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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. Both ships will deliver a wealth of new concepts, a fresh vision and a host of illuminating ideas to delight the world's most discerning travellers.
Having recently sailed on extended itineraries on Seabourn, Viking and Oceania, I thought it would be helpful to compare our experience on our recent 21 day Seabourn itinerary on Ovation, from Rome to Barcelona, to our most recent experience on Viking and Oceania. In our opinion, extended itineraries give you a better feel for the cruise line overall. Our experience on Seabourn was far, far above our experience on our 22 day Viking Jupiter itinerary last spring. We have now completed 6 ocean cruises on Viking and in our opinion, our most recent experience was a disappointment in comparison to our previous cruises. Although Viking does boast a happy and energetic crew which provides great service, the food and beverage was not close to previous standards and was very disappointing for an upscale line. We stayed in a penthouse veranda which does not compare near as favourably in layout or size to a standard cabin on Seabourn, which has a walk-in closet and much larger double vanity bathroom. We sailed on an 23 day Oceania Riviera itinerary on a cruise prior to Viking. Although Oceania offers a superior main dining room (MDR) culinary experience, Seabourn is fairly close in that regard. Oceania boasts the best food at sea and, in relation to their MDR offerings, they certainly kept that promise. Oceania’s refurbished veranda cabins on Riviera are much smaller than Seabourn but have a great layout and are tastefully decorated in modern colours (be aware that cabins below PH on sister ship Marina have not been refurbished to the same standard as Riviera). Unfortunately, food and service in their specialty restaurants was surprisingly subpar and a real disappointment in comparison to their MDR. Riviera carries twice the passengers as Ovation and therefore service is not as personal nor refined as Seabourn. This was our 5th extended itinerary with Seabourn. In our opinion, Seabourn offers a truly upscale experience in all aspects of the cruise in comparison to both Viking and Oceania (service, atmosphere, specialty restaurant, excursions, entertainment etc.). Service on Seabourn is consistently excellent, no matter which venue you are visiting. With only a 600 guest capacity on Ovation, service is both attentive and professional, a tribute to both the crew and management. If we were to rank the 3 cruise lines, our hands down favourite would be Seabourn, followed by Oceania with their excellent MDR cuisine and, a distant 3rd, Viking. We have 2 additional extended itineraries booked with Seabourn in the next 11 months which is testament how satisfied we were with our most recent cruise experience.
The best part of this trip were the rooms. All very large with walk in closets . Bathrooms had 2 sinks and bath tub and separate stall showers. Nice small ship makes everything easy. Food is very good but uneven. Some meals great others not so good. Solis restaurant where we ate twice was outstanding. Service in main dining room was poor. Eat anywhere any time did not work well as staff were frequently overwhelmed. Service in the rest of the ship was excellent. Liquor plentiful. Shows were good for a small ship. As other reviewers have mentioned when they made these ships bigger they became too crowded particularly around the pool People frequently reserved beach chairs. Pool and gym were adequate. If you drink a lot the additional cost to be on this ship is justified . Deserts at meals were surprisingly bad. Food consistency varied from meal to meal
Like all Seabourn ships, Ovation is an all-suite vessel, but every suite aboard this Seabourn vessel, has a private veranda. All accommodations are thoughtfully appointed, designed as homes with separate lounge room to unwind and entertain.
Seabourn Ovation is operated with all-inclusive deals, and provides the best choice of dining venues (all complimentary) and open-bar lounges. Guests dine when, where, and with whom they wish. The design of Ovation features contemporary spaces created by the Adam Tihany’s company, including ship's Main Dining Room and the club-like Seabourn Square lounge area.
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.
The ambiance of Seabourn Ovation is relaxed, with a sheer activities’ variety. Most sailings feature the Seabourn line’s Caviar in Surf Beach Barbecue or Marina Days, when you can go kayaking or sailing right from ship. Seabourn cruise line’s service is ranked the best on the luxury cruising market – highly personalized and attentive. Tipping is not expected.
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.
SPA AND FITNESS SERVICES INCLUDE*
Please note: Seabourn Ovation does not offer any dedicated Kids & Teens facilities.
