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 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

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

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

Smaller cruise line, very attentive crew, nothing was a problem,this was the second of the seabourn ships we have been on, the year before we were on the Oncore but prefer the Odyssey, so much so we have booked our trip for next year on the Odyssey, she is just a bit smaller than the encore and we felt more at home. Our cabin on both ships was fabulous, really roomy and great bathrooms. We loved the selection of dining and ate at The Thomas Kellar when we were able, Could not fault the crew, always very happy and there for our enjoyment, ports and shore excurtions also great. We don't think it is a ship for children as there is nothing for them to do, which is another reason we chose Seabourn and have told so many of our friends all of the wonderful treats on board. The ship was very modern and very clean. Judi and Alan Read Less

Amazing cruise! The food was some of the best we've ever had. The 24/7 access to caviar and champagne was one of the many decadent perks on this cruise. The Patio Earth & Ocean restaurant was our personal favorite. The food and ambiance was consistently fantastic, and it was always our first choice for dinner. It was the perfect addition for those wanting a more relaxed, yet refined dining experience. The suites were spacious and meticulously cleaned, and the balcony provided a serene environment to take in the stunning Alaskan scenery and glaciers. Cruising Tracy Arm and Icy Strait Point provided some of the best whale watching and glacier views. Throughout the entire trip the staff went above and beyond to accommodate any request. The customer service surpassed our expectations! Staying on this ship felt more like a massive private yacht than a cruise line. I highly recommend to anyone wanting a luxury cruise. We will be cruising with Seabourn again. . Read Less

We haven’t sailed on Seabourn since 2012 as we were put off by their liberal smoking policies. We decided to try them again especially since the itinerary for the British Isles was unique having a good number of stops in Scotland. Embarkation was quick and our suite was ready at noon time which was a great plus for us. We stayed in a spa penthouse suite which was quite nice but not sure it is worth the extra money versus a regular penthouse suite. You really don’t get much extra except for a few extra soaps and sponges, and a larger balcony. Seabourn advertises healthy snacks in the spa suites but we had great trouble getting them to deliver what was advertised. Perhaps it was due to a totally clueless stewardess who failed to replenish items on several occasions and seemed uninformed about extras for the spa suite, among other issues. When reported to the supervisor, we were told that she was new and to give her a few more days, and if we weren’t satisfied, they would replace her. Although we had numerous other problems with her and reported them, the housekeeping supervisor never replaced her. We ate most of our meals in the Restaurant where the food was top notch and wait service excellent. We used room service for breakfast every day and several times for dinner. They also delivered the same top notch service and excellent food as the Restaurant. Used private tour guides so did not sign up for any of the ship shore excursions. Staff at Seabourn Square were efficient and helpful. We especially enjoyed this area for coffee and snacks during the day. In terms of entertainment, we only attended one show which included a comedian which was okay, just okay. Handre served as cruise director and certainly lived up to his fine reputation. Overall, this is a lovely and comfortable ship that handles rough seas quite well. Except for a problem with housekeeping oversight and our stewardess, sailing on the Ovation was a very enjoyable and memorable experience. Read Less

We chose this cruise for our honeymoon because of the raving reviews about the service and luxury of the ship and Seabourn. We were highly disappointed. Our room was probably the worst on the ship and this may be the main reason for our disappointment. 843, next to a service area and below the pool bar service area. Crew started work everyday at 4 am. It was unreal as we woke up to horrific noise of dragging pool chairs and other noise we could not identify, every morning at 4 am. I am not exaggerating. We had to call and beg for the noise to stop and for work to start at a reasonable time. Seabourn did not care and did absolutely nothing to help us get rest or move us to an available cabin (the ship has vacant cabins). No one EVER returned our calls as we were told would happen or do anything to assist or make our stay better. I worked in hotels and resorts for over 15 years and there are many, many things that could have been done to make our stay more enjoyable. Our bathroom smelled like urine and items from the previous guest were still in the room including hair in the bath tub and shower. It was actually quite nasty as we were tracking where the long black hairs were moving around our bathroom each day as our room was supposedly cleaned. Our room attendant was really sub par and didn’t not respond to our requests. She actually asked us to leave 90 minutes before we were to vacate our room on the last day so someone could strip our bed. Come one! I mean we were already awake most of the nights as all of the luggage on the 8th floor was moved via the service elevator next to our room, and don’t forget the regular 4 am shift that was the loudest of the entire trip because Seabourn simply didn’t care as we were leaving in the morning. The coffee shop was wonderful! The Sushi restaurant food and service was wonderful and we ate there for lunch almost everyday. The Restaurant was excellent as well, for food and service. The entertainment wasn’t for anyone in our age range but it was excellent for the majority of the passengers in the 60+ age group. We knew this booking and it was okay because we wanted a relaxing honeymoon and quiet time together. Lots of puzzles, crosswords, and needlepoint workshops to do if you like that sort of thing. Seabourn could have selected better ports to visit as we were disappointed about the industrial working ports we visited on this cruise. More options for Marina days as there was only one and it was cancelled due to wind. I understand that most senior citizens may not be interested in marina day activities but since the rest of the voyage was really planned for them, have some options for active adults. The gym was small and had extremely limited options. We would have liked a peloton bike or two to use in the gym since there were no spin or fly wheel classes (or room for any). We did workout in the gym every day and did a 60 minute run off ship at the ports where we felt were safe places to run. Happy to be home and to get a good and full night sleep. Read Less

We booked a v2 suite (532) in June and not our normal guaranteed as there are a few v1 and v2 suites we really don’t like. Just over a week out British Airways pilots announced their strikes dates one of which was our departure day. Seabourn quickly rebooked us on another flight on the previous day but unfortunately this was from Heathrow and not Gatwick (our local airport) as per our original flight so we had to rejig our airport transfer arrangements. We received no advice of this either from Seabourn or from our agent but we spotted it on our BA app. We checked with our agent and asked what the hotel arrangements would be but that was not resolved until 2 days before departure. Just under a week out we logged into our account with Seabourn and discovered we had been given an upgrade to a v6 on deck 10 again with no advice from the agent or Seabourn. The communication could have been much better on both these issues but I guess they were busy sorting out cancelled flights. On our new departure day the flights and transfers went smoothly and we had a nice hotel in Cannes. We transferred to the ship around lunchtime and were pleasantly surprised to find that our cabin was available. I fixed the Seabourn luggage labels to our suitcases before our transfer but of course the labels were for our previous suite having been posted to us around 6 weeks out. I did try to change them to our new suite number with some tape as they are difficult to write on. One suitcase arrived in our cabin very quickly but not the other. I enquired several times but was told on each occasion that they were still distributing the luggage. I also took a trip down to deck 5 to see if my bag was there but no sign. On our way to our muster station via the crew stairwell there it was!! Our missing suitcase was stuck in a corner… ..abandoned!! So eventually the missing bag arrived… 4 hours after the first one and just in time to change for dinner. The bar in our cabin was stocked with our selected spirits but as on our previous trip on Odyssey last year our chosen beer was nowhere to be seen and after some enquiries nowhere on the ship. I raised this a few times even with the hotel manager when we met him one evening but I got nowhere. So if you want anything just ask doesn’t work if you would like a proper beer!! Not sure why they have a free-form box for beer if they can’t provide it? We tried to order Dover sole for dinner one breakfast time but the chef told the maitre d’ that he needed 24 hours notice. Generally the food we found much better on this ship than on Odyssey though some nights we did struggle with the menu especially on the chefs dinner night. The portion sizes weren’t generous so we never felt as though we had eaten too much after most of the served meals. The buffet portions are of course down to you!! Most of the staff were excellent and many greeted us by name. Our cabin Steward kept the suite reasonably clean but marks on mirrors and glass doors never seemed to get her attention. She never re-organised the balcony furniture and small pieces of food we spilt on the balcony floor were still there several days later. She was also not so good at restocking our fridge with mixers or the cabin with drinking water. Our bathrobes were only occasionally properly wrapped up following use. Plastic disposable bottles of water have now gone from the ship and been replaced with reusable plastic bottles refilled each day. Many people complained about the quality of the water but we didn’t find it a problem. It would be a good idea to bring your own drinks bottle to take ashore as the supplied ones are not so good to drink from on the move. To secure your place on an excursion you need to book on line and pay with your credit card. If you wish to use any onboard credit you may have to pay for excursions you then have to visit guest services and have your payment credited to your shipboard account and refunded at the end of your cruise. Your refund won’t of course necessarily be at the same exchange rate as your original purchase. Our refund appeared on our credit card within a few days. We asked for a complementary wine list on board but as before the actual wines available didn’t match the list. Oyster Bay was the only NZ sauvignon blanc available and many of the wines came from the USA! We did find a nice Bordeaux and an Italian Valpolicello. Having our wine topped up was never a problem which is just as well as the standard wine glasses used for both red and white wines are not big. They were only filled to half way too so you do need a few top ups. We never found the ship was crowded even though it was supposed to be full except in and around the main pool. The outside area of the Collonade was also very popular so get there early. The layout of the Collonade we found was much better than on Odyssey. The bar service in the observation lounge was poor most times we visited so we abandoned it in favour of the grill bar. We called room service at 17.50 one night to order dinner in suite. They took the order and told us 18. 50 to 19.00. Nothing arrived by 19.15 so I rang again and was told they were very busy so be a few minutes. Nothing arrived by 19.35 so left to find food elsewhere. The Colonade has some themed nights some of which are reservation only but you only find out when the Herald newspaper arrives the previous evening – so even if you have a few drinks you must concentrate and read it!! This cuts your dining options if you don’t spot it. Other themed nights are just turn up and they also have an always available menu these nights. They do tend to keep the Colonade open beyond the stated lunchtime opening if excursions are late back but the restaurant staff are not always too happy about it. Some bar staff now seem to be using measures for spirits so don’t be surprised to receive a small cognac after dinner. The pool/sky bar seem to be the exception to this. On our last day on board we were advised that the Oyster Bay sauvignon blanc had run out? It is quite strange that the Stoneburn SB ran out at almost exactly the same stage on out last cruise on Odyssey? The alternative SB from Bordeaux was quite poor in comparison. We did spot some Oyster Bay at the pool bar but it could have been their last bottle. Another economy we noticed was when we ordered champagne and caviar in our cabin. Last year on Odyssey they always brought a bottle and would open it for you and pour two fresh glasses. This time they arrived with two glasses covered in cling film which they unwrapped for you. Is this the future of 6 star cruising. As has been said in other reviews the brand of champagne has changed but we certainly preferred the previous brand. In conclusion we enjoyed our cruise with Seabourn and preferred the larger ship. We would be happy to cruise with them again but I think we will try to cruise off season a bit more as it is normally quieter and the prices are lower. Read Less

My husband and I were looking for a smaller ship ( Sojourn holds 450 passengers) and a trip to Alaska. The ship is almost 10 years old and could use a little attention/updating in the way of carpeting, painting. Just a bit... That being said, the trip was quite enjoyable. We began in Seward, AK with effortless embarkation. Into the Gulf of Alaska ( seas a bit rough) and on to Harriman Fjord and Icy Strait Point. Juneau was the first major port, then Tracy Arm, Haines, Sitka, Wrangell, Rudyerd Bay, Ketchikan, Prince Rupert, BC, interior straits substituted for Klemtu, Alert Bay, BC and finally Vancouver to disembark. Disembarkation went smoothly. We arranged through Seabourn to stay two extra nights in Vancouver. Everything went off without a hitch. The Fairmont Pacific Rim is lovely. Pros: 1) service was OUTSTANDING on the ship. Our attendant, Kudzai, couldn’t have been more enthusiastic and helpful. Servers were on the ball. 2) excursions were plentiful. There were naturalists on board to give talks prior to port calls. Numerous Zodiac boats and kayaks were available for excursion use. There were many excursions to choose from, most included wildlife sightings though not guaranteed. We were lucky and saw whales, sea otters, black bears and sea lions each time we ventured out. Food: three restaurant areas to choose from with 24 hr room service. The “ Square” ( library with coffee, sandwiches and sweets) was another alternative if you didn’t want a lot to eat. Thomas Keller Restaurant is small and must be reserved. We went one night and it was fine. Gluten free and vegetarian options were available every night. Entertainment: husband and I didn’t take in much of this. Shows at night we’re at 9:45 and most days we were simply too tired to go. We did watch a magician who was actually very good and a comedian who also was pretty funny. The last night the Sojourn singers sang songs from musicals and classical pieces. It was a very good performance. There were also periods of time on the ship blocked out for bridge games, trivia, name that tune, LGBTQ get togethers, friends of Bill W., casino and various demonstrations ( cooking, jewelry making, etc. Cons: weather cannot be helped, but some excursions were cancelled due to it. Seabourn tried hard to suggest other similar options. Money was refunded upon cancellation. Spa is rather small. It also costs extra to use the sauna even if you have booked a treatment the same day. The spa attendants seemed not busy at all. I had a reflexology treatment which was awesome and my husband had a massage. He declared his massage very good. Often a massage chair was brought into a corridor, which also had me thinking spa business was slow. * this cruise seemed to be one for an older crowd. No kids. My husband and I are 58 and we felt like we were one of the youngest, if not the youngest couples on board. Still.... you couldn’t beat the glorious scenery: glaciers, waterfalls, wildlife all seen at close range gliding through the inside passage. Service was incomparable. Read Less

It's difficult to capture the Ovation experience easily. But, in a word - sublime. There was no request that was too big or too small for them. We cruised as a party of four in Veranda Suite rooms. Our rooms were located aft near to the staircase, which is a lovely location. Highly recommended. Embarkation - this was effortless and enjoyable. We were met at the airport and had an easy ride to the boat. Here, we were welcomed with cocktails and a seamless embarkation process. Stateroom - Extremely spacious for its category. The veranda is a good size and the walk-in closet is welcome. The double basin in the bathroom was welcome too. Toiletries are of a very high standard. Restaurants - Without exception, meals were amazing. In particular, the service at the Restaurant deserves special mention, the formal night is something special and the Air and Ocean restaurant on deck is also excellent. We normally took in breakfast in the Colonnade, but splurging one or two mornings for breakfast in The Restaurant is also a good idea. Bars - Generally very good, although service at the outside bars during sail-aways gets a little slow. The Retreat - A lovely little hidden area on the boat is The Retreat. Worth spending the money if you're looking for a R&R day. Spa & Fitness - Excellent treatments, but the facilities are perhaps a little small. That said, the fitness area never felt crowded. Excursions - We only did excursions in St Petersburg but these were arranged well and the experience was excellent. Entertainment - All shows in the Grand Salon were very good. The live music on deck during sail-away parties was a little short-lived at 30 minutes. The casino is a little small and felt crowded at times. Read Less

We joined the ship in Copenhagen on the 17th August and left in Stockholm calling at Tallinn and Helsinki. As way of a little background, I am in my 50s, my wife early 60s and have cruised extensively mostly with Azamara but also with Cunard, Holland America and in our early days NCL. Firstly the ship is beautiful, well presented and lots of room. Cabins are more generously sized than other lines and our stewardess was excellent. I did not open my bottle of whisky as I would have only had a couple of shorts before the whole thing would have been poured down the drain. Multiply this by the number of cabins and what a waste, the bar was very close! I felt sorry for the recent poster who said he would not sail with Seabourn again and was immediately lambasted by Seabourn aficionados but I have to wholeheartedly agree with him. For a line that sells itself as 'ultra-luxury' I found their levels of service terribly disappointing. We were constantly waiting to be noticed, order drinks or wait for drinks. A pot of tea shouldn't take 30 minutes, when mentioned to a manager her only reply was 'are you sure its been 30 minutes?', this was a common experience at all the eateries. Service in the eateries was generally hard work, the feeling one got was that they were doing a favour by serving us. Service at the bars - especially the club - was excellent. Food was mediocre, plenty of it, but just not very exciting. We enjoyed the Sushi but found the food in the special 'Grill' not good at all with my 'Veal' being very fatty and grizzly. I did report my general disappointment in the mid cruise feedback form which prompted a reply from the Hotel Director who told me 'she had sorted my problems' which i found impressive as I had not been over specific what my concerns were. Shore excursions were very good but on the first couple of trips there was no guidance from staff as to where meet ashore - Tickets were printed 'Meet Pierside' which didn't help, before immigration or after? there was no one there anyway. The expectation was that you made your way to the coaches, on one occasion our coach went without us and we were greeted by excursion staff with the comment 'ah you're the missing ones'. As we went straight from the ship on being called to the coaches I still find it difficult to understand how we were missing. I really did want to like Seabourn but apart from the ship, which again I will say was beautiful and Handre who was fantastic, other(not so ultra-luxury) lines beat Seabourn hands down down for service, food and of course value for money. Read Less

We’ve been on Odyssey twice before, which we very much enjoyed, and were interested to compare the newer Ovation. There is no comparison. Ovation wins hands down. The decor is magnificent: really classy and all gleaming. The larger Thomas Keller works very well and we just adored the sushi restaurant - beautifully fitted out. The deck outside The Grill is a great secret terrace for when the Colonnade gets busy, with its own salad bar too. Think of it as a free version of The Retreat on the top deck! We love the way Seabourn Square has been rethought - it looks wonderful and it’s a great place to hang out. Even though space per passenger is a little lower on the Ovation, it feels the opposite. We couldn’t believe the cruise was full (it was, apparently) as it seemed so quiet most of the time. Captain Stig was the best we have had...always present and friendly. The crew were engaged, almost all incredibly welcoming and friendly...and much better at name recognition than on previous Seabourn cruises. Much has already been said on here about the legendary Handré, the cruise director. It’s all true. He is brilliant at his job and always out and about. A true professional. Food was excellent (we particularly enjoyed the specialities brought on board from Helsinki). Entertainment and enrichment was good. The new caviar is great but I can’t say that the new champagne is an improvement. It’s cheap and tastes it. We were very happy with the included wines and stuck to them. We plumped for a V5 cabin this time (having had an Owners Suite before) and were not disappointed. They are plenty spacious enough, well designed and quiet, with loads of storage space. The only thing we wished for was a coffee machine in the room. Stewardess service was excellent although we could have done with more toiletries (this was quickly rectified). Overall a wonderful cruise and we aim to get back on the Ovation again. If only Seabourn could have done something about the weather! Read Less

Spacious rooms and bathroom. Easy boarding and first class treatment from airport pick up to end of cruise. Several places for drinks all day, nice afternoon tea time, small casino open mostly when at sea. Talented entertainers on board with bands at several venues during the day and evening. Nice options for meals from casual to dressy. Room service for breakfast a must, always right on time. Breakfast buffet was always the same but good if you are in a hurry. Booked excursions thru Seabourn and they were all small groups of no more than 20 people. Left on time or before if everyone was there. All sites visited in St Petersburg were very crowded. Walked thru Tallinn, Estonia on our own, it is walking distance to port. Helsinki not much to see, would have skipped the city excursion and just ridden shuttle into town and walked around a little. After we left ship with private driver to hotel just walked around Stockholm on our own. Sheraton Stockholm very easy walk to old town and nice hotel. Read Less

We chose this cruise as a way to visit both Greenland and Nunavut. With our tickets, two weeks before departure, the itinerary stated that we would not be able to go ashore at any of the three stops in Nunavut. We did not look at the itinerary before boarding the ship - we thought we knew where we were going and had of course paid in full. We anchored in the harbour of Iqaliut for customs clearance. We were not alone in thinking we were visiting Iqaliut, only those that had gone through the itinerary issued with the tickets actually had any idea we would not be getting off the ship. We spent 8 days in a row on the ship - a total of 12 days at sea on a 24 day cruise. We would never have taken this cruise had we known it was not stopping in Nunavut. It was billed as an "adventure" cruise, but it felt like a trip to nowhere. We felt we had been totally misled by the line, and even though we have been on quite a number of cruises with the line, we would not have any confidence in the itinerary again. Excursions - The expensive trips by zodiac are a complete waste of money - we spent 20 minutes circling a rusted hull of a ship in Paamiut for no apparent reason; a trip in dense fog to see a rock called Lady Franklin Island where we lost one of the zodiacs and then, having found the lost zodiac, had to be guided back to the ship by the Bridge as the fog was so thick. Staff - The only reason for giving this cruise any rating is that the staff are, as has always been the case, just outstanding. They are friendly, make the effort to learn your name, and are always helping to make your time on board as comfortable as possible. Food - not as good as it used to be, but then they were clearly struggling with lack of supplies as we were at sea for so long. Lobsters were clearly off the menu and perhaps one of the cost-cutting exercises. The ship does offer a Lactose and Gluten free options, at least in the Colonnade Restaurant, for lunch. Room service is excellent and you can choose from the main restaurant menu during opening hours. Overall this is a nice ship to sail on, but as we only endure sea days in order to reach places we would find complicated to get to by air, this cruise was dreadfully disappointing and we feel completely misled by Seabourn as to the intended itinerary. I should add that none of the itinerary changes were due to weather conditions. Read Less

This was our second Seabourn Cruise. We have been on Azamara twice. Regent twice. Silversea twice. We expected this cruise to be as 'luxurious' as our first Seabourn cruise but although enjoyable we felt the service and food had declined. As far as 'inclusive' cruise lines goes Seabourn is less 'inclusive' than say Regent which is far superior in suites and food plus you get all excursions and internet thrown in plus sauna, steam room, cold room etc at the Regent Spa. Seabourn has an area called the 'Retreat' which is only accessible if you pay. Everything in their Spa has a cost. Internet is only available if you pay. If your only experience of luxury lines is Seabourn then you would not be disappointed. So to sum up the cruise was enjoyable. The food is not luxury even in the specialist restaurants. It's 4 star. The Encore has a very small main swimming pool although there is a small quiet area with a small pool at the rear of the ship. There doesn't seem to be any supervision in the pool areas so we did experience an American family that just let their kids run riot which spoilt the quiet area small pool. Note:- don't go in August LOL. Read Less

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

My husband and I sailed on the 8/3/19 cruise on the Ovation out of Copenhagen. This was our first time on Seabourn but I have been on over 30 cruises at the ripe age of 31, with the last 15 on the Oceania line. I am an avid traveler and feel I have a critical but fair eye. I had high expectations of this line and particular ship from word of mouth recommendations and other favorable reviews. I was quite disappointed and will list out all of my reasons while still making sure to give credit where credit is due. I will start with the positives first. My overall summary of the below is at the bottom of this review. Cabin: Our cabin was very nice and spacious. Bed and pillows are comfortable, ample room with a nice walk in closet and separate seating area. Bathroom has a double sink which is very nice, shower is marble and still small but pressure very good. Bathtub a waste of space in my opinion. Balcony nice size and overall room very spacious. We were in cabin 651 on the 6th floor located toward the center of the ship which was great. Molton Brown products in the bathroom and a selection of body soap offered on the first day. Room stewardess was attentive and did a very good job. Only complaint on the first day is that the room wasn’t cleaned well. The soap in our bathroom which was a body wash had been used and there was a lot of dust and finger prints on the table in the room. Otherwise, cabin was excellent and gets high marks from me. I believe we were in category V5. Ship: the ship is beautiful. Modern, clean, more yacht-like than cruise ship. A lot of wood paneling. 600 people but still felt very quiet even on sea days. Our favorite place to relax was the cappuccino lounge on floor 7 where they had tons of seating and recliners. Decor of the ship was very simple yet elegant. WIFI: very good! Much better WIFI than any other ship I’ve been on - in room technology good. Service: this is where our experience goes down the tubes. The service on this ship was HORRIBLE!! The staff do you a major favor and if asked for something that requires them to go out at all of their way, they are rude. We had some staff that were nice (mainly in cappuccino lounge and main dining room - except for maitre de) but all and all, the service sucked. Management lacks tremendously, customer service is non existent and the staff seem poorly trained, disingenuous and disinterested. I’ve really never experienced anything like this before - had we not met several other couples who also shared the same sentiment, I would have thought I was going crazy!! A few examples - almost every meal without fail we waited 10 minutes before getting anything to drink. If we needed a sauce to accompany a meal, we waited 10 minutes. In fact, we stopped ordering sauces because it was such a lost cause & by the time it arrived our meal was over. I asked for cream with my coffee - by the time the cream came, my coffee was cold. We were almost always at a meal with an empty drink that needed refilling. No accommodating what so ever. My husband likes the salmon in the colonnade - we asked if it could be served on the patio 20 feet away and they said no, they prefer not to. At dinner in the main, I asked if i could have a croquette that came with a different entree than what I ordered and was told no, they only had a certain amount and could not accommodate me. I mean, come on! I tried to move my Thomas Keller reservation because my husband wasn’t feeling well and was told with 11 days left on the trip that they couldn’t accommodate us. Finally, after getting the guest services manager involved, we got one at an undesirable time on a different day but at this point, we took what we could get. These may seem Iike minor gripes but we encountered them several times per day and was a major turnoff and took a lot away from the experience. The overall staff attitude was rude and requests of them felt like inconveniences. This in itself was bad enough to never return to this ship. As I said previously, several other couples experienced the same rude service. My husbands Camera was lost day 1 and finally arrived at our cabin with a cracked and dented lens. We requested compensation for the lens. Seabourn asked us to provide the link to the lens - which we did directly from the website - to prove it was $500. They tried to tell us it was a $200 lens (they had the wrong lens) and refused to refund us. We have yet to resolve this issue with them. Food - We are major foodies and we’re quite disappointed in the food on this ship. I will say that the quality is there in a lot of areas (not all) but the execution is not. Breakfast was good but the same every day. Not a bad thing, but boring after a while. A decent selection and probably the best meal. Lunch was a mixed bag. Salad bar always had nice items and the grill items - fish, burgers, hot dog, etc always very tasty and fresh. Meat quality good, fish quality good. My only complaint on the fish was it never had any seasoning or flavor - this was a major theme for most items on board - but I would still prefer to add salt vs. having the sodium and preservative packed food a lot of ships have, so this wasn’t a major complaint. All lunch hot food served in the chaffing dishes were slop and never hot. We almost never ate any of the prepared food served at lunch because it was room temperature and unappealing. Dinner : main dining room was respectable but not great. We didn’t have one meal there that was really delicious. Temperature was an issue and seasoning was non existent. I’ve never put so much salt on my food in my life. Service mixed. Our first night there we waited about 15 minutes before anyone came to our table. Finally the waitress comes over with an iPad looking down and says “what can i get you” - no greeting, no introduction. Very impersonal feeling. Sushi was nothing to write home about. A lot of rice and uninspired. I actually overheard someone say “it’s not as bad as gas station sushi” - I’ll leave it at that. The colonnade was OK - probably our least favorite. They do special nights like rib night or clam bake night and they look beautiful but just don’t quite execute it well. For example : rib night - the ribs came out in a beautiful Staub cast iron pan presented family style and looked delicious. Unfortunately, the ribs were dry, cold and had clearly been sitting on a heat lamp for an hour +. We sent it back and got a new rack that was the same dry and Luke warm ribs this time with some bbq sauce slathered on top. To put the icing on the cake, the assistant maitre de came over and instead of apologizing that the food came out lacking temperature and dry, explained that the ribs weren’t Texas style but st.louis style and weren’t supposed to fall off the bone..I mean ..really ? I’m not expecting anything more than a simple apology or some sort of follow up to see if the second round was better. Instead, I was blamed for expecting them to fall off the bone and they didn’t. I didn’t need ribs that fell off the bone, just didn’t want to eat something as dry as wood. The Patio by the pool in our opinion offered the best most innovative meals but even those fell short on flavor and execution. We also had a Northern Europe itinerary with a lot of rain and cool weather and found ourselves eating outside in the windy cold weather because the patio was the best choice. Thomas Keller which is the specialty restaurant was very good for a steakhouse on a cruise ship. I would say this is likely the best option on board. Food delicious but once again, service lacking. Not attentive and seemed to do you a big favor. We found in all restaurants that the deserts were mediocre and most didn’t taste cooked on board. I don’t think I had one desert I loved. I also found the breads were uninspired. In summary : good quality ingredients (for the most part ) that aren’t executed well. Oceania food trumps Seabourn by a landslide. A few other items to note: Older crowd, no children. Except for us (in our early 30s), most people were 65+. Not good or bad, just our cruise demographic. Free laundry was a nice feature with Miele commercial washers and dryers and complimentary detergent. Gym was small but clean, coffee on board was very good. Entertainment was respectable. Nice job at including different daily activities. Excursions - expensive but well organized. I read the ship docs at ports further away from the destinations to save on docking fees. Not sure if this is true. We did a few excursions - food provided on them was mediocre and limited and tours very pricey. Spa - didn’t use but quite expensive. Very few discounts offered throughout cruise. They had a “promotion” that if you do 3 treatments from a select number of services you get 10% off first, 20% off second and 30% off third. Note this is per cabin and not per stateroom. I know all cruise spas are expensive but this was more than canyon ranch on Oceania. I may have left stuff out but to summarize my overall impressions: cabin and ship top notch and classy, food better than the celebrity level lines but nothing special. Service was so bad it border-lined on offensive and as a result, I will likely not return to Seabourn. Read Less

Our main reasons for choosing the Ovation included some (but not all) of the destinations, notably Scotland, the relatively small scale of the ship (600 passengers), the suites (spacious, spotless, and beautifully appointed) the common areas (ditto), the beverage plan (free everything unless you want to splurge) , and a generally older and well to do clientele. (We fit the former but not the latter). Once aboard we also appreciated the crew and staff (unfailingly friendly and polite, including our suite stewardess Ana Carolina), the Square, a combination library, coffee bar, and guest services area, dinner at Thomas Keller’s Grill, afternoon tea in the Observation Bar, and breakfasts in the Colonnade. Since we aren’t dressy and clubby types, we didn’t eat at The Restaurant , and eschewed the formals and clubby things. The shore excursions were pricey and just ok, and if you want WiFi you pay for it. The ship offers a laundry and dry cleaning service for a fee, but also includes a laundromat (free) which came in handy on our two week sail. Some of the ports of call were less than thrilling, but Oslo and Scotland made the trip worthwhile. If you visit Scotland in August you should definitely go to the Royal Scottish Tattoo in Edinburgh. The price of this cruise was relatively steep, but if you want to be cosseted, Seabourn is definitely worth the indulgence. Read Less

Second sailing on Seabourn and totally pleased with our experience. I thoroughly disagree with the previous HORRIBLE review. Couldn’t have asked for more with attentive staff, always personally greeted by name, invited three evenings to hosted tables in the dining room which provides a personal touch with staff. We never experienced a rude employee... quite the opposite. NO is not in their vocabulary.. always went out of their way to please everyone. We changed ports in one location ... not to save money but for safety reasons to avoid tendering with rough seas. Main reason for booking this itinerary was to attend the Royal Military Tattoo in Edinburgh. Seabourn did an incredible job securing tickets in the Royal Gallery (for an additional cost) which Included reception, covered seating, transportation etc. totally worth the added expense. They do a wonderful job with Signature Events to make Seabourn stand out among other luxury lines. Perhaps the unsatisfied review was too young to appreciate the Seabourn service. Yes, they do appeal to a more mature age group... very few children on board but a variety of activities. We have traveled extensively on various cruise lines... you’ll always have some disgruntled passengers looking for a free cruise... We were on the same cruise and totally enjoyed the entire experience. Read Less