First Time Seabourn

[friendlyfifer]

We are thinking of booking a Seabourn cruise for the first time. Having sailed with Viking and Silversea in the past, what differences will we notice?

[stan01]

I'd recommend searching and looking at the many YouTube videos so you can see what is important to you.  People will have different opinions and preferences, but overall we find Seabourn to be less formal than Silversea which we prefer.  Often more tuxes and gowns on the formal night with Silversea, and more people with sport coats on Seabourn.  Some people are the opposite and prefer a formal experience rather than something like a luxury resort.  Some people even get annoyed if they are wearing a tux/gown and others are not!  I think those folks would be most happy on Silversea and Cunard Grills.

 

Seabourn has multiple no extra cost dining options on board each evening but only one, transitioning from Thomas Keller Grill to Solis, allows advance booking.  Allows for more spontaneous choices during the cruise, but again others will prefer to plan out their evenings months in advance rather than be more spontaneous.  Some people are concerned about things like the size of the bathroom or decor of the ship, which are highly personal so difficult to know what matters to you.  There are people who will not eat at a buffet so again areas where personal preferences impact their choices.  Seabourn includes alcoholic drinks except for premium choices, not just wine and beer at meals.

 

Seabourn does not include shore excursions or airfare in their pricing.  We prefer this because we make our own choices and don't want to pay for something we will not use but other people seem to like it.

 

I'd say try it for yourself and see what you think.

[Vineyard View]

I can only compare to Viking, which we sailed multiple times, but not since Covid. We took our first SB cruise last year and loved it, but as Stan01 mentioned, we all have different preferences.

For us, the plus on SB -

staterooms are far superior in comparing a veranda on SB to PV on V

MDR - we do not care for the bench seating in much of V. Food also better for our tastes on SB

No extra for gratuities or alcohol when and what time you would like

size of ship - we were on Quest and really enjoyed the smaller size

not paying for ‘included excursions’ which were simply a bus ride or walking tour in our fare
Smaller ports and efficiency of the tender operation to explore them

pre-payment policy is reasonable compared to V 

Plus on Viking -

 

retractable roof over the pool

spa area with amenities for anyone to use at any time

Promenade deck for sea days 

 

I  believe that overall, you have a superior experience/product on SB. The current cost per day on Viking post Covid has positioned them in the luxury cruise segment, and we do not feel that they are a ‘luxury’ product when we compare our experience on SB. That said, if those ‘included’ excursions on Viking are attractive and suit your travel expectations, then the additional cost of excursions on SB will sway your total cost pp/pd by quite a bit. We are DIY or private tour people, so it is not part of our decision process. If there is an itinerary on SB tat attracts you, then go for it. I sincerely doubt you will be disappointed. 

 

[netpj]

We second the views of Vineyard View and will just add a couple of comments.  We were on Seabourn Ovation over Christmas.  It never felt crowded, in fact we thoroughly enjoyed the cruise.  We are presently on Viking Star with a lot of sea days.  The ship is beautiful, the crew outstanding, the food pretty good but to us the ship feels crowded on the sea days, lineups for the restaurant and often the World Cafe (where the food is often cold).  We are in PH JS and agree it does not really match up to veranda  accommodation on SB(bathroom in particular).  We also agree about the pricing comments.  One “basic” tip ur included with Viking along with several expensive options.  We will consider Viking in the future but will likely book Seabourn first, again it is personal preference.

[friendlyfifer]

1 hour ago, netpj said:

We second the views of Vineyard View and will just add a couple of comments.  We were on Seabourn Ovation over Christmas.  It never felt crowded, in fact we thoroughly enjoyed the cruise.  We are presently on Viking Star with a lot of sea days.  The ship is beautiful, the crew outstanding, the food pretty good but to us the ship feels crowded on the sea days, lineups for the restaurant and often the World Cafe (where the food is often cold).  We are in PH JS and agree it does not really match up to veranda  accommodation on SB(bathroom in particular).  We also agree about the pricing comments.  One “basic” tip ur included with Viking along with several expensive options.  We will consider Viking in the future but will likely book Seabourn first, again it is personal preference.

Thank you for your response. I agree with your comments regarding the Restaurant and World Cafe on Viking. I would be interested in your views on the average age of passengers on Viking versus Seabourn.
Also are there more nationalities on one or the other? Viking seems to be 90%+ Americans. We came off the Viking Jupiter in early December after a three week crossing from Barcelona to Buenos Aires.

[Vineyard View]

We actually commented on just that friendlyfifer.  The age group on our sailing was a wider range than we found on Viking. We really enjoyed the people we sailed with and yes, there was a greater representation of people outside of the U.S.  We appreciated what that brings to the table a lot. It was refreshing to us. 
 

I will also say that both lines have outstanding crew. 

[netpj]

On our present Viking cruise, the passengers are overwhelmingly American, perhaps to do with itinerary (LA round trip)..  Our Seabourn cruises have had more of a mix.   One other comment, Seabourn permits children despite the fact there are no children’s programs.  Viking does not permit children as far as we are aware.

[Vineyard View]

No one under 18 on Viking. No casino either. Good points netpj. 
 

We travel when school is in session for a reason! But honestly, SB isn’t really set up for kids, although I did see some posts over the Alaska season with a small number sailing. 

Edited January 27 by Vineyard View

[stan01]

We prefer 2-3 week cruises so we find typical age on Seabourn to be between 55 and 80 (which is what the typical age was when we first cruised on Seabourn 15 years ago).  Some younger, some older.  Not many under 50 passengers.  Not many over 90 passengers.  On our 2 week cruise this year over Thanksgiving there were zero children.  We'd would try to avoid a 7 day Med cruise for that reason.

 

 

 

 

[KC Cruiser 54]

On 1/26/2024 at 4:35 AM, friendlyfifer said:

We are thinking of booking a Seabourn cruise for the first time. Having sailed with Viking and Silversea in the past, what differences will we notice?

Wife and I are also considering our first cruise on Seabourn. Specifically an Antarctic cruise, classified as an "Expedition" cruise, vs a typical, say, Caribbean or Mediterranean cruise. A bit of a concern we have, is Seabourn' lineage, being a subsidiary of Carnival. Most of our cruising has been on Celebrity, who we like very much, typically in a Suite. Comments from Seabourn cruisers on Expedition vs typica? Or on the general experience of Seabourn? Thanks very much!

[johng75370]

2 hours ago, KC Cruiser 54 said:

A bit of a concern we have, is Seabourn' lineage, being a subsidiary of Carnival. Most of our cruising has been on Celebrity, who we like very much, typically in a Suite.

I can’t speak to expedition vs traditional, but we’ve sailed on both Seabourn and Celebrity in The Retreat and there is a huge difference.  Seabourn’s service is more personal and genuine, much easier to meet and socialize with other passengers, and the smaller ship size makes it feel much more like “your ship” for the time you’re there.  Pretty much every voyage with Seabourn we run into crew and passengers we’ve sailed with before; not on Celebrity.  Food (very subjective) we find better on Seabourn (and particularly have been very disappointed by Luminae on Celebrity), but more options and venues on Celebrity.  Celebrity offers the big ship advantages in terms of entertainment options and walking decks, and has more diversity in passenger mix.  Because Seabourn’s entry veranda cabin is generously sized we’re usually fine with that, whereas Celebrity we typically go for the Retreat - making Seabourn a less expensive option.  Both are owned by massive companies, but also both retain their own staff and brand identity (Seabourn’s been part of Carnival for over 20 years, while keeping it’s own uniqueness).  Both are great options, but we’ve found significant differences (and advantages) to Seabourn.  

Edited January 27 by johng75370

[markandjie]

We've only done one cruise on Celebrity, also in Retreat, and would echo everyone @johng75370 said. Their comments almost perfectly match our experiences.