Review: Seabourn Odyssey, 12 night Caribbean cruise, 10/28-11/9

Since this is a Seabourn forum so I will not go into the usual details about the ship as I think most of us know them. This was a cruise for my wife and I to just get away for a while so the ports were not that important and all but one were not new, so not much on ports

The one port worth mentioning is Gustavia, St. Barts. Even though it was Sunday and most things were closed, it was an interesting place to be and the shops and restaurants looked interesting, The island seemed more prosperous then any of the others and worth a trip back for us.

The material condition of the ship, hard goods and soft goods, was excellent. There was barely a touch of rust anywhere and only the slightest traces of wear on any of the furniture, rugs etc.

My wife and I splurged on this trip and got a penthouse on deck nine. Soft goods in the penthouse were equally as new and fresh as the rest of the ship. However, the woodwork, baseboards, corners, door frames, were dinged and chipped. This was my first time in a penthouse suite and I at once noticed that the woodwork was dark and it is really showing it is age. It looked pretty shabby, particularly for Seabourn. Perhaps it is not more damaged than the Veranda suites, but the dark wood shows the damage.

My prior cruises on Seabourn were in either the outside suites or the veranda suites on all three of the new ships and all three of the old ships. This was our first time in a penthouse. The penthouse is basically the square footage of one and one half veranda suites. The additional space was very pleasant. In the living room there was room for a real table and one could have breakfast without knocking knees on the table/tray. Likewise the veranda was substantially bigger and that was certainly enjoyable. There was room for chairs, table and a lounger. We had breakfast once or twice there when the weather cooperated.

While we certainly enjoyed the extra space, I am not sure it is worth it for a couple like us. If you did a lot of entertaining, were traveling with others, had guests over, or otherwise needed more space it would definitely be the way to go. The veranda suites are really not big enough for more than four people in the sitting area. The penthouse has room for lots more.

I did not think the extra space in the penthouse was all that efficiently used. Most of the cabinets were very narrow and really would not hold anything, even though there was space in the room for them to be a couple of inches deeper. There was extra space in the walk-in closet, although I do not quite know what you need extra space in the walk-in closet for.

Service was, almost across the board, in line with what I have come to expect from Seabourn. Warm, interested staff, mostly from western or eastern Europe. The staff clearly like doing their job and like interacting with the passengers. Good service at all the dining facilities and prompt resolution of minor problems at Seabourn Square.

They were trying out the Thomas Keller recipes on the ship and I think trying to figure out what to do with the menu. Two nights it was the only choice, by reservation only, in the Colonnade. Some nights in the dining room it was an extra menu item. We had Keller twice and while the food was certainly very good and very well prepared I am not sure it was "worth" it compared to the regular menu. Certainly the recipes are interesting, new, and precisely cooked. It is nice to know the name of the farm the lamb came from and exactly which heirloom varieties of beans went into the baked beans. But baked beans are still baked beans and I did not really taste that much difference.

We did not go to restaurant 2 on this trip. At night the colonnade was no longer a regional specialties restaurant, but had a specific menu.

Overall I cannot criticize the food, the quality of the ingredients, the preparation, or the service, but I can criticize the number of choices for dinner. Most nights in the dining room there were only three choices -- one beef/lamb, one fish and one vegetarian. One could always have the classics but I was hoping for a bit more variety of choices in the main dining room. On the other hand I found the recipes less convoluted and fluffed up with foodie words and terms – no foams or glees! Great food very well prepared but not enough choices on any given night.

My prior cruises on Seabourn were in either the outside suites or the veranda suites on all three of the new ships and all three of the old ships.

We're curious what you mean by "outside suites"? Seabourn ships do not have any inside suites.

We're curious what you mean by "outside suites"? Seabourn ships do not have any inside suites.

Almost correct, but I was quite surprised on exploring Deck 4 Forward on Quest in Antarctica last December, to find some INTERNAL cabins ( with numbers on the doors ) in amongst the "A's".

I believe they are used for Expedition Staff and Entertainers when the ship is full and the forward A suites are sold to guests. :)

I don't know what happens in those A suites but suffice it to say that all Seabourn suites have verandas or windows. No inside cabins. As they say, you get what you pay for. No surprises, then.

We were on 8 deck on the subsequent 9 Nov cruise. It was marvelous, as usual, to be on Odyssey. We had the dream team of the spontaneous, fun and most talented Heather, her assistant Annabelle, and very professional and poised Hotel Manager Daniel.

That said, there was that cringing Howdy Doody Welcome Git to Know Your Neighbors hour one afternoon. I have tried to suppress the whole thing but still somehow recall it was on the first sea day. I shudder to think when this silliness will end- it is an import from Regent by another eager CD apparently- but believe it or not the "event" IS appreciated by some. Imagine that?!

Can't wait to return to Ody soon.

Happy sailing!

We're curious what you mean by "outside suites"? Seabourn ships do not have any inside suites.

I meant the cabins on 4 deck. Large picture window, but no veranda. The interior space and layout are the exactly same as the interior of the veranda suites, but no veranda! I had one for a 24 day Dover to Montreal.