Seabourn Encore Cruise Ship Review

Table Of Content

• Announcing The Collection, Seabourn’s New Invite-only Cruising Experience
• Seabourn Guest Testimonials
• The Seabourn Venture Deck Plan Has Familiar Venues, Multiple Lounges
• (Coronavirus crisis) passenger shipping pause 2020-2021
• Loyalty program
• Seabourn’s Latest Expedition Ship Brings a Safari Sensibility to Antarctica. We Hopped on Board.
• Night British Isles, North Cape & Norwegian FjordsDetails

The company was demerged from Cunard and reorganized as an independent brand (still part of Carnival Corporation). On March 31, 2011, Seabourn Cruise Line ceased operations from Miami Florida USA and transferred its operations to Holland America's headquarters in Seattle WA. Gratuities also are included in the cruise fare, though you're able to tip extra if you wish. (We recommend making a donation to the crew fund in lieu of tipping individuals.) In the spa and on guided tours, tipping is up to the individual. While the evening dress code is supposedly enforced at 6 p.m., no one condemns you if you're still watching sail-away after 6 in the clothes you wore all day.

Announcing The Collection, Seabourn’s New Invite-only Cruising Experience

Not only is it really the only way to get here (charters aren’t an option, although you can fly), it’s also where innovation occurs. We went aboard to see what fresh advantages this ship has over the competition. It offers an additional dining option, a sushi restaurant first introduced on Encore, as well as a spacious venue for The Grill by Thomas Keller (which feels cramped on the smaller vessels). It also was the first to debut Seabourn's new alfresco dining concept -- Earth & Ocean at The Patio -- as well as the line's new gelato program. You can eat at The Restaurant every night and never be bored, or try a different venue for five nights without repeat (six, if you count in-suite dining).

Seabourn Guest Testimonials

Seabourn is owned by Carnival Corporation and is part of the "World's Leading Cruise Lines" group, which also includes AIDA, CCL-Carnival, Costa, Cunard, HAL-Holland America Line, Princess and P&O. Additionally, the ship is the only one in the fleet equipped with all-new high-speed internet technology. When we were online, we never had that sluggish, waiting-forever-for-the-page-to-load frustration (though occasionally we had trouble getting any access at all, which was likely due to the ship's positioning relative to its satellite).

The Seabourn Venture Deck Plan Has Familiar Venues, Multiple Lounges

Navigating the Japanese archipelago, the vessel makes inaugural calls on all 4 main islands. Between February and April 2025, Seabourn Sojourn has four cruises to Morocco and the Canaries (7 to 14 days) visiting El Hierro and Casablanca (Morocco). Itineraries range from 7- to 24 days (many are combinable into B2Bs) and offer late-night and overnight por stays. In addition to Kimberley, Seabourn Pursuit (March-October 2024) visits destinations in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, Guam USA, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and also has scheduled a Transpacific crossing from Chile to Melanesia. Meanwhile, Seabourn Venture returns for another season in the UK, Ireland, Greenland, Norway, Iceland, and Arctic Canada.

Like several other upscale lines that have gone into Antarctica voyages in recent years, Seabourn is targeting a high-end customer that wants to explore the continent in style. Seabourn Venture features high-end restaurants serving elegant cuisine crafted in part by leading American chef Thomas Keller, and every room on the ship is a suite with its own balcony — something that isn't often the case with expedition ships. The abundance of public space makes passengers feel as if they have the vessel to themselves - no annoying lines or crowds here. Seabourn cruise ship passengers may choose to dine when and where they want on any of the luxurious ships of the line. Each dining venue offers a different atmosphere and different dishes, but all use innovative cooking techniques and perfect ingredients like Black River Ossetra Caviar. In July 2023, Seabourn's culinary program was expanded with new dishes (in The Restaurant/main dining room) fleetwide as well as "Sushi in the Club" (on select ships).

(Coronavirus crisis) passenger shipping pause 2020-2021

Between May and July 2025, Seabourn Pursuit embarks on a series of 10-day departures exploring the Australia and Kimberley Coast region, connecting Broome and Darwin, Australia. Subsequently, the ship heads to Australia's Kimberley region, famous for its red sandstone gorges, rivers, waterfalls, wildlife, and rich Aboriginal heritage. In 2016, Seabourn wrapped up the year with a total of 22 cruise travel industry awards, several of which were readers' choice nominations. Over the years, the cruise line has consistently been rated a "top choice" in the luxury travel segment. Each night on escorted Seabourn Journeys (shore excursions) earns 1 Club Point. In June 2023 was introduced new 24-hour in-cabin dining menus listing gourmet dishes prepared by Anton Egger (company's Master Chef and Culinary Consultant Chef) and Franck Salein (company's Senior Corporate Chef).

THE 25 BEST Seabourn Cruises to Europe (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic

THE 25 BEST Seabourn Cruises to Europe (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic.

Posted: Tue, 24 Oct 2023 03:22:56 GMT [source]

The charter deal was signed by Natalya Leahy (Seabourn) and David Cox (APT's CEO). These are high-quality chocolates by the "Keller Manni Chocolate" company (founders Michelin chef Thomas Keller and Armando Manni / olive oil producer from Italy). The custom-made for Seabourn chocolates are hand-crafted (produced in Napa Valley, California). Among the signature flavors are the milk-based hazelnut, smoked chili, blood orange, cherry, as well as the dark chocolate "sea salt". The line is also gay-friendly, and special LGBT meet-ups are held throughout each cruise. You'll hardly see kids onboard during the school year, but during holidays and summers when families or multigenerational groups are onboard, Seabourn offers a kids' program.

Seabourn’s Latest Expedition Ship Brings a Safari Sensibility to Antarctica. We Hopped on Board.

Along the way, board a Zodiac® for close-up views of wildlife, kayak among stately icebergs and tropical islands, or adventure beneath the surface of the sea. On a Seabourn expedition, you don't just visit extraordinary places, you live them with all your senses. Our ultra-luxury purpose-built ships, Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit are your richly-appointed base camps. Your 4 x 4 is a Zodiac, kayak, or six-person submarine that allows you to experience cultural encounters as well as confront rare creatures in the wild. The ceremony will take place during the ship’s inaugural “Discovering the Kimberley” voyage, which embarks from Broome, Western Australia, on June 22, 2024.

Sushi lovers won’t want to miss the snacks served nightly in The Club, even though it’s a limited menu. And finally, Seabourn’s room service allows you to order anything from the Restaurant to your suite during the dining hours -- a boon if you’ve been out all day exploring and don’t want to get dressed up. The heart of the ship remains Seabourn Square, at the back of the ship on Deck 6. This multi-use space has guest services, a library, a coffee and snack bar and an outdoor area – all with plenty of comfy seating. The Club has been reborn on Seabourn Venture as a chic lounge that serves sushi before and during the dinner hour. A cruise on Seabourn Sojourn, particularly a longer sailing, resembles short-term membership at an upscale country club or boutique hotel.

For the most part, Seabourn's lineup of Caribbean cruises is focused on one-way, seven-night trips between the islands of Barbados and St. Maarten (the Dutch side of the island of St. Martin). Seabourn welcomes you to all-inclusive, ultra-luxury cruising refined to its purest form. Where hand-selected itineraries take you to places beyond the reach of larger ships. Explore the British Isles, the Arctic, Iceland, South America, Antarctica, and much more.

THE 25 BEST Seabourn Cruises to the South Pacific (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic

THE 25 BEST Seabourn Cruises to the South Pacific (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic.

Posted: Tue, 24 Oct 2023 07:21:56 GMT [source]

A second, 39-night segment of the same world cruise from Taipei to Singapore will bring stops in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Seabourn destinations visited on such trips typically include Laem Chabang (the port for Bangkok) and Ko Kood, Thailand; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; and Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Halong Bay in Vietnam. The world's southernmost continent is an underexplored area that many seasoned travelers still have left unchecked on their to-visit list. Introducing Seabourn Ovation, the sister-ship to the already prestigious Seabourn Encore. Seabourn Ovation represents another welcome stage in the evolution of small ship cruising, which Seabourn pioneered and has consistently expanded and enriched for all of our small ship cruises.

Seabourn Pursuit, an ultra-luxury expedition ship that entered service in August of 2023, finally has godparents. While many cruise lines choose a celebrity or influencer to fill the role, Seabourn Cruise Line has broken the mold by choosing the Wunambal Gaambera people instead. For the money, the Panorama Veranda suites -- a category that is brand new to Seabourn -- is our favorite cabin that we’ve ever seen on an expedition ship, and well worth an upgrade. The star of these suites are full floor-to-ceiling windows that pop out from the ship, allowing wide-ranging views from not only the seating area, but your bed. These cabins are also the only ones that have a bathtub that abuts a full outside window, and they are the only ones with heated tile floors, as opposed to carpeting.

With their unmatched sense of style, elegance and grace, Seabourn luxury cruise ships beckon you to travel beyond the bounds of the imagination. Seabourn Pursuit, the second purpose-built expedition ship in Seabourn’s fleet is on the small side, measuring in at 557 feet long and 78 feet wide, with 264 suites onboard. Not only does this allow for a more luxurious and intimate cruising experience, but the ship is able to travel to destinations where bigger cruise ships simply can’t fit.

Seabourn welcomes the second ultra-luxury Expedition ship to the fleet, Seabourn Pursuit. Purpose-built for immersive and adventurous travel experiences, the smaller sizes of expedition ships afford access to remote destinations and areas largers ships cannot reach. Seabourn's dress code is slightly more relaxed than other luxury cruise lines. During the day, passengers wear casual, resort-style attire (shorts and jeans are allowed) throughout the ship, including in the lounges. Swimwear, cover-ups and exercise attire are reserved for the pool area, outside decks, spa and fitness center. On August 15, 2019, Seabourn opened bookings for its new "Private Air" program (privately chartered jet service) that allows customers to fly to homeports/departure cruise ports via private jets rather than commercial airlines.

Venture itself is great but tendering even in regular ports is only by Zodica which can mean a lengthy wet ride to get to and from the tour buses. And finally, sub rides are not included in the Seabourn Venture fare -- and prices can be steep. The amount depends on the itinerary but expect to pay between $500 to $900 a person for a 45-minute dive. Besides enrichment lectures and trivia, there aren't many organized activities during the day, and apart from one or two memorable performances, the nighttime entertainment leaned toward mediocre.