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Seabourn Cruise Line

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Seabourn Odyssey

Seabourn Sojourn

Seabourn Quest

Seabourn Ovation

Wellington

We have been Seabourn cruisers since 2014 and have always found them to be excellent and well worth the premium price. We returned from a 16 day cruise to the Caribbean and were horrified at our experience. The only good aspect was the quality of the food and the variety of the menus; however, the vaunted Thomas Keller Grill badly disappointed and the overall staffing of the ship was abysmal. We were on the sojourn in 2015 and nothing on the ship had been refurbished -- the carpets were old and stained -- the upholstery in the cabins had not ben touched. We were unable to get bottled water for our room. The water was supplied in plastic bottles that were not sealed closed. Who knows if they had even been washed. The ship took no precautions with respect to COVID. Cakes and cookies were left out in the open for the passengers to paw over and put back. The wait staff was clueless as to propriety or what they were serving. The wine stewards did not have a clue about the wines on the list. Our personal attendants in the cabin were totally overworked. the two women were charged with maintaining 17 rooms twice a day. Obviously Seabourn did not get its original employees back after the pandemic. Perhaps other cruise lines are experiencing the same problem, but for the premium price paid, we would never go on another Seabourn ship

What happened to Seabourn

My husband & I have over 300 days on Seabourn and lots of wonderful memories. This cruise was not one of them. 

From Embarkation to Disembarkation it was certainly not a 6 Star experience.  Embarkation was a joke totally disorganized. We were originally given a 4pm time and got that changed to 12.30. The hall was packed at 12.15 - at least 3/4 of the guests were there waiting. 

The service was no more than average.  The food was way below average my husband ordered a Filet Steak on the first day that was tough. Thomas Keller restaurant was sub standard. Thank goodness we didn’t pay extra for that privilege. 

Public bathrooms were not checked on a regular basis as often there were used towels left on sinks and toilets not cleaned. 

Our suite and others creaked and vibrated continually whilst the ship was sailing. To the extend that some previous guests had folded a piece of cardboard and pushed it between the ceiling and the walls. We spoke with the Hotel Manager - eventually - after they tried to placate us with the Guest Relations Lady. Neither could have cared less just used the excuse of Covid and shortage of staff - not my problem - the price  we paid didn’t discount for staff shortage!! 

All in all Seabourn is a brand that is living on a reputation from a long time since whilst being dragged down to the lower level and standards of the other cruise lines across the carnival brand.  Finally there were broken windows on the top deck at the front of the ship and stain upon stain on many carpets. This would never have happened in the Seabourn of old.

Definitely Not the Seabourn as we know it 

Our November 2022 Caribbean cruise on the Seabourn Sojourn left us resentful and angry. We had been Seabourn fanatics, enjoying cruises with them about twice a year and proclaiming Seabourn THE best experience available. We had a typically fabulous Seabourn cruise in November 2021, post-pandemic, with everything up to standards and wonderful. As such, we booked the exact same cruise for the fall 2022.

Major Problem #1, Open Bags Marked as Hazardous Waste Neglected in the Hallway: Blood-red heavy duty biohazard bags printed with black skulls, stuffed full of room service trays and similar, often were in the hallway about five rooms down from my cabin. These bags were OPEN with dirty dishes, soiled linens, etc. emerging out of the top. They usually were put out in the morning and not collected until evening. As suspected, a cabin had tested positive for covid early in the cruise and self-quarantined, a fact confirmed privately to me by staff only at the end of the cruise. I could complain about atrocious housekeeping or questionable healthcare procedures, but prefer to ridicule a protocol where biohazards are identified and bagged appropriately, but the bags are left open and allowed to accumulate for ten hours, almost every day. The mostly older Seabourn clientele who have been advised to take extra precautions must have loved walking around those bags in the narrow hallway.

Major Problem #2, The Worst Dining Service: There always is the occasional error or bad timing in cruise ship dining rooms. No big deal. But the only excellent service on the November 2022 Sojourn cruise was in the coffee shop, Seabourn Square. The main dining room had its usual slow-but-adequate service. Service at the buffet for breakfast and lunch, usually the fastest and most enjoyable on the ship, plummeted to almost nonexistent. This is a huge black mark for Seabourn, whose buffets formerly surpassed all others in quality, service, and a prevailing feeling of luxury. Quality was fine, but you better not expect beverage service or other assistance. I came to leave my table and walk to Seabourn Square for coffee and bring it back to the buffet. The roundtrip walk and short wait at SS was more rewarding than hoping to get a coffee refill at my table.

The worst dining service was at Earth & Ocean, traditionally our most anticipated dinner of the cruise. We were the first table seated, we watched other parties come and go, inquired about our food, received a smile and an apology and were brought the wrong things, [skip two hours of details], then finally received our food as they were closing for the night, along with a tableside apology that was appreciated to a small degree but not helpful as our situation was known long beforehand in this tiny dining venue.

Major Problem #3, Amateur Night Bar Service:  The individual bartenders were good as always, but the servers and the stock of provisions were a joke. The servers were kind and intended to please but had no understanding of beverages, brand names, or training in taking orders. We ordered amaretto sours and received tumblers filled with straight amaretto, had a happy chat with our server about how to make that easy drink, and she brought back the same tumblers each still filled with the same 3/4-cup of amaretto, now with a float of sweet-&-sour and still no ice. Elsewhere I ordered an Aviation gin-&-tonic. After a long wait the server reported that they don’t now how to make an Aviator. No, Aviation is just a type of gin; clear bottle with a black label. We don’t have that. OK, Beefeater will be fine. Long wait. What is in a Beefeater? . . .  I can’t really know of course, but these incidents suggest that the untrained wait staff, rather than real bartenders, were trying to understand and make drinks themselves in the galley.

The other problem with the drink service was inexcusably depleted stock. I am not exaggerating that plain clear-bottle Bombay was the best gin available at some of the bars and plain Woodford was the best bourbon. Yes, a real First-World complaint, but not what we’re paying for with Seabourn and certainly not what they advertise.  I felt consistently let-down and under-served, but the only time I became insulted or angry was when one bartender joked with us, “HaHa, they drank up all the good stuff on the last leg!” like we were supposed to enjoy the hilarious irony that we would not be receiving what we paid for.

Selected Smaller Problems:

1) The quality of desserts decreased uniformly, and every cake we tried was terrible. Bad cake included the lauded coconut cake at Thomas Keller Grill, which I know well as it a favorite from past cruises, and a special decorated sheet cake that was made for Thanksgiving Dinner in the buffet. It looked so unappetizing that few people even took pieces, and those were abandoned after one bite.

2) The Thomas Keller Grill lost any sense of being special other than the stylized service. It now seems just a satellite of the main restaurant with a different menu and atmosphere.

3) Housekeeping began staging for the next guests two days before the end of the cruise. There always are supplies stashed and ready for the next whirlwind re-install, but this time it was too much, too visible, and made us feel we were not longer welcome in our room. Nobody wants to return after breakfast to find perfectly nice flowers in the trash and the vinyl luggage sheet pulled out two days too early.

4) Seabourn’s signature Molton Brown scent that made the entire ship feel like a luxury spa had been scrapped or just forgotten. There was a faint aroma in the spa area, but no more stepping onto the boat and inhaling the gorgeous fragrance. A small thing, but this delicious confirmation that you are entering another world is sadly missed, or perhaps reflects the new reality in its absence.

In Summary:  The frequent up-beat welcoming presentations by Senior Staff often included some acknowledgment that staff is short, many are new, and Thanks for bearing with us on what we knew would be a “slightly different” adventure. . . .  And Thank You, Seabourn, for acknowledging that you knew this cruise would suck, but still went right ahead promising the moon and charging full price.

The Solution?  Maybe talk with the Hotel Service Director on board and explain these problems calmly, especially the HazMat bag thing?  No, that accomplished nothing. Maybe fill out the post-cruise questionnaire accurately and let some of these concerns be known?  No, no acknowledgement.  Hey, I know!  Try Celebrity! We sailed both Aqua Class and Retreat Class Celebrity very recently and had fabulous experiences. I have zero complaints of any sort. Food quality and service in the Retreat and Aqua restaurants were perfect, often better than ‘old’ Seabourn. Housekeeping was better than most Seabourn experiences. Service from the very well-stocked bars was skilled and friendly. We are looking forward to another Celebrity cruise next month, and I would recommend to anyone who feels let down by Seabourn to try Celebrity Retreat class.

Seabourn loyalists left disappointed, resentful, and disinclined to return.

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.

Still Awesome

Each ship has its own personality. Having said that as much as we loved this cruise, and we did, the cruise wasn’t as great as sailing on the Quest.

This was our 6th cruise on Seabourn and the second ship in its fleet we have sailed on.

A bit of background. We seldom take cruises under 30 days. We broke with our tradition in that this was 14 day and a holiday cruise to boot. This trip served as the first leg of a 134 day adventure we had planned.

The Sojourn is virtually identical to the Quest which we have sailed on prior. That being said we found a difference in our overall experience. We have two theories for this belief. First it is a shorter cruise and the ship’s company doesn’t really have the time to shine. Secondly being a holiday cruise there are most likely more groups sailing together making mingling more difficult. A corollary to these theories is that ship’s company reflects the guests attitudes. 

Having said that our overall experience was excellent. We met some wonderful people and had great conversations. 

We prefered the colinaid to the restaurant. The wait staff,wine stewards and matredee were not only attentive, but friendly as well. We always felt welcome which frankly was not as true in the Restaurant.

As the cruise progressed thing improved

Would we sail Seabourn again, absolutely. We love the cruise line.

Another great Seabourn cruise.

I know the caribbean was hit by hurricanes last year.. our stops in San Juan and Martinique were a joke.. The entire towns were both closed .. Nothing and I mean nothing was open .. The small town(Ille De Trois) on Martinique was supposed to be really nice and get us away from Fort De France where the regular ships dock.. But there was nothing to do on shore. 

Now for the food.. unremarkable for a "6 Star" line.. menu was NOTHING special.. The Grill was good but the menu in there never changed for 14 days..  Definitely not what we would consider good food.. had better selections on RCCL and Celebrity..   Seabourn isn't even close to Regent or Oceania which we have traveled on many times.. 

Service was good around the ship but the beverage selections in the bars needs to be more upscale..

Primary reason for the Two star rating is NO INTERNET included... and the pricing was high.. 4 hours for $39.95  for unlimited it was well over $350  

If you are calling your self and all inclusive then include the internet too.. 

Will be traveling on Regent or Oceania in the future..

14 day Caribbean cruise First time on Seabourn and the Last

We normally sail on Crystal, however we were told how nice Seabourn is so we decided to give it a try. It is so underwhelming and disappointing. 

Stateroom-

Suite is very nice. Large and luxurious with lots of storage. I would have given it 5 stars except for the antiquated small tv.

Food-

Nothing special and definitely lacking creativity. Menu is the same in everyday in all dining venues. 

Wine-

The wine that is inclusive is absolutely dreadful. They are serving Woodbridge which a very low end wine that can be purchased a Walgreens or any other discount retailer. I don’t think we have drank that since college. So we are having to purchase a bottle of wine each night to even have something drinkable.

Spa/gym-

Spa shower was back up with water and hair around shower. It was disgusting. Also the treadmills were full of dust and dried up sweat marks. Totally disgusting and I did complain immediately as that is a sanitation issue in my opinion.

Entertainment-

not too much offered, but that we understood that because it is a small ship. The casino is a joke. The most antiquated slot machines ever. 

Ship-

There are several spiral staircases on the ship. The sides of these staircases are covered with dirt, spilled food etc. so dirty and unsanitary. In general the cleanliness of the ship is very very poor.

OK now the positives-

There are many areas to lounge around the ship. Very well laid out considering size of vessel. Lots of chairs and lounge chairs with different views. 

There is a hot tub on bow that’s nice.

Putting green is great.

Pool area nice.

Overall this cruise line needs some serious revamping. Seabourne should be embarrassed calling themselves 6 Star. We will go back to Crystal on our future cruising as they are hands down superior to Seabourne.

Never again Seabourn

Although there were boarding delays, it was not really the fault of Seabourn.The ship experienced unforseen issues from its dry-dock just before this cruise, and we all received an onboard credit to help ease this annoyance. Professional service and excellent food have always been our past experience with Seabourn, and similary, was once again. Entertainment, lectures and on-board activites were either excellent or more than adequate. The Carambola Beach barbeque with grilled lobster, a fabulous food spread, exotic cocktails, wine, beer, Champagne and "Caviar-in-the Surf" was a highlight of the cruise. I'd go again just for this! Our other high point was the newly introduced "Grill by Thomas Keller". We had heard from several guests who went the first two nights the restaurant first opened, about mid-cruise, that there were some problems. However, we were able to book a table on the last night of the cruise, and everything seemed to have been resolved by then. The outstanding service, food quality and presentation, not to mention the excellent craft cocktails, wine selection (both by bottle and by-the-glass) were truly memorable. If you go, don't miss their fabulous unique version of Caesar Salad, done table-side. As usual, probably because this is a relatively small ship, it is easy to meet and make friends with others on-board. My wife and I have sailed on some 25 plus cruises on a variety of premium and luxury cruise lines over the last 20 years, and believe that Seabourn is definately our "top-notch" choice.

Excellent Cruise Experience

Kauai

I had great cruises on the Pride and the Legend, however i am not happy at all on the 3 biggers sisters as they provide a complete other product as the original.

First of all it seems impossible for SB to verify a passengers history for the allocation of cabins booked on  gurantee bas; On a level 16 i did receive the worsest cabin on board , after some complaints finally a V1 was assigned. Passengers with  a far lower status (on guarantee)  were noticed in far higher degrees. Not very logical in our actual time surrounded by IT.

The cabin was very ok , but in the bathroom - especially in the morning there was a very unpleasant smell of "restrooms " , pending for quite long.   

From embarkation until the last moments you are faced with continuous cutbacks. I heavily took nuisance of the - unilaterally  - daily closing down of the main dining room for breakfast and lunch. So compulsory buffets on a daily base - not 5 starred at all. If you are a continental breakfast eater you are faced with a poor choice of the same poor quality cheeses and cold cuts -  4 starred chain hotels are doing better. 

The professionnal skill of the Belgian chef is well known but it is very clear he must struggle with a far too narrow budget. 

Canapes on sailaways parties were very restricted in choice,  and the party for the Seabourn Club was far from great. And save us from the blockparties ...

We must qualify service as good to very good, entertainment very soso despite a very friendly cruise director and an even more friendlier assistant who did a great performance at the sailaway party . The captain was a very courteous man  , hotel director very unpleasant and not very concerned what luxury does mean.  

Very homesick to the great days on the Pride and the Legend, i decided the above was my last on SB , nowadays a more polished version of HAL wrapped with a fancy gift paper (the free drinks) and a bow (the tiny caviar portions)  however also attached with a big sticker C (the many cutbacks)

Adieu and Farewell

It is painful to write this review, but the loss of the three smaller 'sister' ships coupled with the change in corporate ownership of Seabourn have had a very negative impact on the overall quality, in our view. After more than a dozen Seabourn cruises starting in 2003, we are sad to say we will not return to these larger - and quite different, in terms of services and intimacy - 'Odyssey class' ships, or the larger ships to come. We feel there is some false advertising involved, as well; primarily, there seems to be an operating pretense to prior passengers that nothing has changed. Some of the marketing in our cabin still featured the now-retired smaller ships, rather shamelessly!  The restaurant was closed for breakfast and dinner; the new tenders (life boats, actually) are an unpleasant experience; the Liar's Club was not held; the marina pool has been removed; the Captain did not show up for his own reception; etc. Specific issues aside, some of these issues could be addressed if management (hello, Holland America!) understood its historic customer base and cared to do so. Until then, Adieu Seabourn!

Seabourn is not the same

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