A Lurker's perspective

[IanL]

Having only recently taken to cruising, I have been trying to find an ideal Cruise Line to use in the future and so after lurking in the background for a period decided to try Seabourn and now feel I should add something to the board which may (or not) help other lurkers in their search. Previously we had travelled with Celebrity in Aqua and Cunard in Queens Grill and enjoyed both but were attracted by the smaller ship concept. Having just completed a 23 night cruise from Barcelona to Lisbon and then the Transatlantic to Barbados on Odessey, here are some very random thoughts that may assist others who are still searching and lurking in the background.

Both embarkation and leaving the ship were totally 150% trouble free with no hassle whatsoever (Cunard, even in Queens Grill, was not short of a nightmare). The processes were seamless and stress-free. This was also true for stops en-route (unlike the larger Celebrity ships which were often problematic). Every passenger was bidden farewell by the Captain and other senior Officers; luggage retrieval easier than airport carrousels. On arrival before suites were ready, guests were each escorted to the Colonnade. It was rare to meet a member of restaurant staff who did not know your name – very much a club atmosphere.

Veranda Suites are well sized and my opinion better laid out than Cunard Penthouse suites altho the veranda itself was ‘compact’. Bathrooms were good and more than enough hanging space. Our fridge was (according to my wife) a not cold enough & and was replaced in 20 minutes flat by a brand new item. The suite was in good decorative condition. Aircon perfect.

The outstanding element (in my view) was the food and that I rate more highly than Cunard’s QG. Generally it was not only quite exciting but also well served. My partner has a few dislikes (rather than allergies) but after day one these were always accommodated except in food on Keller menus (but more of that later). To summarise here: Never a bad meal and usually exceptional service, the only exception being Breakfast where service was often hit and miss. Keller additions were frequent and generally well appreciated – just made choosing harder. Lunch here was often a good alternative to the hustle and bustle of the Colonnade. I say ‘hustle and bustle’ but there was always a seat and somebody to look after your needs. Here Breakfasts were good altho standard with brownie points for excellent fresh fruit selection. Lunches were busy (especially before warmer weather allowed may to migrate to the outside areas. Lunches equally good with a good variety. We did not eat there often in the evenings, but when we did we found food sometimes plated to far in advance of serving. Outside at the patio was the least exciting option at lunch but at night came into its own with Earth & Ocean – only just added to the ship. A true Bordieuan event for which the staff used all their skills to present a meal which exceeded the sum of its parts. It was regrettable that the weather did not allow for more opportunities, and by the end of the cruise it was necessary to turn up early to have a table.  

Only occasionally did we use the bars but they were equal to the service and quality  we had come to expect in other areas. The Spa service was good and the Serene Facilities excellent, never being crowded – we took a booking for the whole voyage which was excellent value especially in the poorer climes. Gym was OK but very limited. My wife found the Pilates classes good and fairly frequent. Laundry facilities were good and heavily utilised. Seabourn Square was much appreciated for its hub activities and while its library could never equal that on the Cunard ships it was well stocked with a wide selection of hardbacks. Another appreciated feature was the ability to connect with the on-board server for daily downloads of major newspapers – to me this seems to render the printing of daily news sheets or the newspapers that some were entitled to a huge waste of resource in material, production and delivery. 

Ships excursions were very average, their only redeeming feature being that the coaches were only ever filled to two thirds capacity. (One was so mediocre that there was a voluntary refund to the whole group of 20% after the event.)

We are not ‘sun loungers’ but noted that there was more than adequate provision and that service to them was good. Ad-hoc events such as the ‘block’ parties and pool caviar concerts were very succesful. The ‘evening with Tim Rice’ is good (for one visit).

Both 
So, is it the perfect small ship cruise partner? I for one will be using their facilities again.
 

[frantic36]

Ian thank you for taking the time to give a new to Seabourn review. I found some of comparison to Cunard Queen's Grill interesting as we will be doing a first time sailing on QM2 in 2020 in the QG. 

 

Julie

[Isklaar]

Thank you for delurking to share your thoughts Ian! 

Interesting to read about the comparison with Cunard, we're also planning a QM2 cruise at some point.

 

[MightyQuinn]

A lurker comes into the light!  Thanks so much for sharing your observations about your first Seabourn cruise.  It's wonderful to read such positive comments which reinforce what we love about SB.  I hope you purchased a Future Cruise Deposit while you were onboard so you can enjoy a 5% discount when booking your next cruise.

[raphael360]

HI Ian,

     No longer a lurker but a member of the family.  I too was a chronic cruiser on Celebrity and always booked Aqua class rooms.  Celebrity's Aqua class is a step above almost any of the big box cruise lines. 

     On a whim we took our first Seabourn cruise in 2012 just for fun.  That was 9 cruises ago.  We leave on #10 on Saturday and have #11 and 12 booked for 2019.  We could never go back to the big cruise lines for all of the reasons you mentioned in your original post.  We did "test drive" a 7 day Oceania cruise out of Miami on the Rivera but that wasn't any better than a Celebrity cruise.

    Thank you for your post and welcome.

Edited December 7, 2018 by raphael360
corrected dates