After four Seabourn journeys, I can say the experience is so enjoyable that I have no interest in trying other cruise ships. Comfort, food, service etc all first class. Furthermore I make three points: (A) whoever thought up and/or designed the Town Square concept should be given a double bonus; (B) the system operated by the banks where one’s account is automatically closed down after(about) an unused five minutes would go down well with those of us who forget to close off our wifi accounts; and (C) the talks by Captain Martin on early and very early and very very early exploration of Asia and particularly the Pacific were outstanding and informative. Is there a DVD? I will buy. Every Australian child should be sat down at school and at home to watch. I knew much, but doubt that my grandchildren know any of it. The decision to terminate in Adelaide rather than carry on back to Sydney as per our original itinerary, was the correct one. Sitting off Sydney with eleven other cruise ships would have been our experience. Well done Seabourn! I should add that I found the handling of the termination of our cruise was impressive. The Captain and crew kept us well informed of the situation, and handled efficiently and at short notice, all the arrangements associated with complicated and short notice re-bookings, and our departure. A key reason disembarkation went without complications was because there were (apparently) no illnesses on board, thanks to competent and active hygiene supervision by the crew, particularly in the dining rooms. Read Less

We did arrive a couple of days before the cruise in Buenos Aires. It is a fabulous city to visit and take in the shows. We have taken 5 cruises on this ship and we just love it. It has the perfect size and the best service and food ever offered in any other cruises. We were also very lucky because the weather was perfect during the whole cruise. I do not think these cruises have much to offer for children entertainment. This cruise was organized mostly to visit antartida in all its beauty. Seabourn had in every stateroom a fabulous jacket with lining which was excelent for everytime one got off the ship among the ice and the penguins. They also rented very comfortable boots . We also received a great backpack to carry everywhere. On board there were 20 additional staff members to help understand the land we were visiting ,its fauna ,weather etc. This personnel are all professionals in their fields and during the whole trip were giving talks in the main lounge or on the outside decks of the ships. They were also available for questions in all of the outings. Plain fantastic. The staterooms have a very comfortable size with a sofa for lounging around. The bathroom is of a comfortable size with excelent amenities . They would not allow any of the bottles to run out. The room was fixed in the mornings and also at night while we went to dinner. When we arrived at our cabin the first day there was a bottle of a delicious champagne bottle in ice. There was also a bottle of my favorite white wine in the refrigerator and a bowl of fresh fruits. Very welcoming. The food was always excelent in any of the diningrooms. They have many gourmet choices and also available were the basic dishes that some people prefer. All just delicious. I cant say enough about the excelent service at all of the diningrooms. All of the employees have been trained to cater to all of your whims and needs. You would meet the head chef everywhere walking around the restaurants and talking to the travelers. Very very lovely person. There is a fantastic restaurant on board handled by Tomas Keller. They do not have any extra cost but one does need a reservation to enjoy their wonderful food. I havenot mentioned the breakfast buffet the Colonade on the top floor with a marvelous view of the area we were cruising. It had choices for every ones idea of an excelent breakfast. You could also order whatever your heart desired. Before each meal both bars had music and singers just to have a drink and enjoy the company. We loved to be there from 6 to 7.30 and just relax. As everywhere on Seabourn ships, all drinks are free. They also have some canapes to enjoy with your drink. There were late afternoon parties on the pool deck with great music. A great way to mingle and meet new friends. We like to take all of the ship tours mostly because they offer what we want to see and we know we will be back on time for the ships sailing. They have chosen good sights and great places to have a snack or lunch all included in the price. The guides were all very good and spoke excelent English. I liked most of the lectures offered during the whole trip. The persons offering the lectures were also very knowledgeable. The 45 minute lecture was enough and after they all had some time for questions. I cannot say much about the shows on board, because we were always so tired and sleepy that we just went to bed. On this trip we used the zodiacs a great deal to go to land sightseeing. The organization and helpfulness to all of the passengers by the employees in this area is unbelievable. Always on time , always with a smile and always catering to every need. I personally enjoyed our cruise through the Chilean fjords the most. Many hours of cruising through some espectacular scenery. I cannot say enough about our marvelous experience on this cruise. Read Less

We have just finished our "Capetown to Singapore" part of the Sojourn World Cruise. BACKGROUND My wife and I used to be died-in-the-wool Seabourn fans and have Diamond (250+ days) status. We loved the experience. That all fell apart on a cruise in 2016 when they were introducing Thomas Keller (but before they had the separate TK Grill). The quality and variety of food dropped so bad that we started doing a lot of Silversea and Regent. We did not regret changing cruise line. But rather than be dogmatic, we decided destinations were the most important criterion, and we booked the above cruise on Seabourn as the great majority of the destinations were new to us. And who knows - maybe the food quality was again as good as the brochure says. It is fair to say that we got onboard with an attitude "This is Seabourn's last chance". Well? They blew it, and our next cruises are now booked on Silversea and Regent (presumably delayed now). We are departing with a few $1,000 Future Cruise Credit (FCC) that we will not be using. My review and comments follow. The elephant in the room was the Corona virus effect with cancelled ports and final destination changes. It is important to note that we had formed the "They Blew It" opinion BEFORE the massive port disruptions, and our decision was based on food quality; MDR & TK. Seabourn's handling of the port disruptions only reinforced our "Never Again" decision. FOOD The MDR certainly serves great quality 3-star restaurant food and wine. But we booked and expected 6-star, as it used to be. The dishes were unimaginative. The prawns and scallops were tasteless (too watery). The beef was not as tender or tasty as it should been. The Thomas Keller Grill was disappointing. Service was average. Food was better than the MDR - but presentation was disappointing. Have a look at the (delicious) cakes in the photo: This presentation is worthy of a cafeteria; not a 6-star restaurant. Maybe that is how Thomas Keller was served cake in his childhood, but I don't care. WINE The wine was average at best, unless you sprang for 'Revenue' wines. Long gone are the days when they happily served Sancerre, Chateau Neuf du Pape, ... PORT DISRUPTIONS. Through no fault of Seabourn, what we got was a lot different from what we paid for. Cancelled Ports: Mombasa, Maldives, Colombo, Hambantota, Chennai, Sabang, Phuket, Langkawi, Penang, KL, Singapore Added Ports: Fremantle (Perth) The cruise was basically cancelled, and we were re-routed to Fremantle (Perth)/Australia and disembarked 4 days before the scheduled end of the original cruise. [Note: Glad they did get us off early as around this time, borders started to shut rapidly.] COMPENSATION OFFERED 1) USD500 pp (Refundable, onboard credit) for Mombasa which was cancelled for safety/security reasons. [I am OK with this as it is fair.] 2) If we stayed on until Perth: 25% of our 'fare paid' for the port disruptions. This as a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) that must be booked within 12 months. We chose this option. 3) If we disembarked in Seychelles: 100% FCC of the unsailed days, but must be sailed within 12 months. Later - when the cruise was cut short by 4 days, we were offered an extra 4 days compensation, on a pro-rata basis of the cruise fare paid, as > 100% as refund , or > 125% as FCC BOUQUETS There were many things we did like on this cruise. THE GUESTS: Many interesting, charming, interesting people with whom to have dinner. THE LECTURERS: Seabourn often gets great lecturers. [I have problem calling a 1-way interaction a 'Conversation']. This cruise was no exception. The stand out was Richard Stone ('Royal Portrait Painter') who had both fascinating content to pass on, but a wonderful method of delivery. THE COLONNADE FOOD: Excellent variety each day. All well done and tasty. Themed meals such as: French, American, Indonesian, Italian, ... WAIT-STAFF: Most were great. Some (including MDR) are clearly in the wrong job and way beyond their level of competence. This was a surprise as in the past Seabourn has stood out with its consistently good service. BRICKBATS THE PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES: Under the pretense of being environmentally responsible, SB has banished single-use water bottles. OK, I get it. But the replacements are an epic fail for a number of reasons. 1) For reasons I don't understand, 90% of them have had the 'O-ring' seal in the cap removed. No problem if you keep them vertical. But no fun when you return from an excursion to find the bottom of your bag wet. [After a few days we worked out the problem and commandeered some with O-rings.] 2) They are stored in the cabinet above the room fridge. So water always 'warm'. [Yes - I know you can store them elsewhere. We did.] 3) The water used to fill them is generated onboard. Not necessarily a problem ... but for a few days the taste was terrible! It later improved, Wonder what we were drinking? BTW - same water served at dining venues. We started asking for Evian for a few days, simply as the onboard water tasted bad. THE MDR: Both food and service notably below par. See comments above. This straw broke the camel's back for me. SB needs to wake up and realize their competition beats them on food and wine. COFFEE IN THE SQUARE: Why is the line so long at times? Why don't they add a self-serve, automatic machine as an OPTION for those not wanting to wait? THOMAS KELLER GRILL: Hits and Misses. They should all be hits. Glad this is free, as some plates I would not pay for. Presentation also poor overall. The decor is more laminex train carriage than high end restaurant. PORT DISRUPTION HANDLING: I have no complaint at all with the fact that Seabourn had to re-route us as we were sailing during the great cruise industry shutdown of 2020. The 2nd leg of the cruise transformed to one with 16 days at sea with zero ports of call (except the embarkation and disembarkation ports). Again - no complaint there. We booked a 2-leg part of the World Cruise: Capetown-Seychelles, and Seychelles-Singapore. I have no complaints about the 1st leg ports/routing. But - and this is a big but - during the 2nd leg we were not given full information and if we had received that information, we would have flown home from the Seychelles, avoiding 16 days at sea. Let me explain: > 22-Feb: We are advised of some itinerary changes with final destination changed from Singapore to Fremantle. Male/Maldives not cancelled on this new itinerary. If we disembarked in Seychelles, offered 100% Future Cruise Credit (FCC) of the un-sailed days on any sailing before 22-Feb-2021. As we wanted to see The Maldives and Sri Lanka, we made the decision to stay onboard. > 26-Feb: Male/Maldives announced publicly that they had closed the port to cruise ships. > 27-Feb: Male/Maldives closure known to Seabourn/Seattle. Seabourn started negotiations with The Maldives to get exemption to dock in the port. This was ultimately unsuccessful. Passengers not told of this (yet). > 1-March: While in the Seychelles, we went on a full day tour. Came back to the ship about 2 hrs before departure, and found a letter in the room announcing the Maldives port cancellation. At this point, simply impossible to pack, disembark, book hotel & air, etc. If Seabourn had told us on, or about, 27-Feb that "the current situation is that we can not dock in The Maldves, but we are trying to change that", then we would have absolutely disembarked and taken the 100% FCC. In a crisis, communication is critical. We were kept in the dark way too much. When the (overworked) Seabourn Square staff fielded the many questions from the guests, they did an outstanding job, but their hands were tied and all they could say is we will pass your concerns onto Seattle. They also said that you will not get a reply until AFTER YOU DISEMBARK. Excuse me!? As I write this (1 week after disembarking) have yet to receive even an acknowledgement that they have received the complaint email we send while onboard, let alone an answer. CREDIT CALCULATIONS We booked Capetown->Singapore (2 segments, back-to-back) and here is the exact text we were given in a letter on 22-February giving us the option of getting off in The Seychelles and claiming a credit: "In recognition of these significant changes to your voyage, you will receive a Future Cruise Credit of 25% of the cruise fare paid for the 12-day portion of your cruise that has been revised". Importantly, Seabourn did not do the 25% calculation for us and different guests had different understandings of what this meant. Different interpretations included: > A 3-day credit (25% of 12-days)? > 25% of the full Capetown-Singapore fare paid? > 25% of the Seychelles-Singapore fare? When I forced them to give me a dollar figure, it turns out the correct interpretation was (2) above, even though 12 days represents 31% of the 39 cruise-nights. Why is this important? Because guests were making Get-Off/Stay-On decisions based on this letter. Again - poor (and confusing) communication. BTW - as I write this, if my wife or I login to our seabourn.com acct, there is no FCC shown at all. Again, poor communication. SUMMARY Sorry Seabourn. You blew it. We will wave at you from our future suites on Silversea/Regent as you go past. Read Less

Ultra expedition to Antarctica.Experience of a lifetime. Expedition staff is one of the best in the industry. If you book your entire trip, including your flights, you will be well taken care with shuttle and minimum baggage handling on your part.Tours could be pricey, but well worth to enjoy the visits to all the scenic ports. Staff on ship will pamper you, meals are five stars and the program on board will enlighten you with their individual experience on the ice cap. The Antarctica landings will enlightened your experience with the dolphins, icebergs, PENGUINS, and seals. Sightings of whales and numerous inner channels will bring you with closeup to the landscape and tons of glaciers. No tourist shopping on the peninsula, but colonies of various penguins and graveyard of icebergs. All landings on the peninsula are by zodiacs (inflated special craft with outboard motor ) and will surely be wet. Kayaking is also provided for an added price. Read Less

We are avid cruisers (7 lines) and this is our 4th with Seabourn. This was suppose to be our 'celebratory' 40th wedding anniversary dream vacation! The corona virus situation was a fast paced, evolving situation which we were acutely aware of. We landed in Hong Kong, our start point on Jan 31/20. The WHO had declared the Corona Virus a "global health emergency" the day before. Seabourn had 48 hrs to advise their "valued guests" as apparently their "top priority is safety" and give us the OPTION to either cancel or rebook. Instead, they ignored our emails and on embarkment, we were told that if we didn't get on the ship (docked next to the 'Westerdam' in HK), we would be forfeiting our $40,000 vacation. Ultimately, once we set sail, we ended up being denied entry into 4 out of the 6 countries in the 'red zone' we had paid and booked to see and only saw 2 of the 13 ports of call on our original itinerary. At the 11th hour, only after most passengers had voluntarily opted to get off early in Singapore, Seabourn outright cancelled the 2nd segmont of our cruise. This was a blatant, underhanded way to mitigate their losses and be compelled to cash refund those passengers. Very bad optics!!!! Seabourn's response . . . they were following CDC guidelines. Not other cruise lines!!! Throughout our 'relaxing' ocean voyage with mystery ports, we got a total of 4 'revised' itineraries. All the while, we were anxiously watching the "Diamond Princess" sage unfold realizing full well that this could be us!! To compound the crisis, after multiple meetings on board with senior managers/captain and a sea-to-shore call to corporate office in Seattle on Feb 14, Seabourn's "goodwill gesture" was to offer us a "future cruise credit". Not at all satisfactory!! The measure of any good company is how a crisis is handled. Not 'IF' but 'WHEN' problems arise . . . deal with them. The Covid-19 was not Seabourn's doing . . . but the mishandling definitely is!!! Strong leadership with a solid moral compass was not demonstrated. Lack of PROMPT and FAIR communication!! Very much resent putting our health at risk (have had pneumonia X2) plus avoidable, unnecessary STRESS!! And then to be offered a return air on CHINA AIRLINES back to Vancouver . . . really?!?!?! Very, very unhappy!! Seabourn rolled the dice and is hoping that the mostly senior, European passengers are complacent!! Not this one!! Certainly not what one would expect from a 6 star ultra-luxury cruise line!! Read Less

Not having cruised to the extent of some others, we have previously sailed with Silverseas and Oceania and so do have something to compare with. Firstly, the good: Embarking in Hong Kong it was really nice to have our luggage already in our cabin by the time we got there, which was less than 15 minutes from kerbside drop-off! The cabin was very spacious ( V5 grade ) with the benefit of a walk-in wardrobe and large bathroom with full-size bath and powerful shower, although with all the other storage facilities the cabinet at the foot of the bed was unnecessary and did restrict movement somewhat. The ship itself was excellent and extremely quiet. Other points...Good laundry room, very good entertainment, efficient air conditioning, comfortable bed. Now, the not so good: Seabourn never made contact beforehand to advise of a change to the itinerary with the stop in Boracay being cancelled. First impressions were that the cabin had not been adequately cleaned. There was dust apparent on the glass and work surfaces, a champagne glass had to be replaced as did a chipped soap dish. No offer of canapes, although that is mentioned in their brochure. Service was a tale of two halves. In the first week there were too many instances of almost being ignored with different crew members appearing to be non-smiling and pretty grumpy. Once, after waiting 15 minutes for a drink to materialise, the barman said "I am doing it' and abruptly turned his back. Another time, after being served a fruit juice instead of a fruit smoothie, the waitress shrugged and took the drink back without a word being spoken....needless to say a smoothie never did arrive. On other occasions we were basically ignored and twice when I stopped a passing waiter I was told someone else would serve us as we were not at one of their tables, and they then walked away. Now for whatever reason, and in all fairness, it has to be said that the service in the 2nd week was a marked improvement. People seemed happier and we encountered no issues. Carrying on: We had pre-booked once for The Keller Grill. Onboard we asked if we could have a second booking and were told we would be put on a waiting list and advised if something became available. Nothing was heard and on our last day of sailing we attended our booking and as an aside spoke to the Maitre D' who was adamant that we should have been offered 4 bookings ( 1 for each week ), and not withstanding that he had had tables available on most other days. So why didn't Guest Services get back to us?? General points....disappointing selection of desserts, especially at lunchtime when the majority of items offered in The Colonnade and Patio were cakes or cookies. Very poor selection of cheese available. The irons in the laundry room had basically given up on producing any steam. The treatments in the Spa were very expensive as were, to a lesser extent, the excursions. Wifi really should be included within the price. Finally, because of the coronavirus much of the itinerary was abandoned for reasons I fully understand.Eventually a full refund was announced, to be taken against a future cruise. However, what was lacking was the fact that only $250 per person was given towards the cost of the new flights necessary when the disembarkation point was changed from Hong Kong to Singapore. That in no way covered the additional expense other than as being a token. Overall and in comparison.....Oceania: Better food and better value. Silverseas : More personalised and better service. Read Less

We chose Seabourn having traveled with them before. As always the staff were delightfulm friendly, helpful and efficient. Our cabin was clean, spacious and well provided minibar was continually restocked. The food on board was generally superb. We ate mostly in the main dining room for dinner, Colonnade for breakfast and pool bar for snack lunch. Othee options available all the time. Simple continental breakfast from early in Observation lounge. Coffee and tea plus pastries to take away or have in Seven Square. amazing afternoon tea in Observation lounge. The entertainment team were a very high standard with excellent musicians and guest artist pianist fantastic. The guest magician was just ok and the onboard lecturer for our trip was not very good. we only went to her first lecture - it was much too generalized. the UNESCO speaker was excellent and enthusiastic. There were two disappointments on the cruise. The Keller grill was well below expectation. At least 3 other couples we met cancelled thier second booking as main dining room better! My Caesar salad made at the table had a lot of mustar, anchovy and Worcester sauce and was rather spicy and not at all creamy. I ate very little and the maitre D' just nodded when I said, not what I expected. The included wines were very nice but the sommellier did not ask if we would like to see additional wine list The excursions from the ship were expensive and we were not happy with our trip to the Cousteau reef in guadaloupe. We expected to go snorkeling on the reef, but in fact had a glass bottom boat trip over the reef, which is not in brilliant condition any more and then were taken snorkeling for 20 minutes nearby. This cost $169 each! Complained to services manager who said he would feed my comments back into the system. Read Less

We belong to the Frank Family Wine group, which chose a cruise on the Ovation in January 2020. Overall, the cruise was very good. The personnel are very friendly and, for the most part, efficient. Our statement was spacious, though a little narrow. Our room steward, who was very friendly and who tried to please, at times missed some basics. For example, once she forgot to leave us any bath towels and forgot to empty a waste basket. Others whose suites she serviced had similar issues. We had to leave her notes to remind her to do things. She did make a special efforts to get us the soda we liked, however. The fitness center is part of the spa. The gym was small but adequate. The Retreat is a wonderful place -- in good weather. It has a hot tub, individual cabanas with TV's and refrigerators. The attendants provided wonderful service and offered cocktails and other drinks, food and blankets. Unfortunately, our day at The Retreat had the worst weather of the cruise. There are no heaters at The Retreat, and we had to bundle up. At 4 PM, we were the only couple left there. In good weather, it would be a great experience. The food at the buffet was good. In fact, the Caesar salad at lunch there was better than the Caesar salad in the dining room, which actually bore no resemblance whatsoever to a Caesar salad. Another issue with the food in the dining room, aka "The Restaurant" is that two of my wife's entrees/mains were raw in the middle. That should not happen anywhere, much less on a luxury cruise liner. The service was wonderful, and most of the crew were friendly. (Some of the room stewards on other decks did not look like happy campers, though.) The ship is modern, having launched a few years ago. There was a lot of closet space in our suite 712. At times the TV had issues connecting, though. The bathroom had a separate bath tub and a shower as well a double vanity. The string used to dry clothes over the bathtub would not retract, however. The entertainment was quite good, a cut above the standard entertainment on some other cruise lines. Also, there were informative lectures which enhanced the cruise. The shore excursions for the most part were good. The one glaring exception was the stop in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, with a trip to Ream National Park, where the literature stated that there were 155 different species of birds. I signed up for the excursion solely because of that enticement. There may have been a million species of birds in the forest, but we did not go into the forest. I saw 3 or 4 different types of birds along the river en route to the park, and that was it. At least one species, an egret, also lives in California where we live. Thus, the excursion was both misleading and disappointing from my perspective. The best part of the tour was visiting a little school with a tin roof and one wall. The kids were amazing. Also, the lunch at a hotel where Jackie Onassis stayed was also good, but it did not make up for the disappointment of the rest of the tour. Those who took tours of Sihanoukville were also disappointed. While there is a long of construction, there are also dozens, if not hundreds, of abandoned, partially constructed buildings in the city. Also, the roads in the city are dirt, resulting in a bouncy ride around town. One group hired a private van for 8 hours; they returned to the ship after 4 1/2 hours, however. So caveat emptor for those considering shore excursions in Cambodia. The highlight of Bangkok, Thailand was the Royal Palace, though the throngs of tourists crushing through some narrow gates or doors made it difficult to get around the Palace grounds at times. The pollution in the city was terrible, however. I coughed the rest of the cruise because of all the particulates I inhaled in Bangkok. The bus trip took a long time both going and coming (welcome to commute traffic). The buffet lunch was quite good at an elegant hotel. Watch out for the red curry unless you like really hot dishes, though. The beach day at Ko Kood was absolutely wonderful. The crew worked really hard to set up everything. The beach was great, the water warm (though shallow), and the food and drinks were excellent. Seabourn did the "caviar in the surf" routine; go early if you want caviar. Even my wife, who doesn't like caviar, liked Seabourn's caviar offering. Singapore is an incredible city and the high point of our trip. We did our own excursions there, however. If you go, definitely go to Gardens by the Bay, including the Cloud Forest and the Supertrees Grove. Also, having dinner at Ce La Vi on top of Tower 3 of the Marina Sands Hotel is quite an experience -- and quite an expense. (If you saw the movie "Crazy Rich Asians", you saw some of those things from a distance.) Vietnam was interesting because of the history of the war. Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigaon, was steeped in history and is fairly modern. Da Nang's China Beach was beautiful; Hoi An, a nearby city is culturally interesting. Halong Bay, with its hundreds of islands, pillars of limestone rising from the sea, is visually stunning. The ship's excursion there was good, but you may wish to pass on the kayaking if you have breathing problems. (The floating fishing village was interesting, but fecal matter in the water was not.) We disembarked in Hong Kong and enjoyed our tour of the city. (Lunch was not included.) Embarkation and disembarkation were easy. The coronavirus scare was in effect when we disembarked, and there was some incorrect information about how disembarkation would be handled. Outside of that, things went smoothly. Read Less

We have cruised quite a bit with a number of cruise lines and enjoyed most of them. Seabourn had been on our wish list as we had heard good things. We enjoy Asia, have good friends in Singapore, and the cruise offered a good blend of ports and sea day. From arriving at the pier to departing the ship the service we received was outstanding in every way. There is no shortage of staff who are attentive, friendly and get to know you very quickly. Suite 652 was spacious, had a nice tv/sitting area, table and chairs, bar, walk-in robe and marble bathroom. The ship itself is well laid out, elegant and easy to get around. The ship had a great feel, nowhere ever felt crowded, and it was never a hassle getting on or off. We had a couple of spells of rciky seas but the ship seemed to handle it well. Was nice to be on a ship where there was some life after the show and people took the opportunity to dance.The entertainment was very good and for a relatively small ship was right up there with the best. The use of large LCD screens allowed some spectacular backdrops to the shows. We like to enjoy the ships we sail on as a destination in themselves. The ship is only two years old and beautifyully presented. Plenty of areas to relax and enjoy during the day, and nice venues for a drink before dinner. There were always sun lounges available, but somtimes a bit hard to fine some shade from the sun. Sun lotion is provided at the pool. All the restaurants are included incluing Sushi, Thomas Keller, the Collonade and of the course the main restuarant, which is beautiful and provides a great selection every night. The food was top class wherever we ate, including the pool grill, which is turned into an outside dinner venue in the evening with surpringly good food. Keep your eye out for particular themed menus at the various venues and don't miss the galley lunch, it is spectacular, or the Chef's interpretation dinner in the main restaurant. Caviar is available 24/7. Should you vist Ko Kood the champagen and caviar beach bbq is also a winner. There is also a good range of included wines and champagne. Value for money is a subjective assessment and will vary depending on expectation. Seabourn are more expensive than most but I believe we got what we paid for in every way. Was a geat experience. We have already paid our future cruise deposite and will definately enjoy Seabourn and the great poeple on-board in the future. Read Less

Have wanted to do the Antarctic for ages. Already experienced Seabourn service so putting the two together was obvious. The service was at least as good as a Caribbean cruise we did last year and when you add to that a most impressive expedition team and organisation of Zodiac trips the whole experience was amazing. The itinerary started with a trip down the Chilean Coast encompassing interesting ports and the Chilean Fjords. This was a great introduction prior to the Antarctic Peninsula and got us used to the incredible sights we would see. Even though we were delayed leaving Ushuaia by 12 hours causing us to miss one Antarctic stop ( we had hurricane force winds in port ) that was really sensible and not to be criticised at all. The Antarctic section was probably a lifetime experience - three landing sites, two Zodiac safari days and a kayak experience were all terrific. After that we had an extra day in the Falklands before finishing in Buenos Aires via Montevideo. As for the rest of the Seabourn experience the food, service and onboard service were wonderful. We dined in all the Restaurants and enjoyed them. The Earth and Ocean option by the pool did some especially good meals and we also enjoyed the Japanese evening and the Ribs in the Collonade. The Grill was really good and well worth booking - it's Wagyu beef was stunning. Our suite stewardess couldn't do too much for us. We also enjoyed all the talks on board and took part in the interesting trivia quiz on sea days. Read Less

Honeymoon We had a PH for 4 weeks. My parents joined us on 4th Jan. My 82 old mum was ill for the last days of the trip and was disembarked by ambulance to a hosp in Barbados on 18/01 thereby missing flt back to the UK. My 83 old dad has dementia. My mum was discharged today and has been pronounced fit to fly by the doctor after suffering with pulmonary congestion. My problem is this, we booked our tickets with Seabourn Flight Ease, first class with BA. I am unable to access the booking as it says agent has to do it. I now hear from BA that Seabourn called to amend the ticket but BA needed further information. Seabourn did not go back to them until after the flight had left so we were classed as No Shows. BA have said that it is down to Seabourn to sort it out, they are the named party on the Atol certificate. Seabourn Family Assistance in Seattle are telling us that they can not assist us and our only choice is to purchase tickets for c$21,000Us, 3 club seats and 1 premium economy. I am getting no where fast! Having spent over £60,000 on this trip I feel that Seabourn have left us high and dry! Our time onboard the Odyssey was very nice, although having sailed on Seabourn for many years we notice the cutbacks. On the whole the staff were great, especially the bar staff, our stewardess, who couldn’t do enough for us and although service in the Restaurant was a bit hit a miss we found a great waitress called Beiber who was amazing. Special thanks goes to Mirelle, the assistant hotel director, Alex, the head sommelier and Chiprian in the sky bar. The doctor and nurses were lovely to my mum and all of their work to get her disembarked by ambulance and admitted to hospital was second to none. The cruise director Robert was great and the singers were superb. We ate in the Thomas Keller restaurant twice and that was very good, although limited on choice. Read Less

Had previous safe trips but this one was horrible. Not only injured but upon return home was advised by ship insurance carrier that we required tons of previous medical information in order to obtain satisfaction for injuries and loss of ship use for 10 days after injury. Tender was ordered to stop operations after my injury but should have happened in advance. Lack of security to stop Tender operations in rough sea resulted in personal injury. Poor food service in all restaurants, except room service ; obnoxious child in suite opposite ours was running about unsupervised and sometimes naked and knocking on doors before 6am! Ship medical officer was less than helpful and failed many requests or obtain my medical records. Ship did have highlights but since this was a cruise to latin isles there was little to none of latin music in clubs or entertainment Ship excursions were less than satisfactory; on one the guide was obnoxious and some cruise members were stuffed 6 into a 4x4 car resulting in pain and back injuries. We lost 3 excursions booked in advance; 2 cancelled due to Tender injury and 1 cancelled at last minute by vendor. We recommend NOT using the ship for excursions but booking you own, either on the dock upon arrival or with other companies in advance. Read Less

Having cruised with around 8 different cruise lines over the last 25 years, we decided to up the anti and try Seabourn as we do like the finer things in life including champagne! We weren’t disappointed. We never saw a queue the whole two weeks of our holiday. We are very picky when it comes to food, service and drinks and we can honestly say that we could not find one thing to criticise. We had an Ocean View cabin on Deck 4 in the centre of the ship as a precaution in case of heavy seas and this cabin suited us as it was conveniently located close to the Restaurant. The embarkation and disembarkation were seamless. We used our own private transfer to and from the airport with Renaldo Matthias of Exquisite Transport who we have used before and he is always reliable and meets us in his air conditioned BMW with refreshments and local news and knowledge. The food onboard was great in particular the fish at the Patio Grill and the Indian Buffet in the Colonnade. We met many interesting people during our two weeks - staff and crew. The staff quickly learn what your favourite tipple is and if you have special requests - just ask. Formal Night at the Captains Table was a delight. The Beach BBQ was great fun and the lobster was delicious. We tendered the majority of our islands but the crew were very conscious of passenger safety so we had no reservations even in high swell. Plenty of storage in the cabin and the stewardess couldn’t do enough to please us. We will certainly be booking our next Seabourn as soon as we can. Read Less

This was a wonderful, low key cruise. The ship is small with just 450 people and nothing was ever crowded and I never felt cramped. The staff were wonderful, helpful and friendly - all of them. I especially liked eating at the Patio Grill. It was a small but varied menu for lunch each day and a larger menu for dinner There are numerous bars with great bartenders who have fun stories and remember what you like to drink. The Grill by Thomas Keller had great service but none of us found the food to be that outstanding and preferred the dining room or Colonnade for dinner. The suites were wonderful and the balconies were put to good use. We were on the 14 day exotic Caribbean and frankly the ports were not of much interest. We had two beach parties that included caviar and champagne - both were a lot of fun. The passengers were very friendly and relaxed. All alcohol, except high end wine, was included and was very good brands. This was not a get drunk party boat. It was very relaxed and sophisticated in a non-snobby way. Very smooth embarkation and disembarkation. Read Less

This was a lovely cruise experience overall. We were fortunate to have sailed on the Encore last year and so can offer a comparison. Briefly, we found that while still very good, there were a couple of areas where things were not quite as good as on our previous cruise. There seemed to be a greater number of new staff who clearly were getting up to speed with their jobs. They were doing there best but sometimes made mistakes with orders and didn't quite have the warmth of engagement which comes with confidence of your responsibilities. For instance, in the Observation Lounge, the resourcing seemed stretched compared with last year and the standard of the cocktails variable. Also, I was somewhat disappointed to find that the house champagne had been 'downgraded' to a different and lesser brand from the "Nicolas" label which the company had used for several years. I don't believe that was a sensible move, although I recognise it must have been driven by cost cutting demands. As for food, the quality remains first class in all outlets; but I personally found the menus more pretentious than last year--perhaps due to the ideas of the Chef, who was different from last year. Also it's disappointing to see foie gras still heavily featured when many companies are following a more ethical policy of withdrawing this cruelly produced food from regular menus. The internet service remains patchy. I fully understand and accept the technical issues that make internet provision difficult at sea. But then to charge hefty fees for its use is somewhat exploitative. This policy and pricing should be reviewed. Finally, lest the above comments come across as too critical, let me stress that they are written from a baseline of everything being highly satisfactory or better. None of what I have said would stop me recommending the Encore to others looking for a top quality cruise experience. And despite the loss of some experienced staff for whatever reason, temporary or otherwise, there are still "stars" on board who go above and beyond the call of duty. People who Seabourn can be very proud of like for example Inna and Mihaela in housekeeping; Bernard, Amil and Helena in the Colonnade Restaurant; Eunice in the main Restaurant; and Dragana and Nicola in the Square Coffee Shop. Read Less

Beautiful beaches great islands. We got upgraded to a penthouse (handicapped) but didn't bother us since it was bigger than the other suites. Almost the size of an owners suite and updated furniture ! The pre cruise and post cruise arrival and departure was through seabourn and without any issues. La samana in st martin and Fairmont Barbados both great properties! The downgrade for this trip is the restaurant service in the buffet restaurant was horrible you would get a drink and never see your waiter again for any sort of refill! This was a recurrent theme on the ship even after we commented to the managers in the buffet. The saving grace were the two Alex waiters. They were the best on the ship and we always looked for them and they saved the dining experience for us even the Keller restaurant Grill was just OK. Our stewardess Sonja was gracious and responded to our requests. The guests on the ship were friendly and cocktailed! The shows talent was excellent. The ports were all amazing. I hope that the service doesn't keep slipping on Seabourn since there are great cruises on Silversea and Regent for the same price point and better service! Read Less

Our 5th Seabourn cruise, second on the Quest. We booked a guaranteed verandah suite and were not disappointed. The food and drink were typically of high quality and the service very good. Only disappointment was a dinner outside on the deck when the service was very slow and we just couldn’t be bothered to wait for dessert. I think they were just overwhelmed that night. One can get cabin fever during the 6 days in Antarctica when you are on terra firma (or ice) for only 90 min a day. I like getting off the ship and exploring, not really possible down there for obvious reasons. The Falklands were a welcome stop toward the end of the cruise and we had a long and spectacular walk from Port Stanley out to a beach (Gypsy Cove) where there are groups of Magellanic penguins. Don’t miss that. The expedition crew was mostly quite good, though sometimes it seemed it was more about their experience than ours. A birder named Joe Cockram was, exceptional, always accessible and friendly and his excitement was infectious. There was also an enthusiastic geologist who gave good, mind-stretching lectures. They give you a thumb drive at the end of the cruise which is good packed with information about the cruise, the history of Antarctica, the fauna and flora, a video of day by day sights and many pics. Fun to see it all and remember the excitement of seeing the first big berg, the Orcas, the glorious pink and gold sunsets (after 11 PM). This is a good way to see Antarctica, and, while $10K pp is expensive, it is far cheaper than a lot of expedition cruises, e.g., National Geographic. Read Less

I have cruised on 2 other cruise lines ( Windstar and Ponant) over the years. I chose this cruise of 24 days from Singapore to Sydney due to the fact that many of the ports I had never visited. I had been on the Encore once before slightly over a year ago and really loved the ship and her crew. The food was excellent overall, and I mainly chose to eat in The Restaurant which I have always found to be predictably very good. The food on this cruise was outstanding in quality overall and presentation. The waiters, sommeliers and management staff ran a smooth operation, with most desires met before needing to ask. They work very hard to see you have a 5 star dining experience in all aspects. My suite on deck 8 was very clean and well laid out. My stewardess Yuliia went way beyond the basics to provide excellent service daily throughout the cruise. The entertainment I chose mostly for this cruise was the bar at Thomas Keller on deck 8. The evening piano/vocalist Gavin was amazing, and had a loyal following on the ship both before and after dinner. He is so talented and creative at the piano! He also has a perfect vocal range for the soft contemporary/old school classics he specializes in. Seabourn does an outstanding job in my opinion in all areas of upscale cruising. Read Less

This was our first trip with Seabourn and we thought it was amazing. We liked that the ship was much smaller than ones we had been on before, and it is unlikely that we’d ever travel on the larger ones again. Obviously there are differences with the smaller scale. The restaurants all close at 8.45 p.m. and there’s not a continual buffet service available as on the huge ships, however for us this wasn’t a problem. You’re definitely not going to starve! We enjoyed all the dining venues, the food was fabulous and the staff charming. We also liked that all drinks were included in the fare. (There are some choices that can be purchased but everything freely available was very good) We’re not big drinkers but it’s nice not to have to think about that as an additional cost. And oh my goodness, the cocktails are amazing! I had assumed that the entertainment would be on a smaller scale too, but far from it. There were a series of excellent, polished and engaging performances in the Grand Salon (one night a film was put on instead of a show) Also there were other musical offerings in other venues throughout the ship, also excellent. We also went to the golf putting and baggo competitions a couple of times which are not wildly exciting but offer an opportunity to mix with fellow guests if you’re at a loose end. (I’d quite like to see some crafting activities available too. Nothing fancy but the chance to learn a new skill. There were knit and natter sessions, but as I didn’t know until we got on board I hadn’t brought any supplies) We joined in the Trivia quiz, ably hosted by Ross & Dave, which was a lot harder than we expected (despite being seasoned quizzers) and surprisingly competitive (We quiz for fun but it was apparent that it was definitely a matter of life or death for the majority of the attendees) I think the only thing I didn’t enjoy were the talks/slide show in the Grand Salon on what was available to visit at each of the ports. I probably wouldn’t have mentioned it, but for the fact that the person giving the lectures made derogatory remarks about the area of Bali that was our ultimate destination, after leaving the ship, Nusa Dua. (“I can’t imagine why any one would want to stay there”) I felt incredibly deflated and then quite angry. It’s tempting to expand on this point but I won’t, but would like to say we were very happy with our choice to stay in Nusa Dua. We also attended Herman’s 5 at 5, which covered all information necessary for the independent traveller along with a printout and found it very useful. There are chargeable items on board, of course. We didn’t use the Spa so can’t comment on that. I thought the WiFi was ridiculously expensive and didn’t avail myself of it but I think Seabourn could usefully explore lower cost options for basic WiFi usage. I don’t want any more than to WhatsApp family members, periodically. The WiFi in the terminal buildings of the ports we visited was mostly pretty good though. The trips from the ship are also very expensive. We chose not to go on them as we had 5 days in Bali to explore under our own steam. Read Less

The first leg of this journey was from Lima, Peru to Santiago, Chile. This first part was interesting but the protests, strikes, and safety concerns made some of the ports feel uninviting. We were onboard for Antarctica mainly and this cruise did not disappoint. Antarctica is one of the most spectacular places on the planet and to be able to kayak, walk on sea ice, photography wildlife, and experience the majestic beauty was life changing. I was reading the book Endurance while on the cruise and it made the Antarctic part of the journey even more exciting. The Quest is a nice size ship and has the best crew. Everyone was above and beyond in service and genuine friendliness. We enjoyed our time onboard so much we're already planning our return to Antarctica in a few years. If 30 days seems like too much for you, then fly into Santiago, Chile and start there. Read Less

It is 16 years since we last sailed on Seabourn - when the ships only carried 220 passengers so this was a new experience on a larger ship. We thought the ship size was actually better, with more restaurant space and better entertainment. The cabin was a perfect size with a good size bathroom, lounge area and balcony. The ship was lovely and clean and restaurants and all public rooms very comfortable and I would say recently refurbished. The shower was small but adequate although I feel they would have been better with a larger shower and no bath. The Hotel Director - Therasa - “old” Seabourn was amazing. We felt that some of the staff weren’t upto the usual Seabourn standard- but most were. No sure that Seabourn actually needs a Celebrity Chef collaboration, don’t think this addd to the experience as Thomas Keller appeared to have too much influence on the menus. Our stewardess Erika was fantastic. The Collonade Restaurant was great for Breakfast and lunch as there were lots to choose from. The restaurant was sometimes a bit limited on an evening. Seabourn do need to start and specify which wines are included as at times it was confusing. They also need to not fall totally under the Carnival Umbrella as we felt that would do them more harm than good especially with the number of Top End luxury cruises currently on the market. Read Less

Just got off the Seabourn Ovation, it is a beautifully designed ship which was the perfect base for discovering Malta and the Greek Islands. Our first cruise on Seabourn, although we’ve traveled on Silversea, in Queens Grill on Cunard and various suites on other premium and luxury cruise lines (over 20 cruises to date). I was slightly concerned that we might be a little “young” for Seabourn as we are very active travelers In our 50s, but did not find this to be the case at all- we met many people of all ages, and found the other passengers to be very engaged and friendly. The ship strikes a nice balance to being small enough that we got to know many of the other passengers, but big enough that we had everything we needed, and enough variation of cuisine, public spaces and entertainment to be happy. Loved the dark woods and overall design of the ship. Below I include our impressions of our first Seabourn cruise and the Ovation. The Good/great: 1. Wonderful cabin design, not a space was wasted- great closet (50+ hangers!) and bathroom, liked the makeup table and the curtains between the sitting and sleeping areas offered complete privacy- the table and chairs were perfect for breakfast for 2 or for my husband to spread out while working. Lots of storage. We have booked a 18 day cruise on the Encore, and I am not at all concerned about the size of the room for a much longer cruise. 2. The Range of dining venues was very nice. The food at The Restaurant was wonderful, great space and felt intimate even though it is the largest restaurant on the ship. Earth and Ocean had great service and very pleased with the food, we enjoyed the Sushi restaurant which may have had the best service on the ship and the casual dining option at night in the Colonnade was a very pleasant surprise (we went there for Chinese night). It was great to not have heavy dining every night, and we appreciated the range of choices. Dinner at Thomas Keller was a mixed experience- my Dover Sole was fantastic, whereas my husband and our friends steaks were not as good as they got elsewhere on the ship. 3. Shore Excursions- We usually organize private shore excursions while in Port, but decided to go on the ones offered by Seabourn. The pricing was much lower then I have seen on other ships, and they appeared to cap the size of the excursion, such that we never had more then 16-18 in a group, which made a tremendous difference. The guides were very knowledgeable, there were no annoying “shopping” stops. One of our excursions, a Greek cooking class, was one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. 4. Outdoor and indoor space use is extremely well thought out- We had beautiful weather on our sea day, but there were plenty of chairs for sunning or if you wished to be in the shade. Seabourn square was busy and lively (loved that they incorporated the library in this space), but you could almost always find a chair or couch. The bar areas were comfortable, loved Thomas Keller’s bar as well as the observation bar and both had live music in the evenings. 5. Entertainment- I am surprised to be writing this, but every show and entertainer we saw was quite good, as well as Katy who played the piano and sang in the Thomas Keller bar who was really wonderful. Did not expect this at all, but they appear to be putting effort into their evening programs and it shows. 6. Tenders ran quite often, we never had to wait long for one and made the whole process as easy as it could be. Made what is usually an often frustrating part of the cruise easy and painless. 7. “House” Wines and “House” Spirits, I was traveling with some folks very particular about wine and expected that we’d be buying bottles, as they wouldn’t be happy with the choices offered. In general the wines were quite good, they offered a new selection every night as well as some regularly available options which were good. We only bought a few bottles and generally found the quality of the spirits at the bar comparable to what we were used to at home. 8. Future cruise booking- we found Vincent to be extremely helpful and knowledgeable when it came to booking another cruise. He was informative and had some very helpful insight in deciding on what kind of cabin to choose. He seemed to be quite busy but always had time to explain things and understood the cruises and ships well. Information was passed through to our travel agent flawlessly for our next trip! 9. Exercise room- Very well equipped, took a class which was quite good- lots of different classes offered that would appeal to many on board. Was busy but never crowded, I went almost daily and was very happy with the facilities. Open from 6-10, kind of would have been nice to be open a bit earlier (5 maybe?) Could use a little improvement. 1. Our room Stewardess was extremely new (2 weeks on Seabourn) and although she couldn’t be nicer, she didn’t seem to completely have it figured out. The cabin was tidy, but she frequently wouldn’t do things we asked for and I think could have benefited from more training- I honestly don’t think she really understood. The traditional model where there is a room steward and an assistant probably is a better one, as the assistants thoroughly learn their job before doing it on their own. We have had butlers on most of the cruises we’ve been on the last few years, which adds another layer of care- I’m not sure it’s always necessary but on a cruise like this excellent room stewards would be an expectation. 2. Remembering people’s birthdays/anniversary- A small thing, but a number of people we ran into were celebrating special events. Seabourn had asked before hand if you were celebrating anything so the information had been passed along- but they seemed to have lost this information. I heard this from a few people, so I think they need a better system to track this information and pass it on to at least the room stewards to do something special (and possibly the restaurants as well, they do ask for your cabin number when you walk in). 3. Laundry room- Could get quite busy on the first and last days onboard. They either need a second (or 3rd) laundry room or could offer having free laundry (or greatly reduced cost) on these days. I think this would be greatly appreciated, kind of annoying to have to walk down 4 decks with laundry to find the washers full. All in all a fabulous cruise, in many ways far exceeded our expectations- look forward to cruising on Seabourn again! Read Less

This was our first voyage on the Ovation, in the past we had sailed on the old 212 passenger Spirit as well as the Odyssey and Sojourn. I preferred the Ovation, partially due to the age of the ship. The Ovation is only a year and a half old. We did not notice any significant drop-off in service on the larger ship. As on the other ships the service was excellent with a few minor hiccups. The Ovation's decor is a big step up from the Sojourn particularly in the Grill. The new dark wood veneer in the cabin was an improvement over the blond wood on the older ships. The food was excellent as always. Some of our favorite meals were al fresco at Earth and Ocean. The shows were small productions but excellent quality. Due to the layout, the ship never felt crowded. After grabbing a prime spot at Seabourn Square in the morning for coffee and newspapers we assumed the ship was only half occupied. We were surprised we told it was 90% full. You will never feel cramped on this ship. This is not a ship for children. This is not the ship for you if you want to go to a disco at night or water slide during the day. If your idea of fun is a well made cocktail, an elaborate meal and then listening to Popular standards then Seabourn has you covered. Read Less

This cruise was spectacular. We typically cruise Regent and have done Viking Ocean and Celebrity, but we can say without a doubt that this trip was over the top fabulous. The food was the best and most consistent we've had at sea, the service was impeccable, the ship was spotless, the ambience and care taken to every detail was amazing. We have never done a cooler weather cruise before but we were able to eat outside for most breakfasts and lunches due to the heaters and blankets provided. The stateroom was comparable in size and amenities to the Regent ships but we were worried that we had queen sized beds. If those were queens, they were larger than the standard. We were perfectly comfortable. Nearly every night our room stewardess would leave little surprises in addition to the chocolates--eye glass cleaners, a rose, etc. When I made a comment on a comment card about needing night lights, they appeared by bedtime in the room. The cast of singers and dancers were excellent and the guest entertainers were top notch as well. Everyone had high energy and were approachable. Oh, and I particularly enjoyed the Spa and their Dr. Andrew Weil wellness program. There were many complimentary classes and seminars of interest to me. Every day was different. We only took one Seabourn sponsored shore excursion and it was good. We usually booked our own private side trips in the ports we were most interested in. We did think the Seabourn excursions were very pricey but you'd have to ask the other guests if they were worth it. We never asked anyone. We would add that there could have been more excitement and music in the bars beginning at 6 or during the day sometimes around ship. The days were pretty quiet and the nightly show doesn't begin until 9:45 which is late if you have an early tour the next day. But over-all of the 4 of us travelling together who have silver and gold status on Regent, we all agreed Seabourn was a notch above. Great job Seabourn! And did I say how wonderful the Executive Chef Olivier was? He was everywhere engaging with guests, making sure they enjoyed every experience, creating amazing food events and surprises all cruise long. What a gem he is! We will be back! Read Less

We chose Seabourn again, because we had tried other lines - Silversea and Regent. On those other lines the excursions were great, but we were not impressed with the food or service. Seabourn had recently hired a new chef for the pool deck evening dining venue - called Earth and Sea. Phenomenal food. Better than any restaurant we have in Seattle or anywhere else. After trying the other dining choices, all of which were good, we ended up eating at Earth and Sea every night. By the end of the cruise word had spread, and it was hard to get a table there. We weren’t impressed with the Thomas Keller dining room…oddly pretentious and mediocre food. They do offer exceptional wines by the glass and wine pairings at Keller, which is a nice addition. We had a much better steak at Earth and Sea. The cruise director was very entertaining and engaging. The staff was warm and attentive. The ship is beautiful - with staterooms larger than the ones on their former smaller ships. Most, but not all, of the land excursions were very good. Seabourn didn't offer an opportunity to rate the land excursions that the other cruise lines do. I think that's a missed opportunity to get valuable feedback, particularly where passenger safety is concerned. In addition to a pool and hot tubs, there are many activities offered throughout the day. The spa management seemed a bit disorganized, but the services were good. We have already decided to a Seabourn cruise for 2020 and 2021. Highly recommend. Read Less