Seabourn First Timer Questions please

[Salf777]

So have recently been sailing on Celebrity in their Retreat. Due to recent policy changes at celebrity have decided to try Seabourn. Celebrity premium drink package now charge $2 for a glass of wine that was included a month ago (it’s a $19 bottle of wine), no more onboard credit or very little, no included gratuities, and many other changes. 
So we looked and watched some videos and book a sailing on the Ovation, which is actually cheaper than a Celebrity sailing and we have heard great things about Seabourn

so a few questions for you experienced people please

1. Do we need to rush and make dining reservations when available or are they usually all available 

2. Any must do restaurants?

3. What is the dress code we don’t dress like slobs but like a casual look (sometime even nice jeans with a nice button down shirt)

4. We are in a V4 veranda suite, does that include bottled water, soft drinks, WiFi.

5. How is the WiFi?

6. I see it says most excursions are included, are these just like basic tours and are the good? Do they have for a charge excursions? We prefer more active

 

Lastly any advice you can give to a first timer appreciated. I know a lot of this can be found on the web but I find talking to experienced cruisers gets me better real advice so thank you

[caviarforme]

25 minutes ago, Salf777 said:

Do we need to rush and make dining reservations when available or are they usually all available 

2. Any must do restaurants?

3. What is the dress code we don’t dress like slobs but like a casual look (sometime even nice jeans with a nice button down shirt)

4. We are in a V4 veranda suite, does that include bottled water, soft drinks, WiFi.

5. How is the WiFi?

6. I see it says most excursions are included, are these just like basic tours and are the good? Do they have for a charge excursions? We prefer more active

 

 

1 Reservations for Solis are restricted to one per "Sector" - otherwise book on board whe required

2 Depends on what you like - try the Sushi a lunchtime

3 I am a traditionalist and would NEVER wear jeans in a restaurant, however it is allowed except on formal nights.

4 All suites have water and a stocked minibar - you are traveling at a different level from Celebrity

5 Wifi is good - never found the need to pay for a faster service

6 Not sure where you saw that excursions are included - they are normally at an additional charge and are listed on your online booking

[Salf777]

6 minutes ago, caviarforme said:

 

1 Reservations for Solis are restricted to one per "Sector" - otherwise book on board whe required

2 Depends on what you like - try the Sushi a lunchtime

3 I am a traditionalist and would NEVER wear jeans in a restaurant, however it is allowed except on formal nights.

4 All suites have water and a stocked minibar - you are traveling at a different level from Celebrity

5 Wifi is good - never found the need to pay for a faster service

6 Not sure where you saw that excursions are included - they are normally at an additional charge and are listed on your online booking

Thank you and I wasn’t referring to wearing jeans to dinner I meant if we were walking around the ship exploring 

also I had looked wrong it said Venture and Pursuit included some excursions 

Edited April 12 by Salf777

[SDuckers]

1 hour ago, Salf777 said:

So have recently been sailing on Celebrity in their Retreat. Due to recent policy changes at celebrity have decided to try Seabourn. Celebrity premium drink package now charge $2 for a glass of wine that was included a month ago (it’s a $19 bottle of wine), no more onboard credit or very little, no included gratuities, and many other changes. 
So we looked and watched some videos and book a sailing on the Ovation, which is actually cheaper than a Celebrity sailing and we have heard great things about Seabourn

so a few questions for you experienced people please

1. Do we need to rush and make dining reservations when available or are they usually all available 

2. Any must do restaurants?

3. What is the dress code we don’t dress like slobs but like a casual look (sometime even nice jeans with a nice button down shirt)

4. We are in a V4 veranda suite, does that include bottled water, soft drinks, WiFi.

5. How is the WiFi?

6. I see it says most excursions are included, are these just like basic tours and are the good? Do they have for a charge excursions? We prefer more active

 

Lastly any advice you can give to a first timer appreciated. I know a lot of this can be found on the web but I find talking to experienced cruisers gets me better real advice so thank you

1.  Other than Solis, generally no reservations are required.  Sometimes they'll do a specialty night at the Colonnade that requires reservations, but you do that once you're on the ship.

2.  The selection of restaurants on Seabourn is more limited.  Main dining room, Colonnade (buffet at breakfast and lunch, seated at dinner but more casual than the MDR), Earth & Ocean (poolside patio) and (on some ships) sushi.  DH and I love Earth & Ocean but the menu is much more limited, and no reservations so sometimes there's a wait.

3. Other than formal night, there isn't really a strict dress code.  Somewhat nicer at dinner in the MDR (no shorts, and only "elegant" jeans).  You will be just fine in nice jeans and a button down.

4.  All suites have a minibar with included water and soft drinks (tell your suite attendant what you like).

5.  It used to be iffy, but now that the ships are tied into Starlink, I hear the WiFi is quite good.  If you want the ability to use streaming services, you'll have to upgrade beyond the complimentary WiFi though.

6.  Other than the expedition ships, no excursions are included on Seabourn.

 

You will fall in love with Seabourn!

[Woodrowst]

2 hours ago, caviarforme said:

 

6 Not sure where you saw that excursions are included - they are normally at an additional charge and are listed on your online booking

In this day and age one has to differentiate between traditional and expedition cruises.  The expedition trips are mostly on the Venture and Pursuit.  Expedition voyages are very different animals than the traditional voyages in terms of dress, activities and ambiance. In fact, most of the criticism of expedition cruises I have seen posted on CC revolves around passengers who were not aware of the difference and expected a traditional voyage.

 

 Seabourn includes excursions on the Venture and Pursuit, mostly because the out of the way destinations that define an expedition cruise do not have the infrastructure to provide excursions on their own.  The classic example is Antarctica.  
 

My comments also apply to traditional vs expedition cruises on Silversea.

Edited April 12 by Woodrowst

[markandjie]

2 hours ago, Salf777 said:

Lastly any advice you can give to a first timer appreciated. I know a lot of this can be found on the web but I find talking to experienced cruisers gets me better real advice so thank you

 

I think most of your questions have been answered so will respond more generally. We sailed Celebrity in the Retreat just once on a one week Carribean itinerary, so using that as my frame of reference here are some high level thoughts:

 - In terms of the service you'll receive, every cabin on Seabourn is treated as well or better than the Retreat cabins on Celebrity. And honestly, I feel like we've received better service when we've sailed the least expensive cabins (we were just on a V1 on Venture in Iceland/Greenland with fantastic room stewards) vs the nicest room on the ship (we were also just on Venture in the Wintergarden Suite in Antarctica with very capable but unexceptional stewards).

 - You should temper your expectations on the breadth and variety of food that will be available on the ship. While I think Seabourn easily outdoes the Celebrity Retreat dining venue, I was impressed with the broader breakfast buffet on Celebrity and the selection in the Collonnade on Seabourn ships pales in comparison.

 - Same holds true for entertainment. Celebrity significantly outshone Seabourn.

 - Seabourn feels more personalized to me, with more of an opportunity to get to know staff and fellow guests and build relationships that endure across multiple cruises.

- Ovation is a great ship, but Seabourn really shines the smaller you get. Encourage you to try each size class when you have the chance.

- One of the biggest strengths IMO of all Seabourn ships is the viewing areas, particularly forward looking viewing at the front of the ship. Many cruise ships have poor opportunities to actually see where you're going, which I think is a great shame. To me cruising is a way to experience the world moreso than just a floating hotel that parks you at a different cruise terminal each day.

[Salf777]

32 minutes ago, markandjie said:

 

I think most of your questions have been answered so will respond more generally. We sailed Celebrity in the Retreat just once on a one week Carribean itinerary, so using that as my frame of reference here are some high level thoughts:

 - In terms of the service you'll receive, every cabin on Seabourn is treated as well or better than the Retreat cabins on Celebrity. And honestly, I feel like we've received better service when we've sailed the least expensive cabins (we were just on a V1 on Venture in Iceland/Greenland with fantastic room stewards) vs the nicest room on the ship (we were also just on Venture in the Wintergarden Suite in Antarctica with very capable but unexceptional stewards).

 - You should temper your expectations on the breadth and variety of food that will be available on the ship. While I think Seabourn easily outdoes the Celebrity Retreat dining venue, I was impressed with the broader breakfast buffet on Celebrity and the selection in the Collonnade on Seabourn ships pales in comparison.

 - Same holds true for entertainment. Celebrity significantly outshone Seabourn.

 - Seabourn feels more personalized to me, with more of an opportunity to get to know staff and fellow guests and build relationships that endure across multiple cruises.

- Ovation is a great ship, but Seabourn really shines the smaller you get. Encourage you to try each size class when you have the chance.

- One of the biggest strengths IMO of all Seabourn ships is the viewing areas, particularly forward looking viewing at the front of the ship. Many cruise ships have poor opportunities to actually see where you're going, which I think is a great shame. To me cruising is a way to experience the world moreso than just a floating hotel that parks you at a different cruise terminal each day.

Thank you for this. As long as the food is good we don’t need so many restaurants like Celebrity has. We found recently that it seems service has gone down hill. There were butlers for all Retreat suites then they took them away then bought them back. We don’t really need a butler just someone who we can ask for water or soda in the room and coffee in the mornings. After these changes back and forth at celebrity the staff was confused. Our stateroom attendant told us he had to charge us to leave extra water (my wife has a condition where she needs to drink a lot). Went to the retreat lounge as was told it could be left. Saw the stateroom attendant and he said he hadn’t heard from the retreat yet. Took 2 days to get water in the room. One bar served a champagne she liked by the glass for an extra fee. The other retreat bar said we had to buy the bottle they have changed so much the staff doesn’t even know the rules yet. But what we found appealing in watching a Seabourn videos is the extra things they do, food at the pool deck parties etc. we were recently on a celebrity cruise and took a private tour to Jost Van Dyke. On the beach Seabourn had a section set up with chairs for their guests things like that add so much. We also love being on the ship and enjoy sea days just lying by the pool and seeing the scenery. We are very much looking forward to this. We looked at other lines and don’t want to sail where I have to wear a jacket every day to dinner. I like to be more casual on vacation (nice pants and a button down shirt)

[markandjie]

4 minutes ago, Salf777 said:

Our stateroom attendant told us he had to charge us to leave extra water (my wife has a condition where she needs to drink a lot). Went to the retreat lounge as was told it could be left. Saw the stateroom attendant and he said he hadn’t heard from the retreat yet. Took 2 days to get water in the room.

 

Heh. On our Antarctica cruise we kept finishing off the two bottles of sparkling water they would refill daily. So by about the third day they kept SIX bottles of sparkling water in the suite for us. Our son is a big Dr. Pepper fan and they weren't sure how much they had on board so they immediately brought him one can per day of the cruise so he wouldn't run out. The boys asked for chips one afternoon and from that day forward a bowl of chips and a bowl of chocolate chip cookies appeared in their suite just after lunch.

 

You can also request to have your favorite wine or champagne (or liquor) stocked in the mini-fridge each day.

 

We had a fun time on Celebrity in the Retreat, and my wife still wears the pajamas we received with our names embroidered on them. That was a nice touch. But Seabourn service is a different level (or at least it should be...post-COVID can be a bit uneven, unfortunately).

[stan01]

 

The main thing I'd emphasize is what someone up thread already said:  keep an open mind and don't expect perfection.  The main thing you are paying for is a ship with fewer passengers which is mostly a very positive thing because there is less crowding and you are better able to get to know people (crew and other passengers).  However, it does mean there are fewer choices in areas such as entertainment and dining.  What I'd caution against is expecting perfection, because if you arrive on the ship with that in mind there's a pretty good chance something will let you down.  Ask for what you'd like, and if there is an issue politely discuss with the management on the ship.  We found ourselves frequently having to ask the waiters to fill water glasses.  I'm not sure whether that was training or workload (probably some of both).  We didn't complain about it, we just got used to raising our hand when we were down to 1/3 of a glass and asking for a refill.  Shouldn't have had to do it, but I'd say its an example of avoiding a situation where a small thing could impact our overall enjoyment of the cruise.

 

[Salf777]

13 minutes ago, stan01 said:

 

The main thing I'd emphasize is what someone up thread already said:  keep an open mind and don't expect perfection.  The main thing you are paying for is a ship with fewer passengers which is mostly a very positive thing because there is less crowding and you are better able to get to know people (crew and other passengers).  However, it does mean there are fewer choices in areas such as entertainment and dining.  What I'd caution against is expecting perfection, because if you arrive on the ship with that in mind there's a pretty good chance something will let you down.  Ask for what you'd like, and if there is an issue politely discuss with the management on the ship.  We found ourselves frequently having to ask the waiters to fill water glasses.  I'm not sure whether that was training or workload (probably some of both).  We didn't complain about it, we just got used to raising our hand when we were down to 1/3 of a glass and asking for a refill.  Shouldn't have had to do it, but I'd say its an example of avoiding a situation where a small thing could impact our overall enjoyment of the cruise.

 

Thank you for this. As far as entertainment we generally don’t go to shows. We enjoy our dinner walk the ship a bit and go to our room and sit on the balcony. We are a little boring LOL! I have learned thru my years of traveling that asking or discussing something nicely and not “complaining “ or yelling that being nice goes a long way. We realize these people work hard and everyone can have an off day. Plus getting angry or aggravated only ends up ruing my day. Even with the missteps we had recently at celebrity we didn’t get annoyed we were still on a beautiful ship in beautiful locations it’s just we don’t feel the value for the money any longer. So thank you expectation's will be kept in check

[Kilroyshere]

We tried Celeb Retreat class. 
 

Retreat is not even close to SB and outside of Retreat venues the rest of Celeb ships are mass market at best. 
 

Retreat is a Hilton experience charging Ritz prices.

[notjaded]

Former Celebrity passengers here (although not for years). We like Celebrity, but wanted a smaller ship. Tried Seabourn and have not been back.

 

Temper expectations. They market it as a luxury experience, and that may lead to dreams of wonderful pampering. Sometimes it happens, but mostly it is just pretty good service.

 

We have been on seven Seabourn cruises ranging up to 24 days. Have two more booked. It seems to fit our needs. Had some over-the-top/wonderful customer service experiences during our last voyage. One would not get this on a larger vessel.

 

We live in a community that has wonderful food options. Due to that, we don't have high expectations of cruise ship food. Seabourn is good most of the time, but not as good as our favorite restaurants on land. Temper expectations.

[Salf777]

9 hours ago, notjaded said:

Former Celebrity passengers here (although not for years). We like Celebrity, but wanted a smaller ship. Tried Seabourn and have not been back.

 

Temper expectations. They market it as a luxury experience, and that may lead to dreams of wonderful pampering. Sometimes it happens, but mostly it is just pretty good service.

 

We have been on seven Seabourn cruises ranging up to 24 days. Have two more booked. It seems to fit our needs. Had some over-the-top/wonderful customer service experiences during our last voyage. One would not get this on a larger vessel.

 

We live in a community that has wonderful food options. Due to that, we don't have high expectations of cruise ship food. Seabourn is good most of the time, but not as good as our favorite restaurants on land. Temper expectations.

Thanks. We are not expecting an over the top luxury experience. We are looking for a smaller more intimate better than main line cruise. We like the retreat in Celebrity but with changes they have made and trying to make it more Royal Caribbean we don’t find the value there any longer. Also to pay those prices to go to Costa Maya and Cozumel aren’t what we are looking for. What appeals to us are the smaller ports and smaller ship. 
I also thank you for saying this. Some of the comments I read on here when people ask similar questions are as if you are walking into a royal palace. People ridicule people for asking if certain dress wear is ok like why would you even think to wear that on a ship like this? I’m not saying I’ll wear ripped jeans or shorts I just ask so I follow the rules and respect the lines policy. Someone mentioned a type of shirt in one post and you would have thought they committed a sin! I was getting concerned it was to stuffy for us

[Katsings01]

We just returned from the Ovation on March 17 after taking a number of Celebrity Retreat cruises, usually in a Celebrity Suite or a Royal Suite. We were in a 6th floor V3 on Ovation. Although a bit smaller (more comparable to an aft sky suite on Celebrity), the Ovation V3, though smaller, had a much nicer fit and finish that the Retreat Suites. We booked Seabourn because a 14-day Southern Caribbean cruise was, after obc and incentives, less expensive on Seabourn than a comparable 10-night in a sky suite on Silhouette. Again, I think most of your questions have been answered but I will offer these observations:

-  Service on Seabourn is far superior to the Retreat. Within 2 days everyone knew our names and preferences. At the Retreat, that level of service was, in my experience, only found in Luminae. Atmosphere was relaxed and not stuffy.

- We like Luminae quite a lot, but the Restaurant on Ovation was usually better (I had a caviar appetizer with a beef wellington and side lobster tail entree one night which was among the best meals I have ever had on a cruise ship). Sushi restaurant much better. Solis (even with new restaurant hiccups) better than Murano, etc. 

-  Tender service much better on Seabourn.

- Caviar -- speaks for itself

- We expected a big drop off re entertainment on Seabourn. Other than the big production shows, however, they were comparable and one show (a West End singer) was one of the best we have seen anywhere. 

- CD and staff much more engaging (and less annoying) than Celebrity.

-  Shore Excursions were not quite as "marked-up" on Seabourn than Celebrity

-  Bar/drink service at pools/lounges much better on Seabourn

-   the included wines (while not necessarily "fine"), were generally better than available on Celebrity -- also liked never pulling out a sea pass card. the premium liquor also a bit better on Seabourn. 

-  Not big fans of buffets but we actually liked the "small plate" buffet structure at the Colonnade 

-  room service on Seabourn also much better -- more expansive and always on time. Champagne and Caviar brought to room in less than 20 minutes often for afternoon appetizers. 

-  On  really enjoyed The Retreat on Ovation. Great private space.

-  Loved the smaller ship -- never a long line or wait.

 

We will travel Celebrity Retreat again (booked for 2025 Iceland) but will prefer Seabourn if price and itinerary match with what we like (also trying Silversea for Antarctica). 

[Salf777]

4 hours ago, Katsings01 said:

We just returned from the Ovation on March 17 after taking a number of Celebrity Retreat cruises, usually in a Celebrity Suite or a Royal Suite. We were in a 6th floor V3 on Ovation. Although a bit smaller (more comparable to an aft sky suite on Celebrity), the Ovation V3, though smaller, had a much nicer fit and finish that the Retreat Suites. We booked Seabourn because a 14-day Southern Caribbean cruise was, after obc and incentives, less expensive on Seabourn than a comparable 10-night in a sky suite on Silhouette. Again, I think most of your questions have been answered but I will offer these observations:

-  Service on Seabourn is far superior to the Retreat. Within 2 days everyone knew our names and preferences. At the Retreat, that level of service was, in my experience, only found in Luminae. Atmosphere was relaxed and not stuffy.

- We like Luminae quite a lot, but the Restaurant on Ovation was usually better (I had a caviar appetizer with a beef wellington and side lobster tail entree one night which was among the best meals I have ever had on a cruise ship). Sushi restaurant much better. Solis (even with new restaurant hiccups) better than Murano, etc. 

-  Tender service much better on Seabourn.

- Caviar -- speaks for itself

- We expected a big drop off re entertainment on Seabourn. Other than the big production shows, however, they were comparable and one show (a West End singer) was one of the best we have seen anywhere. 

- CD and staff much more engaging (and less annoying) than Celebrity.

-  Shore Excursions were not quite as "marked-up" on Seabourn than Celebrity

-  Bar/drink service at pools/lounges much better on Seabourn

-   the included wines (while not necessarily "fine"), were generally better than available on Celebrity -- also liked never pulling out a sea pass card. the premium liquor also a bit better on Seabourn. 

-  Not big fans of buffets but we actually liked the "small plate" buffet structure at the Colonnade 

-  room service on Seabourn also much better -- more expansive and always on time. Champagne and Caviar brought to room in less than 20 minutes often for afternoon appetizers. 

-  On  really enjoyed The Retreat on Ovation. Great private space.

-  Loved the smaller ship -- never a long line or wait.

 

We will travel Celebrity Retreat again (booked for 2025 Iceland) but will prefer Seabourn if price and itinerary match with what we like (also trying Silversea for Antarctica). 

Thank you for this very helpful as a more direct comparison to what we are used to on Celebrity 

[GrayMaineCruiser]

On 4/12/2024 at 9:59 AM, Salf777 said:

So have recently been sailing on Celebrity in their Retreat. Due to recent policy changes at celebrity have decided to try Seabourn. Celebrity premium drink package now charge $2 for a glass of wine that was included a month ago (it’s a $19 bottle of wine), no more onboard credit or very little, no included gratuities, and many other changes. 
So we looked and watched some videos and book a sailing on the Ovation, which is actually cheaper than a Celebrity sailing and we have heard great things about Seabourn

so a few questions for you experienced people please

1. Do we need to rush and make dining reservations when available or are they usually all available 

2. Any must do restaurants?

3. What is the dress code we don’t dress like slobs but like a casual look (sometime even nice jeans with a nice button down shirt)

4. We are in a V4 veranda suite, does that include bottled water, soft drinks, WiFi.

5. How is the WiFi?

6. I see it says most excursions are included, are these just like basic tours and are the good? Do they have for a charge excursions? We prefer more active

 

Lastly any advice you can give to a first timer appreciated. I know a lot of this can be found on the web but I find talking to experienced cruisers gets me better real advice so thank you

People have already answered your questions but just wanted to comment we tried Seabourn for the first time after many cruises on Celebrity in Retreat class, and we loved it and will be hard to consider going back to Celebrity.