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Seabourn Quest is the third iteration of the vessel design that has been called “a game-changer for the luxury segment.” True to her Seabourn bloodlines, wherever she sails around the world, Seabourn Quest carries with her a bevy of award-winning dining venues that are comparable to the finest restaurants to be found anywhere. Seabourn Quest offers a variety of dining options to suit every taste and every mood, with never an extra charge.
This was our first Seabourn cruise and 24th cruise overall. We sailed on 12 different lines, including Crystal, Silversea, Oceania, Azamara and more. It was a great cruise. The service was the best we had on any cruise line. Embarkation: very smooth and quick. We arrived at the terminal at 12:15, they opened check in at 12:30 and within 15 minutes we were on the ship. Cabins were already ready. Good job! SB still does a muster drill in the restaurant while Oceania moved to virtual drill. Food: The food was between good and very good, excellent on very few occasions, and it lacked the Wow factor that we experienced on Oceania. The service was outstanding across all venues. Overall food at dinners: 8.5 out of 10. Food at lunch buffet: 9.5 out of 10, one of the best we had on any ship. Breakfast buffet was good, but with a relatively limited selection. I asked for fresh pomegranate juice, but they didn't have any, even the bottled one. Dining options are relatively limited. There is the main restaurant that is open for dinner only most of the days, The Colonnade which serves as a buffet for breakfast and lunch and has table service for dinner, and Solis, a new venue that you can reserve once per guest every seven days. The menus are not extensive, but the quality is very good. There is also Earth & Ocean which was just okay in our opinion. Shore Excursions: the excursions were okay overall, but very expensive. Maybe because it was mainly in remote Canadian ports with no competition? Unlike many other lines, they don't fill up the buses, and the average group size was around 25-30 people. But some excursions had around 35-40 people, which to me is unacceptable. Overall: 7.5 out of 10. Entertainment and activities: excellent. Evening entertainment included a show in the theatre at 9:45pm and some live music around the ship in the various lounges. There were 3 guest entertainers with 2 shows each, all of them excellent. They had deck party twice, both very nice. We had 3 guest lecturers, each gave 4 lectures. Overall Entertainment and activities: 9.5 out of 10. Cabin and attendant: The cabin was very nice, and the cabin service was excellent. Every cabin has a large bathroom with tub and shower, as well as walking closet, and curtain that separates the bed from the sitting area. The only complaint is the shower which is pretty small, especially considering the overall cabin size. Overall: 9.5 out of 10. Internet: They have StarLink, and the Internet was the best we had on any ship. I was amazed to see see speeds over 50 Mbps on a consistent basis. Overall: 10 out of 10. Staff: I have only good things to say about the staff. They were extremely friendly and tried very hard. No request was too big. The best crew we had ever. SB is a very casual line. They do have one formal night on shorter sailings, but you need a jacket only in the main restaurant. The whole atmosphere is very relaxed and casual. We like it much better than Silversea. Overall, we had a fantastic trip. Nice itinerary, great weather. I would rate our overall experience 9.5 out of 10. We already booked another SB cruise 2 days after our return.
This was our first cruise on Seabourn and we are hooked. The ship was beautiful, the cabin spacious, the food excellent and the staff very friendly and helpful. SHIP - The Quest is a beautiful small (450 passengers) luxury ship. It is lovingly maintained by the large staff. We really enjoyed being on a small cruise ship. Even though our cruise was sold out, the elevators were fast and almost always empty and we never had a problem finding a seat in any lounge or around the pool. CABIN - Our cabi was large and comfortable. Plenty of storage. It even had a walk-in closet and double sinks in the bathrooms. The bed was very comfortable and the balcony was large. FOOD - We found the food and wine to be first rate in all the venues as was the service. The cocktails were innovative and excellent as well. 24 hour room service is available. STAFF - This is where Seabourn seems to really stand out. The staff are helpful, professional and very friendly. The take care of every need. ENTERTAINMENT - We were not expecting much considering the size of the ship. but were very surprised by the quality of the entertainment on board. PORTS - We greatly enjoyed all the ports with one exception, Durres, Albania, which is a rather depressing industrial city trying to recover from decades of communist rule. We made the mistake of not doing an excursion to the countryside here and instead walked the city with several other couples. Bad idea. As for the other ports, we were especially fond of Kopar, Kotor and Lipari. Sadly we could not visit Amalfi due to rough seas.
DW and I have been on dozens of cruises over the past 40+ years and now that we are retired and blessed to afford more luxury travel options, we have started trying out the luxury cruise lines starting with Seabourn. We booked the Quest transatlantic crossing from Miami to Las Palmas sailing on March 24. We booked with our preferred travel agent into a Verandah Suite and in December we accepted an offer to upgrade to a Penthouse Spa Suite. Thanks to a kind member here, we received a referral OBC and we also received CCL credit as well. Prior to sailing, we contacted Seabourn at the recommendation of some here to provide our suite preferences as the online feature for that was not working. I do not drink alcohol and prefer sparkling water and no-sugar added soft drinks and vegetable juices. The Seabourn person we corresponded with indicated that our requests would be no problem. We arrived about ten minutes before our scheduled check-in time to find the laziest porter we've ever encountered sitting on a chair and directing us where to leave our luggage! He didn't even get up and help those who were older or struggled with their bags. But that isn't Seabourn's fault, probably just a sign of the times. Then we encountered a DYKWIA couple (Seabourn regulars judging from the hugs we saw them give some crew members later that day) who actually cut in front of my wife and put their stuff on the conveyor belt in front of her purse as she waited her turn at the terminal security screening. Fortunately, our paths did not again cross but it was a reminder that wealth does not buy class! Embarkation was very smooth and quick but we found the first example of a Seabourn "stumble" while waiting in the terminal for boarding to begin when they put out dispensers of fruit juice and water with champagne flutes that were too tall to fit under the spout with the fixed base underneath. It made quite a mess as many attempted to fill their glass by tipping it under the spout which put about 1/4" in the glass and the rest all over the table and floor. A Seabourn crew member later appeared with a standard large beverage cooler and filled glasses with juice. Unfortunately for those of us who should not avoid sweetened drinks, she only had the juice...water was not available. Boarding began about 12:45pm but a line soon formed on the gangway as everyone stopped at a table to make Solis reservations or set up a special event. Once the Seabourn crew member at the table realized everyone had stopped, he announced that anyone who didn't want to do those things before boarding could simply pass by and the line quickly dissipated. We were greeted upon boarding and directed to the Colonnade. We were surprised that embarking guests were not provided a glass of champagne as we thought that was something done on Seabourn. Of course, it was available for the asking if one desired. Lunch was good but seating was very limited at the Colonnade and service was very slow. We waited about fifteen minutes for a simple glass of water and a request for a Diet Coke was never fulfilled. At about 1:30pm, the suites were ready and we made our way aft to our Penthouse Spa Suite. We found the suite to be well-appointed and clean but only stocked with a bottle of champagne with a note that Seabourn did not receive any suite preferences and to let our suite attendant know of any requests. That was quite a disappointment, particularly since we found that they only carried Diet Coke (in a very limited quantity), Coke Zero and Sprite Zero onboard. No other sugar-free drinks were available (unlike on RCCL and Celebrity where they had a wide variety of sugar-free San Pellegrino flavored sparkling beverages). We also discovered that the only Nespresso pods available were decaffeinated as some provisions were apparently not restocked in Miami. My request for cream or half-half to have with my early AM coffee was not met until day five when a pitcher of milk appeared in the mini-fridge. They did provide a bowl of berries two days but the strawberries were soft and not very fresh. We also learned that due to staffing issues we would not have a suite host and our suite attendant, whom we shared with penthouse suites on Deck 10 forward, was new to Seabourn. Nonetheless he tried very hard and his efforts were much appreciated. While service in the Colonnade on embarkation day was poor, it gradually improved over the next few days and by the middle of the sailing was quite attentive. Service in the restaurant was always good but Solis was a disappointment, both in quality of service and food (see comment here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3002788-solis-experience-on-quest/?do=findComment&comment=67229471). The passion fruit sorbet offered one day as a no-sugar added option at Seabourn Square was outstanding. I also loved the Napa burger at the pool grill...just fabulous! Afternoon tea in the observation lounge was also quite well done. We found many of the "conversations" and other activities quite enjoyable. In fact, we spent so much time doing those things that neither of us made much progress on the reading we intended to do onboard. I enjoyed talks by Bob Wittman (retired FBI agent who started the Art Crimes Team) and Keith Muras (retired British Foreign Service officer) while DW enjoyed doing artwork and was thrilled to find Debbie Macomber, one of her most favorite authors, sailing with us as a featured conversationalist so DW was able to enjoy some wonderful times with two new friends. Team Trivia was great thanks to CD James Templeton, his lovely assistant (and Seabourn dancer) Tabitha, and the sometimes rowdy but fun crowd who participated for nine straight days! Shows were quite good but the Seabourn singer who led two well-known hymns during the Easter morning service was unprepared and lost his place in the music during each hymn. That was rather...unfortunate. We found that our fellow travelers were (by and large) a friendly, fun and interesting group who, like us, took the service and quality missteps in stride and in good humor. A number of them had sailed Seabourn before and acknowledged that service and quality has declined in recent years but opined that Seabourn is still quite better than many travel alternatives. We had some great times talking with a few of the crew members and while all (but one) was helpful and friendly, several went above and beyond to make us feel very welcome and special. The ship was in great shape with brand new cushions on the pool deck loungers and chairs. There was always cleaning or maintenance taking place, we didn't see a speck of rust or any indication of deferred maintenance, and they even replaced all of the carpet on the atrium stair treads during our voyage even though the previous carpet (same color) appeared to be in excellent condition! Internet (the stream package) was very fast and available during the entire crossing with no outages experienced. Our overall thoughts: Unfortunately, in business today the trend seems to be "over promise but under deliver." That leads to disappointment and can diminish the likelihood of developing a loyal customer. But marketing fills cruise ships and cruise lines (at least all of them we have sailed) have become adept at apologizing "for any inconvenience" and they are quite willing to sacrifice customer loyalty and satisfaction for increased profit. Did Seabourn meet expectations? No. Did they deliver an above-average product and service? Yes. Would we sail Seabourn again? It depends. With recent substantial price increases Seabourn may not represent a good luxury vacation value for us. We did notice (particularly at the end of the sailing) some benefit to their better crew to passenger ratio, we found the condition of the ship to be excellent, upcharge items on other lines (filet mignon, lobster and such) were included, and we very much preferred the small ship experience. However, the inclusion of alcoholic beverages is not important to us, availability and variety of some food and beverage offerings were limited, and Seabourn simply missed the mark on their promised Seabourn Experience/Seabourn Difference. While some crew provided exceptional personal service, the majority provided the typical service experience that we have come to appreciate on lines like HAL and similar.
Seabourn Quest offers nine types of suites, eight of which feature verandas. Designed as home away from homes, these suites aim to be the place for you to unwind at the end of the day. Featuring a range of traditional cabin amenities, each also benefit from a Personal Suite Stewardess who will welcome you with Champagne and canapés, draw you a relaxing bath and assist you with anything you might need during your stay.
Seabourn’s award-winning cuisine starts with the finest quality ingredients, infused with authentic regional flavors, prepared á la minute by our skilled chefs and served with pride. Each Seabourn ship offers a choice of dining venues to suit your mood of the moment, and nearly all are open-seating, inviting you to dine where, when and with whom you wish. Complimentary fine wines are poured with lunch and dinner, and there is never an extra charge for any dining choice. You can even enjoy a meal in your suite or on your veranda, with our compliments. Seabourn is a proud member of Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, one of the world’s most prestigious gastronomic societies devoted to the art of fine dining.
The line's enrichment series is called Seabourn Conversations. On selected sailings experts on topics ranging from arts to World Heritage site join passengers onboard and create a dialogue. Seabourn Pride themselves in not only providing lecturers, but experts with who passengers can talk to whilst enjoying a drink.
Seabourn Quest features a range of entertainment facilities, including lounges, bars and a casino, as well as a choice of daytime activities. Some of the ship's more unique activities are Evening Under the Stars and Movie Under the Stars, which are Seabourn's signature on deck entertainment.
Seabourn’s spa and fitness facilities have repeatedly been named the Favorite Spas at Sea by the readers of SpaFinder.com. They offer a wide spectrum of massages, facials and beauty treatments, blending traditional practices from around the world with the most up-to-date techniques. Seabourn’s spas are suitable for guests wishing to maintain a personal fitness regime or discover a new one. A well-equipped ocean-view gym and Motion Studio is staffed by professional fitness trainers, and a full-service salon for men and women complement the spas.
Please note: Seabourn Quest does not offer any dedicated Kids & Teens facilities.
