Seabourn vs Standard Cruise Experience

[sengsational]

I've been cruising a lot, since I was a kid, and fairly continually. Mostly ocean and with the mass market brands. Did one river cruise, and given the included excursions, didn't enjoy the "bus tour" feel when the ship stopped and the entire passenger compliment often boarded 50 passenger tour busses.

I'd like perspective of cruisers who have experience with Seabourn to reflect on the difference between the standard, larger ship experience and the smaller ship experience. The price is probably on the order of 3X. I'm thinking it might be time for me to BTD, and this kind of cruise seems like a good way.

There are only a few mentions of Seabourn on this forum, so this thread could result in crickets. I appreciate the perspective of members here, so worth a shot.

 

[mystang52]

Following, as I'm ....in the same boat........... as you.

 

[Beachcomber]

We like Silver Seas. Eliminates the party atmosphere but great service. More expensive, and many on board go a month or more! That's called blowing the dough at $6k/wk.

 

[Gumby]

I've only ever been on two cruises. Once around the Inside Passage in Alaska on a ship that had only 120 passengers maximum and once up the Nile River on a dahabiya that carried only 14 passengers. I enjoyed both of them, particularly the fact that there were relatively few people with us on the boat. I cannot imagine that I would like a giant cruise ship with thousands of people.

I regularly get advertising material from Seabourn. If the young wife and I ever take an ocean cruise, it will probably be with them, because the ships are smaller and also because we have become more comfortable spending money for luxury travel.

 

[Marc]

No Seabourn experience but I have cruised extensively on Regent; a competitor luxury cruise line. No ship over 750 pax and all inclusive. When people are considering moving up to a luxury line I recommend they look at the final bill from their previous cruises and compare to one of the luxury lines. If you take advantage of the included drinks (and excursions if on Regent) and like the better food and service and don't mind giving up on one of the big suites (basic suites are 265-400 sq ft plus balcony) I think you will find it is a much better "value" to cruise on a luxury ship.

 

[Aerides]

I haven't done Seabourn, but I have done one small, expensive cruise. 148 suites (no one said cabin). All inclusive.

Pros:
All suites had balconies, double vanity bathrooms that rivaled better hotels. Starting square footage was 280+ balcony. Like a cozy hotel room, nicely appointed.
All inclusive by default. And no group dining - all the restaurants were laid out with 2-top and 4-top setups like on land.
Very few children (maybe 5 or 6 on my sailing).
Small ships can go to small ports - not the same places as the big ones. You aren't "competing" with thousands of other tourists trampling over the same few square miles when you get off for an outing.
Small ships can dock off even smaller, non-existent ports, and use tenders to get folks over back and forth easily - logistically not as easy with 3000 people
The pool won't have 17 rows of deck chairs around it that are packed with people who camped there starting at 7am
Casinos unlikely
Smoking unlikely
Attentive staff and a higher staff/passenger ratio

Cons:
Excursions, if not included, will be more expensive as well. In our case some of the offerings were ridiculous - fabulous but crazy (like $2k pp)
Everyone there is richer and some will make it known, but that doesn't bother me much
Fewer dining options - mine had 3 for dinner, but they were all great and we only went for a week. 2 weeks and we might have gotten bored with the menus.
Less nightlife options - if you are a party dancing late nights type you might miss that. Mine, for example, had 3 or 4 musicians who played in pairs in the two after-dinner locations, basically large bar/lounges. But for me this was a Pro, more my style.

 

[Gumby]

You have laid it out well. Precisely why I would favor a small luxury ship. I don't need casinos, musicals and shopping. Just good food, good accommodations, good service and interesting things to do and see.

 

[braumeister]

Lots of reviews on cruisecritic, so start there:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/seabourn-cruises/cl/

No personal experience, but I agree that the smaller the ship, the more attractive it is to me. After our first cruise on an 800 passenger Holland America ship, I said never again. Biggest ship I've been on since then has been 250 passengers, most much smaller (one was 48).

I prefer the expedition type cruise over the standard variety. Lindblad/NatGeo is a favorite (four times).

 

[levindb]

We have been on a few cruises: MSC, Holland, Royal Caribbean, and Regent. The Regent experience is very different...as an All Inclusive, we did not look at each meal, each drink, and each excursion from a cost/benefit. Regent suggested that 75% of the passengers go on their excursions vs 25% on traditional cruise lines. There is a huge difference between walking around in a port city or riding in a bus vs climbing a hill, or guided biking tour of the area. We climbed over the bridge in Sidney, took Tango lessons in Argentina...the ship becomes more of the transportation rather than the main experience because most of the excursions are included in the price. Having hundreds of passengers vs thousands of passengers results in a more personalized experience. Medical service and luggage service were also included making the trip less worrisome...and that trip was 137 days.

 

[Souschef]

I have been on 47 cruises, from an 8 passenger barge to the QE2. I agree that the smaller more expensive cruise lines are the way to go. My favorite was Silverseas, but you can get comparable experiences on Seabourn and Regent,
One thing I did was book private excursions with up to 10 people in the various ports. You can see more in a half day than 2 days on the cruise line's excursions.
Like levindb, I climbed the Sydney Harbor bridge, but my most memorable excursion was a taxi from LeHavre to Giverney and Rouen. There were maybe 10 to 20 people at Monet's house and gardens.

 

[MBAustin]

Interesting discussion as I just made a similar decision for a fall cruise (going with a recently widowed friend who needs something to look forward to). We chose Regent for the trip (October cruise from NYC through the Canadian maritimes and ending in Quebec City). I would have liked to try Viking as we have several friends who speak highly of them, but the available itinerary was substandard. We agreed we didn't want a monster Princess ship, and the last 3 cruises I took were on Holland America Zuiderdam and I wanted something different. We agreed that the all-inclusive aspect, especially the shore excursions, was worth the extra cost (we both like to explore ports more than the cruising itself). The only negative is that you only get one free wi-fi logon and have to pay for a second, which seems very cheap. But we'll use our shipboard credits from the travel agent to pay for it, since there isn't much else to use the credits for!

 

[mpeirce]

I've been cruising a lot, since I was a kid, and fairly continually. Mostly ocean and with the mass market brands. Did one river cruise, and given the included excursions, didn't enjoy the "bus tour" feel when the ship stopped and the entire passenger compliment often boarded 50 passenger tour busses.

My 2¢:

We've never done the large ship "mass market brands" so it's a bit difficult for me to compare to them. But we have traveled many times on Viking and once on Seaborne.

The Seabourn ships are definitely smaller than the Viking ones, but to us they were surprisingly similar.

First the obvious differences - Viking holds 930 people vs Seabourn’s 450. But frankly, it we didn’t notice the size difference really. Viking certainly didn’t feel “bigger”.

The “main” rooms are different too, but again, more similar than different. Viking's Veranda staterooms are all 270 sq.ft. while Seabourn's Veranda Suite's range from 246 to 302 sq.ft. Seabourn also has a few 295 sq.ft. Ocean View Suites with no balcony (which we didn’t see).

We’ve never stayed in any of the “real” suites, but our last two cruise on Viking we bumped it up to their “Penthouse Veranda” which is 338 sq.ft. and provided just enough more room that we noticed the difference and felt it was worth the small increase in price to us. Our original motivation was on a one month cruise from LA to Polynesian and back (at the end of Covid) and we felt that for such a long cruise, the extra room would be welcome. Yes it was, so our cruise around South America last winter and next winter’s eastern med cruise was/will be Penthouse Verandas, so I guess we’re converts.

More differences..

There’s a small casino on Seabourn, not on Viking. This was a small plus for us on Viking, but the casino on Seabourn was unobtrusive. Obviously, your preference might differ.

Seabourn had a “formal night”. It was kinda fun, but frankly not our style. We don’t miss it at all on Viking. It means you need to pack something for it…

The style onboard is a little different. Viking is very much restrained Scandinavian, Seabourn a bit more formal, but not excessively.

Service was awesome on both. There’s no butler, but they do take very good care of you on both.

Food was excellent on both. I’d give a slight edge to Viking.

The excursions were both top notch. This varies a lot based on where you’re going of course. With both many excursions are a busload of folks (often the busses are only half full). We’ve done a number of excellent excursions here it was just maybe a dozen folks with us or less.

While the clientele on both lines was very similar, we noticed a few more people trying to impress others on Seabourn. Not to an extreme degree but it’s there.

We didn't use the Seabourn airport transfers, but Viking has always been top notch. They meet you at the airport and make the transfer as easy as possible. We've never had problem but one couple we meet had their luggage lost by the airline and Viking took care of straightening it all out for them. A bad experience was made "not so bad" and they still had a wonderful cruise.

Honestly, we like them both a lot. We almost booked a cruise for next winter on Seabourn - they offered an interesting Southeast Asia cruise, but the Airfare killed it for us. The business class airfare cost more than the cruise. So we’re going to the eastern med on Viking where the airfare is less of an issue.


Even though we haven’t done the large ships, I’ll offer what we like about the medium size ships ( < 1000 people - we haven’t done really small ships).

We mostly keep to ourselves, we’re just not interested in shows and lots’ of onboard activities which we understand is much of the allure on larger ships. We focus on the excellent onboard dining - mostly just us two, but sometimes dinning with other guests. We like the “lectures” and port talks which really bring a lot much improved understanding of the places the excursions are taking you.

Oh yes, there are no kids on these ships. It's definitely an older crowd. Our experience has been that all basically all the other guests are nice folks who are a pleasure to be around.

There's little jockeying for use of facilities. The pool areas are often not full. The "alternative" dining areas need to be reserved, but if you want to eat there more than your quota of reservations, we found it easy to go more often.

Not sure this will help you, but if you have any specific questions, ask away…

 

[Charlotte]

I am anxious to hear folks opinions too. We have cruised many times with the mass market lines, but recently decided to up our game and booked a Panama Canal with Viking Ocean. Viking sounds pretty laid back, no kids, no casinos, which is right up our alley.

 

[friar1610]

I am anxious to hear folks opinions too. We have cruised many times with the mass market lines, but recently decided to up our game and booked a Panama Canal with Viking Ocean. Viking sounds pretty laid back, no kids, no casinos, which is right up our alley.

Our first cruise was on a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship with several thousand of our closest friends. It had the casino, the big shows, a lot of “salesy” stuff, a few restaurants that charged a premium for meals, etc. and upcharges for bottled water on excursions, wine with dinner, etc. We enjoyed the cruise and the South American ports we visited, but have since only ocean-cruised with Viking Ocean which we much prefer. Ships are just under 1,000 passengers, no water slides or other crap (IMO) and more is included in the prices - you don’t get the sense of being nickel and dimed as with NCL. I don’t know exactly where Viking Ocean falls in the hierarchy of “luxury” cruise lines but we have been perfectly happy with them and don’t see any need to go more upscale (unless it’s for an itinerary/destination unavailable with Viking.)

I will add that our one Viking River cruise didn’t ring our chimes as much as their Ocean offerings. Perhaps not a fair comparison because of the huge difference in ship size, amenities, etc.

 

[Happyras]

Well, we are in the same boat so to speak. Our first cruise on Regent SS will be in Oct, flying from YVR to NRT, cruising Japan. The cost is about 1.5 X the cost of our recent cruises on Celebrity and Norwegian in suites. These two major lines have their ship within a ship concept trying to compete with the Luxury lines. We have a lot of points on Celebrity but really got tired of the hyped up terrible food in their so call Luminae restaurant. We did several cruises in their Retreat concept. We could not find acceptable meals at their specialty restaurants as well. We tried Norwegian and paid dearly for a suite in their Haven concept. It was nice having the private uncrowded areas and dining, while still being able to access the huge ship features. However the food again was not great even in the private Haven restaurant. The service and private bar were very good however.

I like the idea of the all included tours on Regent, but we booked too late to get any worthwhile tours apparently they fill up (or do not offer enough space). Our expectation for food and service is high so we have not booked any other cruises yet. I am a little put off by the formality of the ship and dress codes. It is not my style to dress up for dinner beyond long pants.

We may try Paul Gaugin in the south pacific. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has done this.

 

[Marc]

I like the idea of the all included tours on Regent, but we booked too late to get any worthwhile tours apparently they fill up (or do not offer enough space). Our expectation for food and service is high so we have not booked any other cruises yet. I am a little put off by the formality of the ship and dress codes. It is not my style to dress up for dinner beyond long pants.

We may try Paul Gaugin in the south pacific. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has done this.

Long pants and a collared shirt are all you need; not formal at all. Only formal optional nights are on cruises 16 days or longer and most that I will wear is sports coat without a tie. Regent is really relaxed (though no shorts is enforced after 6pm).

Marc

 

[Happyras]

I should add that cruising on the major lines Like Celebrity or Norwegian can cost 3x to have a suite in their Haven or Retreat. I was a little reluctant to go the last step up to pay $1800/nt instead of $900 or $1000, but Regent does include a few more perks like the excursions and a 3 night pre cruise hotel and tour. We got spoiled over the years stepping up the suites on Celebrity but over the past 5 years they have certainly lowered their quality of food service for that higher cost. Our worst trips have been on Princess and Holland America, which we would not even compare to RCC.

 

[Happyras]

Long pants and a collared shirt are all you need; not formal at all. Only formal optional nights are on cruises 16 days or longer and most that I will wear is sports coat without a tie. Regent is really relaxed (though no shorts is enforced after 6pm).

Marc

That is great feedback, thanks. I thought our 11 night cruise had two formal nights. We recently went with friends to a very snobby restaurant and it was not really bad, but coats required in a Seattle restaurant is very old school east coast. The Canlis will likely be Michelin rated when they come to Seattle, but for $550 for 2, I have certainly have had better in Prague and France. I am hoping Regent dining is on this class but more relaxed. For us, 1/2 the cruise is the dining and social experience.

 

[Souschef]

We may try Paul Gaugin in the south pacific. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has done this.

We did 2 cruises on the PG, and loved both of them. I have attached the stories of our 2 cruises.

 

[Happyras]

We did 2 cruises on the PG, and loved both of them. I have attached the stories of our 2 cruises.

Thanks, I will definitely share these with my wife!

 

[Amethyst]

Another vote for Regent. The one thing I dislike is that once you sign a contract with them, it's extremely difficult to change your mind. Bearing in mind that demand for many voyages is such that you must reserve a year or more in advance - and a lot can change in a year.

No Seabourn experience but I have cruised extensively on Regent; a competitor luxury cruise line. No ship over 750 pax and all inclusive. When people are considering moving up to a luxury line I recommend they look at the final bill from their previous cruises and compare to one of the luxury lines. If you take advantage of the included drinks (and excursions if on Regent) and like the better food and service and don't mind giving up on one of the big suites (basic suites are 265-400 sq ft plus balcony) I think you will find it is a much better "value" to cruise on a luxury ship.

 

[Amethyst]

Regent isn't formal at all. You wear whatever you like (within reason) during the day, and they are fine with long pants at dinner as long as you also wear a shirt and shoes. Me, I love to dress up for dinner, and to see others dressed up, but nobody will frown or raise an eyebrow if you don't.

Well, we are in the same boat so to speak. Our first cruise on Regent SS will be in Oct, flying from YVR to NRT, cruising Japan. I am a little put off by the formality of the ship and dress codes. It is not my style to dress up for dinner beyond long pants.

.

 

[sengsational]

This thread has lots of great details and sources to explore on the topic. For me, the cafeteria level food on the mega ships is becoming the last straw. They're motivated to do poorly there so you pay for the specialty dinning, LOL! And getting away from the larger port crowds and more interesting ports pulls me to the smaller ships. But I don't need or want bigger staterooms or anything fancy on board that becomes snobby. With the food, it can be high quality, prepared well, and served in a fancy or less fancy place, and I'd enjoy it just as much.


I suppose this is one of those"just dive in" with a reasonable choice and see what happens.

 

[mpeirce]

This thread has lots of great details and sources to explore on the topic. For me, the cafeteria level food on the mega ships is becoming the last straw. They're motivated to do poorly there so you pay for the specialty dinning, LOL! And getting away from the larger port crowds and more interesting ports pulls me to the smaller ships. But I don't need or want bigger staterooms or anything fancy on board that becomes snobby. With the food, it can be high quality, prepared well, and served in a fancy or less fancy place, and I'd enjoy it just as much.


I suppose this is one of those"just dive in" with a reasonable choice and see what happens.

You'll enjoy Viking or Seabourn.

Pick a great destination and have a great time!

 

[Happyras]

This thread has lots of great details and sources to explore on the topic. For me, the cafeteria level food on the mega ships is becoming the last straw. They're motivated to do poorly there so you pay for the specialty dinning, LOL! .

For us, we have found that the specialty dining on both Celebrity and Norwegian is far below par so that is why we are going to try Regent. Consider, we go out and spend $80 to $500 on dinner for two locally, and have a much better meal than any cruise ship currently. They try and make you pay an extra $100 for their so called specialty dining and you get a meal you would not even pay that much for at home. We have walked out of many cruise ship restaurants. After over 50 cruises it has just become a low end experience and we tend to eat off the ship.