(Latest comments at end of each review)
The pride of the Carnival Cruise line stable, these sleek ships are elegant and clearly among the best at sea. There was a high level of excitement related to the first new luxury ship launched by Seabourn in the past decade, the Odyssey, when she entered service in 2009. Had the Carnival Corporation gotten it right with their new breed of luxury ship, a vessel with more than double the capacity of the line’s smaller “white yachts? Now, looking back at the new-ship Seabourn fleet and the manner in which these 450-Guest “sisters” have been received by the travel press, the answer is an unqualified yes.
At 32,000 GRT, the three sister ships each carry 450 guests with four-onboard restaurants and outside cabin/suites ranging from 295 to 1182 square feet. The Odyssey has been joined by sisters the Sojourn and the Quest. The addition of the three $250 million ships, all constructed at Italy’s boutique T. Mariotti shipyard, enable Seabourn to literally sail the world, creating some of the industry’s most intruding itineraries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
Seabourn announced in 2013 that the smaller, older white ships, the Spirit, the Pride, and the Legend, have been sold to Windstar. This makes Windstar the largest small-ship cruise line. Seabourn will be operating the newest fleet in the luxury category with only cosmetic changes between the three ships and the same deck plans/design.
Seabourn guests relish in the feeling that their ship is a floating club off sorts. There are comfy linens, the latest flat screen TV’s and I-Pod this and that’s, guests receive customized stationary, and the showers work. Dinner is an “event” and things are relatively low-key. If less yacht-like then Sea Dream, Seabourn manages to convey an atmosphere of privilege and comfort without going overboard on the formality.
Our most recent inspections exceeded expectations. The ships are awash in contemporary browns and beige with superior Spa facilities, and three alternative and casual dining options including Restaurant Z, a 48-seat, rather private and elegant spot, that serves tasting menus on small plates. Dinner can be ordered right off the main Restaurant menu and will be served course by course on the guest’s veranda. In cabin touches include marble and granite bathrooms with soaps by Hermes and L’Occitane and Molton Brown toiletries. A personal bar and refrigerator is stocked to guests preferences.
One of the least understood factors working to Seabourn’s advantage is the financial strength of the Carnival Corporation versus its competitors. The stability of the ownership makes for a crew that has few concerns other than taking good care of the guests. Crew that might prefer to transfer to other products in the Carnival family know that this is always a possibility. This has helped Seabourn attract and keep a highly skilled crew including some of the best people who have come over from other lines.
Per Guest space ratios on the new ships are among among the highest in the industry. The two largest Regent ships, for example, are 46,000 and 50,000 Gross tons respectively. But they carry 700 guests compared to Seabourn’s 450.
Seabourn has continued to make changes to its on-board dress code. As with any changes involving evening dress in the dining rooms, old schoolers and new agers have differing views on the changes. The bottom line is that formal nights on any sailing eight nights or less have been eliminated. On cruises of 9-13 nights there is one “black tie optional” night and on sailings 14-20 nights, there will be two. The term “optional” refers to the fact that the dress code only applies to guests dining in “The Restaurant.” On designated “dress optional” evens, guests can dine in Restaurant 2, The Colonnade, or the Patio Grill in elegant casual attire. This means that guests will not have to bring a tie or suit, if they choose, on any Seabourn sailing. In the world of five-star elegance, this is a world changer and a tribute to Seabourn’s success in lowering the average age of its clientele.
At this time, Seabourn is a more traditional and more clothes conscious experience then Regent Seven Seas or Sea Dream. The onboard service tends to vie closely with that offered by Silverseas, more formal and European then that found on Regent and Sea Dream.
Our Ship Inspectors Notes Included:
- Almost gourmet food, well-trained European staff, and a wide assortment of lux product tie-ins give a real sense of comfortable excellence. Plusses include a nice variety of one week and longer worldwide itineraries. and truly personalized services. Entertainment is of the cabaret variety. Little of it is memorable. Evening dinner is an event. Drinks and gratuities are included. The “French” balconies provide fresh air but are far too small for sitting outside. This is an excellent choice for mid to upper range sophisticated couples seeking the finest food (meets gourmet standards) and service Expect four formal nights on two week cruises but the Veranda Cafe now features casual attire for those so-inclined. The alternative Italian menu in the Veranda has been well received but repeat guests rave about celebrity chef Charlie Palmer’s masterful creations in the main dining room. Shore excursions go way beyond the norm. Think Cordon Bleu cooking lessons in Tuscany.
“Our sailing on the Seabourn Spirit with our family was, on the whole, really enjoyable. The service was excellent but there were numerous shortcomings. Here is some of what we observed: The coffee was undrinkable. Then, one day, we noticed a waiter serving coffee out of a French presse. We asked for some and it was delicious. But no one ever told passengers that they had that option. We thought the food was more Marriott then Four Seasons. Chefs seamed not to be European and tastes were off. Meat dishes were fine but seafood preparation really lacked proper flavorings. It reached a point where everyone around us just stopped ordering seafood. There were two washers and dryers and one did not work. Some guests waited for five hours to do their laundry. No one on the ship seemed to make any effort to correct this situation. The front desk staff did not seem to really know the ports well. Their information was not very helpful. (Note: The Seabourn Spirit has been sold to Windstar Cruises)
We would probably go again but Seabourn really needs to address the problems in the dining room on this ship.” “We just returned from a wonderful sailing on the Legend. There is one story that will, perhaps, best illustrate what Seabourn service is all about. We call this our “Olive Story.” Our friend John was sitting on the deck the first afternoon. He ordered a martini with olives stuffed with blue cheese. The bar manager quickly appeared explaining that Seabourn ship do not normally stock olives stuffed with blue cheese. John had no problem with that. The next day, we noticed, to our amazement, that every single bar on that ship now stocked olives stuffed with blue cheese. Someone had stayed up all night hand-stuffing large olives. That alone would bring us back to Seabourn but there were many other examples we could cite.” We loved the service and the chef was so much better then the one on our previous cruise. Seabourn monitors these things carefully and we got the sense that things were constantly being upgraded. I wish I could say the same for some of the carpeting aboard ship. The Spirit is beginning to show small signs of neglect in the form of carpet stains. But we still would not hesitate to go again.
We were traveling with our post-college age children. One night, the chef walked up to our table and specifically asked my son how he was enjoying the food. He responded that everything was quite good. “But what would you eat if you could have anything” the chef asked. “Thai food”, replied my son. Two nights later, a Thai feast was served at our table. That’s Seabourn and that’s a memory that has no price tag. Just returned from sailing the new Odyssey. Loved everything about it but felt that the Spa seems to lack identity. We were surprised at the level of additional charges to reserve one of the private rooms. This was hardly expected on an “inclusive ship.” We are past Seabourn cruisers and we will continue to sail this line exclusively, but traveltruth readers should be warned that new design also means some bold new ways to create extra charges on one’s onboard bill. Spa goers beware. We’ve now been on Seabourn four times and Regent t on three cruises. We’ve concluded that, while Regent is very good and a great value, Seabourn’s staff, particularly the deck crew and dining staff, seems better trained and there are far fewer language problems. We sense that Regent is now hiring staff from an outside source. They made no effort to learn our names on our last two voyages. On Seabourn, or even Crystal, the crew tries hard to know who you are and your likes and dislikes. We found this a major point of differentiation between Seabourn and Regent. Avoid this line if you are a non-smoker. When we were sickened because the guests in the cabin next to ours were continually smoking on their balconies and in their cabin, management would do nothing except offer to move us to a lower category. The cigarette smoke on the new ships is carried to nearby cabins by the ventilation ducts. I really prefer Seabourn to Regent and especially to Crystal. I think Seabourn is a much classier operation with highly trained crew. They make you feel like a true guest, Their food was a little better than Regent’s and a lot better than Crystal’s.
From Our Latest CSI Evaluation Report:
“This was our first trip on Seabourn. We boarded early in Boston and enjoyed a light lunch in the sun until our suite was ready. On inspecting our suite, I looked for an electrical outlet near the bed as I use a CPAP machine at night. The only outlet was near the foot of the bed. Over the years, I’ve learned to travel with an extension cord for such circumstances.
Our stewardess introduced herself shortly after we arrived in the room. She asked if there was anything she could do for us. I asked if there was an electric outlet closer to the bed I might have missed and told her why. She said no, but asked what side of the bed I wanted to sleep on. She noted it and said that by the time we returned from dinner, the electrician would have remedied the situation. It was as she said. He routed an extension cord under the bed in such a way that only a small portion was exposed and he had secured that part with duct tape. Expectations exceeded from the start!”
MAJOR CHANGES AT THE YACHTS OF SEABOURN
Many in the industry were surprised by the changes announced at Seabourn, The line’s Ft. Lauderdale headquarters has been closed and operations and sales will be moved to Holland America headquarters in Seattle. Seabourn’s President was replaced with an executive at Holland America. Both Holland America and Seabourn belong to the Carnival Cruises family of brands, so this is clearly a move to consolidate while maintaining brand diversification. There should be some fairly immediate economies of scale for Seabourn, something the brand desperately needs as it is currently offering sailings at from 50-65% off brochure pricing.
Industry analysts point out that Carnival and Holland America absorbed Windstar Cruises and then sold it off when it was felt that Windstar’s small ships were not consistent with Carnival’s large ship presence.
Cruise sellers view Carnival ownership as a net plus since the company has solid leadership and extremely deep pockets. But Carnival is not a company that will keep an unprofitable brand around long if it feels it is a diversion in terms of its core business model. Fans of the Yachts of Seabourn, can only hope that the line’s order for three 450 Guest ships, will assure economic viability going forward as well as a “hands off” policy in terms of the line’s new home at Holland America headquarters. We see no reason to downgrade our current ratings of Seabourn on the basis of these management changes. In fact, with the addition of three extremely well-received new ships to its fleet and the solid backing of the industry’s largest corporation, Seabourn is well positioned to grew by new-builds or acquisition. Seabourn is expanding the percentage of non-US citizens aboard its ships and is truly becoming an international brand. On any given day, any of the top five or six rated cruise lines in our exclusive Top Ten Cruise Line Ratings is fully capable of giving the consumer the best sailing experience of a lifetime. But when all is said and done, none of its rivals can match the financial strength of Seabourn. Seabourn has dramatically improved its overall ranking in our latest List of the World’s Top Ten Cruise Lines.
Note: Seabourn has changed its smoking policy and no longer allows smoking in cabins. However, guests booked in the most expensive upper Suites will still be allowed to smoke on their open balconies.