« Seabourn Cruise Line

Passenger Reviews

• First time on Seabourn

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  First time on Seabourn Getting on the ship in Ft Lauderdale was a breeze. What a pleasure to not have to stand in line to check in, as we have had to do on previous cruise lines. We all had seats in an airconditioned terminal and we were given non-alcohilic drinks prior to boarding.

  Once on board we all waited in the Salon where we were given small sandwiches and glasses of sparking wine. It was a bit crowded and they ran out of sandwiches, but the crew did their best since many cabins werent ready and we all had to wait.

  We had booked guaranteed, and were pleased to find we had a nice 6th deck cabin amidships with large veranda. We couldnt have picked a better cabin ourselves. Everything functioned well. The large bathroom was a treat. My husband could take a…

  First time on Seabourn Getting on the ship in Ft Lauderdale was a breeze. What a pleasure to not have to stand in line to check in, as we have had to do on previous cruise lines. We all had seats in an airconditioned terminal and we were given non-alcohilic drinks prior to boarding.

  Once on board we all waited in the Salon where we were given small sandwiches and glasses of sparking wine. It was a bit crowded and they ran out of sandwiches, but the crew did their best since many cabins werent ready and we all had to wait.

  We had booked guaranteed, and were pleased to find we had a nice 6th deck cabin amidships with large veranda. We couldnt have picked a better cabin ourselves. Everything functioned well. The large bathroom was a treat. My husband could take a tub bath and I could take a shower. Lots of fresh towels when the cabin was serviced twice daily.

  I felt a bit awkward at first having to take a waiters arm to be ushered to a table in the dining room, with my husband trailing along behind. Without set dining room seating or set times, we often wound up eating alone, although we asked the Maitre d if we could sit with other people. After a few days we realized that there are so many repeat customers on Seabourn that alot of couples knew one another and had prearranged to sit together each night. We did however eat with a couple of nice people a few times.

  Also we didnt realize until the last couple of days that yes indeed, you can have anything to eat that you want if you order 24 hours ahead. So not until the last days did I get escargot, or get crepes Suzette, but that was my fault.

  The only thing missing in the cabin was two places to plug in our digital cameras to recharge. We both had cameras, and because of the power on board we needed to use transformers. There was a place in the bathroom above a shelf, but as soon as you turned out the bathroom light the power to it went off, so we had to leave the bathroom light on all night. I cant sleep if there is light, so we had to put pillows across the bottom of the bathroom door to shield the light.

  Also after the second night we had to ask our neighbours to please shut off their veranda light at night when they went to bed, as it shone into our room. It was just an oversight on their part, and after that they did turn it off.

  On a ship of this quality there is little to criticize. The food was wonderful in both the dining room and the specialty restaurant. The liquor flowed. Someone was always at out elbow offering another drink.

  The captain (Mark Dexter?) was charming and amusing. He was even standing at the end of the gangway to say goodbye to departing passengers - something I have never seen a captain do before!

  Two points: they need to be more vigilant about hygiene at the poolside cafe - I saw passengers reaching in with bare hands to help themselves to the food at the buffet, and the staff were rearranging cooked food on platters with bare hands as well. The other thing is that we took the ship arranged shore excursions. They were overpriced and not worth it. Those who arranged their your own shore excursions with local tour companies at each port had excellent tours at less cost. I know next time we will do that.

  As others have said, the Grand Salon has so many pillars most of which Im sure could have been avoided, that it is hard to see the entertainment. The ships internet is expensive and very slow, but what else is new?

  All in all, we enjoyed the extra service that Seabourn provides, the ratio of crew to passengers, and the uncrowded feeling on board. We recommend the Odyssey.First time on Seabourn5

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• Great cruise to Central and South America!

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  Great cruise to Central and South America! This is my 4th cruise on this magnificent ship and the service, food and accommodations are- as usual- top class. But more to the point its the SERVICE that greets you all day long. Next its the SPACE that I defy any other ship to offer its guests. Lastly, its the food: VARIETY in 4 different dining rooms where the service is calm, the quality outstanding and there is always choice, choice, choice. After all, Odyssey carries up to 450 guests and has seating for at least 600 or so across the range of options. I cant imagine what the previous poster means when he/she degrades and dissects soups and complains about 20 minute waits from argumentative bar staff. My experience could not be different; food was always prepared to suit and was as described. And if I waited 20 seconds for a…

  Great cruise to Central and South America! This is my 4th cruise on this magnificent ship and the service, food and accommodations are- as usual- top class. But more to the point its the SERVICE that greets you all day long. Next its the SPACE that I defy any other ship to offer its guests. Lastly, its the food: VARIETY in 4 different dining rooms where the service is calm, the quality outstanding and there is always choice, choice, choice. After all, Odyssey carries up to 450 guests and has seating for at least 600 or so across the range of options. I cant imagine what the previous poster means when he/she degrades and dissects soups and complains about 20 minute waits from argumentative bar staff. My experience could not be different; food was always prepared to suit and was as described. And if I waited 20 seconds for a drink, well that would be surprising. The bar men knew what my regular choice was and were preparing it when I came in the Observation Bar every evening! For the record, I was on the same cruise but with one additional segment- to Buenos Aires. We disembarked just this week. And I am already looking forward to Seabourn cruises in the coming months as so many of our friends on Odyssey have all booked together for the same time, Jan., 2012, next year!

  About the ports,there were more than the 8 this site offers to list so here they are:

  San Blas Islands is on the northeast side of the Panama Canal and interesting to see the way of life of the indigenous people who live on these tiny islands;

  Panama City is sort of a run down empire outpost of Spain and/or a rough unfinished work of urban planning for its apparently increasing population;

  Guayakil, Ecuador is a non-touristy but clean city with a beautiful promenade on its sea front;

  Lima is interesting with its various neighborhoods including the upmarket Miraflores and its spectacular cliffs;

  Arica in northern Chile was a small but busy resort town;

  Iquigue was an important port for shipments of nitrates from its harsh desert, the source of war lost to Bolivia and Peru (making the former landlocked) in the 19th century;

  Valparaiso was the gateway to the wine valley and its tours; Puerto Montt was dramatic with its snow covered mountains and lakes which we enjoyed on a breath-takingly clear day;

  Chacabuco was a Patagonian forest and stream landscape where we enjoyed some basic but enjoyable horseback riding;

  Punta Arenas is Chiles most southern city and sites including the large mausoleum cemetary and trip to Torres Paine national Park;

  Cape Hope and the glaciers leading into the Beagle Channel were hightlights on a largely clear and calm couple of days of breathtaking scenery and the reason many chose this cruise;

  Ushuaia is Argentinas most southern town with a prison, naval and local peoples Yamane people;

  The Falkland Islands/Malvinas were interesting as a UK outpost of very proud and loyal people and offered a chance to see its rock hopping penguins;

  Puerto Madryn, Argentina was breathtaking because of its Unesco World Heritage site protecting the Magellanic penguins and sea lion breeding beach; and

  Buenos Aires which is an exceptional place. Its neighborhoods and distinct and charismatic, its food excellent and half the price of NY or Paris, its past politics intriguing and weather a terrific offset to what awaits next week in the northern hemisphere.Great cruise to Central and South America!5markham

  Review By markham

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• Sail with the best

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  Sail with the best My husband and I joined friends wed previously met on a smaller ship (Seabourn Spirit departing Singapore to Dubai in 2008). We decided to try the newer, larger ship the Seabourn Sojourn and thoroughly loved it. The best part for me was the large area called Seabourn Square with coffee bar, library, computer center and concierge services. Everyone seemed to gather there often just for a chat and read the morning papers over coffee, which by the way, was pretty good. This is a fantastic idea especially if you just want some "alone" time or want to get up early and not disturb your partner.

  Staff and bar staff were fabulous - couldnt fault anyone.

  Restaurant staff and food great.

  The worst thing for us was the way some people decided that the double lounge chairs were theirs and often saved them…

  Sail with the best My husband and I joined friends wed previously met on a smaller ship (Seabourn Spirit departing Singapore to Dubai in 2008). We decided to try the newer, larger ship the Seabourn Sojourn and thoroughly loved it. The best part for me was the large area called Seabourn Square with coffee bar, library, computer center and concierge services. Everyone seemed to gather there often just for a chat and read the morning papers over coffee, which by the way, was pretty good. This is a fantastic idea especially if you just want some "alone" time or want to get up early and not disturb your partner.

  Staff and bar staff were fabulous - couldnt fault anyone.

  Restaurant staff and food great.

  The worst thing for us was the way some people decided that the double lounge chairs were theirs and often saved them by putting books and towels on them early in the morning which has always been a no no on other ships, but we did sort that lot out.

  We anchored in Padang Bay, Bali, Indonesia so there wasnt much to see here.

  Also called into Sandakan Malaysia for just a few hours. We wanted to visit the proboscis monkeys but didnt have enough time so just visited the orangutans in the forest. Only saw three so wasnt really worth the effort Read the South Pacific ports review by PJSUDSSail with the best5PJSUDS

  Review By PJSUDS

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• A cruise of excitement, disappointment and finally enjoyment

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  A cruise of excitement, disappointment and finally enjoyment What a cruise of excitement, disappointment and finally enjoyment.This was our second cruise with Seabourn, after the wonderful Odyssey Aegean and Dalmatian Delights we first cruised on in 2009, which I previously posted a review on. As many have stated, the hardest decision to make, is to decide to go on your first cruise, the easiest decision is to book your second.Our second cruise was on the newly released Sojourn, World Cruise segment 5 from Dubai to Rome starting on 26th March 2011 where destinations included Egypt, Oman, Jordan, Israel, Greece and Italy. Of particular interest to us, were the “bucket list” locations of Luxor, the Pyramids and Petra.Accordingly, our excitement when we first booked this cruise. As we steadily approached our departure date, our excitement turned to concern when the Egyptian crisis started, wondering if we would still be going. After…

  A cruise of excitement, disappointment and finally enjoyment What a cruise of excitement, disappointment and finally enjoyment.This was our second cruise with Seabourn, after the wonderful Odyssey Aegean and Dalmatian Delights we first cruised on in 2009, which I previously posted a review on. As many have stated, the hardest decision to make, is to decide to go on your first cruise, the easiest decision is to book your second.Our second cruise was on the newly released Sojourn, World Cruise segment 5 from Dubai to Rome starting on 26th March 2011 where destinations included Egypt, Oman, Jordan, Israel, Greece and Italy. Of particular interest to us, were the “bucket list” locations of Luxor, the Pyramids and Petra.Accordingly, our excitement when we first booked this cruise. As we steadily approached our departure date, our excitement turned to concern when the Egyptian crisis started, wondering if we would still be going. After continually being told by Seabourn that the cruise was going to continue unaltered, our excitement continued until 13 days before departure, where Seabourn altered the itinerary on their web page.Disappointment set upon us with the cruise, without prior warning or notice being provided to our travel agent or us directly, the key ports of Safaga (Luxor), Sharm el Sheik and Alexandria (Cairo) were cancelled. What disappointment and frustration we experienced, with the timing advice and response to our enquires and emails from Seabourn. Very disappointing indeed which is evidenced within a series of posts with the Seabourn forum posts within Cruisecritic.So with this in mind, we commenced our transit onto our cruise.I wondered, how would the Sojourn and its crew perform, given our wonderful experience on the Odyssey. What has changed and was it for the better ?As soon as we arrived at the Dubai port we were welcome by the crew again in a manner, that gave you the feeling that they have known you for some time. A glass of refreshing juice in a champagne glass is handed to you whilst you check in which was again quick, professional and painless.We quickly arrived in our suite, this time a V6 suite number 827 on the eighth level. As I travelled through the ship to our suite, it felt like coming home, as the Sojourn was exactly like the Odyssey in build configuration. God, it felt good to be back on board.The features of the suite were exactly the same as the Odyssey. Every need is provided, from the opening of a bottle of champagne when you first arrive to the soap in the bathroom. After a quick embrace of happiness we ventured out to look around.We quickly noticed that this ship was a far better build quality than the Odyssey, (Again my engineering background is coming through here). The ship was far more polished and complete, no doubt due to the fact that this ship was ahead of construction program. No bubbling of internal wall panels, no visible rust spots and replacement of those silly automatic opening doors on level 8 with a traditional turn of the lever and pull the door open and shut. We also sensed the harmony amongst the crew, well organized, efficient, balanced, friendly and happy. They displayed far more familiarity with the ship, its needs and daily operations. It was clear, the lessons of the Odyssey were noted and enacted upon on the Sojourn.The ship may have a value of $ 350 Million, but it is nothing in comparison to its wonderful crew lead by their hotel manager Vitor. The crew is young, enthusiast and truly wonderful team of individual personnel.At times, the crew endured clients that well, are simply rude and difficult to deal with. We witnessed an occasion in the Restaurant when a client split a container of milk all over the place. Immediately, 3 crew members went onto their knees and quickly cleaned up the spillage without hesitation. This particular client amazingly ignored them, did not offer assistance, even attempt to move out of their way or apologize in anyway. We couldnt believe the arrogance of this person and found it so sad that the crew have to serve clients of this nature. There was also another occasion, when my wife overheard a fellow cruiser over breakfast on our last cruise day, when a member of the crew expressed sadness over that person leaving and he replied, “what do you care, there will be another traveller after I leave”. Professionally, the crew member simply smiled and wished him well in the future. I personally would have told him to “go and jump”.Whilst these occasions are few and far in between, we offer them as examples of how temperament this crew is and how they have been trained to serve. They genuinely do care and openly display affection to our needs and health. If you happen to be suffering in health, they caringly ask if there is something they can do, arrange for the doctor, etc. There is no doubt they we viewed them as an extension of our family whilst on the cruise and were quiet saddened to leave them, but look forward to returning to embrace them again in the future.As per the Odyssey, there are 4 Restaurants on the ship starting with “The Restaurant” with a “al carte” rotating menu choice. This restaurant requires no booking and at no time, were we not able to be seated. Food was equally as refined and excellent on every single occasion.Restaurant 2 remains with a menu set with a variety of degustation with 24 hour booking notice. On this occasion I found the eating experience just a little too rich for my liking. The restaurant wasnt as full as it was on the Odyssey and I wondered whether Seabourn were best served, to possibly alter the theme of this restaurant to something that cruisers would be accustomed to, such as a specialized seafood or a steak restaurant.The Colonnade has altered its previous need to book, which was very pleasing given the last frustrations we experienced on the Odyssey. This restaurant also serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Of the three, it remains as the most casual restaurant and has a menu with two choices per course plus a traditional classic choice menu.Finally the Patio Grill, is a restaurant in the open air adjacent to the swimming pool on deck 8. Again, Seabourn altered the previous booking requirement for this restaurant during dinner times. A good change indeed which I frequented on numerous occasions.Overall whilst the food was of high quality, I felt it was slightly below the standard we experienced on the Odyssey. I put this down to the fact, that as we travelled through the Middle East in lieu of the Mediterranean, where the food availability in terms of freshness and quality was probably not as good.Unlike the Odyssey which was a new and larger ship at the time, the crew during meal times was calm and well organized. No running, dropping of plates and mistaken orders. The efficiency teething problems I experienced on the Odyssey, were well and truly ironed out.Being a wine buff, I regretfully found the wines to be below par to what I was used to. Some familiar Australian wines were offered which frankly, were not of a standard in keeping with the ships standing. On this occasion, we once with other guests, decided to resort to the “exclusive” and additional wine choices available. This was a little disappointing and I hope this will be considered by Seabourn into the future.During the day, there were lots of activities within the ship to keep guests entertained, which was beneficial, given that we had a lot of days at sea. I was told by many die hard bridge players that the bridge masters were simply fantastic, with all guests rushing in for their daily bridge games. Quiet amusing actually, seeing everyone rushing their breakfast, to venture to the card room. The only complaint I heard was that the air conditioning in the room was too cold. Night entertainment at the Club on Deck 5, the Lounge on Deck 6 and the Observation Bar of Deck 10 with piano music was excellent. The highlight of the cruise was when we had an Arabian night pool party night. The pool area was transformed with props, decorations, Pyramids, camels, etc. All guests become part of the party dressing up in Arabian outfits. Even Captain Karlo suitably donned an Arabian Head piece. It truly was a magnificent night with all guests reflecting on it over the next 2 to 3 days.Then after slowly removing our initial disappointment of our altered itinerary, it was announced that we would in fact, be returning back to our original itinerary due to a change in the US issued travel alert (mind you, Britain and Australia had altered it sometime before them). Egypt, here we come !. What a joyous occasion for all on the ship when Captain Karlo announced this over the ships speaker system. At an instant, the cruise feeling went from very good to excellent. Smiles all round. We couldnt help but feel some regret for the passengers of Spirit, many of which we communicated with before departure, which was doing a similar leg, ahead of us by some 4 to 5 days. We havent spoken to anyone from the Spirit, since returning, but we believe the change in travel alert was too late for them to alter their itinerary back.We did however have an experience where the Sojourn and the Spirit crossed paths in the ocean and circled each other like romancing doves. What an experience it was to see each other, cruisers waving away and happily snapping photos of each other. On this cruise, we noted the higher presence of the Captain and his crew. We frequently saw them in the gym, sitting next to us during dinner or simply undertaking periodical walk through and wishing everyone well. Whilst always serious and level headed, the captain too was a highlight with his slow, deep voice over the speaker system. I wouldnt have anyone else at the wheel through the dangerous waters of the Middle East than Captain Karlo.The Cruise Director Jan, was also far more enjoyable and energetic to the cruise director we had on the Odyssey. How she maintained that level of energy, after a long world cruise was a credit to her indeed.Of the wonderful services we experienced, what negatives were there ?.One thing that did frustrate me and other cruisers was the speed of the internet, it was slow as a snail. Surely they could do something to speed this up, which was quickly chewing away the time allotted to internet packages we purchased. The other was the choice of channels on the TV, for 20 days we viewed no sports channel and frankly, I had enough of the CNN, Fox news and BBC view of what was happening in the world. I would have killed for a sports channel to provide something other than the depressing news of Libya, The American economy and the Ivory Coast crisis. Were on holidays !, please show us a few games of golf, football and baseball. We hope next time we are on a cruise, ESPN or foxsports is also on the TV and the internet bandwidth is dramatically increased. We noted within some cruisecritic posts the issue of discoloured water. I actually ventured down to the laundry on level 5 and noted its compact, yet sufficient service. We encountered similar problems with some stains being left on white clothing due to the water discoloration. Some cruisers had then chosen to use the in house laundry. We decided to try it again and the stains went away. Finally, we cannot hide our disappointment with the office personnel of Seabourn. We find it so hard to comprehend the vast difference between them and the wonderful team on board the ships. If the office personnel could be 50 % as attentive, caring and compassionate to the ships crew, well simply, this would be an absolutely perfect cruise line.Would these issues stop me from returning to Seabourn ? Of course not. We have become part of the loyal team that exists within the Seabourn family after only two cruises. Would we be courageous enough to try other cruise lines like Silverseas, Regent or Celebrity cruisers ? Possibly,,,, but not now, as we have placed another on board discount deposit for our next cruise.As I recover from my jetlag, I have tried to reflect on what my thoughts are on this ship and its crew during a totally different cruise destination to that previously I enjoyed, being the Mediterranean. I cannot overstate the wonderful crew, we both love them and look forward to seeing them again and very soon we hope.Yes it was a roller coaster of emotion from booking to actually travelling. I can however happily report, that at the end of the day, we were not disappointed. We ticked off our "bucket list" items, enjoyed the ship, its crew and again gained another 5 kilos of weight !. The ship has improved in numerous areas, with a slight and I mean slight, decrease in wine quality and food freshness. If they can attend to this and have some improvement in the internet service, well why would choose any other cruise line ?.My wife of now 27 years now believes she has two yachts. That is of course, until we venture onto the Quest, where I imagine it will expand to three.A cruise of excitement, disappointment and finally enjoyment5alfa

  Review By alfa

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• Sojourn Rocks!!

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  Sojourn Rocks!! On our Rome to London Seabourn Sojourn cruise, we flew into Rome a day early and stayed at the Hotel Columbus near the Vatican. For a mid priced hotel it was adequate. Two blocks to the Vatican and street dining, very convenient.Easy trip next day to Civitacheccia to the Sojourn.Easy checkin, champagne greeting and ready room. Big bath w/ dbl sinks and tub, more than needed but top quality fixtures. Small but adequate veranda and excellent appts thruout room. Maid svc was excellent and timely, they did the room while you were away. Many geriatrics?? on board, so casino, spa, other svcs suffered but tea time was quite popular with our British based companions. Dining venues were consistently outstanding except for specialty Restuarant II which was a little over the top with 8 small, individualized servings of many specialty items?? Never a wait or a crowd for seating…

  Sojourn Rocks!! On our Rome to London Seabourn Sojourn cruise, we flew into Rome a day early and stayed at the Hotel Columbus near the Vatican. For a mid priced hotel it was adequate. Two blocks to the Vatican and street dining, very convenient.Easy trip next day to Civitacheccia to the Sojourn.Easy checkin, champagne greeting and ready room. Big bath w/ dbl sinks and tub, more than needed but top quality fixtures. Small but adequate veranda and excellent appts thruout room. Maid svc was excellent and timely, they did the room while you were away. Many geriatrics?? on board, so casino, spa, other svcs suffered but tea time was quite popular with our British based companions. Dining venues were consistently outstanding except for specialty Restuarant II which was a little over the top with 8 small, individualized servings of many specialty items?? Never a wait or a crowd for seating and, mostly, excellent service. One failing was the WiFi svc which was abysmally slow and expensive. Entertainment was cruise ship quality but worth the time. Debark was a breeze due to both the small number on board and Sunday arrival. Will travel with Seabourn again. Read the British Isles & Western Europe ports review by hjames2Sojourn Rocks!!5hjames2

  Review By hjames2

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• Superb ... but....

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  Superb ... but.... This was our second Seabourn Odyssey cruise in quite quick succession. We did Athens to Rome in November and had the most amazing time. So when we saw a Venice to Athens trip with ports we had never visited we decided to hop on.In some ways we were doomed to disappointment as the first cruise had hit every mark however in fact only one thing really let us down. On our first cruise we enjoyed a peaceful breakfast and a long, relaxed lunch in the main restaurant. On the second one it was only open for dinner leaving us with the Colonnade as the main option for these meals. We hate buffets with a passion and dislike being crowded or in competition for a table. In fairness you could order at the table but it lacked the personal service of the main restaurant. Also the restaurant is…

  Superb ... but.... This was our second Seabourn Odyssey cruise in quite quick succession. We did Athens to Rome in November and had the most amazing time. So when we saw a Venice to Athens trip with ports we had never visited we decided to hop on.In some ways we were doomed to disappointment as the first cruise had hit every mark however in fact only one thing really let us down. On our first cruise we enjoyed a peaceful breakfast and a long, relaxed lunch in the main restaurant. On the second one it was only open for dinner leaving us with the Colonnade as the main option for these meals. We hate buffets with a passion and dislike being crowded or in competition for a table. In fairness you could order at the table but it lacked the personal service of the main restaurant. Also the restaurant is just a bit too small with very limited tables for two. This was exacerbated by it being a little chilly some days rendering the delightful outside dining space suitable only for the hearty. Other than that I really cant fault Seabourn but I will check about the restaurant before booking again.Superb ... but....5Fleetcat

  Review By Fleetcat

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• Back to Seabourn after 10yrs: Mixed Review

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  Back to Seabourn after 10yrs: Mixed Review Many positive aspects of our experience on one of the three new Seabourn ships. The ship has great curb appeal. Staterooms are very comfortable, common areas nicely appointed, dining areas well executed. The food in general was excellent in all venues. The staff and entertainment were also in general excellent. On board enrichment lecturers also very good.

  Problem spots include very limited exercise room that was packed most of the time. No exterior deck on this ship goes all the way around to allow proper promenade or jogging. The "jogging deck" was filled with lounge chairs and everyone was tripping around them. Shore excursions very basic and not enticing.

  The dining staff was mostly European, but many very green and did not know there way around the dining room. Some had very poor English skills. Many…

  Back to Seabourn after 10yrs: Mixed Review Many positive aspects of our experience on one of the three new Seabourn ships. The ship has great curb appeal. Staterooms are very comfortable, common areas nicely appointed, dining areas well executed. The food in general was excellent in all venues. The staff and entertainment were also in general excellent. On board enrichment lecturers also very good.

  Problem spots include very limited exercise room that was packed most of the time. No exterior deck on this ship goes all the way around to allow proper promenade or jogging. The "jogging deck" was filled with lounge chairs and everyone was tripping around them. Shore excursions very basic and not enticing.

  The dining staff was mostly European, but many very green and did not know there way around the dining room. Some had very poor English skills. Many mistakes with orders, and sometimes overly intrusive service instead of things just flowing like they would in a fine restaurant. Once we figured out who the best waitstaff were we would request them for dinner and it was excellent.

  Although a nice mix of passengers from all over the world, the average passenger age was well north of 70. Many 80-90 year olds on this sailing which i was told by staff is not at all uncommon. Seabourn has a very loyal following, as do most cruise lines we have been on in this category. But seems to me Seabourn needs to be considering future loyality and in order to appeal to frequent luxury cruisers like me currently in their 50s who do not want to feel like they are in a high end retirement home.Back to Seabourn after 10yrs: Mixed Review4boomerfromboulder

  Review By boomerfromboulder

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• SAVE YOUR MONEY - NOT WORTH THE PRICE!

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  SAVE YOUR MONEY - NOT WORTH THE PRICE! NOT 6 STARS, NOT EVEN CLOSE

  Sorry, Seabourn Sojourn, but youre not a six star ship. Im not sure youre even a 5. You only had one chance to make a good impression, and you missed the boat. What can you expect when “Twiggy” is your Godmother.

  We sailed right before Christmas, and now as I looked back on this woefully inadequate cruise experience, the world would have been a much better place if we had donated the $10,000 cruise fare to the Salvation Army.

  We boarded the ship around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, and we boarded to a lot of confusion. The rooms were just made available, so there were a lot of people standing in the hall way. I asked where lunch was being served, and the staff just…

  SAVE YOUR MONEY - NOT WORTH THE PRICE! NOT 6 STARS, NOT EVEN CLOSE

  Sorry, Seabourn Sojourn, but youre not a six star ship. Im not sure youre even a 5. You only had one chance to make a good impression, and you missed the boat. What can you expect when “Twiggy” is your Godmother.

  We sailed right before Christmas, and now as I looked back on this woefully inadequate cruise experience, the world would have been a much better place if we had donated the $10,000 cruise fare to the Salvation Army.

  We boarded the ship around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, and we boarded to a lot of confusion. The rooms were just made available, so there were a lot of people standing in the hall way. I asked where lunch was being served, and the staff just looked at me in utter amazement. It turned out that lunch wasnt being served anywhere, so we ordered room service. This was so strange.

  The disorientation never got any better because the crew seemed very new. Many of them were just “temps” filling in until someone came back. This whole cruise seemed like one big “test run” with the passengers footing the bill. The morale of the crew was very low, particularly with the dining staff. Although the food was delicious, the dining room service was very poor, and I thought the dining room managers were just plain mean and very much on edge.

  The ship has very uncomfortable furniture -- the passengers joked that this was the IKEA special. If you weigh more than 150 lbs., you wont fit in the chairs in your stateroom. Theyre narrow and the couch is very hard. There are 2 huge lawn chairs on the balcony that are too big for a small balcony. The lighting should have dimmers and provide indirect lighting throughout the cabin. Its either way too bright in the room or too dark if you turn the lights out. Its not a comfortable place to read. We traveled with another couple who stayed in a Penthouse Suite. They said “save your money”. Theres a wall enclosure around the bed with very little room to walk around, like a box within a box. All they did was complain about this wall in their cabin. Also, theres no artwork aboard this ship. It is cold, and the walls are bare. Theres no warmth to this ship at all.

  The entertainment was horrible. They have this little auditorium with big columns everywhere -- you cant see the stage. The singers were all off key, and the volume was ear-shattering. Most of the people on this ship were older, but someone in management really wants to discourage this demographic from sailing on Seabourn. No one on this ship looked like the young models in the brochure. Most couples in their 20s & 30s cant afford it, but Seabourn has this fantasy that this is the age group on this ship. Whats worse is they cater to a group that barely exists as a customer base.

  The ship is full of people speaking foreign languages - loudly. There were large families from Mexico and South America that demanded, and received, all of the attention from the staff. These people were loud, arrogant and always moved around in a pack. Personally, Im more at ease on ships where the majority of passengers are Americans.

  I wouldnt believe whats in the brochure about all this luxury service. At the end of the cruise, the staff expected to be tipped. There was one man from room service that kept yelling from the hallway if everything was all right. He just wouldnt leave us alone, so I finally tipped him. I also felt pressure to tip the room stewardess. Make no mistake, this staff had their hand out as the cruise was nearing its end.

  My honest assessment is if youre independently wealthy and money is no object, then I would sail on the Sojourn for a new experience. Many of Seabourns passengers are rich people who have nothing better to do. But if you only take one nice vacation a year like we do, I would not recommend this ship. Theres not enough value to justify the high price of the cruise fare.SAVE YOUR MONEY - NOT WORTH THE PRICE!3

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• Seabourn Odyssey January 4-19, 2011

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  Seabourn Odyssey January 4-19, 2011 This is the second time we have been on the Odyssey. Previously with the little sisters.

  Overall I think it was what we expected. The staff of the ship is its biggest asset. We found everyone to be friendly and helpful. The ship was only 2/3 full so plenty of room (normal capacity being 450 I believe).

  I would not recommend the Seabourn bigger ships to folk under 30. I thought that the introduction of the larger vessels was to encourage a younger clientele. The entertainment was quite boring. In fact it was also scattered - and with so few people on board they should have tried to channel the energy to one place. It seemed all sail away events were taken indoors because a cloud appeared. Since it appeared the average age had to be 70, perhaps they…

  Seabourn Odyssey January 4-19, 2011 This is the second time we have been on the Odyssey. Previously with the little sisters.

  Overall I think it was what we expected. The staff of the ship is its biggest asset. We found everyone to be friendly and helpful. The ship was only 2/3 full so plenty of room (normal capacity being 450 I believe).

  I would not recommend the Seabourn bigger ships to folk under 30. I thought that the introduction of the larger vessels was to encourage a younger clientele. The entertainment was quite boring. In fact it was also scattered - and with so few people on board they should have tried to channel the energy to one place. It seemed all sail away events were taken indoors because a cloud appeared. Since it appeared the average age had to be 70, perhaps they thought older folk dont know how to dance or handle weather!!! The ONLY Rock The Boat event in the entire 19 days was also held indoors. We are both 48/55 respectively and our crowd ranged from 39-86. We had a blast on Deck Nine/Sky Bar and made our own fun and entertainment.

  The stuffiest people were Americans (and we are Americans!). The Aussies and Brits were fun. Americans bleated about outdoor smoking (OK, so our group was cigarette, cigar and pipe smokers!) because the wanted to walk around Deck Nine for exercise! They also smiled rarely.

  Food was fine. Restaurant Two was fun as was the Patio Grill. Room service very efficient.

  I am a Seabourn fan. BUT, I think it has to start thinking outside the box a lot more if it is going to be competitive. Checkers/Bridge/ Lectures/Piano and Classical does not Rock The Boat!!! It is poorly represented in its Brochure which shows suave and sophisticated “young” cruisers when in fact it at times feels like a ghost ship and caters to the whims of some stuffy older people who are hell bent on making everyones life uncomfortable.

  The cruise line has to turn the frown of its guests upside down and get with it!!! We may be getting older but we do not have a foot in the grave yet!!!

  I think well be looking at going back to one of the Sisters next. The clubby atmosphere with a good mix can be so much fun and so much more channelled when there is less space. We loved grooving with the octagenarians on this cruise who did want to have fun and so we made it an event.

  Love the staff. Got no pressure. We always give to the crew fund and that goes to everyone (including the painters and engineering crew) so we never fear about who to tip. But they all work darn hard and deserve something.

  Wake up Seabourn and have fun!!!! Well come back and make our own fun too!!Seabourn Odyssey January 4-19, 20113

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• IS SEABOURN SLIPPING?

  Passenger Rating:

  IS SEABOURN SLIPPING? This was our 11th cruise with Seabourn so I can pretty much claim to be a big fan. Never have we scored lower than 9 out of 10 for overall efficiency and 5-star experience. As a long time loyal customer of this cruise line, it is sad to have to record that our experience on the Spice Islands Discovery cruise in February 2010 only scored a disappointing 6 out of 10.

  CUISINE

  If you are a regular with Seabourn – and many are - dont you think they could refresh the menus now and then? Even with a different Chef, I recognised exactly the same menus in Restaurant 2 on theme nights as we had on Odyssey 6 months previously. Similarly the same old canapés are offered in The Club cruise after cruise – where is the Chefs imagination?

  …

  IS SEABOURN SLIPPING? This was our 11th cruise with Seabourn so I can pretty much claim to be a big fan. Never have we scored lower than 9 out of 10 for overall efficiency and 5-star experience. As a long time loyal customer of this cruise line, it is sad to have to record that our experience on the Spice Islands Discovery cruise in February 2010 only scored a disappointing 6 out of 10.

  CUISINE

  If you are a regular with Seabourn – and many are - dont you think they could refresh the menus now and then? Even with a different Chef, I recognised exactly the same menus in Restaurant 2 on theme nights as we had on Odyssey 6 months previously. Similarly the same old canapés are offered in The Club cruise after cruise – where is the Chefs imagination?

  The breakfast buffet in the Veranda Café seemed to have suffered in quality too. The melon was never ripe; there was a limited variety of all fruit (no grapefruit) and you had to ask for berries or mango. Indeed although we saw mountains of mango in the market in Makassa, the ship ran out completely.

  SERVICE

  The staff in The Restaurant were stretched beyond the usual demand because the Sky Bar Grill did not operate because of wet weather. It was very evident that some of the waiting staff were not happy in their work. Their general demeanour and body language spoke volumes. I have never experienced such a negative vibe on a Seabourn ship before. The outstanding Maitre D who had managed the situation previously had vanished off the ship. I wonder if he had had enough and resigned.

  Service on deck and in The Club was good but not outstanding.

  There is no doubt that efficient, pleasant and keen staff are the key to the Seabourn experience. In my personal opinion, the rapid expansion of the Seabourn fleet has left all ships struggling to regain the standard us regulars have experienced in the pastIS SEABOURN SLIPPING?3Janet Pardon

  Review By Janet Pardon

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• Great crew-tired ship

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  Great crew-tired ship This was our first Seabourn cruise. Our expectations were high ….some were met and others were not but overall we enjoyed the cruise very much. Embarkation: This was probably one of the low points of the cruise for us. We arrived at the ship at about 4:00PM. Most of the cruisers had already boarded at this point. We went to the reception area where we were given our boarding cards and room keys----they didnt seem very enthusiastic. Once we had our room keys we were expecting that someone would take us to our cabins as they always have on other cruises. Unfortunately, there was no one there so we finally asked a crew member where we would find our cabin and he pointed us in the right direction. When we arrived, our room attendant was nowhere to be found. We waited for our luggage to appear and…

  Great crew-tired ship This was our first Seabourn cruise. Our expectations were high ….some were met and others were not but overall we enjoyed the cruise very much. Embarkation: This was probably one of the low points of the cruise for us. We arrived at the ship at about 4:00PM. Most of the cruisers had already boarded at this point. We went to the reception area where we were given our boarding cards and room keys----they didnt seem very enthusiastic. Once we had our room keys we were expecting that someone would take us to our cabins as they always have on other cruises. Unfortunately, there was no one there so we finally asked a crew member where we would find our cabin and he pointed us in the right direction. When we arrived, our room attendant was nowhere to be found. We waited for our luggage to appear and after about a half hour when It hadnt come, we called the reception desk and were told we would have it within 10 minutes. We also mentioned that we hadnt seen our room stewardess. We were definitely not feeling the love from Seabourn. Our stewardess showed up within a few minutes and told us she hadnt been informed of our arrival….she was great. Unfortunately, our luggage didnt show up for another half hour even though people who had boarded after we did had their luggage before we did.Ports: We chose this itinerary because we wanted to visit Vietnam. My husband is a Vietnam vet and wanted to go back. The itinerary included Bangkok, Komood Island, Saigon, DaNang, Hanoi and HongKong. We used private excursions which I had booked before the cruise so I cant comment first hand on the ships excursions other than we didnt hear any complaints about the excursions and heard some very positive comments. The Komood Island day was really fun and the crew went all out to make it a wonderful day. The only thing I would comment on is that this is not a good trip for anyone with problems walking or climbing. The crew was very helpful in boarding people onto the tender but it was not an easy board for anyone with physical problems. The only other port I would like to comment on is Hanoi. It is almost a four hour drive each way from the ship to Hanoi……and we spent about 4 hours in Hanoi. The distance isnt more than 100 miles and the road was very bumpy and the traffic was horrible. We wouldnt do it again for the short time in Hanoi. The only people that seemed to like the trip were those who spent the night in Hanoi and came back the next day. The trip to Halong Bay was spectacular and highly recommended. Crew: This was a highlight of the trip. The crew was wonderful and very helpful. They seemed like a very happy group and seemed to enjoy what they did. We loved the captain and the cruise director.Other cruisers: We are in our early 60s from the US. Most of the cruises were probably in their 60s and from the US but there were people from all over the world and a variety of ages. We met people in their 30s as well as those in their 80s and we enjoyed all of them. One of the things we especially enjoyed were the dinners where we were invited to sit with crew members (including the captain) as well as the guest lecturer and performers. It was a great way to meet other cruisers and we enjoyed the hosts as well.The ship: The Pride is a little tired looking. ….not horrible but definitely needs a little sprucing up. Our bed was really hard so we asked for something a little softer and our stewardess fixed it right up. The amenities were very good. We had two vases of flowers sent to us from the ship which we really enjoyed. We dont drink wine but like Perrier which they kept stocked in our refrigerator. We wanted to be on a smaller ship, however, when we hit 20 waves in the South China seas, we werent having a lot of fun. We were up most of the might being jostled by the ship hitting the huge waves. The cabin was very large (we had the least expensive cabin) with double sinks in the bathroom and a nice large closet...no complaints with the cabin.Food: The food ranged from really good to very average. The lamb chops were outstanding but some of the fish was fishy. It definitely wasnt 5 Star dining but it was good. One thing that bothered me was that I would have liked to have hot tea with my dessert. It usually came about 10-15 minutes after the dessert was served so by that time I was ready to leave the dining room. I asked about this and was told that they had to get the desserts out before they could start serving the tea. We had room service several times and it was prompt and the food was hot. The selection for the afternoon tea was pretty meager compared to other ships.Activities: Onboard activities are fairly limited. There was a guest speaker on sea days and he was excellent. There was also a bridge lady who organized bridge games…..we dont play bridge so we didnt participate. There was also a Trivia game on sea days which we did enjoy. The gym was adequate and clean. I did the yoga and pilates classes when they were offered and they were very good but there were only 3-4 of us who participated. Personally, I would have liked more classes but being as they werent well attended, I could understand why they didnt offer more. They also had an occasional movie….most were not current. Spa: I had several spa treatments. The massage and facial were good….the pedicure not worth the high price. I noticed that the charge for the treatments was more than the amounts quoted on my confirmation. I showed the spa manager and she said that the prices had been changed last year and didnt know why the prices were wrong on my confirmation. She gave me a refund which I thought was really nice. There was a sauna but no spa whirlpool or spa sitting area.Entertainment: We really liked the entertainers and they did a great job….These were not productions but rather themed music in the evenings most of the time. A magician performed twice and my husband said he was very good. There was a guest pianist who performed twice and he was awesome. The only problem we had with the entertainment was that it didnt begin until 10PM and we were usually too tired to go after a long day of touring.Internet: There were several packages for internet use. The internet was slow but it worked every time I wanted to use it and there were enough computers where I didnt have to wait for them.Dress code: We had one formal night and several “elegant casual” nights where the men were supposed to wear a jacket. We carry on all of our luggage so my husband didnt bring a jacket. It was our understanding that we would have alternative dining venues if he didnt bring a jacket. On the formal night, the casual dining area was closed so his only option would have been room service. I called reception to inquire as to what he could do and they found a jacket for him to use throughout the cruise (he had a shirt and tie). I didnt notice any men in tuxedos and most of the women just had on dressy dresses but not gowns.Bottom line: We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise…we especially liked the crew and the other cruisers. Would we cruise with Seabourn again? Yes, if the price is right and if the itinerary goes where we want to go. We got a great fare but we would not have paid the brochure fare by any means. I dont think it was any better than Oceania Cruises even though it has a higher rating.Great crew-tired ship3EmsMom

  Review By EmsMom

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• Dumbing down!

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  Dumbing down! We travelled from Hong Kong to Singapore on the Seabourn Pride. This was our second Seabourn cruise and we were looking forward to it as we had enjoyed the six star luxury of our first cruise on Seabourn Legend. Unfortunately it did not live up to our expectations.Embarkation in Hong Kong consisted of queueing in the rain behind a bus load of Belgians who seemed to be on a group charter cruise. When we finally got on the boat we were ushered into the lounge where we queued again to have our photos taken and our passes issued. Then we were left to find our own cabin. Our "personal stewardess" (loosely speaking) appeared after a little while, introduced herself and disappeared. Think we were a bit unlucky because other people had very good stewardesses, who ran them baths, made sculptures from their towels, kept their mini bar topped…

  Dumbing down! We travelled from Hong Kong to Singapore on the Seabourn Pride. This was our second Seabourn cruise and we were looking forward to it as we had enjoyed the six star luxury of our first cruise on Seabourn Legend. Unfortunately it did not live up to our expectations.Embarkation in Hong Kong consisted of queueing in the rain behind a bus load of Belgians who seemed to be on a group charter cruise. When we finally got on the boat we were ushered into the lounge where we queued again to have our photos taken and our passes issued. Then we were left to find our own cabin. Our "personal stewardess" (loosely speaking) appeared after a little while, introduced herself and disappeared. Think we were a bit unlucky because other people had very good stewardesses, who ran them baths, made sculptures from their towels, kept their mini bar topped up, etc. We werent too worried about any of that, but it would have been nice.The cabin was a bit shabby and in need of a makeover. There were signs of water damage around the plinths of all the furniture. The balcony we had paid quite a bit extra was only 1 foot deep and just about big enough to stand on. The food in the restaurants was ok but after about 10 days became bland and boring. Lunch on deck was very disappointing - hamburgers, hot dogs and a very meagre salad selection - the same every day. The fine wines on the "allowed" list were the type of wines you can buy in any supermarket for between £6-£10 per bottle. We asked for some chablis in our cabin instead of the champagne, because we dont like Champagne and were told it is not on the list, but we could buy some. This did not happen on our first cruise.The toiletries in the bathroom were on ration (again not the same as our first cruise, when there was an endless supply of decent size Molton Brown products). This time the sizes have reduced to miniature and I had to ask on three occasions for more bubble bath. One time having to ring reception in the evening because my note had been ignored by the stewardess.Pampering moments on deck (advertised as one of the luzury features) consisted of one 1hour session during the whole cruise.The BELGIANS! Well, what can one say? They took over the ship basically. They went everywhere enmasse, they shouted rather than talked to each other, they took over the skydeck bar every day - smoking all the time. There was probably about 50 of them all together and it changed the whole ambience of the cruise. Many of the other passengers were complaining about their behaviour.The end of the cruise was apparently two days before it should have been because our stewardess left a note in our cabin wishing us Bon Voyage and hoped that we had enjoyed our cruise. Most bizarre and we never saw again after Day 12. No goodbye in person - very strange.The Captain and his Officers were noticeable by their absence. The Captain appeared to have no interest in talking to the passengers. Some people were asking if he was still on the boat and were the announcements on the tannoy recorded messages! On a more positive note we did meet some very nice people (not Belgians) and see some interesting places. The restaurant waiters were always very attentive and they still deserve 6 stars. Sadly I think we could only give the overall experience 3 stars.Dumbing down!3Saffy

  Review By Saffy

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• Great ship... can't say the same for the food

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  Great ship... cant say the same for the food We boarded the Odyssey in Fort Lauderdale. I noticed the silk flowers in fake water and knew something was wrong.

  I want to begin on a positive note. The ship is lovely, beautifully designed and decorated. Great public spaces. Rooms are wonderful, decent closet space, nice bathroom and balconies. "The Square" on deck 7 is fantastic, a mix of a computer room, bistro, coffee bar, library, concierge and tour center. All other ships should take "The Square" on deck 7 and duplicate it.

  Ports visited were The San Blas Islands, Panama; Panama City,Panama; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Callao in Peru where we flew to Lima, Peru and the to Cusco to visit Machu Picchu, and then Santiago de Chile.

  The food was simple bad during our 26 day cruise. Let me begin on…

  Great ship... cant say the same for the food We boarded the Odyssey in Fort Lauderdale. I noticed the silk flowers in fake water and knew something was wrong.

  I want to begin on a positive note. The ship is lovely, beautifully designed and decorated. Great public spaces. Rooms are wonderful, decent closet space, nice bathroom and balconies. "The Square" on deck 7 is fantastic, a mix of a computer room, bistro, coffee bar, library, concierge and tour center. All other ships should take "The Square" on deck 7 and duplicate it.

  Ports visited were The San Blas Islands, Panama; Panama City,Panama; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Callao in Peru where we flew to Lima, Peru and the to Cusco to visit Machu Picchu, and then Santiago de Chile.

  The food was simple bad during our 26 day cruise. Let me begin on the pool grill:

  For 26 days, the menu was unvaried. Poor quality hamburgers with plastic wrapped tasteless cheese slices, undercooked chicken breasts that were returned for extra cooking two and three times. Cold and measly looking pizza. Even the Chef in charge had a cold for several days and was handling all food behind the counter.

  There are two restaurants on board.

  I will begin with "The Restaurant":

  When ordering chicken soup, you will be served double beef consomme. When ordering onion soup, you will get salted water with several slivers of onions. The fresh fish, no matter which one, is never fresh; always hard, overcooked and from frozen. Portions are meager. The Chef in charge does not know what he is doing and should be substituted.

  Even though wines are included with your dinner, they have "premium wines" at an additional cost which were never offered to us. One evening while dining with friends, we requested the larger goblet for red wine- the wine specialist or sommelier, Mr. James Smith, refused stating that it could cost him his job and rudely walked away. We were never treated in such manner anywhere.

  "Restaurant #2": this restaurant is very appropiately named.

  #2 as in the food. To begin with, rude waiters. We ordered cocktails prior to dinner, they came 20 minutes later and they brought us drinks that we did not order. The waiter argued with us insisting he did not make a mistake. The food is a joke- this restaurant, presumes to be a "Per Se" or a "French Laundry"- they are very wrong. Food is atrocious, but the service was offensive- I would never go back. It is the first time I walk out in the middle of dinner and sorry to say, we were not the only ones.

  Room Service: Have you ever ordered Espresso coffee, milk and sugar on the side, and when it arrives in your room- they forget the coffee? Believe it or not, they forgot the coffee. The mixed nuts with your cocktail, at any Bar or in room service come rancid- even after we complained, they were rancid the entire cruise. Fresh fish is never fresh, always frozen, hard, overcooked and under seasoned.

  Entertainment on board was very poor. The after dinner show could easily put anybody to sleep, and it did. Extremely poor, can not compare to other cruises like Crystal. There was not much entertainment, so I can not write more about it.

  There has to be major adjustments in the kitchen. There is a gap in the communication between the person taking the order and the person serving. Special requests are not understood, as if they do not understand English. The sauces that are requested on the side with your dinner either arrive on the food or never show up. It is all in the details- and Seabourn Odyssey your details are unfortunately lost at sea.

  Great ship... can't say the same for the food2

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• Pure Luxury on the Seabourn Odyssey

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  Pure Luxury on the Seabourn Odyssey We sailed on the Seabourn Odyssey, new to 6 star luxury cruising, we have sailed on Azamara & Celebrity cruises many times and wanted to see experience more.

  The cruise around the Greek Islands and Turkish delights was one place we had never visited before so the itinerary was ideal. The ship is beautifully designed with lots of space for the 450+ guests onboard, there was plenty of open space, and no rushing for a sunbed.on a smaller cruise it guarauntees 1:1 service, all staff work very hard and happy to do anything for you. around all decks outside all staff are always there ready to serve you drinks and ice creams and even offer sun cream lotion.

  everywhere on board is clean and highly maintained, there are plenty of areas around with comfortable seating, to give you…

  Pure Luxury on the Seabourn Odyssey We sailed on the Seabourn Odyssey, new to 6 star luxury cruising, we have sailed on Azamara & Celebrity cruises many times and wanted to see experience more.

  The cruise around the Greek Islands and Turkish delights was one place we had never visited before so the itinerary was ideal. The ship is beautifully designed with lots of space for the 450+ guests onboard, there was plenty of open space, and no rushing for a sunbed.on a smaller cruise it guarauntees 1:1 service, all staff work very hard and happy to do anything for you. around all decks outside all staff are always there ready to serve you drinks and ice creams and even offer sun cream lotion.

  everywhere on board is clean and highly maintained, there are plenty of areas around with comfortable seating, to give you ability to chill out and it makes it home away from home.

  The food is Michelin standard; fine dining service is supberb. Waiters escorts all ladies to the dining table, made to feel so elegant.

  The dress code most impressive; no one was allowed wearing jeans/ shorts tee shirts and on nights where dress code requested formal; all men have to wear jackets, shirts tie as well as for elegant casual nights, is was great to see how this was managed and adhered to, actually seeing men sent out of dining room to get a jacket was good. If you do not like and appreciate etiqutte of fine dining and dress code then this cruise may not be for you.

  The cabins were very spacious, and well laid out, with a walk-in closet and ensuite with bath and seperate shower.

  The entertainment team were our shining stars , Amy, Sion, Mark & Laura, together with Dancers Sergy and Ariyana most outstanding, they partnered well and really deserve standing ovation (not sure of spelling names correctly) wished we could have seen more of them perfoming. it was an absolute pleasue to be in thier company. The cruise director Nick and Brent was brilliant hosts, socialised very well with all, amazing appearances and wore some colourful clothes, made sure they meeted and greeted everybody,

  we partied and danced to music from the bands and singers, all were great, did not go to bed till the early hours everynight!

  All of seabourne crew and guest should be proud of what captain decribes, all are treated as "we are family", "seabourne family".

  The cruise was ultra inclusive, which included premium brand drinks, the waiters remember what you drink, and always had one ready on the table before you could take your seat and were always genuinely smiling, the room attendants were singing in the corridors, which to us meant they were happy in the working environment.

  The library and compter station was very good, very comforatble designed seating and all newspapers daily printed out. situation in coffe bar, which was fabulous.

  The gym however was rather small and not much equipment due to space and certainly not up to standard of LA fitness, was very hot, very narrow! Read the Eastern Mediterranean ports review by Keith HarrisonPure Luxury on the Seabourn OdysseyKeith Harrison

  Review By Keith Harrison

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• Seabourn Sojourn - Norway (2011)

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  Seabourn Sojourn - Norway (2011) We just returned from a 9-day Norway cruise (round trip from Copenhagen) on the Sojourn. Although we dont have the extensive luxury cruising experience of many who post on this site, I wanted to pass along our impressions. First of all, as background, my wife and I are in our mid 40s and we have a 17 year-old daughter who travels with us. While, our luxury cruise experience consists of only two cruises on Regent (Voyager Baltic, 2010 and Navigator Caribbean, 2011) and Cunard (Atlantic Crossing, Queens Grill, 2005), we do consistently take very nice vacations and we prefer to stay in nice hotels (Four Seasons, Mandarin, Ritz-Carlton, etc.). So, to some extent, we are naturally comparing experiences on Sojourn to land-based luxury experiences as well. However, for purposes of this post, I will primarily compare our Seabourn Sojourn experience to our two prior experiences…

  Seabourn Sojourn - Norway (2011) We just returned from a 9-day Norway cruise (round trip from Copenhagen) on the Sojourn. Although we dont have the extensive luxury cruising experience of many who post on this site, I wanted to pass along our impressions. First of all, as background, my wife and I are in our mid 40s and we have a 17 year-old daughter who travels with us. While, our luxury cruise experience consists of only two cruises on Regent (Voyager Baltic, 2010 and Navigator Caribbean, 2011) and Cunard (Atlantic Crossing, Queens Grill, 2005), we do consistently take very nice vacations and we prefer to stay in nice hotels (Four Seasons, Mandarin, Ritz-Carlton, etc.). So, to some extent, we are naturally comparing experiences on Sojourn to land-based luxury experiences as well. However, for purposes of this post, I will primarily compare our Seabourn Sojourn experience to our two prior experiences on Regent ships. While I understand that these impressions are entirely subjective and are based on a single Seabourn cruise on a single vessel, Im passing them along for whatever they may be worth.

  Overall, the Norway trip was one of the best trips weve ever taken. In part, that was due to the stunning scenery and location, which would have been amazing even if we were on a non-luxury ship. In addition to the scenery, however, the high quality Seabourn experience also made this a wonderful trip. There were a number of areas in which we thought that the Seabourn experience was superior to Regent, as well as some areas where we preferred our prior Regent experience. All in all, we think that both Seabourn and Regent offer excellent experiences, but we did note some differences.

  AREAS WHERE WE WOULD GIVE THE NOD TO SEABOURN SOJOURN:

  Food

  This is one area where we thought that Seabourn was the clear winner. While we didnt find the difference to be that significant in the main dining room, we thought that Seabourn was far superior in the other dining venues. This was particularly true for the Colonnade, which we thought was simply superb all the way around (the buffets at breakfast and lunch, as well as the superb dinners with table service and excellent dishes prepared to order in the open kitchen). We never thought that we were "settling" for lesser food quality or diminished quality of service when we opted to dine in the Colonnade in lieu of the main dining room. By comparison, we felt that the buffet-style dinners in Regents La Veranda were a notch-down in quality and atmosphere from the experience offered in Regents main dining rooms. When weather conditions permitted, the Sojourns pool grill also was open in the evening, serving excellent made-to-order steaks, lamb chops and other grilled items with table service, as well as antipastas, salads and other "side" items available as a buffet. While we have very much enjoyed Regents Prime 7 steakhouse venue, the dining there requires a reservation and might only be available once per cruise - by contrast, we could eat in Sojourns Colonnade or pool grill in the evening without a reservation anytime we wanted.

  I cant comment on Restaurant 2, as we never made it there for dinner (not because we were intentionally trying to avoid it, but simply because we never got around to it, as we found the other alternatives so appealing).

  Service in Dining Venues.

  This is another area where we would give the nod to Seabourn. It is hard to define precisely what was superior about it, but the European Seabourn dining staff somehow seemed more polished and professional. In addition, we never made a request that the dining staff was unable to grant. For example, waiters in each dining venue were happy to have decaffeinated iced tea specially prepared for my wife (she avoids caffeine but, being a Texan, she loves her iced tea). By contrast, my wife has made the same request in Regent dining venues a number of times, and the waiters have never been able to accommodate the request (in some cases, acting as though they had never heard that such a thing as decaffeinated iced tea even existed). All in all, the dining service on the Sojourn seemed to us to be essentially the same as what we would expect if staying and dining at a Four Seasons resort - spot on and highly consistent.

  Outdoor Public Areas of Ship

  We were really surprised by the wonderful outdoor "nooks and crannies" and other places to relax - from multiple hot tubs to secluded hidden deck areas, the exterior spaces on the Sojourn were incredibly well conceived and executed. We had the impression of almost being on a private yacht - really no comparison to Regent Navigator (which seemed cramped in terms of outdoor spaces) or Voyager.

  Stability of Ship and Lack of Vibration

  We sailed through some pretty rough waters in the North Sea, but the Sojourn seemed rock solid, without any hint of vibration. By contrast, we found the vibration in the rear portion of the Regent Navigator to be HIGHLY bothersome, and the Regent Voyager also seemed to have some issue with this.

  No Art Auctions

  The Sojourn had a relaxed but sophisticated on-board feeling, and thankfully no art auctions to destroy the ambiance (unlike Regent).

  AREAS WHERE WE WOULD GIVE THE NOD TO REGENT:

  Purser and Similar Services

  We thought that the Sojourn fell far short of the Regent standard in terms of on-board purser and similar services. While the "set up" of the personnel to assist with account/purser issues in Seabourn Square was good, there were some real problems with systems and/or execution. First of all, we had made the mistake of reserving some spa treatments and shore excursions online in advance of the cruise (not having previously sailed with Sojourn, we were afraid that these might be "sold out" if we waited until getting on board). Seabourns website required us to pay for these in advance with a credit card. Because we had significant onboard credits from American Express, I asked onboard to apply these credits to the spa treatments and shore excursions that we had pre-reserved. The staff in Seabourn Square was unable to accommodate this. At first, they essentially indicated that we were simply out of luck, and one staff member told me repeatedly that we should have simply reserved, but not paid for, the pre-booked items when we reserved - I told them that the website seemed to indicate that we MUST prepay for the pre-booked items. Eventually, we were paid out in cash for the items we had pre-paid, but this took several days to resolve. They were unable (or unwilling) to simply reverse the credit card charges.

  Secondly, we asked to get a key to our daughters suit (shes a minor), so that we would be able to access her suite if we need to do so. At first, we were told that the system would not accommodate this and that there could be only one key issued for each person in a suite. Finally, after three days, the purser was able to override the system (or something) and get us another key.

  These may seem like minor annoyances, but they were definitely annoyances, and these are not the type of issues with which weve ever had a hassle on Regent or at a high-end hotel on land.

  Bars Open During Day

  Only one bar (the pool bar) was open prior to 6:00 pm on the Sojourn. By contrast, on Regent we had always appreciated that there was at least one other indoor (and more convenient) bar open during the day - which was nice if returning from a long shore excursion, etc.

  Smoking Policy

  While our suites never smelled of smoke, the hallways often smelled of it when passing other cabins. Also, the observation bar could be extremely stinky from smoke when it was full of people. We much prefer Regents smoking policy.

  Places to Get Coffee in the Morning

  While the Sojourn had excellent coffee drinks of various sorts available in Seabourn Square, one had to get the coffee from the staff member working the coffee counter and there was often a line (and a wait). This was the only thing for which I ever had to wait in a line on the Sojourn - but I hate waiting in lines. I have always enjoyed the ability to get self-service coffee (at Coffee Connection or by the pool) on Regent. This may seem minor to most people, but its annoying to me to have to wait just to get a cup of coffee and to not have a self-service option.

  Suites

  Although this is a close one (and in most respects we found the Sojourn suites to be equivalent to the Regent suites), there were a couple of minor things that would cause us to give the nod to the Regent suites. First, the dressing area (with mirror) on the Sojourn is in the entry hallway and is completely exposed if one opens the suite door. So, when opening the door to the suite from the outside, it would be very easy to expose ones spouse, etc. to an embarrassing situation if they happen to be getting dressed. By contrast, this area in the Regent suites is at an angle, sort of "around the corner" and not exposed to the suite door.

  Also, while the bathrooms were very pretty, we thought that the double sink configuration was a mistake. The second sink deprived the bathroom of too much storage space and was not really useful.

  Once again, not a big differences in the suites.

  All in all, two excellent cruise lines. We likely will sail both in the future (depending on itinerary, etc.).Seabourn Sojourn - Norway (2011)Texan1636

  Review By Texan1636

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