First time on Seabourn!

[don731]

Hello!  Don and Susan here from Barrington, IL.  We are longtime cruisers, veterans of Cunard, Regent, Azamara, and most recently Oceania.  Last year, we did back to backs out of MIA on the Riviera.  We were wondering if anyone has done a real compare and contrast between Oceania and Seabourn.  We're on the Ovation out of MIA on 13Feb22.  Cheers and thanks!

Edited September 19, 2021 by don731

[SLSD]

I have not cruised with Oceania, but I know people who have who really liked the line.  I do know that Seabourn is more all inclusive in terms of alcohol.  Seabourn does not charge extra for beer, wine, mixed drinks unless you choose something off of their included list.  Also, Seabourn provides caviar at any time you order it at no extra charge.  I'm sure there are more differences as Seabourn is considered a luxury line, while Oceania is a premium line. 

 

Hopefully someone here has sailed both lines and can give you more specifics. 

 

I know you will enjoy Seabourn.  It is a wonderful cruise line and I have had very few complaints.  I did do a search on this forum for a compare and contrast and did not find one.  That does not mean it has not been done.  The search function is not optimal.  

 

I just did a google search and found this:  

 

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by SLSD

[don731]

Thanks!  Interesting thread.  The only recurring negative we had on the Riviera was the lack of space for everyone at the pool on sea days.  Inept management of guests “reserving” half a dozen deck loungers with an empty water bottle or a book.  Some days the deck manager was very assertive, other days lackadaisical.  Many complaints, we heard.  The food was exceptional, both in the MDR, and the four specialty restaurants.  Even the pool deck grill was fabulous.  Room service breakfast was disappointing, with no hot items available.  Our exemplar for service is still Regent, where every crew member did greet you by name, and the officers were very engaged with the passengers.  

[SLSD]

40 minutes ago, don731 said:

Thanks!  Interesting thread.  The only recurring negative we had on the Riviera was the lack of space for everyone at the pool on sea days.  Inept management of guests “reserving” half a dozen deck loungers with an empty water bottle or a book.  Some days the deck manager was very assertive, other days lackadaisical.  Many complaints, we heard.  The food was exceptional, both in the MDR, and the four specialty restaurants.  Even the pool deck grill was fabulous.  Room service breakfast was disappointing, with no hot items available.  Our exemplar for service is still Regent, where every crew member did greet you by name, and the officers were very engaged with the passengers.  

We are not pool lounging people, but I have heard the same complaints on Seabourn----inconsiderate guests who reserve loungers and then don't use them while others are waiting. 

 

We have really enjoyed Seabourn room service breakfasts, but have only ordered very very occasionally for other meals.  We prefer to go to the restaurants.  

[maxamize]

4 hours ago, don731 said:

Hello!  Don and Susan here from Barrington, IL.  We are longtime cruisers, veterans of Cunard, Regent, Azamara, and most recently Oceania.  Last year, we did back to backs out of MIA on the Riviera.  We were wondering if anyone has done a real compare and contrast between Oceania and Seabourn.  We're on the Ovation out of MIA on 13Feb22.  Cheers and thanks!

 
Hello Don and Suzan, I wrote this review a couple of years ago about Oceania vs Seabourn 

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=542568

 

 

[WNcruiser]

We are also taking our first Seabourn cruise in a couple months. Mostly sail in suites on Celebrity or Princess and have enjoyed Oceania a few times. 
Hoping for a more upscale quiet experience this time with some new ports. 
 

The Seabourn boards are very quiet but I may do some live posts. 

[labonnevie]

We have cruised on Regent (8 with 2 more booked), Seabourn (4 with 1 more booked) and Oceania (once in 2011 on the Marina). These numbers tell our preferences.

Our Oceania itinerary was superb, the food was good, not great, and the service was ok. We had problems with engineering trying to move us to another cabin to complete work that was to have been done during a prior refit. We could find nothing in our cabin that needed to be worked on. The cabin they wanted to move us to was a substantially lesser cabin. We refused.

We love Seabourn, the ships, the food and the crews. We also love Regent for the same reasons, although we are not favorable to the Navigator. Clientele is similar on Regent and Seabourn, we have met many, many interesting and engaging people on both, so we keep coming back. 

Of course, everyone is different and has different experiences...

[Lisacope]

I just returned from my first Seabourn cruise after having sailed previously on Celebrity, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. I am sure it's not a fair comparison - this was our first cruise on a luxury cruise line but we were simply blown away. The service, the food, the crew, and the ship (Ovation) were all fantastic. We applied for a future cruise credit - now to pick another one!