples so that meant considering the ship's age, date of sailing and itinerary duration. In Alaska, pricing on both lines was comparable. Silversea cruises in the Med and Asia cost more.Choose Silversea if you want free Wi-Fi.
Itineraries
A note about itineraries from Silversea and Seabourn: While many luxury lines eschew shorter sailings in favor of longer voyages, both Silversea and Seabourn offer a plethora of seven-night routes. This makes both lines favorable to younger cruisers, professionals and retirees that have commitments at home and can't -- or don't want to -- be away for more than a week's time. Note that previously, Seabourn did not offer world cruises but it will do so starting in 2020. Silversea's Silver Whisper sails a world cruise every January.Choose Silversea if you want to visit some of the world's more intimate and interesting ports.
Shore Excursions
It's worth it to take a ship-sponsored shore excursion on either line. Both Silversea and Seabourn use the most knowledgeable tour companies around the world, operating top-notch transportation such as roomy air-conditioned coaches or luxury catamarans. Both companies also offer special concierge-style services that will create a private tour that meets your unique specifications. Choose Silversea if you want the chance to score free shore excursions.
Cabins
When it comes to your selection of cabins on both lines, you'll have choices ranging from ocean view and veranda staterooms to a range of suites. Silversea's cabins are larger in nearly every category (with the exception of top suites on Seabourn's newest vessels), but both lines offer high-end amenities: Silversea's bath products are from Bvlgari and Ferragamo, while Seabourn opts for Therapies by Molton Brown. You'll find stocked mini-bars and a complimentary bar setup on both lines, as well as your choice of pillow styles (down, therapeutic and hypoallergenic on Silversea, and down or hypoallergenic on Seabourn). Silversea dresses its beds with Italian Pratesi linens while Seabourn uses Egyptian cotton. Choose Silversea if you want the services of a butler.
Dining
Fine dining is alive and well on both Silversea and Seabourn. The quality of provisions and the diversity of the menus across the lines is quite good. Silversea recently departed from the main dining room concept on Silver Muse and Spirit and instead has a series of restaurants onboard its ships that you can sample throughout your voyage. A hallmark is the indoor/outdoor, slow-food Italian option called La Terrazza. If you love Mediterranean flavors, this venue will wow you. Seabourn ships still offer a main dining room, called The Restaurant, but also have The Grill by celebrity chef Thomas Keller, a sushi venue (on the biggest ships), The Colonnade (part buffet and part a la carte menu offerings), and The Patio Bar (which turns into Earth & Ocean in the evenings).Choose Silversea if you want to dine at the only Relais & Chateaux restaurant at sea.
Entertainment
Because both lines offer complimentary alcoholic beverages in their cruise fares, you'll find that nighttime finds most people out of their cabin and enjoying the ship's facilities. The ships' lounges fill before and after dinner, with live music and dancing on offer. Silversea and Seabourn both feature Broadway-style theater performances and limited casino games.Choose Silversea if love jazz.
Family
Neither Silversea nor Seabourn have a children's program or kids club. Neither line is right for you if you're traveling with toddlers or young children. It's rare to find families with little ones on either line, though it does happen from time to time.Choose Silversea if you're traveling with teens or adult children and want to take an expedition cruise together.
Bottom Line
Choose Silversea if you want a personal butler, don't want to pay for Wi-Fi and are excited to visit ports where only the smallest ships can sail.Choose Seabourn if you want to enjoy cuisine by Thomas Keller (and don't want to pay extra for specialty restaurants), enjoy Broadway musicals and live music, and want to explore by kayak and Zodiac.Updated October 10, 2019
How was this article?