Luxury Cruise Holidays | Caribbean Sea Cruises | Seabourn

Ship Reviews

Before I get into my review, I want to give you some background. Seabourn is in the so-called “ultra-luxury” category (think Crystal, Silversea, Regent, etc.) of cruise lines. I know, I know. The term is dripping with elitism but it really is just an industry term which reflects the size of its ships. To be clear, the most expensive suites at sea are on Royal Caribbean and you will spent far more on Celebrity Retreat or Norwegian Haven than you would pay on most ultra-luxury lines. Each of the big cruise lines owns an ultra-luxury line: MSC owns Explora Journeys; Royal Caribbean owns Silversea; Norwegian owns Regent Seven Sea and Carnival owns Seabourn. Each of the ultra-luxury lines, except Explora Journeys, were at one point were independently owned. Carnival’s acquisition and subsequent attempts to sell Seabourn have been controversial. That said, Carnival’s theme is the “fun boat” and Seabourn is absolutely an ultra-luxury take on that theme. We had sailed Seabourn before in Greece. We had not even made it past the gangway when spouse dramatically turned around and snapped “I knew I would hate this boat!” He hasn’t wrong. The theme of Seabourn Encore was “deferred maintenance” and circus tent colors as décor. Can…you…stand…it? The famed Thomas Keller restaurant was a colossal disappointment and the food at most restaurants was inedible. Have you ever lost weight on a cruise ship? I have… And yet, the passengers and crew were big fun. The cruise director jumped in the pool fully dressed. Champagne and caviar rained down like mana from heaven. Their excursions were some of the best we’d ever taken. Everything was a very bespoke experience. The suites, despite the circus colors (you need sunglasses at night), were massive. The bathrooms were beautiful. However, we weren’t disappointed to disembark. After our experience, I dubbed Seabourn: Seaburp. So why would we rush back to take them on an expedition cruise? Seabourn has the two newest expedition ships. If you are going to the end of the known world, you do want a modern ship with stabilizers, Star Link, etc. So we both were reluctantly decided to give Seaburn Expeditions a try. I did make sure, repeatedly, that spouse knew that I would blame him for the remainder of his life if it sucked. First, Seabourn meets you immediately outside of baggage claim at the Buenos Aires International Airport. That is helpful as you are coming off a 9 hour flight, at an international airport and have no idea where you are supposed to go. Within minutes, you were whisked away to a Lyft/Uber which took you to your hotel. The hotel was stunning and could easily have been in any European capital. Think old world gilt walls, marble floors, and European service. Immediately upon entering, Seabourn agents greeted you and walked you to their own check-in and hospitality suite. The hospitality suite was white glove and had drinks and snacks but no welcome champagne which, I felt cheapened the otherwise high-end experience. Given that suites were not ready until 4pm, Seabourn had excursion offerings for guests. While I thought that was a nice touch, you had to pay for them. Expeditions are all-inclusive and so to nickel and dime like that, similar to the lack of a champagne welcome, seemed to cheapen the experience. Remember, guests are paying $10,000 to $25,000 per person for this type of cruise. The next morning, Seabourn provided a wonderful breakfast and then took you by shuttle to the domestic airport to fly to Ushuaia. Seabourn agents stayed with us from the hotel lobby all the way to Ushuaia’s airport. To be clear, you could not get lost if you tried. Seabourn agents, like God and the internet, were everywhere. Ushuaia is an adorable, almost Bavarian looking city sitting at the base of snow-capped mountain ranges. Despite the ship not sailing until late that day, Seabourn offered no excursions and instead sent you directly to the ship. Seabourn Pursuit is stunning. It is hunter green on the exterior and looks like a modern ski lodge inside. It was shocking that Pursuit and Encore were owned by the same line. We were in the Wintergarden Suite. There are only two on the ship and they are the largest suites available. The Wintergarden suite was two stories and nearly 1,000 square feet. It was worth it to upgrade because expedition ships are very, very small. There isn’t a large gym, a library, a movie theater, a casino, shows, etc. So you spend a lot more time in your suite than you would normally. We LOVED being in our suite and often ate our meals there. Despite how much we loved the Wintergarden suite, it did not come with any additional perks, which, again, we felt cheapened the experience. And the zodiacs were above our suite so we heard them being unloaded and loaded each day. Crossing the Drake Passage takes two days (thus a total of four days there and back). Yes, social media influencers have videos that look terrifying. The truth is expedition ships have stabilizers so you feel very little. We were lucky as we largely had the “Drake Lake” rather than the “Drake Shake” but even on our “Drake shake” day, it was hardly noticeable. We were blessed with clear skies and sunny weather and so, a day before you get to Antarctica, you could see the outline of the mountains. It was a moment I will never forget. I obviously cannot promise the weather but the ship does check weather reports constantly to ensure passengers go to places with the most optimal weather. Each day you have two excursions. One is land based and usually a hike and the other is a water excursion. Your expedition guide likely has a PhD in marine science or ornithology or some obscure scientific study. You go on excursions in small groups and so it is usually just about 10 to 30 people at any given time on foot and only a few zodiacs at a time go out in the water. Because of that, you hear nothing but nature: the cracking of ice, the sounds of seals snoring, etc. In between excursions you have mandatory briefings and lectures. To be honest, by 9pm most everyone was in bed as the day is exhausting. The polar plunge was one excursion where the entire ship was excited. You could feel the almost electric current of excitement. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was in good spirits. The food…well it was certainly an improvement on what we had on Encore but it still has a long way to go. I had some good meals but none that I would rank as one of the best at sea. The wine selection was also lacking. The dinner rose was Beach ($15.00 a bottle). Again, those little touches do cheapen the otherwise high-end experience. It was the most diverse passenger mix I had ever seen which is a tribute to Seabourn. You had singles, multi-generational families, every race, age, nationality and creed imaginable. And everyone got on well. The crew, and in particular, the cruise director, could teach a master class. They were fantastic. The return home had the same ups and downs. We came into port in Ushuaia a day early but Seabourn didn’t have any excursions (this time they didn’t even have paid excursions) and were a bit disorganized at the Ushuaia airport (its tiny with zero signage as to which of the 6 gates you use). The food in the return flight to Buenos Aires was…well… So would I sail with Seabourn Expeditions again? Yes, but I'd never pay Silversea prices for it.

Another outstanding experience on Seabourn, this time on the Pursuit headed from Papeete, Tahiti to Santiago (San Antonio) Chile via Pitcairn and Easter Island (Rapa Nui). This was our 7th Seabourn cruise and ranks right up there with our Antarctica experience. Imagine setting foot on two isolated Pacific islands on one cruise rarely visited by other travelers? The experience got off to a great start in Papeete with the hotel director Guy greeting us shore side. We were efficiently boarded with suites at the ready. The ship still looks new and everything worked well across the ship. Talk about a luxurious expedition ship! Why settle for inconveniences when one can travel in comfort? Everyone seemed to appreciate their room attendants based on final good byes and hugs during the last dance party. The Restaurant and Colonnade delivered excellent food and outstanding service. A special shout out to Phiwe and Marks in the Colonnade. They were professional, efficient, and a joy to interact with. We think this was due to exceptional leadership by Aleksandar. This gentleman led the team by example and collegiality. We witnessed encouragement and engagement with his team, as well as constantly attending to details personally, not chasing down a busy server to attend to something. A special thank you to Lisa the early morning barista in Seabourn Square. Order ready when my wife arrived in the early mornings. On our 15+ cruises, we have experienced many crew variations. Some have been disgruntled and others very content. All Seabourn crews have been excellent. This voyage saw the highest tier crew happiness, engagement and enthusiasm yet. Their demeanor influenced the passengers in such a way that there was a good morning or hello whenever one passed a fellow passenger. It was infectious! The crew reflected their leadership. Captain Steve was engaged, informative and visible. He gave useful noon briefings and was visible across the ship. The Cruise Director Olivia was energetic, creative, optimistic and funny. The ‘Teddy Tumble’ was hilarious (dropping teddy bears from the top of the atrium deck 9 into a champagne bucket on deck 4). We were informed most of the teddies survived in the infirmary. The expedition team was excellent. We were fortunate with weather and were able to land on Pitcairn Island which isn’t usually the case. Expert ship positioning and well coordinated Zodiac embarkation and disembarkation made this possible. Several of the expedition team members were passionate experts with excellent speaking skills (Merel and Amy in particular). Zodiac and on-shore expeditions were well led and enjoyable. We visited memorable locations (Anaa, Ducie, Pitcairn, Rapa Nui, Selkirk and Robinson Crusoe) with remarkable plants, birds, humpbacks and seals in abundance. One disappointment was a problem with one of the two submersibles. Despite a recent overhaul by U-Boat Worx, one was unable to dive below 40 meters. Since the Seabourn safety parameters require self-rescue, with only one boat able to go to 100 meters for wreck dives, these were cancelled. Disappointing and reflects poorly on the vendor. High marks for the Seabourn safety focus. Kayaking was a go and we enjoyed sea kayaking off Selkirk Island. We had close experiences with playful Juan Fernandez Fur Seals off both Selkirk and Robinson Crusoe Islands. After 20 nights, we were very sorry to depart. Where did the time go? Only 22 months to our next Seabourn Pursuit experience, the Kimberly’s to Figi.

This was our first cruise, ever. We are now spoiled. Pre-Cruise: We arrived in Buenos Aires 3 nights before the cruise, and stayed at the Four Seasons (highly recommended) for 2, and moved over to the Alvear Palace as it was included in our cruise. The provided hotel was very high end, very Louis XI/Empire era decor, which we prefer modern such as FS. If you do like that era, the mansion would be a great option at the FS for you as well. Embarkation: We were the first bus in the morning to go to the airport, for the first charter flight. The meal onboard was pretty average, and we didn't get up in time (4am) for breakfast in the hotel, as we went out the night before to an Asado (Fogan, a must try.... but you should also try Betty and Marcelo for a family style asado experience). Anyway, we were out way too late for such an important morning event. We also realised when we got back to the hotel, it may not have been a great idea to purchase the souvenir deer bone steak knives, as we only had our carry-ons left. The flight was minimal service, no IFE. I suggest taking a couple of your favourite snacks. We arrived in Ushuaia, and boarded another bus, that took us into "the village". We had read that this is a requirement when disembarking as well, so we really didn't have much of an urge to explore (we wanted on the ship!). We grabbed a coffee and alfajores to pass the time and waited impatiently for our guide to come back. On arrival at the ship, the excursion team boarded the bus, handed out some things, explained embarkation, and let us loose. We were the 3rd or 4th couple on board and were shaking with excitement. Suite: Our room was lovely, bigger than I expected, and we were in an entry level veranda suite. We spent so little time in the room, it was more than. sufficient. We were surprised by the size of the bathroom, where we could both get ready at the same time! Our room attendants were friendly, but not very attentive. Our preferred alcohols were not in the room, nor was the sparkling water we requested, nor was the vintage 2015 champagne I'd ordered through guest services to celebrate our anniversary. We also found previous passengers socks in one of the drawers in the wardrobe, and the bathroom wastebin had not been emptied, so we do what we usually do, and got out our antibacterial wipes and did a full wipe down of the room (we do this in every airline seat, and every hotel). Dining: We signed up for the signature dinner for night 1, and met our first cruise friends of the trip. They too were from Australia, and it was such a lovely evening (and great value upsell just for the Cristal alone, a bottle for the table). We ate in the restaurant for all dinners, and breakfast on non-excursions mornings. Lunch we split between the restaurant or the buffet. I enjoyed everything, and sometimes two of them ;) . My partner kept ordering the broth-based soup options, and was disappointed with all of them. I on the other hand ordered the cream based soups and enjoyed them all. We found the hostess to be amazing, she was truly a standout crew member. On the night before our anniversary, we realised we'd made a nice group of friends on board and decided it would be nice to share our special night by hosting a table. The hostess still smiled when I knew NOONES last names, or room numbers, but she figured everyone out, and had personalised invitations for each, waiting in their rooms by the time dinner was over. The rest of the servers were hit and miss. The hits were always on point, and we let the hostess know which ones we preferred to be seated in their section, the misses, just seemed disinterested. We were frustrated that nobody could produce a wine list of the included wines, and they seemed to push only certain bottles at meals, yet we'd learned that they had some really beautiful wines which we had to request by name. Excursions: Wow. No, I mean WOW! First, the day we REALLY arrived, not the first stop, but the day we were amongst the icebergs and wildlife, I opened our curtains and was overwhelmed. A 50-year-old man, and I was in tears at the sight of it all! Every excursion was amazing. The expedition team had such a variety of expertise, and were always there for a story, some education, or to take a photo. There was not one excursion I would miss if I did it again. My partner did the kayaking, he enjoyed it. The submarine outings were cancelled most days. Activities: Meh, the usual trivia, corn hole, etc. The lectures were good by the expedition team. I enjoyed sitting in the forward lounge and reading a book for a while, or just staring in awe as we wailed along. Entertainment: We knew this was not the selling point for the cruise, however, I found the 3-4 musicians to be the perfect way to wrap up a day while enjoying a martini made by our favourite bartender. The highlight was a Billy Joel/Elton John night, fantastic. Bars: Plenty of them. Although we gravitated towards the club on deck 9. The bartender would see me enter and would start making my bone dry grey goose martini with blue cheese stuffed olives. The bartenders at the expedition lounge were fantastic as well and did an amazing job serving the massive crowd each night before the daily wrap up in the discovery centre. Room Service: We made it a daily ritual to order a double portion of caviar and an order of fries. The room service waiter (the same every day, and one of the hardest working guys on the ship) was also a waiter in the club at night, so he even started bringing me a martini in the afternoon with our order. The only other thing we ordered was the spaghetti (I know...... right?), which my partner said was "very good". Medical Centre: Who thought I would end up there? The rooms have these brass wall clocks, about 175cm from the floor, and ours (as many rooms) was centred next to the bed. Right where you would swing your legs over, put your feet on the floor, and stand up leaning slightly forward. I am 183cm. The first time (yes, the FIRST) I didn’t break the skin, it just hurt, despite my partner saying "be careful" afterwards. The second time, I shouted "I did it again!", put my hand to my head, and felt the warm think wetness of blood. I had about a 2-inch gash on the top of my forehead, and like all head lacerations, just kept bleeding. I had no option by to call 911 from the room phone, which was answered by guest services, who had to transfer me to the on-call person, who transferred me to the on-call nurse. So I had explained my story 3 times so far. I was told to make my way to sick bay. Because it was time for morning excursions (I did it while I was getting dressed), the doctor was already on land, and every expedition team member walked past and asked if I was ok, as my washcloth was soaking through. One stayed with me, probably because the visual of my standing there bloody wasn't a great marketing moment... The nurse was nice, cleaned me up, applied steristrips (I should have had stitches, but the doctor wasn't on the ship), updated my vaccine, and sent me on my way with a head injury sheet. He said I wouldn't be charged, as it wasn't my fault (I kind of agreed). I spent the rest of the day, recalling the story, because the dressing on my head looked like a fascinator at the races. One of our friends said "how did you do that??? I’m 190cm and I haven't done it!"...... until the next day when we walked over to me at breakfast with a bandage on HIS head! I was slightly irritated when I arrived at my room the night after, to find a medical centre bill for over $500.00, despite being told it was waived. Guest services sorted it out, but it was unpleasant to have to deal with it. I now have a very noticeable scar on my head, that I can tell people it was a penguin attack. Tipping: The controversial topic that has the world divided. Yes, gratuities are included. However, we still gave addition tips to staff that went above and beyond. All were $50 "bonuses". 3 to bartenders, 2 to waiters, 1 to the hostess, and 1 to each room attendant at the start of the cruise, and we intended to add another $100 at the end, but their service was average at best, so we withheld it. We also gave $500 to the crew welfare fund, which is what most people suggest (not the amount, but the fund.) Attire: It is more casual on the Antarctic itineraries. No formal night, and most nights it was smart casual or relaxed elegant sort of mix. Most men wore jackets and a collared shirt, or a sweater, and either nice jeans or slacks in the evening, and jeans and polos or t-shirts plus any layers as needed during the day. Spa: We used our onboard credit for spa treatments. We chose one of the multi-treatment packages. The massages were heavenly. The Mani-Pedi was nice, but I had to sit in the salon where a woman was having her hair done and didn't stop talking the entire 90 minutes. Summary: Service you would expect (most of the time), excellent dining options, fantastic wines (if you know who to ask), and sights and experiences that should be on everyone's bucket list. Would I do it again? Yes? I think. But I would want to be able to travel up into the Fjords, but I read a lot of reviews where this part of the itinerary was cancelled due to ship issues in 2025, and that would frustrate me.

Our first experience with Seabourn did not disappoint. Yes, Seabourn is expensive but Antarctica is not an easy destination. It’s a lot of work to truly experience what this place has to offer visitors. And Seabourn Pursuit provided us with a luxury expedition experience that was almost flawless. The service, food, entertainment and expedition education were all superb. What sets an expedition cruise apart from others is the expedition team and our team members were all accessible helpful and friendly. After 10 days together and five days in Antarctica with two expeditions daily, we got to know our team very well as well 250 of our fellow adventurers. We learned the most important attitude for an Antarctic is flexibility and perspective. Weather changes quickly here so you rely upon your captain and expedition team to provide you with a memorable but safe passage and visit. For example, we arrived a day earlier into the peninsula so we were able to spend an unscheduled stop in the South Shetland islands! And the Pursuit is a beautiful ship. It didn’t seem small and the two restaurants provided us with a variety of cuisines that surprised us. Where else could we enjoy fresh sushi, caviar and Champagne in Antarctica except Seabourn! Yes the coffee and gelato could be better but keep your perspective…we are enjoying an affogato in Antarctica! At the end of our adventure, we couldn’t think of one thing that Seabourn could have done better. (Well, maybe a butler to help dress and undress us with our polar gear which Is exhausting!). To top it off, at the end of our cruise, the ship’s photographer shared his best photos from our cruise at no extra charge to Us. We are looking forward to our next expedition cruise with Seabourn!

Seabourn Pursuit

Seabourn Pursuit

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