Suite

Seabourn Cruise Line

Luxury Cruises

Athens (Piraeus)

Barcelona

Rome (Civitavecchia)

Auckland

Sydney (Australia)

Dubai

Singapore

Bali

Monaco (Monte Carlo)

Istanbul

Venice

Lisbon

Europe - All

Mediterranean

Italy

Europe - Western Mediterranean

Europe - Eastern Mediterranean

Spain

France

Australia & New Zealand

South Pacific

Asia

Baltic Sea

Middle East

Oman

Turkey

Africa

Israel

Indonesia

Nile River

Greece

Morocco

Croatia

India

Trans-Ocean

Malaysia

Thailand

Europe - British Isles & Western

Canary Islands

Europe River

Cambodia

Portugal

Slovenia

Vietnam

Douro River

Indian Ocean

Canada & New England

Egypt

Excellent

Very Good

Average

Terrible

Poor

Seabourn Odyssey

Seabourn Quest

Seabourn Sojourn

Seabourn Encore

Seabourn Ovation

Seabourn Venture

Seabourn Pursuit

Good, but sadly not as good as it was.

San Diego

We've just returned from a 7 night cruise from Istanbul to Athens on the Encore and overall our experience was good.

The crew are super professional, warm, welcoming and give the impression that nothing is too much trouble. 

The ship was familiar to us as we'd sailed on it's slightly younger sister, the Ovation back in 2019. The design of these ships is relatively simple, there are no real show stopping moments but the pervading elegance and relaxed atmosphere deliver an experience which outweighs the sum of their parts. There's a great variety of spaces, dining venues and facilities and the scale is intimate without ever feeling crowded. 

Now to the good and the less good aspects in more detail:

THE FOOD - We had an outstanding lunch and dinner at Sushi, the Colonnade, Patio and Thomas Keller Grill we all as good as we remembered however the food in The Restaurant was a HUGE disappointment. There just wasn't the quality, style of presentation or complexity of flavours and textures that we'd experienced previously. The Restaurant is one of the most beautiful spaces on the ship, the service is great but food delivered fell well short of expectations, on a couple of occasions I'd say it was poor.

EVENING ENTERTAINMENT - We like Seabourn's approach to this, musicians, vocalists, dancers and guest performers are generally talented and there is an authenticity to the production which we appreciate. It's there if you want it, unobtrusive if you don't. We did think however than on a week long cruise to have the same play lists repeated during sail aways and in the observation bar felt a bit lazy and half hearted. 

THE SPA - We really enjoyed the Thai aromatherapy massage, it was blissful. Treatments are very pricey and whilst we can square the expense as being part of the indulgence of the cruise, the blatant up selling of products at the end made us feel uncomfortable. Please, please stop this.

THE CONDITION OF THE SHIP - The Encore is in good shape considering it's now seven years old with no sign of having had a major refurbishment. However there were some areas like the canopies over the terraces at the stern and some of the carpets, furnishings etc that are starting to look a bit tired and neglected. 

TO CONCLUDE - We love the Seabourn experience, there are so many positives which we enjoyed again the second time around. I think it's because of this that we felt the disappointments outlined above much more acutely. I'm afraid this is reflected in our overall satisfaction score. 

I note with interest that there are similar comments from other reviewers here. It would be a shame for Seabourn to loose the edge in what is becoming and increasingly competitive sector of the cruise market. The competition is snapping at your heels Seabourn (and in some cases doing things far better) It might be time to raise the bar again and leave them trailing in your wake. Please let it be so.

Rostock (Warnemunde)

We had never been on a cruise; never wanted to go on one.  A friend in California, who has cruised extensively, suggested we consider going on a cruise and go with Seabourn.  Once I looked at their itineraries and discovered that not all cruises were floating orgies and beach parties, I was intrigued.  I found their 14-day Venice to Istanbul cruise--two places I had not yet been to, but wanted to see.  So, we booked.  

We spent three lovely days in Venice and then boarded the "Encore."  From the time we checked in, the Seabourn staff were there to welcome us, smiling and treating each passenger like the only passenger.  The first evening, sitting with some "well seasoned" cruisers, when we told them that this was our first cruise, the general response was "you started at the top."  

The attention to detail, the personal way each member of staff treats you, the roominess of even the "basic" stateroom, which Seabourn calls "suites." The food, oh my, the food! It's beautifully presented, and if you like, a waitstaff member will take your order and bring whatever you want to your table at one of six different dining venues.

The moment that I felt like we were on more than an "luxury" cruise line was the evening we returned to the ship from an "Evening in Ephesus." (that event itself was an over the top experience offered to all passengers)  As we came along the dock, having been dropped off by our buses, we heard music coming from the ship.  Then we saw what must have been at least two hundred of the ships crewmembers (waiters, housekeepers, engine room workers in their coveralls, officers) lined up on either side of a long red carpet that we had to tread to reach the gangway onto the ship.  They were clapping for us, swaying to the music that was being piped from the ship's band on loudspeakers.  We were being welcomed back to "the party."  Some stopped and danced a step or two with one of the crew, others just laughed and giggled, but the feeling euphoria, of "family" and hospitality was permeable--I still feel it and it brings tear to my eyes.  This was felt in so many ways during the cruise.  

The staff are the Seabourn secret.  I don't know how they do it, but they manage to find the right people, be they from Turkey, South Africa, The Philippines, you name it. The feeling of genuine warmth and care a passenger gets in so many interactions with staff is amazing.  When disembarkation day came, I found myself in tears and asked to hug a few members of the crew.  OK, a cynic might say, "it's just a marketing gimmick."  Well, maybe, but I don't think any such "gimmick" could withstand the constant demands and various situations those Seabourn crew members find themselves in with passengers.  These are really nice people that Seabourn hires and then trains.

I could go on and on about the food, the drinks, the entertainment, the rooms, etc., they are all excellent.  A Seabourn cruise is more than a cruise, it's an total experience--physical and spiritual.  We've already booked another one for next year.  When you "start at the top," why go anywhere else?

Totally magic first-time cruise

Tortola

Cruised the Eastern Med, Athens to Athens 14 days September

Fourth time over 6 years on the Encore.

Positives

The crew are as good as ever, service excellent everywhere.

Great itinerary with some interesting small ports.

The ship rides well and is well designed.

The main restaurant and the Colonnade are excellent for dinner.

Easy ship to relax on.

Really good bar service.

Negatives

The decor on the ship needs updating and some of the furnishing are in need of replacement.

The cold part of the lunch buffet offering was very poor.

Insufficient beer selection. ( No Greek, Spanish or Turkish offerings)

The house pour white wines were not great.

Disembarkation at Athens was a shambles .Not the first time here the handling agent needs replacing.

Still a good cruise line but now struggling against some good competition .

We would cruise on Encore  again but they need to get the ship updated before they start losing customers.

Some sessions from Viking on decor would be a good idea.

Great cruise but the Encore needs some TLC

I am wrapping up a 14 night sailing from Athens to Athens onboard the Seabourn Encore.  I have always been a fan of Seabourn and feel comfortable on board.  Cruising on Seabourn as a return guest is truly like "coming home".  The best asset that Seabourn has is their staff.  This sailing was no exception.  Under the direction of Hotel Director Kevin Huxham guests enjoy a level of service unparalleled anywhere in the world.  His team shines and is impressive.  The list of staff members who have positively impacted the enjoyment of my cruise is too long to list. Additionally, all other departments on board that I interacted with were also impressive.  Seabourn's relationship with Belinda King productions brings the finest entertainment to sea.  Seabourn's entertainers are spectacular and extremely talented.  The quality of all the productions blows away that of other lines - including the large Vegas style productions seen on mega ships.  Not only are the production shows terrific, but all guest entertainers, bands, duets etc. were spectacular and amongst the most talented I have seen anywhere.  This review would not be complete without kudos to cruise director Ross Roberts.  Ross sets the tone for the cruise and one of the finest at sea.  I feel this way about most of Seabourn's cruise directors.   Ross is a seasoned professional who is truly one of a kind!  We love him!

The reason for my four star and not five star reviews stems from Seabourn not measuring up to the competition in several areas.  If Seabourn wants to be recognized as a luxury line they need to raise the bar.  Competition in the luxury market is stiff.  Innovation breeds competition and competition breeds excellence.  When Seabourn was created there was very little competition in the luxury market.  Now with lines such as Regent, Oceania, Explora Journeys, Ritz Carlton, Crystal (return of Crystal) and Silversea upping the ante prospective passengers have many choices.  The competition offer physical plants (ships) and onboard luxuries superior to Seabourn. 

Where Seabourn fails to measure up is in several areas including (1) ship itself, (2) outdoor experience and (3) dining.  

Ship: I do appreciate the consistency amongst the Seabourn ships.  If you have been on one Seabourn ship you will feel at home and familiar with all the others.  However, by keeping the same design elements as the original 10,000 ton Seabourn ships on ships up to 40,000 tons Seabourn has shortchanged itself.  The deck plan itself is very well thought out.  However, the ships are plain and lack any feeling of luxury.  Cabins are mediocre - including large suites with bathrooms that are shameful for a luxury ship.  The Encore is worn and not well maintained in general (nothing to do with Hotel Director).  As Seabourn built newer and larger ships I wish they would have considered the importance of design and decor of cabins and bathrooms as an important element of a "luxury" experience.  Seabourn - update your ships!

Outdoor Experience:  Seabourn gets a big "F-" with it's outdoor lounging experience.  Outdoor furniture throughout the ship is shameful.  Lounges are pediatric size sling back that do not don cushions (or even terry cloth covers such as Oceania & Regent) and make laying out a very uncomfortable experience.  Most passengers agree that after a few minutes their backs start to ache.  Balcony furniture is equally disappointing and no different than sister companies Holland America and Carnival.  

Dining:  Breakfast and lunch leaves a lot to be desired on Seabourn.  The breakfast buffet and breakfast by the pool is unappealing, poorly presented and most importantly of poor quality.  For example, an omelet is presented on a plain white plate without garnishes and looks blah and unappetizing. The buffet offerings resembles that of a military ship or cheap hotel (i.e. Hilton Garden Inn).  Runny eggs, cheap breakfast meats, etc. Likewise, lunches are similarly disappointing. Outdoor bar ware needs replacing.  They are old plastic glasses - many of which have tarnished to a yellowish color.  I must give kudos to dinners that were generally very good to excellent.  Bar and dining service was A++++.  Bar Manager Sean Smit is the BEST in the business.  Quality of drinks and bar service incredibly impressive.   I also must compliment the anytime, anyplace caviar service that was always prompt and plentiful. 

In summary, Seabourn remains one of my favorite cruise lines because of the staff, but I struggle to consider Seabourn truly luxury when comparing to the competition.  I can't emphasize enough that if not for the absolutely outstanding staff Seabourn would not have a leg to stand on.  I always feel as if I've had a spectacular vacation when disembarking a Seabourn cruise despite the shortcomings of what would be expected on a luxury line.  I intend to return again and again to Seabourn because of the staff, size of the ships and itineraries.  I hope management listens to the constructive feedback and keeps their finger on the pulse as the competition in the luxury market is fierce.  The risk of a passenger trying another "luxury" line is they might like it.  No other luxury line I've experienced - no matter how gorgeous the ship or amazing the food is has staff that come anywhere close to that which you find on Seabourn.  Seabourn makes guests feel special.

IF NOT FOR THE CREW

We were on 14 day Treasures of Adrian cruise on Seabourn Encore on July. This was our first cruise on “ultra luxus” ship. Previous cruises have been lately on MSC Yacht Club, Celebrity Retreat, Mein Shiff X-lounge or NCL Haven. Therefore, we are comparing Seabourn experience to those more than a normal main cruise line experience.

Unfortunately, we found no ultra luxus on Seabourn, hardly even luxus. The food was though somewhat better quality compared to other cruises and the staff was very friendly. We found the price-quality ratio on Seabourn rather poor. The Seabourn-believers seem to repeat how wonderful Seabourn is but we found it at most a bit better than the main cruise lines but a lot weaker than the products like MSC Yacht Club. As a design Encore is nicely said classic (read: boring) and misses any highlights. We also found the opening hours of the bars and restaurants extremely limited.

All staterooms are called suites but are actually normal stateroom but a little bit bigger than normal verandas. We had a guaranteed cabin and were assigned a accessible stateroom. This raised some concerns on us, and our TA tried to contact Seabourn three times to find out if there were any possibilities to have another cabin even if we had to pay more. No answers from Seabourn but in the last one that “Seattle is thinking about it”. The cabin was all right but we were surprised that Seabourn never bothered to answer us in anyway.

The Seabourn square is supposed to be there it all happens. We can tell you that nothing happened there. there was only a coffee shop with self-service and limited opening hours. Coffee shop was nothing like for example the Caffee al Baccio on Celebrity ships. The snack selection was small, and it was always the same. We were astonished that were there no service on the area.

The Restaurant was like any other main dining room. The food quality was though better than in main cruise lines main dining room. The service was acceptable when the restaurant was almost empty but when it started to full up it was as chaotic as all the main dining restaurants on ships. The restaurant was never opened for breakfast or lunch.

The guests are allowed to dine in Thomas Keller once in a cruise. That is totally enough. Thomas Keller was like any other steak house style special restaurant on a cruise ships. Only difference is that it is included in the price of the cruise. Caesar salad made by the table is a nice show element if you happened to like that.

The colonnade was a good place for breakfast and lunch. The buffet had a bit better quality than normal buffets. You could also order some dishes from the menu. At lunch time it took often quite a while to get the orders. We find once again the opening times very limited. Lunch time ended already on 2 and after that there only the Patio to get something to eat and that also only till 3.30.

Earth and Ocean was organized in the Patio in the evenings. We decided not to try it as the “spectacular” was only a few tables in the corner of the pool and were very un-appealing. 

By the pool or other open deck spaces were always chairs available but were waiting for soft upholstered chairs but most were normal pool chairs. It is a petty thing but something we were waiting for ultra luxus. Even by the pool bars there were mostly only normal pool chairs with tables.

For a aperitif there are really not so many bars to choose from and we ended always in the Observation Bar that is actually an old-fashioned lounge. Drink service was a mess. It took absolutely too long a time to get a drink and we saw a lot of guests giving up and leaving without a drink.

Itinerary sounded beforehand interesting and we did see places we have never been to in our meny previous Mediterranean cruises. It is totally other question were they worth it? Most of the places were off-and-on visits: small places with a street to walk up and down. We prefer to sleep a little bit longer on holidays and could not take any excursion from Seabourn as they were all too early for us. There were still some highlight like Dubrovnik, Kotor and Venice. It was a nice surprise that Seabound had organized a water taxi shuttle to the city from the harbour.

Would we do another Seabourn cruise? Never say never but in the near future we would not. Maybe somde day though.

No ultra luxus, hardly even luxus

Just spectacular.  

Our first cruise and how fantastic was this!  

Without question the service was so good, so authentic, personal and kind.  Everyone remembered your name.  Everyone was engaging and not in a hurry.  The table service was so excellent .. never rushed, never slow.  The somilier quickly figured our wine preferences out ... and was always able to find something that was special (and not a supplement ... even though his kindness eventually payed off as we did dig deep on the last two nights!)

On the shore excursion front: several of the places we took our bathing suits and found a beach, in Bodrum we hired the private driver who took us everywhere: sightseeing, shopping, to an upscale Turkish clothing mall, lunch on the beach at a glorious private beach club and the obligatory Turkish rug factory in the hinterlands.  We did the tour bus to Ephesus and got amongst the crowds (our only real crowd experience) and finally we organized our own private boat in Santorini where a private driver picked us up in town and took us to the marina -- a good move as a NCL ship with 4000 passengers arrived four hours after us ... so it was a summer Santorini mob scene.  He dropped us off at the cable car and we quickly made it to the tender and back to the luxury of the Encore.

There was nothing too difficult.  The crew were charming and took care of everything ... 

What we loved:

The crew!  And the passenger appreciation cocktail hour hosted by every crew member on the last night was authentic, fun and delightful.  The Seabourn HR team has created a culture of excellence and client service which is at the ultra lux hotel level ... but more genuine, more fun and sincerely grateful to be part of your experience.  

The food:  'The restaurant' was excellent.  Every night!  and Thomas Keller was a perfect final night.  The menu variety and innovation was next level.  Truly a top quality dining experience!  An the service is spot on!

The observation bar:  A great cocktail as you pull out of port and get ready for dinner.  Bartenders knew every cocktail!   Good vibe!

The other pax:  Seabourn isn't too stuffy, nor is it too grubby.  Fun people.  New friends, genuine people.

What we didn't like:

A coffee machine in the room would have been nice.  Luckily we had an Nespresso machine we brought with us from a yacht charter the previous week!!

The pool late afternoon gets a bit naff as a few loud people have had a few cocktails (hey people are on holidays - so who am I to judge!)

We LOVED Seabourn.  We have booked another trip next summer on the Ovation.

Spectacular Experience!

This cruise was excellent in all aspects. It is not often that you can say that!!! 

Everything from embarkation, all veranda suites, on-board service, restaurant and entertainment was five-star. This, our first cruise with Seabourn, was a seven-day cruise from Piraeus to Istanbul.  One of the benefits of a smaller ship, with fewer than 600 passengers, is that there are no separate restaurant sittings, no need for booking or queueing for tables. The Thomas Keller restaurant was very good, but not as exceptional as one would have expected. The highlight of our cruise was the patio deck functions with snacks and music particularly the champagne, oyster and caviar sail away party with ABBA music. Having drinks and gratuities included is a huge benefit. We did not go on any of the Seabourn shore trips, preferring to explore the ports on our own. We will certainly look at sailing with Seabourn again.

Excellent Cruise on Encore

It is great to be cruising again, this is our 6th post Covid cruise.  This was our second Seabourn post covid cruise. the others on Odyssey plus Crystal (pre bankruptcy), Oceania, and Regent.  

What attracted us to Encore was this itinerary which most cruise lines do NOT undertake -- both the Greek and Turkish riviera with many small islands like Kos, Kas, Cesme, Mykonos, Cyprus, plus Bodrum, Istanbul and Athens.

Istanbul Embarkation – It was Marathon Day – fortunately we stayed in Karakoy near the Galata Port.  The new terminal is huge and just beware that Taxi drivers do not know where to drop cruise passengers off.  Once we found the luggage drop off – it was an easy embarkation to get your board pass, passport control and then to the ship.  Distance is an issue as the port is big and the length of walking will be determined where the ship is berthed.

Ship and Cabin– Encore was in excellent condition.  We were in a V4 Veranda. There is plenty of space, a large walk-in closet, bathroom with two sinks plus a tub and separate shower.  No need for a larger stateroom – no butlers on Seabourn so there is no benefit for any added expense. The ship was well laid out and similar to the smaller ships in layout just larger but easy to navigate.  

Muster.  No real muster.  Watch the video, get your card scanned at the muster station – end of story.

Paperless stateroom.  Very little paper onboard the ship.  Seabourn source app is needed on your smartphone as all shore excursion tickets are located there.  Same with the daily Herald (though you can get a paper copy at guest services and view this on your TV).  The only real paper was the usual future cruise spam.

Guests – About 650 people, many first-time Seabourn cruisers.  We did 3 B2B 7day cruises so we saw turnover on each 7-day leg.  Some young people (no kids) but generally the 70 plus crowd.

Housekeeping.  Lots of new staff in this department. None of our pre cruise wishes were performed.  SB goes out of the way to record preferences for liquor and drinks -- none of our bar choices were in the refrigerator/bar.  Took a day or two to get into the routine but in the end our cabin attendants were excellent.

Food:  Seabourn has fewer choices of restaurants than other cruise lines (like Regent, Oceania, or even Silversea).  “The Restaurant” is the MDR.  “Colonnade” is used for breakfast, lunches – buffet style and in the evening serves a sit-down meal or buffet. The “Patio Grill” on the pool deck for burgers, pizza, salads, and a daily special (trout, salmon).  In the evening this provides a nightly dining.  Generally, we were always able to find “something” to enjoy for dinner, if it was not The Restaurant, we could go to the Colonnade.  Did not try the Patio Pool Grill in the evening (called Earth and Ocean), nothing appealed to us.  Then there was the TK Grill specialty restaurant. We had an issue with the booking system.  Had three confirmed bookings all shown on the booking itinerary but gone when we boarded.  Guest services restored two of the three.  Several other passengers complained about the same.

Food impressions – good to OK but not great.  Food impressions are opinions.  Some examples are Caesar salads (including that in the TK Grill) were tasteless even with the anchovies, found the lunch Colonnade buffets either very good or very bad.  They were themed (both day and evening), like French, Italian, British, Asian, Jamaican, Oriental (Middle Eastern), Spanish, Greek, Indian and Thai.  So, if you do not like a particular food – you were stuck with the classic menu.

The Restaurant was never open during the entire cruise for breakfast or lunch.  I do not know if this is a regular thing – but for breakfast or lunch sometimes we would like to be served.  This for us was a major negative.  

TK Grill. Two nights, First night – horrible meal with horrible service.  Second night -- Excellent food and good service.   TK is really overrated, and others do this type of venue better.

Caviar of course, was good.  Not super quality, but adequate for unlimited. We made use of this; however, it is unpublicized and in talking with first time Seabourn cruisers, they knew nothing of it.

Sushi Restaurant.  Limited menu of Bento meal for lunch and for dinner sushi, or sashimi.  So little choice but the food was good, and service was outstanding.  However, this type of meal and limited choices grows old quickly.  During the first 7 days no Saki was to be had.  Food & Beverage manager was quite arrogant when several diners complained at the same time when he visited the restaurant for lunch.

Room Service – the biggest drawback was the room service.  Fixed menu.  Little or no variation.  Could not order anything from the Restaurant Menu in the evening.   Food was what you would get on Carnival.

Seabourn Square.  The best coffee at sea, IMO.  The baristas were good.  They roast their own which should make for a better/fresher blend.  However, the snacks were not up to par compared to other lines. 

Destination Services (tours) we did many private tours.  Where we could not get a private guide, so we used a Seabourn tour.  For the most part these tours were mediocre at best.  One tour we had was to the Archaeological Museum in Nicosia Cyprus. We pulled up in our big bus on a Monday and a surprise the museum was closed.  Monday was a regular closing day. Tour guide was clueless on this.

Enrichment Lectures and Speakers.  No sea days so the one enrichment lecture was around 5pm.

Service.  Too many new crew members, many on their first cruise contracts.  Probably an industry wide issue but it does spoil the experience.    You could see the issues in the dining rooms, where the newbies are milling about with no direction.  There was little supervision by line managers, in fact there were no line managers visible as on other lines. This was especially true in the Restaurant.   

The Restaurant – service was horrible – inexcusable after 3 bad meals never went back.  One meal  took almost 2 hours to get the entrée.  Our arrogant F&B manager only made excuses (like too many diners at one time).

Colonnade – found two excellent waiters they took excellent care of us.  Excellent service.  Maitre’d here did his job of walking the floor seeing that things were running smoothly

Staff friendliness.  A+ here even the newbies strove to know passengers’ names and their favorites.  Officers and CD were too.  This is the Seabourn experience, and we definitely were impressed here.

Internet. Decent speed and service.  My office requires a VPN to connect.  Been on over 50 cruises and always was able to connect via my VPN (this includes marginal areas like upper arctic and Antarctic).  Only with Seabourn would it fail to connect.  Did not pay the $22 extra per day for streaming capability, likely it would have made a difference – but really a shame for an inclusive cruise line to do this. 

On-board credit.  Most of ours were refundable.  Leftover posted to our credit card on file at end of the cruise.

Disembarkation – in Athens.  Was easy even though the port had 5 other big ships.  It was Sunday so off the ship at 0815 and at the airport by 0915.

Summary.  Will we sail Seabourn again??  The staff seems to bring many regulars back to sail again on Seabourn.  It CANNOT be the food which IMHO -- there are better lines for this.   It will depend on itinerary, but we would place Seabourn on our list below SS and Regent. Seabourn will have to earn our future business.

Good but there are better ships and cruise lines

My wife and I have sailed with Seabourn many times and were looking forward to our post-pandemic cruise.  However, we were disappointed with the level of service provided by Seabourn and it is definitely not at the superior quality the cruise line used to offer.  

First off, the wait staff in the dining areas are all great and diligent as before and so are the cabin service personnel.  However, we feel that the quality of food provided in the main dining room is lacking.  The Grill by Thomas Keller was consistently good as expected.  The Sushi restaurant is substandard and the sushi offered on the menu is limited and not of good quality.

What was disappointing most were the quality of the excursions, both in terms of planning and execution.  Same goes with embarkation and debarkation.  We signed up for a wine dinner excursion at a renowned winery in Turkey.  The bus that carried the group was too big to deliver us to the winery so they let us off and make us walked uphill on a dirt road for about 100 yards.  Some of the participants in the group have issues with walking without a cane not alone walking uphill on a dirt road.  Apparently Seabourn did not know this nor did the local tour guide - bad planning - and there was no Seabourn representative at the excursion. During debarkation in Tel Aviv, the independent group that arranged their own transportation was asked to go on the pier side and claim their baggages.  After claiming the bags you were then required to take a bus to a different terminal a mile away where the taxis and other ground transportations were located.  There were no sign, indication, or personnel at the baggage area to instruct the passengers what to do.  Many our us stood around for more than 20 minutes wondering how to get out of the pier.  We soon found out from the only Seabourn personnel that instructed us to wait for the shuttle bus.  She was not wearing any identifiable Seabourn uniform nor was she proactively offering information.  All in all, the level of services at the tours and pier side are definitely insufficient and ineffective.

I am not sure that we will cruise with Seabourn again.

Not the Seabourn it used to be

Palma de Mallorca (Majorca)

Our first time on Seabourn but not our last.  Loved the ship, the outside eating spaces, the delicious food, the staff, the crew …. We are now spoiled for any other line.  Relax or be busy, dress up or don’t. This is the cruise line for us. Worth every penny. We met lovely people of all nationalities. We enjoyed the food and the entertainment. Shout out to the cruise director Aimee, the wonderful singers and dancers, the coffee bar in the Square staff and the art classes!  Lectures if you want to find out about the areas travelled. Spacious suites with a great bathroom and walk in closet. Quietest ship we’ve ever sailed on. We’ve tried other lines but can’t imagine we will find one we like quite as much as Seabourn. Everything included unless you want high end drinks. Wifi pretty good for everyday use. Lovely Molton Brown products and yummy dark chocolate squares at night.

Amazing Seabourn Encore 

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