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Is Seabourn too posh?


robert.hoare
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Hi all, am looking into cruising with Seabourn next year but being a 28yr old blue collar Aussie I am worried it about it being to upmarket for me.

Iv cruised on celebrity and Windstar and i dont like the idea of waiting for service like the bigger ships and much more enjoyed Windstar. Anyway what you think? Am I too bogan for Seabourn haha.

Cheers

 

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Hi there from Australia!

 

You’d be young.

 

But as they say, manners maketh man.

 

So only you can answer the question. Seabourn doesn’t discriminate when you book.

 

Beer pong, loud raucous behaviour dressed in singlet, shorts with beer in hand (nothing wrong with the latter on its own) might not go down well.

 

I think if you enjoyed windstar, from

What I’ve heard you’ll go ok.

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I think you maybe one of the younger ones on board but if you do a Med cruise it does tend to have a younger crowd. Are you upper middle bogan this is the question? No, really I think if you like good food and good company you will fit it. Dress shirt and pants for dinner and you should be fine. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how friendly people on board Seabourn are.

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Seabourn is not a bogan cruise line, and has a stimulating and interesting group of passengers. The mix is around 50% from USA, 25% of Europeans/British and we follow up with the rest inclusive of our NZ friends!.

The age group sweet spot is 45 - 65, but there are others either side of that. Smart clothing is the order of the day, and a nice sports jacket / shirt and tie will not go amiss. We are about to take the 6th cruise with Seabourn and again looking forward to it, take the plunge you should enjoy it, but the bogan remains at home!.

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I have met some great "blue collar Aussies" on Seabourn!!! Not every Seabourn passenger is a doctor, lawyer or business mogul! You don't need a tertiary education and/or a million dollar bank balance to feel comfortable. Compared to mass market cruiselines, Seabourn is much more sedate though, so do your research and make sure it is the type of experience you are looking for. We always have a lot of fun on Seabourn and meet interesting people from all walks of life, but they are not "party ships"!!!!

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I had to look up bogan for a definition since I am an American. I think you have asked a difficult question: "Is Seabourn too posh?"

 

I've been giving it some thought. It depends on what you are used to and what you expect. Most SB passengers are somewhat wealthy and most are well educated. If you are not used to socializing with people like this, you may find them a bit offputting. Many of the passengers have multiple homes (some have homes of several continents), dress very well, and probably don't socialize with many blue collar people. If this would make you feel uncomfortable, it may not be a cruise line you will enjoy.

 

And yes, you would be very young among the other passengers. On our last SB cruise, the youngest passengers were in their 30s (one couple), I saw very few in their 40s, with most passengers being in their 60s and beyond.

 

Spend some time reading the threads on this board and you may be able to get a better idea of what a SB cruise is like. As others have said, these ships are not party ships. In fact, they are quite sedate.

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I think you maybe one of the younger ones on board but if you do a Med cruise it does tend to have a younger crowd. Are you upper middle bogan this is the question? No, really I think if you like good food and good company you will fit it. Dress shirt and pants for dinner and you should be fine. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how friendly people on board Seabourn are.

 

Totally agree with this, especially on the Med cruises as the cruise we were just on in July was definitely more in the 45-early 60's age group. Lots of Australians on board. If you enjoy travel and can feel comfortable in fine dining, as well as a relaxed outdoor Patio Grill then you shouldn't have a problem.

 

Julie

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As a Yank, I also had to look up a Wikipedia definition of "Bogan." Well, here is my assessment: My family is blue collar, and I have clawed my way up to the educated middle class, maybe upper middle if one considers assets. My husband is also proud of his blue collar roots. We've enjoyed one very long Seabourn cruise and are returning for another long one in November. We found a number of others on board with less-than-posh backgrounds. In general, folks were not snooty and did not give us attitude. But you will be quite young compared to the general Seabourn demographic, so be prepared for that.

 

If you were comfy on Windstar vis-a-vis class status, Seabourn will pose no problems.

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On Seabourn, and indeed the other luxury lines, I think it comes down to how well you relate to others across different ages and social situations. You'll find people you get on well with and some that you do not. Give it a try - no harm done!

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My family is blue collar, and I have clawed my way up to the educated middle class, maybe upper middle if one considers assets. My husband is also proud of his blue collar roots. We've enjoyed one very long Seabourn cruise and are returning for another long one in November. We found a number of others on board with less-than-posh backgrounds. In general, folks were not snooty and did not give us attitude. But you will be quite young compared to the general Seabourn demographic, so be prepared for that.

 

 

We have a similar background and totally agree with everything you said.

 

Opp - I wouldn’t worry about “too bogan”, just about your age. At 28 years old, you’ll very likely be the youngest passenger on board. We are 45 and 37 and still frequently are the youngest...

 

Floris

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Thanks for all the replies, the wife and I are quite contempt with each others company but we enjoy the company of all ages (the older the more stories 🤣), the party scene is not for us and enjoyed the luxury of smaller ships so we will give it a go.

Thanks everyone.

 

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Thanks for all the replies, the wife and I are quite contempt with each others company

 

Yes I find Mrs Rols totally contemptible too but she cleans up remarkably well so we continue to travel together. :D:D:D:D:D:D

 

but we enjoy the company of all ages (the older the more stories 藍), the party scene is not for us and enjoyed the luxury of smaller ships so we will give it a go.

Thanks everyone.

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Forums mobile app

With an attitude like that I think you'll find Seabourn just fine. We were probably some of the youngest travellers when we started with the line, and are still working our way up the age scale, as slowly as possible. We've found the majority, even the supermajority, of people we've met on the cruises to nice, intelligent, down to earth people. Nobody on Seabourn cares one whit as to the colour of your collar, although they will expect you to have a collar of some sort on your shirt of an evening in the master dining room.

 

Seabourn isn't stuffy, or posh. It's a nice, relaxed and refined way to travel. Enjoy, hope to meet you on a cruise one day.

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OK, we are a little bit older than you, but loved Seabourn for its relaxed luxury.

Nothing stiff and formal about it.

Less dress up than Cunard.

People who like the finer things in life, but don't make a song and dance about it.

And you will get along well with the officers and entertainment staff who will be thrilled to have some guest a bit closer to their own ages.

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I love the description of "relaxed luxury" - I recently had a first Seabourn cruise after many on princess, celebrity, and others. Those ships seem like organized chaos in comparison: Jostling for spots at the buffet, constant lines, no available seats at the lounge in primetime, finding a drink server and negotiating the drink package dance, etc etc.

 

Nothing stuffy, just a relaxed calmness the entire time - service is excellent but it's more friendly than formal.

 

As far as the age - granted my cruise was in the Med in summer - there were many younger couples and even *gasp* teens and pre-teen kids/families, if you pick the itinerary and month carefully there will be people of all ages.

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I agree with brontophere's advice re choosing your itinerary and month carefully. Working-age passengers typically gravitate to shorter cruises that take place during the summer and/or winter holidays. That's one of the reasons Med cruises tend to attract a younger passenger mix than is typical on Seabourn. Med cruises are shorter and port-intensive -- similar to what you'd find on Windstar.

 

Retirees, on the other hand, often prefer longer voyages that involve more sea days (and hence more time between ports).

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I describe Seabourn to friends as "understated luxury" or elegant casual". I don't find it to be offputting in a posh/overly luxe manner. Rather the comfort one might find at a private club.

 

I'm in my mid-40s, husband is in his late-40s... we find the age range comfortable for us. Seabourn does not typically attract the "party hard" crowd and most guests are comfortable conversing with people they find interesting of all ages.

 

Most passengers will have a somewhat refined degree of social grace but that is not always the case. But those who lack decorum (whether it is through uncouth behavior/dress/language or by being snobbish/ judgmental) are typically in the minority and can generally be easily avoided.

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A wealthy well educated pain in the ass is still a pain in the ass. A redneck (bogan) with great conversation skills is still great company.

 

I have seen several people try to impress their fellow guests on Seabourn and fail miserably when someone far wealthier or better educated comes along. Almost always it is down to other guests to utter the immortal words, "do you know who that is?" as they put the upstart in their place.

 

If anything I see more jockeying for position on the mainstream lines. Look what cabin I've got, look at my status in the loyalty programme and ultimately look how rich I am. Wealth never enters the conversation on Seabourn.

 

Give it a whirl.

 

Henry :)

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