Decision, Seabourn Sojourn or Celebrity Edge.

[breadandbutter]

I'm posting this on both Seabourn and Celebrity forums.

I've cruised with both companies many times, I'm comparing the same month and duration, but I can't pick between them, heres what I love about them,

Love on Seabourn...

Less people

Smaller ports

Caviar anywhere

Caviar in the surf

High quality of food and service.

However I think Seabourn is very lacking when it comes to making cocktails. 

 

Celebrity...

Love all the food options and bars available

Is half the price of Seabourn 

Entertainment

 

Has anyone cruise on both these ships recently?

Thank you in advance for any help

B&B

Edited April 24, 2022 by breadandbutter
Typo

[saminina]

FWIW, I agree with what you have listed.   No cruises on either since January 2020.   Your priorities are much different than mine.  C for you, SB for me.   But SB is much less cost for me because it would take a Royal Suite on C to get me on board.  

[Covepointcruiser]

You would have to book at least a Sky Suite on Celebrity to get near the cabin size on Seabourn.   Prices are comparable.

[SLSD]

We  have only sailed on Seabourn and Silversea and can't imagine doing Celebrity.  It will be interesting to see if you can find someone who has done both and has a detailed opinion.  We care nothing about caviar.  We would like to see more attention to cocktails on SB. 

Edited April 25, 2022 by SLSD

[cruising kirby]

I have been in a Sky Suite on Celebrity once, and have many more cruises with Seabourn.  Nothing in the past 2 years since Covid so my opinion is a little dated.

 

For me, there is just no comparison between Celebrity and Seabourn, they are completely different experiences.  I enjoyed Celebrity (what's not to like about a holiday?) and yes, the food was certainly very good. We had our own "suite guests only dining room" which provided a level of personalised service.  The ship I was on was modern and the decor was very nice. I can see why people would choose that cruiseline.  

 

However, the big ships are just not for me any more.  I will always prioritise Seabourn because I like the opportunity to form friendships on board, to get to know the crew, to feel like the service is personalised to my preferences.  When I am on Seabourn I feel completely comfortable.  I like being called by name and having my favourite crew know something about me.  There are so many crew that we have sailed with many times, and that Seabourn "family" is priceless to me.  I agree with all of the Seabourn positives listed in the original post.  However I've never had a problem with the cocktails, other than having one too many on occasion!

 

 

[markham]

I chose to look at how the Celebrity board boosters handle this question but don’t find the entry.

That’s ok.

What I did see was very un-Seabourn. Lots of people trying to maneuver around the various ships’ deals, options, policies and vagaries. What a maze.

That’s all I need to manage as a new cruiser. That image sets the prospect of Celebrity aside. The luxury, simplicity and all-inclusive smaller ship concept of Seabourn wins hands down. Luxury>mass market every time.

Happy and healthy sailing!

[jdk-atlga]

I had this very same decision a few years ago, before my first SB cruise. I had just booked Celebrity (on the then-new Edge) for a Caribbean cruise. On a lark, I compared price and features (apples to apples) to SB and SB came in costing much less than Celebrity. I recognize that the Edge was brand new and that factored into the higher price, but after being on the SB Odyssey, that was it for me. Drop the mike and move on - again for me. That said, I would consider another Celebrity cruise if the itinerary (transoceanic - with many sea days to fill) was right. 

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, markham said:

I chose to look at how the Celebrity board boosters handle this question but don’t find the entry.

That’s ok.

What I did see was very un-Seabourn. Lots of people trying to maneuver around the various ships’ deals, options, policies and vagaries. What a maze.

That’s all I need to manage as a new cruiser. That image sets the prospect of Celebrity aside. The luxury, simplicity and all-inclusive smaller ship concept of Seabourn wins hands down. Luxury>mass market every time.

Happy and healthy sailing!

Out of curiosity, I went to the Celebrity board and found the thread.  By this time, it may be several pages down.  

[rucrazy]

We sailed on Celebrity for years on the Millennium class ships after they got rid of the Century Class ships which were our favorites because of size.

Also have sailed Holland America Vista class ships...

Our upcoming voyage this December will be our first sailing on Seaborn (we also have booked the Sojourn) I honestly don't think one can compare the three lines... I do know DECADES ago on both Celebrity and HAL service and food was superb, but that was a long time ago...example I cannot honestly remember when I heard "It would be my pleasure" on either of the two previous lines we cruised. Only time will tell if Seabourn lives up to our expectations.

[purpleally]

Seabourn.  Period. 

[johng75370]

We have recent experience with this question: did Edge in February 2022 in a Sky Suite and had “The Retreat” experience, and was on Seabourn Odyssey in Sept 2021/Seabourn Ovation Nov 21.  Short answer: for us Seabourn hands down.  Longer answer: Entertainment on Celebrity Edge was of course a different level than Seabourn can offer due to stage and scale of things.  It’s a big ship and there is space to roam.  Dancing, and overall energy of ship much higher on Edge.  The Retreat lounge and special pool area is nice, and almost at the service level you’d find on Seabourn.  Otherwise, especially with food and beverage, there was no comparison; Seabourn was just another league.  Minor example; at the Luminae restaurant they will do a “Eggs Benedict Smoked Salmon (Eggs Royale) with Caviar”, but it is served with the lowest grade crappy caviar possible; Seabourn happily serves it with their decent quality standard offering.  Had some good meals in Luminae, but many were not.  

 

But it’s the service and staff that keep us coming back to Seabourn, and that is the biggest difference.  On Seabourn, the staff are connecting with you and “smiling with their eyes”; Celebrity Edge had a fraction of that.  Because of “The Retreat”, on Edge you will be in a class-based society and it takes away from the experience; on Seabourn there is none of that.  Celebrity Edge was fun for us, no question, but Seabourn is always memorably fun and just a different experience.  

[billdip]

I have done price comparisons a number of times between Seabourn/Silversea class ships and other lines. When you start with a 300 sq. ft. suite standard on Seaborn and add in all the extras included with the luxury lines, prices are pretty much the same, but the overall cruise experience is better on a Seabourn-type line.

[fudgbug]

No contest! Seabourn!

[Cru Doll]

3 hours ago, fudgbug said:

No contest! Seabourn!

Ditto!!!   Enough said!  

[breadandbutter]

A big thank you to all of you for replying.

Someone was curious about the comments left on the Celebrity board, well..... those comments were in a different class from the ones left here, including some snippy remarks about my post, and veering off to discuss Crystal.

I will be sailing with Seabourn again, bring on the champers 😉

Cheers

[2SailingNomads]

Curious to the comments about cocktails.  There have been over the years on Seabourn some very good bartenders, and some that are simply drink pourers.  I often like to, when the bartender is not busy, ask them to surprise me with a drink where I only name the spirit, which allows them to think creatively and shows me if they know their stuff. 

 

[Mahogany]

On 4/26/2022 at 12:25 AM, johng75370 said:

We have recent experience with this question: did Edge in February 2022 in a Sky Suite and had “The Retreat” experience, and was on Seabourn Odyssey in Sept 2021/Seabourn Ovation Nov 21.  Short answer: for us Seabourn hands down.  Longer answer: Entertainment on Celebrity Edge was of course a different level than Seabourn can offer due to stage and scale of things.  It’s a big ship and there is space to roam.  Dancing, and overall energy of ship much higher on Edge.  The Retreat lounge and special pool area is nice, and almost at the service level you’d find on Seabourn.  Otherwise, especially with food and beverage, there was no comparison; Seabourn was just another league.  Minor example; at the Luminae restaurant they will do a “Eggs Benedict Smoked Salmon (Eggs Royale) with Caviar”, but it is served with the lowest grade crappy caviar possible; Seabourn happily serves it with their decent quality standard offering.  Had some good meals in Luminae, but many were not.  

 

But it’s the service and staff that keep us coming back to Seabourn, and that is the biggest difference.  On Seabourn, the staff are connecting with you and “smiling with their eyes”; Celebrity Edge had a fraction of that.  Because of “The Retreat”, on Edge you will be in a class-based society and it takes away from the experience; on Seabourn there is none of that.  Celebrity Edge was fun for us, no question, but Seabourn is always memorably fun and just a different experience.  

I am currently on Odyssey, have another 3 weeker on Encore in Sept., so many times on Seabourn. I have a booking on Apex in the Retreat next spring but will probably cancel based on your notes. Just wanted a new ship but was always a bit leery of the class distinction between Retreat and the rest of the ship. Thanks for your comments.

[whystayhome]

Just off the Apex, which I believe is similar to the Edge. We booked at the last minute, so we were limited with respect to cabin availability.  The  ship is fairly new, has an interesting decor, and was absolutely immaculate.  
 

It took a few days to get over culture shock:  we are not used to loud, frenetic fun.  But, if you work on it, you can find a quiet place to have a drink or read.

The entry level cabins are much smaller than Seabourn’s standard cabins. We were in a “balcony,” which was really just a room with a floor to ceiling window that opened.  Our cabin did not have a bathtub and there were no toiletries, but the shower was probably twice the size of the typical Seabourn shower.

 

There was quite a range in our fellow passengers, from people who seemed to be similar to a typical Seabourn crowd to many who were…not.  
 

The food was hit or miss, but the servers in the dining room and bar were attentive.  The wines on the premium list were generally inferior to the included wines on Seabourn.  We met a couple who had access to the “Blu” restaurant but were eating in the main dining rooms because they said the food was better in those venues. We did a champagne dinner in the steak house, and it was pretty good, although the filet could have been a little more tender.

 

The entertainment was disappointing.  The comedian and magician were awful.  We wondered what happened to the vaunted production shows, but eventually learned through the grapevine that those performers were in COVID quarantine.  There didn’t seem to be very much to do during the day unless you wanted to pay extra for some activities or sit in the casino.  We felt that the company goal was to nickel-and-dime people to death.
 

The pool area was very crowded and it was hard to get a lounge chair if you got there after 9AM.  The pool was also very small given the passenger load, and at times it got excessively crowded.

 

In summary, our first choice will always be Seabourn, but we really didn’t suffer on the Apex.  If there were a good buy on a convenient sailing at a convenient time, we might consider sailing with Celebrity again.  For now, I’m hoping that our third attempt at July’s 3-week Norway/Baltic cruise, with its greatly amended itinerary (including a change today!) will go forward.

 

linda

[Asquare]

On 5/1/2022 at 3:52 PM, 2SailingNomads said:

Curious to the comments about cocktails.  There have been over the years on Seabourn some very good bartenders, and some that are simply drink pourers.  I often like to, when the bartender is not busy, ask them to surprise me with a drink where I only name the spirit, which allows them to think creatively and shows me if they know their stuff. 

 

Oh, so true!  First night on board I asked for a Margarita with a twist…I received a marvelous margarita!  Tonight, my bartender & I created the Mediterranean Sunset…it needs some refining but what a fun time we had!  Tomorrow, I am teaching him a new trick…elderflower foam!