We have been on Seabourn several times-all except one on Odyssey. We love this ship as it has minimal announcements, great service and food and is a low density ship so never feels crowded. We always use Seabourn for booking our flights as they meet you at the airport and transfer you to the ship and back again. Within about 5 minutes of arriving at the port, we were on the ship. Odyssey has recently had a make-over as we noticed many of the furnishings were new. The 14-day itinerary was fabulous with calls at many Greek islands as well as Sicily and Valletta plus a couple of extra-relaxing days at sea. For us one of the great things about Seabourn is the food and service. Staff get to know your name and preferences. There are several different places to eat dinner with great choices of food made with quality ingredients and choice cuts of meat. There are themed dinners at the Colonnade and a la carte with many choices in the main restaurant. Many people rate the food by the pool at dinner very highly, though we did not try it. We enjoyed lobster in the TK Grill which is the only evening dining venue that requires a reservation. Another factor for us is the informal ambiance with 'elegant casual' as the dress code apart from 2 evenings where the dress code was Formal-but in the main Restaurant only. Serving staff are all very good and friendly. We will be on another SEabourn cruise soon! Read Less

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After our 21 day cruise in April on the Seabourn Ovation (our first with Seabourn) we had been impressed. When we noticed the itinerary of the Odyssey for the Greek Odyssey Cruise we got all excited. For us, the Mediterranean is our favorite cruising destination. There were some islands on the itinerary that were new to us, while others we already knew but were keen on seeing again. We were curious too, how the smaller and older Odyssey would compare with the newer Ovation. Both have a similar layout and they have about the same number of crew. We were pleasantly surprised that our cabin on the Odyssey was more comfortable, our veranda suite on the Ovation had been very narrow and the fake wood paneling too dark. The beds on the Odyssey seemed also wider and there was no hazard of rolling off the bed during sleep. Both ships interiors didn't impress us as luxurious, the used materials simple and inexpensive. But, the service of the crews was truly remarkable and memorable. The service on the Ovation was even better, despite the higher number of guests; on the Ovation each one of the crew knew our names after only a few days, we couldn't believe it. Maybe it had to do with the exceptional leadership of the cruise director Handre; he was absolutely wonderful, a role model and he made every guest feel welcome and especially cared for. The ambience on the Ovation was very personal and familiar, we had never before experienced anything quite like it and felt genuinely at home. On the Odyssey it was a little less personal but still very good. We did find the quality of the food on the Odyssey even better; we loved the fresh fruits plus nuts, chia and linseeds at the breakfast buffet. The "Earth and Ocean" on the pool deck we had avoided at first from our negative experiences on the Ovation but found out on the Odyssey the food there was often excellent. It probably comes down to the actual crew and cooks on your cruise. This was our 10th cruise in the past 3 years. We had started out with Silversea, Regent, Oceania and now Seabourn. Regent is still our favorite, they are more expensive but everything is included including wifi and excursions. We rate Seabourn second and can't wait to sail with them again if an itinerary catches our fancy. Oceania had the most luxurious ship, the Marina, our penthouse suite was superb but their cuisine is the best for overweight and obese passengers only. Oceania offers long and fantastic itineraries, if only the cuisine could be more healthy. We had been very happy with Silversea as it was our first cruise line, now that we have sailed on other lines, Silversea seems no longer attractive for us; their ships were old and tired, always in need of renovation; the much too frequent formal evenings exaggerated considering the conditions of the vessels; plus we find Silversea too expensive. The Odyssey is the perfect choice for itineraries with as few days at sea as possible. It is a small ship with all the advantages of small vessels, but for sea days we missed a jogging or at least a walking trail, the gym was too small where a few bikes were just facing a wall; I personally choose to run up and down the stairs for an hour during our sea day. But for a transatlantic cruise f.e., we would choose another ship. Read Less

Having taken 10 cruises before, my wife and I (52, 42 years old) just completed our first luxury cruise on Seabourn. June 29-July 6 from Venice to Athens on Odyssey. We booked our travel from the US through Seabourn and had a positive experience in every way. Great price on the airfare, and one pre-cruise night in the Baglioni Hotel in Venice, and one post-cruise night in the Grand Bretagne in Athens. Seabourn personal were very present at the airport, and the hotels, and we had virtual personal escorts from the Venice airport to the Water Taxi to the Baglioni, where we were met by a Seabourn staffer stepping off the boat. Again that attention as we left for the ship the next day. The biggest lesson for me was ALWAYS take the cruise offered transfers, as it made for a totally worry-free experience. Upon debarkation, we went from breakfast, walked off the ship with no line, into a waiting car service, and was at the Grand Bretagne and checked in within one-hour. Just amazing. And, the next day a Seabourn staff was there to ensure our car was waiting and our bags were loaded. The whole Seabourn transfer and travel experience took magnitudes of stress from our trip. This was our first time in Venice, and all of the other stops. Amazing to hear some “veteran” cruisers complain about the heat and some of the ports. 1 – Its July in the Mediterranean and 2 – They booked the cruise knowing the ports, right? We enjoyed every stop immensely. The small ship in small ports that aren’t overrun by tourists cannot be beaten. And as for weather, we did not even see a cloud until Day 6. Perfect conditions. After boarding…we waited a total of 5 minutes to get on the ship. The door to door access, from embarkation to every excursion to debarkation was appreciated. The overriding theme from the cruise was the service was indeed a cut above in every respect. No question everything was done with the cruiser in mind. My wife and I don’t consider ourselves complainers, but by Day 5 we were searching for something to complain about and couldn’t find it. Even the other couples were ended up spending time with on the ship felt the same way. Tough job for their staff, because we did see others who wanted to complain about everything. High maintenance folks for sure, but the staff managed those people so well, and those folks gave my wife and I something to laugh about every night, and made us appreciate the cruise even more! Vodice, Day 1, was our favorite stop. Beautiful town. We took an excursion to Kayak in Trogir and it was exceptional. With one notable exception, the tour operators were outstanding, communicated well with everyone, and were quite engaging. We Kayaked nearly 10 miles in crystal clear, cool Aegean waters, with a wonderful meal afterwards. Wisely, we had scheduled a massage for that night, and my wife (well experienced in the Spa world) said it was as good a massage as she has had. The facilities were pretty blah, but again people make everything, and the people in the spa were wonderful. Day 2 was Kotor, which we also loved. Took a Tuk Tuk ride along the coastline to the Port of Montenegro and it was a beautiful ride. Shopping in the old town was outstanding, but we were one of four ships that day in Kotor, and it was crowded. Day 3, Corfu, was the best shopping day, as a bus took us from our ship (and I mean right outside the ship) to the shopping area and back, then we took a 4x4 excursion in the afternoon. The 4x4 took us up to a village in the highest hills, then down again, with some great views, and a couple of stops in small villages where we loaded up on olive oil to bring back. The excursion operators were so-so at best, as they complained about Seabourn to us before we left. Half of the 4x4 were air conditioned and half were not, which wasn’t good for those of us in non-AC with 95 degrees! Again, great views and a neat thing to do, but the one excursion we took that we didn’t care for the operators. Day 4 was Cephalonia. It was beautiful. Our excursion was Melissani Lake and Drogarati Cave. Both stops were an hour, but the tour was about 15 minutes, so we had excess down time, but a bus ride around the island for some incredible views made for a great day. The wife and I made a habit of eating at tavernas on the water every day in each port. It was the highlight of the trip for us as the food was wonderful, and the exposure to the culture of each stop was wonderful. I had a good tip early which was always order the house wine. Four Euro for a ½ L at each stop and it was wonderful for our lunchces. That night, the only entertainment we found even remotely entertaining was Ben Mills, a singer who was part Joe Cocker and part Springsteen. He was outstanding. Never more than 50 people at the entertainment though. Day 5 was Gythion. No excursions this day, but a nice walk around town, a taverna, and back to the spa for each of us. Wife had a Thai Poultice massage that she is still talking about. The final day was Nafplion which was a surprise to us, as it had wonderful shopping (including some high-end shopping) and great leather items. We tried to reschedule our excursion from the Corinth Canal crossing to a winery tour but were waitlisted and ended up with no tour. That was fine as the Canal was an hour bus ride away and we didn’t need more bus time. We found the Thomas Keller grill the night of our Korfu stop to be nice. Didn’t feel the need to try to get a 2nd reservation, but all of the food was exceptional on the cruise so it didn’t stand out to us as it did to some. We had four nights in the restaurant and a couple of nights of room service. Food was great, service was better. I like some casino time, but with just one black jack table, one three-card poker table and a roulette wheel with about 15 slot machines, it was a waste of time for me. And given how dead it was, a waste of time for most. As first-timers Laurinda, our Suite Stewardess, was more concierge and advisor than attendant. She really made sure we knew the ins and outs and didn’t miss anything onboard. All in all, what a great trip. Yes, the service was as described. The ship itself was OK. The onboard activities were so-so, but you don’t take this cruise for on-board activities. We certainly wouldn’t take our kids on Seabourn, but Seabourn isn’t designed for kids. When we take our next luxury cruise, it will be with Seabourn. Probably a different, larger, ship, but what a week. I’ll try to post my copies of the Herald on the Boards. I looked high and low in advance of the cruise to have some idea of what our days would look like and couldn’t find it, so I hope this helps. Read Less

The cruise itself was great. The rooms are large and well appointed, and the food is overall pretty excellent. It's amazing that we were at sea for more than a week, and yet they were still able to provide outstanding fruits and salads. The Thomas Keller restaurant is intimate and outstanding and worth doing at least once during the cruise, and there's no extra charge. The service was very good. It's not the same standard I've experienced on past Seabourn trips. I remember staff throughout the ship would greet me by name, even on a first encounter. That made a huge impression and spoke to a level of excellence. After all, if the staff knows your name, they will remember other things about you too, like what you tend to drink or eat. That leads to anticipatory service - you are offered what you want, before you even ask for it. That level of service seems to be gone on Seabourn. Still, it's outstanding by most measures. The passengers on a long crossing tend to be a different crowd than you'll find on shorter cruises. Frankly, they're friendlier. There's so much time to get to know people, and we really enjoyed the passengers we met. But ultimately our trip was spoiled when my belongings vanished when transferred from the ship to shore in Lisbon. I would find out much later that my luggage ended up being mixed in with other passengers' valuables and put in a taxi. The response to my missing belongings was troubling. At the pier I was placated with false promises of an immediate response. Then in an effort to get me to move along, Seabourn gave me a number to call for help and an email address. No one answered the phone and the automated response from the email told me I'd get a reply within two weeks. No one responded to my requests for information until after I posted publicly on social media after an entire day of silence. Then there was a bunch of blaming of local pier workers, who Seabourn had hired, but then acted like those workers were an entity out of their control or responsibility. In the end, fellow passengers and their travel agent solved the problem of my missing belongings. I spent two days of my three-day visit to Lisbon dealing with the problem, which included meeting with the Portuguese police. Other passengers I met on the Odyssey told me later that they also had problems with wayward belongings. When I heard that I was not alone, I followed up with Seabourn's corporate office, and wrote a personal letter to the company president. I received a we're-sorry-you-feel-that-way response. That's pathetic, and a sign that upper management has no intention of dealing with a very serious security gap. My advice: enjoy the ship, but don't trust Seabourn with your valuables. Carry on and off the ship all of your belongings. Read Less

Our fourth transatlantic since 2013, Crystal Serenity, 2014 Seabourn Quest and 2016 Regent Explorer. We embarked in Barbados, easiest we have ever experienced, from arrival at the dock to boarding took ten minutes. Stateroom was available ten minutes after our 2.00 PM boarding. We had a stateroom forward on deck four, no balcony but a nice big window. First time without a balcony but we did not miss it on this type of voyage. Excellent bathroom provided with tub and shower. We found a big improvement in the dining over our previous cruise with Seabourn. The Thomas Keller Grill provided exceptional food and service and the Keller influence is followed up in the Restaurant menus which basically has to sections, one Keller Inspirations and the other classics, steaks chops etc. which can be mixed if required. All our dinners were taken in the Restaurant apart from three visits to the Keller Grill and taken from the inspirations menu. The food was well prepared and presented and almost always really excellent. The Restaurant was also excellent for breakfast and lunch. We did not use the Colonnade restaurant or the poolside Patio restaurants. Service in the Restaurant, Thomas Keller Grill was outstanding, this also applied to our cabin steward and the Seabourn Square staff. Service throughout the ship was universally excellent. One complaint would be the quality of the wines provided, drinkable but could and should be higher quality. Entertainment was good for a ship of this size. We watched two shows, Time Rice and the violinist, both very good. The band also played in The Club each night and were excellent with a talented female singer also a trio played in The Club who were also very good. We did not take any shore excursions but did disembark at Porto Santo and visited the town which is a pleasant and clean with a nice beach. Disembarking at Lisbon was delayed somewhat by the customs people who were using sniffer dogs to check luggage apart from that our bus was waiting to take us to the airport and this was handled efficiently. Finally the ship was clean and well maintained and the Odyssey and Quest both have lots of open deck space forward which provides a pleasant area for viewing when entering or leaving port. Read Less

This one fit a particular time frame .We only had the first leg of 11 days . Had never had a chance to take a Seabourn cruise before . Very happy .They couldn't do enough for us .Came up with an extension cord for the C Pap machine . Stocked fridge and bar had a full liter of good vodka .Svedka , I think . Mixers, beer , champagne . Room stewardess was always ready to go . Dinning room had some slow arrivals of food at times . But all the food was excellent .They could cook , fish , steaks , pasta . The Colonnade buffet on the back deck was always good .Pool bars and dining line was a great choice in the afternoon for a late lunch .Open to 3:30 . Used room service for breakfast 4 different mornings . Arrived in 20 to 25 minutes and hot .Transfers booked through Seabourn worked fine , even with a flight delay .They were there to meet us . We got our luggage frisked in Lisbon on disembarkation .The Seabourn Rep was on the spot to assure us we would get a cab to the airport when we missed the main bus with everybody else . Even sent a very sweet Portuguese woman ( cute as a button ) with us to make sure we knew where we were going inside the airport . Actually went in with us . Bar people , deck crew , waiters were all on top of it at all times .Entertainment was very good of what we saw . Did a special afternoon opera segment on the deck with the main show vocalists one afternoon . Pouring Patron Margaritas at the pool .l .All you can eat , drink and no tipping or bar bill at the end . But I did leave a small thank you for the housekeeping girl and a bartender .Not expected though .A great time . The best weather the crew had ever seen on this crossing . Just lucky . Read Less

We did the 7-day Caribbean portion from St. Maarten and remained on board for the transatlantic, disembarking in Lisbon--18 days in total. This was our third Seabourn cruise, and Seabourn was once again spot-on with everything. Embarkation/disembarkation is easy, although St. Maarten hadn't fully recovered from the hurricane. In Lisbon, we just walked off the ship at the time we wanted, and our car and driver was waiting. The famous Caviar in the Surf took place at St. Kitts the first day of the cruise, and once again Seabourn knocked it out of the park. It's an extraordinary event. The officers and crew knock themselves out for you. Food and beverage is terrific. For those interested, the crossing was one of the smoothest the Officers had ever experienced--more like a lake than anything else. On the crossing, there were two shows each evening--one for the early birds at around 6:30 and another later on around 9:45. it's hard to imagine a better cruise. Read Less

After reading many reviews of Seabourn I decided to book this cruise. The ship is smaller than the new floating Iran sprawl like tower blocks which was a real plus for me. The personal and attentive service by many staff was great but that seemed to magnify the faults when they showed. Breakfast in the collonade was an American buffet and options including none cremated bacon were available to Oder; however the staff never once got it right. On one occasion an English Breakfast with English bacon not crispy. Grilled tomatoes, eggs over easy and toast was served as two eggs served over easy. Seabourn need to encourage use of order pads or the tablets used at dinner to easily solve this issue, the food was good but similar in all venues on some nights which wffectively meant choose room service before 1900 or after 2200 to avoid the dinner menu. The bar was a popular area for many passengers and the unlimitedcdtinks were a major feature for some. The itinerary on the first week was much better than the second week and beach days which followed in succession were a bone of contention amongst many so spoke with. The cabins were comfortable (V6 grade) and a spacious walk in wardrobe was a great feature. We had issues with our steward who failed to deliver the daily programme, failed to replenish the soft drinks in the fridge or note our preferences but these were not so big an issue - because we had a steward did not mean we were unable to do things ourselves. The trip was very good but not exceptional and I think that if the company manages expectations rather than raises them with false hope they will continue to do well. It's very good and enjoy it but don't expect the earth - believe me the positives outweigh the negatives. Read Less

This was our third cruise onboard the Odyssey and we loved every moment of it! We embarked in St. Maarten after spending two days unwinding at the Holland House Hotel. The embarkation process was absolutely painless. Everything was run like a well oiled piece of machinery. We were in PH cabin 918, which was lovely. I'm afraid we were spoiled by the extra room and location of this cabin. We would definitely book a PH suite again. We found the food and service to be top notch and did not have one complaint about either. I did however miss the Patio dining for an occasional evening meal as I always loved their steaks and pork chops. Many passengers really enjoyed the recent change however and the food was quite good. As we have done the Caribbean a number of times, we elected to stay onboard for a number of ports. We preferred to enjoy the comforts of the ship at some of the ports. We did not do any of the ship's excursions so I am unable to comment on those. The beach BBQ was wonderful, as always. On our last day, Jost VanDyke, the water toys were brought out much to the pleasure of many of the passengers. It was great fun! We met some lovely new friends, Martin and Stella and were able to spend some quality time with them and some other friends, Debs and Mikey, that we had met on a previous cruise. We enjoyed this cruise and were not disappointed with anything! Read Less

The itinerary offered me the chance to hit 5 new countries, and I ended up getting my 100th country as a result. Embarkation was so smooth I almost felt like I'd not completed something. As it's a small ship, it's not necessary to be in a huge warehouse and standing in line for forever. My cabin was #916 and in a perfect location, IMHO. It was on the same level, although at the opposite end, as the spa. I never had to wait more than 30 seconds for an elevator and since the ship is small, you get to where you're going very quickly. Entertainment was good - typical cruise ship style - Service was outstanding. My cabin was spotless and my stateroom attendant was superb. The bed was very comfortable, the amenities in the bathroom were great, the cabin was spacious, and the balcony was nice. The casino was small (one table for blackjack, one for roulette and one for 3 card poker) and a few slot machines, but even if there's no one in there, the casino staff will happily open a table for you. They were all very nice and easy to talk to. The food, oh my gosh, the food was spectacular. I went to the buffet once only, had room service (very large selection) a lot and went to the dining room a lot. I also went to the "specialty dining" restaurant, but that was a waste because the dining room food was actually better. My only complaint, and this is not the fault of the ship at all, was the Noisy Nellies next door, who lived on their balcony and talked using "outside voices" and clinked their silverware against their plates A LOT. I could not go on the balcony without hearing every word clearly and they talked nonstop. There should be some sort of balcony etiquette. But this did not deter me from loving Seabourn. Read Less

I should start by saying that we were first time cruisers so have nothing to compare this to. We chose Seabourn as we wanted a small ship and good service. We absolutely got this and more. It really exceeded our expectations. The suite was really spacious with a fabulous bathroom and walk in wardrobe. With no knowledge of what suites were good or bad we opted for the gamble of a “guaranteed veranda suite” and got 512. I have no complaints. The half metal balcony did not bother us at all. The ship never felt crowded, anywhere we went there was usually a seat, table or sunbed free. All staff were happy, polite and helpful. All said good morning/afternoon/evening when passing and the housekeeping staff were especially lovely. The food and drinks were really high quality. We loved sitting outside in the Colonnade so went there most lunch times and half the evenings. The main dining room is good too and the food delicious but I feel the lighting is way too bright, reduces the ambience. It’s good that you can either request a table for two or a sharing table (6people max) when you want to meet new people. We failed to make a reservation at the Thomas Keller grill beforehand (rookie mistake) so didn’t get to eat there. Must remember that next time. The cruise was a 7 day “yacht harbours” in the Caribbean but I don’t think it really lived up to that. The first day had to be a day at sea as it was too rough to tender at Saline Bay so we missed the beach bbq. It was held on board instead which was fun anyway. I have read a few reviews where this has happened and wonder if it’s a frequent occurrence? I felt that only two of the places we docked were actually “yacht harbours” others were cruise ports where larger ships also docked. At one we seemed to be at a freight dock with a shuttle to the main port because two larger ships had taken the cruise ship docking area! People on board were probably mainly British, Canadian and American, mostly over 50. There was one small child (very well behaved). I can’t imagine it’s a cruise which children or young people would enjoy. We had a fabulous week and are already planning our next Seabourn cruise. Read Less

We took a seven day Eastern Carribean cruise on the Ofyssey. Didn’t get off the ship much because we have discovered over the years that most Carribean Island adventures are pretty fungible. We took an upgrade opportunity for one of the 4 spa suites on 10 accessible only via spiral staircase in the spa- a good pick. Great outdoor deck at the rear, plenty of inside space, huge bath and shower, lots of amenities. BUT broken and unfixed/unfixable blind in the BR and a fridge door actually fell off, but was timely fixed. We found the staff uniformly friendly and accommodating - more so than on the Encore. English not always so good. Lots of trpical drink trays in constant circulation. Top shelf liquor at all bars and restaurants. House wines OK but nothing special. Restaurant decor and some public areas could use refresher. More self-serv launderettes would be helpful. Restaurant/Keller selections good to excellent. Colonnade buffets generally pretty good. Room service- too slow and too cold. The coffee, like virtually every cruise ship we’ve been on, was bad - there must be some special secret and cheap robusto blend they all buy. Espresso sometimes OK and cappuccinos were tolerable. All in all, we liked this ship although my companion thought there too many smoking areas. We liked the Encore better even though it was larger and will probably try other Seabourn ships before we come back here. Wishing you clear skies and calm seas. Read Less

Seabourn is our cruise line of choice. The reasons are simple, it feels like you are on your personal yacht, the staff never uses the phrase "sorry, we can't do that", the cuisine is the best afloat on any ship sailing today and last, but not least, you never feel crowded or rushed in any venue aboard. The odyssey is currently doing an itinerary that runs back and forth between Barbados and St. Maartin. The cruise was, as anticipated, wonderful and relaxing. HOWEVER, Getting to the ship to board and disembarking were rife with difficulty and unpleasantness. This was not just my bad luck, but prevalent among nearly all of the guests who we met aboard and shared stories with. After booking the cruise we discovered that you cannot get to/from these chosen ports before or after your cruise (Barbados and St. Maartin) in one day of travel. Unless you live in a city with a direct flight to the island (Miami, Washington DC, New York - basically the east coast major metros) you will have to overnight enroute in each direction. Airline costs to and from these ports and overnight hotel costs, in many cases, exceed the price of the actual cruise. Additionally, attempting to arrive or depart the same day as ships in port turn over their passengers will result in unmanageable crowds at the airports. (specifics about our experience below) St Maartin's airport was destroyed during the most recent Hurricane and despite what you may read about the Caribbean being ready for tourism and that everything is back to normal ... It is NOT. Let me recount our disembarkation experience in St. Maartin: The positive: our late afternoon airline departure time worried us. We were unable to arrange a "day pass" with any hotel on the island despite two weeks of trying prior to leaving home. With nowhere to go until our flight departure and Disembarkation from Seabourn Odyssey scheduled for 8:30 am, we were worried. Seabourn, graciously, permitted us to remain aboard the ship in comfort until after lunch. A real blessing considering what was to come. The negative: Upon disembarkation we took a taxi with our luggage to the airport thinking we could relax comfortably at the airport (a relatively short distance, but a long drive compounded by bumper to bumper, slow moving traffic - nearly an hour) our taxi driver described to us while enroute that after the hurricane so many cars were destroyed that there was a huge influx of new cars purchased with insurance money and that the old damaged cars were mostly repaired, sold and put back on the road... hence gridlock like Manhatten or Chicago during rush hour (but on single lane roads). He also informed us that we were LUCKY because up until just a few days prior, the airport operations and passenger terminal were being run from TENTS in the tropical heat. We arrived at the airport, part of the destroyed terminal building had been repaired and it was operating in compressed space. No assistance at the curb with bags, entered into the ticket area and found grand central station with hundreds of people in line for multiple carriers. We were flying first class so our shorter line took only 40 minutes to reach the front, check baggage and proceed. Next came the security and immigration line. We arrived and joined a single line in a large ante-chamber, with the line snaking back and forth to allow more passengers into it - no bypass for any sort of travel class division or TSA Pre-check thing available here. Another 45 minutes to proceed through this portion. As I approached the two clerks doing the pass along I thought it was the light at the end of the tunnel. We walked up a ramp to another level and there was another snake line with a few hundred people in it for baggage examination, x rays etc. Belts, shoes, computers everything off. One hour in THAT line and we thought "hooray, it's over" we were finally near the actual departure area. We walked about 20 yards around a turn and into a large space that was rectangular and about fifty yards wide and 25 yards deep roughly half the size of a football field. In a glass wall facing the fresh air and sunlight were several doors (no individual gate areas just some doors with a thousand or so plastic chairs arranged around the room). Every chair was occupied, little room between the rows, wheelchairs and luggage blocking everything and crowds of standing passengers waiting along every wall and every lane between chairs. these gates/doors were within feet of each other and each door was a "gate" with a number on it. This waiting area facing the gates would have been shut down by any decent fire marshall due to more than double the number of waiting passengers in that space than it was designed to accommodate. We snagged two chairs when a flight was called, and waited until our flight was ready. The boarding was called traditionally, by row number and class. We walked through the door and an airport employee gathered everyone into one disorganized group (defeating the prior procedure) and we waited in the sun for a people mover bus to arrive. When it did arrive, the bus was packed like a subway car at rush hour. If someone had died, they would have remained in a standing position. Our flight, United Airlines Flt # 1741 from St. Maartin direct to Washington DC is a daily scheduled turn around flight - fly in arriving mid day or a little later early afternoon, dump off the arrivals - load up and turn back around. The bus disgorged us and directed us to stairs leading up to the airplane door for us to struggle up carrying our hand baggage. Again no assistance for those needing it (the passengers assisted the elderly and disabled ourselves). Once aboard, we anticipated United Airlines would be a welcome change. The flight, while professionally flown, was improperly provisioned and there were inadequate meals and drinks for all passengers - Here's a bit of humor, the first class stewardess told us not to worry, delicious cookies were forthcoming. She then either burned all of the cookies or the oven failed - so half of the first class section who had no meal choices didn't even get a cookie on this 5 hour flight. But the pretzels were delicious. Arrived back into the USA and my Hartmann bag (advertised as nearly indestructible and a veteran of several international flights to Europe and Asia) was delivered for customs inspection with a wheel smashed off and rips in the side of the "indestructible" material. No doubt the same airport services staff in St. Maartin responsible for provisioning the airplane with food and drinks “loaded” the luggage, as well. My destroyed bag necessitated a LONG walk, easily a mile from the international arrivals area, through a nearly deserted late Saturday night Washington DC terminal to the United baggage claim office (would have been convenient if it was located near where their flights were arriving - alongside all of the OTHER airlines baggage offices). We made it to the hotel two hours later than anticipated, we were not allowed to check our heavy vacation packed bags through to our early morning departure flight, so we had to carry them with us to the hotel and bring them back for check in the next morning. 4 hours of sleep and back to the airport before dawn in Freezing weather, to board our final United Flight home (which was a delightful, problem free flight). IN retrospect, Seabourn's decision to necessitate boarding and disembarking at these 3rd world ports and airports is a decision that significantly diminishes the attractiveness and affordability of these itineraries. Seabourn has chosen to no longer originate or end their Caribbean and Transatlantic to Europe itineraries in US ports like Fort Lauderdale or Miami but choosing instead these awkward Caribbean ports. True, The St Maartin airport terminal was better than TENTS, however it is painfully obvious that the services that the St. Maartin Airport staff are expected to perform for this volume of passengers is significantly beyond their current capability to deliver. Hindsight is 20/20…If I had it to do over again, I would not have chosen this voyage simply because of the disastrous and unpleasant overall travel experience to and from the ship. I recently read a psychological study that evidenced that as Passengers/Customers, our remembrance of a vacation is formed in significant measure by what happens at the end of it. If things end with a pleasant experience - we will always remember that as one of our best vacations. If not... then it will be remembered as unremarkable or a disaster, as in our case. Read Less

We liked this cruise because we don’t typically want days at sea. This was a St. Maartin to Barbados. Cruise was 7 nights which is short but perfect for us, especially on a ship with few entertainment options. The food was outstanding but selection was pretty much exactly the same each day. Occasionally an extra different main dish was offered in most restaurants. We would have liked to have some local food recipes offered but this was not the case. We could have been sailing anywhere in the world and have the same menus. For example, none of the restaurants offered any spicy food , jerk recipes, etc, EACH OF THE Caribbean ports had beaches. Seabourn did not offer excursions on many of the ports. We did book a third party 7 hour snorkel, hike, swim option with Adventure Antigua which was terrific and less expensive than what was offered by the ship. We were in a V4 room near the bow of the ship. Rm 702. It was a lock off from a large suite at the bow, but we never heard any noise from them. The only noise issue we had was a couple of nights/early morning from raising or lowering the anchor. Obviously that didn’t last long. Even though the ship was fully booked we never felt crowded. There were lots of nooks and places to hang out where we were virtually alone. The only issue around this is that there’s is only one small pool and most of the time it was full of people standing in it with cocktails. Impossible for a swim. One thing that we liked was several hot tubs on different decks. We didn’t see any children on the ship except babes in arms and that would make sense as there was little for young children to do. Entertainment was adequate. The singer and dancers were surprisngly talented but the shows weren’t very well staged and didn’t take advantage of it. Ship staff and management were always available and frequently took the time to stop and chat. The first night we had issues wth getting waited on in a timely manner but on the second day when we were asked for our feedback, mentioned that, and never had a problem again. WiFi was quite good every day. We were offered free WiFi with our cruise price and we were happy to have it. There were also several computers on board in the library/ coffee shop area which were rarely in use but a great option. My husband was always able to get live football games that he didn’t want to miss. We would choose deck 7 again as it was convenient to everything. We would probably choose mid ship or the aft, given a choice again ,as it is closer to access to coffee bar, elevators to other restaurants, library and guest services.. but the ship is so small that the bow of the boat was fine. Room service is available all day and always arrived promptly and the food was hot. On our final day we were planning to stay at the last port. Since we had to,leave the ship early and couldn’t check in until late, we took a Seabourn excursión that ended at the airport that day because they carried our luggage. At the end of the excursion, we simply collected our luggage and took a taxi from the airport to our hotel. This worked really well as we were able to see the island that we were disembarking on during the gap and could just enjoy the beach on our last couple of days of vacation. We felt that there was good value for the money, especially after staying before and after in hotels in the Caribbean. We would take Seaborn again, but would probably stick to their shortest trips due to lack of variety in food and entertainment. Read Less

Chose the 7 day Yachtsman Holiday Cruise in the Caribbean aboard Seabourn Odyssey. Booked the Penthouse Suite on 10th floor. Hadn’t sailed with Seabourn in nearly 10 years...However, we’re seasoned cruisers: 14 cruises on Silver Sea, Viking, Holland America, NCL, Regent, QE2...other Cunard line ships, Windstar, Star Clipper, National Grographic, Private charters and cruised our own boat for many years. For this cruise (12/22/2018) We made our own flight reservations and arrived a day early to enjoy some time on St Maarten. Seabourn made the hotel & transfer arrangements. Hotel (Belmont de Samana, St Maarten) was pretty bad (no hot water, messed up the arrangements for transfer to ship, couldn’t sort out the dinner reservations and kept thinking we were different guests in a different room. Even so, beautiful location and we still enjoyed being there (though only being able to take cold showers was not that pleasant.) Embarkation went fairly smoothly- at first they couldn’t find us but then got us onboard and photos and told us our room would be ready in an hour or so. We had the buffet lunch and proceeded to our room. Penthouse suite was nice and roomy. Lots of drawers, big closet, luxurious bath. Room Steward offered champagne. I had arranged a dinner in KT Grill for first night to celebrate my husbands birthday. No mention of his birthday at restaurant or room ( I wasn’t expecting a big deal but perhaps a little candle would have been nice.) Dinner was ok - rather mediocre - very snooty attitude and you could observe disputes between the wait staff which didn’t add much of a pleasant environment. We use to love dining at The French Laundry - TK’s original restaurant in Yountville - I doubt he’d like what they’re doing under his name on this ship!! We won’t return. We also discovered there were no papers in our room with information about internet, itinerary, excursions, spa, in room dining or even a ship map. So, after dinner we went to the square and tried to track down some information. No staff were available and there seemed to be many passengers with the same problems trying to find out info. We gave up and strolled around the various decks trying to get oriented. The second day we were anchored off St Kitts. Planned to go ashore and do some exploring on our own. Stopped by the destination desk to get maps and some tips on taxis in to town, etc. Local woman was at desk and told us the only option was to stay at the Carambola beach club...saying everything was closed, no taxis, no shops, no touring, etc. we found out much later she was working for the Carambola Beach club and was not telling the truth but we never tried to go ashore because it seemed there would be no way to get into town. (She said it was not walkable). We decided to explore the ship and maybe have lunch at Pool Grill. Everything was closed except the buffet. Tried visiting the Spa - all personnel were at beach. In the end we had a quiet reading day in our suite. We got several phone calls in which various ship personnel kept asking my husband if he’d like to celebrate his birthday (since they had forgotten the day before). We decided we’d have his celebration with in room dining that night. So, when it was time to order, we called room service- there was no paperwork with a menu in our room so they couldn’t take an order so we had to track down our room steward to get the current menu. She insisted it was December 22 and gave us that menu (it was actually the 23rd) we called again to try and order. The kitchen said we had to use the menu from December 23rd. So we went back to the room steward and she gave us the menu for the 24th because she didn’t have the menu for the 23rd. Eventually we were able to order a couple of salads, a club sandwich and a cheeseburger. Food arrived about 40 minutes later. Cold burger & fries, barely edible salad, dry sandwich. 2 ice waters. Nothing indicating a birthday...we strolled the decks, nothing going on so returned to our suite, sat and watched the moon and had a quiet reading night. In general, I would say this is a rather boring cruise with very little information available to passengers. No announcements, no help with basics like internet, no orientation and late or nonexistent paperwork in the suite. We are fairly self reliant and creating our own shore excursions (there are NEVER any staff to help with booking). Since almost all the ports are anchor/tenders it is a bit more complicated than simply stepping off the boat on to the dock. We do miss the ship events, lectures, entertainment that we’ve enjoyed on other cruises (they seem to be nonexistent, cancelled at last minute or very badly organized on this cruise). A note on the (Penthouse Suite) on the 10th floor: DON’T BOOK it!!! Above our suite is the outdoor game area (shuffleboard, table tennis, etc. VERY NOISY starting early in the morning and lasting all day!! So in closing we are sticking with Silversea, Viking, Charters and anyone else but the CARNIVAL line and SEABOURN!! Cons: poorly organized, unprofessional staff, mediocre food and waste of time & money!! Pros: quiet, not too many activities, lots of time to yourself, some beautiful sunsets on this itinerary comfortable bed, spacious suite. Read Less

First time on Seabourne. Its nice and upscale, yes. Only 400 pax what makes it special as expected. We expected a wonderful service and they disappointing on that. Friendly staff but less than average service. All week and never changed. Even a Royal Caribbean do better. The Good: Fast and easy embarkation, beautiful ship, spacious suite, spacious bathroom, excellent food. Thomas Keller Restaurant was the best. Their Menu was to die for. Excellent staff. Loved the caviar service in stateroom. The all inclusive is the best thing you can have on a cruise. Good amenities, More mature and upscale but mostly friendly passengers made it classy. The assistance at debarkation to get a taxi, etc. make you feel special. Room service on disembarkation day, most cruise lines don't offer room service on disembarkation. The bad: Just average service. Slow most of the times. We met our room attendant around 9 pm when we called guest services because the room was too warm. (We called 3 days in a row to get the AC checked and stateroom was never cool the whole week). Even on a Royal Caribbean the room attendant make the effort to meet and greet as soon a you board. We were never called by our names by anybody. Every morning we had to wait 20-30 min for the same Cappuccino and Omelette I got for breakfast. On the dinning room we waited for wine, long wait between courses (at least 10 min) and they took a long time to remove dishes too. Gym is tiny and is not really usable, just 3-4 treadmills and a few leg machines. Room service had a limited menu. Not related to the Cruise, but be aware of a Chaotic St. Maarten Airport. Only one line for Security with only 1 metal detector and 2 x ray machines for the whole airport, the wait was almost 2 hours to get thru, then got into a very overcrowded and cramped gate area. Our flight was delayed 2 hours, so it was very exhausting experience. I really sound like a lot of pity winning, but I have done over 40 cruises, from Royal Caribbean, Windstar, Celebrity and now Seabourn, I was expecting excellent Service from them. It was a fantastic cruise, don't get me wrong, but for what we paid, the expectation was high and it came short for me. Other passengers said the same about the Odyssey, and It might be different experience form other ships. I might be willing to try again in a different ship. Read Less

We have been with Seabourn for many years. We have seen the level of service decline over the years. We used to be addressed as Mr Jones, but on quite a few occasions we were called “Dave” (I hate being called Dave). Toiletries not being replenished, on two days we didn’t have any shower gel. We queried this with the stewardess and she said that they ran out. The sky bar always closes far too early as they always need the barman to work in the main restaurant. On deck 5, you order drinks, that always take a long time to arrive or in some cases never arrive. We are booked on the next transatlantic crossing from Barbados in April, so let’s see if this changes our minds. Other guests that we met, suggested that we try SilverSea, which we may do depending on how our next trip goes. Fingers crossed. Read Less

We have approx 14 cruises under our belt, but this is the 1st for the Caribbean. !st Seabourn , they took care of us all the way. Before we were out of the taxi we were met by a representative and then guided to check in, no lines nor waiting ...and had a drink and lunch in no time. As we left the ship once again guided thru to a taxi, effortless. The room was nice, loved the walk in closet ( penthouse suite ), bathrooms nice and large 2 sinks. The ship was nicely appointed, the rooms needed to be updated but not enough to complain about. Food was excellent everywhere and really loved the "Patio" dining at nite, Service was top notch without being too fussy. The crew were professional and having fun with us at the same time. Wine selection very nice, don't be afraid to ask for something other than what is offered, they will try and accommodate...took a few days to figure that one out. Dis not take advantage of all of the entertainment but did love the band and the cruise director as well as the new assistant cruise director what a voice! Her "one man" show about all the late greats is a must see. WE traveled with another couple and we would both hope to cruise with Seabourn again. Read Less

Service is exceptionally excellent by all staff allways. Food is not up to expectations: very refined on the printed menus but too many different ingredients result sometimes in lack of genuine taste. Thomas Keller Grill is just o.k., nothing exceptionnal. For lunch at the Collonade, there is not much variety for the cold dishes and salads: allways the shame shrimps and salmon and salads. The breakfast on the terrace outside the Collonade is a magic moment and very well served. The tea time at the Observaton Bar is also a delicious experience. And after dinner, the same observation bar is a cozy place to enjoy a night cap with Jacqui's singing at the piano. We did not like the noisy entertainment games at the pool deck (Costa style), but they took place just 2 or 3 times. Entertainment and activities were not very interesting, we expected more lectures and classical music performances (piano 1 time, violin 1 time). But all by all, it was a marvelous experience, the weather in november on the south atlantic was sunny and warm, but above all, the way the staff makes you feel as a king all the time is the best reason to come back! Read Less

We arrived at Manchester Airport only to be advised that our flight to Barcelona was delayed by an hour, not a major problem at the start of our holiday. We got to Barcelona one hour behind schedule, but our Sixt driver was there with name card and we were whisked off to the Colon Hotel for our two day stay prior to our cruise. The Colon hotel is excellently placed for sightseeing in Barcelona, but it is a typical city centre hotel with no “soul” but more than adequate for a couple of days. On the day of embarkation, we were picked up by our Sixt chauffeur at midday and whisked the 15 minute journey to the cruise terminal. Our cases were taken by the port staff, we seamlessly checked in and 15 minutes later we were sipping champagne in the poolside bar prior to having lunch in the Colonnade restaurant. At 14.15 the announcement was made “your suites are ready “. Having been on Seabourn ships several times before there was no need for the usual search for the amenities and various public spaces on board. The service was as you would expect from a 6 star cruise line, with a couple of exceptions in the dining venues - not a major problem but not what you expect (nor pay for) from Seabourn. Seabourn has teamed up with celebrity chef Thomas Keller with a specialty grill restaurant and signature dishes on the main menu every couple of days and the Colonnade restaurant being given over to his menu every couple of days. The Thomas Keller Grill is just o.k., nothing exceptional. We first experienced the Thomas Keller theme over two years ago when it was first introduced on the Odyssey and the menu has not changed at all, with some passengers raving about it whilst others are not so sure, so whether or not Mr Keller retains the franchise remains to be seen, I am not a hundred percent sure There are four dining options on Odyssey two of which are for casual dining. The colonnade and pool bar have a great choice at lunch time, but in the evening they are very restrictive in their choice, with no fish or vegetarian options at times – is this 6 star service? The number of staff does seem to be declining, for example the drinks service around the pool during the day and the number of staff in the restaurants are not what they used to be – little things but if they are not careful their 6 star service will become tarnished. Seabourn Square is very good – a wonderful selection of coffee, cakes and snacks served by cheerful baristas, who frequently refer to you by name and knowing your preferences without you having to utter a word. Our stewardess Zhaneta was extremely efficient, you hardly saw her, but whenever you returned to your suite it had been serviced and was like a shiny new pin. The entertainment is low key, do not expect the Broadway productions of the larger ships. The cruise director Verity was extremely able as were the Seabourn singers and dancers. There were entertainers brought on board to do a couple of shows, so all in all the entertainment changed nightly. The Tim Rice show was a little disappointing given the hype This is not a ship for kids - the average age is 65+, they would be bored to tears with no facilities except the internet which is quite costly. I wonder if there is an element of cost cutting on Seabourn – a little thing “lobster” on the menu? In the Keller Grill it only featured twice in 2 weeks, and not once in the main restaurant, is this the thin edge of the wedge? Would we travel with Seabourn again - yes without doubt, but there are a number of 6 star cruise lines out there, so it is essential that Seabourn continue to strive to be the best and do not rest on their laurels or they could easily be overtaken. Also, there are some new kids on the block – we travelled with Viking earlier in the year, and whilst they are not quite 6 star, they are 5 star + and exceptional value for money offering exceptional accommodation on brand new ships, we will definitely try them again. Read Less

I chose this cruise for a couple of reasons had a chance to travel with family and the thought of going to Barcelona, Morocco, Canary Islands etc. was a gem in itself. I enjoyed the culture, history and architecture of each country. I took many interesting tours and found each day was more exciting than the first. I loved the idea of Specialty Dinners and dressing up in our wonderful attire. The months have passed now so it is hard to remember every aspect of the trip. I was impressed with Seabourn because of the amount of guests on the ship. It is important to me that the ship isn't overcrowded. My Room Stewardess was lovely and met my needs. I was respectful to her as she was to me and she respected my wishes when I had the privacy sign on. She was most considerate. I like that in a person that we both had mutual respect for each other. I stayed in 618 and the stateroom was very accommodating. The Lively Entertainment was awesome. I looked forward to that every evening. The staff in general worked very hard. I liked Aldo at the Sky Bar and he always knew my drink, he would say "Strawberry Daiquiri" Ms. and I would say thank you very much. I would sit up to the bar and sing along with Rose the lovely lady at the Piano. I loved the spa and staff were most pleasant. I also liked Jared gave me some good pointers about keeping in shape. I welcomed his advice. To sum it up the staff were excellent and Seabourn will never be forgotten. I do apologize in advance that some information now escapes me. One day I will sail her again. Read Less

We booked a V1 suite but at the time they had an offer of a 2 suite upgrade to V3. We were advised that we had been allocated a V6 suite just under two weeks from departure. An up sell letter had arrived some 2 months from departure asking for £999 each for a V5/V6 so we were glad we hadn’t taken up the offer. Embarkation We received no help with the luggage at the airport. On departing the arrivals baggage hall we were met and moved to an initial holding spot while others joined the group. We were then moved to another holding spot further on which at least had seats. Ground staff didn’t seem to have a clear idea of what they were doing. Eventually we were marched on again hauling our luggage all the way to the coach which was a considerable distance. It was interesting that the 6* cruise line treated us this way when Cunard took their passengers luggage immediately after exiting the reclaim area. On arrival at the port we were surprised that we didn’t have to complete a health declaration form? Also surprising was that there was no pressure to use the hand wash on boarding. We checked in in the main theatre and headed for our cabin but there was nobody to direct us to our cabin so make sure you know where to go before you arrive on the gangplank. Likewise there was no information on what dining was available on boarding. Our Cabin Steward did meet up with us after lunch with the soap selection and a glass of champagne. Life on board The theme of very little information continued on board. There were few announcements from either the Captain or the cruise director but this did increase slightly towards the end of the cruise. I heard one crew member rather bravely tell the Captain that some passengers were asking if he had left the ship as they never heard from him!! Until almost the end of the cruise there were no announcements when the ship was cleared to go ashore or where the gangway was located (it sometimes changed from the Herald the previous night). When we left Naples, our first port of call, we should have been heading for Trapani in Sicily but the next day we found a letter outside our cabin saying we were not going to Trapani due to bad weather. There was no information on what the revised itinerary was to be. The senior crew were almost invisible on board particularly the captain and there were no photos of them published in the Herald to enable us to spot them. The Wi-Fi on board was expensive which is again surprising for a 6* line when it is now provided free on many other economy cruise lines. The Cabin was well laid out and well maintained although now showing signs of heavy use with chips and scrapes. There is lots of storage. We got a bit fed up with the push to release cupboard doors after a while. There is no real walking area on the ship and in better weather the top deck will be jammed with sun loungers. We are glad we tried a shorter cruise before we booked 21 days to Antarctica. Our one sea day was enough for us on this size of ship. Our cabin was on deck 7 below the patio grill so we experienced some noise from pool deck above. Bad weather also produced a few creaks and groans so earplugs were essential The weight of the bath robes we found a problem. They were both extra large size? Whilst good quality bath robes are nice we found these too heavy to use. Following the introduction of the larger ships other reviewers commented on the staff competence. Some staff are obviously still in training but we never found this to be a problem. In general the service was excellent even in the upper reaches of the pool area. Smoking made walking round deck 9 unpleasant likewise having a coffee outside on deck 7. The weather on our cruise was bad so we didn’t have the opportunity to walk/sit in these areas much but if the weather had been better if would have been a problem Food and Drink Having followed the boards on CC I made sure that I got the complementary wine list when on board but when I asked for some of the wines the sommelier didn’t recognise them? I let her see the list and she said they must have changed it without telling her. Subsequently I got another one but this was completely different (and different from the one posted a few weeks back on CC). We found it best to ask for what you want and see if they can find it. We found a French waiter who came from Bordeaux and we asked him if they had any nice French wines so he gave us some advice. They do push the cheaper “featured wines” such as Trivento Malbec or Oyster Bay sauvignon blanc but don’t accept them and they will find you something better. Wine glasses are the same size for red and white wines (unless you buy a bottle) and they carefully only pour to around a third full. They are quite small glasses so you don’t really get through a lot of wine at dinner unless you get multiple refills. We liked the Stoneburn Sauvignon Blanc but it seemed to be running out towards the end of the cruise and the Oyster Bay was being pushed again. We also tried the Trivento but it was poor but liked a French Merlot and Bordeaux. These were the only 3 wines we uncovered that we liked so the limited wine selection meant we got a bit bored with it. We asked for specific beers (mainly ales) in the preferences section online but nothing was provided apart from 2 cans of Becks. I raised this with the cabin steward and she said she would investigate but nothing appeared. I also asked the bar tender at the pool and the club but they didn’t seem to know what they stocked. I saw a John Smiths beer can on board and then found Old Speckled Hen in the pool bar but both soon ran out due to the number of British on board. After a week on board they found some more ales and my cabin fridge was restocked but it wasn’t with any of the ales I asked for. We found the seating arrangements in the Colonnade quite poor. It was difficult to get in and out as the chairs are big and heavy. There are few tables for 2 so people tend to sit on the outside of a table for 4 making it difficult to get a seat on occasions. It gets really busy when the outside area can’t be used. On our third evening and one subsequently the Colonnade became reservations only making the main restaurant even busier. We saw some couples waiting in the club bar most nights to get a table. One of the highlights for me on a cruise is to have a cooked breakfast which I never have at home. I was not impressed with the hot breakfast on this ship and only ordered it twice. The only bacon available was crispy American which is all fat, the sausages were inedible, the hash browns were partly cooked grated potatoes etc. I tried a different order next morning so asked for medium poached eggs on toast. They arrived partly raw and runny sitting on a small piece of soggy toast. So what can go wrong with pancakes? Well Seabourn can show you. Soggy partly cooked in the middle and again inedible. Fortunately the cereal and fruit selection (some canned) was ok as were the yoghurts. The croissants at breakfast were also poor and many people picked them up in Seabourn Square together with a fresh coffee and took them into the Colonnade. The MDR dinner portions were just adequate if you had all 4 courses (including a desert). Side orders are available but are not on the menu but provided if you ask. They don’t always come in a separate dish but are added to your main plate. We had dinner in the TK grill one night and it was just OK. The clam chowder was awful and not very warm and the lobster was tough but the Dover sole was excellent. The service was too fast and we were out in one hour! Contrary to other reviewers there was no attempt to sell expensive wine to us. Perhaps we looked too poor. The plates in all dining venues were cold which particularly in the buffet where the food was only warm to start with made it difficult to have a warm meal. On balance we preferred the lunch meals in the colonnade to dinner in the MDR. Somehow the choice of food suited us better. We had one formal night on an 11 night cruise which hardly justifies carrying your posh clothes. The dress code was not enforced. One chap seated at a hosted table turned up in the MDR wearing a scruffy long cardigan and no tie on formal night!! Some staff were pulled out of the MDR to do room service at the last moment one night just as we entered and this caused chaos as they main server wasn’t told. They had no help for almost half an hour so service backed up. In general however the service was good. We found a nice table with good serving staff on our first night and asked for the same table every night. The coffee shop was excellent and we picked up our morning coffee here every day. The staff provided a carrier for us to take it back to the cabin. The snacks here were difficult to resist on occasions especially the profiteroles! Disembarkation The Disembarkation letter arrived a few days out but is was very ambiguous and when we sought clarification from reception she kept saying it is a “standard letter”. When we pushed her she said “I am trying to explain it to you”!!! Not exactly friendly! Can’t Seabourn have someone who has English as their first language read such standard letters and check they make sense. Disembarkation was a bit chaotic as we were told not to leave ship early as the luggage may not be ashore but on the other hand we were told to allow enough time to get our luggage and get to the bus? Our luggage labels were number/colour coded but no announcements were made when we should head to the gangway (which was located near to the cabins on deck 5 – the worst possible place on the ship. Conclusion We enjoyed our cruise in spite of the bad weather – but it could have been so much better. The embarkation/disembarkation needs improving, communication could be much better, the food could be better, the ship layout needs some changes at its upcoming refit, the WiFi should be included and the complementary wines should be improved. On balance we prefer Regent ships, the included excursions, flights and transfers and the food and unless we see a special itinerary at a special price we probably won’t use Seabourn again. Read Less

This is our fourth Seabourn cruise and the second time on the Odyssey. We knew that going late in the Fall, we could have difficult weather, but never expected a Category-2-force storm in the Med. Two of our ports became closed to us because of storm damage, but Seabourn found us alternative harbors that worked out perfectly. And Captain Emilian did an excellent job keeping us safe even if he couldn't stop the rocking in 80 mph winds and 24 ft swells. Our room stewardess (more about her later) kept us stocked with candied ginger and ginger ale. We had a large supply of Dramamine. So, even being on deck 10 aft, we never had a hint of a sea sickness. We embarked on a wet day with Seabourn checking us in at the grand salon so we could stay dry and there were people waiting by the curb for our bags. Nothing could have been faster or easier. As always, we loved our Penthouse Spa suite. It felt like home to us. Our room stewardess, Timea functioned as housekeeper, butler and friend. We loved her, both as a person and professionally. For us, with someone like Timea, we don't need an extra person to deal with in terms of a formal butler. She took fabulous care of us. I'd say that 90% of the time, we had outstanding food. We particularly loved The Earth and Sea on the patio. We had an amazing lamb shank dinner - went there every time it was offered. We also had a wonderful evening at Thomas Keller. I'm not sure why people haven't been happy with it in their reviews - we were thrilled with the decor, food and service. It's a delightful addition - and no extra charge with unlimited visits. We aren't big entertainment people, so I can't speak to this area. Our service in 99% of the trip was outstanding. Whether we wanted a special meal, extra candied ginger, room service or help on excursions everyone provided service with a smile and went out of their was to help us. Seabourn provided our shore excursions with a private car and guide. We had amazing people and saw the locations through local eyes. We always returned to the ship with appreciation and enjoyment of the place we were visiting. So, what didn't meet our standards. First, our veranda furniture was old and in poor condition. Timea found us some better cushions, but still not good quality. We could tell she was embarrassed by the poor quality. We found multiple rust stains on our veranda railings. Again, Timea tried to get this taken care of. Finally, they have a small putting area on the bow, but the golf clubs were left in the rain with the grips rotting. My husband returned disgusted with the horrible care. I'm afraid that Seabourn may have become as cash-cow for HAL and Carnival Corp rather than putting the money back into the ship. Even so with these issues, our cruise still exceeded expectations. And I've learned to live with the small imperfections in life. Just a side note, if you want glitz, glitter and glamor, Seabourn isn't the ship for you. It is understated elegance. We felt comfortable and at home - not in awe of the fancy decor. For us, it is our home-away-from-home. As I write this review, I'm trying to understand how come we had a better experience than previous reviewers - no answers yet. Our favorite hotels are Aman, Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons and we found that our Seabourn cruise met or exceeded these luxury hotels/resorts. And offered us more for our money. Read Less

7 Night Greek and Italian Jewels on Seabourn Odyssey Perspective: This was our 30th cruise. We were first time cruisers with Seabourn and received the first time OBC of $400, thanks to the Cruise Critic Seabourn Board. This cruise had a port of call each day so we did not get to enjoy all that Seabourn offers. But they did take very good care of us.  Pre-Cruise: We booked airfare through Seabourn. They are a Carnival Corp line, so there was significant savings doing cruise air. We were booked on Delta with flights operated by Air France and Alitalia. The Air France flight used a Boeing 767, which had the least space of any economy seat we have ever experienced. Later, the Alitalia Boeing 777 economy class was fine, but the Air France 767 was miserably cramped. Will avoid the 767 in the future, just to be sure. On a positive note, there was no air deviation fee to book additional days before or after the cruise. We arrived in Athens 3 days before our cruise. Used a taxi to hotel because of luggage. Enjoyed sightseeing and dining in Athens. Started early and ended at about dusk. Fall is less crowded, so was able to keep a distance for safety. Never felt unsafe, but as in all tourist cities, DH always kept a death grip on his wallet and phone. Purchased the Unified Ticket to visit Acropolis and additional sites. Embarkation; We again used a taxi to the port to help with luggage. Arrived at port around 11:30. Seabourn waiting area was not open to passengers. Waited in the port area. At about 12, we were allowed into the Seabourn area where there was cold water available. Check-in started shortly before 1:00 and went quickly. Went onboard to the back area of the Colonnade for lunch. Rooms available at 2. Cabin: Cabin was an ocean view suite. Was setup with one requested liquor and cold Champagne. Was missing one liquor and sodas requested. Since we never drank any alcohol in cabin, we did not note the problem. We only drank bottled water in cabin. On arrival to cabin, safe was not working and there was leak under one sink in the bathroom. Both fixed by dinner. Cabin service was excellent. Even on short port intensive cruise the extra space in the suite was very nice. Room service breakfast was setup nicely with plenty of room to enjoy. Room to dress for dinner was excellent – makeup area, large closet, and room for two to sit, walk or stand throughout suite. Food: Beverages - We never purchased a beverage because the included options were excellent. We normally carry on wine to insure our favorites. Research on Cruise Critic revealed that the included wines by the glass would meet our needs, which they did. Wine service was prompt and thoughtful including finding our favorites and opening new bottles of the included wines from previous nights. Never had to wait on wine service. Enjoyed the cocktail service in the bars and on deck. Staff made sure to offer Thomas Keller cocktail the night we dined there. Observation Lounge seemed to be place for those who really are into mixed drinks. Bartender even visited tables to get feedback about drinks. Specially prepared cocktails were brought to the Patio and pool area in the afternoon, which were very hard to resist. Even had beverage service at the hot tub on the front of the ship. Coffee was excellent. Enjoyed espressos and cappuccinos in dining areas. The Seabourn Square provided barista prepared specialties as good as any coffee house. Also served light bites. For Breakfast, we used room service most days since we needed to be off the ship around 8. The Restaurant and Colonnade opened at 8am and 7am. Used door hanger to order. All our choices were present. Food delivered on time, warm, and setup nicely. Best room service ever experienced. Did one breakfast in The Restaurant which was perfect. Two breakfasts in the outdoor area of the Colonnade, used a mix of ordering from wait staff and buffet, perfect as well. For lunch, we were never back on ship by 2 so the choice was the Patio or room service. We ate every lunch at The Patio, always freshly grilled fish and comfort treat like slice of pizza or burger. Excellent table service for wine and food ordering. When they were crowded, they setup more tables. Dinners were elegant affairs for us. We dressed elegant to formal each night. We had Thomas Keller reservations the first night as it was the only reservation available ahead of time before 9pm. It was a good choice for the first night. Best meal on the cruise for our tastes. An officer had recommended the lamb and was correct. Lobster as the appetizer followed by lamb was one meal. Salad and New York Strip for the other meal. Cocktail and wine service was thoughtful and encouraged. Food was paced nicely. Waiter recommended the Coconut Cake and the Chocolate Cake, was served half a slice of each presented on two plates. Another night a couple tried to add us to their reservation and were told the restaurant was totally booked; so reservations can be tight. Two dinners at Earth and Ocean. – Quiet and casual. Portions are small and options are creative. Great choice for a lighter meal. Remaining meals at The Restaurant. – Ate 4 meals here. All were excellent. Service was slow one night; staff team seemed a bit new. Went to one hosted dinner which was very enjoyable. The only drawback was that the area in the middle of the dining room made it difficult to hear at this large table of 8. Table was hosted by two of the entertainers who were very social and made the evening special. Regarding the menu in The Restaurant, the descriptions and choices as read on the menu do not do justice to the wonderful food. The actual items served were very well prepared and presented. Entertainment: We did not participate in many activities since we were in port each day. Can not comment on any of the daily items such as lectures and trivia. We did go two shows, one was a fairly typical cruise ship style show and the Tim Rice show was fantastic. The lounges at night had very good music. The deck dance party had to be moved indoors to The Club. We enjoyed the music and dancing with the entertainment staff. Volume of the music was at a nice level for dancing and yet one could get farther away and converse over the music. Staff and officers were very friendly and mingled. The gym is nice. Good variety of equipment. On the Odyssey there is no charge for the locker/changing room, showers, steam room and sauna. They were very nice and clean. My one visit, I was the only one in the area. The hot tubs and pool usually only had a few users. Did not use the internet or casino. The one blackjack table was 6/5 BJ, even though multi-deck. Seabourn Square is very nice with the library and sitting areas. Middle area for excursion staff offices. Disembarkation; Prepaid for a shared shuttle to hotel in Rome, approx. 38 euros each. Left ship at 8:45, shuttle arrived at the exact time agreed 9am. Arrived at hotel at 10:45am. Lunch then Vatican Museum tour at 1pm. Stayed an extra day for the Borghese Gallery. Heavy rain in the AM kept us from touring the Borghese gardens. In the evening, we used the Rome metro to tour sites at night. Very nice to see the Coliseum, Trevi Fountain, and Piazza Navona fountains at night. Summary: Seabourn is all that the marketing claims. We enjoyed their cruise experience so much that it now changes what we look for in a cruise. Having never to think about costs onboard was much more enjoyable than imagined. Small ship with great space ratio was a big plus. The Seabourn Service is incredible; the staff is professional and caring. Their service is based on training and pride; they have no expectation of compensation from passengers because the gratuity is truly included. In the future we will evaluate what cruise we book to get close to our Seabourn experience if the itinerary and value are there; otherwise we will book Seabourn. Can’t give a higher rating than that! Read Less