Lots of luxury cruises pride themselves on exemplifying the word luxury itself. Fine dining and refined activities are around every corner on many of these ships, and Seabourn is no exception. Focusing on giving an unparalleled experience to its passengers, Seabourn seems like one of the best luxury cruise options out there. But, is it really all it’s hyped up to be? Let’s find out!
Fleet
The Seabourn fleet is currently made up of five ships: Ovation, Encore, Quest, Sojourn and Odyssey. A sixth ship, Venture, is scheduled for its first voyage in June, 2021. Ovation and Encore are both 690 feet long and offer 300 suites inside. Quest, Sojourn and Odyssey are a bit smaller at 650 feet with appropriately pared-down suite numbers of 229. The Ovation has itineraries mainly around Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean that last anywhere from 14 days to over a month. The Encore visits Australia, Italy and their respective nearby islands. The Quest visits South America, Antarctica, the British Isles, Canada and some European destinations. The Sojourn has a lot of varied trips including many African journeys as well as a 78-day world cruise starting at $35,999. Finally, the Odyssey has some nice Caribbean itineraries in addition to some European cruises.
Price
As mentioned just a bit ago, these cruises can get quite expensive by most metrics. A good amount of the trips start at around $6000, though many start at a good deal higher than that. All of the ships have multiple living options, with the ocean view rooms being the cheapest and the penthouse suites generally being about twice the price of their cheaper counterparts. Some ships even offer “Owner’s Suite and Above” rooms, which range from very expensive to “call us and ask us about it” (which means even more very expensive). Some of the Caribbean cruises on the Odyssey are cheaper, with the lowest starting around the $2500 mark for ocean view rooms.
Dining/activities
The dining and activities aboard a Seabourn ship are just as refined as you might imagine. Spas, fitness centers, salons and card rooms are what is to be expected here (no water slides or rock climbing walls, sadly). The dining on the ships ranges from casual options to much finer dining, featuring sushi, regionally-inspired dishes and upscale versions of food we are familiar with.
Reputation
We’ll be straightforward here: Seabourn has an excellent reputation. They are consistently ranked as one of the best (if not THE best) luxury cruise line. They’re known for a refined atmosphere and all-inclusive fares. That being said, they’re certainly not for everyone, as they have a dress code and are not very kid friendly (unless your child appreciates the finer points of afternoon tea). If you’re looking for a cruise line with a variety of options that are all focused on luxury, however, you won’t go wrong with Seabourn.
