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Seabourn Encore is as strikingly beautiful and as excitingly innovative as any Seabourn has ever debuted. She crowns a fleet of luxury cruise ships that is already the newest, most modern and most acclaimed in the ultra-luxury segment. Modelled on the award-winning trio of ships introduced with Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Encore 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.
We have sailed with Seabourn previously, this is our fourth cruise with them. We chose this itinerary because its close to where we live (Cyprus) its only 1 hr 20 minutes to Istanbul. We flew the same day and boarded the ship. The boarding went very smoothly, we were a bit late boarding so we went straight to our spa penthouse suite. We upgraded thanks to an offer from Seabourn, a paid upgrade. We were pleased we did, the suite is quite large, with a lovely wrap around balcony. Overall, we had a fantastic cruise, the crew were amazing, we like Seabourn square a lot, the staff are friendly and helpful the coffee shop is great. The only down side is that they dont open the main restaurants for lunch? We like trivia so that was special, we won twice which was good. Dining: The Colonnade is OK but its a buffet service, the food is good, good choice however its only Luke warm. We dined in the main restaurant, the food was very good as was the service. The speciality restaurant the Solis is very nice however, you may only get one booking because it is very small, it is the best restaurant on the ship. We also had "in suite" dining sadly it was not good. The portions for my meal was tiny and once again the food was Luke warm. The service in the bars was very good, both the club on deck five and the observation bar. The entertainment was very good, we went to see the ex head of MI5, she was very good, the Seabourn dancers we also a delight. Disembarkation was very smooth, no problems there. Internet: Because we were in a Penthouse suite we were allowed 4 devices, the speed was good.
There were a number of things we really liked and some significant disappointments. Staff: The staff was friendly and engaging. Your greatest asset by far. I will say I found the service people in Seabourn Square to be a little cold and not as friendly as the rest of the ship. Helpful but not all that engaging. The people staffing the coffee bar were top notch. Entertainment: The entertainment was overall good for the size ship although not all the offerings were appealing to us. Seabourn players were energetic and fun to watch although the shows were of varying quality with the last show of the trip terribly produced with re-arrangements of well known hits difficult to listen too. On the other hand the show using Michael Jackson's music was ethereal. The comedian was excellent. Pianist very talented if you like classical music, and the Greek performer from South Africa energetic and a bit crazy but only moderately appealing. The bands in the lounges and poolside were all good and I enjoyed the all on numerous occasions but were fairly standard for cruising with no standouts. Food: Some of the food was excellent although some was far from so. Publishing the nightly menus in advance was a nice touch and made choosing a venue for dinner much easier. The best restaurant in our opinion was the Sushi bar which we ate at 4 or more times in 14 days. The food was creative, fresh, and tasty. Staff service here was best on ship. The hostess knew our name after our first visit and was terrific. The worst was The Restaurant. We found the ambience to be a bit off putting and not nearly as elegant as on other ships we have sailed on. The food at that sight was not up to par on the 2 occasions we dined there and we avoided it for the remainder of the cruise. The placement of service stations all over the room was distracting and unpleasant. No one wants to watch dinner after dinner being staged 10 feet from their table. Solis had nice ambience (we ate both inside and out) but the food was not as good as it should have been. The exception was the porterhouse which I had all 3 times I dined at Solis and was one of the best steaks I have had anywhere and definitely the best on any cruise in 30 years. Unfortunately, I found little else on the menu to be that appealing although did take the opportunity to try many other menu items during our 3 visits and was far less impressed with those offerings. The Colonnade dinner venue was extremely pleasant if eating outside which we did twice. The Thai night was quite good with an excellent curry. The other night we went (French) was far less successful. The escargot (our main reason for going) was an awful prep with soggy bread on top of the escargot. The simple standard French prep in garlic and oil with french bread on the side would have been far better. Many off the dining themes at the Colonnade just did not appeal to us otherwise we would have eaten there more. We dined at the outdoor venue by the pool twice. This was much more pleasant an experience than I expected as it was quiet and elegant. The first meal there was terrific with a small but creative menu. The second time was less successful with my main course of duck so tough I could not eat it. Overall I would say the food was good but not what I would expect for this price point and what is considered to be ultra-high luxury. Providing food to a ship full of people is really a catering operation which then needs to be made to look like fine dining. It was evident where corners were cut in food prep for the sake of time. If this is done well the diner should be none the wiser. Unfortunately this was only accomplished with moderate success. Bars: The best bar on board was Solis where I had cocktails at least 9 of our nights onboard. The room is elegant, there was live piano music, and the drums were creative.The staff here was excellent. One recommendation would be to rotate the cocktail menu or offer a couple of "specials" each night to provide some variation. Got a little bored with the menu towards the end of the cruise. The panoramic view bar on deck 11 was nice during the day for views and was pleasant for the formal tea. At night it should have sparkled, but the lighting (70's track lighting over the bar) was so dated and unpleasant that room seems anything but elegant at night. We only went twice. The 5th floor bar by the casino was better and had a nice cocktail menu although unfortunately felt a bit dated too. Cabin: The cabin was pleasant although the closet a bit small. The bed and pillows super comfortable. Unfortunately the room was a but dated with stains on the marble bathroom floor, scuffs and dings around the room, and a non-functioning drain in one of the sinks. Had to manually pull the drain to empty the sink. Furniture on the veranda was low end. Gym: Excellent space with lots of equipment. I worked out here 4/5 days. Ship: More dated and with less elegant finishes than I would have expected.
We did a round trip from Athens visiting Antalya and Marmaris in Turkey, Cyprus and Crete and it was excellent. Embarkation and disembarkation were both a breeze and we went straight to 'The Colonnade' for lunch and Champagne. It was first class and set the tone for the week. Cases were promptly delivered to the cabin that was available from 1.30pm. The cabin was amongst the best we have had including Suites and a balcony cabin on Celebrity Edge when it was only 3 weeks' old. The bathroom was huge with an excellent shower, the bed supremely comfortable, the Molton Brown toiletries a pleasure to use and the stocked fridge and welcome bottle of Champagne nice touches. The only improvement I would make is having a balcony door that slides rather than opens out onto the balcony which took up space and made it a little awkward. The weather for the week was superb, ranging between 26C and 31C and each of the ports had something to offer and were interesting. The entertainment was invariably good and the energetic Seabourn Six put on two good productions. The sail away one afternoon featured two of the Seabourn Six singing Operatic arias and they were superb. The drinks on board were varied and we had a few cocktails but mainly focused on the champagne and quite delicious Cala Provence rose which was available throughout the ship. The staff were very good, some not as attentive as others but we had no complaints. The food was a notch above what we have experienced on other lines with the Colonnade lunch buffet being very good every day, The Restaurant classy with a range of options which were tasty and well plated and I enjoyed Solis more than my wife who did say her 'seabass' was excellent! I opted for the 8oz fillet steak and greedily asked for some 'gambas' on the side which were huge so my self styled 'Surf and Turf' hit the spot. We never bothered with breakfast as we like to laze in the morning with just coffee and orange juice. We have another Seabourn cruise booked for March to Cape Verde and after our recent experience we are greatly looking forward to it. We are also cruising with Celebrity in two weeks' time so it will be interesting to see the comparison but I have a feeling that Seabourn will be a 'go to' option from now on. In short, our Seabourn experience exceeded our expectations!
Your spacious suite welcomes you with complimentary Champagne and a fully stocked bar with your preferences. Thoughtfully designed and tastefully curated with delightful touches, all ocean-front suites feature expansive views, and most open onto private verandas for relaxing or entertaining.
Seabourn Encore proudly offers a variety of dining options to suit every mood and occasion. No matter where you choose to dine, you'll be treated to award-winning cuisine and flawless service that rival the finest restaurants on land. Of course, your dining is always complimentary, as are the fine wines served throughout lunch and dinner.
In an ongoing quest to provide a world-class experience, Seabourn has created a partnership with world-renowned American chef and restaurateur Thomas Keller. The culinary genius behind a trio of Michelin-starred restaurants – The French Laundry, Per Se, and Bouchon – Chef Keller brings his award-winning French and American cuisine to the ultra-luxury cruise line adding new flavors and flair to complement Seabourn's already celebrated cuisine.
Expand your horizons in our library, at a port lecture or at one of our many inspiring enrichment programs. To encourage and enhance this satisfying aspect of your Seabourn voyage, we invite luminaries of particular interest and accomplishment to join our guests on board – and bring fascinating insights, expert opinions and delightfully entertaining diversions to the conversation.
Seabourn Encore 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 Encore features a range of traditional health and fitness amenities, including a spa and salon, as well as sports facilities.
Please note: Seabourn Encore does not offer any dedicated Kids & Teens facilities.
