all inclusive-really?

We are booked on our first Seabourn cruise for our 50th anniversary next year largely based on my brother's (a multiple Seabourn passenger) rave reviews. We are very experienced cruisers (50+ cruises over the past 30 years) mostly on mid level lines such as Holland America, Princess, Celebrity and the occasional splurge cruise on Oceania. I was surprised that the Seabourn "inclusive package" included only gratuities, drinks and specialty restaurants. I am looking at a Regent brochure that I received today which includes all of the above plus airfare, excursions, and wifi. Seabourn does not include wifi!? It has been years since we have been paid for wifi. We are elite status with Celebrity which includes wifi. I can remember how annoying it was to pay for expensive wifi which was so slowwww! My brother assures me that the level of service on Seabourn justifies the fare. In the meantime we are still looking at other alternatives since our anniversary is still 11months in the future.

As your a first time cruiser you should do what we did as a first timer on Seabourn is to get someone to give you a referral coupon and use that to pay for the internet then the internet is free

We are booked on our first Seabourn cruise for our 50th anniversary next year largely based on my brother's (a multiple Seabourn passenger) rave reviews. We are very experienced cruisers (50+ cruises over the past 30 years) mostly on mid level lines such as Holland America, Princess, Celebrity and the occasional splurge cruise on Oceania. I was surprised that the Seabourn "inclusive package" included only gratuities, drinks and specialty restaurants. I am looking at a Regent brochure that I received today which includes all of the above plus airfare, excursions, and wifi. Seabourn does not include wifi!? It has been years since we have been paid for wifi. We are elite status with Celebrity which includes wifi. I can remember how annoying it was to pay for expensive wifi which was so slowwww! My brother assures me that the level of service on Seabourn justifies the fare. In the meantime we are still looking at other alternatives since our anniversary is still 11months in the future.

Oceania now has free wifi along with traditional included airfare and free specialty restaurants and beverages. To that you add one more free perk choosing from excursions, alcohol or OBC.. O's top producing TAs add more value with gratuities and/or extra OBC. IMO a better word for O than "splurge" Is "value."

It has been years since we have been paid for wifi. We are elite status with Celebrity which includes wifi. I can remember how annoying it was to pay for expensive wifi which was so slowwww! In the meantime we are still looking at other alternatives since our anniversary is still 11months in the future.

Sounds like you're not going to enjoy Seabourn as indeed the wifi is not free and it is slow, and airfares and excursions are certainly not included. Having achieved elite status with Celebrity, which sorts out the wifi issue (although possibly not the airfare and excursions) you might be better off sticking with them for an important anniversary cruise on a line you're comfortable with. I'm sure they treat elite status customers very well.

If you feel that Regent offers better value than Seabourn then surely it's a no-brainer for you? At this end of the cruise market, I feel it's important to choose a line that's a great fit and it seems that Seabourn isn't that for you.

I like Seabourn very much and I prefer that excursions, wifi and airfare aren't included in the cruise price. I do suspect that SB may make the decision to include excursions some time in the future. Hopefully not.

Nothing in life is free, you pay somewhere.:D

Compare prices for the same itinerary on Regent and you will see you are paying for all those extras. And many "free" excursions have too many people in a bus. You have to pay more for better excursions. Also if you don't book them way ahead you will be wait listed.

if you feel that regent offers better value than seabourn then surely it's a no-brainer for you? At this end of the cruise market, i feel it's important to choose a line that's a great fit and it seems that seabourn isn't that for you.

 

I like seabourn very much and i prefer that excursions, wifi and airfare aren't included in the cruise price. I do suspect that sb may make the decision to include excursions some time in the future. Hopefully not.

+1.

Unless of course you move to the UK and get one of the very reasonable deals which Regent offer to us Limeys which many Regent regulars over the pond are a bit peeved about 😁.

We sailed for the very first time ever with Seabourn for my 50th. We have since sailed with Oceania and Regent and whilst we enjoyed both cruises very much, neither quite lived up to Seabourn. We sail again on the Odyssey in July and we have 2 worries - one is about the smoking - we can avoid the Observation bar after 8 but hope we don't have cancer stick wielding neighbours and the other concern is have we put Seabourn on a pedestal? We enjoyed that first cruise sooooo much will they live up to our expectations. I'll let you all know.

Go ahead and budget a couple of hundred USD for the internet package or usage that you need. Then you are home free and no longer have to question whether Regent or some other line offers the best value and experience. (Remember that those "free" Regent tours are not free, they are crowded and so Regent sells "premium" tours for a better product alongside them. For goodness sake.)

For what's on offer, I would assert that no small ship line matches Seabourn.

Not one, zilch, nada.

Happy sailing!

As first time Seabourn clients next week we chose the cruise primarily for the itinerary. Our benchmark is Crystal, which we love, and we are not caviar fans, nor do we drink much alcohol. So we are subsidizing those who do take advantage of just a couple of things that some find attractive about lines at this level. However, for us the decision to choose Seabourn, aside from the itinerary, is the reputation for serving fine cuisine, the ships are smaller, the suites larger, and above all, the service from staff who enjoy their work. Let you know if we will return.

Clearly some people on here are a tad defensive and for that I appologise. I'm going to take your post at face value and try to answer it in a balanced manner.

Many of the regulars cruising SB and posting on here are seasoned luxury cruisers. Having tried all the alternatives they choose SB and its version of all inclusive. The only one from your list I have tried is Celebrity where I also enjoy Elite status. Let me assure you that even as a lowly worm in the loyalty program a SB cruise is in another league.

At the top of this forum is a sticky about referral vouchers. Once booked go on there and let people know you are a first time cruiser. Loads of people will offer you a referral voucher which entitles you both to $400 onboard credit (providing you haven't wangled credit elsewhere). It's also worth remembering that specialist travel agents will be able to get you discounts of around 10-11% on best published fares. That $400 will sort you out with unlimited internet.

As for the Seabourn experience what makes it so different?

In simple terms the fact you are treated as a human being. The answer is yes, what is the question? I know you often hear people moaning on here but remember they often have hundreds of days on seabourn and are looking through a microscope often trying to point score a little bit.

I took a Seabourn cruise and went looking to enjoy it. We engaged enthusiastically with staff and were rewarded handsomely to the point where we booked 4 more cruises. Use the knowledge on here to maximise your experience. We hosted a table with printed invites and pre dinner canapés, no charge. Caviar plates are available on demand and there are other things to be aware of.

You will often have a feature event during the cruise which might be an evening excursion to a closed concert or similar.

We were pleasantly surprised with the all inclusiveness. There are premium wines and drinks available but it's extremely easy to drink well and not have to dip your hand in your pocket. That includes cocktails.

The other thing which struck us was the size and quality of the basic cabins on SB. To find their equal elsewhere will incur a substantial premium on the basic fare. Just keep that in mind.

Henry :)

If you are looking for value in terms of price, I don't think you will be happy on Seabourn and you may end up devoting too much time comparing prices. I (and I suspect most of my fellow Seaborn travelers) choose Seabourn for its service, intimacy and the fellow passengers. Of all the factors that go into choosing a cruise line, price is not the reason we select Seabourn. Nearly everyone we meet on Seabourn is well travelled and even while many of us have achieved gold and platinum status, it is not something we ever talk about on board. (Although too many Cruise Critic posters feel compelled to mention how many cruises or sail days they've accrued, you won't hear that while on the ship .) Based on the tenor of your post, I don't think Seabourn is the right cruise line for you.

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If you are looking for value in terms of price, I don't think you will be happy on Seabourn and you may end up devoting too much time comparing prices. I (and I suspect most of my fellow Seaborn travelers) choose Seabourn for its service, intimacy and the fellow passengers. Of all the factors that go into choosing a cruise line, price is not the reason we select Seabourn. Nearly everyone we meet on Seabourn is well travelled and even while many of us have achieved gold and platinum status, it is not something we ever talk about on board. (Although too many Cruise Critic posters feel compelled to mention how many cruises or sail days they've accrued, you won't hear that while on the ship .). Based on the tenor of your post, I don't think Seabourn is right the cruise line for you.

 

 

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If price was my primary concern then I would be on Costa. :eek::eek:

Everyone has their own definition of value. We have sailed extensively with Silversea, and will be sailing on Seabourn In a few weeks. Though we haven't sailed with Seabourn in quite a while, we are confident the cruise experience will be just as satisfying as previous cruises on both lines. Pricing on both lines is about the same and we feel we are getting our moneys worth. The level of service, open dining, consistent food quality and overall experience is well worth the premium price to us. If it wasn't, we would be sailing on some of the other lines you mentioned.