Seabourn Quest is a lovely ship. The whole experience of feeling special from the time of checkin to checkout was second to none. From our experience, all of the staff cannot be flawed. They work so hard and are delightful all the time. The Expedition Team were a group of incredibly experienced and qualified professionals who were so efficient and pleasant whilst looking after the guests and keeping us all safe in extreme conditions. Only criticism of any staff would be that the Cruise Director could mature a little and cease finishing every announcement with 'yaay' as it really grinds after a few days! The room was exceptional for a cruise ship with a walk in closet, twin basins in the bathroom and a full size separate bath. The Thomas Keller Restaurant which is promoted as 3 Michelin star rated was average and we much preferred the normal restaurant - great food without the pretence. In fact, pretence was our major stumbling block during the trip. It took us a while to find 'like minded' folk who were travelling on this particular trip to get to a special and unique place on our earth. There were a lot of ostentatious guests more interested in the shallowness of conspicuous wealth which to me clashed with the vibe of the destination. It was embarrassing to hear how some of these people spoke to staff and partners of the Expedition Team. Saying that, nothing could overshadow the awesome destination. We were so privileged to be able to visit Antarctica and South Georgia and to be on a ship like this made it a very pleasurable experience, although if I had my time again I'd choose a different more earthy cruise line with a younger demographic. Read Less

We've taken 32 cruises on many different lines and now find that Seabourn is our favorite line. We booked this cruise as a way to get us to South America, and were happily surprised by the extra bonus of Antarctica. I was most pleased by the careful attention paid to passenger safety and comfort. An expedition to Antarctica is not easy and many passengers had some degree of disability. Still we never felt endangered and we saw a lot of Antarctica in comfort, both on ship and off. Embarkation in Miami was a breeze and getting off and on in all ports, including tender service, was fast and easy. This is one of the pleasures of traveling on a small ship. Disembarkation in Buenos Aires was chaotic and Seabourn might have been able to provide more assistance there. Good activities on board, especially the lectures that focussed on the regions to be visited and on the geography and biology of Antarctica. We were well-prepared for most ports. We took only a few excursions, which were quite expensive. We splurged on the overnight excursion to Machu Picchu and it was the highlight of our trip. No complaints about the service. Very few things went wrong. Entertainment was cruise ship style. Some of the guest performers were quite good. The group of singers and dancers on board performed cheesy cruise ship shows put together by Belinda King. Some of the best events were the parties hosted by the ship. Our only complaints have to do with the cuisine. The ethnic nights in the Colonnade were too often disasters with inauthentic food way worse than what one finds in a cheap ethnic restaurant on land. Chinese and Thai were especially inedible. Food in the main restaurant was adequate, but quickly became repetitious after only a week. In fact the array of dishes was limited and kept recycling during our 46-day cruise. Otherwise it's all about Thomas Keller, which is a big lah-dee-dah. The specialty restaurant which bears his name is a steak house with old fashioned steak house food. The main restaurant often has Keller-inspired dishes which were too often disappointing We did like the Keller hamburgers and hot dogs served at the poolside grill, but to praise burgers and dogs on a luxury cruise line is just plain sad. Thanksgiving dinner was a disaster with most of the traditional dishes missing, and they had only 3 turkeys to serve to over 400 guests, so they ran out halfway through the meal. Seabourn really needs to up their game in the cuisine area. I was very happy with the cuisine at Earth and Ocean and we ate there as often as possible. We absolutely adored the beverage service, from the fresh OJ to the skinny lattes, to the delicious cocktails, to the inclusive wines with dinner. Great service in all the bars. We will be back on Seabourn when we find the right itinerary. We find it a very good buy when one considers all that is included. Unfortunately we generally use ships to get across oceans, and Seabourn's itineraries for crossings are not usually practical. But we will always keep our eyes out for a possibility. Overall we were very happy. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the itinerary through the Panama Canal to Peru. The excursions we booked on our own were far better than the experiences people had on the cruise line's offers. Many of the ports visited were for the first time and the itinerary staff knew little or nothing about them. You would think they would send out people ahead of time to learn about the areas they were going to visit. One port in Ecuador was rated so dangerous in online reviews that we did not even get off the boat. First time ever for us on a cruise. Food was okay but nowhere as good as on Oceania. In general, the cruise was very overpriced and did not include airfare in the pricing. Many of the people on board cruised year round, knew each other and were quite clique-ish. Many of the staff were snootish as well. Disembarkation was a disaster!!! Basically, they were done with us. We will not travel with them again. We will probably stick with Oceania. Read Less

We have cruised on Regent, Crystal, Viking, Celebrity, Princess and Cunard and although our experience with Seabourn was very good, there was something about Seabourn that did not live up to all the hype. The plus points are excellent cabin sizes, good food, good service and staff (most of the time), excellent safety and security procedures and the all inclusive nature of the cruise. Seabourn Quest is a very stable and capable vessel and is well designed with lots of outdoor and indoor space, which meant that although the ship was full, it never felt crowded. The atmosphere was relaxed and fellow passengers were a pleasure to travel with. The Antarctic experience was amazing and well organised with an excellent expedition team, who were knowledgeable and experienced. The negatives were the inclusive wines for the first half of our 60 day cruise were awful. The premium wines were expensive and we felt disinclined to spend even more money on wine, when we had paid a small fortune for the cruise in the first place. The Seabourn shore excursions were overpriced and underwhelming. We cancelled most of them once we realized that we could do the excursions ourselves at a greatly reduced priced. The overland adventures to Macchu Pichu and Torres del Piene were excellent but very expensive. A handful of the staff were rude and unhelpful. The service was not always 5 star because there seemed to be insufficient staff in certain bar areas. Charging $189 for a 2 hour zodiac or kayak trip in Antarctica was outrageous considering the price of the cruise. They should be included in the cruise price. The Thomas Keller Grill restaurant was rather ordinary and the entertainment options on board rather limited. Crystal and Regent offer better value for money and better food and wine. We disembarked in Buenos Aires after 60 days onboard and were abandoned to total chaos, where we waited 2 hours in sweltering temperatures trying to find a taxi. We had 5 suitcases, limited luggage trolleys and were trying to queue with 10,000 other cruise passengers who had arrived at the terminal at the same time. Seabourn should have warned us about this situation as they knew that 4 other cruise ships were due to dock at the same time. A word of warning - book a car in advance through Seabourn (at an outrageous price of $100 for a 20 min journey into the town centre, which would cost $15 by taxi. Or book a car privately as BA cruise terminal can be a complete nightmare!!!! I would sail with Seabourn again but only if the itinerary was a good one. They are a good cruise line but not that good and you are paying top dollar! Read Less

We wanted something smaller and more upscale than Royal Caribbean, and with few or no children. Okay, here's the good, the bad and the ugly about Seabourn. Good: Boarding is a BREEZE. We walked straight on after checking in. Debarkation likewise, a breeze. Staterooms: amazing. Best beds I've ever slept on on a cruise. Bathroom roomy. Pillows! Food is mostly good. The Keller Grill is over rated and limited. Caviar is available anywhere on the ship except there. You could stand just outside the door and have it though. Teatime was a blast. Loose tea in little silver pots. Scones. Num. Coffee bar on deck 7 makes killer Irish Coffee. Good selection of in room TV channels. No children were aboard! Just OK: The bars. They close them up as early as 11, and they don't open again until 5. The Patio bar is open all afternoon, but that's rough in 32 degree weather. Sure, you can drink in your room, but I can do that at home. Deck 7, again, makes boozy coffee. Age group: The median age was 75. If you're not ready to sail with folks who were teens in the 50's, this cruise is going to be a bore. Dress codes for dinner: Toward the end of the cruise the "no jeans" rule sort of vanished. I think nice jeans should always be acceptable. Bad: One of the bartenders was overbearing and rude. He closed the bar on a Friday night at 11pm while the show band was still playing, then argued about it when I asked him the next day and denied doing it. Told me that 6 people in the bar wasn't enough to keep it open; I reminded him that each of us paid more than the regular client just to be there. He said that didn't matter. 10 couples walked into the bar while we were arguing, saw the lights on, and walked out. Stability. We had 60 mph gale force winds for 3 days and nights, even the waiters couldn't stand up straight. I was violently seasick 3 days. For queasy travelers, this ship is not a good option. That's pretty much it in a nutshell. Several of us who debarked in Montreal ended up at the same hotel, close to port, and historic. Hotel St. Sulpice, right next to Notre Dame Basilica. Roomy suites, good rate. I recommend it. Read Less

This was our first time on Seabourn, but will not be the last. The suites are expansive and well appointed. Our only complaint there would be the ridiculously small TVs that are in the cabin. Public spaces are well done for this size ship. Th entertainment was excellent actually. The four singers and two dancers that were part of the Seabourn team were some of the best that I have seen on any Cruise line. The food was always top notch, we never had a complaint at any restaurant. Now the only complaint and it is minor. The Restaurant Wait staff always seemed a little out of sync. Many times throughout the cruise we heard "sorry we're a little busy", or " we'll be with you in a minute". Even at the signature restaurant The Grill, we waited quite awhile for any service. The maitre D finally came over and asked if we had any service yet.It wasn't awful just not what we expected from Seabourn, and we had this happen repeatedly. The clientele on our cruise was definitely well heeled, and well traveled, and tends to be older. This is NOT a cruise line for children. All in all it is a luxury experience well worth the cost. Read Less

We have been on multiple cruises ,first time on seaborne .I like the small ship ,the crew driving the ship ,especially the captain was very professional and competent .Our suite was very nice .Food in the main dining room was very average with a heavy emphasis every night on salmon and shrimp .Service was disorganized and poor taking up to 2 hours to eat .No obvious supervision .The Colonnade dining room was much better with themed meals each night ,much better service and excellent supervision by the maitre di .Coffee bar is excellent .Excursions are extremely overpriced .Entertainment is very average .One singer was fairly good ,comedian wasnt funny . Lecturers were of very mediocre quality to what we are used to ,often getting facts wrong . Ports were good ,better to arrange ones own tour with a local taxi etc ,more personalized and cheaper . Average age on the cruise was 80+and was mainly Americans . Read Less

I simply can't believe this is the same cruise line and even the same ship on which we experienced a truly magical trip to Antarctica. Whatever has happened to Seabourn in just 4 years? First, the good point (note the singular): the food has improved massively. Everything else however has fallen off a cliff - the style, the sense of being really spoilt albeit at huge expense , the quality of the whole experience - it's all gone. Let's gloss over being subjected to an entirely avoidable hurricane. We'll forget the force 9 that followed 3 nights later. Let's even pretend we didn't notice the fiasco at Quebec City, where the ship berthed in the wrong spot and total chaos ensued. Let's also not make too much of the complete breakdown in communication from both the bridge and the 'cruise director' that followed. Instead, we'll focus us a trip that cost more than my car that was poorly planned, appallingly managed and that we couldn't wait to be over. The itinerary was laughable, visiting a series of one-dog towns with nothing of any interest to see or experience. Pierre et Miquelon was a purported highlight. It wasnt. And as we arrived on a Wednesday every restaurant, bar and shop was closed. Nobody from Seabourn had thought to check. On a guided walking tour, the guide was reduced to pointing out where her auntie lived. Worst of all was the switch in emphasis to all-day boozing. Seabourn Square was always a quiet internet cafe and library. On this trip it doubled as an early risers' bar, with Irish coffee served at 10am to the same crowd who lurched through the days, gradually becoming more obnoxiously inebriated until they conspired to ruin every sailaway and afternoon tea in the formerly elegant Sky Bar by sinking endless cocktails and shouting a lot. I feel nothing but contempt and anger at Carnival for trashing what was one of the last bastions of refined and understated cruising, Seabourn. Shame on you Richard Meadows. Read Less

Seabourn used to be really good. No longer. Food quality is not much better than the lower priced lines. Service not as good as before. Ship a bit run down. Entertainment just ok. We expected really superior service and dining from Seabourn. That is no longer the case. We were really looking forward to this cruise, having had a really nice cruise with this cruise line some years ago. They have not kept up with the times, which could be okay, but they need to spend quite a bit on refurbishment. Also, this line is managed, believe it or not, by Holland America, which is certainly a line to avoid. We tried them many years ago, and have absolutely nothing good to say. We had a problem on this cruise, which was never resolved . It was "kicked upstairs" to Holland, & they could not care less about resolving our issue. Read Less

Missed a prior cruise. Seabourn was good enough to let me apply that payment to this cruise. The cruise was very relaxing and a nice way to see some towns that would have been hard to fly to or drive to. Seabourn is very good about almost always providing you service exactly when you want it. You eat when you feel like it, not at an assigned time, check-in to the ship usually only takes a few minutes. The crew is amazing about remembering your name. This was my first cruise with sea days, two of them out of a ten day cruise. Overall, my wife and I found it very relaxing although I missed the opportunity to go onshore every day. Food options are excellent and portions of most items small which allows for a multi-course meal without getting stuffed. For internet addicts, you will be able to use your phone as a hot spot (if you have the US-Canada plan) during almost the entire trip thru the St. Lawrence Seaway, in all ports, and usually for about an hour or so when leaving or entering ports of the Atlantic. Read Less